Chapter 117: The Hound of the Baskervilles (5)

The following morning, right after a horrific incident struck Baskerville Hall, sending tremors of fear across the whole nation…

– Brrrrrbrrbrrbrrbrrr…

“Miss Watson.”

“… Aaaaahhh!?”

As Watson, wrapped in a blanket on the sofa of the estate’s lobby, shuddered relentlessly in terror, her body jerked with a scream when someone tapped her shoulder.

“Why did you get so startled, you’re making a scene, you know…?”

“I-I was just taken aback!”

Staring at her shivering appearance with a vacant gaze, Adler muttered as he scratched his head, prompting Watson to sigh deeply and chide him.

“Come here and sit down.”

“… Why?”

“Don’t talk back, just hurry up.”

As she fiercely glared at Adler, tapping the seat next to her, he tilted his head in puzzlement before quietly sitting beside her as per gesture.

– Click…

At that moment, Watson’s pistol pointed at Adler’s side.

“What is up with you now?”

“Did you orchestrate this incident?”

Already accustomed to having a gun or knife pressed against him, Adler merely queried Watson with a subtle smile, to which Watson threw a question back at him with a chilly tone.

“Who? Me?

“… Don’t play dumb.”

“I truly don’t know. I merely came here for some final relaxation before the academy’s vacation ends.”

“Haa…”

However, as Adler tried to deflect her interrogation with a shifty tone, Watson quietly sighed and leaned closer to him.

“My gun has silver bullets.”

“… Eek.”

“You better speak the truth before I put a hole in your sides.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, making Adler sweat profusely and even tremble.

“Please save me…”

“Speak up if you want to live, you vile vampire male…”

“… I wasn’t talking to you, Miss Watson.”

Yet Adler soon whispered back with a teasing tone and a mischievous laugh.

“… Holmes?”

Following his gaze, Watson turned her head and, finding her partner with a weary expression from a night of investigation at the end of her line of sight, widened her eyes in surprise.

“Where have you been until now?”

“I’ve been searching the moors with Inspector Lestrade.”

“… Both of you are out of your minds. To wander the moors fearlessly after witnessing such a dreadful scene.”

At her bold reply, Watson shook her head in disbelief and glared back at Adler in the next second.

“Listen. Holmes, whom you’re so fond of, is troubled by the legend of the Baskerville family.”

“… I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“And yet, instead of confessing, you’re denying it?”

“Watson, it’s not like that.”

However, Charlotte muttered irritably from behind, staggering towards the fireplace.

– Drip, drop, drip…

Then she picked up the kettle beside her, tilting her head back to gulp down the coffee inside.

“Holmes, I told you not to do that.”

“… Is she always like this?”

“Only when there’s a case. She’ll probably start chain-smoking after this.”

Adler, watching her odd behaviour, heard Watson’s words filled with frustration and walked toward Charlotte who was already fumbling her pockets for something.

“Hey, I’m not finished yet…”

“Miss Holmes, it’s time you quit the habit of smoking when things aren’t going well with a case.”

Then, Adler, ignoring Watson who had risen to her feet with a pistol in hand, snatched the cigarette that Charlotte had pulled out.

“Surely you’re not going to claim that it’s a healthy herb this time?”

“… I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

Charlotte gazed at Adler with a grim look and then pressed her finger under her eyes where dark circles had formed while muttering.

“I had a rough idea of what was going to happen, and everything was falling into place until this interference, which is quite displeasing.”

“Hmm, interference, you say?”

“…. Surely you’re not asking because you don’t know, Mr. Adler?”

Then, she took a step closer to Adler, squinting her eyes subtly as she matched eyes with him.

“Are you aware that a scent different from your usual sweet smell is emanating strongly from your body?”

“Could it be that, Miss Holmes is in heat…..?”

At Charlotte’s words, Adler, who was about to retort without giving it much thought, soon realized his slip of the tongue and quietly shut his mouth.

“… I’ll let that comment pass. It’s not entirely incorrect, after all.”

“Pardon?”

“The important thing is that your body is giving off the scent of a beast, Mr. Adler.”

Charlotte then buried her head in Adler’s chest, inhaling his scent deeply while whispering.

“How do you plan to explain that?”

“… I think you’ve become overly sensitive and are thus making pointless mistakes.”

“It’s far more obvious now that I’m up close and personal. Especially since you’ve tried to cover it up with perfume or some cologne.”

“… Could it be that Miss Holmes also believes in the existence of that demonic hound?”

Adler – keeping her at bay with his hand on her shoulder, as she continued to sniff his scent on tiptoe – whispered in a soft tone.

“If that’s the case, you should see this first.”

Simultaneously, Adler pulled something out from within his clothes.

“… This is.”

Charlotte tilted her head as she saw the red cat hanging limply in Adler’s hand.

“As you know, it’s my pet.”

“Meow, meow~”

“See?”

As Adler gently stroked the cat’s belly, giving it a hint, the awkward sounds of a cat’s meow began leaking out of the creature’s mouth.

“I hugged this little one all day yesterday, so it’s only natural that the scent of a beast would cling to my body.”

“Is that how you’re going to play it?”

“… Eh?”

“Never mind.”

Charlotte Holmes, after looking down at Adler for a moment, turned away with a frigid gaze.

“… It’s not like you’re teasing anyone, acting so lame.”

“………”

“I came all the way here thinking you might propose or something, but I really don’t understand what the hell this is all about.”

After muttering to herself, Charlotte left the estate with heavy steps; thus a moment of silence ensued.

“Tsk, tsk…”

“………?”

“Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not understand?”

Amidst the silence, Watson muttered in a chilly tone while glancing at Adler who was tilting his head with a confused look on his face.

“What is it?”

“… Can’t you see that Holmes is quite upset with you?”

Hearing her response, a subtle smile filled with bitterness stretched his lips.

“I briefly saw her in the early morning, diligently planning for childcare…”

“… Ah, don’t worry about that.”

Saying so, Adler began ascending the stairs with subtle steps.

“The reason I called you all here was to find the answer to that.”

“….. What do you mean? Answer to what?”

“By the time this case concludes, I should be able to provide an answer to both Miss Holmes and Miss Lestrade.”

He finished his statement and, as he reached for his room’s doorknob, he added a few more words in a low, cryptic voice.

“… Perhaps, to you as well.”

Watson’s expression filled with visible suspicion at his meaningful statement, however, there was nothing she could Adler had already entered his room.

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“Haaa…”

Having entered his assigned room, Adler exhaled a sigh and sat down on the bed.

“… Professor.”

After a moment, he quietly scratched his head and opened his mouth.

⦗Mr. Adler.⦘

“Why have you called me so early in the morning?”

Professor Moriarty, who had nigh-forcibly established a direct line of communication with Adler, conveyed her voice laced with mirth.

⦗What other reason would a criminal consultant have to contact you so suddenly?⦘

“… By any chance, have you been watching everything?”

⦗You’ve even started to seduce a puppy now, I see.⦘

“Ha haha…”

Adler was only able to let out an awkward laugh at her matter-of-fact statement.

“… If you keep this up, I might just get offended.”

⦗Now, that would be troublesome.⦘

“Please announce yourself before spying next time.”

⦗However, that’s not what’s important right now.⦘

As he attempted to gently chide the professor with a slightly serious voice, she quickly shifted the conversation to another topic.

⦗It’s about the plan you’re devising, there’s a very important piece missing in it.⦘

“Yes?”

⦗Your real identity.⦘

Adler’s eyes widened comically at her response.

⦗When you went there, I thought you, my dear assistant, had finally realized your true identity.⦘

“……..”

⦗But seeing your actions, I’m sure that’s not the case.⦘

The now familiar monotone voice of the professor reached his ears.

⦗Did the new pet you’ve started keeping in the basement of the hideout give you some hints?⦘

“… Ah.”

⦗Mr. Adler, I must warn you. It is ultimately necessary to consider who you can keep close, and those you must discard.⦘

Despite the distance, her statement implied that she was able to see through the whole matter, even beyond what he himself could envision. And such a realisation made Adler nod his head, his mind dejected.

⦗Remember this. As long as you don’t realise your true identity, you’ll never win this case against Charlotte Holmes.⦘

“… Yes.”

⦗The hint is surprisingly close, so do make an effort, Mr. Adler.⦘

Professor Moriarty whispered to him in a very gentle voice.

⦗And do try to keep those seductive actions of yours in check.⦘

With that sincere piece of advice, she ended the communication, just as abruptly as she had initiated it.

“………”

And with her voice gone, a deep silence ensued in the room.

“My real identity…”

In that silence, as he pondered about his real identity that both Mycrony Holmes and Professor Moriarty mentioned, Adler caught sight of something suspicious at the corner of his vision.

“… Hmm?”

On a small table in the corner of the room, there lay a letter that hadn’t been there a few hours before.

“This is…”

Filled with curiosity, Adler picked up the letter to check, only for his face to contort progressively when he read the contents.

“What the hell…”

It was a threatening letter, made of cut-out of printed letters.

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Meanwhile, at that time,

“…….”

A girl with black, bushy hair was gazing intently at Isaac Adler, who was reflected in the estate’s window, from within the brush of the forest.

– Swoosh…

Then, in the blink of an eye, she, now enveloped in darkness, astonishingly transformed into the shape of a black, monstrous creature and vanished towards the eerie moorlands.