Ch.105Chapter 105 – Time Limit

“…Hmm?”

When Jane Moriarty suddenly came to her senses and slowly began looking around, the first thing she saw was none other than a large crowd of people.

‘How burdensome.’

As the professor stared blankly at the scene, such a thought soon crossed her mind.

From a young age, she had always preferred being alone in her own space—to be precise, in a space she owned—rather than in crowded places, though she couldn’t quite explain why.

And this habit only grew stronger as she aged and walked the path of crime, becoming increasingly reluctant to reveal herself to others.

Now, simply sitting in an armchair, tilting her head side to side while enjoying sweet milk tea was as good as any resort.

‘Why am I in a place like this?’

Therefore, she had no reason to be here. She wanted to return to her cozy domain right away, preferably somewhere with warm milk tea and plenty of sugar packets.

‘…Was I out for a walk with Adler?’

But her wish disappeared without a trace as soon as that thought crossed her mind.

She vividly remembered Issac Adler recently suggesting she take walks due to lack of exercise.

Perhaps she had been led out for a walk by him without realizing it?

If that were the case, she wouldn’t mind going along with it.

These days, the place where she felt most comfortable wasn’t her attic with milk tea and blankets, but wherever Issac Adler was.

“…Adler.”

“………”

After calling for her assistant in her usual voice tinged with amusement, the professor soon began tilting her head in confusion.

“Adler?”

For some reason, there was no sign of the response that usually came within seconds.

In fact, now that she noticed, she couldn’t sense his presence at all.

“Where are you, Adler…”

As a result, the professor muttered with a slightly dejected voice as she began walking forward.

“Isn’t it time to fulfill what must be done after the case is over…..”

But after taking just a few steps, her complexion began to turn pale.

“…..Case.”

Only now were the memories from before she closed her eyes returning, along with a severe headache.

“Ah…..”

The unidentified fog, the silhouette visible in that fog, the unknown killing intent that had descended upon her and Adler. And finally, the silver bullet fired from the gleaming gun barrel.

– Throb…

Quietly rubbing her chest with her hand at the suddenly revived pain, she looked around once more and muttered in a low voice.

“…Is this hell, then?”

She was certainly dead. Yet with so many people around, perhaps they too were in the same situation, in this unknown place…

“…..?”

The professor, who had been carefully examining the crowd with a somewhat pale face, suddenly stopped thinking and widened her eyes.

‘…Sharlotte Holmes?’

Although her face was several times paler than her own, the dark circles under her eyes had grown several times larger as if she had started using drugs again, and she was wearing some ill-fitting formal suit instead of the black coat she always wore.

But what stood before her eyes was undoubtedly ‘Sharlotte Holmes.’

‘…Did she also get involved in the case and die?’

The professor, who had been tilting her head for a moment, began walking toward her with a smirk.

She might have felt bad about dying alongside someone she always found unpleasant, but somehow it made sense quickly.

As if it had been their predetermined fate to die simultaneously.

“Miss Holmes, you…”

“…Jane Moriarty.”

But before she could even speak, Sharlotte’s expression slowly began to distort as she turned her head and recognized the professor.

“You… How dare you…”

“……?”

“With what face……….”

The professor looked puzzled at the cracking voice that began flowing from her lips.

“With what face did you come here, you fucking bitch!!!”

Showing a completely disheveled appearance for the first time, Sharlotte hurled an emotional curse at her.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but please calm…”

“You bastard… If it weren’t for you… If it weren’t for that case back then…!!”

The professor backed away with a slightly bewildered expression at the sight that resembled a mad dog running wild, yet looked too desperate and sad to dare reproach.

“He… He wouldn’t have ended up like this…..!!”

“What on earth are you talking about…?”

“You should have been the one who died at the waterfall!”

People around had already gathered to restrain Sharlotte, but her cries continued.

“Jane Moriarty, it should have been you!!!”

After finishing those words, she lowered her head with tears flowing from her eyes.

“”………..””

At the same time, as cold gazes from the surrounding people flew toward her, cold sweat began to form on the professor’s forehead.

“…This place.”

Only now could she properly identify where she was, as the crowd had gathered to restrain Sharlotte.

“A cathedral…”

The somehow familiar faces of the crowd, the uniformly formal dark attire, and even the massive cross that Adler so despised.

– Step, step…

The professor, who had been making a disbelieving expression, soon began staggering forward.

“…It can’t be.”

The coffin that began to appear beyond the people emitted an ominous feeling for some reason.

“It can’t be.”

But deliberately ignoring such feelings, the professor reached right in front.

“I just saved Issac Adler…”

After checking inside while muttering in a calm voice, the professor’s face slowly began to turn blue.

“Just…..”

Because Issac Adler was quietly sleeping with his eyes closed inside.

“…saved him.”

Unconsciously muttering those words, she began to stagger at the sight.

“It’s because of you…”

“If it weren’t for you…”

“If you hadn’t killed Adler for fun that day…”

Behind her, voices filled with resentment began to be heard.

“…The final case would never have come.”

“That’s…”

The professor tried to turn her head back to make some excuse at Sharlotte’s voice that clearly rang out among them, but her body was already not responding.

“Bring him back…”

“Bring Issac Adler back…”

“Bring him back…”

As a result, cold hands began to grab her shoulders as she stood motionless in front of the coffin for a long time.

“Professor.”

“…….!”

“Are you alright?”

At that very moment, a warm voice began to be heard from inside the coffin.

“Adler…!”

Surprisingly, Adler, who had opened his eyes in the coffin, was looking at the professor with a gentle smile.

“Let’s get out of here quickly. Something feels off no matter how I think about it.”

“Yes, my beloved professor.”

Moriarty, who had been staring at him blankly for a moment, urgently grabbed his hand and whispered, while Adler quietly tilted his head and gazed at her.

“…But why did you kill me?”

The moment he asked her in a cold voice while shedding a stream of bloody tears from his eyes.

“…..Huk.”

Professor Moriarty, whose body was soaked in cold sweat, truly opened her eyes wide and sat up.

“Haa, haa…”

Soon, unconsciously clenching both hands, she began looking around.

“This is…”

Her own figure, wearing a patient gown instead of her usual professor’s attire, lying in bed, and the familiar hospital room scene greeted the professor.

“You’re finally awake.”

“…….”

“I don’t know how many days it’s been. I was worried the elixir might have gone wrong since you wouldn’t wake up, but I’m glad…”

The last thing that entered her field of vision was the very welcome face sitting in a chair located at the end of the bed.

– Rustle…

But unlike usual, the professor, who was examining him with a slightly wary gaze, quietly reached out and began caressing his cheek.

“What are you doing?”

“Are you really Issac Adler?”

“…Is there a fake Issac Adler too?”

At the uncharacteristically stupid question that popped out of the professor’s mouth, Adler answered with a smirk.

“It’s truly strange.”

“What is?”

“I surely should have died…”

As the professor muttered in a dreamy voice looking at him, Adler whispered while gently stroking her hair.

“You did die, but I brought you back to life.”

“………”

“Dying without your assistant’s permission is a breach of contract, you know.”

The professor, who had a blank expression for a moment, soon quietly burst into laughter at those words.

“What happened with the case…”

“This time I took care of the aftermath. I thoroughly erased all traces of your activities, so don’t worry.”

“I want to be held by you, but I’m too sleepy.”

“That’s because I administered a sedative earlier. They say getting proper sleep is better for recovery than forcing yourself to stay awake.”

Then, as she began blinking her sleepy eyes again, she quietly lowered her gaze and muttered.

“Then, hold me before I fall asleep again…”

“Now you’re being spoiled.”

“My chest feels cold, as if I’ve been shot.”

At her voice, now tinged with recovered humor, Adler quietly sighed and extended both arms to the professor.

“…Mmph.”

“……….?”

Adler, who had embraced the professor in his arms, pushed his soft tongue into her mouth.

“”……….””

And silence began to flow through the hospital room.

“Puha.”

Professor Moriarty, who had been kissed under Adler’s lead for the first time rather than her own initiative, watched Adler licking away her extended bodily fluid with her tongue, distinctly feeling her cheeks growing hot.

“…You finally made me acknowledge you.”

Although several days had passed since the incident, his right eye was still tinted with her gray color.

“I love you, Professor.”

The professor, who had been quietly looking at that sight for a while, completely shook off the anxiety she had felt from the ominous nightmare just before and answered in a gentle voice.

“…And I you.”

With those words, her eyes closed again.

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Professor Jane Moriarty, who had a sleepy expression due to the sedative’s effect, but kept gazing at me until the end before quietly falling asleep.

“…Why aren’t you coming in?”

After gently stroking the professor’s hair for a long time, confirming that she had completely fallen asleep, I quietly opened my mouth.

“It seemed like you were having a personal moment.”

“It doesn’t matter now.”

“By the way, you’re truly foolish.”

Then Rachel Watson, wearing a doctor’s coat, opened the door to the room and entered.

“Sacrificing your own life to save the most dangerous person in London…”

“Miss Watson.”

Interrupting her words, I asked the most urgent question in the current situation.

“…How much longer can I live?”

After hesitating for a moment and checking my reaction, she finally sighed and answered.

“I clearly told you not to overexert yourself, but you pushed your body too hard and now there’s no hope. Even life support treatment is impossible at this stage.”

“…I see.”

“You should prepare yourself mentally before this time next year.”

I’ve truly become terminally ill now, but I have no regrets.

“What will you do now?”

“…Haha.”

It’s practically a bargain price for saving the person I love.

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“By the way, is someone outside?”

“Pardon?”

That aside, why do I sense such killing intent from outside the room?

Could it be that Sharlotte Holmes or Lestrade have already returned from testifying at Dr. Frankenstein’s trial?

“…Come to think of it, there was a blue-haired little girl holding a cat doll who’s been sitting quietly on a chair outside for several hours.”

Ah.