Ch.197Chapter 197 – Five Orange Pips (3)

“Why did it have to be… ‘The Five Orange Pips’.”

The Five Orange Pips. What case made me frown the moment I heard it?

It’s one of the few failures Sherlock Holmes mentioned in the original work, a case that remained unsolved because both the client and the criminal ended up dead.

Of course, as a Sherlockian, let me briefly defend Holmes—although the case remained unsolved, it wasn’t his fault.

The client was murdered by the criminals on his way home after the consultation, and the criminals Holmes had successfully deduced and set a trap for disappeared at sea due to a natural disaster.

But no matter how much it became an unsolved case due to force majeure, unsolved is unsolved.

So naturally, in this world too, this case must remain an “unsolved case.”

If not, the already precarious “erosion rate” might reach its peak.

‘But… how do I make it an unsolved case?’

The problem is, I don’t see how to make this case unsolved right now.

It’s truly absurd, but Sharlotte has already figured out half of my real name.

So dealing with her alone would be several times harder than before, and she’s not the only one involved in this case.

Inspector Zia Lestrade, who was present during the incident, is probably combing the back alleys with fire in her eyes by now.

The Professor, who likely heard the news before anyone else, has probably mobilized her personal subordinates—who knows when she assembled them—to launch her own investigation.

That’s not all. Looking at the calendar on the hospital wall, it seems more than a day has passed since the incident, which means the news has surely reached the members who gathered in Cornwall recently.

So it’s only a matter of time before they’re rounded up in England, and it’s not impossible that the entire organization will collapse.

How can I save these people who are in danger?

‘…No, what am I saying?’

After briefly entertaining such pointless thoughts, I shook my head and gathered my wits.

To be honest, I have a general idea of who the criminals in this case are and what their motives might be.

Well, I’ve read the original work. Although things are a bit different in this crazy world, “that organization” must be behind it all.

The problem is that they’re such garbage that I don’t even want to defend them.

Protecting or helping such people escape, especially against those who’ve moved for my sake? That’s unacceptable.

But if I just stand by and do nothing, the erosion rate that’s already at 80% might instantly reach its limit.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

“….!?”

While I was racking my brain, gritting my teeth against the pain of burns throughout my body, a quiet voice suddenly came from beside me.

“…Miss Watson?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Rachel Watson, whom I hadn’t seen for what felt like a long time despite our recent meeting, was standing crookedly by the window, quietly looking at me.

“What brings you here…”

“Well, this is the hospital where I work, and I’m your attending physician.”

“…I see.”

Looking at her in confusion, I quietly bowed my head after hearing her slightly cold response.

“…I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Ah, well… you know…”

To be honest, I have nothing to say to Watson.

No, even if she pulled out a gun right now and blew my head off, I’d have to accept it.

“Because of you, England is completely turned upside down. Public opinion is split in half, with people at each other’s throats.”

“…….”

“For your reference, half think you got what you deserved in the attack, and the other half consists of those who believe terrorism in the British Empire cannot be tolerated under any circumstances, along with your enraged fan club.”

“Haha…”

“By the way, in the latter case, your fan club makes up 80 percent.”

As I quietly watched her reaction, some rather chilling words came out of her mouth.

I’m not sure whether I should be more terrified that half the people are glad about a terrorist attack in the capital of the British Empire, or that my fan club makes up most of the other half’s opinion.

“…Anyway, listen carefully.”

“Yes?”

“To be honest, I was seized by the urge to smother you with a pillow for a few hours while you were lying there. But I still need to tell you this.”

As I remained quietly terrified, Rachel Watson, with her eyes half-open, leaned her head toward me.

“This incident has further shortened your already limited lifespan.”

“Ah…”

“You really don’t have much time left now.”

At her words, a corner of my heart began to ache.

Even though I was already fully prepared for this—it’s not like I’m really dying, I can just use the return ticket—why do I feel so strange?

“…There’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yes?”

As I was thinking this with my head bowed, Watson, who had been quietly looking down at me, began to ask her question.

“Did you ever really love me?”

“……..”

“Did you ever sincerely care about me, even once?”

When I couldn’t answer her question, she quietly began to contort her expression.

“I know this isn’t the right time to ask, but I need to know.”

“…….”

“Because I… I…”

Just as her trembling voice was quietly echoing through the hospital room.

– Knock knock knock…!

Suddenly, an urgent knocking sound came from the door.

“Who is it?”

Watson, who had momentarily stopped speaking, turned her head and asked, and the door opened as two people entered.

“…Girls?”

To my surprise, the ones who entered were my faithful subordinates, Lady Clay and Moran.

“Girls…”

“…Master.”

“We have… bad news.”

I tried to smile and greet them, but I could only freeze with a blank expression.

“Silver Blaze has been… attacked.”

“She was just transported to this hospital… Her condition is quite serious. Perhaps even worse than yours right now.”

My vision had never gone so dark since the Professor was shot.

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“You! No, you can’t move now…”

“M-Master…”

“Hey, just wait a moment…”

Ignoring the protests around me, I got up and frantically searched the corridors until I stopped in front of a waiting room.

– Creak…

Even though there wasn’t even a nameplate, I instinctively knew.

Well, having branded her with my seal, I’d be a failure as a master if I couldn’t sense this much.

“Ah…”

As I stepped through the opened door, a sight too terrible to behold unfolded before my eyes.

“P-Patient…! You mustn’t do this!”

“If you move now, something terrible will happen!”

“Move aside, move…!”

Silver Blaze, covered in horrible lacerations and stab wounds, bleeding all over, was struggling to shake off the nurses clinging to her.

“Eek!?”

“Must get… as far away from Master as possible…”

Despite being in an even more serious condition than me—who could recover from most wounds as long as I was alive—she finally shook off all the nurses and got up, muttering those words.

“Ah…”

When she made direct eye contact with me standing at the door, she turned pale and collapsed to the floor.

“”……..””

In the silence that followed, as I quietly looked at her and took a step forward, Silver Blaze’s eyes began to tremble.

“I’m… sorry, Master…”

“…….”

“Th-this incident… happened because of me…”

As I tilted my head at those words, Silver Blaze, sweating profusely, fumbled in her bosom and pulled out an envelope.

[If you don’t stop what you’re doing now, the people precious to you will disappear one by one.]

Taking the envelope and checking its contents, I saw these words written on a very crumpled piece of paper.

– Plop, plop…

Along with five orange pips that fell from the envelope into my hand, slightly delayed.

“I… I didn’t know… and went around trying to catch the culprit…”

“…And you were attacked?”

“I’m, I’m so sorry. I’ve committed an unforgivable sin.”

After staring at the letter for a long time, I quietly spoke, and Silver Blaze bowed her head with a pale face.

“Ugh…”

“Patient…!”

Then, perhaps feeling anemic, she began to sway.

“I… know these guys well. They’ve been harassing me for a long time…”

“……..”

“No matter how many times they’re disbanded… they come back like cockroaches. Even if we wipe them out now… we never know when they’ll threaten us again…”

Using her last strength, she raised her head and began to whisper to me.

“So… I’ll leave you, Master.”

“…Miss Blaze.”

“You have to build it, don’t you? The kingdom…”

Silver Blaze’s tear-filled eyes, saying those words, gradually began to dim.

“I’m not much help anyway except for being representative… if I leave behind a last will…”

– Stagger…

“…Mas, ter.”

The last words she left before collapsing lifelessly to the floor were:

“I like you…”

“”………””

“…And I, lo, ved.”

As those words were abruptly cut off, a deep silence fell over the waiting room.

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“Miss Watson.”

“…Ah.”

What broke the long silence was Adler, who had never used such a voice since the Professor was shot.

“What has happened to Blaze?”

“J-just a moment.”

Watson flinched at his unusually calm yet chilling voice and rushed forward.

“…She’s still alive.”

After checking Silver Blaze’s pulse, she spoke in a low voice.

“If we operate immediately… there might be aftereffects, but the chances of saving her life are high.”

“…Then, please do.”

As Adler quietly nodded and turned around, Lady Clay and Moran flinched just like Watson had.

“If you save her without aftereffects, I’ll do anything you want. I swear on my name.”

“……..”

“…Including the answer to the question you asked earlier.”

What stood before them was no longer the usual bumbling boy.

“…You two, follow me.”

As he muttered coldly and walked out of the hospital room, the two subordinates, feeling a chill run down their spines, quietly began to follow him.

“Dismiss all personnel mobilized so far, especially the Werebeasts. The three of us will be enough…”

As he gave orders to the two, Adler muttered quietly with an expression steeped in cold anger.

“…If we erase them from history without leaving anyone behind, it will ultimately remain an unsolved case.”