༺ To Rule or Be Ruled ༻
Not long after Adler had an unexpected visitor arrive at his doorstep…
“Mr. Adler.”
“… Hello, Professor.”
He, still embarrassed by the shameful events that transpired not long ago, was now greeting another unexpected guest.
“Is this the base you were talking about?”
“How does it look? Isn’t it a pretty decent hideout for something in a back alley?”
“Certainly, for a place considered one of the most dangerous in London, it’s quite normal… so to speak…”
Said Professor Moriarty as she entered through the front door.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“No. I simply came here to see your face.”
And then, she began to stare intently at Adler.
“To see the subordinate who organizes things in his own way without even consulting with me.”
“Haha…”
“As soon as you returned to London, you cooped yourself up in this place on your own accord. You didn’t even attend the academy in the least. Honestly, I’m slightly surprised by your behavior, Mr. Adler.”
The professor’s dark grey eyes were still fixed on Adler.
“Well, it’s almost time for vacation after all; so taking a little break wouldn’t be a problem for my attendance…”
“But for you, who has the highest probability of being murdered or kidnapped in all of England, to stay in such a back alley… Are you still drunk?”
“… I sobered up a while ago actually.”
“What would you do if Jill the Ripper attacked you in the middle of the night?”
In that state, the professor quietly began to shake her head from side to side in her unique and cute way.
“I have already prepared for it.”
“I trust you’re not suggesting that deploying a single Demi-Human and a Vampire with sealed powers as your servants is the solution here. You’re smarter than that, Mr. Adler.”
“… Professor.”
At her simultaneously cute and threatening appearance, Adler began to speak in a quiet tone, a smile stretching his lips.
“Now is the time to take risks.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… it’s time to further expand the organization and take it to the next level, even though it would entail certain risks along the way.”
At that, the professor, who had been shaking her head, stopped and quietly began to listen intently to his words.
“We’ve advised on quite a lot of cases so far, but weren’t all of those cases procured by our own initiative, with us looking for the clients?”
“True. There have been too many coincidences, too many overlaps. Thinking about it, everything was related to you in some way or the other.”
“That’s the problem.”
Adler spoke, his face turning grave.
“Continuing like this will only create a vicious cycle. We’re people who consult on crimes, not people who go looking for them after all.”
“Hmm.”
“Haven’t I repeatedly said this since long ago? We need to create a situation where clients come to find us directly and not the other way around. Just like detectives.”
The Professor nodded silently and spoke,
“It means the clients should bear the burden, not us.”
“Yes, that’s right. Even just considering the recent Reigate case, your information has already become too exposed to the world.”
With those words, Adler took out today’s newspaper from his pocket and added,
“Professor Jane Moriarty, who stirred the academic world with her Binomial Theorem, solved a murder case in Reigate… Of course, it is a trivial article on the back page, but if things like this accumulate…”
“We’ll be caught sooner or later.”
“That’s right.”
Then, as the Professor interrupted, Adler, who quietly folded the newspaper, continued the conversation.
“Given the nature of crime consulting, we cannot emerge into the limelight like detectives. Therefore, with the holiday approaching, it’s time to expand our organization.”
“…………”
“Even leaving aside the smoother future criminal activities and easier progress in the making of our criminal kingdom, our reputation in the underworld will rise through this endeavor. Naturally, there will be more clients who take an interest and approach us.”
“Are you saying to let our identity slip to an unspecified multitude of people? That seems dangerous.”
“Of course, we must set up a stand-in or send a subordinate to the clients. Or perhaps we receive letters unilaterally. Except for a very few VIPs, nobody will know that we are behind it.”
Professor Moriarty wordlessly observed as Adler delivered his passionate speech.
“If I take a little risk right now, we will be able to rise rapidly.”
“………”
“So, please bear with me and my conduct; at least until this holiday ends…”
“I understand what you’re saying…”
Then, the Professor suddenly interjected with a dark smile gracing her lips.
“But, I wonder if there’s any need for such haste.”
“… Why?”
“As you may already know, it was I who was behind the recent Reigate case.”
At her sudden confession, Adler’s expression hardened ever so slightly.
“I had actually finished all the preparations a week before Charlotte Holmes had bought the ticket of the train to Reigate.”
“… I wasn’t aware actually.”
“I was planning to kill her there.”
“………”
Shadows crossed Professor Moriarty’s face.
“That incident was my perfect trap to eliminate Charlotte Holmes.”
“……….”
“In the end, thanks to the incompetent Colonel Hayter and your inexplicable sabotage, everything came to naught.”
In that eerie atmosphere, Silver Blaze and Princess Joan Clay, who had been peeking out from behind Adler, flinched and swallowed their dry saliva.
“But, I wasn’t that angry really…”
Then, in the next moment, the Professor suddenly said with a broad smile.
“… Since I realized that there was no need for me to employ such trick schemes.”
At that, Adler quietly tilted his head to the side.
“The Charlotte Holmes I saw during the Reigate case was far below my expectations.”
“……..”
“It wasn’t just a simple disappointment; it was enough to provoke a hollow laugh.”
Adler’s face began to harden once he heard her words.
“… Didn’t she perfectly perform the deduction itself though?”
“What of it? She couldn’t even understand your signal, even going as far as approaching the window three times, and you had to block the sniper yourself in the end.”
“That’s…”
“Moreover, she dumbly started gazing at your fake melted remains for quite a while, even nearly missing Colonel Hayter’s accomplice.”
The Professor’s laughter-laced voice echoed in Adler’s ears.
“Such a pitiful level is not enough to become mine and your arch-enemy. According to reports from the men I snuck into Baker Street, she has been in and out of her boarding house for several days.”
“……..”
“And you’re telling me that girl is the hope of London? I can only laugh at those words.”
And then silence ensued inside the house.
“Mr. Adler.”
“… Yes.”
The Professor, who had been quietly observing Adler in that silence, soon asked a question in a soft tone.
“Did you choose me after all?”
“…….?”
At those words, Adler, making a puzzled expression, tilted his head to the side.
“The whole time we were in Reigate, Charlotte Holmes was somewhat mentally absent.”
“Ah…”
“She couldn’t exhibit the fullest extent of her abilities, to the point of making stupid mistakes.”
The corner of Professor Moriarty’s mouth quietly lifted.
“Thank you for ruining that girl instead of me.”
“I…”
“It makes sense for you to become my assistant rather than that kid’s assistant. Didn’t you do that to her because you realized that fact?”
In that state, she gently stroked Adler’s head.
“… I will believe as such, Mr. Adler.”
“……….”
“Do not futilely try to balance an already tilted scale and betray my trust in you.”
Her lips softly touch Adler’s neck.
“A housewarming gift, if you will…”
Then, as the Professor caressed the lip mark she left on his neck, she whispered to him in a muted voice.
“… I’m honored.”
“Now I should get going. As per your words, standing out in such a place isn’t particularly good for me.”
As she turned around to leave the mansion through the path she came, she suddenly looked back and added,
“By the way, you might want to clean up a bit.”
“Huh?”
“The floors are too dirty, aren’t they?”
Upon those words, Adler lowered his gaze and his eyes started to flicker at the sight.
“Are you raising animals?”
The uncleaned mud and bloodstains were vividly left in the corner.
“… I am raising a hunting dog.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
As Silver Blaze, who was behind, hastily ran over to clean the stains, Professor Moriarty responded to Adler’s answer with a subtle smile.
“… On the way here, along the path, there were two chunks of meat lying around.”
“…….”
“Just be careful, Mr. Adler.”
Her eyes, as she stepped outside through the front door, were shining darker than ever before.
“A hunting dog that has tasted human blood can attack its owner at any time.”
.
.
.
.
.
‘… She thinks that I ruined Charlotte?’
– Zzzzzzz…
As I stared at the firmly closed front door of the house with a troubled expression, lost in thought for quite a while, the distinct sound of magic being undone was heard from the side.
“… I’m sorry.”
Celestia Moran, who had been hiding her presence with my invisibility magic, spoke with her body trembling violently.
“What?”
“I don’t, I don’t know what it is, but… I’m causing trouble, right…?”
Despite being visibly scared, her quick-witted appearance gave me a firm idea of how she had been treated and lived up to this point.
No, it was a fact that could be known just by seeing the numerous scar marks on her body in the first place.
“… You’re Celestia Moran, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
“I see…”
However, I never imagined that this small and cute little girl would surprisingly be the highly illustrated Colonel Moran.
Among the designs I had reviewed for the game, I thought it was the least likely to be realized.
Could this child really become the second most dangerous entity in all of London after Professor Moriarty in the future?
Although there seemed to be no doubt about it considering she easily evaded a massive police pursuit while drenched in blood all over, something still felt a bit unsettling to me.
“… Eek.”
Even so, I couldn’t leave her like this. However, as I cautiously reached out my hand toward her, she suddenly collapsed, her legs giving way.
“What’s the matter?”
“… I haven’t eaten anything for 5 days.”
“………”
Hearing that voice, which stimulated sympathy, I sighed and spoke to her.
“There’s a bathroom over there. Go wash up.”
“But…”
“Prepare the meal while I’m gone.”
Upon hearing those words, her eyes widened, and she started observing my mood before speaking.
“… May I use hot water?”
“Do as you wish.”
At those words, Moran, drenched and looking like a drowned rat, greeted me with a pure expression, nodding her head.
“… Thank you, Mr. Devil.”
Then, she began to trot toward the distant bathroom.
“… You scumbag.”
“It’s okay, Master. I also like a Master who has those preferences.”
As I watched her retreating figure with a slightly pleased smile, cold voices flew in from the side.
“Let me make it clear right here and now that I am not some piece of human trash that feels sexual or romantic desires for a 12-year-old child.”
“”…………””
“Who in the world would do such a thing, reasonably speaking?”
“It seems entirely possible, at least for the guy in front of me right now.”
Speaking with a calm demeanor, as if there was clearly something to emphasize with those words of hers, Princess Clay opened her mouth with a scoffing smile.
“Get down.”
“…Higeuk?”
As he, treating her like a pet, issued that odious command, the collar filled around the princess’s neck emitted a red light, forcing her to take action.
“Damn it, can’t you loosen this damned necklace?”
“After rolling to the side, stick out your hands like a dog and pant.”
“It’s outrageous! The British royal family’s blood flows in my veins… Huk.”
For efficient escorting, she was allowed to assume a human form within the mansion, but that did not mean the relationship between us had changed.
As long as that cat collar was placed around her neck, Princess Clay was merely the fourth smartest pet in London. Nothing more, nothing less.
“… Pant, pant.”
“Good.”
“Good, my ass…!”
As I gently stroked the belly of the princess, who was panting with her hands stretched out, she spat out vulgar curses, her expression a mix of shame and hatred.
“… Uhuh.”
However, as I forcefully inserted the fingers of my other hand into her mouth, her curses quickly came to a halt.
– Crunch…
Perhaps it was due to her anger, but tears brimmed in the princess’ eyes as she harshly bit into my finger and started sucking blood, her eyes glowing a deep shade of red.
– Slurp…
As I watched her quietly, a being with a soft sensation buried itself gently into my embrace.
“… Hehe.”
Silver Blaze, wagging her tail, was rubbing her cheek against me with a bright smile.
‘It’s peaceful…’
Suddenly having such a thought, could it have been just a feeling?
‘Why is it peaceful?’
No matter how I thought about it, the current situation seemed quite far from being peaceful in reality.
“… Miss Blaze.”
“Yes, Master.”
Scratching my head for a moment, continuously thinking about that matter, I subtly posed a question to Silver Blaze.
“Will you always obey me?”
“… What do you mean?”
Then, she tilted her head with a puzzled expression on her face.
“Is there any pet that disobeys its own master?”
Silver Blaze responded and quietly covered my face with her swaying tail.
“… Princess.”
“What is it, you fucking bastard?”
“Do you dislike me, Princess?”
While in that state, as I posed a question while again stroking the belly of Princess Joan Clay – who was lying on the floor with her stomach exposed – she answered back with her eyes shining in a blazing light.
“The moment I regain my strength, I’ll make you my slave.”
“So, you do dislike me?”
“… Yes.”
“But, you can’t utter a thing since you’re being forcibly oppressed by me, right?”
“Grrr…”
It was then that I seemed to understand why I was suddenly feeling so peaceful and comfortable.
“Um, excuse me…”
“”………?””
Moran, still resembling a soaked rat in the rain, returned to us with a very deflated expression on her face.
“I can’t reach the showerhead…”
“”……….””
“… Please help me.”
It was after seeing that thoroughly dispirited expression that I could fully realize…
“Yes, anytime.”
…That I found more stability in controlling and ruling over someone than being ruled over by someone.
“Take my hand.”
Once I realized that fact, I began to think that it wouldn’t be bad to live like this for a lifetime, being in this place.
“I’ll wash you.”
Or conversely, that I might just control and rule over everyone else.
“…Huh?”
The final straw to my fate, which was hurtling toward catastrophe, came at that very moment.
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.
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Meanwhile, at that time, at the London Metropolitan Police Department…
“Senior, do you know about this?”
“Hm?”
“It’s about Isaac Adler, who disappeared in recent times.”
A police inspector was sipping coffee with sleepy eyes and was laying out a story to her direct superior whom she ran into in the corridor.
“The actor who disappeared a week ago?”
“Well, hasn’t there recently been an order for information control on him?”
“What did you say?”
Hearing that, her superior opened her eyes wide.
“There seems to have been an incident, but the report was omitted. This kind of thing doesn’t happen often, does it?”
“… So, was he murdered or something?”
“The probability is very high. Journalists are sniffing around like predators, but all related parties are keeping silent.”
“Then it’s true. Either he died somewhere, or he’s confined in some high-profile lady’s basement.”
As he said this, he waved his hand, casting a cynical expression.
“It’s not something surprising, go and sort out the documents.”
“No, please listen! My colleague is handling a murder case in Reigate, but, well…”
“I said that’s enough.”
Thus, the two of them began to distance themselves as they passed through the corridor.
“I’m not interested in stories of dimwits like that.”
“Senior, you are a very boring person.”
“Well, it’s pitiable. Surely, in his last moments, he must have been trembling, calling for help, but no one had responded to his call.”
“Indeed, that is somewhat sad.”
A girl who was walking past them stopped in her tracks and stood still.
“……..”
The last one to witness Isaac Adler, who had just returned from a business trip, was standing there with a dazed expression. Cold sweat was rolling down from the face of Gia Lestrade.
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