Ch.235Chapter 235 – The Professor’s Sorrow (2)

After Charlotte visited the professor’s study with the resolve to end everything and turned away silently, the professor wandered aimlessly for a year, her attention eventually focusing on only one thing.

[Encyclopedia of Pregnancy and Childbirth – For New Mothers]

[Parenting Without Scolding]

[A Study on Newborn Behavioral Principles and Values]

As her belly grew heavier, the books piling up in her study and the papers she occasionally reviewed during her leave were all related to children and parenting.

Acquiring such information wasn’t particularly boring since it was the only thing lacking in the professor’s otherwise vast knowledge, but it wasn’t enjoyable either.

Rather, what she wanted now was closer to death than life, which prevented any positive emotions from arising.

But now she had a reason not to die.

It wasn’t for nothing that Sharlotte Holmes and all other women quietly left her alone in her powerless state, having lost her will to live.

If the professor were to close her eyes now, it would mean the complete end of the bloodline of “that man” they had loved.

Despite shuddering at this fact, no one appeared who would harm a child with blood mixed from both someone they hated and someone they loved.

“…So one shouldn’t always comfort a child when it cries.”

Therefore, she simply absorbed knowledge about childcare with an expressionless face, trying not to negatively affect the fetus as the books advised.

“Above all, what’s important is…”

But even that stopped when the professor entered her sixth month of pregnancy.

“…bonding with parents, especially the mother.”

She realized that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t raise a child well.

“That’s… impossible for me.”

She was even confused about whether she had truly loved Adler, whom she had wanted by her side so desperately that she had even allowed him physical intimacy.

“I… cannot feel the emotions necessary for that.”

The dull gray eyes she occasionally saw reflected in windows were far from the brilliant golden eyes that sometimes appeared in her dreams.

It was obvious that even if she gave birth, she would see her children through those same colorless eyes.

“…Haa.”

Looking around at the high-end baby clothes, bottles, and other childcare items she had purchased, the professor sighed deeply and closed her eyes.

“………”

They say pregnant women typically develop sudden food cravings, but the professor showed no such signs.

On the contrary, she had violent adverse reactions to even sugar, which she used to consume several jars of daily.

‘…Of course.’

The professor knew the reason in her heart.

Because since that incident, there was only one thing she truly wanted.

‘However…’

However, just as that detective had once told her, having such thoughts while her eyes remained completely untinted was gradually eating away at the professor’s inner self.

“Whew…”

– Click…

Knowing that even these elements could affect the fetus, the professor quietly reached forward and turned on classical music.

– ♩♪♫

“……..”

Leaning back comfortably in her chair, she calmed her mind and thought to herself.

‘…Four more months.’

The reason she had to stay alive would disappear in four months.

Others might have called this a negative thought, but not for the professor.

Only this thought could comfort her from the endless nightmares and despair that kept coming.

‘When a demon dies, does it go to hell?’

The fortunate thing for the professor was that she had committed so many evil deeds in her lifetime that if hell existed, she would certainly go there.

‘What if I end up in purgatory?’

– ♩♪♫♪

‘Or what if I simply cease to exist?’

Occasionally, unfamiliar fear would grip her body along with such thoughts.

“……”

But even those thoughts were washed away like grains of sand on a beach, along with resignation that it didn’t matter either way.

“…This is the first time in my life that time has passed so slowly.”

And so began the endless repetition of days that were nothing more than repetitions of such thoughts.

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As time passed, on the day of delivery.

“Um… patient.”

“…….”

“Please wake up now…..”

“…Mmm.”

The professor, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, quietly opened her eyes at the call of the helpers she had hired at great expense to prevent anything from going wrong.

“What happened…?”

“You fainted right after it was over. It was a difficult delivery, rare these days…”

“My heart dropped just watching…”

“…The children?”

Looking blankly at the helpers’ sweating faces, the professor urgently asked about the children.

“Fortunately, the babies are fine!”

“Congratulations. One boy, one girl. They’re twins!”

The helpers smiled and placed the bundled babies in her arms.

“Ah…”

“They’re sleeping now, so don’t stimulate them too much, okay?”

After staring blankly for a long time at the babies in her arms, breathing softly with their eyes closed, the professor finally spoke in a trembling voice.

“Are these children… really mine?”

“Of course! We delivered them ourselves…”

“Your son has golden hair and gray eyes, and your daughter is the opposite.”

“The father must have golden hair and eyes, right?”

The helpers kindly answered the professor’s bewildered question.

“…That’s right.”

Nodding dazedly, the professor stared blankly at the children for a long time.

“Huah?”

“Hing?”

“……!”

True to their parentage, the babies slowly opened their eyes, noticing her gaze.

“”……..?””

“Oh, oh…”

As they tilted their heads side to side like she used to do and began looking at her, the professor, momentarily flustered, smiled with her eyes and whispered:

“I’m your mommy~”

“”………””

The two babies stared at her with round eyes for a while.

“Kyaa~”

“Kyaruk~”

“Oh my, the babies are so cute~”

“Do they already recognize their mother? So brave, not even crying!”

As the babies smiled and grinned, the watching helpers clapped and made a fuss.

“……..”

Meanwhile, Professor Moriarty had a blank expression.

– Squeeze…

“Kya?”

“Hing?”

When she closed her eyes tightly and held the babies to her chest, they looked slightly puzzled but rested their heads against her.

“Yes… they’re my children…”

“Um, if you hold them that tightly…”

“No one else’s… my children…..”

It was the moment Professor Moriarty’s retirement plans were completely reversed.

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A few weeks later. The professor’s office.

“This is… different from… our agreement……”

“That’s right! You, you shouldn’t be doing this…!!”

The angry voices of Lady Clay and Silver Blaze echoed through the office that had been quiet for some time due to consecutive leaves of absence.

“If you step up like this, we also…!”

“Lower… your voices.”

But when the professor’s cold voice, just like in the old days, filled the room, the two women quietly closed their mouths.

“You’ll startle the children…”

“…Ha.”

“……”

Seeing the two babies preciously held in the professor’s arms, they began to tremble with bloodshot expressions.

“…I don’t care what anyone says.”

Professor Moriarty spoke in a low voice, staring at them.

“But I cannot give up the babies.”

She firmly stated, then addressed Celestia Moran, who stood between the two women and had grown considerably in the meantime.

“I plan to rebuild the organization starting today.”

“……..”

“So I want you to join. The organization would be difficult to operate without you.”

Moran responded with a cold expression.

“And if we refuse?”

“…Then I’ll have to hold you accountable for letting Adler slip through our fingers.”

At the professor’s menacing whisper, Moran’s face turned pale, and she bowed her head deeply.

“”……..””

A long silence filled the room.

“…Remember one thing.”

In that silence, Lady Clay grabbed Moran’s shoulder and whispered to the professor, baring her fierce teeth.

“We’re not loyal to you.”

After saying this while looking at the children in the professor’s arms, she led the suddenly quiet Moran and the still bloodshot Silver Blaze out of the office.

“…..Haa.”

“Hwang?”

“Hing?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

The professor, who had been coldly glaring at their backs for a long time, immediately smiled with her eyes and began rubbing her cheeks against the babies who were watching her with worried expressions.

“Hiing…”

“Wooing…”

“…Hmm. I should have read more books.”

But when the children didn’t seem to like it, the professor awkwardly turned her head back.

“I probably haven’t thrown them away yet… hmm?”

With a hopeful heart, she began searching through the belongings she had brought from her personal study.

“This is…”

She found Adler’s gift, which she had inadvertently brought along with the books and baby supplies, and stared at it blankly.

“………”

After staring at it for a long time, her hand unconsciously grabbed the ribbon that was tied around the box.

– Rustle…

Her hand, which began to tremble, started untying the ribbon as if possessed, a ribbon that seemed like it would never be untied.

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How much time had passed?

“This is…”

After untying all the knots and discovering the small, dusty object inside the box, the professor couldn’t continue speaking and just stared blankly.

[Remembering our first meeting.]

What was enclosed with that short note, now adorned with a nostalgic demon-shaped doodle, was:

[From your eternal assistant.]

None other than what Adler had been nervously fidgeting with in his pocket during their first private meeting.

At that time, Adler wouldn’t have known, but it was an ordinary mana condenser without a trace of mana inside.

“……..”

The professor stared at the memento for a long time.

“……..?”

Suddenly noticing something flowing down her face, she turned her head toward the mirror in front of her with a puzzled expression.

“Ah…”

She began to stare at her reflection with a frozen expression.

– Drip…

What was flowing from her eyes, which had somehow turned the golden color she had so desperately wanted, were tears.

“Ah… aah….”

Not just a physical reaction, but tears born from emotion—the tears she had been told were essential to save Adler.

“Ah, ugh… aaah…”

“Hing?”

“Hing?”

As the professor realized it was too late and began to sob with her head bowed, the children in her arms quietly began to make sad faces.

“I miss you… Adler…”

But even so, the immortal who had realized what love was far too late couldn’t stop crying.

“…Just once, even just once.”

“Hwaaaang…”

“Hiiiing…”

“I want to see you again, my beloved….”

And so, the professor’s office, which had turned into a sea of tears, remained closed for days afterward.