༺ The Blue Carbuncle (5) ༻
A few days after the Blue Carbuncle incident…
“… Hm.”
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Isaac Adler stepped into the living room of Lestrade’s house. Immediately, Charlotte Holmes, lost in thought by the fireplace, came into view.
“Miss Holmes.”
“……….”
He tried to strike up a conversation with her as he quietly approached the fireplace, but Charlotte remained silent, lost in deep thought.
“… Are you going to ignore me like this?”
Observing her rare appearance, so similar to the original depiction, a playful smile crept up Adler’s cheeks and he couldn’t hold back his desire to tease her.
– Poke, poke…
He quietly reached out and poked her fluffy cheek with his finger, but she just continued to stare blankly at the flickering fire before her.
“Charlotte…”
Adler, slightly annoyed at her continued disregard, leaned in close to her face, his lips pouting as he mumbled to her. However, at that moment…
“… Eh.”
… Out of the blue, something soft entered his mouth.
“………”
Charlotte Holmes, who quite naturally slipped her tongue into his mouth, tilted her head as she looked up at Adler.
– Smooch…
Thus began a brief tongue-on-tongue duel between the duo.
“… There was no need to answer like that.”
“I was just organizing my thoughts.”
“I know, Miss Holmes. I must say, once you start focusing, you won’t notice even if someone were to carry you away…”
A moment later, Adler – who had carefully pulled his head back from their passionate exchange, to converse with Charlotte – threw a question toward her with a curious look in his eyes.
“So, what were you thinking about so intently?”
“……..”
“Could it be… you were contemplating about there being no response to the bait we’ve thrown out even after several days have passed?”
Delivering the question, Adler carefully sat down in front of her; his eyes matching hers.
“Could it be, hypothetically, that you are thinking we might fail to solve the case if things go on like this?”
“… That’s not it.”
Charlotte, shaking her head, gulped down the last bits of Adler’s bodily fluids that remained in her mouth – from their previous naughty exchange – before she began to speak.
“I’ve already figured out the whole truth of the case.”
“Is that so?”
“After the Blue Carbuncle vanished from the hotel where Countess of Morcar was staying, the attendant who worked there abruptly disappeared as well.”
“Oh.”
“And look at this…”
Quietly unfolding a newspaper, Charlotte pointed to an article on the front page before adding,
“It’s an article about the attendant being found tied up in her own home. In other words, for the past few days, someone was impersonating said attendant.”
“Hmm…”
“It’s similar to what happened with the Inspector Candidate, Linya Baynes. She was found unconscious in her home a few days ago just like the attendant.”
When she finished speaking till there, her eyes began to shine quietly with an intelligent light.
“With this, everything is confirmed.”
“What do you mean?”
“The reason why the criminals, disguised as Baynes and the attendant respectively, chose to operate in such fashion.”
As Adler tilted his head in silence, Charlotte began her explanation with a mischievous expression on her face.
“The criminal who stole the jewel from the hotel, disguised as the attendant, must have bumped into Inspector Candidate Baynes at the time.”
“Back then? Seriously?”
“She’s as clever and keen as I am, so she probably saw through the disguise during their brief confrontation.”
While murmuring so, she started swiftly tapping her fingers on the desk.
“Hence, the situation unfolded in such a way that the criminal had to get the jewel off their possession, and at that very moment, a cart carrying a goose to a nearby grocery store must have caught the criminal’s eye.”
“Hmm….”
“They managed to throw the jewel into the cart successfully, but what if… the goose mistook it for food and ate the jewel?”
“………..”
“So, they probably had to get their hands on that particular goose by any means necessary to retrieve the jewel. However, what if Inspector Candidate Baynes, still suspicious of the individual, continued to follow them closely?”
Listening quietly to her words, Adler’s face gradually became more and more puzzled.
“Why did the uninvited guests from France risk posing as Inspector Candidate Baynes, and why were they after the duck? Doesn’t this deduction of mine explain both of those questions clearly?”
“… I suppose—”
“What’s wrong? Is there something that doesn’t add up?”
In response to Charlotte’s question, Adler opened his mouth, scratching his head.
“It’s just… your style seems a bit different today.”
“How so?”
“Well, there are too many parts of your deduction that I am quite uncertain about.”
His gaze started to sharpen as he spoke.
“Miss Holmes, you usually keep your deductions to yourself until the very last possible moment, and only reveal your thought process once everything’s confirmed.”
“Does that really matter between us?”
However, Charlotte simply smiled softly and deflected his statement.
“Still…”
“Also, I sent a message to Watson’s hospital where Inspector Candidate Baynes is hospitalized for verification.”
“………”
“So, it’s only a matter of time before my deduction becomes a fact, a few minutes at most, so it’s all good, right?”
Adler, who had been watching her for a moment, smiled faintly after hearing her words.
“… I suppose you’re right.”
Then, Adler quietly propped his chin on his hand while looking at her quietly.
“Most importantly, we have the jewel with us.”
“That’s true.”
“Even if the criminals escape somehow, as long as we return the jewel to Countess of Morcar when she wakes up, from the shock she had received from losing the jewel and fainting soon after, it will guarantee our victory.”
“I didn’t realize Miss Holmes would accept such a paltry and unsatisfactory victory.”
“Well, it is what it is.”
Saying so with a sigh, Charlotte looked at Adler with a slightly dark expression.
“Lately, the back alleys of London have been getting cleaned up at an unusually fast rate.”
“………”
“Numerous organizations are disappearing or merging with others, and many people have already disappeared without a trace.”
Hearing those words, a chill began to creep up Adler’s spine.
“… It seems like a war is about to break out.”
And soon, silence ensued in the room.
“I’ll try to handle it somehow, so don’t worry too much.”
“………”
“But there’s still one thing I’m curious about in all this.”
Adler, who had been trying to reassure Charlotte with a smile, tilted his head and threw out a question.
“You still didn’t say what you were pondering so deeply earlier.”
Hearing his words, Charlotte answered, grinning from ear to ear.
“I was just thinking about the bet I made with Mr. Adler.”
“… The bet?”
“You said that there was something wrong with my deduction…”
Hearing her response, Adler showed an interested expression.
“Did you find out? What the problem was?”
“… Of course, I have.”
Looking at him, Charlotte began to explain with a triumphant smile on her face.
“I was wrong to speculate that the owner of the hat, based on its size, would be a highly intellectual person.”
“Why so?”
“If just having a big head meant that they had high intelligence, then dolphins or whales would be ruling this world instead of humans.”
A pleased smile appeared on Adler’s face.
“You’re correct, indeed.”
“The misconception regarding phrenology has become a widespread common knowledge only in recent times. I also had to double-check my thinking process a few times before I came to realize that fact.”
“Is that so?”
“Be that as it may, you will now have to honor your promise, okay?”
As she locked eyes with him, Charlotte whispered in a soft cooing voice.
“… Since the number of wishes has now increased to two, I’m thinking of using one of those wishes now.”
“……….”
“So, let’s go to the bedroom and…”
It was at that moment, when she naturally untied Isaac Adler’s tie and leaned closer that…
– Slap!!!
The sound of a slap, echoing in a similar note to a few days ago, filled the living room with its loud reverberations.
“……. Huh?”
Charlotte, who had been slapped so hard by Adler that her nose already started bleeding, touched her slapped cheek with a trembling hand.
“What are you doing no…”
She was about to open her mouth, coldness lacing her tone, while glaring at Adler with a chilly gaze, but…
– Slap!!!
“He…”
– Smack!!!
Adler’s hand, raining down on her without fail, completely cut off her speech.
“….. Isaac?”
Charlotte, whose cheeks had become swollen red, began to stare blankly at Adler with a stunned expression.
“If you wanted to imitate Charlotte, you shouldn’t have tried to be so… perfect.”
“Huh?”
“Charlotte is still young and lacks common sense over many topics.”
Adler began… a cold smile creeping up his lips.
“I, I studied. To win the bet…..”
“And…”
Leaning his head closer to a frightened Charlotte’s face, he caressed her slightly rough lips and whispered in a dark voice.
“… Charlotte isn’t that good at kissing.”
“……..”
“She always takes the initiative first, but when it comes down to the real deal, she gets clumsy and awkward.”
Hearing so, the fear that had been overwhelming her eyes disappeared without a trace, and Charlotte’s eyes began to dull.
“So, are you just going skip everything and hit people?”
“… You like this kind of thing, don’t you?”
Upon hearing those words, Charlotte…
“Pfft~”
… Nay, someone who had been impersonating Charlotte began to laugh quietly.
“Is that really your fetish?”
“………”
“I don’t think it’s a fetish that a thief would have, no matter how I think about it.”
Adler, who had grabbed her throat already, began to ask in a low voice.
“Shouldn’t you guys hate being caught and beaten more than anyone else?”
“… That’s exactly why, actually.”
The girl, who was choking while impersonating Charlotte, began to answer as she exhaled a rough and ragged breath.
“The last time I was caught by you… that was the first for me.”
“……….”
“And it was also the first time in my life that… I had been beaten by someone like that.”
With that, the girl grabbed Adler’s hand, which was strangling her neck, with her own hands.
“It was a thrilling experience, I really felt like I would die at your hands.”
Instead of pulling his hand away, she added more strength to his hands, which held onto her neck. and continued to speak with tears brimming in her eyes.
“Thinking that I – who roamed the world unfettered, intimidating the police wherever I ventured – could die powerlessly in such a shabby place… such a thought was so thrilling and exciting that my whole body was trembling in delight.”
“… Huh?”
“Even branded like livestock… And thrown away like a mere pawn…”
Seeing the hazy look in her eyes and the convulsion of her whole body, due to a rapid decrease of oxygen in her brain, Adler hurriedly opened his mouth.
“Quick, get your hands off me.”
“………”
“What?”
However, for some reason, the golden seal engraved on her stomach gave no response even as he commanded her.
“Ugh…”
“… How did you escape from the magic and control of the contract?”
As Adler, who was slightly frowning, threw the question, the girl began to answer with a dying voice, drooling heavily from her mouth.
“I’m… under a… really… fun curse… hihi~”
“… Curse.”
The moment when Adler’s expression turned serious at the sudden mention of the curse…
– Squeeak…!
“… Huh?”
Her legs, lifted as far high up as possible with considerable difficulty, revealed her clothes underneath and an unidentified liquid began to spray out from the gap between her revealed garments.
“Ugh… Cough…”
Adler hastily removed his hand from the girl’s throat and covered his nose and mouth, but it was already too late.
“This time it’s a bit different. It’s a spray mixed with garlic juice; without any alcohol, of course.”
“Urk…”
“It’s like a miracle potion to deal with vampires, right?”
The girl, who was gently touching the red fingerprint engraved on her neck, started to rummage through Adler’s belongings, who began to exhale roughly while kneeling in front of her.
“… Found it.”
Soon, her eyes shone as she quietly took out a small box.
“I was worried because I couldn’t find it even after searching the entire house, but it was in your possession after all.”
“Ugh…”
“I’m really sorry, but I really, really need this, okay?”
Carefully sliding it into her bosom, the mysterious girl began stroking Adler’s chin.
“Having a battle of wits with you was quite fun, you know… It was more enjoyable than having a tight confrontation with that deeply obsessed Ganimard.”
“………”
“It’s a shame to end it like this, but it’s time for us to part ways.”
And in the next moment…
– Smash…!
“… Gaah.”
Stealthily, the girl punched Adler straight in the stomach.
“… Being deprived of freedom, being trampled helplessly with no way to fight back— it was a fucking awesome experience.”
Hovering next to Adler’s ear, who was bowing his head with his body trembling from the impact, the girl began to whisper using her natural voice for the very first time.
“But you know, I also can’t live while being the only one on the receiving end.”
“……….”
“It’s in my nature that I must repay any harm done to me in kind, or else I won’t feel satisfied. My temperament won’t allow me to endure that.”
The girl, who had punched Adler’s abdomen, gently spread her fingers and began to softly rub his lower abdomen.
– Smashhh…!
“… Uhighhu.”
However, at that very moment, Adler used the last bits of his strength to deliver a punch to the mysterious girl’s stomach.
– Brrr…
“Stop hitting me now…”
Momentarily drained of all strength due to the sudden violence subjected to her body, her hands clutching onto his body for support as it quivered, the girl began to mumble while tightly biting onto her lips.
“Whenever I get hit by you, a desire to be dominated springs up from within. Isn’t that quite strange?”
“……….”
“If you keep this up, I might just kidnap you and end up making you my master before I know it.”
After finishing her contradictory words, which made his body shiver in fright, she quietly stood up from her crouching position.
“… There’s something I need to convey to you before parting ways.”
The girl, who was moving toward the entrance, suddenly stopped and added in a quiet tone.
“That was my first kiss.”
“… What?”
“So, I’m not sure what was so great about that.”
The girl, who spoke those words with a somewhat shy voice, had already disappeared without a trace by the time Adler came to his senses.
“…………”
And thus, silence ensured…
“… Brother Adler!”
In that silence, the voice of the second sibling, hiding beyond the room soon resounded.
“Should I tell sister Holmes to return from the hospital now?”
“… I don’t understand.”
But while he briefly listened to her words, his mind was elsewhere… as Adler began mumbling in a disillusioned voice.
“The girl who made me grit my teeth in anger, the girl I personally shoved into the DLC content, why is that girl tormenting me now in the main storyline?”
In front of a mumbling Adler’s eyes, a system message appeared for the first time in a long while.
“… Is this karma, perhaps?”
.
.
.
.
.
“……..”
Meanwhile, at that time…
The girl who was walking not too far from Lestrade’s house was blankly looking down at the letter that came out with the jewel from the opened box.
“… Ha.”
Then, after reading the letter, she started to chuckle to herself.
“I was completely played from start to finish.”
The girl, who had once again donned her mysterious aura, changing into her usual cloak with a monocle, bit her lip and started to walk once more.
“… I can’t stand being fooled like this.”
Just when her gaze was starting to get eerier and eerier by the second.
– Thud…!
“Oops.”
She bumped into a passerby, the force being a bit too hard for her liking.
“… Ugh.”
As her lower belly, which had begun to glow in a gold hue, started to twitch on its own, she began to grumble, looking miserable as she sat down by the streets.
“It’s become a habit, after all, this…”
– Brrr…
“… I still want it, though.”
After a while, she got up from her spot with a considerably tired look on her face.
“… Oh.”
At that very moment, she realized something being amiss…
“Huh?”
Instead of the jewel and letter, that was in her hand just a moment ago, there lay only a single card.
“This…”
The identity of the card was none other than the tarot card number 16 (XVI) — The Tower.
“……….”
She quietly turned around after confirming the very straightforward message written on the front of the card— the card considered to be the most ominous of all tarot cards.
– Trudge, trudge…
A woman in the standard outfit of a professor was walking in the middle of the snow-covered street, her grey hair fluttering ever so slightly…
“Is this London, or a den of monsters?”
As she blankly stared at the receding woman’s back, she could immediately sense the gazes filled with hostility and killing intent palpitating in her surroundings… Seeing such a scene, she couldn’t help but chuckle to herself once more.
“… It only makes me want it more, though.”
It was the moment when the world’s greatest thief had set her sights on her next target.
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