Ch.65Chapter 65 – The Blooming Detective (3)

– Beep…!

“…Huh?”

Lestrade, who was sitting by the window breathing heavily, jumps in surprise at the sudden mechanical sound, her eyes widening.

– Beep beep…!

“Meow.”

“W-what’s that?”

The tiny mana receiver that had fallen from her ear due to her sudden collapse was now rolling around on the ground, becoming a toy for a cat passing through the yard.

“…Hello?”

– Why aren’t you answering my calls?

As she hurriedly picked it up, afraid that the two inside the mansion might hear, Rachel Watson’s voice began to come through.

“It, it wasn’t working…”

– Don’t tell me you blew your aura into it instead of mana?

“…Oh.”

Lestrade, who had been mumbling hesitantly, makes a dumbfounded expression upon hearing those words.

“It’s just habit…”

– Well, at least we’re in contact now, so that’s good.

“But how did it activate?”

She scratches her head in confusion.

“It couldn’t have been the cat…”

“…Meow.”

The familiar red cat wearing a collar glances at her with what seems like a contemptuous look before showing its fangs and disappearing over the fence.

– Never mind that, just show me what’s happening.

“…What?”

Meanwhile, Lestrade makes a puzzled expression at the voice that comes through again.

– If you activate that device, you can share your vision with us. The operational time is very short, though.

“That’s… possible?”

– Apparently all those mana stone experiments weren’t just for inducing drug-like hallucinations.

Watson responds to her incredulous tone with a voice full of pride.

– It’s an invention developed by my little friend that, if commercialized, could cut London’s crime rate by more than half.

“Indeed, if that’s true… just having police officers carry it could be tremendously helpful for evidence collection and crime prevention…”

– Of course, the downside is that the wearer becomes unconscious within 5 minutes due to the excessive strain.

“…What did you say?”

Lestrade, who had been nodding quietly, makes an astonished expression at Watson’s casual addition.

“Then it’s completely useless…?”

– No, you—the most physically robust girl in London—can handle it.

“Ah…”

– That’s why I contacted you specifically.

Finally understanding the situation, her expression slowly hardens.

“You people, really…”

– It’s for Sharlotte… no, for London.

“……….”

But at Watson’s serious voice saying it was for London, she falls silent.

“…Hah.”

She sighs quietly, then slowly rises and shifts her gaze to the window.

“By the way.”

After a moment, Lestrade speaks with a somewhat dark expression.

“You sent me here… not just because of this device, but for some other purpose, right?”

– What?

“Or did you give me this device just to create an excuse?”

The image of Adler bowing before Miss Smith, kissing her feet to repay his family’s debt, was still vivid in her mind.

“Hey, listen.”

– …….?

“This ‘truth’ you’ve been talking about…”

As she was about to ask a question in a slightly serious tone…

“…Wait.”

Her expression suddenly goes blank.

“”………..””

Only then did she notice the mansion’s servants lying on the floor with weapons in their hands.

– Slurp…

“H-hick.”

In the middle of it all, Adler was quietly wiping blood from his mouth with red eyes, looking down at Claria Smith who was trembling on the sofa.

– W-what…

“…Huh?”

Even after rubbing her eyes for a long time and looking again, the scene remained unchanged, leaving Lestrade dazed.

“Now that I look at you, you seem quite delicious too.”

“…Adler?”

His tail swaying gently from side to side and his protruding fangs were clearly reflected in her eyes.

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“W-why are you doing this…”

“I wanted to use the least violent method possible.”

As Miss Smith speaks with terrified eyes amid the chaos, Adler quietly begins to answer.

“But I’m not an idiot who doesn’t respond when attacked first.”

“D-don’t come near me…”

His expression didn’t seem angry, nor did he appear excited.

“And time is of the essence.”

He was simply continuing to speak with an expressionless face, devoid of any emotion.

“I need to get her out of the darkness as quickly as possible.”

“U-uah…”

“I want to show her the light again.”

Yet despite this, the killing intent emanating from Issac Adler was being conveyed not only to Lestrade but also to Baker and his gang who were watching from a distance.

“To do that, even if it means defiling my soul.”

In this ominous state, Adler smiles quietly.

“I’ll do anything.”

“Aah…”

As he reaches out to Claria Smith, she begins to back away, flailing her sleeve-covered hands in terror.

– Grab…

“…Eek!”

But she doesn’t get far before her leg is caught.

– Chomp.

“……..!”

Smith’s eyes widen as Adler, holding her leg, puts her foot in his mouth with a cold gaze.

– Crunch…

“Kyaak…!”

Soon, her delicate scream echoes.

“W-what are you doing…!”

– Crunch, crunch…

“S-stop it…!”

Her cute face, which had always worn an arrogant smile, becomes filled with pain and fear.

– Squeeze…

“…Urgh.”

Yet Adler applies even more pressure to her leg, carefully biting her foot.

“Stop…”

As her leg begins to grow cold and lose sensation, the last traces of defiance in Miss Smith’s eyes completely disappear.

“Please stop…”

Then, she begins to sob and murmur.

“I, I’m sorry…”

“……….”

“I won’t do this again… I promise…”

Adler quietly removes his mouth from her foot and looks down at her as she begins to plead with a tearful voice.

“Don’t ever touch her again.”

“I-it was a mistake in the first place. What I was aiming for…”

“…I will kill you if you do.”

As she tries to protest with a slightly indignant look, Adler whispers with a cold smile.

“No matter who it is, I will definitely kill them.”

And then, a moment of silence falls.

“…Well, let’s get up now.”

“Hieek?”

Miss Smith, who had been trembling too much with fear to even speak, jumps to her feet at Adler’s gesture.

“W-what—”

“We need to go undo the curse you cast.”

“…What have you done to my body?”

She asks with a trembling voice, looking confused.

“I thought forcing you to act would be more efficient than trying to persuade you.”

At his words, Claria Smith’s face turns pale as she looks down.

“T-this… could it be…”

“As a sorceress, you should know what this is, right?”

A bat-shaped seal was engraved on the sole of her foot.

“You… Vampire…”

“…Shh.”

Adler grabs the nape of Miss Smith’s neck as she’s about to collapse, and whispers to her with a hint of amusement while she continues to tremble.

“Do you want your neck torn out like the servants?”

She hastily shakes her head from side to side.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Urgh…”

“First, we’ll undo the curse, and then you’ll turn yourself in.”

Adler takes her sleeve-covered hand and quietly walks toward the mansion’s exit.

“T-that curse…”

“……..?”

But just before opening the door to get into the carriage, Miss Smith begins to murmur in a trembling voice.

“I actually don’t have a cure…”

After staring at her blankly for a moment, Adler smiles and begins to stroke her head.

“No, there definitely is one.”

“…Huh?”

“There’s no way Claria Smith, Europe’s top curse specialist, couldn’t undo such a simple curse.”

She lowers her gaze and begins to murmur again.

“I-I’m sorry… but it was designed so that even I can’t undo it…”

– Slide…

“…Hick.”

But she suddenly stops speaking and begins to hiccup.

“There’s no way you couldn’t undo it.”

Adler, still wearing a cold smile but with serious eyes, was slightly gripping her neck.

“…Right?”

Miss Smith, who had nodded without realizing it, had eyes full of terror that began to tremble violently.

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– Squeak…!

About 30 minutes later.

“So, what’s the answer to the question I asked earlier?”

Adler, who had arrived at the boarding house in half the time it took to get there by giving the coachman 7 gold coins, asks in a low voice to Miss Smith who was trembling beside him.

“I-I told you already…”

She answers with a trembling voice as she gets out of the carriage.

“That curse was specially created, so the solution…”

“…….”

“I-I think I need to see it first.”

But after meeting Adler’s cold gaze, she changes her words and smiles nervously while sweating.

“Yes. That’s right.”

Adler begins to walk into the boarding house with a refreshing smile.

“Oh, I’ll kill you if you can’t undo it.”

“…Eek.”

“So please do your best.”

As he says this and opens the door of the boarding house…

“”……….””

An unsettling atmosphere unfolds before Adler’s eyes.

“Why are you all like this?”

Hudson and Watson, sitting in the living room near the entrance with dark expressions, quietly raise their heads at his question.

“Well…”

“W-why don’t you go in and see for yourself.”

Soon, awkward, sad voices flow from their mouths.

“What’s with this awkward atmosphere…”

– Whoosh…!

“…Eek.”

But Adler, who had no time to think deeply, immediately grabbed Miss Smith’s arm with a serious expression and began to climb the stairs.

“Miss Holmes!!”

Then, he roughly opens the door to Sharlotte Holmes’s room, who would be eagerly waiting for him.

“I’ve brought someone to cure you…”

But soon, the light begins to fade from his eyes.

“…Miss Holmes?”

Sharlotte Holmes, lying on the bed, was cold and lifeless with blood flowing from her mouth.

“Sharlotte.”

After staring blankly at the sight, Adler rushes to her and checks her pulse.

“……….”

However, no matter how much he pressed, he couldn’t feel her heartbeat.

“Ah…..”

Her temperature, which was far too cold, told him all too well what had happened to her in that short time.

“…No.”

And so began the silence.

– Slide…

Adler, holding Sharlotte’s stiff hand, bows his head with gritted teeth.

“I’m sorry.”

And soon, a trembling voice begins to flow from his mouth.

“I ruined you.”

“……….”

“If only I hadn’t interfered with you, this wouldn’t have happened…”

Adler, who had been murmuring like that, begins to tremble quietly.

– Drip…

And not long after, a drop of water falls on Sharlotte’s face.

“…I’ve only done terrible things to you until the end.”

Adler, who had been bowing his head, speaks while biting his lip hard and trying to wipe away the mark he left on her.

“Miss Smith.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve heard there’s a curse that allows one to transfer life to another by sacrificing their soul.”

Hearing this, Miss Smith makes a very surprised expression.

“But…”

“I’ll remove your seal.”

“Um…”

“If you want, I’ll give you my entire fortune, everything.”

Adler, whose eyes had gone wild, begins to plead with a desperate voice.

“So please perform that curse right now.”

“……..”

“I beg you.”

And Adler quietly begins to stare at her.

“…I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Why not?”

But when Miss Smith shakes her head, Adler, who had begun to quietly emit killing intent, leans toward her.

“Because she’s not dead.”

“…What?”

Then, scratching her head, she makes a shocking statement.

“She’s just in a suspended state after completely twisting her mana circuit.”

Question marks begin to appear on Adler’s face.

“She wasn’t cursed in the first place.”

“………?”

“It’s a disguise that would naturally be mistaken as such by anyone who’s not an expert like me…”

By the time his gaze began to go blank…

“I can say with certainty. Right now, she’s just pretending to be sick…”

“…Mmm.”

Suddenly frowning, Sharlotte Holmes begins to stretch as she raises her heavy body from the bed.

“As expected, I can’t fool an expert’s eye.”

“………..”

“I starved myself for days, got into ice water just before you arrived, and even twisted all my mana circuits to endure terrible pain to recreate the effects of a curse.”

Adler, who had been blinking while watching her, quietly opens his mouth.

“Were you deceiving me?”

“…As if I would fall for such a shabby trap.”

And then came the silence.

“Surprise.”

Sharlotte, who smiled and whispered like that, quietly begins to gauge Adler’s reaction.

“…I went too far, didn’t I?”

“………”

“I’m sorry, but I had no choice.”

Then, unconsciously avoiding the gaze of Adler who was staring at her blankly, she begins to murmur with an expression full of guilt.

“To solve this case, I really had no choice.”

“……….”

“And….”

Just as she was hesitating, worried that his feelings toward her might have grown cold for daring to test his unwavering heart in such a way…

“…Eek?”

Adler, who had been standing still, embraced her with all his might.

“Um…”

“…Really, really really thank goodness.”

Sharlotte, who had been embraced by him with a slightly surprised expression, stops breathing when she hears Adler’s choked voice.

“As long as you’re not dead, that’s all that matters.”

Adler was murmuring with his face buried in her cheek.

“Whatever happens, that’s enough for me.”

After a moment, Sharlotte slowly begins to raise her arms.

“…Issac Adler.”

She carefully embraces his waist as he holds her, and begins to whisper while looking directly into his eyes.

“If the me from a few months ago saw this moment, she would definitely have tried to put me in a mental hospital.”

“……….”

“But despite that, I feel like I must say this at this very moment.”

Their eyes, dyed with each other’s colors, were quietly gazing at each other.

“I love you.”

And after a moment, Sharlotte Holmes’s firm yet trembling voice echoes through the room.

“Me, who hates men, who is asexual, who prides herself on being more rational and reasonable than anyone else in the world.”

“…Miss Holmes.”

“Sharlotte Holmes, who was cursed to be unable to love anything in this world.”

The hot breath flowing from Sharlotte’s parted lips, which had somehow come close enough to touch, was gently reaching Adler.

“…I love you to death.”

As soon as those words ended, Sharlotte and Adler pressed their lips against each other’s without anyone taking the lead.

“”………..””

Unlike last time, it wasn’t a forceful, one-sided movement, but rather a sensual movement of each seeking the other as their tongues shyly intertwined.

“W-what is this.”

Meanwhile, Claria Smith was watching them with a blank expression.

“What is this…”

Though it was just a kiss, the scene was so intense that she began to peek through her sleeve-covered hands.

“……….”

How much time had passed like that?

– Slide…

“I-I’m going crazy…”

As Adler collapsed onto the bed and quietly pinned Sharlotte down, she began to back away with her ears turning red.

“…Where are you going?”

“Hick?”

But Sharlotte’s cold voice flies at her.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t create such an elaborate plan just to catch someone like you.”

“W-what…”

Sharlotte, who had been stroking Adler’s cheek as he slept with a smile wrapped in her black smoke, quietly raises the corner of her mouth and begins to whisper.

“It’s time to reel in the biggest obstacle.”

“…What?”

“So would you send a letter for me, little one?”

As Smith glances at the exit, Watson comes into view, quietly blocking the entrance to the boarding house while caressing a gun.

“…T-to whom.”

“You know who.”

Saying this, she throws her a piece of paper and a pen, and begins to smile triumphantly.

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That evening, at the Auguste Detective Academy.

“…..Hmm.”

A cold smile appears on Professor Jane Moriarty’s face as she opens the letter delivered to her.

“So that’s how it is.”

A brief message written in Claria Smith’s handwriting was reflected in her gray eyes.

“…Interesting.”

It was only a few minutes later that the professor rose from her seat and began to prepare to leave, putting on her coat.