༺ The Blue Carbuncle ༻
“… Hey, you know—”
“Yes?”
A few days after the strange weather began enveloping all of London…
“Just hear me out, okay? Don’t find it strange or anything.”
“……?”
While patrolling the snow-covered streets of London, alongside her junior and assistant, Inspector Candidate Baynes, Gia Lestrade began to speak, her face filled with contemplation.
“First, let’s assume there’s this really bad man…”
“In what way? A robber? A murderer? A thug?”
At the mention of a bad man, Baynes asked a question filled with curiosity.
“… A guy who plays with women’s feelings as he pleases and then discards them.”
“Wow, isn’t that the type you hate the most?”
Lestrade’s answer made her widen her eyes, and then she spoke those words…
“Not just that. He’s also the type who, if a woman doesn’t fall for him, uses scams or threatens them to somehow make her his.”
“My goodness, just thinking about it is terrifying.”
“The scarier thing is, there are rampant rumors that he’s closely associated with underground organizations, but no matter how much one investigates, not even a shred of evidence could be found.”
At the addition of this new piece of information, Baynes tilted her head slightly as the detailed explanation continued.
“… This sounds oddly familiar. It feels like I’ve heard of this character somewhere before.”
“Is, is that so? Must be a coincidence.”
Lestrade, wearing a slightly awkward expression while mumbling those words, cleared her throat and continued with her story, regaining her cool demeanor.
“But listen, the most important part is from here on.”
“Is it?”
“Imagine that this very man, probably the worst kind to ever exist… suddenly starts treating only you nicely one day.”
“That would…”
Baynes was about to respond, but she stopped mid-sentence, silently observing her senior.
“It’s not like he’s turned over a new leaf overnight. Sure, his demeanor changed a bit… but he’s still controlling women as he pleases.”
“……….”
“But his attitude changes only when he faces you.”
Lestrade’s typically cold and emotionless face, which had bewitched many men, surprisingly had a slight crack in it as she was speaking about this enigmatic man.
“He’d threaten people who were trying to get them to repay their debts, and silently take care of those who tried to harm their family…”
“… Hmm.”
“His evil actions remain unchanged, but if all those actions were for me… no, for you…”
However, without even realizing it, Lestrade looked down and started fidgeting with her fingers as she spoke in a small voice.
“How do you think you’d feel?”
“Hehe…”
Whether it was due to the cold or something else, her cheeks were slightly flushed at the moment. When she cast a fleeting glance toward Baynes and asked her such a question, her eyes opened wide, and then… she wore a mischievous expression on her face.
“… It sounds like something out of a romance novel.”
“Huh, what?”
Then she began to reply in a voice mixed with amusement and mischief.
“It’s a trend these days— the worst playboy, who is shamed by everyone, becomes obsessed with the virtuous and kind female lead at first sight.”
“… What.”
Lestrade’s already flushed face started to turn even redder at the mention of those provocative words.
“The trashy and unlikable male lead acts all soft and gentle only in front of the female lead. At first, she’s annoyed by him, but as time goes by, she starts to fall for him…”
“……..”
“After overcoming several crises and misunderstandings, the two eventually fall deeply in love and, in the end, they end up spending a hot night holding each other’s hands while their bellies each other’s and…”
“Wa, wait! What are you even saying?”
As Baynes’ tale started to get more risqué, Lestrade hurriedly shut her up, her voice rising in urgency.
“… Why are you reacting like this? I just mentioned what’s trending these days.”
“Hmm…”
“Do you feel attacked or something, senior?”
She coughed a little and murmured, clutching her hands tightly.
“… No way… that’s just not possible.”
“Hmm…”
“Even if I were to be in such a situation, it would never lead to such a scenario.”
A determined expression surfaced on Lestrade’s face as she added,
“After all, I’ve sworn my entire life to serve England and uphold justice.”
“You’re not Queen Elizabeth, so what are you even talking about?”
“It’s not right. Meeting such an ending with such a wicked person…”
“Hey, look over there.”
Baynes, who had been secretly smiling at Lestrade’s reaction, suddenly widened her eyes and spoke.
“Huh?”
“Doesn’t something suspicious seem to be transpiring over there?”
At the end of the alleyway she pointed to, two shadows were seemingly intertwined as they staggered every now and then.
“Are they fighting in broad daylight?”
“Over there, just what are they doing?”
No matter how you look at it, a scuffle seemed to have occurred in that place. The two stopped their casual conversation and began to hasten their steps with a spark in their eyes.
“Stop, both of you!”
“Let’s go together, senior…”
Lestrade’s shout echoed in the street, and at that moment, the two shadows simultaneously turned their heads.
– Zzzap…!
“…Huh?”
“Agh, ah!”
A sudden blinding flash filled the street, and it engulfed both Lestrade and Baynes.
“… A mage?”
“It, it’s dangerous!”
Lestrade, momentarily hesitating with a frown on her face, now wore a cold expression and, in an instant, dashed toward the place where the shadows were last seen.
“Raise your hands and surrender. I don’t know what you were up to, but how dare you confront the police…”
“… Huh?”
Baynes, who hurriedly followed her, pulling out a handgun from her holster, soon wore a puzzled look on her face.
– Quack, quack…!
“What… What’s going on here?”
In the very spot, where the two shadows had clung to each other, now lay a lone goose and a hat.
“Their presence has completely disappeared. I don’t sense any trace of them nearby either.”
“Then… who were the people right in front of us just now?”
Gazing down at the scene, Lestrade spoke with a furrowed brow.
“… It’s a bizarre incident.”
“Oh, my.”
Baynes, who had just witnessed the kind of case that the London police most dreaded, looked at Lestrade with a slightly taken aback expression.
“What should we do now?”
“… Contact the police station, and preserve the crime scene until the officers arrive.”
– Quack?
Then, Lestrade quietly picked up the goose and the hat, murmuring to herself.
“I’ll head home for a bit.”
“Why are you going home all of a sudden?”
Her eyes began to shine quietly as she murmured,
“… I have two experts staying at my house right now.”
.
.
.
.
.
Several minutes later…
“What are you two doing?”
“Pooh-ha~”
“Hah, ha…”
With a flustered goose on her left side and a hat she picked up from the ground on her right, Gia Lestrade had arrived at her home.
“Excuse me?”
“”……….””
She questioned Charlotte and Adler, who were previously snuggled up on the living room sofa but hastily separated when the front door opened, alongside a cold voice that echoed out of Lestrade’s mouth.
“Well, that is…”
“We were having a bet.”
Adler, with his face flushed and head bowed, trailed off, while Charlotte Holmes nonchalantly wiped off her lips with her sleeve and began speaking.
“What bet?”
“Look at this article from the newspaper five days ago.”
Unperturbed by the still chilly tone of Lestrade, she spread out the newspaper that was on the table.
“… The theft of the Blue Carbuncle?”
“It’s the most interesting case of recent times. Of course, what’s even more intriguing is the main element of the case, the Blue Carbuncle itself.”
Charlotte, pointing at the words Blue Carbuncle, smiled ever so slightly.
“Well, according to Mr. Adler, a Blue Carbuncle can’t possibly exist, right?”
“Of course it can’t.”
Saying so, Adler, who had his head down, now looked up with a distinct gleam in his eyes.
“From the beginning, what is a carbuncle? Isn’t it a term for a gem, like a ruby or garnet, that’s red and has been shaped into a round and bulging form?”
“Right?”
“But a blue carbuncle? A blue-red gem? Does that even make sense?”
Adler’s expression was more serious than ever.
“It’s probably some foolish journalist who doesn’t know what a sapphire is and made up those words for his article. It’s a blatant error.”
“No, it’s not an error.”
“Do you have any evidence, Miss Holmes?”
Watching him explain with an amused smile on her face, Charlotte spoke calmly, prompting Adler to raise an eyebrow and ask.
“Well, it’s likely that the blueish-red gem really was stolen”
“… You know very well that makes no sense, don’t you, Miss Holmes?”
“As I’ve said before, there are no absolutes in this world, Mr. Adler.”
Thus began a playful battle of wits between the two.
“Why is this so important?”
Lestrade, who seemed to have forgotten the earlier events, looked on in bewilderment and couldn’t help but ask.
“Of course, it’s important. We made a bet that whoever was wrong would grant the other’s wish.”
“Aren’t you two in a rather dangerous situation right now? Should you really be leisurely making bets at a time like this?”
“… Of course not.”
Charlotte then murmured, sneaking a glance at Adler.
“I’ve suggested several times that we flee abroad since I’m okay with it, but our dear Mr. Adler doesn’t like that idea.”
“… I keep seeing the Reichenbach Falls in my mind.”
“What?”
“It’s nothing.”
Adler, giving a wry smile, turned toward Lestrade, who had been holding a goose and hat by her sides all this time, and asked a question,
“So, why did you suddenly come to the house?”
“Ah, well…”
It was only then that Lestrade remembered why she had come home in such haste. With a flush on her face, she tried to place the drooping duck and the hat down as she spoke out her reason…
“There was an incident that seems to be of a bizarre nature. I thought perhaps experts like you might be able to help…”
– Quaaack!
“… Eek.”
Just then, the duck, on the brink of suffocation, gathered its last strength to flap its wings and began to struggle, feathers scattered everywhere in the room.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I forgot to ease my grip…”
Only then did she relax her grip with an apologetic expression, as Adler and Charlotte looked with slightly taken aback eyes.
– Gasp…!
“””…?”””
From the exhausted duck’s mouth emerged something small.
“What’s this…”
“… Hmm.”
As Adler stared blankly at the item, his expression became distant and lost. Meanwhile, a triumphant smile appeared on the lips of Charlotte, who had silently tilted her head after witnessing the item.
“What did I say, Mr. Adler?”
“………”
“I told you it existed, the Blue Carbuncle.”
The ruby with a blue star pattern was gleaming in the sunlight on the desk before them.
“Well, to be precise, it would be a star ruby.”
“Ah…”
“Normally, it’s characterized by six white streaks, but if it’s been exposed to magical energy for a long period, there’s a slim chance that impurities might leak in and the streaks would start to show a blue hue.”
“… Where did you learn all this?”
With a confident look, Charlotte explained while gazing at the splendid gem. She then whispered into Adler’s ear with sparkling eyes.
“… It’s knowledge I gained while studying alone, thinking of a ring to gift to someone I love.”
“……….”
“Somehow, all the books related to conceiving a child at the library were all checked out, so I diligently read about these things instead.”
“I know nothing of that.”
“It’s okay. I have a rough idea now anyway.”
Her golden eyes shone softly, much like the blue carbuncle or star ruby as Charlotte spoke.
“Remember, you owe me one wish.”
At that, Adler flinched slightly, and Lestrade opened her mouth and gave them a cold look for reasons unknown.
“It’s rude to get overly clingy with someone else’s partner, Miss Holmes.”
“… You cut the line first.”1Here, Charlotte is saying that Lestrade took what was originally supposed to be her’s, Adler. So Lestrade cut the line and got to him first so Charlotte is grumbling as it was originally her right to say something like that.
“Pardon?”
“Anyway, you said you brought us an interesting case, didn’t you?”
Charlotte smoothly changed the topic, picking up the blue carbuncle with her hands.
“It’s a new riddle, Mr. Adler.”
“………..”
“Of course you’ll join me, right?”
Then, Adler responded to her after a moment of silent contemplation.
“… Of course.”
“Heh.”
“Right now, I am nothing more than an assistant to Miss Holmes.”
Charlotte, grinning at his response, discreetly reached under the table without Lestrade’s knowledge and slipped a paper note into Adler’s hand.
“As I asked earlier, are you sure it’s okay with you?”
“… Well, it’s a minor incident after all.”
Adler, who had given a small smile in response to her words, became pensive, shifting his gaze quietly to the side upon hearing Lestrade’s somewhat displeased voice from next to him.
‘Although it’s a bit concerning that the system is unable to respond to any variables right now…’
The system window, which remained non-responsive despite his best attempts to communicate with it all day, had slightly changed its tone but was still present in his line of sight.
‘… I’ve already encountered the worst situation possible. What more could go wrong?’
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Meanwhile, at that moment…
– Sorry, boss.
– I managed to escape from the scene, but I missed the jewel we were after.
In a back alley of the slums located on the outskirts of London…
– Retrieving the item might be a bit difficult.
– Especially since the ones who found the gem are the renowned Charlotte Holmes and Isaac Adler.
A woman, leaning against a wall and wearing a hat pulled down low, sent a telegraph somewhere with a frown on her face.
– Fzzzt… Fzzzzt…
– No, not Harlot Sholmes, it’s Charlotte Holmes!
It seemed as if the person receiving the message was in another country other than England, given the incredibly poor signal.
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