Ch.231Chapter 231 – The Final Case (6)

After several days of sailing, we arrived in Switzerland from France, and were led by Adler to a small village.

“Wow…”

“…It’s beautiful.”

It was a charming village with snow piled up here and there in the nearby valley, truly beautiful.

Not just me, but even Moran stopped walking and had a girlish expression on her face, which says it all.

Well, Moran is actually a girl, so maybe saying she looked girlish is a bit redundant?

“…….”

Anyway, it was that beautiful of a scenery, but Adler didn’t seem to care.

Recently, whenever someone passed by, he would quickly throw a sharp glance to check their face.

As if he couldn’t trust anyone.

“Hey. There’s no need to be so tense even in a small village like this, right?”

“…One should always be wary of assassins. You should know that, being a soldier.”

Ah, by the way, Adler and I were on informal terms at that time.

We had agreed to be friends again during that night at the hotel a few days ago.

This was an achievement that even Holmes and the Professor couldn’t accomplish, but it wasn’t particularly something to be proud of.

Rather, whenever I heard Adler speak informally to me, I felt somewhat embarrassed.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important.

“What do you know about soldiers?”

“I’ll have you know I was a sergeant… never mind.”

“…Sergeant?”

I had just heard the unbelievable information that Adler was a former sergeant.

Honestly, it’s hard to believe that this constitutionally weak person was in the military, but having lived for centuries, it makes sense that he might have been in the army at some point.

Or, though the possibility is slim, could it be a remnant from the Crusades?

“You’ve done quite a lot, haven’t you? Singer, actor, soldier…”

“I told you, that’s not… huh?”

As I was thinking about this while walking beside Adler, he suddenly stopped and began to sweat.

“……!”

And the same was true for Moran, who had been walking with a disgruntled expression, glancing at me for days.

“What’s wrong with both of you…?”

“Danger!!”

“…Eek?”

As I was tilting my head in confusion about to ask a question, I was suddenly pulled toward Adler with an urgent cry and.

– Thud… Thud…!

The next moment, a rather large boulder rolled past us with great momentum, barely missing us.

– Thump, thump…

“…W-well, in this weather, such things could happen frequently.”

“”……..””

“So we should pay attention not just to people but also to our surroundings… Hello? Guys?”

As I was stammering in Adler’s arms for no reason, suddenly Moran made a cold expression and began climbing up to where the boulder had come from, looking around.

“I apologize, Master.”

“…It wasn’t a person, right?”

“No, it definitely wasn’t a person. If it had been, I would have noticed first.”

“Then… it must be a Curse.”

As I blankly watched this scene, a chilling conversation took place.

A Curse. Being chased by something inhuman is one thing, but now even in such a quiet village, Curses are appearing?

Until now, reported Curses had mainly appeared in densely populated areas.

It seems like what Adler said about a worldwide rampage beginning is true.

“…Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

As I was standing there with a dark expression, feeling somewhat creepy, a low voice came from Adler who was holding me in his arms.

“Just a little more and I can fix it. So…”

“…Why the formal speech all of a sudden?”

“Ah, right.”

When I pointed this out with a slightly displeased expression, Adler scratched his head awkwardly and leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“…I will definitely protect you.”

“Huh.”

Startled by that ticklish voice, I carefully interlocked my fingers with his and muttered.

“Really? No matter what happens?”

“Of course.”

“Then…”

And caught up in the moment, I finally said those words.

“…Even if I fall in love with you again?”

And then came the silence.

“Ah, wait. Forget what I just said. P-pretend you didn’t hear it.”

“……”

“I must be crazy. Yeah. You’re just suited for one-night stands. Right?”

Seeing Adler looking at me with a strange gaze in that silence, I hastily corrected myself and started walking forward.

“…I’d like to hear what you just said again.”

“What? That you’re suited for one-night stands?”

“Before that.”

“That I’m a complete fool who was almost charmed twice by the vixen of London?”

“You didn’t say anything like that.”

Then Adler began to persistently press me about what I had said.

“If you tell me exactly one more time, I might choose you…”

“I-I don’t need it!”

By this point, even someone as insensitive as me could clearly understand what Adler meant by the ‘last puzzle’.

“But it’s true…”

“I said I don’t need it!!!”

I began to resist desperately, but it was already too late.

My eyes reflected in the valley water had already been tinted golden for a week, contrary to Adler’s words that they would return soon.

“Someone like you is just a good-feeling biological dildo!”

“…That’s harsh.”

.

.

.

.

.

After escaping the threat and quickly leaving the small village that was our stopover, we finally arrived at our original destination, the small village of Meiringen, that night.

Fortunately, there was a woman who introduced herself as a former employee of a London hotel running an inn called ‘English House’, so we could stay comfortably.

“…Excuse me, miss.”

“Yes?”

While waiting for Adler who had briefly gone to the bathroom and Moran who had gone out on reconnaissance, I was sitting by the fireplace warming myself.

“You’re not planning to go to Reichenbach Falls, are you?”

“Y-yes, why?”

From the corner counter, a woman who had been watching us cautiously asked me in a strangely old-fashioned voice.

“Please, don’t go there.”

“Pardon?”

“About once a year, accidents happen there.”

As I asked her with slight suspicion, the woman began to speak with a worried expression.

“According to experts, there seems to be a large amount of unusual mana stones buried under the waterfall. Because of this, it causes dizziness to non-mana users and overloads magic for users.”

“…Is that so?”

“Even without such peculiarities, it’s a frightening place. It’s the time when snow melts and the water level becomes violent. You never know when you might be swept away by the spray and fall from a dizzying height.”

That ominously foreboding statement made me feel uneasy.

Why did Adler want to come to such a dangerous place?

“So why not just stay inside and have a drink? Our inn has excellent liquor.”

“…Liquor?”

Looking for a way to calm my unsettled mind, I brightened at the sight of the whiskey glass the innkeeper subtly offered.

“That… doesn’t sound bad.”

I hadn’t had the chance to drink during our long journey, and I was quite thirsty for alcohol.

A couple of drinks before Adler returns should be fine.

“Why ish thish sho delishioush?”

“It’s a special brew.”

With that thought, I took a sip, and it was much more delicious than I expected.

“Auntie… one more bottle pleash…”

“…I’m not your auntie.”

When I came to my senses, I had already emptied that strong liquor.

“I… don’t like… interruptions…”

“…Watson?”

It was at that moment that Adler’s somehow surprised voice echoed in front of me.

“You’re back… you handshome bashtard…”

“…Judging by your speech, you’ve been drinking.”

“You know… I’ve been wondering shomething…”

My memory is hazy, but I think I asked him this, emboldened by alcohol.

“Do you… like… me…?”

“…Of course.”

At his immediate answer, I once again used the alcohol as courage to say what I had been holding back throughout our journey.

“…Me too.”

“……..”

“I love you too… damn it…”

And so I, who was Adler’s last puzzle, finally put the finishing touch on the big picture he had drawn.

“Sho…”

– Creeeeak…!

And it was at that very moment.

“I-is there a doctor here?!”

“…Huh?”

From the direction of the inn’s door that opened urgently, a pale young girl began to cry out in a desperate voice.

“…A, a patient?”

“Um… yes! It’s about 1km away from here… their life is in danger. They need treatment right now, but there’s no doctor around here…”

Come to think of it, I should have questioned why a Swiss person, and a young girl at that, was speaking such fluent English.

“…Where ish it?”

But already drunk, I had no time to worry about that and stood up with only the girl’s tearful expression and my duty as a doctor in mind.

“T-the address is here. P-please help…”

“…I’ll go right now.”

I would soon regret that choice.

“I’ll be back soon… wait for me…”

“…Yes.”

The most critically ill person there wasn’t the non-existent patient at the fake address, but the one right behind me.

.

.

.

.

.

– Click…

“”……..””

As Watson staggered out of the inn and the door closed, silence began to fill the room.

“…This is quite amusing.”

Eventually, a familiar voice broke the silence.

“Is it right to abandon your friend like that?”

“…It’s not abandonment, it’s rescue.”

As Professor Moriarty, who had somehow returned to his usual cold and languid self from the friendly innkeeper, asked with a mocking question, Sharlotte, who had also returned to her usual self from the sobbing girl, answered with a cold expression.

“Well, Watson, being an ordinary person, couldn’t survive in a fight between you and me anyway.”

“…Whatever the outcome, I didn’t want to make her feel responsible.”

“That’s quite a touching friendship…”

Professor Moriarty muttered in a still sarcastic voice while drawing mana from his hands.

“Indeed it is.”

– Creeeeak…

“”……..””

As Sharlotte was about to draw mana to confront him, both she and the professor frowned at the appearance of Inspector Lestrade, who slowly opened the door from the boarding room at the back of the inn.

“I didn’t expect such a surprise party to be prepared.”

“Indeed. I thought you were completely left behind.”

“As I’ve repeatedly said, I’ve never lost a target when I know who I’m chasing.”

Soon, a terrifying killing intent began to flow throughout the inn.

“I’m sorry, but the same goes for me.”

“And for me as well.”

“I knew everyone would say that.”

As the three women were about to enter combat, drawing their weapons as if by prior arrangement.

“Excuse me.”

They all turned their gaze to a small voice that suddenly came from in front of them.

“Catch me if you can.”

Then Adler, who was standing at the entrance of the inn with a bright expression, left those words and ran outside where snow had piled up.

– Swoosh…

After watching him with cold eyes for a moment, Sharlotte and Inspector Lestrade began to slowly walk toward the exit without even increasing their speed.

‘…It turned out just as you said.’

Behind them, the professor, overwhelmed by an inexplicable anxiety, muttered to himself and slowly rose from his seat.

‘So, the final destination is Reichenbach Falls after all…?’

.

.

.

.

.

“…Haa, haa.”

[You have completed the quest to receive a confession from Watson.]

Having escaped from the inn by using up all the remaining mana in my body, I began heading toward the massive waterfall visible ahead, dragging my body that felt like it could collapse at any moment.

[Remaining quests: 1]

[I’m deeply moved.]

Now, it’s truly time to end this.