Ch.264Side Story – The Adventures of Isaac Adler (2)

After Adler’s disappearance, the supernatural phenomena that had terrorized all of Europe began to subside rapidly.

Of course, this was only natural since Professor James Moriarty, the source of these phenomena, had been sealed away, and Lovecraft, who was practically his subordinate, had been imprisoned in the basement of a mansion on the outskirts of London.

However, even after considerable time has passed, London remains shrouded in countless secrets.

For instance, there’s the mansion where moans can be heard daily, but approaching it makes you remember something forgotten and turn away.

There are Vampires wandering the back alleys with bloodshot eyes as if driven by someone’s orders, and their kin secretly monitoring them, as well as pale-skinned androids only ever spotted among blonde-haired boys, and so on.

Most of these are scars left behind by Issac Adler, who has now vanished without a trace.

“Mommy~”

“Hehe, it’s mommy.”

And if one had to choose the largest and most secretive mystery derived from those scars…

“Yes, it’s Mommy~”

A perfect example would be a woman smiling motherly and waving to two children who are running toward her after just leaving a private elementary academy that only the wealthy can enroll in.

“My, that lady comes to pick up her children every day.”

“I know. Given the type of people who register here, they’re all so busy that sending servants is the norm.”

Of course, many who know Jane Moriarty, the head professor at Auguste Academy, might question why she was selected over countless other secrets and mysteries.

But if they knew what only a select few—including that famous detective from 221B Baker Street—know, wouldn’t they be shocked and change their minds?

“But even as head professor, she must be struggling financially to support our academy…”

“That’s what makes it more genuine. She truly spares no expense for the children.”

“Is that so? My, how kind of her…”

Well, who would believe that this professor, currently embracing her children with a smile full of maternal love, is actually the queen of the underworld who holds all of Europe’s criminal world in the palm of her hand?

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“Hehe. Mommy hugged me.”

“Hmph, me too!”

“Now, now. Don’t fight.”

Professor Moriarty, who had been holding her children in a warm embrace with a contented smile, gently scolds them with a stern look as they show signs of quarreling.

Of course, her lips still curved into a smile as she spoke.

“Mom only scolds me!”

“Dummy. She scolded me too.”

“What!”

“These kids.”

The children, knowing well that their mother isn’t truly angry with them, continue their squabble with pouty expressions.

A warm, peaceful scene like peeking into any harmonious family.

“Mom, did you punish someone again this time?”

“Hm?”

But suddenly, a discordant note enters the scene.

“Mommy smells like red!”

“Yeah! Red smell!”

The professor’s eyes waver slightly at the children’s innocent words.

“Mommy! Did you punish a bad person again?”

“Or did you punish a good person?”

This was quite unusual for someone who normally maintains a poker face no matter what, but the children just tilted their heads side to side with bright expressions as they asked.

“…Let’s talk about that later.”

After staring blankly at her children who were mimicking the same habits they’d had since they were young, Professor Moriarty regained her composure and stroked their curious heads.

“Anyway, Vincent, Lisa. Nothing unusual happened at kindergarten today, right?”

“Yes, something did!”

“Yeah! Something happened!”

“Oh my, what happened?”

The children finally shifted their attention elsewhere, their eyes sparkling as they spoke. Seeing them like this, Professor Moriarty seemed to regain her composure.

“A boy named Hans pulled Lisa’s hair!”

“…What did you just say?”

“Yeah! He pulled my hair really hard because I was better at stacking blocks than him! It hurt so much, but I held it in!”

But when her daughter Lisa, whom she cherished more than anything, chimed in with teary eyes to support Vincent’s story, the professor’s expression rapidly turned cold.

“……..”

And then came the silence.

“Um, did it suddenly get colder?”

“Y-yes? How strange?”

While the teachers who had been seeing off the children from a distance muttered with chilling expressions amid the silence, terrifying whispers escaped from Professor Moriarty’s lips, who had suddenly turned serious.

“That worthless inferior brat…”

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Mom, are you angry?”

“…Ah.”

When the children whimpered with slightly tearful faces, she finally snapped back to her senses and withdrew the gray mana that had been seeping from her body.

“No, it’s nothing. That boy Hans won’t be coming to school from tomorrow, so don’t worry.”

“Will Hans smell like red now too?”

“Even without making him smell red, there are many ways to remove a person.”

Stroking her daughter’s hair with a smile quite different from before, she added while looking at the children who had started tilting their heads again with loving eyes.

“But you don’t need to learn those ways.”

“”……?””

“You just need to grow up healthy.”

After ending the situation warmly(?), Professor Moriarty put the children in the carriage behind her.

“Now, you two go home first. Mommy has some business to take care of.”

“”Okay!””

Seeing the children respond vigorously, she smiled a truly motherly smile and added in a low voice.

“…And if anyone ever bullies you, don’t hold back.”

“But when we don’t hold back, there’s red smell?”

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Mom’s the best!”

“The best!”

Professor Moriarty waved with a warm smile at the children who were raising their arms in celebration inside the carriage.

“…..Hmm.”

After the carriage departed raising dust, the professor’s honey-sweet expression gradually subsided.

“Strange. I’m sure I completely removed the smell.”

Finally returning to her usual unreadable expression, she tilted her head side to side and pulled out a small bottle from her bosom.

‘As expected of my children?’

After thoroughly applying perfume—something she had never used in her life until a few years ago because of someone—she quietly drew out mana to establish communication with someone.

“Yes, it’s me. Did you dispose of the body properly?”

– Crackle… crackle…

“…So that young detective caught your trail again? Well, I expected as much.”

– Crackle…

“You must make sure she breaks the agreement first. That would be better for you too, so continue to cooperate…”

Suddenly, she frowned and tilted her head to one side.

“…Adler has disappeared?”

Her eyes flashed with an unusual light.

“Well, I’m sure I told you not to take your eyes off him while I was busy with this little battle of wits with that youngster.”

– Crackle…

“Enough. I don’t need excuses. Instead of such meaningless acts, why not consider a solution?”

And after a moment, Professor Moriarty began to emit cold killing intent along with gray mana once again.

“Use any means necessary to put Adler back in the mansion. If that’s not possible, at least stall until I get there. If he broke through the barrier, he must have regained his power through some means. This won’t be easy.”

– Crackle…

“Still, I believe you can handle it well. That’s why I made that promise with you.”

Ignoring the teachers behind her who were looking around and trembling, she emitted intense killing intent for a while before unilaterally ending the communication and muttering in a low voice.

“So that gloomy little one is finally making his move. I didn’t expect him to still be denying reality…”

Her gaze was directed somewhere in the distance.

“…It seems London is about to get interesting again after a long time.”

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Meanwhile, at that time.

“…Master. Where are you going?”

“…….”

“Weren’t we going straight to Auguste Academy?”

Celestia Moran, who was sticking close to Adler’s side as they walked, glanced at her master who kept straying from the path and asked.

“Hmm, I wonder?”

Adler tilted his head with a calm expression.

“Since we’re outside after so long, I’d like to play a little more.”

“What? But…”

“It’s fine, isn’t it, Moran?”

When Moran tried to comment on this absurd statement, Adler suddenly thrust his face close to hers, causing her to freeze and close her mouth.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t spent much time alone together.”

“……..”

“Should we take this opportunity to go on a cozy trip?”

Adler, whose face was flushed as if drunk, whispered while gently stroking Moran’s hair with crescent-shaped eyes.

“…Okay.”

The atmosphere was so lecherous and difficult to handle that it reminded her of Microny with his narrowed eyes. Knowing very well that this was Adler’s true nature when drunk, Moran simply nodded quietly.

‘Anyway, to make my plan succeed…’

She too had been suppressing her true nature in front of him for many years, acting like a good daughter.

“…Well, Moran. I’m sorry about this.”

But Adler, who had been watching her with an amused expression, suddenly turned his gaze sideways.

“It seems we have uninvited guests trying to interfere with our cozy trip.”

“I was aware of that too. Should I kill them?”

“No, that won’t do.”

When Moran asked with a cold expression, Adler quietly shook his head.

“Those children are also my lovely subordinates.”

“W-w-who’s your subordinate!”

“MasterwherearegoingMasterwherearegoingMasterwherearegoing?”

As if responding to his words, two of Adler’s former subordinates who had been hiding in the alley revealed themselves.

“A-anyway, you shouldn’t be here right now! Remember the agreement we all made together…”

“Did Professor Moriarty tell you to put me back?”

Adler began approaching Lady Joanne Clay, who was standing next to the already crazed-looking Silver Blaze with vampires in tow, whispering in a subtle voice.

“You poor things. The professor probably just promised to increase my chances of meeting her.”

“T-that’s…”

“I could embrace you right now.”

As he whispered this with a smile, now right in front of the lady, Clay’s eyes wavered for a moment.

“Y-you’ve only said that and never actually done it!”

“Oh? Haven’t I done it with you?”

“You did it with that beast next to you once!”

“Well, that’s a bit of a discriminatory remark…”

“Shut up! I don’t believe you anymore!!!”

But the lady, befitting her status as the fourth smartest person in London, escaped Adler’s gaslighting through a dignified and principled argument, albeit tearfully.

“MastermusthatemenowthatswhydyouvebeenneglectingmeforsomnyyearsthatsdefintielyitIcouldntpossiblynothavebeenselectedinthedrawingforsomanyyearsthisischeatingitsalllies…”

“…Haha.”

As Silver Blaze next to her also began muttering ominously with dead eyes, Adler scratched his head quietly before breaking into a bright laugh.

“I guess I’ll have to exercise my skills after a long time.”

The next moment, golden mana began to fill the morning streets of London.

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“Mmm…”

My head hurts and my whole body aches. Where am I? Don’t tell me I’ve been kidnapped and drugged again?

“……?”

As soon as I regained consciousness with these thoughts racing through my mind, I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“S-so. This time you’re really going to do it, right? Right…”

“…Huff, huff.”

For some reason, I was in a carriage, and Lady Clay with a black eye and a completely defeated expression, along with Silver Blaze who appeared to be in heat, were sitting demurely on either side of me.

“I-I was a little scared earlier… hic. D-don’t look at me like that… okay?”

“Hnngh… huff…”

“What the hell is going on?”

I should have arrived at Auguste Academy by now, so what is this all about?

“We’re currently leaving London and heading to Dover Port, Master.”

“Ah, shit.”