Ch.205Chapter 205 – Five Orange Pips (11)

– Whoosh…!

“…Well, well.”

After landing a decisive blow against the culprit behind the world’s erosion and giving a cold smile, suddenly the paper in my hand bursts into flames.

“…Seems I got it right.”

Judging by this, at least I wasn’t wrong about the villain’s identity.

Well, given who the culprit is, it would have been impossible not to figure it out.

First, those tentacles like octopus legs still writhing in the shadows, then the personal details of being an American horror writer from the late 19th to early 20th century, and the keyword “unknown terror.”

Add to that the characteristic of being a racist, and of course it’s Lovecraft.

‘…Obviously gender-swapped, right?’

In this world where anyone famous gets their gender flipped without mercy, whether they’re real or fictional, naturally she would have been turned into a woman too.

And she’d still carry all the original titles: “shut-in, creepy, otaku, hipster, chuunibyou, racist.”

“…Tsk.”

It’s a bit absurd that someone like that turns out to be the mastermind creating the erosion, but that doesn’t mean I should underestimate her.

Although I’ve discovered her identity, this is the late 19th century, not the 21st century information age.

If this were modern times, finding Lovecraft, who would surely be holed up in a room posting on social media, would be just a matter of time.

But in this era, finding her in the vastness of America with just a surname would be difficult even with magic.

Regrettably, when I designed this world, I deliberately excluded tracking and detection magic for the sake of establishing a proper mystery setting.

‘If only I had memorized where Lovecraft lived…’

If I at least knew what region she lived in, it might be different, but Lovecraft was an author I disliked despite being a mystery fan, so I don’t know that either.

This means finding her across the vast American landscape will take quite some time.

But the problem is, she won’t sit idle during that time.

Right now, her running away with her tail between her legs after having her name exposed seems quite pathetic, but now that her identity has been revealed, Lovecraft won’t just do nothing.

She said she “read” my information, so she’ll probably use her abilities related to “recording” or “writing” to attack remotely.

According to her, for some reason these attacks don’t work properly on me, but the problem is the people around me.

The professor might easily turn those octopuses in front of me into takoyaki, but even Sharlotte Holmes, who has recently reached a level comparable to the professor, would have had about a 40 percent chance of dying last time if I hadn’t intervened.

That’s the kind of being Lovecraft is—someone who can control all the monsters enveloping the entire world.

Fortunately, my bluff worked properly for now, so she’ll lay low for a while, but that’s only temporary.

If her claim about having devised a way to deal with the professor is true, then the moment her all-out offensive begins, London and the rest of the world will inevitably be eroded by horror.

‘This is really fucked up…’

And of all things, it had to be the “Cthulhu Mythos,” the work I hate most in the world.

They hype up these so-called great beings with octopus heads as cosmic horror or unknown terror.

Unfortunately for me, who’s half-British but has lived in Korea since birth, these creatures are more familiar as food than objects of fear.

Honestly, even these tentacles writhing ignorantly in front of me now could be devoured with relish if I just had some green onions and sesame oil.

And really, Cthulhu isn’t all that impressive, is it?

He merely ran away after getting rammed by a steamship, but the professor could probably sink dozens of ships with just one hand.

‘…Calm down.’

I might be getting a bit excited, but it can’t be helped.

The world I carefully designed and developed while holed up in my room is about to be eroded by the work I hate most.

Those damn story team members from that company are already doing enough to ruin my world.

‘…I need to finish my plan quickly.’

So I need to complete the big picture I’m planning as quickly as possible.

“System, I have a question.”

After being lost in thought for a moment, I posed a question to System.

“Do I need to catch Lovecraft, the culprit, or will the erosion end if I complete my mission as the plausibility?”

After a moment, a very simple and clear answer appeared before me.

[Yes.]

That one word was enough.

“…Good.”

Of course, I’ll make efforts to catch Lovecraft if possible, but there’s no need to risk my life for it.

Once all my missions are completed and Lovecraft’s abilities are sealed, it will only be a matter of time before she’s caught.

…By the heroines I leave behind.

[By the way, your remaining missions are as follows:]

[1. Get Watson to confess to you again.]

[2. Maximize the murderous intent between Sharlotte Holmes and Professor Moriarty]

[3. Maximize the danger level of the organization…]

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“…Thank you.”

Frowning momentarily from an inexplicable bitterness that washed over me, I gently patted System, who had kindly displayed my remaining missions, and quietly began to move forward.

“But first, I need to finish what’s right in front of me.”

Saying that, I snapped my fingers to instantly erase the barrier in the room, and lifted up the princess who was sitting unconscious beside me.

“By the way, about earlier when you threw yourself to protect me…”

[What about it?]

Suddenly turning my head slightly, I whispered in a low voice to System.

“Thank you, System noona.”

[……….]

“…You’re really the only noona for me.”

The system window, which had been floating silently after pausing its output, quietly disappeared from sight.

‘…I thought it turned a bit red. Was that my imagination?’

I had secretly hoped that seducing System might unlock some hidden reward, but it seems that was too much to expect.

“N-noona…?”

“……..”

“H-how impudent…”

As I quietly licked my lips, I left the room while listening to the princess’s sleep-talking, still unconscious.

“…Come to think of it, Lovecraft also praised the KKK.”

I had no intention of letting her live since she hurt the Inspector and Silver Blaze, but now that they’ve been revealed as the final boss’s minions, I can finish the job without hesitation.

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That night. At the KKK headquarters in America.

“G-Grand Wizard!”

“…What now?”

When a member urgently opened the door and entered, a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged in the room frowned slightly and opened his eyes.

“Huff, huff…”

“Has another branch been attacked? Or have our overseas operations withdrawn?”

He was one of the few mana users in the world who had reached the level of Grand Wizard, a realm said to be attainable by only a select few, and he ruled as a shadow over American society with numerous fanatical members.

“I don’t understand why we’re getting so much pressure from everywhere lately… It’s not like we’ve run out of lobbying money…”

However, his concerns were considerable due to the sudden checks and attacks coming from all directions recently.

“…Besides, this is too large-scale to be the work of those insolent foals.”

“Ugh… huff…”

“So, what news do you bring this time?”

Thus, with an expression full of irritation, the KKK chairman questioned the member who was still panting in front of him.

“W-well, sir. We received word from the British branch…”

“…Hmm?”

The news the member delivered after catching his breath was enough to make his eyes widen.

“T-the Great One has contacted us directly.”

“…What?”

“T-they want to meet the Grand Wizard in person… H-here’s the letter.”

“Give it to me.”

Thanks to this, after blinking for a while, he snatched the letter from the member.

“Oh, oh…”

Eventually, as he quickly read through the letter, his expression began to fill with ecstasy.

“I-is this real? What proof is there that it’s really from them?”

“W-well. Only you know the handwriting of the Great One’s directives, right, Grand Wizard?”

“Y-yes. No one could possibly imitate the handwriting that only I know…”

Finally, the chairman rose from his seat, extremely excited.

“Inform all members!”

“W-what should I tell them?”

“We are heading to the British Empire!”

“…What?”

“Finally, the Great One says they are ready to receive us!”

At his declaration, the member standing in front of him showed a surprised expression.

“There we will write a great new history…!”

“B-but… if so many people suddenly move to England at a time like this… there will be many difficulties…”

Eventually, as he began to add cautiously.

“…Are you defying my orders?”

“N-no, not at all…”

The chairman’s eyes were already filled with madness.

“The Great One… has promised us power. With that power, we can exterminate all the different races in this world…!”

“I-I understand. Then…”

Thus, the member nodded nervously while watching the chairman who had begun issuing orders with crazed eyes.

“Charter ships immediately. I don’t care how much it costs, book every ship that can depart within a day!”

“Y-yes…”

The letter in front of him was quietly shining in the moonlight through the window.

“First, the executives will head to England. And then, in sequence…”

For some reason, the letter written in Lovecraft’s handwriting, who was still trembling under the covers.

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“………Huh?”

The next dawn. A few hours after the large ships carrying the KKK chairman and executives had left America for England.

“”……….””

On the deck of the lead ship, the chairman who had been happily sipping champagne in the moonlight with the executives around him, began to look up with a blank expression.

– Grrrrrr…

A massive creature with gray scales, gray wings, and gray eyes—looking like something out of a fairy tale or legend—was floating above the sea, coldly staring at them.

“…Dragon?”

And just a few minutes later, the KKK disappeared forever into the sea, along with what would later become an eternally unsolved case called “The Five Orange Pips” published by Watson.