Chapter 129: Monster Showdown (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129: Monster Showdown (3)
“Hmm-hmm...”
As I strolled through the park, soaking in the brisk night air, a series of rustles began to emerge from the thickets.
- Dad. Be careful.
- Rustle...
- A massive swarm of those monsters is positioned right ahead of you.
A warning inevitably crackled through the radio.
- Grrr... Grr...
“...I see them.”
Peering into the darkness, I could tell immediately that the beings eyeing me were not human. With eyes gleaming ominously as they tracked my every move, it was all too easy to identify their supernatural origins.
If I had been an ordinary person, it wouldn’t have been strange for me to be dragged into the shadows and turned into a meal.
- I’ll open fire now, Dad. It’s too dangerous to wait any longer.
“Just a little longer.”
- But...
“You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Moran? Won’t you follow my instructions?”
But for me, this wasn't an issue.
- Yes... because I’m a good girl.
“Good.”
I had a brilliant strategy—a plan that gave me the confidence to summon every monster scattered across Britain straight to London.
“Hehehe...”
With an innocent expression, acting as though I were oblivious to the danger, I stepped forward. The thickets began to tremble, no longer bothering to be discreet.
“Grrrr...”
Just as I reached the rustling bushes, a humanoid monster—its eyes shining with a distinct hue and intensity—suddenly lunged out in a bizarre, contorted pose.
“.........”
A heavy silence settled over the park.
“Ee... eeek!”
“Uh... hehe...”
Seeing the monster cowering with a tense expression, I let out a staged, hollow scream to egg it on. The moment it heard me cry out, it finally relaxed, its lips curling into a sinister smile.
“Adler... do you remember me...?”
“...Well, I’m afraid I don’t, exactly.”
“I’m the girl who confessed to you for the first time... and got rejected. You really don’t remember...?”
“Uh...”
Initially, I was only pretending to be flustered for the sake of the plan, but hearing her words actually made me feel a bit sorry for her.
Of course, it wasn't me but the original Adler who had wronged this being... but I still felt a twinge of guilt taking advantage of a monster with such a tragic tale.
“How dare you look at girls prettier than me... Treating me so cruelly just because I happened to be holding a knife...”
“Ah.”
Never mind. I had misunderstood. She was just one of those common monsters.
“...So, that’s your story, is it?”
“Eh? Um?”
Despite my sympathy evaporating, I approached the grotesque, resentment-filled monster with a gentle smile.
“You poor thing. What should I do with you...?”
“Ah? Uh.”
“Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
I reached out and took what appeared to be the creature's hand, whispering in a sincere voice. The monster began to stutter and babble like a confused child.
“Why... why are you suddenly being so nice?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you always look at me like I was some kind of bug back then...?”
As the being bowed its head to avoid my gaze, I tilted my head to maintain eye contact. The creature asked again in a trembling voice.
“A bug, you say?”
“........!”
“I can only think of you as cute, though.”
In truth, the being before me was nothing more than a flickering, blurry shadow. It was impossible to discern its actual appearance, let alone judge if it was "cute."
“Don’t you think so too?”
“Bu-But...”
However, the creature's actual appearance didn't matter. What mattered was giving it the words it craved.
“You... You told me that I had a small chest and that I was unappealing...”
“...To be honest, I find that quite attractive these days.”
If I just closed my eyes and mixed a little lie about my tastes into this shadowy being’s ears...
“Re-Really...?”
“........”
“Do you really like me?”
As anticipated, the situation was unfolding exactly as I expected.
“Of course.”
- Swish...
I reached out and gently stroked what I presumed to be the creature's head. The shadowy being lifted its gaze to meet mine.
“Um, then...”
From the slightly cute mouth that had formed on its shadowy visage, a timid voice emerged.
“Wi-Will...”
“What is it?”
The voice, faint yet audible, reached out to me.
“Will you go out with me...?”
The monster, emitting a dreadfully chilly aura capable of withering the grass beneath its feet, finished its sentence and began fidgeting with its fingers, a shy expression on its silhouette.
“...Well, sure.”
As I cheerfully took her hand and spoke, the bizarre creature gaped at me in utter astonishment.
“Really?”
“Is there any reason why I shouldn’t?”
“Really, really, really?”
Clasping my hand tightly, the creature began to jump around in unbridled joy.
“Then... let’s start today as our first day...”
- Rustle...!
At that exact moment, the sound of rustling bushes erupted from all directions.
“..........”
The monsters that had been hiding, monitoring the situation, reacted to the sudden development and revealed themselves all at once.
“What right do you have... to monopolize Adler...?”
“Her chest is... ugh... so small...”
“Grurk, grrr...”
From fully formed specters to those yet without shape, they all cast frigid, inhuman glares at the being that had lunged out first.
“Ah, this is a bit troublesome...”
This was the perfect time to set the gears in motion.
“It’s a bit much to date multiple people, you see.”
As soon as those words left my lips, a silence deeper than any before settled over the park.
“...I only want to be with one person for the rest of my life.”
Amidst the chilling silence, I delivered the final blow with my hands clasped behind my back.
- Goooooooo...
The monsters, now glaring fiercely at each other instead of me, began gathering their chilling auras. They were ready to tear each other apart at any second.
“Wait a moment...”
“...........”
“I was the one who confessed to Adler first...!”
In the middle of the tension, the creature beside me stepped forward with a panicked expression.
- Boommmmmmm!!!
With an ear-splitting roar, the monsters rushed forward in unison, igniting a battle royale to the death.
“...Just as planned.”
Yes, I knew it would end up like this.
.
.
.
.
.
[What in the world are you up to now?]
Isaac Adler tiptoed away from the chaotic scene where monsters from all over Britain had gathered to slaughter one another.
“Long time no see, Miss System.”
[Don't call me Miss System.]
“...Then, how about System Sis?”
[Would you mind ceasing the flirting with a mere fragment of data like me?]
He greeted the system window that appeared before him with a cheerful smile.
“Hehe...”
[Anyway, did you really incite these vengeful monsters to fight one another?]
“I’m cute enough to be a trophy, after all.”
[Haaa...]
Sighing as if exhausted, the system displayed its message in a drooping font while Adler scratched his head with a naive expression.
“Now that I’ve realized my identity as the devil, it’s about time I took control of these monsters.”
Observing the system, Adler muttered with a playful smile.
“Too many of them and they’ll go out of control. That’s why I’ll reduce their numbers to what I can count on my fingers. Then, I will dominate those that remain. As a devil, that’s well within my capability.”
[So what’s next?]
“After that, I’ll have to subdue the named monsters like Jill the Ripper and Arsene Lupin. Once I’ve successfully taken control of all the monsters...”
Suddenly, Adler’s eyes turned serious—more serious than they had ever been.
“I’ll lose to Charlotte.”
[.........]
“And then, by faking my death, I’ll use the return ticket...”
[I get the gist of the plan, but I have only one question.]
As he trailed off, the system floating before him seized the opportunity to ask.
[If the creature that survives the battle becomes too powerful and attacks you, what will you do then?]
“Ah, that’s unlikely to happen.”
With a snicker, Adler shook his head.
“They’re just the seeds of an immature paranormal phenomenon. Maybe it would be possible in the final chapter, years from now, but for now, they’ll just self-destruct by tearing each other apart.”
[You seem to never actually succeed in your plans and assumptions, though.]
“That’s true. That’s why, just in case, I’ve also reached out to beings that are not monsters.”
He shrugged his shoulders, looking toward the alleyway outside the park where traces of his past connections lingered, their gazes trained on him.
“As long as those people restrain each other and keep their eyes peeled for any problems, there shouldn’t be any trouble for me—”
“...Found you.”
At that very moment, a familiar voice drifted from the other side of the park’s walkway.
“Gasp.”
Upon hearing that voice, Adler immediately covered his mouth and crouched down.
“...I saw you hiding~”
A chilling voice that sent tingles down his spine pierced his ears.
[What's wrong?]
- Shiver...
[Wasn't it you who summoned all these beings from across Britain?]
As the system window waved side to side and questioned him, Adler began muttering in a hushed voice, shivering from head to toe in pure fright.
“...I called everyone except that woman.”
“...Hm.”
Jill the Ripper, who had come looking for him with the royal knights using her identity as a princess, was staring down at Adler with a terrifying smile.
.
.
.
.
.
- Crunch, crackle...
Meanwhile, the park had turned into a battlefield where all sorts of creatures were entangled in mortal combat.
“Ha, haaa...”
Inside the chaos, the monsters were brewing utter destruction—stabbing, self-destructing, and doing everything in their power to annihilate one another. However, at the very center of the battle royale, one entity was showing astonishing skill, slaughtering the other monsters at breakneck speed.
“I never even got to experience this when I was in the fan club...”
The identity of this creature was none other than the one who had just confessed to Adler.
“...Finally, he accepted my confession.”
This was the vengeful spirit of Helen Stoner, the true culprit behind the Speckled Band incident a few months ago, who had been silenced by Professor Moriarty after the case was resolved.
- Goooooooooo...
At that very instant, the surrounding monsters began to be sucked toward her all at once.