Chapter 124: Escape
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: Escape
“Haa, haaaa…”
—Gooooooo…
The duel between Charlotte Holmes and Professor Moriarty had been raging for dozens of minutes, and it was finally reaching a fever pitch.
“You’re surprisingly resilient, aren’t you?”
Normally, with her denser mana, superior skill, and vast experience, Professor Moriarty should have secured an overwhelming victory long ago.
“Has some sort of trigger forced your abilities to spike?”
“…Quiet.”
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Charlotte’s pitch-black mana—darker and more ominous than ever before—was successfully holding its own against Professor Moriarty’s all-devouring, deathly grey mana.
“Just… just a little more!”
“…Charlotte! Hang in there!”
Of course, this miracle wasn’t solely due to Charlotte’s absurd growth.
“Tch…”
“She’s a handful, but I’ll finish this werewolf and join you as soon as I can! Just hold on a little longer!”
Inspector Gia Lestrade was busy intercepting the werewolf that had been relentlessly targeting Charlotte under the command of the devil that empowered it. Even while occupied, Lestrade didn't forget to divert some of her strength to help thin out the suffocating concentration of grey mana in the room.
“Grrgrrgrrrrrr…”
“S-Stay back! You see this? It’s loaded with… with silver bullets! It’ll hurt! It’ll hurt really, really bad if you get hit, okay? So don’t come any closer!”
Meanwhile, Dr. Rachel Watson had somehow managed to suppress the paralyzing fear gripping her heart, all for the sake of her partner. She stood her ground, aiming her pistol at the demonic hound circling the room, keeping the beast at bay.
“Wow.”
At a safe distance from the chaos, Isaac Adler watched the frantic scene with sparkling eyes. His hand, however, remained hovered over the ‘Return Ticket’ icon—just in case.
“Magic really is incredible…”
“Mr. Adler.”
He reflexively shut his mouth at the sound of Professor Moriarty’s voice. Even in the heat of battle, her tone remained leisurely and bemused.
“Six women are tearing each other apart over you, yet you watch as if it’s a play. Are you truly that intrigued?”
“Uh… technically, isn’t it five?”
“……..”
“…Hehe.”
When the silence stretched on, Adler offered an awkward smile and scratched the back of his head.
“In that case, it makes the effort of coming here to save you feel rather pointless, doesn’t it?”
Unlike before, Professor Moriarty gazed at him with her head tilted to the side. Puzzled by the unusually cheerful demeanor he displayed while they fought for his life, the Professor unexpectedly relaxed her grip for a fleeting second.
—Tssssss…
In that instant, Charlotte Holmes’s ominous black mana surged forward, swallowing the Professor’s grey mana.
“Professor…?”
“…Hmph.”
Adler looked on, dazed, as a sulky voice escaped the Professor’s lips. She shot him a look that was uncharacteristically sullen.
“You still seem quite at ease, don’t you…?”
A chilling voice echoed from the front.
“Of course, I do appreciate your arrogance.”
“……..”
“You must have realized by now that you can no longer suppress me as effortlessly as you once did.”
“That doesn’t mean you can win.”
For a brief moment, Charlotte’s mana seemed to dominate Professor Moriarty’s overwhelming presence. Undeterred, the Professor began to ramp up her mana output once more as their gazes locked.
“Your eyes are still grey, Professor. It seems your love for yourself is far greater than your love for Adler.”
“My heart is several times wider than that narrow, prejudiced thing beating in your chest. However, no matter how large the heart, some natures are too stubborn to change. There is nothing one can do about it.”
“Don’t try to pass your failings off as a joke.”
Charlotte lowered her voice, whispering a question that cut through the air.
“…Do you even understand the emotion called love?”
Silence fell between the two women.
“See…”
Charlotte stared at the silent Professor with a gaze colder than any she had ever projected. A sneer stretched across her lips.
“You’re just playing at love because it seems… fun. Isn’t that right, Professor?”
“Your words are a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
Jane Moriarty glared back, her voice leaking out like glacial ice.
“Apologies, but I’m not in the mood to indulge a child’s tantrum.”
“I never thought I’d say this to you, but…”
Charlotte didn’t back down an inch. She faced the Professor head-on, her voice dripping with mockery.
“You, who cannot even begin to grasp the concept of love… you are truly pitiful.”
“……….”
“The sight of you desperately trying to imitate it is tragic. I feel sorry for you, truly.”
The Professor’s eyes grew colder at the whisper, but her expression and breathing remained disciplined.
—Gooooooo…
“Oh? Did I strike a nerve?”
The balance of the clashing mana, which the Professor had been managing with ease, began to waver. It was a slip she couldn't entirely hide from Charlotte.
—Creak, creaaaak…
“If you have even a shred of guilt, have the decency to back off.”
Charlotte did not miss the opening. She pressed her advantage relentlessly.
“You seem to lack a conscience. For an old maid to act so—”
—Crrrreeeeeeaaaaaaack…
“A proposal? Don’t make me laugh.”
As the gap widened, Charlotte’s dark mana reached the very edge of Professor Moriarty’s space.
“…He has already turned down our proposals.”
In that moment of crisis, Charlotte drove the final nail in with a bitter smile.
“There is no way Adler would ever accept a proposal from someone like you.”
—Tap, tap…
The Professor listened with an expressionless face, but her eyes suddenly flashed with an ominous light when…
“Professor.”
“…….?”
Adler, who had surreptitiously approached them without anyone noticing, tapped the Professor on the shoulder with a cheerful smile.
“Adler, it’s dangerous here.”
“Look at this.”
“Step back for n—”
Jane Moriarty, who had been glaring at Charlotte with a frosty expression, suddenly trailed off.
“Hehe.”
Adler was holding out a single sheet of paper.
“………”
It didn’t take long for the truth to sink in. It was a marriage registration form—signed in Adler’s own handwriting, right next to the signature Professor Moriarty had already placed there.
.
.
.
.
.
—Gooooooooooooo…
Charlotte Holmes’s mana, which had been on the verge of seizing victory, began to shake violently.
“Ugh…”
She tried to regain her balance, but it was too late. The black mana that had been burrowing toward the Professor moments ago was now struggling just to hold back the tide of grey mana.
“…Why on earth?”
Realizing the tide had turned irrevocably, Charlotte hung her head, her voice filled with disbelief and despair.
“Why would you make such a choice?”
Tears began to well in the corners of her eyes.
“Are you bloody serious?”
A cold voice came from behind Charlotte.
“Is it just me, or are people doing fake marriages now? Was I the only one left out of the loop?”
“Why… why else would you do this? Why, out of everyone, did you choose the Professor? She’s the only one who can’t nullify your curse… and she’s the person you love?”
“…Hmm.”
Adler, looking at the unusually outspoken Watson, scratched his head and answered in a low voice.
“It’s for the reason I mentioned earlier.”
“”……….””
“Marrying someone I’m supposed to bring down… that wouldn’t make much sense, would it?”
At his reply, their faces turned deathly pale.
“My dearest ladies, please do your very best to bring us down.”
“Stop…”
“At this point, it couldn’t be clearer what you need to do from now on.”
“Stop it!!”
Charlotte exploded as she heard Adler’s final words.
“I don’t want to bring you down!!”
“……..”
“I like you! I love you, Adler!!”
Tears streamed down her face—more than she had ever shed in her entire life.
“Ah, yes… I was a bit too harsh earlier, wasn’t I? I’m sorry. I went too far, so let’s find another way, okay? Let’s just start over… please…”
“Miss Holmes…”
“Marrying someone else for my sake… I won’t accept such a godforsaken ending!!”
Charlotte shouted at the top of her lungs and tried to step forward.
“…This doesn’t seem like a fitting conclusion to the case.”
Adler watched as Gia Lestrade exerted her superhuman strength to finally subdue the culprit, Mortimer, behind them. He squinted and muttered to himself.
“The only problem is Miss Baskerville, who witnessed everything…”
“…That won’t be a problem.”
Amidst the deteriorating situation, a shy, whispered voice spoke up.
“I’ve already made arrangements to cover up this incident…”
“Is that so?”
The Professor, who had been so confident during her proposal, was now avoiding Adler’s gaze with flushed cheeks. Adler merely nodded in silence.
“Then, let’s get out of here.”
—Swish…
Suddenly, Adler wrapped an arm around her waist.
“………?”
He scooped her up in a princess carry. Professor Moriarty, who had been flicking her head side to side like a startled lizard, froze in his arms, unable to process what was happening.
“…It seems you still haven’t accepted the situation, so I shall give you time.”
“A-Adler.”
“But if you still can’t accept it in the end…”
Gently stroking her hair, Isaac Adler quietly raised his hand.
“The next mystery I set for you won’t be so kind.”
“Stop it. Stop it already!!”
“Prepare yourself well, Miss Holmes.”
“…Ugh.”
Charlotte, buckling under the oppressive atmosphere filling the cavern, finally lost her balance and collapsed to the ground.
“…Don’t waste your energy trying to catch me.”
Looking at her with a hint of pity, Adler snapped his fingers.
“Unless you discover the true name, binding a devil is impossible.”
“Wait!!”
“…Goodbye.”
In an instant, the Professor and Adler vanished from the cavern.
.
.
.
.
.
A heavy, suffocating silence descended upon the cave.
“Strange.”
In the darkness, Charlotte knelt on the sharp, rocky floor. Her knees were scraped and bleeding, but she didn't seem to feel it. She muttered quietly, her eyes lifeless.
“He promised to be with me… to stay by my side forever… back then.”
As if the chaos had been a lie, the storm ceased the moment Adler stepped out of the wilderness. However, at that very instant, a terrifying message appeared before his eyes, leaving him puzzled.
“…Did I forget something for a moment?”
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