Chapter 121: The Hound of the Baskervilles (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: The Hound of the Baskervilles (9)
“…This is.”
“Uhm.”
After subduing the werewolves, Charlotte and Lestrade left the estate to search for Adler.
“”………””
Following footsteps they presumed were Adler’s, the two women ventured into the wilderness, their brows furrowing in silence as they stepped onto the moor.
“Isn’t this Adler’s coat…?”
“No need to say it aloud, Inspector. I can see it for myself.”
There, amidst the rain-soaked moor, lay the coat Adler usually wore, drenched and discarded.
“L-L-Look over there, Holmes…!”
As the two women observed the unnerving sight with a chill in their eyes, a voice trembling with terror emerged from behind them.
“I-It’s those same gleaming eyes again…!”
Watson, who had been shivering in the estate’s lobby and had no desire to be left alone, had chosen to follow Lestrade and Charlotte. Now, she pointed toward a distant hill, her face pale and distorted with horror.
- Grrrrgrrr…
Following her gesture, Charlotte and Lestrade came face-to-face with a sight that had become all too familiar.
“…It’s that monster again.”
“Tch.”
Amidst the howling storm, a mysterious entity with eyes shining with an ominous, piercing blue gleam stared back at them. Its gaze was intense and eerie.
- Click…
“Don’t provoke it unnecessarily.”
Lestrade remained undeterred, glaring fiercely at the creature with grim solemnity. Just as she was about to draw her firearm to deal with the monstrosity, Charlotte quietly extended a hand to restrain her.
“With my curse, I should be able to immobilize it before it can attack.”
“That’s not the issue. Look at it closely.”
Puzzlement spread across the inspector’s face as she scrutinized the mysterious being.
“…It doesn’t seem like it’s trying to attack. It’s watching us from a distance.”
The moment those words left her mouth, the creature quietly turned its back and vanished into the storm.
“D-Don’t go, Holmes…!”
As Charlotte moved forward, Watson grabbed her arm, her expression tearful.
“I-It’s obviously luring us into a trap… If we go, we’ll surely be devoured…!”
“…Calm down for a moment, Watson.”
“B-But Holmes, look at this!”
With a trembling hand, she pointed to Adler’s coat lying on the ground.
“Adler’s coat is torn to shreds. It’s clear he was attacked by that monster…”
“…That’s hardly the case, Watson.”
Charlotte immediately countered with a logical rebuttal.
“Even Isaac Adler wouldn't be ravished by a mere puppy, would he?”
“What?”
“Look closer.”
Watson and Lestrade focused their gaze. Something previously hidden by Adler’s vest came into view.
“Women’s… undergarments?”
“There are also the female butler’s white gloves and Adler’s belt. Less significant than the undergarments, perhaps, but still important.”
Watson looked bewildered, while Lestrade’s expression instantly turned colder than glacial snow.
“So… was Isaac Adler sexually assaulted by the culprit?”
“Sexual assault. While it falls outside my usual jurisdiction of homicide, it is a crime every bit as heinous, inflicting severe psychological trauma upon the victim.”
The gazes of the two women grew increasingly solemn with each passing second.
“Now that I look at it, there are several indentations in the ground—telltale signs of a violent struggle. A particularly severe one, at that.”
“There’s also some saliva… I’m not sure exactly what it indicates, but given the context…”
As the women continued to analyze the crime scene, Charlotte spoke up again.
“You’ll agree now that the demonic hound isn’t the culprit, right?”
“But I think the problem now is another matter altogether…”
“We don’t know what terrible things might have happened here, but we must start searching immediately. I’ll go to the right, and you should—”
“I said, calm down. Both of you.”
Charlotte muttered softly, her eyes glinting in the dark.
“Did you already forget that I said it was an attempted crime?”
“Ah…”
“Indeed, if Adler had truly been assaulted, you’d be in the powder room by now…”
“…Shut your mouth, Watson.”
Charlotte coldly interrupted Watson mid-sentence, cutting off the ridicule before it could be delivered.
“But what evidence do you have that it was only an attempt? From what I see, these traces suggest he was already brutally assaulted,” Lestrade questioned.
“Looking at the indented ground, I can reconstruct the situation in my head. Gloria Mortimer must have struggled furiously against Adler, tearing his coat with her nails before forcing him to the ground.”
“………”
“She likely began to unbuckle Adler’s belt after discarding her own undergarments. Since there is no blood to be seen, it appears her sole intention was to rape him.”
Charlotte ignored the inspector's skepticism, casting her gaze downward as she visualized the event.
“But for some reason, the assault stopped the very moment the undergarments were removed.”
“……..?”
“I have no idea how Isaac Adler managed to control a ravenous wolf.”
“It still sounds like you have no real evidence,” Lestrade murmured, her expression worried.
“No, there is definitely evidence.”
Charlotte replied confidently, focusing her gaze on the palm of her hand.
｢It seems you’ve already found the answer.｣
｢I wonder if this mystery was too easy for you?｣
A familiar golden message began to manifest.
｢But you know, the answer is still a little lacking.｣
｢The real culprit of this case is someone else.｣
Charlotte’s expression sharpened as she read.
｢You have only one chance to satisfy me.｣
｢I’ll be waiting for a satisfactory answer, Miss Holmes.｣
“I’m not sure what kind of absurdity he’s planning, but at the very least, it’s certain that Isaac Adler successfully recruited Gloria Mortimer into his plan.”
Charlotte rested her chin on her hand, sinking into deep thought.
“The real question is, just what did he say to persuade a hostile werewolf in such a critical situation…?”
Silence descended upon the scene.
“There she goes again…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Just leave her be,” Watson said, realizing her partner had entered a trance. She diverted Lestrade’s attention. “It happens sometimes when the case is nearing its conclusion—when all the information is gathered but the final piece hasn't clicked yet.”
“I had only heard about this phenomenon, but seeing it with my own eyes is a first.”
“I still find it fascinating, though the excessive consumption of cigarettes and coffee that follows is a problem…”
Standing a bit farther away from the entranced detective, they began to whisper.
“…Speaking of fascinating things, he really is something, isn't he?”
“Are you talking about Adler?”
“Yes. If you think about it, didn’t he ultimately end up seducing that vicious werewolf, just like Charlotte said?”
Watson voiced the thought that had suddenly occurred to her.
“I suppose that’s true. That’s why Adler is my responsibility, after all…”
“But if you look at it, Isaac Adler is quite pitiful too.”
“Pitiful?”
“Like the Inspector and Charlotte, he’s also under a curse, right? So I thought maybe there’s an element of inevitability to it—things that are beyond his control…”
“What are you talking about?”
Lestrade’s face showed only puzzlement.
“The curse on Isaac Adler is a very mysterious one. However, what is certain is that… it has nothing to do with women.”
“……..?”
“Miss Mycrony told me that it’s a curse that attracts all the oddities of the world to him—the complete antithesis of my own.”
Hearing those words, Watson murmured with a look of horror.
“You mean to say that all his female-related troubles aren’t because of the curse…?”
“…….”
“Madness. This is beyond human capacity…”
At that very instant…
“…Ha.”
Suddenly, Charlotte let out a cold breath, a smile stretching across her lips.
“I was thinking in circles over something so simple.”
“…Should we keep our voices down, Holmes?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Watson widened her eyes upon seeing Charlotte’s relaxed face—the look she only wore when a case was solved.
“From now on, you can be as loud as you like.”
Charlotte whispered softly.
“…That conversation just now helped me organize my thoughts.”
“W-Where are you going, Holmes?”
As Charlotte began walking in the direction the demonic hound had vanished, Watson called out urgently.
“…To get married.”
Leaving those ambiguous words behind, Charlotte Holmes suddenly dashed forward, cutting through the raging storm at a furious speed.
“…..Tsk.”
“W-Wait for me!!”
Lestrade began to chase after her, and a pale-faced Watson followed suit, running through the wilderness behind them.
*
“Ugh…”
Meanwhile, at that very moment…
“…..Uh?”
Helen Baskerville felt a throbbing pain in her head. As she opened her eyes, she stared dazed at the sight unfolding before her.
“Have you come to your senses?”
“Wh-What is this? And where are we…?”
Adler was changing his dirt-covered shirt inside a dimly lit cabin, looking at her with a gentle smile. Ironically, she was now tied to a chair, just as he had been minutes before.
“…Who knows?”
“….Ugh.”
Adler quietly approached and gently stroked her chin. Helen shivered with fear, shrinking back from his touch.
“Please, help me! Is there anyone out there…!”
“……..”
“…M-Mortimer?”
Just as she was about to scream, she spotted Mortimer appearing beside Adler.
“Please, help me! Adler has me—”
Helen desperately called out for help the moment she saw the female butler.
- Swish… Swoosh…
“…Huh?”
To her astonishment, the faithful dog of the Baskerville family—the woman she had trusted without doubt—now gazed at Adler with submissive eyes, obediently rubbing her cheek against his.
“……..”
Helen Baskerville watched the unbelievable scene in stunned silence.
“It was getting boring waiting for Charlotte to arrive, so this is just what I needed.”
Adler gazed down at her, a smile in his eyes as he whispered.
“…I’ll make you just like her.”
“Ugh, uh…”
Shortly after, the room began to echo with the sound of heavy breathing.
“Haaahhhhh~….”