Chapter 158: The Crawling Human (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: The Crawling Human (9)
“Haa, haaaa…”
Tick, tock…
The sun, hanging high in the sky, began its slow descent toward the horizon. At that hour, within the walls of Professor Presbury’s mansion…
“Where is it…? Where the hell is it…?”
In the private study—tucked away in the deepest part of the estate—a hooded figure was sweating profusely, frantically rummaging through the room.
“Shit… I’m sure it was stored here somewhere…”
Creak…
“Shit, shiiit…”
The man was so consumed by his search that he didn’t even hear the door behind him click open.
Click!
“………!”
The realization only hit him when the previously dark room was suddenly flooded with light, signaling that something had gone terribly wrong.
“Wh-What…”
“It would be wise to stay still, Mr. Gregory Freud.”
“Raise your hands where I can see them and kneel. I must warn you in advance: I cannot guarantee your safety if you reach inside your coat.”
Charlotte Holmes and Gia Lestrade stood in the doorway, guns leveled at the man. Gregory Freud froze, his hand hovering near his lapel, before slowly raising both hands in surrender.
“Ugh…”
Freud bowed his head, a look of utter resignation in his eyes.
“…From your expression, it seems you are already aware of your crimes,” Charlotte remarked.
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh? Are you going to play the victim now? Then allow me to enlighten you on the numerous vile acts you’ve committed over the past few months.”
As Freud wiped the sweat from his brow and attempted to stammer a defense, Charlotte pressed on, her voice cold and stern.
“I, I just…”
“You have been using your father’s theories and academic research to experiment on Professor Presbury, your own supervising professor.”
“Ah…”
“All so you could finally possess her—the woman you’ve always admired. Isn’t that right?”
Silence was the only answer Freud could offer.
“To think you used a theory designed for psychotherapy to dredge up suppressed desires… How dare you apply that knowledge to such a disgusting end?”
“What do you even know about my father’s theories, huh…?”
“Oh, I’m not merely stating an opinion. I’m speaking from your perspective. You interpreted those suppressed desires as sexual impulses. That is why you planned to periodically force Professor Presbury into an unconscious state.”
“D-Do you have any proof…?” Freud sputtered, his expression flustered.
Charlotte responded with a derisive smirk. “Of course.”
“What?”
“I believe this should be sufficient…”
She pulled a flask filled with a red liquid from her pocket. Freud’s face turned deathly pale the moment he saw it.
“Where did you get that…?”
“It was in the warehouse. I secured it before you could get your filthy hands on it.”
“………”
“Even though it’s labeled as an aphrodisiac on the black market, its real application is inducing a state of unconsciousness, isn’t it?” Charlotte whispered, gently swirling the liquid.
“On the way here, I received a telegram from a doctor friend I tasked with investigating the drugs currently making waves. She experimented with the aphrodisiacs circulating on the market but couldn’t find any significant results.”
“………”
“So, I was certain this flask didn’t contain animal serum. I began to wonder if it was a drug that distorts the mind. And lo and behold, you fell right into my trap.”
Gregory Freud stared at her, dazed by her mocking tone. Soon, he began grinding his teeth, realizing he had been played from the start.
“Of course, it wouldn’t have mattered if you hadn’t fallen for it. I could have simply asked Watson to analyze the contents and reached the same conclusion. But back to the matter at hand… you found a way to administer this to Professor Presbury and had her inject it regularly, didn’t you?”
“………”
“And using your position as her assistant, you approached the unconscious professor and performed acts that were nothing short of brainwashing.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes, looking down at the cornered man.
“Honestly, it makes me sick.”
“…If that’s what you think, I have nothing to say,” Freud replied in a subdued voice, fully resigned. “But… I wanted the professor at any cost…”
“……..”
“I spoke to her several times with all the sincerity I could muster… but she wouldn’t even pretend to listen. She only grew colder toward me as the days passed…”
“…I’ve heard enough,” Lestrade interrupted, cutting him off. “You are under arrest for the misuse of illegal drugs and sexual assault. You have the right to remain sil—”
“…Just a moment.”
“What is it?”
This time, Charlotte interrupted Lestrade.
“As disgusting as this man’s actions are, unfortunately, they are not criminal.”
“What do you mean?”
“…Come in,” Charlotte whispered, pushing the door fully open.
Creak…
“It’s time to end this farce.”
A figure entered through the open door, eyes downcast.
“Isn’t that right, Professor?”
“……..!”
To everyone’s shock, the person who entered was none other than Professor Presbury herself. A deep blush crept up her face—which was layered with far more makeup than usual.
.
.
.
.
.
“Pro—Professor…”
“………”
“Ho—How did you get here…?”
Freud stared blankly at the woman who had suddenly appeared. His confusion quickly turned to utter bewilderment.
“It’s funny that you’d ask how she arrived at her own house,” Charlotte noted.
“But, but… I heard she had a seminar tonight…”
“…I picked her up on the way. With her consent, of course.”
Freud looked at Charlotte, stunned.
“I assume you’re wondering why I did this?”
“……….”
“Well, why don’t you explain it yourself, Professor?”
Freud’s gaze shifted to Professor Presbury, who remained standing with her head bowed.
“Well, actually… the truth is…”
After a long silence, the Professor finally stammered out a response.
“…I—I knew that you were doing this… strange thing to me.”
“What?”
Cold sweat beaded on Freud’s forehead.
“I remember the very first day you started. I was busy working and dozed off for a moment… Suddenly, you started whispering in my ear… saying that I would start lik—liking you from now on…”
“…….”
“And since then, you’ve been coming by regularly… um…”
A strange, awkward tension filled the air as the Professor continued her reminiscence.
“B-But… you should have been unconscious because of the drug…?”
“Drug? Unconscious…? I don’t understand what you’re talking about…”
“Listen, Mr. Freud. It seems you are mistaken about something,” Charlotte interjected, her voice dripping with disdain. “While I admit that strange drug—which you obtained through god-knows-what channels—could induce a state of exhaustion, did you really expect it to guarantee a brainwashing effect?”
“If—if one falls unconscious… their suppressed desires…”
“I see. It seems you understand your father’s theories even less than I do. Please, come to your senses.”
Gregory Freud flushed with shame, clenching his teeth at her mockery.
“Mistaking a drug that puts people to sleep for one that induces a psychological 'unconscious state' is understandable—if you’re an idiot. You should have read the books more carefully.”
“Bu—But… there was definitely an effect!” Freud defended himself, his voice trembling. “Every single day, I kept whispering to her, urging her to like me… to love me and only me. And one day, the Professor really did begin to love me sincerely!”
“……..”
“O—Of course… she was only gentle with me while in that 'hypnotized' state… but I was satisfied with that. Not to mention, the duration of that state was getting longer every day…!”
The Professor bowed her head even lower, her ears turning beet red for reasons known only to her.
“I—I will gladly accept the punishment. Technically, it was no different from forcibly brainwashing her, so…”
“So, did you receive some kind of criminal consultation?” Charlotte asked.
“No, no! Of course not! That grey-haired professor I met earlier… she just told me to head to the mansion. She said everything would be resolved if I just came here…”
“…Tsk.”
Charlotte frowned at his reply, ignoring his rambling.
“I—I just… I took it as an instruction to destroy the evidence…” Freud muttered.
“So you had already grasped the situation, huh…”
“But… I still don’t understand. How could Professor Presbury remember all that if she was supposedly under hypnosis…?”
“…You still don’t get it?”
Unable to bear the farce any longer, Charlotte raised her voice impatiently.
“Professor Presbury was never under your 'sinister brainwashing' to begin with.”
“Then…?”
“…She knew all along. She went along with the farce of her own free will.”
Freud’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
“Well, it’s not as if I disliked it personally… I mean, a man thirty years my junior throwing himself at me like that…”
“……..”
“But I am naturally introverted and never had the chance to express my feelings to you… It seems you misunderstood…”
The Professor’s voice was soft and incoherent as she laid out her side of the story, her face a deep crimson.
“…I thought it was better to accept it that way at the time. But… after doing it a few times, I missed the window to tell the truth.”
“So, what now…?”
She glanced at her assistant and whispered, her voice barely audible.
“…I—I love you, Freud.”
The hesitant declaration was followed by a heavy, suffocating silence that enveloped the entire mansion.
“…I’m going to the loo. I didn’t get a chance earlier,” Lestrade announced, her face a mask of sudden enlightenment as she beat a hasty retreat. The small cat tucked inside her coat was fidgeting and trembling.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll return to searching the mansion. There are still a few things that don’t quite add up…” Charlotte mumbled, making her own exit.
A strange, lingering atmosphere remained between the two left behind.
“Um… Freud.”
“…Yes?”
“I’ll forgive you for everything you’ve done so far…” Professor Presbury said to the frozen man. “Can’t you just be a normal assistant from now on…?”
“………”
“…And perhaps give less provocative orders. I—It’s embarrassing to be doing such things at my age.”
After what felt like an eternity of tense silence, Freud finally opened his mouth, his voice shaking.
“Um… lie down.”
“…Yes.”
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in the mansion’s bathroom…
“…Kitty, don’t you think that was an utterly absurd incident?”
“Meow…”
As Gia Lestrade finished her business and prepared to stand, she whispered to the cat bundled in her clothes.
“Why have you been shivering like this?”
“………”
“…Did something scare you?”
She noticed the kitten was staring into space, its eyes clouded with terror. Her maternal instincts flared.
“Poor thing…”
Feeling a surge of sympathy, she pulled the little creature into her arms, gently stroking its fur. She leaned her head down to comfort it.
Crackle…!
The moment her lips brushed against the kitten’s head…
“Ugh…!?”
Sparks suddenly erupted in the air. A brilliant flash of light blazed from the trembling cat.
“……!?!?”
Startled, Lestrade tried to jump up, but a sudden weight forced her back down onto the seat.
“…….”
Her gaze fell upon Isaac Adler, who was peeking out from inside her clothes with a dazed expression.
Peck.
Realizing her bare skin and lips were in direct contact with him, the officer’s eyes went out of focus.
“”…………””
And so, Gia Lestrade experienced her first kiss in the most absurd way possible.