༺ Deception and Love ༻
“… It’s a miracle that you’re still alive.”
Rachel Watson, who had quietly placed her hand over Adler’s heart for a long, long time, finally averted her gaze as she uttered those words.
“Leaving aside the fact that the nerves and the mana circuit of one of your arms have been completely burned, the mana circuits throughout the body are entangled into a sordid mess.”
“So, it was as I suspected, huh?”
“You must’ve known already. At this point, it’s safe to say that your life as a mage is over. If you even try to use the slightest specks of mana, you’ll be struck by excruciating pain throughout your body.”
Hearing those words, Adler merely smirked and nodded in agreement.
“To use your magic, you’ll have no choice but to force mana to circulate through the blocked areas. Naturally, this will put a massive strain on your entire body.”
“………”
“Therefore, if you intend to use magic, it’d be best to use a mana amplifier. Actually, it would be best to not use it at all…”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Wait, I’m not finished yet…”
Saying so, Rachel Watson’s expression grew even darker than before as she spoke,
“The entanglement of your mana circuits is just a fraction of the problems you have.”
“I see.”
“I’d like to inform you about the current state of your body in detail, but if I did, it’d probably take until sunset at least.”
Then, in her slightly subdued voice, she continued on,
“Fixing one thing won’t solve the problem. From the congenital issues you were born with to the acquired problems that I can’t even begin to understand how you got them…”
“………”
“I wanted to give you some hope, but as a doctor, I can’t lie.”
She paused for a moment, looking at Adler, and hesitated before finally closing her eyes and delivering her verdict.
“… With modern medicine, we can’t fix your body.”
A brief silence ensued.
“If you had come a little earlier, maybe I could’ve tried something.”
“……..”
“Your body has just weakened so much in recent times that it’s not possible to do anything anymore.”
Watson, who had closed her eyes as she couldn’t bear to see Adler’s resigned expression, finally opened them to continue her words.
“What on earth have you been doing these past few months?”
Then, with a wry smile, Isaac Adler replied.
“… I did the most valuable work in my life.”
For some reason, his expression seemed distant from those of other patients whom Watson had seen receive a terminal prognosis.
“Excuse me…”
Watson, who had been quietly observing him, hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth with a worried look on her face.
“Did you already know?”
“………”
“That you were terminally ill?”
At that question, Adler quietly nodded his head.
“… Since when?”
“To put it bluntly, from the very beginning, I suppose…”
It was an answer that left no room for any doubt.
Even the most obtuse person would roughly guess, given the extent of his deteriorated condition, that their days were numbered.
“I see…”
Suddenly, the harsh words Watson had said to him earlier came to mind…
“So… that’s why you behaved so…”
Thinking back, she had uttered similar words even when they met for the very first time.
Only now did she realize the reason for the bitter smile that Isaac Adler often wore. From Watson’s perspective, she wished she could take back those words right now.
“Isn’t it rather ironic? A boy whom countless people desperately want to kill is terminally ill in reality.”
But before she could attempt to make an apology, Adler’s somber voice interjected.
“… Come to think of it, my life itself seems like a joke.”
The look in Adler’s eyes appeared somewhat melancholic.
“People always approach me, but I can never open my heart to anyone. Isn’t that truly the worst?”
In the face of such confession, Rachel Watson was taken aback, lost for words.
“Except, of course, for Charlotte Holmes, whom I fell in love with at first sight.”
“… What?”
“Even though I don’t have much time left, I’ve decided to devote that time to her.”
As she heard his words, her eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re also in love, so you know, don’t you?”
The reason being… Adler had taken her hand into his and began speaking with a sincere expression on his face.
“How foolish a person blinded by love can act…!”
“… Oh.”
“Deciding to give up half of my remaining life to become a vampire might seem like a foolish act, but for someone like me, who’s already on borrowed time, it wasn’t a particularly hard decision to make.”
Watson’s face turned slightly pale.
“You…”
“In a few years, a great threat will descend upon London.”
Looking directly into her eyes, Isaac Adler continued his words,
“Right now, it’s quiet, but it won’t be long before a series of bizarre incidents will occur one after another.”
“………”
“The existence of Jill the Ripper, who is already impossible to trace through magical means, proves this fact quite clearly.”
His voice became slightly more urgent as his speech continued on.
“Miss Watson, so please tell me.”
“What is it…”
“How much time do I have left in this body?”
Rachel Watson’s pupils began to quiver as he heard that voice filled with serenity.
“To make Charlotte Holmes the hope of London before that time, I need to know the exact deadline I have to work with.”
“………”
“Please, Miss Watson.”
Then, after what felt like an eternity,
“The time you have left is…”
Watson, looking at Adler with eyes filled with immense guilt, spoke in a trembling voice…
“… About a year at most.”
A heavy atmosphere settled in the room with the delivery of that verdict.
“That’s the current prognosis, but as time goes by, your condition will likely deteriorate further…”
“I see…”
“Personally, I would recommend long-term hospitalization…”
“That’s quite problematic.”
In the heavy ambiance, Isaac Adler scratched his head and mumbled.
“I need at least three years; five years would be the most ideal.”
“Listen…”
“We’ll have to find a way. One year is simply not enough. Fortunately, I have a few methods in mind…”
“Excuse me.”
Rachel Watson interrupted him in an urgent voice.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but please stop.”
“… Why?”
“Extending one’s predetermined lifespan comes with a terrible price.”
Her face was deeply contorted as she uttered…
“Your soul will rot. Do you wish to fall into eternal pain due to a wrong choice?”
“… Yes.”
However, at Adler’s immediate response, Watson’s face gradually grew numb from all the shock she felt…
“Since I ruined her with my own hands, it’s my responsibility, isn’t it?”
“………”
“Until now, I’ve only treated that young girl harshly and pressured her. I’ve never truly nurtured her even once. Now, I intend to focus on the latter.”
Adler’s soft voice echoed in the room.
“Anyway, I will not die until I’ve made that still-inexperienced girl the Hope of London. There are still ways for me to survive, after all.”
“How can you go to such lengths?”
Watson, who had been watching him speak those horrifying words, asked in a heavy voice.
“Because she’s my favorite…”
However, Adler’s response was lighter than anything she could have guessed.
“… Technically, there are two of them, but regardless.”
He murmured something under his breath afterward, but Watson couldn’t catch it as her mind was already in chaos.
‘I had such a ridiculous misunderstanding.’
Sympathy for the boy sitting in front of her surged within Watson’s heart.
“I should go now…”
“Wait, just a moment…!”
But dismissing her, Adler nonchalantly stood up from his seat.
“Wait, Isaac Adler!”
Watson quickly rose and headed toward the exit, following him.
“I’ll help you. After all, I am a doctor. You don’t have to resort to such measures…”
“You said it yourself. There’s no way to treat my condition with modern medicine.”
“… At the very least, I can prevent it from getting worse.”
But Adler merely shook his head and began descending down the stairs.
“I’ll treat you for free. Consider it an apology for my earlier harsh words.”
“It’s an honor, but I will have to decline.”
“Don’t be like that, Mr. Adler.”
Hurrying after him, Watson grabbed one of his arms just as he nearly reached the bottom of the stairs.
“… I realized that I had misunderstood you all this time.”
Then, she led him to a corner on the first floor, lowered her gaze, and began murmuring to him in a soft tone.
“Now I understand why you’ve never been able to accept the feelings of women, and yet why you were able to open your heart to Charlotte.”
“………”
“Please let me help you.”
Adler began to look at her with a wry smile.
“I’m busy with hospital work, but I can spare some time once a week…”
“… If that’s the case, please accept this.”
Then, exhaling a sigh, Isaac Adler took something out from his belongings.
“What’s this…?”
“It’s a contract.”
To a tilting Watson, he began his explanation.
“I can’t bear the thought of a doctor of your stature working for free.”
“……..”
“Be compensated fairly. I’ll make sure you’re paid handsomely for your assistance.”
Upon taking the contract, Watson’s expression softened considerably.
“So this is the kind of person you are.”
“No, I’m not that great of a person.”
“… I’m ashamed of my past self.”
And the next moment, her signature began to adorn the bottom of the contract.
“I’ll make time this weekend, to start on your treatment.”
“……..”
“According to the contract, it’s once a week, but I think I could make time and check on you two days a week if need be.”
She returned the pen to Adler, bowing her head with a polite smile.
“Well, I’m counting on you…”
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– Buzzzz…
“… Eek!?”
Suddenly feeling a surge of warmth from below, Watson, who was in the middle of her greeting, clutched her stomach and staggered, sitting down on the stairs at that very moment.
“What, what’s happening?”
Beneath her civilian clothes, her abdomen was shining brightly in a golden hue.
“What is this…?”
Lifting her clothing with trembling hands, Watson’s gaze became dazed by what she saw.
“I told you I wasn’t really a good person now, didn’t I, Miss Watson?”
“………”
“You should have thoroughly checked the contract before signing it.”
Adler’s golden seal was vividly engraved on her abdomen, shining in a bright hue.
“That’s impossible. I definitely checked it from the beginning to the end…?”
“Changing a few words the moment you sign is as easy as pie for me.”
“That’s a violation of contract magic. There’s no way such a trick is possible…!”
“Shush, no matter how soundproof this place is, people outside might hear you if you speak so loudly.”
Pale as a ghost, Rachel Watson lifted her head with trembling eyes and opened her mouth in shock and horror.
“Starting next weekend, once your hospital duties are over, report directly to my secret hideout.”
“But, on that day… I have plans with Neville…”
“Does that really matter any longer?”
As Adler began to gently stroke her cheek, using an inexplicable force to immobilize Watson’s body, he whispered softly into her ear.
“Now, you belong to me, not him.”
“… Son of a bitch.”
“Answer me.”
Only then, realizing that she had been deceived, Watson began to glare at Adler with unadulterated hatred, gritting her teeth.
“Die. Just die—”
“… Answer.”
However, when Adler gently prodded the engraved seal on her abdomen, Watson, as if being shocked by electricity, replied in a choked voice.
“… Understood.”
At that moment, a message appeared before Adler’s eyes.
“… I’m sorry, Neville.”
As Watson’s tearful voice echoed in the surroundings as she bit her lip in resignation, Adler murmured with a detached expression.
“That’s just how it is.”
Adler’s plan was progressing more smoothly than anticipated.
.
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.
.
“After doing something like this, do you think you can live with yourself…?”
“… Without you, it would definitely be impossible.”
“You fucking bastard…”
As he gently stroked Rachel Watson’s head, tears formed in Watson’s eyes, and she growled.
“I curse you, asshole.”
“Thank you.”
“Tch…”
And then, she spat on my leg.
“No matter what, you can’t have me.”
“But I already do, don’t I?”
“Shut up!”
As he scratched his head and spoke those words, Watson exclaimed with a clear and ringing voice, showing the back of her hand.
“No matter what you do, this mark won’t fade.”
“……….”
“Truly, ah, what a pity. Mr. Screwed-u—”
However, her voice, unlike her earlier confidence, started to tremble ever so slightly.
“Let’s see about that.”
As Adler leaned in closer and whispered coldly, Watson, whose eyes were already wide open, started quivering violently.
“Let’s see if that mark fades or not.”
He wanted to sound more threatening, but somehow his posture appeared funny, so he refrained from continuing further.
Because of the significant height difference between them, even with Watson kneeling, they could almost look eye-to-eye, which didn’t help his attempt to look imposing.
– Press…
“Ughhhh…”
Instead, when he lightly pressed on Watson’s abdomen, she clenched her eyes shut, collapsed to the ground, and her body began convulsing once more.
“Neville…”
‘Given Neville’s status, he and Watson were certainly meant to be a couple, so it couldn’t be helped…’
It was right then, when he began to feel a pang of guilt upon hearing her pitiful voice that…
– Ding!
Unexpectedly, a message appeared before his eyes.
That message instantly cleared the clutter in his mind, which had been filled with thoughts about how to extend the given time limit and how to subdue the remaining characters of the game.
“…… Ah.”
It was because the content was so shocking that his mind went utterly blank, unable to think of anything else.
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