Chapter 16: The Red Mana League (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: The Red Mana League (5)
Infiltrating Auguste Academy was easier than expected.
Of course, for Adler—who was currently truant—and Holmes—an outsider—entering through the front gates would have been a logistical nightmare.
“Still, don’t you think we should have changed separately?”
“……”
“Miss Holmes?”
However, Adler was a genius of disguise magic and a consummate actor, while Holmes was London’s premier detective with equally formidable skills in subterfuge.
“Is it really appropriate for a detective to behave like this?”
“…A detective is someone who perpetually teeters on the edge of legality.”
In just a few minutes, they had transformed themselves into unremarkable-looking students in a nearby bathroom. They successfully diverted the security guard’s attention and slipped smoothly into the academy grounds.
“Miss Holmes.”
To avoid drawing the idle curiosity of aspiring detectives, the two held hands to hide the handcuffs binding them as they headed toward the basement.
“You’ve been acting a bit strange for a while now.”
“…Have I?”
As they moved deeper into the building, Adler quietly questioned the woman walking beside him.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“I’m not sure.”
Her response was noticeably colder than before.
“Was my comment about watching over the detective as an assistant really that upsetting?”
“Of course not, Mr. Adler.”
Holmes quickened her pace, a frigid smile playing on her lips.
“I’m actually quite happy right now.”
“Um…”
Adler scratched his head, sensing that something was definitely off, but he soon offered a quiet smile of his own.
“Well, I don’t know why you’re acting like this, but we’ve finally reached our destination.”
Adler extended his hand, pointing ahead.
“This is the basement where Miss Wilson has been working for over a week.”
It was a dark, subterranean space that had clearly been abandoned for a long time. Unlike the past, when it was merely blanketed in dust, the floor was now covered in complex formulas that exuded a heavy, occult atmosphere.
“As you can see, there’s quite a lot here.”
“……”
“This place is likely our last chance to find a clue. So…”
Adler stepped cautiously into the room, taking in the scene.
“Huh?”
He found he couldn't move forward. Holmes, who held the other end of the handcuffs, had come to a complete standstill.
“………”
Her eyes shone quietly in the darkness.
“Miss Holmes?”
Whenever Charlotte Holmes encountered crucial evidence, she would unconsciously fall into a deep trance. In this state, her perception of time and her surroundings slowed significantly, and her already extraordinary cognitive abilities were amplified to their absolute limits.
Usually, she could only enter this "world" by sitting in a comfortable chair for hours, focusing her senses, or utilizing the hallucinogenic effects of certain stones. Yet, for some reason, she had managed to immerse herself deeply while standing right there.
“Miss Holmes? Miss Holmes…”
Poke, poke.
Despite Adler curiously poking her cheek, she didn't respond.
“Come on, snap out of it…”
But the moment he playfully began to stretch Charlotte’s soft cheek—
“…Ugh.”
She suddenly jabbed his side with a curved smoking pipe she’d pulled from her pocket, then brought it to her mouth.
“…Those aren’t good for you. Especially not while your body is suffering from Mana Poisoning.”
Adler rubbed his side and stood up, snatching the pipe from her hand.
“That isn’t tobacco; it’s a remedy for Mana Poisoning.”
“Masking the symptoms of Mana Poisoning with nicotine isn't a 'remedy,' Miss Holmes.”
“Are you worried about me now?”
At her question, Adler smiled brightly.
“You’ve seemed quite fatigued for some reason.”
He noticed the weary look in Charlotte’s eyes, likely the result of walking around all day.
“Given your constitution, you tire easily. You should take some time to recover.”
“…Ha.”
Adler’s concern was genuine, but Charlotte only offered another cold smile.
“Even for an actor, is this really the time for pretense?”
“Pardon?”
“…Never mind.”
With those words, Holmes began to walk forward, leaning back slightly.
“Perhaps I enjoyed our time together too much? Or perhaps my heart raced every time you posed a riddle.”
“That’s… flattering…”
“I wanted to play with you a bit longer.”
Holmes reached the center of the basement and stopped.
“It seems, Mr. Adler, that you wish to end this game soon?”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought we could have had a good relationship.”
Adler tilted his head, looking genuinely perplexed. Holmes smirked at his reaction.
“Well, saying this now is pointless.”
“……?”
“Let’s solve the final riddle, Mr. Adler.”
The Red Mana League case was nearing its climax.
*
“At first, I deduced that Joan Clay was targeting the bank’s hidden underground vault.”
Holmes began laying out her deductions, standing face-to-face with Adler.
“I believed the suspicious part-time job at the pawnshop right next to the bank was a cover for digging a tunnel to the vault.”
“So that’s why you went to the pawnshop as soon as you took the case, Miss Holmes…”
“Yes. However, the pawnshop owner rarely left her house, so a different means of entry was required. That means was this academy basement—the ideal location for creating a teleportation magic circle.”
“So, naturally, there was a need to either remove or capture Miss Wilson, who was living here?”
As Adler nodded in agreement, a fleeting moment of joy appeared in Holmes’s eyes.
“I thought you were hired to capture her, Mr. Adler.”
“Hmm.”
“Capturing her and forcing her to draw the teleportation circle in the basement would simplify the matter without taking unnecessary risks.”
However, her gaze soon turned colder, her tone sharpening.
“But my deduction was refuted by one simple fact.”
“Is it because there was nothing stored in the basement of the City & Suburban Bank?”
“Yes. To quote you, Mr. Adler, the premise was turned on its head. I was quite taken aback at first…”
“But once you reversed your perspective, the answer became clear rather quickly, didn't it?”
Interrupted by Adler’s whisper, Holmes stared intently at him before nodding silently.
“Joan Clay’s objective wasn't the vault. That was merely a diversion. Her real goal was for Diana Wilson to draw the magic circle of her own free will.”
“You mentioned that earlier. But you couldn't explain the basis for it.”
“…Because I lacked the evidence.”
Then, Adler asked her in a voice as gentle as a teacher questioning a student, “So, now that you’ve seen the evidence with your own eyes, can you explain your reasoning?”
“Of course.”
Holmes’s response was still icy, but an unusual fervor burned in her eyes. A prodigious girl who had grown up without needing guidance thanks to her innate talent—encountering a mentor of her own caliber for the first time made it difficult to control her emotions.
“I just discovered Miss Wilson’s true identity.”
Holmes watched Adler’s reaction closely.
“She is a vampire.”
Adler merely offered a faint smile.
“A pure-blooded vampire, at that—a race believed to be completely extinct.”
“And your basis?”
“If you consider why Princess Clay was working at a pawnshop for a meager wage, it becomes clear.”
Holmes slowed her speech, savoring the moment.
“If she wasn't digging a tunnel, then she must have had business with the owner of the pawnshop and her daughter, Miss Wilson.”
“Hmm.”
“Did you know that the pawnshop owner, Mrs. Wilson, hasn't stepped outside her shop in three years?”
“How did you find that out?”
“Inquiry is the basis of detective work. Simple questions around the crime scene reveal many facts.”
As Holmes spoke, she wasn't filled with her usual sense of superiority, but rather a range of emotions she couldn't quite comprehend.
“Unlike hybrid vampires like Lady Joan Clay, awakened pure-bloods are fatally allergic to sunlight.”
“And?”
“Before meeting you, Mr. Adler, I spoke with the vagrants in the alleys.”
Holmes mused over the man before her—the man who had deduced, anticipated, and unraveled variables faster than she could. She felt a desire to be recognized by him, to work alongside him, and eventually, to surpass him.
“They said they’ve seen the pawnshop owner sneaking out late at night.”
“That alone isn't sufficient evidence.”
“There is more.”
Even though she realized what he intended to do to her, she couldn't calm her heart.
“Miss Wilson mentioned during the interview that red mana sprang from her hand. At first, I thought it was a trick by Joan Clay.”
“Why?”
“While talking with Miss Wilson, I sensed a faint mana stone reaction from her hand.”
Holmes demonstrated by using a ring’s mana stone, producing a faint red glow.
“I am an expert in the study of mana stones. Even days later, I can detect the traces of their use.”
“I see.”
“I assumed that when Princess Clay shook hands with Miss Wilson during the interview, she coated her hand in mana stone powder.”
“Hmm.”
“Using the powder as a medium, she remotely interfered with the mana to change its color to red. It’s a plausible excuse to get Miss Wilson to join the club. A convincing story, isn't it?”
As Adler nodded, Holmes wagged her finger.
“But that wasn't the case. Miss Wilson mentioned her mana was… distinctly… like a blazing red.”
“She did say that.”
“It is nearly impossible to create a blazing red mana remotely. Even for an expert like me, overlaying it onto orange mana is a feat beyond reach.”
“In that case, how did Miss Wilson wield red mana?”
“That is the proof that she is a vampire.”
Holmes intensified the red mana she was conjuring.
“The mana stone powder wasn't for 'mana jacking.' It was an amplifier.”
“You’re suggesting the vampire mana lurking inside Miss Wilson was amplified by the stone?”
“Exactly.”
“But the evidence is still insufficient.”
Holmes pulled something from her coat.
“Crucially, since Miss Wilson started using the magic circle a few days ago, her health has deteriorated rapidly.”
“What is that?”
“You can tell by looking at the residue in this hourglass.”
Holmes examined the hourglass, which tracked Miss Wilson’s rapidly diminishing lifespan, then looked at the magic circle behind Adler.
“Mr. Adler, I am not a mage, so I cannot decipher that circle.”
“Yes, it’s truly unfortunate.”
“But if you consider the purpose of the Red Mana League, one doesn't need to be a mage to guess its use.”
Her breathing quickened.
“The goal of the Red Mana League is to usher in the era of vampires in London.”
“………”
“Miss Wilson, a pure-blood who has yet to awaken, was to be their ultimate sacrifice.”
Adler looked down at Holmes with genuine admiration.
“My mana stone ring is reacting intensely to that circle. There is a formidable energy contained within it.”
“Hmm.”
“This is conjecture, but perhaps Miss Wilson has been unknowingly storing her vampire power into that circle over the past week?”
The corners of Adler’s mouth rose.
“Miss Clay isn't the type to arrange events for the good of others. The reason she approached the last pure-blooded vampire in Europe was surely to harness that power.”
Her deductions were reaching their conclusion.
“And she will be coming here soon.”
Charlotte looked straight into Adler’s eyes and whispered her final words.
“Because you disbanded the club today.”
“How is that relevant?”
“Disbanding the club implies Miss Wilson is no longer needed. In other words, the magic circle is complete, isn't it?”
The moment she finished—
“Ah, this is truly Holmes.”
Adler mumbled, his face showing relief.
“The problem was the story’s pacing, after all. The Great Charlotte Holmes couldn't possibly fail a case like this.”
“…Pardon?”
“Damn those story department bastards! Damn them all!”
As Holmes tilted her head in confusion at his incomprehensible muttering, Adler cleared his throat.
“Now, it’s my turn to ask a question.”
Adler leaned in.
“Why do you think I want to end this game?”
“……”
“I don't think of this as a mere game, but I’m curious why you do, Miss Holmes.”
Holmes replied with a sarcastic smirk.
“It’s a simple fact.”
“And that is…?”
“From the moment you promised to protect me at all costs, you secretly started casting a sleeping spell on me, didn't you?”
“What?”
“Did you think I wouldn't notice just because I’m not a mage?”
Adler’s eyes widened in utter bafflement.
“And at the same time, you had someone tailing us. Their bloodlust was so palpable it was impossible to miss.”
“Someone tailing us?”
“Enough with the act, Mr. Adler. I already know your follower has neutralized all the police I had prepared.”
The accumulated weight of the sleeping spells finally began to force Holmes’s eyes shut.
“I had hoped for a twist, but it seems there isn't one.”
“Wait, just a moment…”
“Turns out, you were just another ordinary criminal after all.”
Holmes stumbled, losing her balance. Adler hurried to catch her in his arms.
“Even if it wasn't a conventional relationship, I thought we could have had a good one.”
“Listen…”
“I even considered hiring you as an assistant.”
Holmes gazed up at him with half-closed eyes, her voice bitter.
“But to you, I was nothing more than a toy to be enjoyed and discarded.”
Her eyes fully closed.
“…I’m truly disappointed, Mr. Adler.”
At her final words, Adler’s expression went blank.
Squeak—
The basement door opened, and someone stepped inside.
“Well done, Mr. Adler.”
The client, Lady Joan Clay, approached with a captivating smile.
“I had to get rid of an obstacle. I hope you don't mind?”
Adler’s features contorted in displeasure.
“………”
Charlotte Holmes lay limp and drained of strength in Adler’s embrace. To any onlooker, she was unmistakably unconscious.
…Good.
Yet, astonishingly, she was murmuring internally.
Everything is going as planned.
The substance Charlotte had inhaled from the pipe a few minutes ago wasn't tobacco. It was a mana gas designed to induce a trance-like state. Before the sleeping spell could take hold, Charlotte had intentionally intoxicated herself, placing her mind in this suspended state.
The opportunity will come.
She had used this versatile mixture many times—even during the Scandal of the Bohemian Queen, when she had disguised herself as a nun and feigned death. Back then, she had used a pill, which prevented her from awakening her senses on command. However, after the fire incident, she had developed this improved version. Now, she could awaken whenever she wished.
I’ll time it perfectly. I’ll wait for Lady Joan Clay to begin absorbing the mana from the circle.
Even for a vampire, there is a vulnerable period during the absorption of such immense power. If she struck then, she could subdue her easily.
Next is Isaac Adler.
If she succeeded, victory would be hers. Though Adler was a mage and her intellectual equal, his combat abilities were lackluster. She had simulated countless battle scenarios with him in her mind. In any given situation, she believed she could win.
…It’s a pity.
As Charlotte steadied her mind, a sudden realization dawned on her.
The reason your hourglass is almost empty is because you are destined to lose by my hand, in this very place.
Any accomplice to a vampire faced execution. It was an old law, forgotten by many, but still in effect.
If you were going to introduce me to such excitement only to abandon me, you should have just let me die in the flames that day.
She thought of how delightful it would have been if he had viewed her as long-term entertainment. She began to tune into the conversation.
“Were you following us the entire time?”
“I gave you a task, but when I see you with a girl like that, I can’t help but be concerned.”
A few minutes later, Charlotte could hardly imagine the expression she would be making.
*
“Why did you use a sleeping spell? It’s no different from poisoning. It’s harmful to the recipient.”
“Hmm?”
I spoke with a hint of anger. Princess Clay, standing before me, tilted her head.
“I was going to kill her anyway. What does it matter?”
“…Kill her?”
“I’ve always wanted to taste blood once I became a pure-blood. I may not like being deprived of mana, but I can’t harm you because of our contract, can I?”
Hearing those words, the thread of reason snapped in my mind.
“I’ve put the police outside to sleep. No one is coming. Anyway, I intended to explain my real plan, but it seems you’ve figured it out.”
I realized I was speaking to her in a voice like ice.
“As soon as your purpose was revealed, you requested a decoy mission to use my talents to rob a bank. It diverted our attention and the detectives’, allowing you to exploit the situation to steal Miss Wilson’s power.”
“……?”
“You truly deserve the title of the fourth smartest woman in London.”
Princess Clay furrowed her brows. “Fourth…? What do you mean by—”
“But you see…” I didn't let her continue. “You made two grave errors.”
“I don't know what you’re talking about, but it would be wise not to step on that magic circle.” Princess Clay approached, her voice soft. “It isn't something a mere mortal can handle. If you touch it, you’ll be living on borrowed time.”
I looked at her calmly.
“Firstly, you didn't trust our criminal advisory service and acted on your own discretion.”
“…Are you even listening to me?”
“Secondly…”
I quietly took off my outer coat and wrapped it around Charlotte.
“How dare you lay your hands on the hope of London without understanding the gravity of your actions.”
The price for messing with my favorite character would be excruciating.
“You really think Holmes is someone you can handle?”
I took a step forward. My foot touched the magic circle, and it immediately began to burn, engulfed in fiery red mana.
“You fool.” Princess Clay scoffed. “It seems you’ve grown attached to that little one.”
She didn't even consider the possibility of retaliation. She simply sat in a nearby chair and crossed her legs.
“Forgetting the contract and risking your life… it’s truly laughable.”
It was an understandable reaction. I possessed golden mana—the polar opposite of her own. To her, I was a suicidal man jumping into his own grave.
“I had no choice.”
However, there was one thing she didn't know.
“In order to protect the most precious thing, sometimes one must risk their life.”
That I was the very being who had designed the magic system of this world.
“Remember this well.”
It was time to show this arrogant vampire the greatness of the Creator of Magic.
*
Shiver…
“………?”
Wait, why had Charlotte been shivering in my arms for a while now?
It was becoming quite concerning.