Ch.124Chapter 124 – Escape

“Haa, haa…”

– Grooooowl…

The battle between Sharlotte Holmes and Professor Moriarty, which had continued for dozens of minutes, was beginning to reach a stalemate.

“You’re quite good, aren’t you?

Normally, Professor Moriarty, with her superior mana concentration and handling skills, would have ended this confrontation with an overwhelming victory.

Have you somehow grown stronger through some catalyst?”

“…Shut up.”

But for some reason, Sharlotte’s black mana, which was several times darker than usual, was quite successfully defending against Professor Moriarty’s death-gray mana that consumed everything.

“J-just hold on a little longer!”

“…Sharlotte! Hang in there!”

Of course, this miracle wasn’t solely due to her growth.

“Tch…”

“A martial arts user isn’t an easy opponent, but I’ll defeat them soon and join you, so please hold on a little longer!”

Detective Inspector Lestrade, who was blocking the werewolf that had begun targeting Sharlotte Holmes on orders from the demon who had empowered it, was actively reducing the concentration of the gray mana that threatened to consume everyone.

“Grrrr…”

“H-hey, what’s loaded in here… silver bullets? They’ll really hurt if they hit you, okay?”

Watson was also successfully keeping the demon’s hound at bay, having somewhat overcome her fear for her partner’s sake, pointing her gun at the beast as it circled around the room.

“Wow.”

Meanwhile, at a distance from them, Issac Adler was watching the terrifying duel with sparkling eyes, his hand placed on a return ticket just in case.

“Magic is amazing…”

“Mr. Adler.”

“Huh.”

He unconsciously closed his mouth upon hearing Professor Moriarty’s voice from in front of him, still carrying a hint of amusement without losing her composure.

“Six women are dueling over you, and you’re watching it with interest as if it were a play.”

“Um… technically it’s five, isn’t it?”

“……..”

“…Hehe.”

Adler scratched his head with an awkward smile.

“If that’s the case, what’s the point of coming to rescue you?”

The professor, who had been looking at him with a puzzled expression as he maintained an unusually cheerful demeanor, quietly relaxed her hand.

– Tsssszzzzz…

Instantly, Sharlotte Holmes’s black mana began to surge forward, devouring Professor Moriarty’s gray light.

“Professor…?”

“…..Hmph.”

Adler, who had been looking confused at this sight, momentarily blanked out at the voice that came from the professor who was staring at him with a slightly disgruntled expression.

“You still seem to have some leeway…?”

At that moment, an eerie voice began to sound from ahead.

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you continued to be arrogant.”

“……..”

“By now you must have realized it too. You can no longer overwhelm me one-sidedly.”

“That doesn’t mean you can win.”

The gazes of Sharlotte, who momentarily seemed to overpower Professor Moriarty’s presence, and the professor, who unflinchingly increased her mana output again, began to cross.

“Your eyes are still gray, Professor. I guess your love for yourself is greater than your love for Adler.”

“It’s because my heart is several times broader than your narrow and biased one. No matter how big my heart is, it’s difficult for it to be stained.”

“Don’t try to brush this off with jokes.”

After saying that, Sharlotte lowered her voice and whispered a question.

“…Do you actually understand what love is?”

And then came the silence.

“See.”

Sharlotte, who had been staring at the silent professor with cold eyes in the stillness, eventually began to murmur with a sneer on her lips.

“You’re just playing at love. Just because it seems fun. Isn’t that right?”

“You’re being too harsh.”

Jane Moriarty admonished her in a cold voice, staring at her calmly.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood to indulge a child’s tantrum.”

“I never thought I’d say something like this…”

But without backing down, Sharlotte faced her directly and whispered.

“I feel so sorry for you, unable to understand what love is.”

“……….”

“How pitiful that you can only imitate it.”

The professor’s gaze grew slightly colder upon hearing those whispers, but her expression and breathing remained the same.

– Grooooow…

“Oh my, did that hit a nerve?”

However, the balance of mana that she had been operating with considerable composure began to waver suddenly, something the professor couldn’t quite hide.

– Crack, craaack…

“If it stings, you should know when to back off.”

Sharlotte began to persistently dig into that momentary gap without missing it.

“You must have no conscience. An old maid like you…”

– Craaaaaaack…

“A proposal? Don’t make me laugh.”

The small gap widened increasingly, and Sharlotte’s dark mana somehow reached right in front of Professor Moriarty.

“…You rejected our proposal too.”

In that critical moment, Sharlotte drove in the final wedge with a sardonic smile.

“As if Adler would accept a proposal from someone like you…”

– Tap tap…

It was at that very moment when the professor, who had been listening to her words expressionlessly, suddenly had a chilling gleam in her eyes.

“Professor.”

“…….?”

Adler, who had somehow approached right next to them, began to tap the professor’s shoulder with a bright smile.

“Mr. Adler, it’s dangerous here.”

“Look at this.”

“So for now, please step back…”

Jane Moriarty, who had been muttering in a monotone voice while glaring coldly at Sharlotte, began to trail off.

“Hehe.”

It was because Adler was holding out a piece of paper to her.

“”………””

It didn’t take long for everyone to realize that it was a marriage registration form with Issac Adler’s handwritten signature for marriage to Professor Moriarty.

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– Grooooow…

Sharlotte Holmes’s mana, which had been on the verge of gaining the upper hand, began to shake severely.

“Ugh…”

She tried desperately to regain balance, but it was already too late. The black mana that had been penetrating toward Professor Moriarty just seconds ago was now barely able to block her attack.

“…Why.”

Realizing that she could no longer turn the tide, Sharlotte bowed her head and opened her mouth.

“Why did you make such a choice?”

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

“…Are you serious?”

A cold voice sounded from behind Sharlotte.

“Are there people who get married as a joke?”

“Why did you choose that professor of all people, abandoning the only being who could counteract your curse, and the person you love?”

“…Hmm.”

Adler, who had been scratching his head with a blank expression while checking Watson’s reaction behind him, began to answer in a low voice.

“It’s because of the reason I mentioned earlier.”

“”……….””

“It doesn’t make sense to marry someone you need to defeat somehow, does it?”

At that, their faces turned pale.

“I love you all dearly. Please defeat us.”

“Stop…”

“What you need to do has been clearly determined at this moment.”

“STOP IT!!!”

It was at that point that Sharlotte exploded upon hearing Adler’s words.

“I don’t want to defeat you!!”

“……..”

“I like you! I like you, Adler!!”

More tears than ever before in her life began to stream down her face.

“I-I was too harsh earlier. I was too harsh, so let’s find another way. Okay?”

“Miss Holmes…”

“You’re marrying someone else for my sake? Do you think I’d accept such a terrible ending?!”

Eventually, Sharlotte shouted and tried to step forward.

“…It seems this case isn’t quite suitable to be concluded yet.”

Adler narrowed his eyes as he witnessed Zia Lestrade, who had been behind her, exert superhuman strength to take down Mortimer, the main culprit.

“However, Miss Baskerville, who has witnessed everything, could be a problem…”

“…That won’t be an issue.”

A subdued voice came from beside him.

“I’ve already made preparations to cover up this case…”

“Is that so?”

The professor, who had been boldly proposing earlier but was now avoiding Adler’s gaze with flushed cheeks, murmured, and Adler quietly nodded.

“Then, let’s go.”

– Swoosh…

Suddenly, Adler wrapped his arm around her waist.

“………?”

As he lifted her in a princess carry, Professor Moriarty, who had been tilting her head from side to side like a lizard, unable to comprehend what was happening to her, froze in place.

“It seems you still haven’t accepted it, so I should give you time.”

“A-Adler.”

“But if you still can’t accept it until the end…”

He gently stroked her head and quietly raised his hand.

“The next riddle you’ll face won’t be so kind.”

“Stop it. I said stop!”

“So, steel yourself.”

“…Ugh.”

Sharlotte, who had been staggering toward him due to the pressure in the cave, finally lost her balance and fell.

“Don’t waste your energy trying to capture me.”

After looking at her with slight regret, Adler concluded with a snap of his fingers.

“Unless you discover my true name, it’s impossible to bind a demon.”

“Wait!!!”

“…Well then, goodbye.”

The next moment, the professor and Adler vanished from inside the cave.

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After that, the heaviest silence ever began to flow inside the cave.

“It’s strange.”

In that silence, Sharlotte, who was sitting with scraped knees on the sharp stone floor of the cave, began to quietly murmur with lifeless eyes.

“He clearly promised to stay by my side forever, back then.”

It was at that moment that a terrifying message appeared before Adler’s eyes as he emerged from the wilderness where the storm had miraculously subsided.

“…Did I just forget?”

[Probability of separation: 10%->69%]