Ch.226Chapter 226 – The Final Case

“…hey.”

“Ah.”

“Are you okay?”

After observing Adler through the door crack for a while in a daze, I finally slipped into the room and asked a question to Adler who was coughing.

“You look quite terrible…”

“Ahaha.”

“This is no laughing matter, is it?”

His face wearing that foolish smile was as pale as a corpse.

As a former military doctor and current physician, it was a sight I’d encountered quite often.

“They say laughing brings good fortune.”

As I looked at him with slightly pitying eyes thinking about that, Adler who once again spouted nonsense gave a gentle eye-smile.

‘…Disgustingly handsome.’

Despite being half-repulsed, I can’t help but instinctively flinch at this damn face he has, and I don’t understand why he does what he does with it.

Am I not enough as an elite woman?

Well, come to think of it, this guy is trash who keeps even a queen as his slave.

I suppose it makes sense he wouldn’t be satisfied.

“Let’s get out of here. Before Microny wakes up.”

“…I have one question.”

Somehow I felt annoyed but didn’t show it. Instead, I quietly asked Adler who had taken my hand to stand up.

“If you have medicine effective enough to save someone with a terminal illness, why don’t you take it yourself?”

“Because I only had one.”

“What?”

“If I took it, I couldn’t save Microny, could I?”

Then, an unexpected answer came back.

“You’re joking, right?”

“I’m serious…”

“I didn’t know you were such an altruistic person. That’s news to me.”

When I unconsciously sneered, Adler’s expression turned glum as he scratched his head.

Could it be he’s deliberately doing this knowing how handsome he is?

Using looks as a weapon is just too cowardly.

– Flinch…

But is it my imagination? I think I just saw Microny lying on the bed behind Adler twitch slightly.

“Eek…”

“…?”

As I stood there momentarily confused, this time Adler was startled by something floating in the air.

“B-bug? All probabilities suddenly went to 1000 percent…”

“What are you talking about…”

As I tilted my head wondering what was going on, I suddenly remembered Holmes’ hypothesis and quietly frowned.

‘She said something was controlling Adler…’

At that time, I didn’t really believe it despite it being Holmes’ words. I never thought I’d see it with my own eyes.

‘If that’s the case…’

Somehow a corner of my heart becomes uncomfortable.

Perhaps, it’s really quite funny.

What if the reason he left me wasn’t his own will?

“……..”

What if he was forced to date the professor and Holmes? What if there were reasons for all his flirting with other women?

“…Why are the probabilities increasing even more here. Is it really a bug.”

Somehow my whole body feels cold.

If such assumptions are true, then I’ve had my marriage partner unfairly taken from me while my eyes were wide open.

Even when we were dating, I thought he was poor so I paid for everything.

I even prepared our newlywed home by taking out loans.

And because of the marriage ceremony I had with this bastard last time, it’s even difficult for me to remarry…

“W-Watson. Why did your eyes suddenly darken…?”

As all the things I’ve been holding back rush in at once, I can’t control my emotions.

But thinking about it, I wonder if there’s any reason to control them.

I feel like I’ve been living too nicely all this time.

Oh, whatever.

– Slide…

“W-why the gun…?”

Adler discovers my prized possession that I pulled out from my chest and asks with a startled expression.

“…Someone’s controlling you, aren’t they?”

“W-what are you suddenly saying…”

– Click…

“Eek.”

When I point the gun at his head, the terrified expression appears on his face.

‘…This bastard has nothing but his face and dick.’

It makes me angry that even that look is handsome. But now, I won’t swallow it inside like usual.

“Tell me someone is controlling you.”

“W-why are you doing this…”

“Say it.”

I should have done this a long time ago. Now I feel a bit better.

“…I-I’m being controlled by someone.”

“Yes, that’s right? That’s how it was?”

Anyway, although it was a bit soulless, I was finally able to get Adler’s confession.

Yes, now it’s time for the operation.

“Then I’ll help you.”

“I-I’m fine…”

“I said I’ll help you, damn it.”

“…Thank you.”

By the way, a gun is indeed an excellent communication tool. It makes everyone talk, whether enemy or troublesome patient.

“Now, get in here.”

“What?”

With that thought, I pointed to the inside of a familiar trunk lying around in the room and kindly asked, and Adler began to look dumbfounded.

“I know well because I’ve been in there naked for three days, it’s quite comfortable so don’t complain.”

“…….”

But when I brought up one of the many karmic debts he had committed against me, Adler who had been sweating nervously soon silently got up from his seat.

“I need to go to the bathroom…”

“Get in.”

And then without a word, he obediently entered the trunk, purely of his own will.

“Um… Watson.”

– Creak…

“You’re not going to bury me somewhere like this, are you…?”

– Click…!

Eventually, I ignored his nonsensical words and locked the trunk shut.

“………”

In the silence that followed, I could feel my heartbeat starting to accelerate.

– Thump, thump, thump…

Inside this narrow trunk is the crush of half the women in London.

The taboo of the empress of London’s underworld, ‘that man’ of London’s greatest detective, the husband of the strongest inspector, the queen’s lover is in here.

Since I’ve locked it from the outside, he can’t escape.

Reduced to mere luggage, trapped in a trunk, having to be dragged around by me.

‘…Is this why people commit crimes?’

As I kept mulling over that fact, for a moment I seemed to understand the feelings of the extraordinary criminals in the case journals I had recorded, but.

“Watson… this is a crime…”

“…Ha.”

When a trembling voice leaked out from inside the trunk, I couldn’t help but smile incredulously.

“Hey, you damn bastard. Are you really in a position to say that?”

“……..”

“You disguised yourself to seduce me, even committed marriage fraud, then actually married another woman, and now you’re saying this to the woman you locked naked in a bag for three days without food? Huh?”

“Well, but…”

So as I bent down to the entrance of the trunk and whispered in a cold voice.

“H-honestly, Watson also raped me so I think we’re even…”

“Adler, what are you saying?”

Hearing his timid rebuttal, I answered with a cold smile.

“I never raped you.”

“What do you…”

“Doing it while drunk is diminished capacity. It’s invalid.”

“……..”

“And you were the one who wagged your tail first!!!!”

As anger was about to burst out again, I closed my eyes for a moment and took a breath.

“Haah…”

Then with a sigh, I picked up the now heavier trunk.

“So, where are we going…”

‘…What should I do now?’

As I was thinking about that, my mind began to work faster than ever before.

‘First I need money to escape… I have to return to England even if it’s risky. Then get money and…’

“Watson…?”

‘…Let’s go to France via Belgium. No, that’s dangerous because of Arsène Lupin, so let’s transit to Switzerland…’

Suddenly I remember a joke Holmes often made.

She would chuckle saying that if she were a criminal, she might have become a tremendous figure.

Sorry, Holmes.

But the greatest detective shouldn’t become a criminal.

So I’ll do it instead.

“Please spare me…”

“Shut up before I shoot you. We need to get out of the hotel…”

“Sob sob.”

And, if you think about it, what’s in here isn’t legally a person anyway.

So it’s not even a crime, right?

.

.

.

.

.

That night. At the dock of New York Harbor as darkness fell.

– Looking around, looking around…

Watson arrived there carrying an unusually large trunk, looked around for a moment, and then moved on.

“Excuse me.”

And then, as she was about to board a ship that was about to depart.

“…I need to check your ticket.”

“Here it is.”

To the crew member who momentarily blocked her, Watson calmly handed over her ticket.

“Confirmed. Thank you.”

“…….”

As soon as the inspection was over, Watson snatched the ticket back and began to move quickly.

“…Just a moment.”

But suddenly, the crew member grabbed her shoulder.

“What is it?”

“E-excuse me, but could I inspect your luggage?”

“…I was told there was no luggage inspection when buying tickets.”

As she asked with a slightly pale face, Watson tilted her head and muttered.

“Your bag… keeps shaking… since earlier.”

“…Ah.”

Her expression turned cold upon hearing those words.

“”………””

And then the silence began.

“…These are lab rats.”

After staring at the crew member for a while in that silence, Watson began to answer in a low voice.

“Why would you put them in a bag…”

“I’m a doctor. So I have quite a lot of them.”

“I-I see…?”

The crew member nodded with a forced smile.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding, ma’am…”

“Watson… I’m sorry…”

“……..”

But at that moment when a clearly human voice was heard from the bag, she froze in place with that smile.

“Haah…”

As cold sweat began to flow down the crew member’s face, Watson who sighed with cold eyes.

“Here, take this.”

She took out 300 pounds from her wallet, put it in the crew member’s pocket, and whispered in a low voice.

“…Let’s not make this a big deal.”

The crew member looked at Watson with terrified eyes and shook his head.

“Watson…”

“Keep talking if you want that part cut off again.”

“……”

It wasn’t so much because of the money, but because of the gun faintly gleaming in the moonlight in Watson’s coat pocket, positioned at an angle where she could draw it at any time.