Chapter 156: The Crawling Human (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 156: The Crawling Human (7)
“…Why are you here?”
Upon entering the room, Charlotte fixed Professor Moriarty with a chilling gaze. After a long silence spent glaring at the woman, she posed the question again, her voice ice-cold.
“Answer me.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit hasty with your assumptions? I haven’t even said a word yet.”
“It’s practically written all over your face that you’re up to no good.”
“Hahaha… Do you really think you can read my expressions?”
A peal of hearty laughter escaped Moriarty’s lips as she shook her head in disbelief.
“Where is Gregory Freud?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about.”
“Is this how you’re going to play it, then?”
Charlotte glared at the smiling woman, clenching her teeth to stifle her rising anger. Finally, she stepped forward and barked, her voice rising.
“I don’t know what makes you so confident. Do you have some hidden trump card, or has your arrogance finally clouded your judgment?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying that you won’t be able to slip through our investigative net this time, not after you’ve directly involved yourself in this case.”
“Hmm.”
“Do you think I can’t prove the simple fact that you just consulted for the criminal in this case, Professor Moriarty?”
A brief, heavy silence settled between them.
“…Charlotte.”
Amidst the quiet, Mycrony Holmes called out her sister’s name, her eyes narrowing.
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to prove that…”
“…Eep!”
With a surprised gasp, Charlotte finally noticed her elder sister and stared blankly at her.
“It’s a bit far-fetched to view this as incitement. The Professor wasn’t involved from the beginning, and we can’t exactly accuse her of aiding and abetting…”
“…”
“Perhaps concealing a criminal? That might be possible, but this case isn’t that straightforward. Mr. Freud hasn’t been confirmed as the perpetrator yet, and technically, he hasn’t even fled…”
Mycrony’s eyes twinkled as she laid out her legal analysis. However, a frown deepened on Charlotte’s face at the next question.
“Why are you here, Sister?”
“…Did you really not realize I was here until now? That’s truly hurtful.”
“Why are you here?”
As her younger sister’s voice grew even colder, Mycrony replied with a thin, playful smile.
“I decided to walk the path of a criminal consultant as well. It’s more fun than I expected.”
“Stop bullshitting. Aside from moving the London government with a single word and being drained dry by Adler until you're an inch from death, you don’t find anything fun.”
“Oh my, that’s a bit harsh…”
Genuinely wounded, Mycrony lowered her eyelids and quietly tilted her head.
“…By the way, you noticed?”
“He drains you every weekend. Only an idiot wouldn’t notice what the two of you are up to.”
“Haa… Just a few years ago, she was such a sweet child who would cling to me, calling me 'Big Sister~' When did she start using such foul language…”
Mycrony Holmes pretended to weep, shielding her face. Soon, however, she sneakily lifted her head to gauge Charlotte’s reaction.
“Enough. Just answer the question. It doesn’t seem like the Professor is going to talk, so I’m asking you.”
“What do you want to know? I’ll tell you everything I know—except for Gregory Freud’s location, of course~”
“…And why won’t you tell me that?”
“Because the world is already full of boring things. I don’t want to add to the monotony.”
“Haa…”
A weary sigh escaped Charlotte’s lips. Her brows furrowed, and she was about to retort when—
“…Let’s stop here, Miss Holmes.”
“……..”
“There’s no use dragging this out any longer.”
Taking her by the arm, Lestrade spoke in a soft, grounding voice.
“You said you grasped the truth of the case while reading those books while we waited, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Then I will mobilize the police force to track Gregory Freud’s whereabouts. As you know, once I identify a suspect, I never lose them.”
Charlotte’s frown tightened, but she eventually nodded with a resigned sigh.
“A wise decision. Then…”
“Before we leave, I have one more thing to ask.”
“Yes?”
“Something has been bothering me for a while now.”
Charlotte glared at Professor Moriarty and then at Mycrony Holmes, her gaze lingering on them for a long moment before she spoke, her voice cold and eerie.
“What is with that cat?”
“…Cat?”
“I’m referring to the golden cat that is desperately paddling and reaching out from the depths of your bosom, Professor.”
A strange, sharp tension immediately permeated the air.
“Are you talking about this cute little one?”
“I’ve never heard of you owning a cat.”
“…I picked this little one up off the street. Isn’t he adorable?”
“So you’re saying he doesn’t have an owner?”
The moment that remark was made, Moriarty’s leisurely eyes flashed with an ice-cold chill.
“Miss Holmes. Usually, when someone rescues a kitten from the street, that person becomes its owner.”
“…Who can say for sure? He might already have an owner.”
“What are you trying to imply?”
“Actually, I’ve also been raising a golden kitten recently.”
Charlotte’s eyes mirrored Moriarty’s as her chilling gaze locked onto the Professor and the cat.
“He came to me first, wagging his tail for my affection. I gave the adorable thing exactly what he wanted and even put a collar on him to mark my ownership. However, one day, I realized to my horror that he had run away from home.”
“…Perhaps it was because your love was lacking?”
“Not at all. It’s just that the little furball starts wagging his tail whenever he sees a woman.”
“I see. And your point is?”
“This kitten, who is currently making such a pitiful expression, might actually be the cat I was raising.”
Moriarty let out a hollow, mocking chuckle.
“What an exaggeration.”
“I think it’s very much a possibility.”
Charlotte ignored the Professor and reached out to tickle the cat’s cheek, its head still peeking out from Moriarty’s clothes.
“Prrr, purrrr…”
“Look. If I were a stranger, he wouldn’t nuzzle my hand so obediently.”
“The kitten simply loves interacting with women, that’s all.”
“Didn’t you just pick him up? You seem to know quite a lot about his personality.”
“One does not need long to recognize certain truths, especially those that can be determined at a single glance.”
Caught between the quarreling pair, the cat’s brain seemed to cease functioning. He was utterly unable to decide which woman to cling to.
“By the way, I didn’t know you both were cat lovers… but isn’t there a very simple way to determine the owner?”
“……..?”
Until now, Gia Lestrade had been watching the "catfight" with curious eyes. When she finally voiced her opinion, she immediately drew everyone’s attention.
“The police station gets many reports of missing animals, so I’m well aware of a spell called Owner Identification Magic.”
“……….”
“Of course, the station is short-staffed on mana users, so we usually turn those requests away, but you two could easily perform it, couldn’t you?”
An eerie silence settled over the room.
-Swoosh…
“…Meow?”
Amidst the stillness, Moriarty suddenly grabbed the golden cat by the scruff of its neck. Manhandled without warning, the kitty began kicking its legs with an anxious look quite uncharacteristic of a normal cat.
“I had forgotten about that. It’s a magic that was frequently used to settle ownership disputes over slaves in the old days…”
“…Why do you sound like you lived through the slave era yourself?”
“Don’t try so hard to agitate me, Detective; it’s unbecoming. The realm of knowledge extends far beyond the limits of direct observation. There is a wealth of insight awaiting discovery in the annals of history.”
“Well, back to the matter at hand. If it was used to determine slave ownership, it should be more than enough to end this dispute.”
Carefully placing the cat on the desk, the two women locked eyes with such intensity that it felt as if sparks would fly at any second.
“Just wait a moment. I’ll find the magic circle in the nearby library.”
“You just said there was no time to waste, didn’t you? Fortunately, I know the magic circle, so there’s no need for that.”
“No, I don’t think I can trust you to perform the ritual properly.”
“Then what do you propose?”
Charlotte quietly shifted her gaze to the side.
“It would be fairer to ask a third party.”
“…That makes sense.”
“Huh? Are you talking about me~?”
A smile of unrestrained interest graced Mycrony Holmes’ lips.
“The magic circle is as follows. If you don’t understand the structure…”
“I’ve got it~ It seems structurally sound~”
“Good. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Professor Moriarty leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, and looked at Charlotte with a haughty gaze.
“When the results come out, I hope you’ll concede gracefully.”
“I agree. It would be best if we didn't have more dark clouds flooding the already gloomy skies, or an unexpected blizzard in the middle of summer.”
Just as their argument was about to reignite, the cat shivered, curled up like a loaf of bread on the desk.
“Hup!”
The quietly observing Mycrony slammed her hands onto the desk, activating the magic circle she had drawn with a sharp cry.
“…Haak!?”
“The researchers are starting to take notice, so let’s wrap this up~”
With those words, the golden cat suddenly began to float in the air, an expression of utter bewilderment on its face.
“I don’t know how the Professor caught you, but it’s time to come back, okay?”
“…If I see any more 'deviations,' there might be some problems for you down the line.”
Moriarty and Charlotte both murmured in low, threatening voices as they watched the floating feline, their eyes simultaneously taking on an ominous hue.
.
.
.
.
.
-Poof…
An entirely unexpected scenario unfolded.
“…….!?”
The cat, which bore a striking resemblance to Adler, floated in the air, propelled by the magical force. However, it headed toward neither Charlotte’s embrace nor Moriarty’s.
“Huh?”
Instead, the cat drifted toward Gia Lestrade, who had been watching the entire situation with a look of total disinterest.
“Me-Meow~”
“Why… why me…?”
Professor Moriarty and Charlotte Holmes stared blankly, unable to comprehend the fiasco. A moment later, however, they both turned and nailed Lestrade with a pair of identical, vicious glares.