Ch.181Chapter 181 – Korean Interpreter (5)

“Hmm…”

The day after I was suddenly assigned a case involving London’s criminal organization, the Japanese Empire, and my distant ancestor.

“Master, why do you have such a troubled expression?”

“…Moran?”

As I was heading to their hideout through the back alleys to continue my interpretation work, Celestia Moran suddenly appeared beside me and asked in a low voice.

“How did you get here…?”

“I basically stay by your side 24 hours a day. Especially when you’re in dangerous areas like this, I tend to stick close to provide protection.”

I was slightly surprised by her statement, which was rather concerning.

“I didn’t notice…?”

“A sniper’s fundamental skill is concealment.”

“…I see. But isn’t that a bit excessive?”

While I appreciated her efforts on my behalf, 24-hour surveillance felt somewhat burdensome.

And when you think about it, isn’t this completely child exploitation?

Of course, Moran had somehow matured considerably over the past few months, but she was still a kid nonetheless.

“You can take it easy from now on.”

“…I don’t think that’s possible.”

As I patted the head of the girl who was still shorter than me, she began to object with a stern expression.

“Do you know how many threats I’ve eliminated in the past few months?”

“….Huh?”

“It’s over three digits. That means you’ve faced life-threatening situations more than once a day on average.”

Hearing those words, I felt my breath catch.

“Moran, what are you saying…”

“Of course, I ‘handled’ everything myself. What happens in the foggy London nights can’t be traced.”

“……..”

Setting aside the fact that I knew someone who could make such impossible things possible, I couldn’t help but feel a chill down my spine.

“Th-thank you…”

*Gulp*

“……?”

As I gave up on lecturing her and just patted her head, praying that Moran would never betray me…

*Swish*

Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and placed it against her cheek.

“Um…?”

“…Pat here too.”

She looked at me quietly before lowering her eyes and murmuring in a soft voice.

“……?”

Though slightly puzzled, I gently stroked her cheek since it wasn’t a difficult request. She put her hands behind her back and began to fidget, rolling her foot on the ground.

“By the way.”

“……?”

Feeling somewhat relieved that she still had childlike aspects, I asked her something I’d been curious about.

“Why do you call me ‘Master’ instead of ‘Dad’?”

“……!”

“I thought we’d gotten closer, and I’ve even been speaking informally to you lately…”

When I said this with a slightly disappointed expression, she looked flustered and began rolling her eyes around.

“Th-th-that’s…”

After stumbling over her words tremendously, she finally hung her head and mumbled in a barely audible voice.

“…Because it’s embarrassing.”

“……?”

Come to think of it, isn’t “Master” a more embarrassing term than “Dad”? But I figured everyone has their preferences.

“Then call me whatever you like.”

“Ugh.”

“I’m fine with whatever you call me.”

As I continued stroking her cheek while whispering those words, Moran suddenly began to tremble.

“…Moran?”

Her cheeks grew hot like fire, and suddenly something began to run down my hand.

“Are you crying?”

*Pop!*

“……???”

Just as I asked with a confused expression, Moran vanished from before me with ninja-like agility.

“What was that…”

Did I make some mistake?

That must be it. She was a child with many wounds, both physical and emotional, from the beginning.

I should properly apologize the next time we meet.

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*Creeeeak*

“Who goes there.”

A few minutes after that incident ended, as I pushed open the door of the abandoned building with difficulty, a cold voice came from inside.

“I’m the interpreter who was referred to you.”

“The password?”

“…There isn’t one, is there?”

“Fine. Come in.”

After raising my hands to the men I had seen yesterday and responding with a calm expression, I was soon signaled to enter.

“You know what you need to do, right?”

“Yes. Asian language interpretation, and you also requested torture services, correct?”

“The torture, we…”

“I’ll have you know I’m a mana user. I can inflict pain several times more terrible than crudely stabbing with metal skewers.”

As I said this with a smile, the men who had been showing displeasure now looked surprised.

“A mana user?”

“…Why would someone of that caliber take on underworld work like this?”

“Everyone has their circumstances, don’t they? Let’s respect each other’s privacy, even among fellow criminals.”

For reference, I’m currently using some disguise techniques to hide my identity as Adler, appearing as an interpreter and torture specialist commissioned by the professor.

Of course, I only modified my appearance slightly to avoid wasting what little mana I had, but it should be enough to conceal that I’m Issac Adler.

“But doesn’t that person look familiar…?”

“Yes, he does…”

That should be the case.

“Is it this way?”

“…Yes.”

Passing by the whispering men, I entered the inner room and once again saw that woman from yesterday.

“Ugh…”

She seemed to have become even more emaciated than yesterday.

*Swish*

“……?”

Looking at her with slightly sympathetic eyes, I approached and leaned toward her.

“…Pretend to be in pain from now on.”

“……..!?”

As I whispered in a low voice near her ear, I began to inscribe a red seal on her lower abdomen.

*Crackle*

And from that moment, red sparks began to flow through her body.

“……???”

“Quickly.”

After looking bewildered at this strange phenomenon, she took a deep breath upon hearing my whisper.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Soon, ear-piercing screams began to echo throughout the room.

“Hmm…”

“Well, at least we’re getting our money’s worth.”

Her acting must have been quite realistic, as the men watching from behind began to look satisfied.

“…Gentlemen, please step outside the basement for a moment.”

After pretending to cast spells diligently for a while in this atmosphere, I wiped my brow with my sleeve and spoke.

“That won’t be possible…”

“We can’t fully trust you yet…”

“Is that so?”

In response to their expected resistance, I began to whisper in an even colder voice.

“But I was under the impression that our deal was already secured by the ‘magic of contract’.”

“Even so…”

“And this is for your own good as well.”

If there’s one good thing about living as a mana user in 19th century London…

“…If you stay there and get caught up in the magic, I can’t take responsibility.”

“”………””

“It’s in the contract terms, so think carefully…”

It’s that you can tell very convincing lies to people who are ignorant about mana.

“…We’ll be back in 20 minutes.”

“By then, I should have extracted new information…”

Having successfully convinced the men, I looked at the woman who had appropriately stopped screaming and began to smile triumphantly.

“Leave it to me.”

*Creeeeak*

“”………””

As the front door of the abandoned mansion closed, silence began to fill the basement.

“Wh-who…”

In that silence, the woman looking at me asked with eyes full of doubt and anxiety.

“Who are you…?”

At that question, I scratched my head for a moment, lost in thought.

“Wh-who are you to keep helping me like this…?”

“……..”

“I-I’ve heard there’s no such thing as kindness without a price in this world. What do you want from me…?”

Looking at her as she became increasingly frightened, I quietly opened my mouth.

“The truth is…”

She stopped questioning and swallowed dryly as she looked up at me.

“I am Korean.”

“……?”

She tilted her head quietly upon hearing my words.

“…No, I am Joseon.”

“……..!”

As soon as I hastily corrected myself, she began to look at me with wide eyes.

“To be precise, I’m of mixed Joseon and English (British) heritage.”

“Ah…”

“It’s an indescribable joy to meet a compatriot from a distant land.”

Though it was an excuse I had carefully crafted, there was no lie in it.

I was actually of mixed heritage with a Korean father and British mother, and it was true that I was happy to meet a distant ancestor in this chaotic world.

“Anyway…”

Just as I was about to begin proper communication with the woman before me, that moment came.

[Probability of identity detection: 75% -> 99%]

[Oh my.]

That ominous red warning message appeared before my eyes.

“…What the hell.”

I was definitely pouring all my remaining mana into blocking the professor’s eavesdropping, so how did this happen?

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“Heh.”

Meanwhile, at 221B Baker Street.

“Hehe, hehehehe…”

“…Holmes?”

Watson, who was just preparing to leave for work, tilted her head questioningly at Sharlotte, who was slouched in her armchair smoking a cigarette as usual but had suddenly started emitting an eerie laugh.

“Are you using opium again?”

“Hehehehehehehe…”

But whatever was amusing her, instead of answering, she continued her dark laughter before eventually muttering in a low voice.

“…So that’s what sister meant.”

“…What did you say?”

“Nothing…”