Chapter 150: The Crawling Human
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 150: The Crawling Human
“Phew…”
Isaac Adler was breaking a sweat. A system warning had suddenly flashed before his eyes just as he was plotting his next move at Lestrade’s house.
Creeeak…
“…You’re finally here?”
Charlotte Holmes—who had been listlessly staring at the dark clouds, heavy with a certain someone’s fury, while smoking an Arcadia cigarette by the window—turned her gaze toward the guest who had just entered the boarding house.
“You don’t look too pleased, Watson.”
“……..”
“Would you like an Arcadia?”
Charlotte offered a cigarette as Watson silently approached her.
Whoosh…
“Ah.”
Charlotte blinked in surprise. For the first time, her partner had actually accepted the offer, snatching the cigarette right out of her hand.
Click…
Ignoring Charlotte’s reaction, Watson leaned in close, using the cherry of Charlotte’s cigarette to light her own.
“Haaah…”
“…I didn’t know you were so accustomed to smoking.”
“You thought a soldier deployed in the field wouldn’t know how to smoke?”
“…….”
“Why are you looking at me like that? I might have been a military doctor, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t see combat. Besides, plenty of doctors smoke.”
Watson’s eyes were heavy with exhaustion as she stared out at the dreary London streets and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
“It’s just… it’s strange seeing you do it,” Charlotte remarked. “You’ve never smoked in front of me before.”
“…Hmm.”
Watson shifted her gaze toward her, her expression thoughtful. “So, you knew all along, yet you hid the truth from me?”
“…Right. I knew you would ask that.”
A dark smile etched itself onto Charlotte’s lips. She met Watson’s eyes directly as she began her explanation.
“Due to the magic Adler cast with all his power, there were certain… limitations regarding the truth. But since he withdrew the magic himself, those restrictions have been rendered useless.”
“He withdrew it, huh?” Watson pondered the words. “…Why do you think Isaac Adler is revealing the truth now?”
“…….”
“Was he just playing with me all along?”
Charlotte noted Watson’s darkening expression and sighed, shaking her head.
“…I don’t think so.”
“Are you still covering for him, even now?”
Watson’s face clouded further. She picked up a half-crumpled newspaper from the desk beside her. “I’m sure you’re fully aware of what’s causing a stir in London right now, aren’t you?”
“…Isaac Adler might be an animal—worse than trash, even—but he isn’t the type to charm women without a specific reason.”
Charlotte glared at the front page. It featured a large photo of Gia Lestrade, face flushed and head bowed, standing beside Isaac Adler. Charlotte snatched the paper from Watson’s hands.
“That’s the least credible thing I’ve heard so far.”
Rip, tear…
“Why are you tearing it up?”
Ignoring the question, Charlotte shredded the newspaper and tossed the scraps into the fireplace.
“There is something suspiciously odd about Adler’s recent actions.”
“Odd? Adler has always been strange.”
“The incidents of the past few months have concluded with radical speed. And each conclusion leads immediately to another incident, becoming progressively more systemic…”
“Apologies, but could you explain that in plain English?”
“…The point is, Isaac Adler now has a single goal he must achieve, no matter the cost.”
Watson let out a cold, hollow chuckle. “So, I’m just a means to an end for him?”
“I don’t think so.” Charlotte’s denial was firm, her expression resolute. “According to my observations, there is an entity forcing Isaac Adler’s actions.”
“…What did you say?”
“I’m not sure exactly how or what commands are being given, but Isaac Adler must follow them unconditionally.” Charlotte’s voice dropped to a low whisper as a dazed look momentarily settled in her eyes. “And this entity appeared no earlier than his enrollment at August Academy.”
“That means…”
“Yes, it’s as you think. When exactly did you and Neville first start associating with Isaac Adler?”
“I-it’s been a little over a year, I think?” Watson responded, her voice trembling.
“Then it was before Isaac Adler’s admission to August Academy,” Charlotte concluded calmly.
Watson’s eyes began to waver.
“Of course, the fact that he disguised his identity and deceived you hasn’t changed,” Charlotte added. “But at least it wasn’t all just an elaborate prank to tease you…”
“This changes everything, doesn’t it…?”
“Yes?”
Charlotte’s voice was uncharacteristically gentle as she shared her deductions. She watched in silence as Watson’s eyes went wide, as if she had reached a sudden realization of her own.
“If your deductions are true… no, since it’s you who deduced it, I should take it as the undeniable truth.”
“I never asserted it that strongly…”
“Then it’s definitely possible that the one he actually liked wasn’t you, but me…”
“What the hell are you talking about now…?” Charlotte asked coldly, her brow furrowing.
Watson, still looking dazed, began to mutter in a low whisper. “After all, you received a confession from Adler after he enrolled at August Academy.”
“……..”
“He approached me before that…” Watson’s hand, still holding the cigarette, trembled slightly. “The person he approached of his own free will—not compelled by some unknown entity—was actually just me….”
“Look, I think you’re misunderstanding something.” Charlotte glared at her, her voice rising in rebuttal. “Adler’s eyes were dyed in my color. You were the first one to mention the mana erosion phenomenon yourself.”
“……..”
“And I apologize, but do you really think anyone would believe Adler only turned into a playboy after joining the academy?”
However, Watson’s mind had already drifted. She was so lost in her own world of reasoning and delusions that goosebumps broke out across her skin.
“Ugh, I must be insane… Why am I defending that bastard? He deserves to be shot dead…”
“Excuse me?”
“Fucking hell… I had just managed to settle my feelings… This shouldn’t be happening…”
“Watson?”
“But if what happened yesterday wasn’t of his own free will, then—”
“Watson!”
Charlotte finally shouted into her ear, snapping her back to reality.
“Since it isn’t certain yet, could you stop spinning delusions about that man?”
“……..”
“…No, I mean him.”
Charlotte hurriedly corrected her way of addressing Adler, blushing as she turned her head away. A brief, awkward silence settled over the boarding house.
.
.
.
.
.
“…So, why did you call me? The letter said to come over immediately.”
Watson finally broke the silence, her expression complicated.
“Ah, yes. That’s because…” Charlotte paused. “There’s a new case.”
“…A case?”
“As you know, I don’t enjoy deducing without an assistant. That tendency has become several times stronger recently.”
“Is that because of Adler?”
Charlotte glared at Watson. “…In the past few months, Isaac Adler has become like a habit to me.”
“A habit?”
“Like playing the violin, or strong tobacco, or using scissors to cut out newspaper clippings. Like the intoxicating fumes of mana stones.”
“Are you saying he was some sort of stimulant?”
Charlotte pondered the question for a moment before nodding quietly. “But Watson, I’ve decided to respect your opinion as a doctor.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Too much stimulation can cause problems. And Isaac Adler has been a more stimulating presence to me than any drug or hallucination mana stones could induce.”
“I suppose it’s fortunate that you’ve realized that now.”
Charlotte sighed, resting her cigarette on the windowsill and picking up the coat hanging nearby.
“Right now, I’m overdosing on that man.”
“…And you’re already experiencing a lull in the relationship? You two haven’t even started dating yet.”
“No, it’s more accurate to say I’m addicted to him.”
She donned the coat—the one she only wore when working as a detective—and walked toward the door.
“So, I’m planning to take a break by solving some complex, supernatural cases for a while.”
“…You’re not thinking of giving up, then?”
“Watson, do you think I could ever quit smoking?”
Watson immediately shook her head, and Charlotte let out a quiet chuckle.
“Only the ending matters, not the process. In the end, the one holding the reins at the final moment is the winner.”
“So, was it also deliberate when you let Adler and Lupin go?”
“…If the opponent has a bigger picture in mind, you just have to draw an even bigger one.”
She gripped the doorknob confidently.
“Whatever happens, Isaac Adler will be my assistant within a year. I assert that here and now.”
“…I see.”
Watson smiled faintly as she watched her from behind, though her expression soon turned gloomy. “But then, what about me…”
“Hm?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Charlotte glanced back at Watson. Her partner wore a quizzical smile, acting as if nothing was wrong, but Charlotte turned the doorknob with a lingering sense of unease.
“…Something definitely feels off.”
.
.
.
.
.
In the next moment, however, Charlotte Holmes had no choice but to forget the unease rising in her heart.
“Hehe.”
“…….”
She was suddenly facing the two people she least wanted to encounter.
Isaac Adler and Gia Lestrade were standing right outside the door, arms linked.
“Miss Holmes, where are you off to all alone…?”
Adler spoke with a bright, cheerful voice, but he quickly noticed Rachel Watson standing behind Charlotte, glaring at him with cold, silent fury.
“”………..””
An even colder silence settled over 221B Baker Street.