Ch.102Chapter 102 – Isaac Adler’s Recollection

[Hey.]

[Are you serious?]

As I quietly descend the long staircase to the basement, a message appears before my eyes, looking as if it was hastily scribbled.

[I gave you the best possible happy ending I could offer, and you’re rejecting it?]

“…That’s right.”

The system clearly doesn’t agree, but I’ve already made my decision.

[I don’t understand.]

“I’m not particularly doing this so you’ll understand.”

I ignore the system window in front of me and walk past it. After hesitating briefly in midair, it starts floating along behind me.

“……..?”

Wondering what’s happening, I turn around, and the translucent window stops moving. When I face forward again, it resumes bobbing along behind me.

“…What is it?”

[I’m not doing anything.]

When I speak in a slightly chilly voice, reminded of being stalked in the past, the floating entity displays text in a somewhat petty font.

“Stop following me.”

[Are you really going down there?]

“…How many times do I have to say it?”

But when I maintain my consistent attitude, the system quietly changes its text to red.

[You’ll die if you go down there?]

“………”

Below that, a series of unavoidable probabilities are listed.

[Probability of being murdered: 50%]

[Probability of being eaten: 99%]

[Probability of becoming a test subject: 10%]

[Probability of future life recovery events: 0.01%]

These were quite chilling contents, but from the moment I rejected the happy ending, I wasn’t going to be swayed by such numerical games.

“…Your probabilities haven’t been particularly accurate.”

[I calculate the possibilities you’ll face at the end, not what will happen immediately.]

“So many excuses.”

[You designed me that way.]

When I speak with a composed expression, the system displays text that somehow conveys a sense of disappointment.

[Are you really going to revive the final boss who’s on the verge of death?]

[Are you going to use your one and only life recovery event for this, in a situation where you’re not even obligated to by any plot consistency?]

“Hmm…”

After disappearing briefly, the system suddenly pops up in front of my eyes with this question. I sigh and lower my gaze.

“…You see…”

I quietly look at the professor I’ve been carrying princess-style in my arms, and memories from the past begin to surface.

Among them, the most vivid memory was of Sherlock Holmes’ memoirs. The moment I first read “The Final Problem” included in that collection of short stories.

“I have my reasons.”

Perhaps the decision I would make was already determined from that moment.

.

.

.

.

.

If you ask why people are fascinated by the Sherlock Holmes series, you would probably get numerous answers.

The mysteries full of dramatic twists that remain entertaining even from a modern perspective. The many characters who feel vivid and alive.

Or perhaps the catharsis that comes from seeing puzzling cases shrouded in fog being solved through clean logic and deduction.

But among these, the overwhelmingly common answer would be the charm of the protagonist, “Sherlock Holmes.”

Who is Sherlock Holmes?

The epitome of detective characters and the godfather who influenced all detective characters that came after him.

Also, the most frequently filmed character in the world and one of the most successful characters created by humans.

Considering the tragicomic incidents that happened to Arthur Conan Doyle when the character died in the story, one can understand how much fans loved and were passionate about Sherlock Holmes.

And that was also true for me, who first encountered the Sherlock Holmes series during quite a difficult time.

Though my memories are now hazy, the gloomy emotions I felt back then still make me shudder when I recall them.

After all, how great would the grief be for a child actor who was performing unwanted roles and receiving unwanted attention from all directions, only to lose their entire family in an instant due to a traffic accident on the way to a filming location?

The “Sherlock Holmes series” that I happened to encounter in the hospital room, recommended by one of the few friends who came to visit, might be too much to say it changed my life, but it certainly helped me overcome those dark times.

Therefore, becoming increasingly immersed in the novels that provided such help and eventually becoming an ardent fan of the character “Sherlock Holmes” was a very natural progression.

Up to that point, excluding my personal history, I was probably not much different from any other Sherlockian.

But on a day approaching my discharge date, when I read “The Final Problem” included in the collection “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.”

I became a different type of fan than other Sherlockians.

The moment the “Sherlock Holmes series” completely shook my life was probably at that moment.

Because unlike ordinary fans who mourned Sherlock Holmes’ death and cursed the suddenly appearing “Professor Moriarty.”

I became completely captivated by the character of “Professor Moriarty,” enough to shake the position of Sherlock Holmes in my heart.

.

.

.

.

.

“…I think I’m a strange person too, Professor.”

After standing lost in thought for a while, I gently caressed the cheek of Professor Jane Moriarty, which was gradually growing cold, and began to move forward again.

“I like criminal consultants as much as I like detective consultants.”

When I first saw the scene of Holmes and Professor Moriarty falling together at Reichenbach Falls, I was quite shocked.

The translated version of the Sherlock Holmes series that my friend had brought me was missing several episodes, including “The Adventure of the Empty House” where Sherlock Holmes returns alive, so at that time, I thought it was truly the end of the novel.

However, that shock didn’t translate into “sadness” or “anger” like it would for typical readers.

The “criminal mastermind” who overwhelmed the always perfect Sherlock Holmes and eventually forced him to flee to Europe with Watson.

Completely overwhelmed by his charisma and terrifying atmosphere shown throughout the work, I came to admire him hunting justice.

“At first it was definitely reverence.”

I still don’t know why exactly.

For me, who had somehow always been a victim of crime since childhood, perhaps the existence of an “invincible criminal consultant” approached me as an object of both fear and admiration.

Or perhaps my innate character was a gray mixture of white and black.

“…Now it’s clearly not reverence anymore.”

Nevertheless, I still preferred the “invincible detective consultant” side more. When Holmes returned alive in “The Adventure of the Empty House” that I read a few months later, I was so happy I nearly cried.

But in a dark corner of my mind, created by childhood trauma, there was always that “criminal consultant” who had overwhelmed me back then.

Perhaps that’s largely why, until just a few years ago, I volunteered to take on the “consultant” role that everyone avoided because good and evil inevitably become ambiguous when working in the shadows but aiming for the light.

Maybe that’s also why I volunteered to take on the story “consultant” role at the game company I joined after losing my job.

“Inevitably, past traumas kept coming to mind, and I kept denying it.”

Anyway, the conclusion is very simple.

“…I think I like villains as much as heroes.”

I am half white, but the other half is black, a rather dual existence.

And judging by my heterochromatic eyes, I seem to like both characters that were the catalyst for developing such tendencies equally.

“Come to think of it, that makes me kind of trashy, doesn’t it?”

It sounds a bit like I’m proudly straddling both sides, but isn’t this still better than only liking villains instead of heroes, like my old friend?

[Hey.]

As I scratch my head and tilt it slightly, the system window that has been circling around me for quite some time sends a somewhat urgent message.

[Are you really going to die instead of the final boss?]

[That’s not okay?]

Seeing that a worn-out door is now visible in the distance, it seems the entity has become quite urgent as well.

But why does this one keep making such a fuss?

Until recently, it pretended not to have self-awareness and maintained a very businesslike attitude, but now it’s suddenly acting like this.

[Then who’s going to play word chain games with me?]

“…You said that wasn’t fun.”

As I look at it with a puzzled expression thinking this, after a moment of silence, a message returns.

[Fine.]

[Do whatever you want.]

With that brief message, it completely disappeared from the air.

“………”

Somehow it doesn’t feel good, but there’s no choice now.

“…Please wait a moment, Professor.”

It’s time to punish the one who dared to attempt regicide.

.

.

.

.

.

– Creeeeak…

Some time later.

– Bang!!!

As soon as Adler enters through the old basement door, a silver bullet is fired, flying toward him as if it had been waiting.

– Fizzle…

But when Adler waves his hand lightly with a cold gaze, the bullet is blocked in midair and quietly falls to the floor.

“…Oh my. I thought you couldn’t use magic.”

– Tsssss…

“It seems you came prepared.”

In front of Adler, who was emitting smoke mixed with golden aura, stood a rather sickly-looking woman with disheveled hair, wearing a white gown and smiling.

“…Dr. Frankenstein.”

“Welcome to my laboratory.”

The moment Adler uttered her name, the woman smiled brightly and spread her arms to both sides.

“””………..””””

From the darkness behind her, the gleaming eyes of countless monstrous creatures begin to flicker.

“First, would you like to come lie down here?”

“…I’ll pass.”

It was at that moment that Adler’s golden aura began to gradually turn gray and black.

“I need to kill someone right now.”