Ch.248Chapter 248 – Reunion in an Empty House

“Ha, haa… huaaa…”

Charlotte, who was lying face down on the floor, drenched in cold sweat and breathing heavily, desperately lifts her head.

“Wh-what… is this…”

Her cold judgment and insight were completely shutting down, growing hazy.

Her vision had already given up showing normal scenes and was displaying phantoms instead, while her hearing sporadically caught whispers and shouts from non-existent beings.

A terrifying sensation from the smoke filling the surroundings, as if something would leap out at any moment and envelop her.

An overwhelming feeling, impossible to express in words, like facing something massive that was crouching somewhere in the universe beyond the night sky, just barely peeking out.

With every movement around them feeling like it was tearing their souls to shreds, no one in the room, including Sharlotte, could even breathe properly.

“Eek…”

As she gritted her teeth and struggled to escape this situation, Sharlotte’s gaze finally managed to briefly capture a glimpse of reality rather than hallucination.

“G-get awaaay…!”

Watson, writhing with a face turned blue as if she were on the verge of suffocating to death.

“Kugh…..”

And Detective Inspector Lestrade who, although not as panicked as Watson, was still frozen with a pale face.

“…No!”

As Sharlotte stared blankly at them, strength suddenly surged through her body.

“I can’t… lose you too!!!”

With those desperate words, Sharlotte jumped to her feet.

“Never… ever again!!!”

Displaying superhuman strength unbelievable for a girl her age, she hoisted Watson and the inspector onto her shoulders and ran toward the door.

– Bang…!

And moments later, the door burst open from Sharlotte’s kick.

“Ugh…”

“Cough, cough…!”

As fresh air entered through the door, Watson and the inspector’s expressions slightly relaxed as they began coughing.

“Huaa… ha, haa…”

But having used too much energy carrying the two, Sharlotte, unlike them, was still breathing heavily with a pale face.

– Creeeeak…

She bit her lip hard and tried to leave the room filled with gray smoke with the others, but.

– Holmes…

At that very moment.

– Miss Holmes…

“…Ah?”

From behind Sharlotte came a voice so familiar, one she hadn’t forgotten once in the past two years.

“Ad… ler?”

Thanks to this, Sharlotte, who had been standing dumbfounded at the door with wide eyes, slowly turned her head to stare at the figure that had appeared behind her.

– Are you leaving without me…?

“Ah, aah…”

– Again…?

Adler, standing quietly in the smoke, whispered to her with a pitiful expression.

– I’ve wanted to see you all these past two years…

“Th-that… I felt the same…”

– Then why are you trying to leave…?

“N-no!”

Sharlotte, trembling and showing signs of trauma again, raised her voice urgently at Adler’s soft voice.

– Thud…

“I-I’m not leaving… I won’t leave…”

She hastily threw the two women she had been carrying on her shoulders outside the room and closed the door, having lost all reason.

“S-see? See? I’ll always be by your side…”

As she turned her head again, forcing an awkward smile, Sharlotte’s voice trailed off.

“…Adler?”

Somehow, Adler, who had been looking at her with pitiful eyes just moments ago, had vanished without a trace.

“Wh-where did you… huk!?”

Because of this, as she anxiously scanned the room, she suddenly covered her mouth and collapsed to the floor.

“Ah, augh… haugh…”

The gray smoke that began filling the room again after she closed the door started to instill deep fear in her once more.

“Where, where are you… Adler…”

But even in this situation, she crawled toward where Adler had been standing, gritting her teeth.

“I definitely, definitely saw you… I saw you…”

– Grooooowl…

“Y-you… you were definitely here…”

Tears were welling up in her eyes due to the creeping terror coming from all directions, but still, she didn’t stop moving forward.

“Just like two years ago… even if just once…”

– Creak…

“Hold… me…”

In that situation, Sharlotte whispered in a small voice as she clutched the creaking wooden floorboards beneath her.

– Drip, drip…

Right in front of her, red droplets suddenly began to fall.

“Ah…..?”

Staring blankly at them, Sharlotte raised her head with all her might, and her pupils dilated.

– But, Holmes…

“……..”

– I’m already dead…..

Adler, who had somehow appeared in front of her again, was smiling eerily with his joints bent in grotesque angles, bleeding.

– How could I possibly hold you like this…?

“Ah, aah…”

Sharlotte, trembling as she looked at him, reached out her hand, but it passed right through Adler in front of her.

– Aren’t you stupid?

– So stupid, stupid…

As she stood there in shock at this realization, figures now leaned in from both sides of her head, whispering.

– Giggle, giggle…

– Kyaa…

“………”

Sharlotte’s eyes began to slowly die as she realized these figures were Adler’s children she had seen in the professor’s office.

“”……….””

And so began a terrifying silence.

“…Then, what should I do?”

In that silence, Sharlotte, who had finally begun to shed tears, asked Adler in front of her with a half-crazed smile.

“What do I need to do to hold you in my arms again…?”

– Oh my, oh my… Holmes.

Then, strangely, Adler began whispering in her ear, mimicking the professor’s tone and expression.

– Actually, you already know.

“……..”

– How to be with me again.

Sharlotte’s eyes lost all color as she heard those whispers.

“…Yes, that’s right.”

– Swish…

“I’ve known from the beginning…”

And moments later, she pulled out a small knife from her pocket with blank eyes.

“I’m sorry… despite loving you… I couldn’t find the courage until now…”

“……..”

“But… I’ll come to you now…”

The sharp blade surrounded by black mana was positioned at her throat, at a vital point where even the slightest penetration would be life-threatening.

“…Please forgive me.”

In that precarious position, she spoke in a low voice, looking at Adler who was shedding bloody tears just like her.

– Tremble…

Her hand holding the knife began to shake violently as she became surrounded by creepy eyes and stares.

– What’s wrong?

Then, Adler quietly bent down and asked with a raised corner of his mouth.

– Don’t you want to be in my arms?

“No…”

Sharlotte briefly answered that question, closing her eyes tightly and putting strength into her hand.

“…I’ll come to you now.”

– Stab…

With those words, the sound of the blade piercing skin filled the room, followed by a long silence.

.

.

.

.

.

How much time had passed since then?

“……?”

Sharlotte, who had been squeezing her eyes shut while continuously driving the blade deep into her neck, sensed something strange and opened her eyes.

“Huh?”

And there in her sight was the room’s interior, somehow completely transformed.

“Cough, cough… ugh…!”

“My goodness, what is all this…”

“…Open the windows first. And the door wide.”

Lady Clay and Silver Blaze, wearing strange-looking masks, were ventilating the room following Moran’s cold orders.

“How… did you… get here…?”

– Swish…

“…Hik?”

As Sharlotte looked at them as if seeing ghosts, she suddenly flinched uncharacteristically when someone placed a coat over her shoulders from behind.

“Miss Holmes.”

But at that moment, a warm voice resonated from behind her.

“…….!”

Though it was clearly the same voice as before, this one was much clearer and warmer, causing Sharlotte to freeze in her hunched position.

“You asked how you could be in my arms again?”

“….Ah, ah.”

Finally, with a look of disbelief, she slowly began to turn her head.

“That’s quite an interesting riddle.”

“Aaah…”

Her eyes began to tremble as they found the warm and gentle smiling face that had stolen her heart and innocence.

“Shall I guess the answer?”

“Issac…….?”

Though his mana had disappeared, she could recognize at a glance the person she had longed for so much standing right in front of her.

“The answer is to do nothing.”

He had suffered a serious injury to his right hand from blocking her knife with all his might.

“…Because I’ve already returned to you.”

As Sharlotte’s mind went blank for perhaps the first time in her life, leaving her with a dumbfounded expression, Adler quietly extended his arms and embraced her.

“There’s no need to do anything at all…”

Hot tears began to flow from Sharlotte’s eyes as she heard those whispered words.

“Ah, aaah… Issac…”

“……..”

“IssacIssacIssacIssacIssac…”

Unlike the cold, colorless tears she had shed for the past two years, these were tears that had once again been dyed golden.

“I missed… you.”

“…Me too.”

As Sharlotte pressed her forehead against Adler’s and shed hot tears, she tightly closed her eyes at his quiet response and pressed her lips against his.

[How romantic.]

“”……….””

Through the window opened for ventilation, unusually bright sunlight streamed in, illuminating the two of them.