༺ The Missing Case of Silver Blaze (3) ༻
We had taken on the case of Silver Blaze more easily than expected, but there was still one hurdle to overcome.
That was finding a place to hide Silver Blaze.
Professor Moriarty’s office was not a feasible option since too many people came and went every day. And hiding her in just about any hotel posed the risk of Holmes barging in at any moment.
“You can stay here until the case is resolved.”
“Here?”
After much discussion with the professor, the temporary residence chosen for her was none other than my dormitory room.
Student rooms were guaranteed thorough privacy, and besides, the academy itself was practically an autonomous zone where outsiders could not venture. Thus, essentially making my room the perfect hideout spot.
“… Is it okay for me to stay in such a place?”
“Huh?”
As I concealed Silver Blaze’s appearance with invisibility magic and opened the door, a trembling voice came from beside me.
“It’s… it’s too luxurious, isn’t it?”
“………..”
“You don’t need to go to such lengths for me. I might die from feeling too burdened if I stay in a place like this…”
“Where on earth have you been staying all this time?”
Seeing her fearful reaction, I softly asked a question in a low voice, and the answer that came back was truly astonishing, to say the least.
“The stable.”
“Excuse me, what did you just say?”
“All the Demi-Human horses stay in the stables actually. It’s quite unsanitary, but it gets a little better if you sleep on a pile of hay bales.”
It was unbelievable that the dwelling place for the Demi-Human kind, who were no different from humans, was the stable.
Was Rachel Watson’s statement about the abolition of the interspecies slavery system even accurate at this point?
Although I had thoroughly examined this world, I hadn’t looked into such in-depth parts of the story, and it only made it far more embarrassing for me.
Perhaps, due to my insistence on historical accuracy, the conditions of that era might have been excessively reflected in this story world.
I began to feel a surge of guilt at that thought.
“Come in.”
“Ah, ah!”
As Silver Blaze tried to step back, I grabbed her arm and pulled her into my room.
– Click…
As I swiftly shut the door, silence ensued between us.
“Please, sit comfortably here.”
“Ah, um…?”
When I made the dazed Silver Blaze sit on my bed, her tail and animal ears stiffened and stretched out wide.
– Rustle, rustle…
Then she poked the soft bed with her fingers and looked at me with a certain unease in her eyes.
“… I, I can sleep on the floor, you know.”
How on earth had she been treated so far to have her self-esteem plummet this low?
This truly seemed no different than slavery.
“It’s okay. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Nooo! Yo, you really don’t need to…”
“Then, shall we lie down on the bed together?”
“……….”
Wanting desperately to make her lie on the bed due to my growing concerns, I asked a question that caused Silver Blaze’s face to turn bright red in shame.
“… Thank you.”
She then quietly pulled the blanket, covering half of her face.
– Twitch, twitch…
‘… She’s adorable.’
Seeing her unknowingly perk up her ears reminded me of the character from the mobile game I used to play before I fell into this world. I inadvertently wore a smile on my face at that thought.
“Take a bath in the bathroom over there.”
“Can I… can I wash without permission!?”
“Of course. Wear my clothes for now. I’m not sure if they’ll fit, but…”
“No, I can’t. They might get smelly.”
“Don’t worry about any odor. By the way, have you eaten? If you’re hungry, let me know anytime. I’ll get you any food you want.”
Due to my attempt of trying to treat her as well as I possibly could, she rolled her eyes and broke out in a cold sweat.
Perhaps, since she had been treated so harshly as a slave, even the things that seemed normal to the people of this era appeared burdensome to her.
As a result, I felt as if I had purchased an abused slave, not making her do any work, and was treating her with utmost care.
“… Carrots.”
“Pardon?”
As I scratched my head, pondering the odd feeling this interaction invoked, Silver Blaze, with her face fully covered by the blanket, whispered in a muffled voice.
“I want to eat as many carrots as I can…”
Her flushed red ears, quivered from side to side, above the blanket.
“Just wait a moment.”
I couldn’t stand it any longer, damn it!
.
.
.
.
.
A short while later.
“Ah…”
“Eat as much as you’d like, Ms. Blaze.”
Silver Blaze was staring blankly, her mouth agape, at the enormous mountain of carrots piled on the plate before her.
“……..”
“… Is it too much, perhaps?”
Observing her reaction, Isaac Adler looked at her with a slightly worried expression.
– Russtle…
At that very moment, Silver Blaze cautiously picked up the carrot from the top of the pile.
“Ms. Blaze?”
Then, after taking a bite of the carrot, she began to shiver slightly.
“It’s delicious…”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she murmured.
“Hab, heup… Mm…”
Thus began Silver Blaze’s carrot feast.
“Uuughh…”
Holding carrots in both hands, she ate hurriedly. She then touched her breasts and made a pained expression.
“Here, have some water.”
“Th-Thank you… Gulp…”
Adler quietly handed her a glass of water and watched intently as she drank.
“Phew…”
“Didn’t they feed you at the racetrack?”
He asked cautiously, looking at Silver Blaze while she was catching her breath and drooping her tail.
“… They did.”
She replied with a somber look in her eyes.
“Of course, based on performance, that is.”
“……….”
“If the performance was poor, instead of carrots, we would get whipped.”
She then scratched her head, wearing a bright smile.
“But I always performed well, so I received quite a lot of carrots. Hence, I could share them with those who didn’t get any. Hehe…”
Adler watched her silently.
“… This is the first time I’ve had such good quality carrots to eat, and that too to my heart’s content. Thank you.”
“Will you be saving the rest?”
“If… If it’s deemed justifiable, I want to share them with my friends…”
At Silver Blaze’s words, her tail and ears drooping low as she cautiously gauged his reaction, Adler was momentarily at a loss for words. He soon reached out to the carrots, beginning to cast preservation magic on them.
“Are… Are you taking them back?”
“………..”
“I’m, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made such a selfish request…”
“What exactly happened that day?”
Misinterpreting his actions, and apologizing with a fearful expression on her face, Silver Blaze stiffened at the sudden question that was thrown at her.
“… It was almost like any other day.”
The woman’s hand momentarily shook, closing her eyes tightly as she began her tale.
“I was confined in the punishment room, receiving whippings from Mr. Straker.”
“Why?”
“Because I had made a mistake in the previous race, and nearly finished in second place. The owner of the racetrack, Colonel Rose, doesn’t tolerate such mistakes.”
Adler’s brows furrowed, but Silver Blaze continued her story as if it were an ordinary occurrence.
“After a long time of whipping in the punishment room, Mr. Straker left for a late dinner, and I began preparing for the race.”
“While your whole body was covered in wounds?”
“If you apply the medicine available in the waiting room, you can hide the wounds. Although… it doesn’t really have any healing effects.”
Only then did Adler realize why the old scars still remained on her body, causing his expression to darken further.
“After finishing my preparations for the competition, I went out into the corridor and ran into Mr Straker who had returned after his meal. It was quite a peculiar encounter if I say so myself.”
“Why do you consider it peculiar?”
“Because no matter how grievously I had erred in the past, Mr. Straker would always halt the punishment just before the race started. Naturally, as it would affect my performance during the race.”
“So, are you saying that when Mr. Straker returned this time, he continued the punishment, unlike usual?”
“Yes, and it was even more severe than usual…”
Silver Blaze’s body trembled uncontrollably at the mere mention of the punishment.
“He whipped me in places he never used to, even on the legs, and shockingly on the face…”
Adler’s eyes settled on the scars on her thighs and forehead.
“Still, I endured it and somehow managed to stand my ground till the end. But suddenly, Mr. Straker pulled out something resembling a small knife.”
“… A knife?”
“It was too small, I couldn’t see it clearly. However, his approaching footsteps felt so menacing…”
Tears began to pool in Silver Blaze’s eyes.
“Before I knew it, I pushed him with all my might…
“He hit his head against the metal behind and died instantly.”
“……….”
A heavy silence ensued for a while.
“… By any chance, did Mr. Straker seem off to you?”
“As soon as we met, the whipping started, so I don’t remember too well… However, the whipping was several times more ruthless and brutal than usual.”
Adler, who had tilted his head for a moment, asked such a question. And to that question of his, Silver Blaze answered with her head hung low.
“Do you remember what was served for dinner that evening?”
“… It was curry. It’s a special meal that occasionally comes before important races. When it’s served, even the staff eat it together.”
“I see…”
Upon hearing her testimony, the corners of Adler’s mouth slowly rose.
“One last question. Was the race that day important?”
“… It was a day when a record number of tickets were issued. It could be considered one of the greatest events ever. There had been massive promotions for several months, and it was an event race with many prominent players, including me, participating.”
“Thank you for your answer.”
Rising from his seat, he spoke with a broad smile on his face.
“There’s good news, Miss Blaze.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems we might be able to turn the case around.”
Hearing this unexpectedly hopeful news, Silver Blaze’s eyes widened.
“Perhaps we can deal a blow to the prevalent atmosphere of discrimination against the demi-humans as well.”
“……….”
“Even if not that, at the very least, we might be able to create an opportunity for the demi-humans, who are divided and antagonistic towards each other, to unite.”
Isaac Adler continued, smiling confidently at her.
“If you cooperate, that is.”
“I… I’ll cooperate.”
Eagerly standing up to follow him, Silver Blaze agreed with his words.
“But…..”
She paused, trailing off her words momentarily.
“Is the price truly enough, just with me alone?”
She spoke as if she couldn’t believe what he was saying.
“It’s something that countless demi-humans have wished for over a long period of time.”
“………..”
“And you’re saying that you’ll grant it just by me offering myself to you?”
At that, Isaac Adler let out a faint smile.
“I don’t understand. It doesn’t seem fair. If you aren’t a kind person, why would you go to these lengths for me and the Demi-Human race…?”
“This is a devil’s bargain, Ms. Blaze.”
His gaze began to turn cold.
“If the task is successfully completed, you will then be a subordinate to both me and the professor.”
“………”
“To be honest, I see no difference between this and the slavery you so desperately wanted to escape. It’s essentially handing over your free will to me.”
And so began his tale.
“It’s not just that. The Demi-Human races situated in England, with you as their representative, will gain the power of unity and will thus be gradually absorbed into our organization.”
“So…”
“After that, you’ll join us in overturning London and help establish the professor’s criminal empire. It’s going to be a wicked and challenging journey.”
Silver Blaze, having listened quietly, began to gaze intently at Adler.
“I’m merely using you for all these purposes. There’s no such thing as a selfless good deed in this world.”
“……….”
“Do you understand now, Ms. Blaze?”
Slowly approaching her, Adler wore a smirk, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“You’ve already fallen into a quagmire from which you cannot escape.”
.
.
.
.
.
“… Well then, have a good day.”
“……….”
“I’ll be off to execute the task.”
Having finished speaking, Isaac Adler gently patted Silver Blaze’s shoulder, preparing to make his way toward the door.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“I have a question.”
Staring blankly at his retreating figure, Silver Blaze found herself posing a question.
“… You really don’t smell anything from me?”
Hearing those words, a curious-looking Adler burst into laughter.
– Swish…
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Adler leaned in, bringing his head close to her neck.
“W, wh, wha, what are you doing?”
“………”
“M, Mr. Adler?”
As his breath touched her neck and collarbone, Silver Blaze, who had been hiding her tail between her legs, trembled in surprise.
“… There’s definitely a scent.”
After what felt like an eternity, Adler, lifting his head from Silver Blaze who had her eyes tightly shut, murmured in a soft voice.
“Ah…”
Hearing that, Silver Blaze quietly bowed her head.
“It’s just a soft and fleshy human scent though.”
Yet, Adler’s unexpectedly tender voice reached her ears, softly resonating within her.
“Don’t believe every harsh word humans throw at you, Ms. Blaze.”
Silver Blaze blankly lifted her head, and Adler, stroking it gently, whispered with a devilish smile on his face.
“Because soon, you’ll be the one looking down on them.”
And then, the silence resumed.
“… Hug me.”
“Pardon?”
Adler, who had been about to head out of the room with a smile, turned his gaze back to Silver Blaze who whispered those words, clutching at his sleeve.
“Please hug me.”
“………?”
Subsequently, even though taken aback by her sudden request, Adler nonetheless embraced her.
“As much as you want.”
Upon hearing his casual words, Silver Blaze started to sort out her thoughts internally.
‘He’s different from those cold humans…’
If she could feel this warmth in the future…
If only the other demi-humans who would come under him received the same treatment as her…
‘I realize now, even without me doing anything, that a devil can be this warm.’
… She thought that a life of being used by Isaac Adler might not be so bad after all.
‘… Then I must stand with the devil.’
At that moment, the pure woman, who had been the idol of the demi-humans, began to be tainted with Isaac Adler’s golden hue.
“… Why all of a sudden?”
“Hmm?”
The system message that appeared in front of Adler, and her eyes, which had just begun to tint with a faint hint of gold, were proof of that fact.
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