Ch.117Chapter 117 – The Hound of the Baskervilles (5)

The morning after a horrific incident that would soon terrify all of England struck the Baskerville mansion.

– Shudder shudder shudder…..

“Miss Watson.”

“…KYAAAAH!?”

Watson, who had been trembling under a blanket on the sofa in the mansion lobby, screamed and convulsed when someone tapped her shoulder.

“Why are you so startled? It’s embarrassing…”

“Y-y-you scared me!”

As Adler stared blankly at her while scratching his head, Watson finally let out a sigh and scolded him.

“You, come sit here.”

“…Why?”

“Don’t talk back, just hurry.”

When she glared fiercely at Adler while patting the seat beside her, he tilted his head briefly before quietly approaching and sitting next to her.

– Click…

At that moment, Watson’s gun was pointed at Adler’s side.

“What are you doing?”

“This incident, you planned it, didn’t you?”

Now accustomed to having guns or knives pointed at his side, Adler smiled and asked, while Watson questioned him in a cold voice.

“Who? Me?”

“…Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

“I truly don’t know anything. I just came here for one last vacation before the academy break ends.”

“Haah…”

As Adler tried to deflect her interrogation with a glib voice, Watson sighed quietly and leaned her head toward him.

“The bullets in my gun right now are silver bullets, you know?”

“…Eek.”

“It would be better to tell the truth before I put a hole in your side.”

As she whispered this with an even lower voice, Adler broke into a cold sweat and trembled.

“Please spare me…..”

“If you want to live, speak up, you damn male vampire…”

“…I wasn’t talking to Miss Watson.”

But then Adler stuck out his tongue mischievously and whispered.

“…Holmes?”

Watson turned her head following his gaze and discovered her partner with a haggard expression, as if she’d been investigating all night, and her eyes widened.

“Where have you been until now?”

“I was searching the moor with Inspector Lestrade.”

“…You’re both out of your minds. After witnessing such a terrifying scene, you fearlessly wander around the moor.”

Eventually, she shook her head at Holmes’s spirited answer and glared at Adler again.

“Listen. Your beloved Holmes is racking her brains over the legend of the Baskerville family.”

“…I never did that.”

“Yet you can’t turn yourself in, and you’re making excuses?”

“Watson, it’s not like that.”

But Charlotte, who had muttered in an irritated voice from behind, staggered toward the fireplace.

– Glug glug glug…..

Then, she picked up the kettle placed beside it, tilted her head back, and began to drink all the coffee inside.

“Holmes, I told you not to do that.”

“…Is she always like this?”

“Only when there’s a case. She’ll probably chain-smoke cigarettes after this.”

Adler, who had been staring blankly at this eccentric behavior, moved toward Charlotte who was now rummaging through her pockets.

“Hey, I’m not finished with you…”

“You should stop the habit of smoking when cases aren’t going well, Miss Holmes.”

Eventually, Adler ignored Watson, who had risen from her seat with her gun still pointed, and took away the cigarette Charlotte had pulled out.

“You’re not going to claim this is some medicinal herb that’s good for your health, are you?”

“…I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

Charlotte looked at him with a gloomy expression and muttered while pressing her finger against the dark circles under her eyes.

“I roughly predicted what would happen, and everything was falling into place, but having interference like this at the end is quite unpleasant.”

“Hmm, interference you say?”

“….Surely you’re not asking because you don’t know, Mr. Adler?”

Then, she quietly raised her eyes and took a step closer to Adler.

“Are you aware that your body is giving off a strong scent different from your usual sweet smell?”

“Perhaps Miss Holmes is also in heat…..”

Adler, who was about to make a quip at Charlotte’s words, suddenly realized his mistake and quietly closed his mouth.

“…I’ll let that comment slide. It’s not entirely wrong anyway.”

“Pardon?”

“What’s important is that your body smells like a beast right now, Mr. Adler.”

Charlotte buried her face in Adler’s chest, sniffing his scent and whispering.

“How do you explain this?”

“…It seems you’re having delusions due to being overly sensitive.”

“It’s even more certain when I smell it up close. The fact that you tried to cover it up with perfume makes it even more suspicious.”

“…Don’t tell me Miss Holmes also believes in the existence of that demon hound?”

Adler placed his hand on her shoulder as she continued to smell his scent while standing on her tiptoes, and whispered in a gentle voice.

“If so, you should see this first.”

Simultaneously, Adler pulled something out from his pocket.

“…This is.”

Charlotte quietly tilted her head as she saw the red cat hanging limply from Adler’s hand.

“As you know, it’s my pet.”

“Me, meow~”

“There, you see?”

At this sight, Adler gently stroked the cat’s belly and gave her a meaningful look, while an awkward meow escaped from the creature.

“I hugged this little one all day yesterday, so it’s natural that I smell like an animal.”

“So that’s how you’re going to play it?”

“…Pardon?”

“Never mind.”

After staring at Adler for a moment, Charlotte Holmes turned away with a cold expression.

“…Not even trying to fool around.”

“………”

“I came because I thought you might be proposing or something, but I don’t understand what this is all about.”

As Charlotte muttered quietly to herself and left the mansion, a moment of silence began to fall.

“Tsk tsk…”

“………?”

“I wonder if you’re pretending not to know, or if you really don’t know…”

In that silence, Watson glared at Adler, who was tilting his head in confusion, and muttered coldly.

“What do you mean?”

“…Can’t you see that Holmes is seriously upset with you?”

Hearing those words, Adler quietly gave a bitter smile.

“I caught a glimpse of her at dawn, diligently making childcare plans all by herself…”

“…Oh, don’t worry about that.”

Then, Adler quietly moved toward the stairs and began to climb them.

“The reason I called you all here was to find that answer.”

“….What did you say?”

“By the time this case is over, I’ll probably be able to give answers to Miss Holmes and Miss Lestrade.”

After concluding with those words and grabbing the doorknob to his room, he added in a low voice.

“…Probably to you as well.”

Watson’s expression filled with doubt at that meaningful statement, but Adler had already entered his room.

.

.

.

.

.

“Phew.”

Adler, who had entered his assigned room, sighed and sat on the bed.

“…Professor.”

Eventually, he scratched his head quietly and opened his mouth.

– Adler.

“Why did you contact me so early in the morning?”

Professor Moriarty, who had almost forcibly established a direct telepathic channel with Adler, was transmitting her voice with a hint of amusement.

– What other reason would a crime consultant have for contacting you?

“…Have you been watching everything?”

– Now you’re even seducing dogs.

“Haha…”

Adler gave an awkward smile at her matter-of-fact statement.

“…If you keep doing that, I’m going to get upset.”

– That would be troublesome.

“From now on, please ask before spying.”

– However, that’s not what’s important right now.

As he tried to admonish the professor with a slightly serious voice, she immediately changed the subject.

– About the plan you’re forming, there’s one very important key missing.

“Pardon?”

– It’s your true identity.

Adler’s eyes widened at those words.

– When you first went there, I thought my assistant had finally realized his own identity.

“……..”

– But judging by your behavior, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The professor’s monotone voice, now familiar to his ears.

– Did that pet you started keeping in the basement of the hideout give you any hints?

“…Ah.”

– Adler, be careful. You need to firmly establish who’s being domesticated at least once.

Adler nodded slightly, looking a bit dejected at her statement that seemed to penetrate everything even from a distance.

– Remember. Unless you realize your own identity, you can never defeat Charlotte Holmes in that case.

“…Yes.”

– The hint is surprisingly close, so do your best, Adler.

Professor Moriarty whispered to him in a thoroughly gentle voice.

– And try to control those horny behaviors of yours.

With that sincere advice, she quietly ended the communication.

“………”

And silence began to flow in the room.

“My true identity…..”

As Adler pondered for a long time about his “true identity” mentioned simultaneously by Microny Holmes and Professor Moriarty, something suspicious caught his eye.

“…Hmm?”

A letter that hadn’t been there just hours ago was placed on a small table in the corner of the room.

“This is…”

Adler’s face, filled with curiosity as he picked up the letter, gradually crumpled.

[If you value your life and chastity, leave the moor immediately.]

“…What the hell.”

It was none other than a threatening letter made by cutting and pasting printed letters.

.

.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, at that time.

“…….”

A girl with black bushy hair was staring at Issac Adler reflected in the mansion window from within the forest undergrowth.

– Swoosh…

Eventually, as she was suddenly enveloped in darkness, she amazingly transformed into a black monstrous creature and disappeared toward the moor.