Ch.33Chapter 33 – The Man with the Crooked Lip

A few weeks after the conclusion of “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” case.

“Adler…”

“Professor?”

Rushing to the office after an urgent call, I was surprised to find Professor Jane Moriarty sprawled out on the sofa.

“Help me…”

“What happened? Were you attacked?”

Startled, I approached her as she muttered in a weak voice.

“Not exactly…”

“Then?”

“…I’m dying of boredom.”

Hearing this, I stood there dumbfounded as the professor continued speaking in a dejected voice while lying on the sofa.

“There are no cases… No cases to consult on…”

“……..”

“I never imagined I’d understand how detectives feel when they have no clients…”

The professor rolling around on the sofa, muttering like this, was the spitting image of Holmes when she became sullen without cases.

I never imagined they would be similar in this way—it was truly unexpected.

“Professor, please be patient a little longer. We’ve only just started our criminal consulting work, haven’t we?”

“Hmm…”

“Once we successfully consult on a few more cases, our name will surely spread throughout the underworld. When that happens, we’ll be so flooded with requests that we won’t have a dull moment.”

“I know that well…”

I tried to console her as kindly as possible, since the professor’s boredom was a serious matter.

“But that doesn’t solve my immediate boredom.”

The professor lifted her head slightly and looked at me with sleepy eyes.

“This is all your fault.”

Her darkly gleaming eyes were directed at me.

“…My fault?”

“You’ve given me three stimulating experiences in a row.”

For some reason, I recalled the day I first met her, when the headmaster died here with a hole in his head, and a chill ran down my spine.

“Now my body doesn’t respond unless the stimulus is at least that intense.”

“………….”

“Take responsibility.”

“What exactly would you like me to do?”

I responded somewhat submissively, to which she patted the space beside her and whispered in a low voice.

“How about a kissing game?”

“That’s sexual harassment, Professor.”

“But I’ve had a good idea.”

She said with a smile spreading across her face.

“To seduce you and make you completely mine, I must persistently engage in this act called kissing.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Judging by the changes in your facial color and heartbeat, it’s clear that action definitely agitates you.”

“………”

“But kisses aren’t sweet like they are in books. That’s been a bit troublesome.”

After talking to herself for a while, she pulled out a sugar cube from her pocket.

“Wouldn’t this make it sweet?”

She placed it on her tongue.

“………”

As I stared at the professor tilting her head and extending her arms toward me.

“…Mmph.”

“You must be really bored.”

I said, pushing the sugar cube into the professor’s mouth with my finger.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time to play with you today.”

“……….”

“Something’s come up.”

Moriarty quietly chewed the sugar while staring at me expressionlessly, but I didn’t have time to indulge her childish behavior.

“What matter has you in such a hurry?”

“It’s related to the organization.”

“Explain in more detail.”

But then I realized it was rather foolish to hide information from the professor, who was the head of the organization.

“I need to go receive a new body for Lady Joanne Clay.”

“Lady Joanne Clay?”

Clearing my throat, I showed her the ring on my finger and began to explain.

“Our client from the Red Mana Alliance case, whom I subdued and sealed in this ring.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

Jane Moriarty’s eyes flashed momentarily as she nodded.

“I’d like to keep her in the ring longer since she’s still a bit rebellious, but the lady is quite fond of my blood.”

– Ziiing…

“With her on my finger like this, she takes my blood whenever she pleases.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the ring containing Lady Clay began to glow and started taking my blood.

“What an ill-mannered mosquito.”

“Well, it’s fine for now. I do get anemic symptoms occasionally…”

“If you lend her to me for a while, I could educate her perfectly.”

“I’ll pass. Whether by accident or on purpose, you’d definitely break her.”

The professor had been staring intently at the ring and reached out her hand as she said this, but I quietly shook my head in response.

“…You caught me.”

She smiled and tapped her fingers on the desk.

– Ziiing…

The ring that had been eagerly sucking my blood suddenly vibrated as if frightened, but that was probably just my imagination.

“Anyway, for these reasons, I want to give her a new body to continue her education.”

“What kind of new body? A sick slave? A hunting dog? Or perhaps a stray cat?”

“I did consider having her inhabit a living body, but then I realized that would wear out her lifespan too quickly.”

Scratching my head as I continued my explanation, I took out a blueprint from my pocket and handed it to the professor.

“So I specially ordered a doll that moves with magic stones, almost indistinguishable from something alive.”

“There are craftsmen who make such things?”

“Not usually. But there are a few in the underworld.”

The doll design I created myself was, as I had previously warned the lady, in the shape of a cat.

“Even then, they wouldn’t accept orders for human-shaped ones, so I had to order a cat doll.”

“Puhah!”

Professor Moriarty burst into laughter at the fact that London’s fourth smartest and most powerful Vampire would be reduced to a cat.

“That will be quite a sight.”

She muttered with an expression full of anticipation, her eyes gleaming.

She’s surprisingly expressive despite seeming otherwise.

“So, are you leaving now?”

“Yes, probably…”

“Perfect timing. I don’t have classes this morning, so I’ll join you.”

As I was thinking this and answering her question, the professor immediately made her proposal.

“That won’t work.”

I had to decline her offer.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a place that someone of your status as a professor, who must appear impeccable and clean on the outside, should absolutely never visit.”

“…Just where is this meeting place?”

Because the place I’m going to now is:

“An opium den.”

One of the most dangerous places in London.

“…I’ll take that as you wanting to be completely deprived of your free will and imprisoned.”

“Please calm down, Professor.”

Sure enough, as soon as I finished speaking, Professor Moriarty whispered with dark eyes and bound me with mana.

“Of course I’ll take precautions. Very thorough ones.”

“If you’re thrown into the river adjacent to that place, your body will disappear without a trace. No matter how well-prepared you are.”

“………”

“Especially someone like you with the most karma in London would be thrown in pieces. Even I would question whether I could find so much as a finger.”

It was slightly extreme, but the professor was right.

Currently, I’m in a situation where I’m being targeted by numerous past karmic debts, abandoned women, and a mysterious figure who arbitrarily interferes with the erosion rate.

In such a situation, walking into an opium den of my own accord would be like advertising to the whole neighborhood that I want to disappear right now.

“…I have a plan, you know.”

But that’s only when I take on the appearance of “Issac Adler.”

– Tsuuuuuuuu…

“Hmm?”

If I change my appearance using the “disguise magic” specialty of this body’s original owner, the story changes.

“Ta-da!”

Especially with a perfect full-body disguise that must have taken years to perfect, stored in Issac Adler’s mana slot, who was known as a great actor.

Even in that terrifying opium den, at the very least, no one would see through to my true appearance.

“Are you still worried?”

“………..”

When I showed the professor my disguise, which completely erased the sharp atmosphere of Issac Adler and made me look diligent and innocent, she quietly tilted her head.

“Indeed, you don’t look like Issac Adler.”

“Right?”

“Did you deliberately make your mouth like that to hide your true appearance? But with that innate appearance still intact, it’s quite a sophisticated disguise.”

Finally releasing her binding, she nodded.

“But remember. The opium den is a dangerous place even if you’re not ‘Issac Adler.'”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“…It’s not just talk. I’ve killed people there a few times myself.”

As I smiled at the professor and turned around, I quietly shuddered at those chilling words.

“Just joking.”

Jane Moriarty said with a grin.

“Take care.”

“…Yes.”

“…I’ll kill you if you get hurt again.”

“I’m honored.”

Hearing her fierce farewell, I walked out of the office.

‘…Nothing will happen, right?’

To the opium den, the stage where that bizarre case from the original work unfolds.

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A few hours later.

“Well then, enjoy your time.”

“…Thank you.”

Upon arriving at the opium den, I was able to safely enter by slipping a purse of money to the Indian manager who was sitting leaning against the entrance.

‘…Ugh, the smell.’

As I moved forward cautiously, an acrid smoke stung my nose.

“”…………””

As I pushed through the smoke and continued forward, the addicts sprawled on the floor began to focus their attention on me.

‘As expected, this isn’t just an ordinary opium den.’

While most were simple addicts, interspersed among them were people who weren’t addicted to drugs at all.

“Hehe… he…”

For example, a pretty boy who pretended to be high on drugs while glancing at me and letting out an unpleasant laugh.

“…That guy over there. Looks like he’d fetch a good price.”

“Forget it, mana is flowing through his body. It’ll be troublesome.”

“Tsk, why would a magician be here…”

Or the knife-wielders who were openly discussing me with gleaming eyes.

“……….”

Or the people who had been silently staring at me intently since earlier.

‘…Scary.’

Judging by the mana and sword energy flowing within them, most of them were probably skilled assassins or criminals.

It was good that I came wearing the disguise stored in Issac Adler’s mana slot.

If I had come as Adler himself, wouldn’t my body be dismembered by now?

– Creeeeak…

Shivering at that thought, I was only able to breathe a sigh of relief after unlocking the door with the key given by the manager and entering my assigned room.

“…Phew.”

Once inside the room, I could relax.

Now I just need to wait quietly until the doll craftsman arrives.

“Hmm…”

As I walked around the room thinking this, two windows caught my eye.

‘They’ve recreated this from the original work too.’

One window facing a river with rapid currents. And another window overlooking the street outside.

It’s exactly the same layout as the room from “The Man with the Twisted Lip” case in the original work.

‘They’re good at these unnecessary details while omitting the actual case.’

It’s truly puzzling why they would design the opium den so well but omit the “Man with the Twisted Lip” episode.

Well, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about getting involved in unnecessary cases.

– Slide…

“Huh?”

As I was thinking this while opening the window, I suddenly frowned and stopped moving.

“…What’s wrong with my mouth?”

My lips were twisted in the reflection in the window.

Did I make a mistake with the disguise magic?

‘Unless…’

– Creeeeak…

“……!”

As cold sweat broke out at the sudden thought in my mind, I heard the sound of a door opening behind me.

“W-what!?”

“Heheh.”

Startled, I quickly closed the window and turned around, only to be confronted with an astonishing sight.

“What brings you here?”

The pretty boy who had been giving me unpleasant looks earlier was tearing at the skin on his face.

“Mr. Issac Adler?”

As the familiar voice flowed from his mouth, I stared blankly, wondering how my perfect disguise had been discovered, and opened my mouth.

“…Miss Holmes.”

Looking at Sharlotte Holmes who had suddenly appeared before me.

“Stalking is a crime.”

She approached with gleaming eyes.

“…I know.”

“Pouncing on someone is also a crime.”

If she pounces on me again, I’m reporting her to the police.

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Meanwhile, at the same time.

“What did I just…”

Rachel Watson, who had armed herself with a pistol and risked danger by coming to the opium den after hearing that her friend’s brother hadn’t come out.

“See?”

She was staring blankly at the window that had just been hastily closed.

“…Why are you there?”

Because her “man,” who had been missing for a month, had somehow been spotted in the top room of the opium den.

– Click.

The gun that Watson had been holding while standing dazed in place for a long time was loaded for the first time since her retirement as an army doctor.