Chapter 163: The Devil's Foot
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 163: The Devil's Foot
To reach Cornwall, where our client awaited, we had risen before dawn. After a hurried breakfast, we boarded a carriage bound straight for our destination.
“Professor, I believe I advised you to moderate your sugar intake.”
“…Why bring that up again?”
“Why wouldn’t I? For breakfast, you had nothing but milk tea—and it was so saturated with sugar that the crystals couldn't even dissolve into the liquid anymore.”
The Professor pointedly avoided my gaze throughout the meal.
Her current demeanor was so jarringly different from her usual self that I found myself questioning if this was truly the same woman who normally radiated such an imposing, lethal aura.
“Adler.”
“Yes, Professor?”
“Aren’t you… aren’t you sitting a bit too close?”
As I observed her from the side, she stole a glance at me and asked the question in a soft, hesitant voice.
Lick—
“Eh?”
Instead of answering, I simply leaned over and licked the side of her neck.
“What are you doing…?”
“You’re definitely the Professor. No one else tastes quite as sweet as you do.”
“Moderation, please…” she murmured, lowering her head.
I should have been this assertive from the very beginning.
Seeing her face turn beet-red with embarrassment, I was now certain: the Professor was incredibly weak to someone taking the lead.
Thinking back, hadn't she just stood there dazed and defenseless when I mistook her for Lupin before? Having lacked a worthy opponent for so long, she clearly had no idea how to handle someone who confronted her with such dominant confidence.
“But Adler… how long do you intend to keep licking me?”
“Stay still.”
“It tickles…”
“I said stay still, Professor.”
“……..”
Perhaps she had always been the type to be tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Either way, this was almost certainly my best opportunity. I had to take maximum advantage of this chance to subdue this overpowered final boss. It would make my future dealings with her much easier.
Swoosh—
Taking a deep breath, I stood up and moved closer.
“Professor~”
With a sly smile, I sat directly on her lap.
“……!?”
The Professor’s eyes widened, and her entire body froze instantly.
Twitch, twitch…
“…Pfft.”
Watching her head begin to habitually bob from side to side—a nervous tic she hadn't shown in a long time—I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
“There.”
Reaching out with both hands, I cupped her cheeks, holding her head firmly in place. I could feel her warmth radiating through my palms; it was a pleasant sensation.
“Would you like to wrap your arms around my back?”
“……..”
“Or shall I do it for you?”
As I whispered softly into her ear, I saw her hesitantly reach her arms forward. I added in a low, commanding voice, “No, let’s both do it.”
“…….!”
And so, the Professor and I sat there, staring into each other’s eyes, entwined like a pair of snakes in love.
Thump, thump…
Soon, the sound of a racing heartbeat reached my ears.
“Ah.”
At first, I assumed it was the Professor’s heart, but as I listened more closely, I realized it was my own.
…Damn.
Only then did it hit me: I had never actually taken the assertive role in a relationship before. Honestly, I’d been pounced on a few times, but this was my first time being the one to initiate.
“…Adler?”
As the realization dawned on me, a bead of sweat trickled down my forehead.
“Why are you making such a face all of a sudden…?”
Squish—
Before I could regain my composure, the Professor’s busty, soft chest pressed firmly against mine.
“Looking at you now, you’re actually quite adorable.”
“Sh-Shut up.”
No, I can’t let her take the initiative back.
“Don’t give me that cheeky look. Do you want me to punish you?”
“Oh? And how exactly do you plan to punish me now?”
“……..”
“Words alone don't quite capture it, do they?”
I swallowed hard and reached toward the Professor, who was shaking her head dismissively.
Click—
“…….?”
As I began to unbutton her clothes, she gave me a look of pure confusion.
“What are you doing now…?”
“Shh.”
Though my hands were trembling with nerves, I whispered in her ear with as much calm as I could muster.
“I’m going to undress you now.”
“………”
“In a carriage that is fully visible to the outside world.”
She looked at me with genuine alarm.
“But… I don’t want to show my skin to anyone but you…”
“This is your punishment for trying to undermine me.”
“Adler…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll leave your underwear on.”
I grabbed her outstretched arm, pressed it down, and whispered in a low voice, “We’re going to spend the rest of the day like this.”
“……..”
“It’s alright. I’ll cast a disguise spell on you so everyone else will think you’re wearing your usual attire.”
At those words, Professor Moriarty pouted, clearly displeased. Finally, her face completely flushed, she bowed her head deeply and accepted her fate.
…It seems her mana is still unstable.
In truth, the magic I cast on the Professor wasn’t a transformation spell, but a confusion spell. I had merely unfastened a few buttons of her blouse, but under the influence of the spell, she believed she was being completely undressed. No matter how normal she appeared to others, making the Professor walk around in just her underwear would have been excessively harsh.
“And here is your collar.”
“…A collar?”
“Throughout this case, you will wear this collar with my name engraved on it.”
What I was actually placing around her neck was not a collar, but a high-end jeweled necklace. Feeling guilty that I hadn't given her any decent gifts, I had purchased this top-quality item using the various "sponsorship funds" I’d collected from dubious sources.
Of course, to the Professor’s eyes, it looked like a dog collar.
“I… I am not your pet…”
“…From now on, you are.”
Once I decided to train her, I had to be thorough. If I let my guard down for even a second or showed any weakness, it would be over for me.
“Hand.”
Whoosh—
Blushing more furiously than ever, the Professor quietly placed her hand on the back of mine.
“Good girl.”
As I gently stroked her head, her body began to tremble again.
…Why does she keep reacting like this?
Watching her, a pang of guilt started to rise within me.
“Lie down.”
Slide—
It seemed I would have to continue this "intensive training" until the carriage reached its stop.
*
Several hours later.
“Uh, um…”
“The air is quite fresh here, isn't it, Professor?”
Professor Moriarty stepped down from the carriage, looking around with nervous eyes.
“Does it… does it really look normal to other people?”
“Yes. If it didn’t, everyone would be giving you strange looks by now.”
“I see… uh?”
“…See? Even if I pull on the naked Professor’s collar like this, nobody cares.”
I gently tugged on her necklace with a natural motion, already accustomed to the dominant role I had established during our time in the carriage.
“…It’s embarrassing.”
“I suppose. Anyway, what’s our next move?”
As I asked, the Professor—who was still fidgeting and blushing beside me—slowly spoke up.
“It seems our client is quite cautious. The brief only mentioned to come to this address, and that we would know what to do once we arrived.”
“…Isn’t that a bit dangerous? It could be a trap, or our identities could be exposed.”
“I’ve already had my people scout the area. No dangers or suspicious individuals were spotted.”
“…….”
“That’s… that’s all I have to report.”
After she finished, she stared blankly at me. I smirked and fumbled in my pocket.
“Here you go.”
“Th-Thank you.”
I pulled out a sugar cube and extended my hand. As she had been trained in the carriage, she cautiously began to lick the cube from my palm like a well-behaved puppy.
“……..”
My eyes narrowed as I looked at her. This was the future Queen of Crime—a woman destined to be so notorious that no one would dare look at her with anything but fear and subservience.
“Help! Help me!!”
“”…….!?””
Suddenly, a panic-stricken scream echoed from the quiet roadside.
“They’re all crazy… they’ve gone mad!!”
Exchanging a quick glance, the Professor and I began moving toward the source of the screams.
*
“Ah, um…”
The two of us found ourselves walking toward a nearby mansion.
“This is…”
“………”
As soon as we entered the yard, we stopped in our tracks, staring blankly through the windows at the scene unfolding inside.
“Ah… Uh…”
Creak, creak…♡
“Masters, please! Come to your senses…!”
For some reason, everyone inside the house wore bizarre, glazed expressions and was engaged in unspeakable acts.
“Come to your senses…”
“…Huh?”
Eventually, even the maid—the one who had been screaming and trying to stop the madness—went dazed. I watched her with utter perplexity.
“I… I want to join in, too.”
“…This isn’t the ‘Devil’s Foot’ I’m familiar with.”
As I muttered to myself and took a step back, Professor Moriarty, who had been standing behind me with her head bowed, suddenly flashed a bone-chilling smile.
“Of course it isn’t.”
“Hmm?”
“…It’s nothing, Adler.”