Chapter 146: A Case of Identity (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146: A Case of Identity (9)
“Well, that concludes the ceremony!”
As Lupin, holding hands with Watson and Adler, declared the end with a broad smile, the two quietly stepped back.
“Now, you two are legally and magically wed.”
“………”
Following those words, an unnatural silence descended upon the church.
“Right?”
Amidst the eerie quiet, Lupin’s eyes—which had been waiting for this very moment throughout the entire wedding fiasco—began to sparkle with an intense, subtle light.
“I almost died trying to hold it in.”
“……?”
“Then, I suppose it’s time for me to take care of my own business now…”
“Technically speaking, it isn’t over yet.”
Just as Lupin was about to reach out to Adler, practically drooling at the thought of finally receiving her promised reward, a chilling voice echoed from behind a nearby pillar.
“In modern British society, a wedding is a mere formality; the act itself does not serve as proof of marriage.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The ceremony is merely a magical ritual that quite literally binds the groom to his wife, making him her property. A legal relationship is only established once a marriage certificate is submitted to the town hall.”
Hearing the professor’s explanation, Lupin, still disguised as a nun, couldn’t help but mutter in disbelief.
“…What on earth is wrong with Britain?”
“Regardless, what I mean to say is that the steps required to establish this marriage legally have not yet been completed.”
Ignoring her muttering, Professor Moriarty continued her explanation with a grim expression.
“But we’ve even finished the ceremony…”
“A common-law relationship might be recognized, yes. Perhaps you can even declare the boy your possession.”
“Why are you gritting your teeth while saying that, though?”
With an uneasy look, Watson confronted the professor. In response, the professor began glaring at her with a murderous glint in her eyes.
“Even going as far as giving me that look… It’s useless, though. I’m not scared of someone who lost to Neville…”
“I was merely stating facts.”
“Ah, I see.”
Watson couldn’t help but recoil at the professor’s fierce demeanor. However, she soon sighed and pulled a folded marriage certificate from her pocket.
“So, I just need to submit this to the town hall, right?”
“……..”
“Then there’s no problem, is there? The wedding is over in both form and substance, so the marital relationship is established anyway, right?”
At her statement, Professor Moriarty remained silent for a long moment.
“…Tch.”
“……?”
As the professor’s lips twisted into a vague, bitter smile, Watson’s face washed over with confusion at the unexpected reaction.
“Why that look, all of a sudden…?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Well, never mind then. Come on, darling.”
“…Eh?”
Caught off guard by the muttering, Adler agreed on reflex but soon tilted his head in surprise.
“We need to go and register our marriage.”
“…What?”
“I know it’s just a matter of submitting the form, but it would be more meaningful if we went together, wouldn’t it?”
As Adler was about to nod unconsciously in agreement, a translucent system window popped up in front of his face.
『London's Casanova』
– Description: Have Rachel Watson uncover the sham marriage
– Progress: 50% → 74%
“Uh, Rachel…”
“Yes?”
Seeing the progress of the quest displayed in the system window, Adler instinctively felt a threat to his life.
“Um, I suddenly have a stomach ache…?”
“A stomach ache?”
“Ah, maybe something I ate this morning didn’t sit well with me…?”
As he began to stammer with a pale face, a look of genuine concern manifested on Watson’s face.
“Come to think of it, you did seem to be in bad shape since this morning.”
“Yes, yes. I’m really not feeling well today.”
With cold sweat pouring down, Adler took advantage of the opening and began to put on the performance of his life.
“Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”
“…Maybe I should. So, let’s postpone submitting the registration for now.”
“No, we can’t do that.”
However, Watson silently shook her head and objected with a firm tone.
“Whenever we’ve postponed something involving you, it has never ended well.”
“……..”
“So, we aren’t postponing this time. After everything I’ve been through, I’m not foolish enough to keep being deceived.”
At her reasonably valid argument, Adler could only gaze up at her with a troubled look in his eyes.
“What should we do then…?”
“You go to the hospital first.”
“…What?”
“I’ll submit the marriage registration at the town hall myself.”
Stunned by her words, Adler cautiously inquired, just to be sure.
“Are you sure it’s okay without me there…?”
“Yes. I should be grateful I’m even having a wedding with someone who keeps disappearing. What more could I want?”
“…Ah, ah-ha-haha.”
Seeing her fiancé let out an awkward laugh at her jest, a sweet smile bloomed on Watson’s face.
“But, you can’t disappear anymore, okay?”
“Haha…”
“We’re married by mutual consent now. So, if you don’t want to end up with a bullet in your leg, you’d better start restraining yourself. Is that clear?”
At her deadly joke, Adler remembered the new probability shown by the system and shut his mouth, not daring to retort or even make a sound.
“Then, I’ll be back, okay?”
Leaving him behind, Rachel Watson turned on her heel and began walking out of the church.
“Holmes, keep an eye on my husband so he doesn’t escape.”
Watson emphasized the words my husband as she made the request to her best friend, who had been standing still and observing the entire time. Then, she added as she opened the church door:
“I really hope there won’t be any need for a demonstration of those new tranquilizer bullets I bought.”
As she left, a heavy silence filled the quiet church.
“””………”””
In that silence, the gazes of Charlotte Holmes, Professor Jane Moriarty, and Lupin began to intersect.
—Bang!
Amidst the palpable tension hanging in the air, the loud echo of an explosion resounded out of the blue.
“Ah, hello.”
As their gazes unanimously turned toward the source of the noise, Adler—unable to sustain the depletion of his mana any longer—reverted to his original form. He spoke with a hesitant, trembling voice.
“What I just did… um, it was like a special event of sorts, you see…”
—Tsssshhh…
At that moment, the professor’s restraints began to loosen on their own.
“…Ah.”
—Swoosh…
Adler watched the scene with a vacant gaze while Lupin positioned herself in front of him. With a wave of her hands, she returned to her original form, complete with her characteristic cape and stylish monocle.
—Tsss…
Last but not least, Charlotte Holmes began emitting ominous black smoke from her body, showing a level of skill that suggested she had become quite adept—almost natural—at utilizing her powers.
“…Adler.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I shall conduct a detailed inquiry regarding today’s events once we get you out of here.”
Professor Moriarty, looking down at the girls with a mix of amusement and disdain, announced her intentions to Adler in her characteristic flat tone. His black tail swayed nervously as he sat on the ground.
“And who decided that, I wonder?”
“…There is nothing more pathetic than a dog clinging to its owner after being abandoned.”
“At least I’m not treated worse than a dog, unlike someone I know.”
Thus, the scene unfolded—a familiar, almost daily occurrence.
“I’d rather not hear that from someone whom even insignificant dogs can outperform.”
“What’s this disgusting smell? Oh, right… it’s the nasty stench of an old hag.”
“Don’t resort to such childish, lowly provocations when you don’t even know my real age.”
However, there was a slight difference this time; there was one more person involved in the fray.
“A jewel, a treasure… deeply coveted by so many…”
“”………””
“It’s the best, isn’t it…?”
As Lupin began to writhe with a perverted look in her eyes, two sets of gazes immediately locked onto her.
“Detective Ganimard has recently entered Britain just to arrest you, didn’t you know? I hear the detective is conducting a joint investigation with Inspector Lestrade.”
“Ah, of course I know.”
Upon hearing Holmes’s sharp response, Lupin burst into mirthful laughter.
“But adding zero to zero doesn’t make one, now does it?”
“Such arrogance. If those two women set their minds to it, they could sweep away an entire city.”
“You know as well as I do that people overflowing with power often have muscles for brains.”
“…That is… true. I can’t deny that.”
“Mm-hm. That’s why it’s quite easy to handle them when no one is in control…”
Suddenly, Lupin stopped talking and started trembling as if she had the chills.
“I suddenly have a bad feeling about this.”
“…You’re surprisingly clueless for a thief, aren’t you?”
Charlotte looked at her with an uncharacteristically wicked smile, speaking in a relaxed voice.
“Well, now that you’ve noticed… I suppose I should give you a chance.”
“Ugh…”
“Leave this place right now. Then you won’t have to face the person you dislike so much…”
“Excuse me.”
It was then that Adler’s faint voice made itself heard within the church.
“…Is that detective, by any chance, a woman too?”
The next moment, a deadly silence settled over the church.
“Suddenly, I’m quite intrigued.”
“Adler, you might as well just keep hitting me…”
“Please stop increasing the number of potential murderers in London.”
Lupin watched in absolute bewilderment as the two women, who had just been exuding powerful killing intent, were subdued by a single sentence. She couldn’t help but mutter to herself.
“Hehe, how about no?”
…Can I even take this guy to France in one piece?
.
.
.
.
.
An hour later, at the London Town Hall.
“…Pardon?”
“As I said, the mana signature on this report has already been registered.”
At those words, Watson—who had submitted the marriage certificate with a fluttering heart—could only stare at the clerk in stunned silence.
“That means someone else has already registered a marriage with this person.”
“That can’t be… There must be some mistake…”
“To prevent fraudulent marriages, the mana information of the signatories is recorded on the marriage certificate. It is definitive.”
Hearing the response, Watson’s expression grew even more bewildered.
“Shall I direct you to a nearby lawyer’s office?”
She was only able to snap back to reality when the clerk’s voice, speaking in a strictly matter-of-fact tone, pierced her ears.
“…I know a better solution, so it’s fine.”
“Is that so? Then—”
—Click.
“Ma’am?”