Ch.87Chapter 86 – The Shadow of England (3)

“Haa, haa…”

“………”

The rough breathing of two women echoes throughout the secret hideout.

“You’re… pretty good.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t need compliments from an enemy.”

In this situation, as Gil the Reaper, who was emanating black energy in all directions, quietly muttered, Zia Lestrade’s cold voice immediately flew back.

“Isn’t this too much? I’m royalty, you know. Normally, even causing the slightest injury would warrant immediate execution.”

“I’ve never served a cancerous existence like you as royalty.”

“Puhah.”

Gil the Reaper burst into laughter at her response and quietly stretched her hand forward.

– Whoosh…

Black shadows gathered from all directions and began to take the shape of sharp knives in midair.

“How many times do I have to tell you?”

– Bang! Bang!! Bang!!!

But before those shapes could fully form, Lestrade’s composed gunfire disrupted their formation.

“‘Abnormal’ and ‘irrational’ don’t work in front of me.”

“………”

“That strange ability you wield is no exception, Jack the Ripper.”

“If you’re going to call me that, would you mind using Gil the Reaper? I’m a woman, you know.”

After quietly observing her, she muttered in a cold voice.

“By the way, it’s truly an unfair talent. The ability to perfectly resist all supernatural powers. How is life with such an incredible innate ability?”

“…For me, it’s a Curse.”

“Again with that curse nonsense? It’s not even funny anymore.”

A sneer appeared on Gil the Reaper’s lips.

“It might be a curse for you, but to others, it’s simply a blessing. You could just consider it a divine gift with penalties like I do, but I don’t understand why everyone thinks so pessimistically.”

“You’re experiencing those side effects yourself, yet you say such things?”

“I don’t have any side effects. I’ve always enjoyed killing people.”

Eventually, she whispered to Lestrade, who was looking at her with cold eyes, in a voice mixed with laughter.

“By the way, what’s your side effect?”

“……..”

“I’m suddenly curious. What kind of misfortune is being endured alone by the woman who is the object of London men’s admiration, and who even made Issac Adler get upset and come at me when I said I’d kill her…”

– Bang!!!

Before she could finish speaking, Lestrade fired her last bullet, emptying the chamber, but unlike before, Gil the Reaper, who was now fully concentrating, easily deflected the bullet heading for her forehead with her knife.

“Would you please shut your mouth.”

“Honestly, I don’t like you.”

And then, removing the smile from her lips, she began to get serious.

“Who are you to define what’s normal and what’s abnormal? Don’t you think you’re being too arrogant?”

“……….”

“I hate it. It’s annoying. I want to gouge out those white eyeballs and kill you.”

Her muttering, like a child throwing a tantrum but filled with pure killing intent, echoed in the room.

“Then why don’t you try?”

“Yes, I was just thinking of doing that. I know you just used up all your bullets.”

“Are you planning on close combat?”

As Gil the Reaper, who whispered thus, took a step forward, Lestrade responded with a cold smile.

“I spend more than half of my day in shooting practice. How long do you think it would take me to reload this gun and fire at you?”

“I’m not sure, but it seems like it would be slower than my knife piercing your neck.”

“…You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

A terrifying killing intent that made one’s hair stand on end began to flow between the two women.

“My statement just now included the time it would take to break your arm as you approach me and slam you to the floor.”

“So you’re confident in hand-to-hand combat too?”

“You should know from our brief encounter earlier, shouldn’t you? I’m good enough to deflect your attacks.”

“Well, seeing how quickly you created distance, I think I’d have the advantage in close combat…”

Recalling the brief close combat situation from just a few minutes ago, Gil the Reaper looked at the small scratch on Lestrade’s cheek with eyes full of amusement.

“In a situation where I could choose ranged combat, it was a better decision to create distance rather than taking out my baton.”

“Honestly, even if you take out your baton now, can you really subdue me?”

“I can’t give a definite answer, but I can hold out until the time limit.”

“Time limit?”

At those words, Gil the Reaper, who was gently twirling the knife in her hand, tilted her head, and Lestrade continued her explanation in a calm voice.

“Do you think I came here alone? In a few minutes, all available personnel from the London Metropolitan Police will be rushing here.”

“Um, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

In response, Gil the Reaper countered with a dark smile.

“If the police forces rush in now, it would actually be better for me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Even though you’re the symbol of London’s justice, your reputation has been plummeting since you started dating Issac Adler. Some are even saying you’ve already fallen for Adler.”

“……….”

“In such a situation, if a royal is found attacked by Issac Adler and his girlfriend in this back alley hideout… wouldn’t that be troublesome for you two?”

As Gil the Reaper finished speaking and raised the corner of her mouth, Lestrade quietly bit her lip and glared at her.

“…That’s wrong.”

At that moment, a small voice echoed beside them.

“The one who would be in trouble is you, Miss Ripper.”

“…Miss Ripper?”

As Issac Adler, who had momentarily lost consciousness with a pale face, opened his eyes narrowly and addressed her with an unagreed-upon title, Gil the Ripper’s expression distorted.

“Because the police rushing in here will encounter not the next heir to the British Empire, but the Whitechapel serial killer who is starting to reveal her true form.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Take a look at your face.”

At those words, Gil the Ripper quietly turned her head toward the window.

“…Hmm.”

Upon discovering her face half-consumed by shadows in front of her, she let out an annoyed groan.

“As I thought, the damage you took when you were thoroughly beaten by the professor last time hasn’t fully healed, has it?”

“………”

“If you were to reveal that form while forcibly fighting us with shadows that are difficult to control, you might lose your royal status, don’t you think?”

Adler gave her a faint smile and gently muttered.

“…If it weren’t for that professor.”

“Miss Moriarty may be cute, but her skills are unmatched.”

“Cute? That woman…?”

Gil the Reaper, who involuntarily flinched at the past trauma, muttered with an incomprehensible look.

“You have quite unusual tastes…”

“Let’s respect each other’s preferences.”

“…Hey, is this also a way to buy time?”

Eventually, her gaze turned fierce.

– Click…

At that moment, Lestrade, who had instantly reloaded her gun, pointed the muzzle at Gil the Reaper’s face.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Even without my colleagues, I think I can handle you in your current unstable state.”

“….Tch.”

As soon as her words ended, the shadows surrounding Gil the Reaper began to fluctuate unstably, and she stepped back with a distorted expression.

“I thought you were lying since I didn’t sense anything around, but they really came.”

“”……….””

“If it had been the police, I would have fought to the end.”

After muttering to herself for a moment, she glanced at Adler with completely clouded eyes and raised the corner of her mouth.

“Hey, Adler.”

“…Yes.”

“Next time we meet, I’ll definitely butcher you.”

She, who had regained her composure, was disappearing while extending shadows in all directions.

“Even if it’s you, I think you’ll die if I cut you into pieces. So…”

“Don’t forget our appointment next week.”

However, upon hearing Adler’s words, she slightly tensed.

“Right, that’s actually good.”

She, who seemed to still have the strange sensation of her first experience from a few dozen minutes ago lingering on her tongue, whispered fiercely with a contorted face.

“Dr. Jekyll has just made a new medicine.”

“…What did you just say?”

“If it’s her creation, it should be reliable…”

Adler asked the question, losing his composure for the first time, but she was already half-dispersed into the air.

“Next time we meet, try doing whatever you want. I won’t kill you no matter what you do to me until a full day passes.”

“………”

“But after a day passes, I’ll cut you into pieces and swallow you.”

As she muttered thus and was about to completely disperse into smoke, she looked away and added.

“…If you don’t want to be eaten, try struggling to the end.”

With those final words, she completely disappeared, and a heavy silence began to fill the hideout.

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“Miss Zia.”

Lestrade, who only relaxed after confirming that Gil the Reaper had completely disappeared, turned her head at the timid voice coming from right beside her.

“That was a good bluff. There was no additional support, right? Fortunately, she was well deceived.”

“………”

“By the way, I didn’t know you had such a curse. So that’s why you were so surprised when you were affected by my magic… Officer?”

Eventually, she coldly glared at Adler, who was addressing her with a pale smile.

“…Is what you said earlier true?”

“What?”

“That I got upset at the provocation of killing me and recklessly charged in, ending up in this state?”

She asked as she approached Adler, who had sustained such severe injuries that his internal organs were exposed.

“…But it’s infuriating, isn’t it?”

“……..”

“What kind of boyfriend wouldn’t get angry when someone threatens to kill his girlfriend?”

In response, Adler, who was covered in blood and trembling but still maintaining a smile, answered.

“…You know, Officer.”

As Lestrade unconsciously embraced him, Adler began to show a dreamy expression, feeling her warmth.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking.”

His voice, sounding as if he was dreaming, began to reach her ears as she looked down at him.

“I think it’s time I seriously took London into my hands.”

“…Do you realize what you’re saying right now?”

“I wasn’t planning to go this far, but since things that shouldn’t exist in this world keep popping up, I have no choice.”

Lestrade’s eyes, which had been addressing him in a cold voice, quietly wavered as she saw the blood continuously seeping from his wounds.

“What exactly are you planning to do?”

“I’ll gradually build up my forces, and eventually even bring the cute professor under my control. After that, I’ll mobilize various criminal organizations all at once… Ah, the rest is a secret.”

“……..”

“If you promise to help your boyfriend’s ambition, I might tell you specially…”

However, she responded with a resolute voice despite everything.

“No.”

“Ah…”

“No matter what happens, no matter what our relationship becomes, I will stand against you to the end as an officer.”

“That’s quite unfortunate…”

Adler, who had been smiling brightly, quietly closed his eyes.

“…I still love you.”

He held Lestrade’s hand in his final moment before losing consciousness.

– Swish…

Lestrade gently placed her hand against his cold cheek.

“…Me too.”

The moment she unconsciously muttered those words, Lestrade’s left eye shone very slightly with a golden color.

“…No, I must be going crazy.”

But by the time she shook her head and got up with a serious expression, carrying Adler in her arms, her eyes had returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

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“…By the way.”

Thus, with a deeply troubled expression, she carried Adler out of the hideout.

“I know you’ve been watching all along, Professor.”

As she headed toward the hospital, she muttered in a cold voice, looking behind her.

“Instead of creepily hiding and following, why don’t you just come with me to the hospital?”

“Before that, I have one question.”

The owner of the gray eyes shining from the darkness in the back alley near the hideout eventually revealed herself and quietly spoke.

“…Am I considered cute?”

“Excuse me?”

Lestrade, who had been hurrying her steps while carrying Adler, began to look with a serious expression at Professor Moriarty, who was standing with her hands behind her back and unnecessarily lowering her gaze.