Ch.214Chapter 214 – Four Signatures (3)

# On that evening when contract papers with only one of four spaces empty adorned London’s sky.

“…Hmm?”

“What is it, my lady?”

“There seem to be many beggars on the street today.”

A noble lady, strolling through the outskirts of London with her maid, suddenly frowned and muttered.

“Beggars, you say?”

“Look at that. Those lowly creatures are desperately searching for coins dropped on the street.”

Just as she said, there were people bent over, frantically searching for something.

“…My lady, haven’t you heard the news?”

The maid, who had been smirking at those people, began to whisper quietly into her mistress’s ear.

“What news?”

“Well, Issac Adler has…”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing her maid’s whisper, the noblewoman’s eyebrows began to twitch.

“…A treasure hunt with himself as collateral, how utterly vulgar.”

“Right? Having just gotten married recently, that man has gone way too far! He must think being handsome is everything…”

As she covered her mouth with her fan and frowned while muttering, the maid, who belonged to the half of London women who disliked Adler, narrowed her eyes and agreed.

“…So those women are desperate to claim the fourth signature?”

“I suppose so! By the way, among the signatures already there are the famous detective Sharlotte Holmes and Inspector Lestrade.”

“Hmm.”

“The remaining one is written in strange runes, so its identity hasn’t been revealed… Anyway, I’m curious. I wonder who will find the real contract and add the final signature…”

As the maid continued chattering with a slightly interested look, the noblewoman stopped walking and quietly glared at her.

“…Have you finished all the tasks I assigned you before engaging in idle gossip?”

“Ah.”

“Did you pick up the dress from the shop for tomorrow’s party?”

At her pointed question, the maid briefly broke into a cold sweat before hurriedly running ahead of her mistress.

“I-I’ll be right back…!”

And then came silence.

“How frivolous…”

The noblewoman frowned behind her fan as she watched her maid dash off into the distance, then sighed and elegantly continued walking forward.

“…?”

But after just a few steps, she suddenly stopped and tilted her head.

“What’s that…”

At the end of the alley to her side, where her gaze was directed, a piece of paper was fluttering.

“Hmm-hmm.”

After staring at it for a while, the noblewoman checked her surroundings and then quietly cleared her throat before stepping into the dirty alley she would never have entered under normal circumstances.

*Rustle…*

A moment later, she picked up the paper from the ground and narrowed her eyes.

“…Is this the contract?”

What she held in her hand was indeed one of the contract papers that had adorned London’s sky that morning.

“………”

She stared intently at the blank space on the contract that had somehow caught her eye, fluttering alone in the air, and even had the first letter of her surname, A, written at the end.

“It’s just… for fun…”

After glancing behind her, she blushed slightly and took out her favorite quill pen from her bosom.

*Rustle…*

Just as her pen was about to touch the paper.

“…!?”

Suddenly, a chilling presence began to emanate from behind the noblewoman.

“E-Elise, is that you?”

Only then realizing she was in a back alley where anything could happen, the noblewoman tried to maintain a calm expression as she asked, but…

*Grip…!*

“Eek!”

When the unidentified figure who had silently grabbed her neck leaned forward to stare at her, the noblewoman’s face began to turn pale.

“Do I look like her?”

What stood before her was not a person but a monster, with its eyes, nose, and mouth twisted and distorted, emanating a chilling aura throughout its body.

“P-p-please spare me…”

Trembling in that terrifying situation, the noblewoman closed her eyes tightly and began to plead desperately.

*Rustle…*

“P-please…”

As the chilling presence continued to envelop her body, ignoring her pleas, just as she began to beg with trembling hands…

*Swish…!*

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, the contract was snatched from her hand.

“…?”

“Hehehe…”

The noblewoman, momentarily dazed by the situation, blinked as she watched the monster, which was now ignoring her completely and preciously holding the contract in both hands with a gloomy smile.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes?”

“Lend me your pen.”

At the monster’s cold voice, she reflexively handed over the pen she was holding.

“Hehehehehehe…”

The monster smiled grimly again and brought the pen to the contract.

*Pop…!*

But the moment the ink touched the paper, with a popping sound, the contract turned into a playing card and fell limply to the ground.

“Ah, damn…”

The monster cursed with a cold gaze and passed by the still-dazed noblewoman, muttering in a dejected voice.

“…Another dud.”

Then, joining fellow monsters who were frantically searching various back alleys like the women outside, it spoke.

“I’ve checked this area, let’s move to the next block.”

“…What about that woman? She looks tasty, all noble-like.”

“Then you eat her and don’t eat Adler…”

“Tch…”

After briefly exchanging such dialogue, the monsters scattered in all directions, leaving the defenseless noblewoman behind.

“What did I just witness?”

“M-my lady! Why are you there?”

Even from this brief incident, it was clear.

“Let’s go home.”

“Um… by the way, my lady.”

London had long been consumed by collective madness, whether human or monster.

“I’m in a hurry, so if you happen to have a pen, could I borrow it for a moment…?”

“…Someone already borrowed it.”

“…Pardon?”

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As time passed, the next dawn.

“…I think everyone must have given up by now.”

Arsène Lupin entered the deserted forest at the lower reaches of the Thames River, which cuts through London from west to east, concealing her presence.

“It was quite a struggle to shake them all off…”

A smile of victory began to appear on her lips.

“The best way to find a treasure first is to become the person who hides it…”

After muttering this and admiring the full moon high in the sky for a while, she quietly glanced at the contract lying beside her.

“It’s a bit underhanded, but the world of competition is cold.”

Finally, her hand slowly reached toward the contract.

*Rustle…*

Just as the owner of the fourth signature was about to be determined…

*Bang…!*

“…!”

With the now-familiar explosive sound, she began to sense killing intent from far away.

“Ha…”

As the ground she was about to reach for exploded into a cloud of dust, Lupin’s expression turned cold.

*As long as you’re in London, you can’t escape my sight…?*

“…Child, don’t make me angry.”

Responding with an irritated expression to Moran’s cold voice coming through the device on her ear, Lupin began to look at the top of London Bridge visible in the distance.

“It’s too late to do anything at that distance anyway…”

But Lupin’s expression suddenly hardened.

“…Found you.”

Because Lady Joanne Clay was hanging like a bat on the tree above her, with a chilling expression.

“Ugh…!”

And the next moment.

*Crash…!*

With a thunderous sound, Lady Clay and Lupin were thrown in opposite directions by the impact of their simultaneous attacks.

“I knew you were somewhere around here… but I didn’t think you’d hide it in such a petty place.”

“…You’ve been interfering from the start.”

“A common thief without pedigree is indeed hopeless.”

Just as they began a tense standoff with the contract between them.

“…You’re no different, with your lack of pedigree.”

“”…….!””

Suddenly, a dark energy began to writhe beneath their shadows.

“A pitiful Vampire who goes on about royal blood despite being from a collateral bloodline…”

“You…”

“…This is why I didn’t want to drag things out until nighttime.”

Lupin and Lady Clay began to sweat nervously and scan their surroundings as they sensed the blind killing intent emanating from within.

*Rustle…*

“”Ah.””

“Sorry, but no one can defeat me at night.”

Making their actions futile, Gil the Reaper sprang from their shadows in the blink of an eye and snatched the contract lying in the middle.

“Even if it’s those monsters rushing in from over there.”

*Bang…!*

“…That tickles.”

Another of Moran’s air bullets struck her hand directly from far away, but Gil the Reaper smiled leisurely and instantly restored her shattered hand to its original state.

“Now then…”

“”……..””

As she displayed her overwhelming power and reached for the contract that had fallen to the ground from the impact of the shot.

“Let’s finally end this childish game…”

*Whoosh…!*

“…Huh?”

But just before her hand could touch the contract again, a blurry figure suddenly brushed past Gil the Reaper and snatched it with incredible speed.

‘MasterMasterMasterMasterMaster…..’

And in the blink of an eye, she had become a dot visible far in the distance.

“Silver Blaze…?”

“That furry bitch…”

It was none other than Silver Blaze, who had succeeded in making a perfect entrance at the crucial moment by mobilizing her superhuman sense of smell and speed, along with the network of Werebeasts spread throughout the back alleys, immediately after being discharged from the hospital.

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“…Huh?”

A few minutes later. At a pub near London Bridge.

“What the…?”

Rachel Watson, who had been pouring alcohol down her throat while looking at the night view to relieve stress, began to stare with dazed eyes at the spectacle appearing in the distance.

“Master is miiiiiiiine!!!!!”

Far away, on London Bridge which had been elegantly decorating London’s night view, a Werebeast girl was running with all her might.

“Stop right there!!! You bitch!!! I’ll kill you!!!!!”

“Honestly, aren’t you the one with the least pedigree of all!!!!”

“…Damn, how can a person be faster than a propulsion engine?”

And behind the girl, three women chasing at full speed.

*Bang…! Bang…! Bang…!*

Also, air bullets flying in from somewhere at a murderous pace, damaging the bridge with its long history.

*Rumble…*

And even monsters who had unusually emerged from the back alleys and were now swarming toward London Bridge in droves.

“Hmm…”

After watching this historic incident for a while in a daze while tilting her bottle, Watson finally stood up unsteadily and left the pub in a completely intoxicated state.

“…Horse racing is horse racing, hehe.”

“Um, customer?”

Having far exceeded her alcohol tolerance.

“Giddyup!!!”

“H-hey! Pay your bill before leaving!!!”