Ch.64Chapter 64 – The Blooming Detective (2)

Filled with the thought of saving Sharlotte Holmes’s life, Issac Adler hurriedly opened the boarding house door and rushed outside.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Adler.”

“……..?”

He made a bewildered expression upon encountering someone he hadn’t expected to meet at all.

“Miss Lestrade?”

Zia Lestrade was standing in front of him with an expressionless face.

“Wh-what brings you here?”

“I came after hearing reports that you were seen here.”

Thanks to this, Adler looked confused for a moment, then nodded blankly at her quiet voice.

“Did something happen inside?”

“Pardon?”

“You don’t look well.”

At her question as she tilted her head, he muttered with a seemingly nonchalant expression.

“…It’s nothing.”

At that moment, a strange current began to flow in Lestrade’s eyes.

“Nothing, is it…”

“…There, a carriage!”

However, Adler failed to notice this fact as the image of Charlotte dying flashed before his eyes.

– Screech…

As he hailed a carriage, ignoring Lestrade who was quietly staring at him and muttering something, her gaze grew even colder.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“…Pardon?”

She asked in a cold voice to Adler, who was hurriedly trying to board the carriage that had stopped in front of him.

“Ah…”

Only then did Adler notice her physical condition—bandages wrapped around various parts of her body and small wounds on her arms.

“”…….””

And then, a moment of silence began.

“I’m sorry.”

Adler, who had been quietly gritting his teeth, whispered quietly as he boarded the carriage.

“We’ll talk later.”

And the carriage slowly began to move forward.

“…Ha.”

Exhaling coldly while watching the carriage gradually disappear from sight, she quietly brought her hand to her ear.

“As you predicted, Adler has started moving.”

– Static…

“So now I just need to follow him?”

Lestrade asked while glancing at the boarding house at 212B Baker Street.

– Static…

“……?”

But for some reason, there was no response.

‘…Did something happen?’

Because of this, she tilted her head for a moment and was about to walk toward the boarding house when she suddenly stopped.

– Clop, clop…

‘No, following him takes priority.’

She could always contact the Baker gang with whom she had recently promised to cooperate.

But once Adler was lost, that would be the end.

‘If I delay any longer, I’ll lose him.’

Having received an urgent call just a few dozen minutes ago, she wasn’t exactly sure what was happening right now.

The only certainty was that she needed to track Issac Adler, who had just left the boarding house.

According to the Baker gang, this was the only opportunity to capture Adler’s “truth” and “sincerity.”

At first, she was going to get angry at them for trying to assign her a mission without detailed explanations as usual.

But Lestrade’s heart quickly softened when they flattered her by saying she was the only reliable person in London.

Moreover, in her opinion, it seemed right for her, who specialized in tailing and combat, to take on such a mission rather than the frail Sharlotte Holmes or the seemingly kind Rachel Watson.

– Whoosh…!

Therefore, Zia Lestrade, who had taken a quiet deep breath, began to sprint along the pavement like flowing water while concealing her presence.

‘…This is manageable.’

A bizarre situation where a person was pacing herself against a carriage.

“Wh-what was that? Just now?”

“…A supernatural phenomenon?”

Her movements were so fast and stealthy that citizens passing by on the street could only see a silhouette rapidly moving back and forth between alleys.

‘I blamed myself thinking you were kidnapped.’

Yet Zia Lestrade showed no signs of fatigue.

‘You were just a pathetic man plotting such a scheme.’

Her eyes, hidden behind her flowing white hair, shone more coldly than ever.

‘No, it’s foolish to even consider such things now.’

The wounds she had suffered while searching for Adler over the past few weeks were throbbing and stinging.

‘I chose this knowing he was such a lowly man from the beginning.’

But she quietly wiped her mouth, which somehow tasted bitter, and continued the pursuit with a composed expression.

‘…He’s not even worth being disappointed in.’

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An hour later.

“…The master is not in at the moment.”

“What did you say?”

“I’m sorry, but please leave.”

Adler, who had gotten off the carriage and pressed his hat down firmly, knocked on the door of a luxurious mansion, then moved forward with a serious expression at the polite voice of the maid who came out.

“That can’t be true.”

“What are you doing?”

“I know they’re inside.”

Then Adler roughly pushed aside the maid blocking his way and headed for the entrance.

“…This is troublesome.”

– Click, click…

“I’ll call security.”

As he roughly grabbed the doorknob and turned it, the maid said in a cold voice.

– Bang bang bang!!

But despite this, Issac Adler began knocking on the door relentlessly.

– …Who on earth is it?

After a moment, a youthful voice was heard from inside.

“Are you Miss Claria Smith?”

– I believe I said I wouldn’t receive any visitors today.

When Adler urgently called out with his head leaning against the door, an irritated voice immediately responded.

– Why haven’t you called security yet?

“I apologize, miss. I’ll call them right away…”

“Ivory box!”

But when Adler shouted while gripping the doorknob as if he would break it, a moment of silence began to flow from inside the room.

– Creeeeak…

“Oh my.”

And then, the mansion door slowly began to open.

“What could that mean?”

A very small girl wearing a shirt with sleeves so long they completely covered her hands was smiling with her hand over her mouth.

“…Please, Dr. Smith.”

After looking down at her with gritted teeth—at first glance she looked like nothing more than a mischievous child—Adler bowed his head and spoke to her respectfully.

“Please, her…”

“Come inside first~”

The girl, who had been quietly looking him over, began to pull his hand with a devilish smile.

“You don’t have any magic stone products, do you? Things like tools that can threaten or record.”

“………”

“Good, the magic circle isn’t reacting. Come inside.”

And a moment of silence began.

“By the way, you managed not to call me a kid?”

“………”

“Most people who see me for the first time say that.”

Miss Smith, who had entered the mansion and sat arrogantly on the living room sofa with her legs crossed, began to speak with her chin resting on her sleeve-covered hand.

“Despite appearances, I’m already 10 years older than the missing great actor Issac Adler.”

“………”

“Not only that, but I pride myself on having the highest level of sorcery in Europe. Of course, the magical academic community doesn’t acknowledge it at all…”

“…I see.”

As her speech lengthened, Issac Adler quietly interrupted her.

“You know why I came here, don’t you?”

When he asked in a cold voice, Miss Smith answered with a devilish smile.

“Because of the ivory box?”

“That’s right. Specifically…”

“Could it be that your precious someone who opened that box has suddenly fallen ill?”

“……!”

At her brazen statement, Adler’s eyes began to shake violently.

“Why… why did you do such a thing?”

“Hmm? Well? I’m not sure what you’re talking about…”

As an overwhelmed voice burst from his mouth, Miss Smith began to answer with a voice mixed with laughter, when suddenly—

– Crack…!

The sound of a branch breaking came from beyond the window.

“”……….””

The gazes of the two, who had been staring at each other in an ominous atmosphere, simultaneously fixed on the window.

“Did you bring a colleague?”

“…Of course not.”

Miss Smith, who had been quietly tilting her head, was about to get up from her seat with a suspicious look when—

“……Meow.”

The small sound of a cat meowing came from outside.

“Seems like a cat.”

“You’re quite quick to accept that.”

“Sorcerers like me often keep cats in the yard. Of course, not as pets.”

Adler, who had been tilting his head to the side, quietly sighed after hearing that meaningful response.

“Honestly, you know.”

“…Hmm?”

“What I want.”

At his words, Miss Smith began tilting her head from side to side.

“I’ll do anything.”

“………”

“So please, her…”

“That’s difficult.”

She, who had been watching his expression grow increasingly anxious as time passed, frowned and began to speak.

“She owes me too much debt.”

“…Debt?”

“More precisely, her father does.”

At those words, Adler made a puzzled expression.

“He borrowed money not just from me but from all over the place.”

“Was… that so?”

“And then squandered it all on gambling.”

Confusion began to appear on his face about Sharlotte Holmes’s hidden father-daughter relationship, which he had never even checked.

“Thanks to that, I completely ruined my plantation business that was thriving in India.”

“……….”

“Now I’ve made a comeback by becoming famous in the sorcery world, but back then, I was truly in despair.”

But Adler soon returned to his calm expression.

“I’ll pay it back.”

“Huh?”

“If there’s still debt remaining for her, I can pay it back as much as needed.”

“Hmm…”

Miss Smith, who had been looking at him with drowsy eyes, quietly leaned her head toward him.

“So the rumors are true?”

“…Pardon?”

“The rumors that someone has been quietly paying off her debts recently.”

And then, she muttered something incomprehensible.

“She’s really blessed. Born with natural talent, and even lucky with men.”

“Excuse me…”

“…While I can’t even find a man who wants to date me because of this body type.”

Suddenly, Miss Smith’s eyes darkened.

“I wanted to take it away.”

“What?”

“The old debt is honestly just an excuse. Now that I’m living much better than before, such small change doesn’t matter.”

“Then…”

“Of course, it would be a death sentence for her now.”

At the same time, her voice grew even darker.

“But more than that, revenge for making me crawl at rock bottom once takes priority.”

“……….”

“Taking Issac Adler away from her without her knowing might be slightly insufficient, but it somewhat fits the bill.”

Adler’s eyes began to widen.

“You wouldn’t want to see her buried in darkness forever, unable to open her eyes, would you?”

Looking straight at him, Miss Smith raised the corner of her mouth and began to intimidate him.

“If so, it would be better to obey my words.”

“Excuse me…”

“Well, if you refuse. If you leave this mansion abandoning her…”

“…Is that true?”

After staring blankly at her for a moment, Adler suddenly began to smile brightly.

“Hmm?”

“Will you really save her with just me?”

At his reaction, Miss Smith began blinking her eyes instead.

“…I suppose so?”

– Rustle…

“Hey, what are you doing?”

As soon as he heard that answer, Adler knelt before her.

“I will be your dog.”

“……….”

“So please bring her out of the darkness.”

And with that, he prostrated himself on the floor.

“Easy to say.”

Miss Smith, who had been quietly looking down at him while seated, soon smiled and uncrossed her legs.

“But…”

– Press…

“Can you put it into practice with your body?”

And then, she began to firmly step on his head as he lay prostrate.

“…Yes.”

“Then lick it.”

When Adler quietly answered her question, Miss Smith ordered with an arrogant smile.

“Softly and diligently.”

And then, she extended her snow-white hand in front of his nose.

“If you can’t do it, just leave.”

“…Slurp.”

Adler, who had been staring at her hand caressing his chin, closed his eyes and put her hand in his mouth.

“Wow…”

At the ticklish yet warm feeling that began to be felt on her hand, Miss Smith covered her mouth quietly with a blush on her face.

“…You’re more pathetic than I thought.”

She, who had slightly averted her gaze, began to condemn him with a seemingly relaxed expression.

“A moron who can’t even think of resisting.”

“………”

“You fail as a man~”

But Adler just calmly rolled his tongue without expression.

“…Hey.”

Miss Smith, who stopped her condemnation at his reaction, asked a question with her gaze slightly lowered.

“Don’t you feel ashamed?”

At those words, Adler, who had slightly pulled his head back, answered in a low voice.

“…I can do even more for her.”

“Really?”

Then, Miss Smith began to look at him with jealousy in her eyes.

“Then, can you lick this too?”

As she averted her gaze again and lifted her foot, silence began to flow in the room.

“……..”

After quietly looking down at her small, snow-white foot, Adler began to bow his head.

“…Really pathetic.”

Just as Miss Smith muttered in a voice full of heat—

“Is Zia Lestrade that lovable?”

“……..?”

Adler’s expression slowly began to harden.

“What are you saying?”

“Huh?”

“…Weren’t we talking about Sharlotte Holmes?”

And when he asked in a cold voice, Miss Smith began to tilt her head with a puzzled look.

“Why her?”

“…….Sigh.”

After a moment, the smile gradually began to disappear from her face, which had been maintaining a devilish expression.

“This kid is getting on my nerves.”

“Uh, huh?”

“Talking rudely without any caution, just like in the original.”

It was because Adler, who had risen from his seat with a serious expression, was surprisingly emitting a terrifying killing intent.

“H-hey, pathetic one.”

– Rustle…

“Why are you suddenly…?”

Claria Smith’s bewildered voice, as she carefully watched him, echoed emptily in the room.

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Meanwhile, at that time.

“…Haa, haa.”

Zia Lestrade, who had been quietly eavesdropping on their conversation from the window of the mansion while concealing her presence, was sitting under the window with her legs giving out, sweating coldly.

“Did I just…”

While watching Adler’s figure with a pale face in disbelief, she could no longer maintain strength in her legs when her name suddenly came out of the girl’s mouth.

“What did I just hear?”

The image of the arrogant Issac Adler kneeling and kissing the girl’s foot still lingered in her eyes.