Ch.198Chapter 198 – Five Orange Pips (4)

– Knock, knock, knock…

It had been a few days since Adler left the hospital with a cold expression.

“…I don’t know who it is, but please come in.”

When someone knocked on the door of 221B Baker Street, where an unusually chilly atmosphere had been lingering, Sharlotte, who was sitting quietly in an armchair, spoke in a low voice.

– Creeeeak…

“It was none other than you who called me here…”

Zia Lestrade entered through the door, responding in an equally low voice.

“…That aside, I’m surprised.”

“About what?”

“It’s quite fascinating that despite such a major incident, there’s not only no syringe rolling around on your desk, but not even the slightest smell of tobacco.”

“…There’s a reason I had no choice.”

Hearing this, Sharlotte, looking exhausted, slightly raised the corner of her mouth while stroking her belly.

“Drugs and tobacco are harmful to the baby.”

– Grind…

At her nonchalant response, Inspector Lestrade momentarily failed to hide her murderous expression and ground her teeth.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I find it deplorable that London’s supposed greatest detective, its beacon of hope, is out committing adultery.”

“I was wondering what you were talking about…”

“I am Adler’s legal wife right now. Are you aware of that?”

As she finally failed to maintain her composure and stepped forward with a menacing face, Sharlotte, who had been quietly observing Lestrade, sighed and spoke.

“We’re a contract couple.”

“You clearly don’t understand. All marriages are formed by contract. You and Adler never made such a contract.”

“Ah, I meant we’re a contract couple ‘lacking love’.”

At those words, Lestrade stopped in her tracks, her expression hardening and her gaze growing increasingly cold.

“On what grounds do you say such things…”

“Why are you acting like this now, Inspector? I’m the one who doesn’t understand you.”

“……”

“Do you like Adler?”

Sharlotte tilted her head slightly as she asked the inspector this direct question.

“…I hate him.”

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, the inspector gave an answer quite different from her usual responses.

“How strange…”

“…What is?”

“Someone who always said they liked him is now suddenly declaring they hate him.”

Hearing this answer, Sharlotte narrowed her eyes and muttered while looking at the inspector with a drowsy gaze.

“As if there’s been a change of heart.”

“Don’t presume to—huh?”

Lestrade, who had been raising her voice in irritation, suddenly showed a surprised expression and pulled her head back.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Hmm…”

Sharlotte had risen from her seat and suddenly thrust her face close to Lestrade’s, carefully observing her.

“…Ha.”

After a moment, a sneer appeared on Sharlotte’s lips.

Lestrade’s eyebrow twitched slightly at that sneer.

“What is it?”

“Never mind. Let’s drop this conversation.”

“Again, you’re being so arbitrary…”

“I didn’t call you here to fight.”

As the situation was becoming increasingly tense, Sharlotte spoke in a low voice and sat back down.

“…Says the adulteress.”

“…What did you just say?”

“Nothing. I didn’t come here to fight either, so let’s get to what you wanted to say.”

Lestrade muttered in a low voice while looking down at her, then smiled slightly and said so.

“”………””

And then came a very brief silence.

“…Getting angry isn’t good for prenatal care.”

Sharlotte, who had been staring directly into the inspector’s eyes, sighed and began organizing the papers scattered on the desk.

“Anyway, let’s get to the point. Could you please tell me in detail about the situation when the explosion occurred that day?”

“…It was a few days ago.”

At her suddenly more polite tone, Lestrade quietly began her explanation.

“I was nursing Adler at home while he was suffering from amnesia.”

“…Amnesia?”

But Sharlotte suddenly interrupted as she was just beginning her explanation.

“Yes, I’m sure you know what that is. That’s why things ended so inconclusively last time.”

“…Well, look at that.”

She tapped her finger on the desk with a slightly annoyed expression.

“Anyway, I thought it was better to protect Adler at home. It would have been terrible if someone had seduced my poor ‘husband’ who had lost his memory and ‘raped’ him.”

“…I’m pretty sure I said we shouldn’t fight.”

“So as usual… I was nursing him one day.”

Ignoring Sharlotte’s muttering, Lestrade began to recall that terrible memory with a slightly trembling voice.

“The doorbell rang… and when I went to the living room, there was a package.”

“…That was the bomb, I presume?”

“Yes, and… there was an envelope placed on top of it.”

“Wait a moment, before we move on to that, let me clarify something. Was there no one there when you opened the door?”

“That’s right, but…”

Sharlotte’s eyes showed a slight interest at those words.

“You went out immediately after the doorbell rang?”

“…The perpetrator must have placed the package and jumped into nearby bushes right away. Everyone who was there witnessed it.”

“Hmm…”

Sharlotte tilted her head for a moment, then frowned and asked another question.

“…Why would they use such an unusual method that differs from their normal approach?”

“Pardon?”

“Come to think of it, despite so many people attacking the house, the defenses were never breached for a while. Whether you were inside or outside the house, Inspector.”

“……..”

“Perhaps there was a way to neutralize the supernatural abilities around the house even without you being present?”

“…Is this question really necessary?”

Lestrade bit her lip and asked with an uncomfortable expression.

“If we’re being precise… depending on your statement, we might or might not obtain a crucial clue that could determine the truth of the case?”

“…Then I have no choice.”

She sighed at Sharlotte’s words and began her answer.

“It’s because of my younger sister, Gina Lestrade’s ability.”

“…Your sister also has a Curse?”

“Yes, an ability similar yet different from mine. Much like you and your sister.”

“Could you explain in more detail?”

“…If my ability neutralizes all supernatural powers directed at myself, my sister neutralizes all supernatural powers around her except those directed at herself.”

As soon as she heard this, the corners of Sharlotte’s mouth began to rise quietly.

“I activate my ability passively by directly touching the target or using weapons, but my sister’s ability is always automatically active. Fortunately, after much practice, she can control the range of her ability, so it doesn’t greatly interfere with daily life…”

“So that’s why the wiretapping suddenly stopped after the first day…?”

“…Pardon?”

“And here I thought Adler had figured out a countermeasure…”

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing. Now that my question is answered, let’s move on.”

Lestrade looked at Sharlotte, who was smiling ominously, with a slightly uncomfortable expression, then cleared her throat and continued her story.

“Anyway, when I opened the envelope that was placed on the package…”

“…There were seeds inside, weren’t there?”

But Lestrade was startled by Sharlotte’s interruption of her words again.

“Yes, how did you know that? They were orange seeds, to be precise. There were five of them.”

“…I thought so.”

“Do you have some insight about this?”

When she urgently asked the question, Sharlotte began turning the pages of the documents she was holding one by one.

“…Before that, I have one more question.”

“What is it?”

“About the attempted murder case of Silver Blaze. Is there any new information?”

Lestrade froze stiffly in her seat at Sharlotte’s casually thrown question.

“How do you know about that case when it’s classified even within the police department?”

“This is why the British police are ineffective. It’s about time you stopped making foolish moves just to prevent immediate social repercussions.”

“……”

“So, any new information?”

After hesitating at Sharlotte’s pressing, Lestrade finally spoke in a low voice.

“According to a message from Watson, Silver Blaze’s attending physician, there were initials in the alphabet burned into her shoulder. She said it was probably created during the attack.”

“…Unfortunately, I already knew that.”

“But now that I think about it… I just overlooked it at the time, but there was something similar drawn on the envelope I received.”

“………”

“What was it again? It was initials in the alphabet…”

As she was trying hard to recall the memory she had wanted to erase due to the shock, clenching her fists tightly, at that very moment:

“…K.K.K”

“Ah, yes! That’s right. There were definitely three Ks…”

That cold phrase came out of Sharlotte’s mouth.

“How do you know that too…?”

“To be precise, the Ku Klux Klan. The abbreviation for a secret society in America with human supremacist, anti-subspecies, anti-Christian, and Catholic tendencies.”

“……!”

“…Most members are mana users, and their leader is particularly called a grand sorcerer.”

At her continued words, Lestrade’s complexion grew increasingly dark.

“And as a peculiarity, when they issue warnings, they send oak branches, melon seeds, or orange seeds…”

“…….”

“…Do you have a general idea of what’s going on now?”

After staring at her intently, Sharlotte quietly rose from her seat.

“Now it’s time to find the mastermind behind their actions.”

“Mastermind…?”

“According to my data collection, which I randomly gathered to optimize brain information and then neatly forgot, the Ku Klux Klan is an organization that has already been disbanded once.”

“……!”

“If such an organization is operating so systematically in a foreign country rather than America…”

Her eyes began to glow darkly.

“…Surely, there must be someone behind this, don’t you think?”

And the same was true for Lestrade, who was quietly listening to those words.

“What should I do?”

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A few minutes later.

“…I’ll act as you instructed.”

– Creeeeak…

“Then, take care.”

As Lestrade, who had received Sharlotte’s request, was about to leave the boarding house, she turned around slightly and left with those words in a low voice.

“…..Haah.”

In the silence that followed, Sharlotte let out a deep sigh.

“Did she think I wouldn’t notice she was hiding her eye color with colored contacts?”

Then she got up from her seat and began preparing to go out, putting on her coat.

“…More and more obstacles keep appearing.”

– Crackle… Crackle…

“Don’t you agree, Adler?”

She muttered in a cold voice, her body except for her belly area wrapped in black mana.

“Isn’t eavesdropping quite fun once you get used to it?”

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.

.

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“…She caught me.”

As Sharlotte’s voice cut off abruptly after those final words, I scratched my head briefly and then quietly sighed, focusing on the situation before me.

“Mmph, mmph…”

“…I’ll have to save more time, then.”

The perpetrators of the Silver Blaze attack case, whom I had secretly diverted from the police station to a secret hideout, were looking at me with pale faces.

“Let’s start by blasting off all their shoulders first, Moran.”

“…Yes.”