Chapter 142: A Case of Identity (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 142: A Case of Identity (5)
“Adler, why have you changed so much all of a sudden?”
“……..”
“Don’t do something you’ll regret…”
“… Sigh.”
Dragging Lupin—disguised as Professor Moriarty—into the church by her leash, I couldn’t help but let out a frustrated sigh at the voice calling out from behind me. I turned around immediately to face her.
“Stop whining.”
She opened her mouth briefly, staring at me with a blank gaze, before lowering her head with an undeniably gloomy expression.
“Do you really think you can behave this recklessly just because we’re already married?” [1]
“Ugh…”
I couldn’t fathom why she was still acting so brazenly, especially since I’d caught her in the act so recently.
Of course, her disguise and acting were so perfect that I might have been fooled again if the original owner of this body hadn't been a capable mage. The truth of the matter was… Lupin could never truly deceive me by posing as the Professor.
It wasn’t because of something as simple as her calling me by my given name. That trick was only good for a one-time use, and Lupin was smart enough to know that by now.
So, how was I able to discern that the person before me was actually Lupin?
“Honestly, this is getting a bit unpleasant…”
“And what do you want me to do about it, huh?”
The method was actually quite simple. I just needed to stand next to the Professor and sense her mana directly.
Her mana was so dense and vast that simply being near her felt like standing in a palpable aura of intimidation and oppression. In my case, the effect was intensified because half of her mana had been forcibly grafted onto my own body. I could feel her presence and that sense of dread from several meters away.
“Adler…”
“So, what? Are you going to kill me now? Incinerate me with that grayish mana of yours?”
However, the thief currently sporting a sullen look in front of me didn’t give off that feeling in the least.
Just to be sure, I had even asked her to call my name again and inched closer to get a direct feel for her mana. The result was negative—a confirmation of my hypothesis.
“You can’t kill me, can you?”
“……..”
In other words, this person was definitely not the Professor, but a mischievous, masochistic thief.
She might look pitiful at the moment, but once the sham wedding with Watson was over and we were left alone… she would likely be drooling and trembling with anticipation for what came next. I didn’t even need to experience it to know; past encounters were enough to paint the picture.
“Good girl.”
Stroke, stroke…
Still, I didn’t feel like continuing the torment, so I moved closer and gently began stroking her swollen, red cheek.
Shiver…
The Professor flinched as I reached out, perhaps mistaking my gesture for another slap. Soon, however, she stood still and began accepting my caress like a small bird.
It feels a bit odd seeing her act like this while wearing the Professor’s face…
Jane Moriarty, the most feared individual in all of Britain, was trembling as I stroked her bruised cheek—the thought alone was enough to make me feel strangely unsettled. It might sound twisted, but the scene evoked a peculiar sense of conquest in my heart.
Indeed, anyone would feel this way if they successfully subdued a being who could erase them from existence with a snap of her fingers.
“Stop complaining and let’s get moving.”
“But, you…”
“Hey.”
However, the moment I remembered that the "Professor" in front of me was just a masochistic thief, that sense of thrill shattered into oblivion.
“Haven’t I told you repeatedly to watch your tone and speak appropriately?”
“But you… you…”
As she tried to revert to her previous act, I whispered in a stern voice, causing her to stutter awkwardly.
“…This is cheating.”
“No more talking.”
“Ugh…”
I had no intention of dancing to her tune, so I mercilessly tugged on the leash. Gritting her teeth, the thief in the Professor’s clothes began to follow me once more.
“If you were really the Professor, you would have knocked me down by now.”
“…I could never do that.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I whispered softly to her. A few moments later, she finally responded in a hollow, bleak voice.
“How could I harm my own husband…?”
“……..”
“And with the state of my body as it is right now…”
I felt my heart skip a beat for some reason as I listened to her murmurs.
“…Darling.”
However, Rachel Watson’s frigid voice soon reached my ears, snapping my focus back to her.
“How exactly did you subdue the Professor…?”
“Hmm?”
“You two seem… too close.”
Her dark voice, emanating from beside me where she had been linking arms with me the whole time, made me shift my gaze to Watson with a perplexed expression.
“…Just curious.”
“………”
“There wasn’t some kind of deal, was there? You aren’t being coerced into catering to the Professor’s… hidden preferences, are you?”
“No.”
Faced with her reasonable deduction, I subtly shook my head and offered an awkward smile as an excuse.
“Actually, it was Adler who made the contract. That’s why this is possible…”
“…So, the Professor was Adler’s subordinate after all?”
“Ahaha… Perhaps that’s one way to see it…”
But thinking about it, even this excuse felt like a futile attempt to thwart the inevitable.
『London's Casanova』
– Description: Have Rachel Watson uncover the sham marriage.
She was bound to discover soon that this marriage was a sham. Nothing more, nothing less. Honestly, I had no clue how to handle the aftermath. The best way to minimize the damage would be to confess now, but unfortunately, that didn't seem likely to work.
It’s best to stay quiet until the wedding is over.
Just saying, it’s a hunch I have. Take it or leave it, your choice.
Miss System had been sulking for days, but she had finally dropped me a hint.
…Thank you, Miss System.
Don't be presumptuous and call me Miss System.
Considering the odd camaraderie I had built with the system and my past experiences, it seemed wise to follow her advice. But then, how was I going to reveal to Watson that Neville was actually me without getting killed the next moment?
“Darling.”
While I was deep in thought, Watson, who had been quietly watching me, spoke again in a shy voice.
“We’ve arrived.”
“…Ah.”
Only then did I realize we had fully entered the church.
“Are we holding the wedding here…?”
“Well, that is…”
“If you’re okay with it, I was thinking of inviting some family and friends and having a grand ceremony…”
As I stepped forward, surveying the empty space devoid of even a single priest, Watson began mumbling with a hint of excitement.
“Shall we delay the wedding a bit, then…?”
“…But a secret wedding like this might be nice, too.”
I was about to suggest delaying it to buy more time, but Watson immediately took my hand and started dragging me forward.
“……..”
Thus, it led to the awkward scene of me being pulled by Watson, while I dragged Lupin—who was still transformed into the Professor—behind me.
Thud, step…
A nun, who had been quietly watching the scene from afar, slowly walked toward us.
“Have you come to hold a wedding?”
“Ah, yes…”
At the nun’s question, Rachel Watson nodded, her voice tense.
“But how did you…?”
“People who wish to marry in secrecy, away from prying eyes, often visit this quiet church.”
“Ah…”
Watson, reassured by the nun’s explanation, nodded in understanding.
“Darling, so you came here with the intention to marry me from the start…?”
“Please come this way. You will find a simple bridal dress for you there.”
“Ah?”
“You can’t get married in that outfit, can you?”
“Well, that’s true. Hehe…”
Following the nun’s gesture, Watson headed toward the vestry attached to the church.
“And the groom, please follow me.”
“…….”
“The suits are upstairs, but you’ll need a key to access them. I have the keys.”
“I see…”
As a blushing Watson stepped into the room, the nun naturally began to lead me upstairs.
“…Stay here.”
“Adler…”
Feeling somewhat uneasy about bringing the leashed Lupin along with the nun, I tied the leash around a nearby pillar. The thief hadn’t dropped her act yet, so I couldn't exactly let her go.
“Who is that?”
“Ah, she’s the wedding witness.”
“………”
The "Professor's" expression momentarily shifted to the one she wore just before a kill, suggesting Lupin had really done her research.
“…Hmm?”
As I ascended the stairs, I began to feel a sense of déjà vu and tilted my head in confusion.
That nun’s outfit… where have I seen it before?
It resembled the habit Charlotte Holmes had worn when she disguised herself as a young nun during the Bohemian Scandal incident. No, now that I looked closely, it was the exact same outfit.
“…..Aren’t you coming?”
“Uh.”
At that moment, a bone-chilling wave crept down my spine as I connected the dots.
.
.
.
.
.
“Hi~!”
“Uh…”
It wasn’t merely the perfect coincidence of the nun in front of me that triggered the feeling.
“Is everything going smoothly?”
Lupin was hanging upside down outside the window next to me, fiddling with her trademark monocle and whispering into my ear in a hushed voice… that scene was the source of my sudden dread.
“I’m not sure what you’re plotting with the three ladies… but you have a plan, right?”
“……..”
“Anyway, hurry up and marry someone, and as per our agreement, let’s do an abduction play, shall we?”
If that was the case… then who was the person tied to the pillar downstairs?
Who was the woman calling my name in a soulless voice while tenderly touching her swollen, reddened cheek?
Idiot. Fool. Moron.
“…….”
In that moment, I experienced a fear I had never felt before—a terror that slowly suffocated the very breath from my lungs.
“…Eeeeek.”
*
Footnotes
[1] Professor Moriarty is referring to the marriage contract they signed, which technically means he is indeed married to the Professor.