Chapter 123: Berserk
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: Berserk
“Why the long faces, everyone?”
Isaac Adler’s voice, suddenly relaxed, echoed through the cavern that had been deathly silent only moments before.
“Did you honestly think you could just propose and I’d say yes in a heartbeat?”
“……”
“Heh. Dream on.”
As he sauntered past them with his hands tucked behind his back, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips, the glares Charlotte and Lestrade leveled at him turned colder than an arctic blizzard.
“Uh, why are there three… marriage registration forms?”
Behind the two women, Watson muttered to herself, utterly perplexed by the absurd sight. Lestrade, standing beside Charlotte, spoke with a fierce, biting intensity.
“Are you sure you can handle the consequences of what you’re doing, Isaac Adler?”
“You will surely regret this.”
“…And why is that?” Isaac asked.
“If what you say is true, every monster in the world will soon be hunting you down.”
“Hmm, I suppose so.” Adler nodded in quiet agreement.
“The only person who can negate that curse is me—the one who carries its antithesis. You need me by your side.”
“Ah…”
“So, unless you’ve grown tired of living, you should be begging me to—”
Lestrade, who had been speaking with such confidence, suddenly trailed off. She couldn't help it; Charlotte Holmes, standing right next to her, was glaring at her with wide, maddened eyes.
“Ahem.”
Lestrade averted her gaze, trying to avoid those eyes—eyes that were now faintly tinged with the same color as Adler’s hair.
“…Instead, you should be begging me to marry you. Yes.”
“Inspector,” Charlotte growled.
“Miss Holmes. Sometimes, people need to be flexible.” The hesitant woman then looked at Charlotte with a resolute gaze and spoke freely. “At this moment, I am the only one capable of handling Isaac Adler.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“It’s not nonsense, Miss Holmes. It’s the undeniable truth—the very thing you claim to be so fond of.”
“No, it isn’t,” Charlotte denied vehemently, her tone fierce. “…The anomalies and bizarre phenomena can be resolved. That is what modern detectives specialize in. It is far more suitable for me to be by his side.”
“Preventing a danger at its source is better than managing the risk after it occurs.”
“Then I’ll hire you as a security guard for our new home. We’ll have the wedding within a week, so quit your job at the police force and—”
“Why is this conversation taking this turn?” Lestrade interrupted.
Charlotte Holmes quietly bowed her head at the Inspector’s question.
“…Because.”
“Yes?”
“Because I love him!” she suddenly screamed, her voice echoing through the cavern. “And isn’t it the same for you, Isaac Adler?!”
“…….”
“Do you really think I wouldn’t recognize my own mana in your eyes? I can feel it, even if you’re wearing colored lenses!”
She paused to catch her breath, her voice trembling as she continued.
“Mr. Adler, let’s get married…”
“…….”
“I can do everything the Inspector can do for you.”
Hearing those words, Adler silently suppressed the smile he had been wearing.
“I’ll take care of every bizarre oddity the future throws at us. After all, I too am cursed—cursed to never be satisfied by anything other than a mystery. Let’s just call it canceling out each other’s curses.”
“………”
“I’ll handle the chores, the finances, and raising the children all on my own. Don’t you want to see what kind of child the union of London’s most superior genes would produce?”
Her pride discarded, she murmured those absurd words as if they were common sense. However, when she saw Adler looking down at her in silence, she began to bite her lip nervously.
“Don’t look at me with that expression…”
“………”
“You like me, don’t you? Much more than that officer you’re reluctantly dating.”
“Miss Holmes!” Lestrade glared at Charlotte, ready to snap back. But Adler spoke before she could interject.
“That’s exactly why I’ve chosen this ending.”
At his words, Charlotte fell silent.
“If I married you or the Inspector, I’m sure I’d be happy for a year or so.”
“…Leave the Inspector out of this.”
“Yes, let’s assume as you say.” Adler, a smile returning to his face, slowly walked toward Charlotte. “…In any case, if I were to accept a marriage proposal, it would certainly bring me immense joy.”
“Then let’s get married—”
“But then, the world would come to an end.”
Charlotte’s face turned as pale as a sheet.
“Did you know that the recent surge in bizarre phenomena worldwide coincides exactly with when I began my external activities?”
“It’s a coincidence.”
“Jill the Ripper, the phantom thief from France, the mad scientist, and even the demonic hound of the Baskerville family being drawn to me… are those all just coincidences?”
“Yes. They are all definitely coincidences.”
Reaching out, Adler gently stroked her pale cheek.
“…Unfortunately, they aren't. Merely by existing, I cause this world to be eroded by things that should not be.”
“No…”
“Don’t deny it. You, of all people, should not turn away from the truth, Charlotte Holmes.”
Warm tears began to trickle down onto his hand.
“You weren’t one to wear your emotions on your sleeve.”
“It’s all because of you.”
“Haa…”
“You’re the one who made it so I can’t live without you, and now you want me to erase you with my own hands?” Charlotte clutched Adler’s hand, shaking her head, her teeth clenched so hard they nearly bled. “I can’t.”
“No, that is the only way,” Adler whispered, his voice resolute. “You’ve uncovered the truth of this case. That I am the cause of it all—and at the same time, the Devil that must disappear from this world.”
“…You can’t mean…”
“So, it’s your victory.”
“Did you orchestrate this entire case just to lose from the start?”
He murmured, slightly avoiding her gaze. “…From the moment you began to suspect my true identity, to be precise.”
“Then this mystery is invalid! What kind of challenge is it if the challenger accepts defeat before it even begins?”
“Oh? Surely you, a detective, aren’t trying to cover up a case now, are you?”
Their eyes, each dyed in the color of the other’s hair, met in a heavy silence.
“I’ll charge you as an accomplice, not the culprit. A mere five to ten years, or… with a plea bargain, it could be even less.”
“No, that’s going to be difficult.”
“What?”
“…I’ve already secured the testimony of both the victim and the perpetrator. They will provide statements that are… unfavorable for me.”
Between the two of them, it was Charlotte’s gaze that faltered first.
“The ghastly legend of the Baskerville family doesn’t end there,” Adler continued.
“……”
“Do you know the surname of the young man who died at the hands of the lady of the estate—the one who made a pact with the devil?”
“……..!”
Though she had surmised the hidden facts long ago, she hadn't wanted to bring them up. Adler, however, was adamant about dragging this uncomfortable truth into the light.
“…It was Mortimer. You seem to have already figured it out, judging by your expression.”
“……..”
“By the way, I heard that young man had a very cute little sister.”
As Adler spoke, he glanced toward the back of the cavern. Gloria Mortimer, who had been standing silently beside Helen Baskerville, immediately lowered her head in acknowledgment.
“A few days after the incident ended, an individual summoned the same devil the lord had contracted with and willingly became a werewolf. For the next two hundred years, that being hunted every heir of the family, becoming the curse of the Baskerville line…”
“…That individual you’re talking about… it’s the female butler, isn’t it?”
“And behind her, as you know, is none other than me.”
Charlotte, who had been coldly confronting the female butler as the woman bared her fangs, finally spoke.
“So what now?”
“What do you mean, ‘so what now’? Obviously, I’m going to make her confess everything.”
“………..”
“Of course, she will name me as the mastermind. She’s one of the few who can prove that I’m a devil. All of this was possible thanks to Miss Holmes’ perfect deduction.” Adler faced her with a calm gaze. “As for Miss Baskerville… to say I recruited her would be wrong, per se.”
“………”
“Since she detests me to the extreme, she will no doubt be eager to prove my guilt with everything she has.”
Charlotte lowered her head. Adler gently stroked her hair, whispering in a low voice.
“How about it? Isn’t it amusing how our roles have reversed?”
“……….”
“A criminal consultant desperate to expose his own guilt to the world, and a detective trying to cover it up… It sounds like something straight out of a novel, doesn’t it?”
A long, heavy silence settled over the cavern.
.
.
.
.
.
“…Mr. Adler.”
Amidst the silence, Charlotte’s voice finally emerged—frigid and detached.
“So what do you propose?”
“…..Pardon?”
“You’ve thought this through quite well, but you’ve overlooked a very small possibility that could foil your entire plan.”
At that moment, Isaac Adler felt a chill run down his spine. Her gaze had become significantly darker.
“According to Article 12, Section 3 of the British Abnormal/Bizarre Lifeform Management Act—an act providing for the handling and management of special lifeforms…”
“………”
“…The following species are not guaranteed the status of humans and are to be eliminated upon discovery. Legal protection is granted only when they belong to the state or are the property of a licensed individual.”
Charlotte’s lips slowly curled upward as she gazed at him with a maddening intensity.
“Vampires, werewolves, unauthorized artificial life forms, the undead, devils, or those presumed to have originated from devils—also known as demons.”
“…We’ve been discussing that very topic, haven’t we?” Adler tilted his head, perplexed. “By turning myself in, our long association ends. The British government will execute me as a target for elimination, and you will be remembered as the hero who rid the world of a monster—”
“Not being guaranteed the status of a human means that anything I do to you is legal.”
Adler stared at her, dumbfounded.
“Provided that ownership rights are secured, of course.”
“Miss Holmes, if you do not defeat me, the world is in peril—”
“…As I’ve said time and again, so what?”
The atmosphere reversed in an instant. Charlotte began to press Adler against the wall with a dark smile.
“From now on, I’m going to overpower you and confine you in the basement I’ve prepared at the Baker residence. Other than resisting, what else can you do?”
“Ah…”
“Don’t worry. Legally speaking, this isn’t a criminal act—it’s a rescue operation. Even if half the women in Britain cry out in protest, I won’t be prosecuted.”
“You plan to fight and defeat a devil? When there’s a demonic hound and a werewolf by my side?”
“Inspector Lestrade will cooperate with the arrest. No matter how loyal you and your monsters are, without contracts and magic, you’re powerless.”
“………”
“Let’s start by combining our genes to find a way to stop the monsters. By intertwining in various ways, I’m sure we’ll figure something out quickly.”
“Um…”
Sweating profusely as Charlotte—who had completely gone berserk and lost all restraint—pushed him against the wall, Adler quickly looked behind him.
“………”
- Growl…
Gia Lestrade, looking displeased but seemingly in tentative agreement with Charlotte’s plan, quietly pulled out her baton. She stood before Adler’s loyal monsters, blocking their path.
“Hmm…”
After observing the scene, Isaac Adler summoned the return ticket window he had just received.
“Isaac Adler, look into my eyes.”
‘…Should I use it now?’
“From now on, I’m your master.”
His hand hesitantly moved toward the small ticket-shaped icon.
.
.
.
.
.
“Sorry, but I can’t agree to that.”
At that moment, a monotone voice, all too familiar to everyone present, echoed through the cavern.
- Gooooooooo…..!
“Ugh!?”
“Ah.”
In less than a second, a pressure as heavy as the deep ocean weighed down on everyone in the cave.
“I had a hunch when the weather turned foul so suddenly…”
Adler, the only one seemingly unaffected by the suffocating pressure, looked toward the cavern entrance with an awkward smile as a figure slowly approached.
“…Of course, it could only be the Professor.”
Isaac Adler’s legal master had effortlessly bypassed all her rivals and now stood before him.
“Mr. Adler.”
Professor Jane Moriarty, who had been watching the entire event from the shadows, pulled something out with a cheery expression.
“…Shall we get married?”
It was a marriage registration form, neatly signed with her name.
“…Huh?”
Isaac Adler, who had been about to embrace the Professor with relief, now wore a look of utter bewilderment.
“Cut the crap.”
Astonishingly, Charlotte managed to shake off the Professor’s mana with a berserk outburst of her own. She rose to her feet against all odds, spewing curses with a savage expression on her youthful face.
“…Hmm?”
A new system message appeared before Adler’s eyes.
Warning!
– Probability of ??? — 200%
“…Surely, this must be a glitch.”
The moment Adler muttered those words, black and gray mana began to clash with a blinding flash of light.
Correction
Warning!
– Probability of ??? by Multiple Individuals — 100%
“…Fuck.”