Chapter 125: Marriage
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125: Marriage
Warning!
Calibrating probabilities...
– Probability of Imprisonment: 100%
– Probability of ???: 100%
– Probability of being Shared: 100%
As I rode in the carriage back to London with Professor Moriarty, having just made a dramatic escape from the crime scene, a flood of system messages began manifesting before my eyes.
...They’re already at 100 percent. Why are they still updating?
I know, right?
Normally, I would have been panicking by now, but given my current circumstances, the flickering probabilities didn’t bother me in the least. I never realized how profound the difference between having an escape route and being trapped truly was. The moment I got my hands on that return ticket, I stopped looking back.
Still, this is a bit much...
As the tension eased, I fought against the encroaching drowsiness. Trying to keep my eyes open, I began to wonder: Was it really necessary to go to such lengths?
I had already resolved to finish all the necessary preparations before my departure to ensure this world wouldn't collapse once I disappeared. Couldn't I have chosen a more moderate approach? These were the lingering regrets that only surfaced after the die had been cast.
"Hmm..."
However, it didn't take long for those worries to fade. In fact, they didn't just fade; I almost started to regret not being even more mischievous and cruel.
Something was definitely off. Even if I was elated by the return ticket and no longer cared about others' feelings, wasn't this a bit extreme?
"........"
After a long period of solitary contemplation, I arrived at a chilling conclusion.
...Is my true self gradually transforming into a devil?
Ever since I realized that the identity of this body was The Devil of biblical mythos, something had begun to stir within me. For now, these were still feeble, negligible impulses.
For instance, I had the urge to sneakily approach a girl who disliked me just to flirt and annoy her. Or perhaps secretly bully a girl who had a crush on me. I even felt the impulse to deceive and torment those who trusted me... My mind was a whirlwind of similar thoughts.
They were minor moral lapses for now, but I had a feeling they would only grow stronger with time.
...Becoming more devilish isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Even though I had acquired a significant debuff known as Moral Decadence Overload, the benefits gained from this ordeal were immense. Thanks to advice from Mycrony—which acted like a cheat code when progress was stalled—I had succeeded in realizing my true identity and the tasks I had to perform.
By becoming conscious of my identity as The Devil, I could finally control the powers I had only been using subconsciously. More importantly, I could properly identify the cause of the world-threatening erosion rate.
It was me. The very existence of Isaac Adler. This body’s presence in this world was acting as a beacon, drawing all kinds of supernatural oddities to this plane in real-time.
Consequently, my next move was clear.
I had to plan the perfect case—a crime so grand it would be acknowledged by everyone, a case that could not be ignored—and then I had to be utterly defeated by Charlotte Holmes.
Neither suicide nor natural death was an option. Given the speed of the erosion, the world would likely be consumed before I could die of old age. And after everything I’d been through, I didn't want to tarnish this world with a hollow, cliffhanger ending by taking my own life.
Ending 999
Epilogue: Disaster of The End
The warning of the series' worst possible ending loomed threateningly whenever I even entertained the thought of suicide, serving as a grim reminder.
Indeed, this is the only way.
By being defeated by Charlotte and completely disappearing from this world, I could prevent the apocalypse. Simultaneously, this outcome would drive a heartbroken Professor Moriarty to voluntarily withdraw, ashamed and despondent at suffering the greatest defeat of her life at the hands of her one and only nemesis.
Of course, if I used the return ticket just before the moment of death, I could save this world without actually passing into the afterlife, returning instead to my original world.
The moment I genuinely fell in love with Professor Moriarty, the game's final boss, the predetermined happy ending was essentially lost. The only feasible conclusion left was a suboptimal settlement where Charlotte, the Professor, and I all somehow survived, while I slipped away to my own world in the background.
Naturally, the problem was the result, but...
...Well, it’s no longer my concern.
For me, holding the ticket back to reality, such things were hardly a problem. This bizarre world, where magic and mystery formed a strange symbiotic synergy, was not where I belonged. My real home was the world where the conveniences of modern civilization were omnipresent.
Yeah, it’s not my job.
Even though I’ve traversed this world and grown a bit fond of it...
Not my job...
No, I’ve actually grown quite attached to this world...
"........."
It was utterly strange. In a situation where I didn't know when I might be killed or attacked, I thought I would be overjoyed at the prospect of returning home at a moment's notice. Why, then, did a part of my heart feel so uneasy?
"...Ah."
The answer was reflected in my own eyes in the carriage window.
"Haha..."
One black, one grey.
Indisputable evidence that I had surrendered my heart to both Charlotte Holmes and Professor Jane Moriarty. Their colors dyed my eyes and my heart. It was unequivocal proof that forbade any excuse of simply being "overwhelmed" by them.
"Ha..."
As I observed these orbs of evidence, the actions I had tried to dismiss as trivial seemed all the more foolish.
...But even if things are settled for me, what will become of Charlotte and the Professor when I return to reality?
As the thoughts I had been avoiding resurfaced, my expression darkened.
"........."
However, I soon shook my head and steeled my heart.
...Still, I can't allow the world to be destroyed.
It wouldn't be right to let the world erode into nothingness for the sake of a single year of bliss. It would be better to give Charlotte the opportunity to bring things to an end herself—to become the stepping stone for her growth.
And as for the Professor...
"...Uh?"
While lost in thought, I turned my head to the side for the first time in hours and couldn't help but shudder.
"........."
Professor Moriarty, who had been sitting next to me the entire time, was staring at me. Her head was leaned in so close that I could feel her breath against my face.
"...How long have you been sitting like that?"
"Since we boarded the carriage."
Her voice was its usual monotone, yet I sensed a trace of hidden anxiety deep within.
"Hmm..."
Hearing that voice, a sense of mischief bubbled up inside me once more. Setting aside my worries for a moment, I began tossing sarcastic remarks her way.
"...You’re being rather creepy, Professor."
"........"
Unlike with Charlotte or Lestrade, I couldn't easily put distance between myself and the Professor, so I chose the next best thing.
"I don't like women who are so clingy."
In truth, this might have been my subconscious acting out—being petty and distant because I knew we would eventually have to part.
.
.
.
"Thinking about how you’ve been staring at my face for hours without saying a word gives me the chills... Soooo creepy..."
"......."
"Perverted Professor."
As Adler crossed his legs and muttered with narrowed eyes, the Professor simply cocked her head to the side. She remained silent, staring at him with that tilted, unblinking gaze.
"...It’s a joke," Adler muttered, inadvertently cowering with a sullen face. "Ah, speaking of jokes, that marriage contract..."
"........"
"It was an excellent strategy."
Adler, gauging her reaction, suddenly began poking her ribs with a friendly expression.
"...Strategy?"
"You brought it on purpose to disrupt Charlotte’s mana in case of an emergency, right?"
Surprisingly, the Professor didn't stop his bold, subconscious actions. She just kept watching him as he did whatever he wanted.
"Now, give it back to me."
".......?"
As she watched Adler naturally slip his hand into her clothing and start rummaging around with a bright expression, she finally looked at him with utter bewilderment.
"I’ll hold onto it. It'll be a convenient tool for dealing with Charlotte in the future."
"........."
"Oh, here it is."
Adler finally succeeded in grabbing the contract from within the Professor’s garments. Just as he was about to pull it out—
"How did you manage to create such an excellent forgery—"
Thump!
"...Huh?"
The Professor gripped his hand roughly and pulled, snatching the contract back.
"Professor? What are you doing?"
"........."
"Uh, ouch...!?"
Adler tried to snatch the contract back, but due to their significant height difference, his hand couldn't reach hers as she held it against the ceiling of the carriage.
"Stop joking around..."
"This is not a joke."
Jane Moriarty shook her head slowly, her voice steady.
"It’s not a forgery."
"Then...?"
"This is a real, legally binding marriage certificate."
As her grey eyes began to darken, Adler froze.
"The moment you signed it, it became effective."
At that moment, the system messages reappeared.
Warning!
– Probability of Imprisonment: 100%
– Probability of being Tamed: 100%
– Probability of ???: 100%
As Adler stared blankly at the messages, a cold object was slipped onto his finger.
"Uh..."
He realized it was a ring—a top-quality diamond set in a band. Adler’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
[Among all the possibilities of all three probabilities occurring simultaneously, did you not consider that marriage was one of them?]
As Adler cautiously reached with his free hand toward the menu to trigger the return ticket—
"How is it?"
He found himself unable to move, his mind turning blank.
"...Darling."
He watched as the Professor, having slipped the ring onto his finger, avoided his gaze with a flushed face, whispering the word in a tone that was both cute and terrifyingly endearing.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, at the Baskerville estate...
"...So, what do we do now?"
"........."
"If what Isaac Adler says is true... are we truly meant to bring him down with our own hands?"
Charlotte Holmes, drenched from the rain, was rummaging through Adler’s room.
"Are we to watch, with eyes wide open, as he is forced into marriage with the Evil Queen for our sake?"
"...No."
She turned, her expression icy, to look at the anxious Gia Lestrade.
"There is a way."
"What way?"
"His True Name."
Hearing her answer, Lestrade clenched her fists and bowed her head. "...How can we possibly discover that?"
"We need time. If we can buy just a little more time, there is a chance."
Charlotte replied, her voice cracking slightly as she began pouring black mana into the charred remains of a paper smoldering in the fireplace.
Mr. Adler, here is the information on the case you requested. It was difficult to retrieve from the American embassy, but the source is reliable.
"I’ve been reviewing a very interesting hypothesis recently."
A moment later, as the note slowly restored itself amidst the mana-infused ashes, Charlotte gazed intently at the reconstructed paper.
TOP SECRET
U.S. Bureau of Supernatural, Anomalous & Aberrant Phenomena Correspondence
Her golden eyes began to shine darker than ever before.
The General Sherman Incineration Incident
This document is a report containing the facts regarding the incineration of the General Sherman that took place one year ago...
"The Devil... interested in Orientalism. Isn't that interesting?"