༺ The Blooming Detective (2) ༻
Filled with the intention of saving Charlotte Holmes’ life, Isaac Adler urgently opened the door of the boarding house and dashed out.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Adler.”
“………?”
Confronted by a person he had not expected to meet at all in this moment, he immediately wore a flustered expression on his face.
“Miss Lestrade?”
It was because Gia Lestrade was standing before him with an apathetic expression.
“Wh, what brings you here?”
“I came to survey this place after hearing witness accounts of your presence in this place.”
Briefly showing a puzzled expression, Adler absentmindedly nodded at her soft-spoken words.
“But, did something happen inside?”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t seem to look very well.”
Hearing her query, her head tilted to the side, he tried to play it off nonchalantly and murmured to her.
“… It’s nothing.”
At that moment, a strange undercurrent began to flow in Lestrade’s eyes.
“So, since it’s nothing, that’s…”
“… There, the carriage!”
However, blinded by the fleeting image of a dying Charlotte that was still vivid in his eyes, Adler failed to notice that subtle undercurrent.
– Squeak…
Ignoring Lestrade, who was silently staring and muttering to herself, he went to catch the carriage which caused her gaze to grow colder than ever before.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“… Huh?”
As he was about to hastily climb onto the halted carriage, she asked him with an icy tone.
“Oh…”
Only then was Adler able to notice the anomaly— her tattered body which was wrapped all over in bandages; there were also small wounds clearly evident in her arms.
“”………””
And for a moment, silence enveloped the duo.
“I’m sorry.”
Biting down on his teeth hard, Adler whispered softly as he resumed his climb into the carriage.
“Let’s talk a bit later.”
And with that, the carriage began to slowly move forward.
“… Sigh.”
Exhaling coldly and watching the gradually disappearing carriage, she quietly brought her hand to her ear.
“As you predicted, Adler has started to move.”
– Bzzllzz…
“So, should we tail him now?”
Then, Lestrade, glancing at the 212B Baker Street boarding house, posed the question to the people on the other side.
– Bzzllzz…
“…….?”
However, for some reason, there was no response coming back.
‘… What could be happening?’
As a result, she couldn’t help but tilt her head slightly, intending to step towards the boarding house. However, she halted all of a sudden, stopping in her tracks…
– Clatter, clatter…
‘No, tailing him should be the priority right now.’
She could always get back in touch with the Baker gang— those with whom she had promised to cooperate not long ago.
But once lost, Adler would be gone for good.
‘If I delay any more, I’ll lose his track.’
Being the one who had received an urgent call just a few minutes ago, she wasn’t entirely sure about the specifics of the current situation.
But one thing was certain, she had to track down Isaac Adler, who had just rushed out of the boarding house.
According to the words of the Baker gang, the only moment to capture Adler’s truth and heart was at this very moment.
Initially, as always, she was irritated at them for assigning her a task without a detailed explanation.
However, the flattery provided— that she was the only trustworthy figure in all of London, quickly melted Lestrade’s heart.
Moreover, in her opinion, compared to the vulnerable Charlotte Holmes or the seemingly kind Rachel Watson, she, with her expertise in tailing and combat, seemed the right choice for this task.
– Tap…!
Thus, after a quiet deep breath, Gia Lestrade began to sprint smoothly along the pavement, concealing her presence along the way.
‘… Not bad.’
Thus unfolded the bizarre and astonishing scenario of a person keeping pace with a carriage.
“Wha, what was that? Just now?”
“… A strange phenomenon?”
So swift and discreet were her movements that… to the passing citizens, she appeared merely as a shadow darting back and forth between the alleys.
‘I thought you were kidnapped and I blamed myself for that…’
Yet, Gia Lestrade showed no signs of fatigue…
‘You ended up being just a pathetic man with a despicable scheme up his sleeves, in the end.’
Hidden behind her fluttering white hair, her eyes shone more coldly than they had ever shone in all her life.
‘No, it’s foolish to dwell on those thoughts now.’
The injuries she had sustained over the past few weeks searching for Adler ached and burned more intensely than ever before as those painful thoughts seared through her mind.
‘After all, I chose him while knowing that he was such a lowlife from the very start.’
But for some reason, she discreetly wiped the bitter taste forming at the corner of her mouth with her hand, urging her pursuit with a stoic expression.
‘… He’s not even worth my disappointment.’
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.
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An hour later…
“… Master is not inside at the moment.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m sorry, but I will have to ask you to leave.”
Adler, stepping down from the carriage while firmly pressing his hat down on his head, knocked on the outside gate of the luxurious mansion. Subsequently, he became slightly flustered by the polite voice of the maid who stepped out of the mansion after hearing his knocks and promptly asked him to leave.
“That can’t be the case.”
“What are you doing, sir?”
“I know everything that’s going on inside the house.”
And then, pushing aside the maid who was blocking his path, Adler made his way through the entrance gate and walked toward the mansion door.
“… Sir, you can’t just barge in like this…”
– Clink, clink…
“I will call security.”
As he aggressively grasped and turned the handle of the mansion door, the maid warned him in a chilly tone filled with hostility and vigilance.
– Bang, bang, bang!!
Nonetheless, Isaac Adler began pounding on the door relentlessly.
– … Who the hell are you?
A moment later, a youthful voice echoed from the inside of the mansion.
“Are you Miss Clarissa Smith?”
– I thought I said that I wouldn’t be receiving any visitors today.
As Adler urgently shouted, leaning his head towards the door at the sound of the small voice, a voice filled with annoyance soon responded.
– Why hasn’t the security been called yet?
“I apologize, Miss. I’ll call right…”
“The ivory box!”
But when Adler shouted those words while gripping the doorknob as though he wanted to smash it and break the door apart, a momentary silence enveloped the scene.
– Squeak…
“Oh my.”
And then, the door began to slowly open.
“What might you mean by that remark?”
A girl of of a relatively petite stature, wearing a shirt with sleeves so long they completely covered her hands, stood behind the door; her lips concealed by her hands as she smiled.
“… Please, Dr. Smith.”
Adler gritted his teeth while looking at her who, at a glance, seemed to be nothing but a mischievous little girl, and soon… bowed his head and spoke with courtesy lacing his every syllable.
“Please, she…”
“First, you should come on in~”
The girl, who had been quietly observing him, now flashed a devilish smile and began to tug at his hand.
“You don’t have any mana stones with you, right? Or any tools that could threaten me, or perhaps record conversations?”
“………”
“Good, the magic circles aren’t reacting. Come on in.”
Then, a brief moment of silence ensued.
“By the way, you didn’t call me a little kid, did you?”
“………”
“Most people who meet me for the first time usually say that.”
Inside the mansion, Miss Smith, sitting arrogantly on the living room sofa with her legs crossed, spoke up; she rested her chin on her hand as she delivered those words, a hand which was still concealed by that overly elongated sleeve of her baggy dress.
“Even though it may not seem like it I’m actually 10 years older than you, the great actor, Isaac Adler— the actor who was rumored to have disappeared for several weeks already. Not anymore, I suppose.”
“………”
“Not only that, but I pride myself on being the greatest sorcerer throughout all of Europe. Of course, the world of magic doesn’t recognize me as such, however…”
“… I see.”
As her words prolonged into a direction that he was not willing to pursue, Isaac Adler quietly interrupted her mid-sentence.
“Do you know why I came here, Miss Smith?”
When he asked that question with a frigid undertone covering his emotionless voice, Miss Smith replied with the same devilish smile that she had flashed the first time they came face to face.
“Because of the ivory box?”
“Yes, precisely…”
“Did someone dear to you open that box and suddenly start suffering?”
“…….!”
Upon her sharp remark, Adler’s eyes started trembling with vigorous intensity.
“Why on earth… did you do such a thing?”
“Hm? I’m not sure what you’re talking about…”
The moment when, words filled with frustration and desperation came out of his mouth, only to be reciprocated by Miss Smith’s answers, answers that were delivered in a mocking tone and a voice that was oozing the amusement she felt in her heart…
– Crunch…!
From beyond the window of the room came… the sound of a breaking branch.
“”……….””
In the tense atmosphere, their gazes, which were locked onto each other intensely, simultaneously fixed on the window at the advent of that sound.
“Did you bring a friend with you perhaps?”
“… I don’t think so, no.”
As Miss Smith, who was tilting her head quietly while asking the question, began to rise from her seat with a suspicious look in her eyes…
“…… Meow.”
A soft cry of a tiny cat came from outside, as if on cue…
“Must be a cat.”
“You catch on quite fast.”
“Sorcerers like me often keep cats in the yard. Of course, not as pets per se.”
Adler, tilting his head to the side, sighed quietly after hearing her meaningful reply.
“To be honest, you know already, don’t you?”
“… Hmm?”
“What I want.”
Following his words, Miss Smith started tilting her head from side to side with a mischievous glint in her playful eyes.
“I’ll do anything.”
“………”
“So please, let her…”
“That’ll be difficult.”
Watching his expression grow increasingly anxious with the passage of time, she frowned slightly before speaking in a low tone.
“She owes me a lot.”
“… Debt?”
“To be precise, it is her father who owes me.”
Upon hearing that, Adler wore an utterly confused expression on his face.
“He borrowed money not just from me but from many places.”
“Is that… so?”
“And he wasted all of it on gambling.”
Realizing the previously unknown financial relationship between Miss Smith and Charlotte Holmes, a look of surprise gradually manifested on his face.
“Because of him, the farm business I had been conducting in India was completely ruined.”
“……….”
“Now, of course, I’ve rebuilt my reputation and wealth by delving into the world of sorcery, but back then, it seemed that darkness had enveloped me from all sides and there was no way for me to recover from my loss.”
However, Adler soon regained his composure and spoke with determination.
“I will repay it.”
“Hm?”
“If she still has any debt left, I can pay it off, no matter how much it may be.”
“Heh…”
Miss Smith, looking at him with a somewhat skeptical gaze, leaned her head towards him.
“So the rumors are indeed true, huh?”
“… What?”
“I heard rumors that someone has been quietly repaying her debts.”
And then, she murmured something that was incomprehensible to Adler.
“She really is fortunate. Born with innate talent, and even having luck with men.”
“Excuse me…”
“… Because of my body type, not a single guy has asked me out throughout my life, not even once.”
For a moment, Miss Smith’s eyes glinted with a dark hue.
“I wanted to take it from her.”
“What?”
“To be honest, the debt from the past is nothing short of an excuse. Now that my financial state is better off than it ever was, such a paltry amount doesn’t have much significance in my mind.”
“Then…”
“Of course, for her now, it would be an amount akin to a death sentence.”
Simultaneously, her voice took on an even darker tone than the glint in her eyes.
“Still, more than that, taking revenge on those who made me hit rock bottom once upon a time is now my priority.”
“……….”
“Luring Isaac Adler away from her without her knowledge, it might be a bit insufficient but I think it will do for now.”
Adler’s eyes began to widen at her subsequent words.
“You wouldn’t want to see her be forever buried in the depths of darkness, unable to even open her eyes, forever lost, now, would you?”
Staring at him intently, Miss Smith began to threaten him with a sniding smirk plastering her childish face.
“In that case, you’d best listen obediently to what I say.”
“Excuse me…?”
“Well, if you don’t want to, you can just abandon her and leave this mansion…”
“… Really?”
After blankly staring at her for a moment, Adler suddenly began to smile jubilantly, his eyes shining with a glimmer of hope.
“Huh?”
“Are you really saying that by a single act of mine, I can save her?”
At that, Miss Smith started to blink rapidly in surprise.
“… I, I guess?”
– Swooosh…
“Wait, what are you doing?”
Upon hearing her response, Adler knelt before her at once.
“I will become your dog.”
“……….”
“So, please, pull her out of that suffocating darkness.”
And then, Adler remarked while lying face down on the floor.
“Easy to say…”
Still seated, Miss Smith looked down at his pleading figure, and shortly after, she chuckled softly and uncrossed her legs.
“… But—”
– Press…
“Can you prove it with your actions as well?”
And then, she began to firmly step on his head that had been placed on the floor.
“… Yes.”
“Then lick it.”
When Adler quietly answered her question, Miss Smith gave a command with an arrogant smile plastered on her youthful face.
“Gently, with utmost sincerity and devotion…”
In the next moment, she extended her pale white hand in front of his nose.
“If you can’t do it, then just leave.”
“… Heup.”
Adler, who was silently staring at her hand as she stroked his chin, closed his eyes and gently enveloped her hand with his mouth.
“Wow…”
Subsequently, feeling the ticklish yet warm sensation from her hand, Miss Smith, with her face flushed, quietly covered her mouth with her other hand.
“… You’re more pathetic than I expected.”
She slightly averted her gaze and began to mock him with a seemingly relaxed expression that feigned the embarrassment in her heart.
“An imbecile who can’t even think of resisting.”
“………”
“A total failure as a man~”
Yet, Adler simply swirled his tongue around the contours of her small fingers, keeping a placid expression on his face at all times.
“… Excuse me.”
Seeing this state of his, the taunting from Miss Smith ceased altogether. She lowered her gaze slightly before asking in a low and subdued tone,
“Don’t you feel humiliated?”
At her words, Adler, tilting his head back slightly, merely responded in a soft voice.
“… I can do far more if it’s for her.”
“Is that so?”
Upon hearing his response, Miss Smith began to observe him with a look of blatant envy and jealousy swirling in the depths of her eyes.
“Then, can you lick this as well?”
As she diverted her gaze to the side once more and lifted her foot, a brief silence promptly enveloped the room.
“……..”
Adler, after silently staring down at her small, pale foot, quietly bowed his head, advancing toward it…
“… Pa, pathetic~”
Miss Smith murmured those words in a heated voice, before opening her mouth again to inquire,
“Do you find Gia Lestrade that much endearing?”
“……..?”
Adler’s expression began to harden in real time as he heard her inquiry.
“What are you talking about?”
“Hm?”
“… Weren’t we talking about Charlotte Holmes?”
And soon, as he posed that question in a voice as cold as frigid ice, Miss Smith began to tilt her head with a puzzled expression on her face.
“Why would you think that?”
“……. Sigh.”
A moment later, the devilish expression that was continuously displayed on that small face of hers began to fade away.
“This bloody kid is getting on my nerves.”
“Uh, what?”
“Blabbing carelessly without any caution, just like the original character.”
Adler, standing up from his seat with a sour look on his face, was astonishingly emitting a frightening aura that was a direct contrast to his earlier subservient behavior.
“Ah, shit!”
– Swish…
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden…?”
The startled voice of Clarissa Smith, who was cautiously watching his mood, echoed emptily within the room.
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Meanwhile, at that very moment…
“… Huff, huff.”
Hiding her presence, Gia Lestrade – who had been quietly eavesdropping on their conversation from near the mansion’s window — now settled herself beneath said window, her legs giving away and her body drenched in sweat from head to toe.
“Did I just…”
While she kept watching Adler, as he conversed with the little girl, with a pale face filled with utter disbelief, the moment the little girl’s lips uttered her name, she could no longer keep the strength in her legs and had to crouch down.
“Just… what did I overhear?”
The image of that arrogant Isaac Adler, kneeling and pressing his lips on the girl’s foot, still lingered in her eyes as her body reeled in shock as she thought of the ramifications of what she had overheard.
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