༺ The Missing Case of Silver Blaze (2) ༻
“… Hmm.”
My head hurt.
No, it wasn’t just hurting, it felt like it was going to break any second now.
“…?”
As I grabbed my head and stood up from my seat, a somewhat familiar scenery entered my vision.
– Rustling…
“What?”
However, having just woken up from sleep, I still couldn’t grasp the situation I was in. At that moment, I heard a rustling noise from below.
“… Meow.”
A red-colored toy cat, sitting on my lap, was avoiding my gaze and meowing.
“Princess?”
I reached out with a dazed look in my eyes, but the little thing avoided my hand, giving me a sharp glare.
‘… Come to think of it, did I take care of the Princess?’
Only then did I realize that I had left her in the room of the opium den, being too concerned about Rachel Watson.
Judging by how sore and aching my body felt, it seemed that I had somehow escaped on my own and returned to where I currently was.
“I’m sorry.”
“……..”
As I scratched my head and apologized to her, she sharply turned her head away, closing her mouth tightly.
“Anyway, what am I doing now…”
But understanding the current situation was more important than appeasing her and the moment I turned my head, I was rendered utterly speechless.
“……….”
A beautiful girl with ears popping up from her head, covered in wounds, was quietly sitting next to me.
– Brrr...
Her face was already pale, her expression and gaze seemed lifeless, and she kept shivering as though she was feeling cold. It seemed that she had been caught up in some serious incident.
“Excuse me…”
However, there was something more important than that.
“Who are you?”
The real question was, why was this wounded Demi-Human with animal ears sitting silently next to me? I had no clue about her identity.
“………”
Hence, as I cautiously asked a question while still clutching onto my throbbing head, she slowly raised her head and stared at me with a blank expression on her face.
– Drip…
“Huh?”
Tears suddenly started to flow from her eyes.
“Hey, why are you suddenly…”
“… Mr. Adler.”
Feeling guilty for some reason, as I was about to speak, a chilly voice began to emanate from behind.
“Meow!”
“How could you not recognize your client?”
Startled by that voice, I shifted my gaze from the princess who had just jumped to the floor and looked behind me. There, Professor Moriarty was sitting at the desk of the office, sorting out the papers, and glancing at me with a tilted head.
“… You brought her here.”
Then I noticed… the numerous bite marks on her neck and arms, marks that seemed oddly familiar.
“Oh…”
Only then did fragments of memory from when I had gulped down the brandy that Rachel Watson handed over to me come flooding back into my mind.
‘… Fuck.’
What on earth had I done?
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.
.
“You can’t possibly have forgotten about last night, can you?”
“……….”
“You seemed slightly different from your usual self.”
Professor Moriarty handed over a newspaper that lay on her desk to Isaac Adler, who had been frozen in place and sweating coldly for a while.
“… Silver Blaze.”
Reading it quickly, Isaac Adler’s eyes became vacant as he murmured that name.
“Late at night, you barged into my office and put something down on my luxurious sofa.”
“……….”
“At first, I thought you were practicing some sort of pantomime. But when you snapped your fingers, that girl appeared out of nowhere.”
Professor Moriarty, who had been kindly explaining to him about the events that transpired the previous day, soon posed a question with a certain gleam in her eyes.
“How on earth were you able to use such perfect concealment magic? Even that young detective’s disguise magic couldn’t fool my eyes. But I couldn’t decipher your magic at all.”
“……..”
“What exactly are you, Adler?”
“Maybe I just wasn’t feeling well?”
Naturally, Isaac Adler couldn’t admit to being the developer of the magic system, so he avoided her gaze and deflected the question.
“Magic or not, surely you don’t think I could surpass you, Professor?”
“…Hmm.”
Upon hearing that, the corners of Professor Moriarty’s mouth immediately lifted ever so slightly.
“By the way, what’s with those injuries?”
Seeing that her penetrating gaze, as if it could see through everything, being directed at him, Adler desperately tried to change the subject.
“That happened right after you put that girl on the sofa.”
Then, Professor Moriarty quietly stroked her neck and replied in a soft tone.
“You attacked me.”
“… Huh?”
“You forcefully grabbed both of my arms and pushed me to the ground.”
At that moment, Adler’s eyes widened, filled with shock and disbelief at the words being poured out of the Professor’s mouth.
“Afterward, you began to bite all over my body.”
“… You can’t be serious.”
“Does it seem like I’m lying?”
When he seemed to doubt her words, she slightly lifted her top to show him his handiwork.
“……….”
Seeing his own bite marks spread all over her body, Adler felt overwhelmed and closed his eyes tight.
“I never imagined we would end up like this.”
“… I’ve committed a grave sin.”
“Thanks to that, as I was laying there stunned, you called me by my name.”
Before he knew it, a big playful smile appeared on Moriarty’s lips.
“And then, you even caressed my head.”
“………”
“Being addressed by my name and having my head stroked by my assistant felt oddly peculiar.”
By now, Adler lost the energy to even respond to her words, and could only blankly stare at her.
“I recorded the entire process.”
“Oh.”
“Including the moment when I felt anemic from the continuous bloodsucking, you held me close and whispered that you loved me more than anything in the world.”
With a joyful voice, she continued, lifting herself from where she sat— a place that was filled with traces of their illicit conduct from last night.
“Pr… Professor.”
She then began to slowly approach Adler.
“Even though you were in a delirious state of mind back then, it was quite an enjoyable event for me, Mr. Adler.”
– Swish…
“Thanks to that, I was momentarily able to suppress my desire to kill you.”
“Wa… Wait…”
As Moriarty’s face, which held a smile as she grasped his hand, suddenly turned expressionless… it caused Adler to instinctively try and take a step back.
– Crrrrack…
“… Aaah!”
But the next moment, he felt a terrible pain inflicted upon the back of his hand.
“Mr. Adler.”
“St… Stop…”
“Mr. Adler.”
“Professor…”
“Mr. Adler.”
“… Yes.”
Due to her unwavering voice, Adler, who was momentarily staggering, replied in a subdued tone.
“I too have a limit to my patience… you know?”
That voice, slightly wavering for reasons unknown, reached his ears.
“So, don’t ever try such antics again.”
But as if nothing had happened, she whispered in the same unwavering tone, gently caressing Adler’s hand from which grey smoke could be seen rising.
“… Compared to what you did yesterday and the marks you left on my body, this is quite a lenient warning.”
The engagement seal, which had been engraved on his hand alongside Rachel Watson’s, was now marred, overlaid with her grey mana.
“But this is…”
“…?”
“… It’s nothing.”
Adler, who was about to speak while looking at the damaged seal, saw the grimly shining gaze of Moriarty and her body filled with the bite marks of his own teeth, and thus decided to quickly back down.
“Well, let’s get started.”
Soon, Adler clapped his hands with a carefree smile on his face.
“I have a new case for you to consult on… Professor.”
“You always intrigue me.”
At that moment, Silver Blaze, who had been trembling silently on the sofa all the while, slowly turned her gaze towards them.
.
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“… I’m grateful that you helped me make the right decision back then.”
A few minutes later.
“But… there’s no need to assist me any longer.”
Wrapped in Adler’s coat, Silver Blaze, who held a sugar coffee that Professor Moriarty had made for her, finally spoke with a trembling voice.
“I killed someone. That’s a clear fact.”
“”………””
“So, I want to turn myself in now.”
She then attempted to get up from her seat, her body wavering.
“I don’t want to be a burden to kind-hearted people like you anymore. So…”
“Wasn’t it self-defense?”
Adler, who had been sitting still, grabbed her with shining eyes.
“… Self-defense?”
“Looking at the numerous whip marks and bruises on your body, no matter how I see it, it doesn’t seem like you and the deceased man were on equal terms.”
“………”
“Furthermore, seeing that some of the marks on your body are pretty old, it looks like you’ve been enduring abuse for at least a few years…”
At that, Silver Blaze’s expression turned icy.
“It’s only natural.”
“What do you mean?”
“That people of my race get treated like this.”
Adler tilted his head in confusion at that remark.
“The abolition of the interspecies slave system is just for show. Racial discrimination is still rampant in society.”
“………..”
“There are still laws, twisted and cunning as they may be, that remain. However, it’s clear that claiming self-defense wouldn’t hold any water for someone like me.”
With a trembling voice, she said, looking at him in the eyes.
“Someone kind as you might not understand, but that’s the reality of our society.”
Before he knew it, tears had welled up in her eyes once again.
“… That’s why I wanted to change it.”
“”………..””
“I thought, if I tried just a little harder, I could change things…”
Her voice quivered as she murmured in that state, and she eventually broke into tears.
“It hurt too much…”
Then, silence enveloped the office.
“Please let me turn myself in. Given how things have turned out, I want to take full responsibility for…”
“… Ms. Blaze? Is that how I should address you?”
Adler, who had been quietly watching her, finally spoke up.
“You seem to be under a few misconceptions.”
“… Yes?”
At his words, Silver Blaze slowly lifted her head.
“The moment you confess, it’s over for the Demi-Human races all over England.”
“… What do you mean?”
“Well, aren’t you a public figure with popularity rivaling my assistant, Isaac Adler?”
Professor Moriarty, who had been sitting quietly beside them, chimed in with a gleam in her eyes.
“You, you’re that Isaac Adler…?”
“Imagine the headlines when it becomes known that someone like you, a representative and icon for the Demi-Human races, is a murderer.”
“… That would…”
“Especially now, when public opinion is boiling over, already believing we should revive the discriminatory laws against demi-humans due to the rise in crime.”
“………”
The realization that the man who saved her was Isaac Adler had taken her by surprise, but his words immediately made her lose her train of thought.
“Your crime is no longer just your personal issue.”
“Oh…”
“Right now, you’re essentially holding a ticking time bomb that could turn all of England upside down.”
She then took on a stunned expression…
“Ms. Blaze, your second misconception is that, despite all of this, not everyone in the world is your enemy.”
Noting her reaction, Adler smoothly chimed in at the perfect moment.
“I’ve heard that even excluding demi-humans, hundreds of your fans have been frantically searching the streets for you. It was even in today’s newspaper article.”
“Oh…”
“There are probably as many people who adore you as there are those who despise you. Even someone like me, who knows nothing about horse racing, is aware of you just from overhearing the conversations around me.”
“………..”
Adler whispered to her in a soft voice as she began to choke back her tears upon hearing those words.
“Your efforts up until now weren’t in vain, Ms. Blaze.”
A single tear streamed down Silver Blaze’s face.
“And your final misconception is this…”
Gently patting her back, Adler began to whisper soothingly.
“… I’m not a good person.”
“Pardon?”
“I believe I mentioned it before?”
A voice, too sweet to distinguish between an angel’s or a devil’s, echoed in her ears.
“… The professor and I are crime consultants.”
“Then…”
“This is the first time consulting on an already committed crime, though.”
Fear painted Silver Blaze’s face.
“… If you entrust this to us, at the very least, we can help you avoid legal punishment.”
“If things go well, we might even turn it into a perfect crime.”
“Perhaps we could even create a wave of sympathy for the demi-humans. If we’re lucky, that is.”
But at the same time, a faint glimmer of determination also rose in her eyes.
“The choice is yours. But you should make it quickly.”
“London’s best detective would have already started the investigation by now. If we’re to intervene, we must hurry.”
And in that moment when that determination overcame her fear…
“… What about the consultation fee?”
Silver Blaze asked them with a voice filled with trepidation and a certain determination in her eyes.
“You catch on quickly. Good.”
Professor Moriarty, with a satisfied look, replied with a dark smile.
“The consultation fee is you.”
“If everything ends successfully, you’ll need to be on the same boat with us.”
Then, silence ensued.
“… It’s the first time since I lost my parents.”
A moment later, breaking the silence, Silver Blaze fixed her gaze on Adler and spoke.
“To embrace a smelly Demi-Human like me.”
“Can I take that as a positive response?”
“It doesn’t matter to me whether you are a good person or a bad one.”
And with that, she quietly bowed her head.
“… Please take good care of me.”
“The Demi-Human gangs dominate the majority of the back alleys.”
Observing her, Professor Moriarty quietly posed a question to Adler.
“Whoever can control and dominate them becomes the king of the back alleys, right?”
“………”
“Is this what you were aiming for?”
Then, mimicking her mysterious smile, Adler responded.
“Perhaps, Your Majesty…”
At his altered title, the corner of Professor Moriarty’s lips subtly rose.
“… I might genuinely fall in love with you at this rate.”
“You flatter me too much.”
“So, are you becoming a courtier now?”
“That’s sexual harassment.”
The newly risen morning sun was gently illuminating them and their dark surroundings.
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Meanwhile, at that moment.
“It’s all good…”
At a coffee house right in front of the racetrack.
“It’s all fine, but…”
Charlotte Holmes, who was reading the newspaper with a pipe in her mouth at that place, was murmuring in a cold voice.
“… Why is it a girl again?”
Not only Professor Moriarty, but others too were beginning to lose their patience it seemed.
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