Ch.104Chapter 104 – Eugenics

“…What are you doing right now.”

“Hmm?”

Dr. Frankenstein, who was cutting off one of Issac Adler’s arms with a saw while wearing a chilling smile, turns her gaze toward the cold voice coming from behind.

“Oh my.”

Upon discovering two girls standing with their backs to the exit, she slowly tilts her head.

“Quite a lot of visitors today.”

“Answer me straight.”

Zia Lestrade, staring at the strange smile on her lips with cold eyes, steps forward and asks a question.

“What have you been doing in this mansion?”

“Our little officer is quite curious.”

The doctor holds a silver saw to Adler’s neck, preventing her from coming any closer.

“Well, personally, I quite like it. Curiosity is what’s most needed for the advancement of science and magic…”

“…Tell me now.”

As Lestrade’s anger-filled command flies in, Dr. Frankenstein begins to speak in a soft voice while still wearing that unpleasant smile.

“Haven’t you ever thought that everyone in London is a complete idiot?”

“I see you hold some kind of supremacist ideology.”

“That’s not what I mean. Seriously, it can be explained with scientific statistics.”

Her eyes begin to glow darkly.

“Since the onset of the Anomaly Phenomenon in the early 16th century, numerous changes began to appear throughout the world.”

“………”

“Forgotten ancient species and fairy tale stories started becoming reality, a tiny minority of people became able to handle ‘mana,’ and the gender ratio became unstable at 4:6…”

She continues her explanation with a serious expression.

“But from my perspective, the biggest and most unfortunate change comparable to the Anomaly Phenomenon is that people’s intelligence levels have been steadily declining.”

“…That’s a baseless claim.”

“No, it’s not baseless at all. You should know well, being a student at Auguste Detective Academy, Miss Zia Lestrade?”

As Lestrade’s eyes widen at those words, the doctor licks Adler’s blood from her cheek and continues.

“I was once a professor at the academy too. I had a grand dream of enlightening the ignorant masses.”

“………..”

“But I soon realized that London was doomed. The level of students was completely hopeless.”

At this statement, similar to what Professor Moriarty had uttered recently, Adler, cradled in her arms, begins to twitch slightly.

“At first I was in despair, but soon I tried to find a solution. As an intellectual like myself, I had that duty.”

“That kind of ideology itself…”

“And then, I finally realized it…!”

While stroking Adler’s cheek, the doctor suddenly raises her voice with flashing eyes.

“If the era continues to become less intelligent, we need to mix superior genes into that era.”

Lestrade and Moran’s expressions slowly sour at her slightly deranged gaze and statement.

“With that idea in mind, I left the academy with a fellow doctor who joined my cause, and set up a laboratory in the basement of this mansion.”

“………”

“And I began researching in secret. Human reproductive activities alone weren’t enough to release sufficient genes into the world. I was looking for a more efficient method.”

Nevertheless, she reminisces about the past with excitement.

“When I first succeeded in creating a life form by artificially mixing my genes with his, I was truly happy. I even named it after my colleague’s surname.”

“That’s…”

“But soon I realized it was a failure.”

Her gaze briefly turns toward Neria Garydeb, who is trembling in the corner.

“The first had chronic fatigue and bones that would shatter at the slightest impact, the second had neurological issues causing mania and hydrophobia…”

“M-Mother…?”

“Releasing such imperfect beings wouldn’t save the world. So afterward, I focused on identifying the causes of these unexplained symptoms.”

But soon, she turns her head away without any lingering attachment.

“The corpses and fog secretly provided by Gil the Reaper, along with Dr. Jekyll’s consultation, were very helpful. Thanks to them, I was finally able to reach the truth…”

“Wait, what did you just say……”

When “Gil the Reaper” was mentioned, a surprised Lestrade tried to interject, but the doctor’s attention was already focused on Issac Adler in her arms.

“The flame of life that all humans commonly possess. That flame rose too weakly in artificially created life forms.”

*Slide…*

“Only children born through reproductive activities were granted that flame. Whether it’s coincidence or a restriction created by the creator to prevent humans from invading God’s domain, I don’t know…”

Her hand moves toward Adler’s chest.

“…I finally found it.”

“Cough.”

“The beautiful spark that will break even that restriction…”

She begins to gently caress his heart.

“From the moment I saw you begin to regenerate your body after being half-devoured by a failed creation, I knew…”

*Thump, thump…*

“That you were the only solution to this problem…”

As Adler’s heartbeat resonates through her hand, an ecstatic expression appears on the doctor’s face.

“Issac Adler, you are superior.”

“………”

“Despite your young age, you’ve brought half the women in this area to their knees—the most superior genes in London.”

“…Ugh.”

“You, who spread those genes without hesitation, are the perfect companion and experimental partner to fulfill my ideology…”

The doctor, now even using honorifics, begins to murmur in a languid voice.

“…With you, even my genetic cells would be overwhelmingly superior. We could create healthy experimental subjects even without the flame of life.”

*Slide, slide…*

“So, will you cooperate?”

She presses her cheek against his face and continues to whisper.

“We’ll fill London with your genes and mine.”

“……..”

“That’s London’s only salvation…”

Issac Adler, who had been silently watching her with tired eyes until then.

“…I have a condition.”

“Yes, what is it? Tell me. As the person I’ll take as my husband, I’ll do anything for you, except letting you go.”

After glancing at Lestrade and Moran, who couldn’t easily approach because of the silver saw at his neck, he quietly spoke.

“Do you know how to revive a dead person’s body?”

“…That’s simple. What do you think I’ve been doing all this time to research the ‘flame of life’?”

“If you tell me that method, I’ll cooperate unconditionally.”

Then, taking out a bottle filled with red smoke from her bosom, she answers with a bright smile.

“Just drink this.”

“That is…?”

“It’s a flame made by mixing the essence of life with your blood.”

When Adler makes a doubtful expression upon hearing this, Dr. Frankenstein gently strokes him and whispers.

“I’m quite skilled in alchemy too. With enough materials, creating an essence containing the power of one person isn’t that difficult. Usually, it’s used as the driving force to move the undead.”

“Then why my blood…”

“Originally, that life essence needs to be charged with electricity for months to infuse energy before it can properly work. But your blood has such good regenerative properties that when mixed with the life essence, it shows remarkable effectiveness that can’t even be compared to ready-made products.”

Then, Adler asks with quietly shining eyes.

“Then, making a few more bottles would be easy, right?”

“No, actually this is the last one.”

“Why?”

But when the doctor answers immediately, Adler’s gaze becomes slightly cold.

“The materials to make the life essence have been depleted.”

“What do you mean…”

“I said it’s easy to make if you have the materials, not that I can make it without materials. And those materials can’t be obtained anymore, no matter how much money you offer.”

“What exactly are these materials?”

But the doctor, not noticing his gaze, continued chattering with an excited expression.

“Dragon’s tears.”

“…………..”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore, right?”

When Adler falls silent at her answer, the doctor continues with a voice tinged with laughter.

“From the moment I found you with superior genes capable of overcoming the limitations of the flame of life, such things became useless.”

“……….”

“The children we’ll have will be perfect beings born with my intelligence and your vitality… Such children won’t need elixirs like this…”

But those words were never completed.

*Pik…!*

The hot air discharged from Celestia Moran’s air gun, who had been quietly observing the situation, simultaneously pierced through Issac Adler and the doctor’s abdomen.

.

.

.

.

.

“What are you…”

“…Ending a hostage situation is simple.”

As Lestrade was about to protest to the trembling Moran with bewildered eyes, Adler, who staggered to his feet, mutters in a low voice.

“You just ignore the hostage’s safety.”

“Adler…”

“…Of course, that’s only possible because it’s me.”

With the elixir that the doctor had been holding now in his hand, he pats Moran’s head, who had faithfully carried out his telepathic order despite trembling, and quietly moves toward the exit.

“Where… are you going?”

But after a few steps, an eerie voice begins to sound from behind him.

“You said you’d cooperate…? After all I said, you still don’t understand me…?”

“………”

“Issac Adler… we need to save London with our superior genes…”

For some reason, Dr. Frankenstein, who had stood up relatively fine while clutching her bleeding abdomen, was muttering with a vacant look in her eyes, reaching her hand forward.

“…Superior genes?”

Then, Adler answers with a voice mixed with cold mockery.

“Maybe if it were Sharlotte or Professor Moriarty.”

“……….”

“I don’t want to give anything to someone who doesn’t even know that her experimental failures are due to her own genetic disease, yet keeps going on about the flame of life.”

Upon hearing those words, the doctor momentarily blanks out, and an unpleasant fog begins to spread around her again.

“…..That’s a lie.”

*Tsuuuuuuuu…*

“You’re the only one who has overwhelmed my superior genes. That’s why we two should become London’s Adam and Eve…”

As soon as those words end, the doctor’s experimental subjects begin to stir and rise again from all directions.

“…I’ll leave this to you.”

Adler, looking at the scene with disgust, passes between Lestrade and Moran and whispers in a hushed voice.

“I have something to do.”

“I wonder if that something,” comes Lestrade’s somewhat locked voice from behind him.

“Is feeding that to Professor Moriarty who’s collapsed outside?”

“………..”

“Instead of drinking it yourself?”

Turning his head briefly at that question, Adler answered with a bright smile.

“…Your deductive skills are slow, officer.”

Blood began to seep from Lestrade’s lips as she unknowingly gritted her teeth.

“I really dislike you.”

In contrast to those words, her eyes were slightly moist as she watched Adler’s retreating back quietly walking away.