Chapter 104: Eugenics
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: Eugenics
“What do you think you’re doing!?”
“Hmm?”
Dr. Frankenstein, her face twisted into a manic grin as she sawed into Adler’s arm, turned toward the icy voice dripping with murderous intent.
“Oh.”
Noticing the two girls standing stiffly by the exit, she tilted her head to the side.
“We have quite a few visitors today, I see…”
“I only want the truth.”
Lestrade stepped forward, her eyes cold as she stared at the lunatic harming her lover.
“What have you been doing in this mansion?”
“Our little Inspector is quite the curious one, isn’t she?”
Dr. Frankenstein pressed the silver saw against Adler’s neck, effectively freezing the girls in place.
“Well, I like that trait of yours, Inspector. Curiosity is the most essential requirement for the advancement of science and magic…”
“Speak. Now!” Lestrade commanded, her voice laced with fury.
Dr. Frankenstein began to speak, her voice gentle despite the unpleasant smile plastered on her pale face.
“…Have you ever felt that the people of London are all dimwitted dolts?”
“Do you harbor some sort of elitist delusion?”
“That’s not what I mean… Truly, simple statistics and the briefest scientific analysis are more than enough to support the theory.”
Her eyes darkened with an ominous hue.
“Since the onset of the strange phenomena in the early 16th century, the world has undergone numerous changes.”
“………”
“Forgotten races and fairytale stories became reality against all logic. A handful of people gained the ability to manipulate mana, and the gender ratio destabilized to 4:6…”
She continued her explanation with deadly seriousness.
“But from my perspective, the most significant and regrettable change—on par with the phenomena that reshaped our world—is the steady decline of human intelligence.”
“That’s an unfounded claim.”
“Not in the least, Inspector. As a student of the August Detective Academy yourself, Miss Gia Lestrade, you should be well aware of this truth, shouldn’t you?”
Lestrade’s eyes widened in astonishment. Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein used her tongue to lick a spray of Adler’s blood off her cheek before resuming.
“I was once a professor at the academy. I had grand dreams of enlightening the ignorant masses.”
“………..”
“But soon, I was forced to face a horrifying realization… London was doomed. The competency levels of the students were utterly hopeless.”
Isaac Adler, cradled in her arms, began to twitch faintly. Her words echoed the sentiments Professor Moriarty had voiced not long ago.
“At first, I despaired. But then, I sought a solution. It was my duty as one of the last intellectuals left in this sordid country.”
“Such an ideology is…”
“And then, the realization finally dawned on me!”
Dr. Frankenstein, who had been caressing Adler’s cheek, raised her voice. Her eyes flashed with a maddening glint.
“The realization that if the people of this era continue to lose their intelligence, we simply need to inject superior genes into the mix to balance it out!”
Her deranged gaze and ludicrous statements caused Lestrade and Moran’s expressions to darken.
“With that goal in mind, I left the academy with the colleagues who joined my cause and established a laboratory in the basement of this mansion.”
“………”
“I began my research in secret. Standard human reproduction wasn't enough to release sufficient genes into the world, so I devoted myself to finding a more efficient method.”
Despite the worsening atmosphere, she recalled her past with nostalgic glee.
“When the experiment to artificially combine my genes with his first succeeded, I was truly delighted. I even named the result after my colleague’s surname.”
“That is…”
“But I soon realized it was a failure.”
Her gaze briefly shifted to Neria Garrideb. The poor girl lay in the corner, shivering as she listened to the woman describe the futility of her existence.
“The first had chronic fatigue and a constitution so frail that a slight bump could shatter her bones. The second suffered from madness and hydrophobia due to a neural defect…”
“Mother…?”
“We realized that releasing such imperfect beings into the world would never save it from self-destruction. Thus, I focused on identifying the cause of these symptoms.”
She turned her head away, showing no attachment to her own flesh and blood.
“Jill the Ripper secretly provided corpses and the fog that plagues London. That, along with Dr. Jekyll’s advice, was immensely helpful. With their help, I finally reached the truth…”
“Wait, what did you just say…”
Startled by the mention of Jill the Ripper, Lestrade tried to interject, but the doctor’s attention was fixed entirely on Adler.
“The spark of life that all humans inherently possess… that spark was far too faint in artificially created beings.”
Swoosh…
“It seems the spark is granted only to children born of natural reproduction. Whether it’s a coincidence or a constraint placed by the Creator to prevent humans from encroaching on the realm of God, I do not know…”
Her hand moved toward Adler’s chest.
“…However, I have finally found it.”
“Cough.”
“The beautiful ember that will break even that accursed constraint…”
Dr. Frankenstein began stroking Adler’s heart gently, her gaze growing more feverish.
“From the moment I saw you regenerate your body after being half-eaten by a failed experiment, I knew immediately…”
Badump, badump…
“You were the only solution to this problem…”
As Adler’s heartbeat resonated against her palm, a look of ecstasy appeared on the deranged woman’s face.
“Isaac Adler, you are superior.”
“………”
“Despite your youth, you’ve brought half the women of London to their knees. You possess the most superior genes in all of London.”
“…Ugh.”
“You, who flaunt those superior genes without reservation… you are the perfect companion and experimental partner for me. You are the only person who can help me realize my ideology…”
Dr. Frankenstein began murmuring in his ear, her voice languid and unfettered.
“…With your superior genes, even my genetic cells can be dominated and assimilated. We can create healthy subjects even without a strong spark of life.”
Swish, press…
“So, you’ll cooperate, won’t you?”
She continued to whisper, pressing her cheek against his.
“We’ll fill London with our wonderful genes.”
“……..”
“That is the only salvation for this land…”
Isaac Adler had been silently watching the madwoman with weary eyes.
“…On one condition.”
“Yes, what is it? Tell me. I’ll do anything for you—except let you go, of course. I’ll be taking you as my husband, after all.”
Adler’s gaze landed on Lestrade and Moran, who were hesitating because of the blade at his neck. After looking at their concerned faces for a moment, he spoke quietly to Dr. Frankenstein.
“Do you know how to resurrect the dead?”
“…It’s quite simple, actually. What do you think I’ve been doing while researching the Spark of Life?”
“If you teach me the method of resurrection, I will cooperate with you unconditionally.”
Hearing his condition, Dr. Frankenstein promptly pulled a bottle filled with red smoke from her bosom. Flashing a radiant smile, she held it up.
“You just need to drink this.”
“What is this…?”
“It’s the spark… made by mixing the essence of life with your blood.”
Adler looked at her with skepticism. Dr. Frankenstein merely stroked him as she whispered in his ear.
“I have a certain expertise in alchemy, you see… If I have enough materials, it isn’t difficult to create an essence containing the life force of a single human being. Usually, we use it to power the undead.”
“But why my blood…”
“Normally, you would have to charge the essence of life with high-voltage electricity for months to activate it. But your blood regenerates so well that, when mixed with the essence, it exhibits effectiveness incomparable to any finished product we’ve ever produced.”
A glint flashed in Adler’s eyes. “Then it would be easy to make more of these sparks, right?”
“No, actually, this is the last one I have left.”
“Why?”
Adler’s demeanor turned as cold as glacial ice.
“We’ve run out of materials to create the essence of life.”
“What do you mean…”
“I said it’s easy to make if we have the materials, not that we can make it without them. And those materials are now impossible to procure, no matter how much money you have.”
“What materials?”
Not noticing his frosty gaze, Dr. Frankenstein continued her excited rambling.
“Dragon’s tears.”
“…………..”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter now, does it?”
As Adler fell silent, she laughed.
“The moment I found you—with genes superior enough to overcome the limits of an artificial being—such things became utterly useless.”
“……….”
“The children we have in the future will be perfect… born with my intellect and your immense vitality… There’s no need for such elixirs for them, is th—”
The sentence never finished.
Pff—!
A bolt of supercharged, invisible air erupted from Celestia Moran’s air gun. The girl, who had been watching with predatory focus, fired a single shot that tore through the abdomens of both Isaac Adler and Dr. Frankenstein simultaneously.
.
.
.
.
.
“What the hell are you doing!?”
“Ending a hostage situation is quite simple.”
As Adler and Dr. Frankenstein collapsed to the floor, blood leaking from their wounds, Gia Lestrade’s face filled with dismay. As she was about to protest to Moran—whose entire body was trembling violently—Adler staggered to his feet and spoke in a soft, deep voice.
“You just need to disregard the well-being of the hostage. That’s all.”
“Adler…”
“Of course, that only works for someone like me.”
Adler, now holding the bottle the doctor had been carrying, patted Moran’s head. Even though she shuddered at the thought of harming her master, she had faithfully carried out the telepathic orders he had sent her. Adler, done consoling Moran for now, began moving toward the exit.
“Where… are you going?”
Before he could take more than a few steps, a chilling voice rose from behind him.
“You said you’d cooperate…? Even after everything I’ve said, you still don’t understand…?”
“………”
“Isaac Adler… We need to save London with our superior genes…”
Dr. Frankenstein, clutching her bleeding abdomen, managed to stand. She mumbled with an expression of pure disbelief, reaching out toward him. She truly could not comprehend why he had turned on her.
“…Superior genes?”
Adler responded with a voice laced with cold mockery.
“Perhaps if it were Charlotte or Professor Moriarty, it might be feasible.”
“……….”
“You don’t even realize that your failed experiments were caused by your own genetic disease, yet you babble on about the Spark of Life… Why would I ever hand over my genes to someone as ignorant and deranged as you?”
The lunatic woman’s face went dazed. Soon, the unpleasant fog from before began to spread around her.
“…..That’s a lie.”
Bztzzztzzzz…
“The only one who has ever been able to overwhelm my superior genes is you. That’s why we must become the Adam and Eve of London…..”
As she spoke, the experimental monsters writhing on the floor began to rise once more.
“…I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Adler, looking at the scene with pure disgust, whispered as he passed between Lestrade and Moran.
“I have business to attend to.”
“Could it be that this business…”
Lestrade’s muffled voice came from behind him.
“Is to give that elixir to Professor Moriarty…”
“………..”
“…Instead of taking it yourself?”
Adler turned his head for a moment, offering his lover a radiant smile.
“…Your deductive skills have really improved, Inspector.”
Lestrade clenched her teeth so hard that the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
“I really, really despise you.”
Contrary to her harsh words, her eyes grew moist as she watched Adler’s retreating figure.