Ch.10Chapter 10 – The First Request

“Adler.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Just a few hours after posting recruitment notices for the “Mock Crime Consultation Club” all around the academy.

“I’m the one who trusted you and stamped your permit, and I’m the one who gladly accepted your request to participate in the interviews.”

Moriarty, who had been interviewing students with me in the office, spoke to me in a low voice.

“But I’m starting to regret that choice.”

Twirling her hair around her finger, she turned her gaze forward and added.

“Watching these pathetic displays is quite tiresome.”

“Eeek…”

A student in front of us was using all his strength to manipulate mana.

“H-how is it? Isn’t this red enough?”

“Does the student not know the difference between orange and red?”

At Moriarty’s bored comment, the student withdrew his mana and began scratching his head.

“I-I tried my best…”

“Next.”

“…Tch.”

After receiving his rejection, the student grumbled as he left the office.

“Thanks to that strange condition you set, the interview room has become a mana demonstration venue for students seeking club bonus points.”

“……..”

“How many more hours must I watch these idiots struggling to create red mana that cannot possibly exist in London?”

Professor Moriarty, resting her head on the desk with sleepy eyes, stared at me pointedly.

“Here, have one.”

“Mm.”

Seeing how exhausted she looked, I took out a sugar cube from the bag I had confiscated for her health and handed it to her.

“Please wait a little longer. The person I’m waiting for will surely come.”

“Mmm…”

“I’ll give you another sugar cube if you wait patiently.”

Since she didn’t seem particularly satisfied, I took out another sugar cube and placed it in her hand. Only then did she pop it into her mouth, chewing contentedly while nodding.

– Creeeeak…

While I was feeling like I had somehow become her personal trainer…

“Oh, hello?”

The door to the interview room opened without invitation, and a girl entered.

“Is this the Mock Crime Consultation Club?”

A neat and diligent-looking girl with crimson bobbed hair was asking timidly.

‘Speak of the devil.’

After briefly examining the student who looked like a model student by anyone’s standards, I inwardly muttered those words while smiling with satisfaction.

“I’m a second-year student council member. V-Victoria Spalding.”

‘Of course she couldn’t stay away.’

“Pleased to meet you!”

The fourth smartest girl in London, who had her “Red-Headed League” case stolen by me, had finally appeared before us.

“Professor. What are you doing?”

“Hm?”

“I told you before. When meeting a client for the first time, you need to analyze them.”

After acknowledging her greeting with a slight nod, I tapped the still desk-resting Moriarty and whispered quietly.

“As crime consultants, understanding client information is fundamental, Professor.”

“…I understand, Adler.”

Suddenly, her eyes began to shine quietly.

“Please have a seat, Senior Spalding.”

After watching her eyes that seemed to have spotted prey, I turned my attention to the girl before us.

“Let’s begin the interview.”

Time to add another sacrificial lamb to help alleviate the professor’s boredom along with me.

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“Well then, would you mind demonstrating your mana ability, senior?”

“…D-do I have to?”

The girl who introduced herself as Victoria Spalding asked with slight confusion at Adler’s request.

“You don’t have to, but is there a particular reason you’re avoiding it?”

“Is there a reason for that, student?”

Adler tilted his head questioningly, with Professor Moriarty parroting his words like a parrot beside him.

“I-I’m not very good with mana yet… hehe.”

“That’s fine. As long as the color is visible, there’s no problem.”

“W-well then… I’ll try.”

After glancing nervously at Adler and Moriarty, the girl finally gave in to their persistence and extended her right hand to summon mana.

– Tssss…

And moments later, a faint match-sized aura of vermilion began to bloom from her hand.

“A-as you can see… this is my limit.”

“”……….””

“W-well, since mana color naturally follows the user’s hair color, it’s impossible in London where red hair doesn’t exist… right?”

Looking embarrassed by her meager display, the girl pointed to her vermilion hair while making excuses.

“B-but… why did you include such a strange condition?”

“Though it’s just a mock club, we’re still a crime consultation club. We need someone who can use red mana to recreate crime scenes.”

When Adler answered her timid question…

“…So that’s it.”

The girl quietly muttered before suddenly standing up.

“…I just remembered I have an urgent matter to attend to.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be going now…”

“Then before you leave, let me ask you one question, senior.”

As she hurriedly tried to leave, Adler posed one question.

“If you were to join our club, what kind of crime would you like consultation on?”

After pausing briefly at his words, she answered with a bright smile.

“Hmm… I wonder? Robbing London’s best bank has been my childhood dream.”

“Really?”

At those words, Adler quietly raised the corner of his mouth and whispered in a low voice.

“What could possibly be lacking for Lady Joanne Clay, a descendant of royalty, to attempt such a thing?”

And then came silence.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The girl, standing still and staring blankly at Adler, eventually broke the silence with a puzzled expression.

“I’m just a farmer’s daughter. I entered this academy only because I happened to be born with the ability to use mana…”

“Student, keeping your hands in your pockets while concentrating all your mana there isn’t a very good habit.”

But Moriarty’s amused voice interrupted her mid-sentence.

“One might misunderstand that you’re preparing for combat.”

As the girl fell silent at those words, Professor Moriarty tapped her fingers on the table and added.

“Especially for a Vampire, a species said to be nearly extinct from hunting across Europe, such behavior is highly inappropriate.”

“……….”

“Even for a duchess’s daughter in disguise. At the very least, within this academy, a professor’s authority takes precedence.”

And immediately after those words…

“…Haah.”

The girl exhaled coldly before sitting back down.

“How did you figure it out?”

With her seemingly dim-witted appearance completely gone, the girl asked arrogantly while crossing her legs.

“The faint scent of hair dye. The red stubble on the back of your neck that wasn’t properly cleaned up. Unlike the other fools trying to turn their mana red, your attempt to make it appear orange. Put those together, and there’s only one answer.”

“………”

“I don’t know how my adorable assistant knows this, but red mana is a characteristic only Vampires possess. Am I wrong?”

When Moriarty finished his explanation, the girl nodded with an impressed expression.

“I thought you were just fools, but you’re clearly not ordinary.”

“You’re not ordinary either. You used a very unique perfume to mask your scent, and you removed your body hair so cleanly that I might not have noticed.”

“Hmph.”

“But that became your downfall. A poor farmer’s daughter wouldn’t use such unique perfume, nor would she shave so meticulously.”

Professor Moriarty’s expression was quite excited as she finished her explanation.

“By the way, the hair dye scent was a lie. I just took a guess because your perfume was so distinctive. Next time, develop a habit of persisting to the end.”

Her expression was like that of a young girl riding an amusement park ride for the first time.

“…How annoying.”

The girl, Joanne Clay, muttered in a cold voice as she observed that expression.

“I didn’t expect hunters to be at this academy too.”

And the next moment.

– Woooosh…

A bright red aura began to spread around her body.

“But for people with such good brains, you’ve made quite a foolish choice.”

Filling the room with mana burning like red blood, Clay whispered in a contemptuous voice.

“To face me, you should have brought at least 100 hunters. What do you two think you can do?”

“Did you come so full of openings because you’re confident you can escape?”

“I don’t wish to exchange any more words with hunters.”

Clay’s mana began to ripple like waves as she firmly rejected Moriarty’s question.

“Ahem.”

Simultaneously, Professor Moriarty raised her finger with a chilling smile.

“With all due respect, Lady Clay.”

In this critical moment, Adler hastily grabbed Moriarty’s hand and lowered it before beginning to speak.

“We are not hunters.”

“Doesn’t matter. Now that you know my identity…”

“We’re crime consultants who are ready to sincerely help the duchess who’s plotting the revival of Vampires in the 19th century.”

At those words, Clay frowned while looking at Adler.

“The reason we lured you here was to receive your request.”

“I can do it perfectly well on my own, so why should I accept your help?”

“Because London’s genius girl will stand in your way.”

“What?”

“Even if that weren’t the case, your plan is impossible now that we’ve discovered it.”

Clay snorted at Adler’s words.

“As I just said, if I kill everyone here…”

“Unless we specifically cancel the order, tomorrow morning’s newspapers will be filled with articles about you.”

“………”

However, Adler didn’t back down easily.

“Of course, that’s just insurance for our lives. We’re not forcing you to hire us. If you leave without giving us the job, there won’t be any disadvantages.”

“But let me be clear, without our help, your plan will fail.”

As Adler finished his explanation, Professor Moriarty added with a smile.

“Your plan is fundamentally flawed from the beginning.”

And once again, silence filled the room.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’ll tell you after you hire us, student.”

At Professor Moriarty’s relaxed voice, Clay glared at them with irritation before finally speaking.

“What’s the fee?”

“Since I have plenty of money, I’ll need something special. How about becoming my familiar, Lady?”

“I’ll take that as you having a death wish right now.”

“Instead, if you’re even slightly dissatisfied with the results, I’ll become your servant.”

Clay, who had been vibrating her mana again, quietly began to think after hearing that proposal.

“If you write exactly what you just said on a contract and sign it, I’ll specially entrust you with this request.”

“Excellent.”

“Of course, with a contract that has ‘contract magic’ applied to it.”

“Of course, that’s how it should be done.”

When Adler agreed so easily, Clay briefly looked at him suspiciously before whispering with a sneer.

“If you’re so eager to become my servant, I could make you one right now.”

“I think a contract would be more definitive than just becoming a servant.”

“Ha.”

She then took out a quill pen from her bosom and muttered in a low voice.

“It might be fun to use London’s rogue like a dog.”

The crime consultation contract with Adler and Clay’s signatures was completed a few minutes later.

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“W-well then… goodbye!”

Clay, who had somehow returned to her usual innocent appearance, left the office after a loud farewell.

“…Professor, rejoice.”

Finally relaxed, I sighed and quietly spoke to Professor Moriarty sitting beside me.

“Our first case has finally found us.”

The first case that would later be known as the “Red Mana League.”

“Indeed.”

Professor Moriarty, finally facing this case, answered in a low voice with a slight smile.

“If you become someone else’s, I’ll kill you, Adler.”

No, that wasn’t an answer but a death threat.

How can someone make such a terrifying statement with such a refreshing smile?

“Me? Or that person?”

“Both of you will die, I’d say.”

“…I’ll have to work hard on this case just to stay alive.”

Even as I thought this, I realized I was starting to get used to responding to these situations, which is quite ridiculous.

“By the way, why did you grab my hand earlier?”

As I was inwardly smiling bitterly, Professor Moriarty suddenly asked.

“I didn’t want anyone getting hurt in an unnecessary fight.”

Of course, the person who would have gotten hurt in an unnecessary fight was Lady Clay.

No matter who she was, she couldn’t possibly defeat this world’s final boss, Professor Moriarty, whose powers remained a mystery.

I didn’t want to subjugate her to become the professor’s top-tier slave alongside me so soon.

“Why are you tilting your head and staring at me like that?”

“You’re really interesting.”

“That kind of gaze also constitutes sexual harassment, Professor.”

“Pfft.”

As I was about to get up from my seat after exchanging some light banter…

– Creeeeak…

When the office door began to open again, I turned my gaze in that direction, wondering if Lady Clay had returned.

“…Oh.”

I immediately froze in place, uttering a dying gasp.

“Is this the Mock Crime Consultation Club?”

Sharlotte Holmes, dressed in the uniform of Auguste Detective Academy, was standing before me with a cold smile.

“Adler.”

Why the hell is she here right now?