༺ The Mystery of the Reigate Squire (4) ༻
“By now, the period of seeing hallucinations from severe mana stone withdrawal symptoms should have passed already…”
After finishing her investigation, Charlotte Holmes returned to the Cunningham mansion.
“… So, what am I seeing right now?”
Just after opening the front door, she stared blankly at the scene unfolding before her. Soon, her expression turned icy cold and she tilted her head to the side.
“Who knows?”
“Eeek…”
In the middle of the living room, Isaac Adler sat in an armchair with his legs crossed, adopting quite the insolent look and attitude.
The eldest of the Cunningham sisters was prostrate at his feet, trembling with a humiliated expression on her face, feeling his weight on her back.
“Sister, are you stupid?”
Meanwhile, the second sister, sitting on Adler’s lap, looked down coldly at her elder sibling.
“You should bend your waist a bit more.”
“Hieek—?”
Her usually obedient demeanor was nowhere to be seen as the younger sibling coldly muttered, putting weight on her sister’s back without mercy.
“Mr. Adler looks uncomfortable.”
And then, the girl cautiously laid her body down, falling deep into Adler’s embrace.
“What on earth happened while I was away?”
“… Who knows, really?”
“I did tell you to not go overboard for me and obey the commands given to you by that unknown entity…”
– Shush… Shush…
“However, I don’t recall ever telling you to become a thug who entices young girls.”
As Adler gently stroked the head of the second girl, who looked up at him with expectant eyes, Charlotte Holmes muttered with an incredulous expression on her rigid face.
“There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“……?”
Just then, a low-pitched voice echoed from a sofa nearby.
“My assistant is currently intoxicated…”
“… Ah.”
“It seems that the officer gave him some brandy, considering his frail appearance.”
Professor Jane Moriarty, with a fresh set of bite marks clearly imprinted on her neck, was busily pouring sugar into the freshly brewed tea and murmuring such words.
“Commands, you say? What do you mean by that exactly, Miss Holmes?”
“You sure know how to eliminate your presence well.”
Wearing a convinced expression, Charlotte, who had been glaring at Adler till then, casually brushed off Moriarty’s sharp question and walked forward.
“Miss Holmes!”
And just then, suddenly came Adler’s shout.
“Don’t pass by the window.”
“… Why?”
“Because it’s too dazzling.”
With a puzzled look, Charlotte, who had been tilting her head, furrowed her brows quietly after hearing Adler’s bright and innocent reply.
“Just explain from there.”
“… Explain what exactly?”
Soon, she just let out a sigh and placed the documents on the desk.
“About the truth of the case, of course.”
“… It smells good, Mr. Adler.”
“Sigh…”
While Adler, who had been stroking the head of the younger sibling who was rubbing her cheek against his chest while sitting on his lap, was wearing a sly smile, Charlotte, after glancing at him for a moment with a lighthearted look, opened her mouth.
“I’ll explain then…”
“”………..””
However, before long, her eyes sharpened as usual.
“I found out the truth about this incident.”
All the attention in the room began to focus on her.
.
.
.
.
.
“At first, I believed that the Cunningham sisters were the culprits of the murder.”
“”………!””
As Charlotte began her deduction, the faces of the Cunningham sisters, each wearing a different expression, hardened simultaneously.
“What, what kind of bullshit is that…”
“Shut up, sister.”
“… Huh.”
Watching the sisters’ reactions, Charlotte smirked and presented the documents placed on the desk.
“You two are the ones who broke into old man Axton’s house, am I right?”
“Wha, what…”
“There’s no use in denying it. Children without even the basic sense to not leave behind a land deed in the house wouldn’t think to erase their fingerprints from the crime scene now, would they?”
As she presented the fingerprints she had collected from the scene, the color drained from the faces of the two girls.
“I’m already aware of the land ownership dispute between the Cunningham and Axton families.”
Charlotte slowly began to press the girls with her words.
“You secretly infiltrated to find the land deed, and made a mess in the process to make it seem like a mere burglary, didn’t you?”
“That’s…”
“You thought you were safe when you returned to the mansion, but by chance, your actions seemed suspicious and that’s why the butler followed you and thus discovered your crime.”
“D, do you have any, any evidence?”
The elder sister, who had been pinned down by Adler, gritted her teeth and questioned. In response, Charlotte calmly produced a letter from her possession.
“After that incident, for several days, didn’t you receive a letter like this while you were constantly threatened by the butler and were trembling in fear?”
“….. Ah.”
She went blank as she read the contents of the letter.
“I believe you thought there could only be one person sending such a threatening letter. So, you secretly armed yourselves and came out at the appointed time.”
“”………””
“And there, you got into a fight with the waiting butler and ended up shooting him.”
Having listened to all of Charlotte’s deductions, the girl seemed to have sunk into despair, lowering her head in the process.
“I never intended to shoot…”
The girl began to sob and murmur.
“But when the butler found my gun and reacted violently, accusing me of planning this from the start… I just…”
“Hold on a moment, sister.”
“… Hic—”
The younger sibling abruptly cut off her elder sibling’s words by stepping on her belly. She tilted her head slightly and began to speak.
“Sister, are you really stupid?”
“… Huh?”
“Don’t you see something strange about the contents of that letter?”
At this, the older sister’s eyes widened in realization.
“The letter we received said, Information that will surely surprise you two sisters. But the letter she showed says, Information that will surely surprise you.“
“Then…”
“Wha, what do you think? Mr. Adler?”
Ignoring her sister’s reaction, the younger sibling turned to Adler, awaiting his opinion.
“You’re quite sharp.”
“Hehe…”
“… Tsk.”
As Adler praised the younger sister while caressing her again, Charlotte clicked her tongue in annoyance, giving them a cold look.
“Anyway, based on that reaction, it’s now clear.”
She began her explanation with a renewed spark in her eyes.
“You’re curious where this letter came from, aren’t you?”
“Come to think of it…”
Only then did the sisters wonder how Charlotte had the letter they believed they had destroyed.
“This was found intact in the butler’s pocket.”
“That’s a lie. I definitely burned it…”
“Perhaps you couldn’t check properly in the dark? Did you not notice that during the scuffle, the butler accidentally tore a portion of the letter you were holding?”
Charlotte posed the question with a triumphant expression to the sisters, whose eyes had widened in shock by now. She then began to pace around the living room, leaning back with a confident gait.
“In other words, there wasn’t just one letter.”
“… What did you say?”
“One for the butler, and one for you two sisters. Two letters, written in the same handwriting, were sent to each party.”
The room thus fell into silence.
“From that moment on, I revised my deduction.”
Only Charlotte’s confident voice echoed in the living room.
“There is a third party who intervened in this case, manipulating it to make it seem like the sisters killed the butler.”
“You can’t mean…”
“Yes… There was another perpetrator who murdered the butler.”
She then slid the autopsy report across the table.
“This is the evidence.”
The autopsy results of the butler, with a bullet wound in his forehead, passed by the sisters and Adler, and finally made its way toward Professor Moriarty.
“Simply presenting the autopsy report doesn’t fully explain anything.”
“Professor, just by looking at this, you should be able to roughly understand how things unfolded, shouldn’t you?”
“Still, one cannot just ignore the explanation and move on. So, care to elaborate further?”
“… Sigh.”
However, when Professor Moriarty demanded further explanation, Charlotte, with a hint of annoyance in her eyes, began to expand on her deductions.
“The gunshot wound on the forehead is too clean to be considered as an accidental discharge during a physical fight.”
“Couldn’t such a thing happen by chance?”
“I’ve seen dozens, if not hundreds, of corpses, and more or less half of them had gunshot wounds. Yet, I’ve never seen a gunshot wound this clean.”
“Stranger things have happened in the world; far more than what you’d expect, actually.”
However, for some reason, Professor Moriarty began to challenge her deduction.
“A small self-defense gun that young girls could easily use couldn’t possibly inflict such a wound.”
“I’ve been saying this for a while, but to reiterate, such things can easily happen by accident…”
“I’m not sure why you’re wasting time here, but there’s a crucial fact that clarifies my deduction. So please stop your charade.”
“… And what’s that?”
Charlotte shot back at her, glaring.
“A bullet was fired at such a close distance, yet there’s no burn or injury from the gunpowder or heat on the victim’s body.”
“………”
“Logically, that’s impossible, isn’t it?”
Only then did Professor Moriarty close her mouth, merely wearing a faint smile on her lips.
“Unless the fired bullet was actually air itself.”
“So you’re suggesting that a passing wizard who is able to manipulate air just happened to snipe the butler and even timed it perfectly with the girl’s gunshot?”
“A bit different, but quite close to my conjecture. Maybe you were nearby when it happened and witnessed it?”
“I didn’t expect you to take my joke seriously.”
Their gazes coldly intersected.
“The moment I realized the girl’s bullet – who was using a gun for the first time, had missed its mark – I concluded that a third party, who had invited the two to that place and time with a letter, had sniped the butler instead.”
“Hmm…”
“That’s the truth of this incident.”
– Found it!!
At that moment, a cheerful voice echoed from the window.
– I found it!!
Following Charlotte’s instructions, the inspector who had been searching the nearby bushes finally located the stray bullet. With muddied hands, she waved enthusiastically to show off the bullet.
“… Well done.”
“Don’t approach the window!”
Just as Charlotte, with a triumphant smile, was about to approach the window, Adler suddenly yelled out in a panic.
“The brightness in your face, it’s wearing off…”
“Did you take drugs instead of alcohol?”
Charlotte, taken aback by his shout, halted in her tracks. She looked incredulously at Adler after his unexpectedly sweet comment.
“Why would I take drugs when I have Miss Holmes here?”
“… You’re acting rather odd today.”
“My assistant isn’t quite his usual self right now.”
Charlotte then cast a suspicious glance at him. However, after hearing Professor Moriarty’s laughter-infused remark, she shifted her gaze to her.
“Nevertheless, it was an impressive deduction, Miss Holmes.”
“Think nothing of it.”
“But then… who exactly is this third party?”
Following Moriarty’s inquiry, Charlotte smiled slyly as she replied.
“There’s only one possibility, isn’t there?”
Charlotte’s eyes shone brilliantly as she approached the climax of her deduction.
“The person who suddenly put up their mansion – in which they were living – for sale, even though they weren’t in dire financial straits.
“The only close friend of the old man Axton, who didn’t have much longer to live. The person most likely to inherit it from the kind-hearted elderly.
“And even if they didn’t inherit it, the person who could buy the growing old man’s land cheaply with the money from selling the mansion.”
Charlotte paused briefly to catch her breath as she continued her story.
“So you’re pointing at Colonel Hayter, the one who let both you and Adler stay here, as the culprit?”
“With this incident, he could only profit. So, it’s entirely possible.”
“Jumping to conclusions without evidence isn’t a good habit. Colonel Hayter might have been an excellent soldier, but he wasn’t particularly talented in magic.”
“I guess that’s because there’s enough evidence to go along with this angle.”
Charlotte responded and began tapping her fingers on the desk.
“And said evidence is with you, Professor.”
“Are you talking about me?”
“A letter exchanged between your sister and Colonel Sebastian, who was friends with Colonel Hayter. May I see it for a moment?”
“You mean the letter you claimed was fabricated?”
“… I’ll concede it’s not a forgery, come on.”
Upon hearing that, Professor Moriarty, with a pleased expression, pulled out the letter from her pocket.
“As expected, I knew it would be something like this.”
Charlotte, who had been comparing the handwriting of that letter with an anonymous threat, subtly lifted the corner of her mouth.
“Now, look.”
Then, she circled something on the letter with a pen and passed it to Moriarty.
“The tails under the p and g are exactly the same.”
“Both letters also omit the dot over the i. Overall, the handwriting is also similar.”
“However, this is a letter from Colonel Sebastian.”
Professor, who had been staring blankly at the letter, raised her head and addressed the issue with her deduction.
“My sister’s acquaintance, Colonel Sebastian— although he was called a sniper master, he is already deceased.”
“… But, he has a child left in this world. It is highly likely that the child was influenced by his handwriting while learning how to write.”
Then, Charlotte showed the last remaining document in her possession.
“And here, it’s clearly recorded that Colonel Hayter adopted that child as a guardian.”
“… Where did you get that from?”
“As you know, I am very close with the British government.”
“Haha, that’s truly frightening.”
Hearing that, Professor Moriarty burst into a peal of laughter and leaned back on the sofa.
“Of course, it’s still just a speculation for now.”
Finally, Charlotte, with the smile of a victor, rose from her seat.
“By ordering the inspector to investigate Colonel Hayter, we should be able to ascertain the truth.”
She began walking toward the window to call the inspector outside.
“Betraying the trust of his superior who believed in him and even entrusted his daughter to him. Blinded by money, he commanded her to commit this crime, revealing his true nature….”
“… Miss Holmes.”
It was precisely at that moment.
“Kyaa?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to go near the window?”
Isaac Adler, who had been sitting silently in his chair until that moment, had now swiftly and abruptly taken Charlotte in his embrace and was now cradling her with his arms…
“Why on earth have you been acting like…”
Flushed in his embrace, Charlotte began to speak with a feigned irritated look.
“……….”
But soon, her eyes became blank and she trailed off at the end of her sentence…
“It’s dangerous.”
Adler, with his head apparently penetrated by something, began to sway, blood streaming down his wound.
“It was hard enough to dodge it earlier.”
Charlotte’s face turned deathly pale upon hearing those words.
“Adler…?”
But before she could catch him, as he began to melt from her grasp, Adler’s form began to dissipate.
“… What?”
‘An illusion spell? Isn’t that beyond human capabilities, Mr. Adler?’
As Charlotte sat stunned, trying to collect herself while watching Adler’s fading form, Professor Moriarty, seated on the sofa, seemed deep in thought with an unperturbed expression.
‘… I truly want to understand you.’
“Isaac…?”
Of course, internally, Charlotte’s heart was pounding hard and her emotions were anything but calm.
.
.
.
.
.
“It, it failed.”
“… What?”
Elsewhere, on a nearby hillside within a thicket of grass…
“I, I’m sure I hit the target…”
“And then?”
“The, the target… vanished.”
A young-looking girl was trembling in fear as she tried to explain herself to the man in front of her.
– Snap…!
But the next moment, the girl’s face slapped so hard it turned to the side.
“Does that even make sense to you?”
“I-I’m sorry, Colonel…”
“Shut up!”
“… Ugh.”
The cute-looking girl who was sitting on the floor, gently touching her cheek, was suddenly kicked in the stomach by the man in front of her, causing her to roll on the floor due to the pain.
“That was your last chance. I thought of your father and gave you one more opportunity and you wasted it like this?”
“… Please forgive me.”
“You damn bitch.”
Holding her stomach and gasping for breath, the eyes of the girl, who was seeking forgiveness, slowly dimmed upon hearing those words.
– Slap…!
“………”
Perhaps the expression on her face must have displeased him, because he forcefully pushed away the hand that was caressing her cheek, and then slapped her there once again.
“I can’t stand the sight of you. Go back to your storage room.”
“………”
“You made my hands bloody, so starve for a while.”
Pushing her aside, the man reached out for the sniper rifle he had brought just in case.
– Crack…
“… Huh?”
In the blink of an eye, both of his legs twisted grotesquely. It happened so suddenly that he didn’t even have the time to react at first.
“Ah, Aaaaah…..”
“I didn’t know Colonel Hayter was such a person.”
A blonde-haired boy casually walked past the Colonel writhing in pain on the floor.
“Hello, child…”
“… Wh, who are you?”
He stopped and greeted her, to which the girl holding the sniper rifle in her bosom responded with a fearful gaze.
” And who are you?”
“… Pardon?”
“Tell me your name.”
But from his mouth came a warm voice she hadn’t heard in a long time, and she involuntarily replied to his question.
“Ce-Celestia.”
“……….”
“…. I am Celestia Moran.”
Upon hearing her name, the boy’s eyes began to shimmer gently.
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Moran.”
The closest confidant and second-in-command of the original Professor Moriarty.
Despite her young age, she was regarded as one of the most formidable figures in the entire game, possessing a prodigious marksmanship skill.
In the not-so-distant future, she was destined to become the second most dangerous individual in the entirety of London.
“I’m sorry to ask this upon our first meeting, but please become mine, okay?”
“….. Yes?”
It was the fateful first encounter between her and Isaac Adler.
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