Chapter 103: Truce
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103: Truce
— Ah, hello.
"……!?"
Rewinding time to the moment Adler had just subdued both Charlotte Holmes and Professor Moriarty and stepped out of the room…
"What—what is it?"
— Why are you so surprised, Miss Lestrade?
Near the bushes of the Garrideb mansion, Gia Lestrade was hidden in a crouched position, holding her breath. However, when the familiar voice suddenly resounded in her ear, she stuttered in shock.
"Ch-Charlotte Holmes. I’m currently in the middle of important business, so it’s difficult for me to respond to your call."
— Does Miss Lestrade believe that neglecting her police duties to creepily stalk her boyfriend is part of her job description, perchance?
Charlotte’s voice, laced with a deadly chill and delivered in a low tone, reached her ears.
"It’s just part of an investigation process that plays a role in the protection of London. No, wait—how did you…"
— Since you are a policewoman, shouldn’t you at least improve your tailing skills? Hiding in the bushes and crouching down doesn’t automatically make you invisible.
"……."
— There’s even a joke among London’s criminals… that to check if Inspector Lestrade is around, one just needs to look in the bushes.
"…I’ll be more careful in the future."
Chastised, Lestrade picked herself up from the bushes with a sheepish expression.
— Well, regardless of your motivations, it’s a good thing you’re here. I happen to be in quite the predicament inside the mansion before your eyes.
"Is this really the great Charlotte Holmes speaking to me?"
Brushing the leaves from her hair, Lestrade tilted her head in utter astonishment at Charlotte’s words.
— Isaac Adler got the better of me.
"Ah, now… I understand."
— Understand? Understand what, exactly? Listen to the end. I have fallen into this predicament because of an unforeseen variab—
"Just get to the point. If you’re asking for my help, it must be urgent, right?"
With her pride wounded, Charlotte began mumbling under her breath. A brief silence followed before she sighed and spoke—getting straight to the point this time.
— Right now, I’m tied up in a room with my mana sealed.
"Oh dear."
— But I’m not asking you to rescue me. No, you need to stop Isaac Adler. He said something ominous about the case being compromised before he left the room. I’m worried about his safety.
"Will you be alright?"
Once more, a sigh escaped Charlotte’s lips as she heard the hint of concern in Lestrade's voice.
— Right now, with my mana sealed, I’m of no use. It would be more efficient for you to stop Isaac Adler instead of wasting time rescuing me.
"…Hmm."
Lestrade’s face twisted as she heard the clear sincerity in the other woman's words.
"I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but I am Isaac Adler’s legal girlfriend. Please, show some restraint…"
— Shouldn’t you be saying… a fake girlfriend, built on lies and pretense instead?
"Pardon…?"
— Going forward, if we are to maintain this pretense for the peace of London, I believe you should maintain some boundaries, Miss Lestrade.
"……."
— You aren’t the only one who can play that role anymore, Miss Lestrade.
Charlotte Holmes didn't wait for a rebuttal. She simply cut off the communication after having her say.
"…No."
Lestrade’s voice, dark and brooding, leaked out as she lingered on the spot, mulling over Charlotte’s words.
"In London, no one other than me can handle Isaac Adler."
With a look of determination, Lestrade muttered those words to herself and marched toward the mansion. With each step, she recalled the complex ties she shared with the man named Adler.
"Even if it’s you, Holmes…"
However, before she could take more than a few steps… a strange scene caught her eye.
- Rustle, rustle…
"…?"
Not far from her, the bushes continued to tremble ever so slightly.
"…Who’s there?"
Confused by the sudden anomaly, Lestrade cautiously approached. At that very moment—
— Flick!
Something, accompanied by the sharp hiss of escaping air, shot out of the bushes and headed straight for Lestrade’s head.
- Crack!
"That’s quite a violent way to greet someone, don’t you think?"
Just before the object could hit her face, Lestrade showcased her superhuman reflexes, deftly dodging to the side. As the rock behind her shattered into a million pieces, she swiftly drew her baton—her gaze turning frosty.
"……."
From the rustling bushes, a barely perceptible killing intent—one that would go unnoticed by an ordinary person—radiated outward.
"Gunfire as quiet as a whisper, a weapon that leaves no trace of bullets, and a killing intent that remains hidden unless one is paying the closest attention…"
"……."
"Minus the rather pathetic camouflage skills, you seem to be an exceptionally skilled individual."
In the precarious atmosphere, Lestrade tensed her muscles as she spoke, muttering words that applied to herself as much as her opponent.
"You’ve picked the wrong person to mess with."
With that, someone peeked out from the wriggling bushes.
"…A kid?"
For a moment, Lestrade was stunned. She was utterly dumbfounded by the sight of a young girl with messy sky-blue hair covered in foliage and innocent-looking purple eyes emerging from the brush.
- Swoosh…
Suddenly, a dangerous-looking sniper rifle popped out of the bushes.
"……!"
Lestrade’s eyes widened, and the girl pulled the trigger, muttering in a dark voice.
"…Don’t call me a kid."
Celestia Moran and Gia Lestrade.
It was the first encounter between two of London’s most powerful women—women who would soon compete for the positions of London’s second and third most powerful forces.
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Some moments later…
" Hah, hah …"
" Eek …"
After a bone-chilling clash, the two girls ended up rolling in the bushes, gnashing their teeth as they confronted each other with weapons drawn.
"You’re pretty good for a runt."
"…Don’t call me a runt."
Moran muttered, pushing back against the baton with all the might in her small body while clutching her air gun. Her weapon had already been rendered powerless by Lestrade’s curse, which nullified all supernatural abilities and oddities.
"How old are you?"
"12… years old."
"…Then you really are a runt."
" Eeeek …"
As Moran exerted force with an angry expression, Lestrade watched her with an approving look.
"Quite strong and skilled in hand-to-hand combat for your age. Did you undergo some sort of special training?"
"…It’s none of your business."
"But you’re a sniper at the end of the day. You lost the moment you entered close combat."
Moran grimaced, then murmured as if spitting out each word.
"…No. I just need to push you away for a moment, and victory will be mine."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because the emergency pistol in my possession will pierce your head in less than a fraction of a second."
She spoke with a cold gaze, but her arms began to tremble under the pressure that had become several times more intense than before.
"…Sorry, but do you think I’d allow you to do that?"
"We’ll see who takes the upper hand."
"Hmm."
Moran took a deep breath and began pouring even more strength into her hands to withstand the amplified pressure.
"This is troublesome."
Realizing the fight wouldn’t end as easily as she thought, Lestrade sighed as she glanced at the mansion.
"Hey."
"…What?"
"How about we call a truce?"
Turning her gaze back to Moran, who was still pinned beneath her, she offered the suggestion.
"A truce…?"
"It seems you might be one of his subordinates, given your skills… I have business in that mansion related to him."
Moran tilted her head as she gazed at Lestrade.
"I don’t really have time to be doing this with you. It’s urgent."
"…Something’s happening inside?"
"Yes, something extremely dangerous."
Hearing those words, Moran’s eyes began to waver.
"Part of me wants to arrest you right here and now, but if we drag this fight out, it might be too late to do anything."
"……."
"So, let’s postpone this skirmish. We can resume after the incident inside the mansion has been resolved."
Lestrade relaxed her strength first and slowly backed away. Moran paused, her hand halting as it reached for her bosom, and gazed intently at Lestrade.
"…Wise choice."
"……."
"It would be quite foolish to pick a fight with me again unless it’s a ranged battle, given your exhausted state."
Lestrade observed Moran for a moment before walking toward the mansion.
- Pitter-patter…
"……?"
She soon turned her head back. In the distance, she saw the girl following her with light, rhythmic steps. She couldn't help but be puzzled.
"Why are you following me?"
"…I have business inside, too."
"Weren’t you ordered to wait here?"
Lestrade finally asked the question. Hearing it, the girl’s face—which had been a mask of calm and apathy throughout the fight—suddenly crumbled.
"…He promised he wouldn’t abandon me, but he hasn’t contacted me for days. So I followed him here on my own."
"Ah."
A dazed expression appeared on Lestrade’s face as she gripped the mansion's doorknob.
"By the way, pardon me for asking, but… do you know my master?"
"……."
"…What’s your relationship with him?"
Silently observing her, Moran asked with a dark glint in her eyes. Lestrade glanced at her once more and replied in a calm voice.
"Girlfriend."
"…………"
"It seems these days, Adler has been messing around with little kids, too."
"Watch your words."
Amidst the strange atmosphere, just as the two girls were about to step through the door, their gazes became frostier than ever.
"He’s just raising me."
"That sounds like a typical Isaac Adler tactic…"
An ominous realization dawned on them, and their expressions gradually darkened.
"This is…"
"My god."
Despite the mansion’s size, it was filled with the pungent, overwhelming stench of blood.
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Just a few minutes later…
"…………"
Gulping dryly, the two girls entered the basement and stared blankly at the scene unfolding before them.
"… Cough."
Isaac Adler, on the brink of death, was on his knees in the middle of the blood-soaked basement. All around him lay endless mutilated corpses. He vomited a thick glob of blood.
"…You’ve killed all the masterpieces I’ve been creating over the past few decades."
" Ugh …"
"I had creatures that could’ve taken over London in a matter of days if set loose… and you’ve destroyed them all in an instant…"
Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein, her voice teetering on the edge of insanity, gently caressed his cheek while muttering.
"There’s no helping it now…"
"……."
"Now you’ll have to help me create my masterpiece…"
Tears began to flow from Neria Garrideb’s eyes as she shivered in a corner, watching the horrifying scene.
"Sto—stop it…"
"After Jill the Ripper cut off the supply of bodies, I’ve been repeating experiments with nothing but these worthless failures…"
"Please stop, Mother…"
"But with the superior genes from you and me, we won’t need to keep repeating the process with test subjects…"
Paying no heed to her daughter's words, Dr. Frankenstein pulled Adler close and brought the saw she had been holding toward his arm.
"So, help me give birth to my masterpieces."
"……."
"…I’ll modify you to perfection."
Lestrade and Moran’s eyes, which had been watching with numb disbelief, were suddenly brimming with murderous intent.