Chapter 178: The Korean Interpreter (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: The Korean Interpreter (2)
“Professor…”
“Why? What is it?”
It was the following morning. We had left Cornwall, setting out to investigate a request that filled me with an ominous sense of foreboding.
“Do we really need to walk down the street like this…?”
“Let me ask you a counter-question. Is there any reason I shouldn’t maintain such security for an impudent assistant who might disappear at any moment, whether by choice or otherwise?”
“Uh, well…”
Gauging the Professor’s expression, I finally muttered my complaint in a low voice after much deliberation.
“Still, carrying a minor under your coat while walking down a busy street in broad daylight… it seems a bit problematic, doesn’t it?”
“Why would you be a minor? You are clearly an adult.”
“But I am—”
“The legal age of adulthood differs between mana wielders and the general populace. For instance, the general legal age is twenty-one, but for mana wielders, it happens to be exactly your age…”
“…I get it. No need to explain further.”
Fearing she was about to say something extremely controversial from a 21st-century perspective, I hurriedly tried to cover the Professor’s mouth.
“…When they are considered an adult.”
“……”
However, the Professor inevitably finished her sentence and flashed a smile at me.
“Mana wielders are treated as critical resources. In exchange, they must be registered with the state.”
“Is that so…”
“In fact, I was also registered with the state recently.”
“What?”
“I was observed using mana while saving you from that disgusting murderer.”
“Oh…”
Was she talking about when Jill the Ripper first revealed herself? Recalling that moment, I remembered how she had frantically waved a knife around like a raving madwoman. Considering that, perhaps it was sheer luck that I hadn’t been murdered yet.
“Well, the information isn’t exactly accurate, but I had to pay the fine regardless.”
“…That’s very thorough of you.”
“By the way, Adler, something seems off.”
As I casually responded, the Professor’s expression suddenly brightened as she turned the conversation toward me.
“You’re supposed to be British, so why is your basic knowledge so lacking?”
“Uh…”
“Could it be that you aren’t actually British?”
That penetrating gaze made it feel as if she could see through everything, sending shivers down my spine.
“Wh-what are you talking about…?”
“Now that I think about it, your English is slightly odd, too. Normally, you speak with a British accent, but sometimes an American accent slips out, and at times, you speak in an accent I’ve never heard before… Sometimes you even use terms I’ve never encountered in all my life.”
“…Did I not mention it before? I’m of British-American descent.”
I quickly scrambled for an excuse, but that only elicited a smile from the Professor that made my skin crawl. Soon, she spoke up.
“What are you talking about… Adler?”
“What?”
“Well, you are a devil, aren’t you?”
“…Ah.”
That was the moment I knew I had messed up. Sweat drenched my skin at my blunder, while the Professor whispered lazily into my ear.
“It seems like the ‘settings’ you’ve stored in your head keep clashing, hm?”
“……”
“Better keep them straight. Otherwise, you might really reveal your true identity to that young detective, and that would be a real disaster.”
A more profound chill crawled down my spine, making me shiver uncontrollably.
“Well, I suppose…”
“……..”
“That aside, could you please release me soon…?”
I tried to shake off the chilling feeling with a casual question, but the Professor simply tightened her coat around me and whispered in a dangerously low voice.
“Just move your feet.”
“……..”
“I’ve already cast a perception inhibition spell on us. No one can recognize us.”
I had neither the logic nor the will left to argue. So, I kept walking forward, my shoulder buried in the Professor’s chest, until we reached our destination.
“My shoulder hurts.”
“How about transforming into a cat like you did before?”
“I’m sorry I said anything. Let’s just walk, please.”
.
.
.
.
.
“Hmm.”
“Is this the place…? The location where we were supposed to meet the client?”
Waddling along like a mother penguin with her chick, we arrived at one of the most poorly managed areas of London’s backstreets—a place housing an alarming amount of criminal activity.
“Among these abandoned houses, this one seems to have some signs of life.”
“A-Are you sure…?”
“You know this area too; your hideout is nearby, after all. It’s a dangerous place for just about anyone to live.”
—Creeeeak…
“The fact that I can feel such strong presences here—two of them, to boot—gives us our answer.”
Honestly, I couldn’t quite grasp the severity of the situation because the Professor was confidently strolling through this criminal den as if it were her own living room. I quietly entered the house alongside her as she suggested.
“”………..””
Silence descended as we stepped inside.
“…Hmm.”
As soon as we entered the hallway, the foul smell of blood made me furrow my brows.
“A familiar smell…”
The Professor, however, seemed to like it.
“Professor, is the perception inhibition magic still in place…?”
—Sizzzleeee…
“…Huh?”
As I was about to ask another question and take a step forward, a suspicious noise echoed from within.
“Is someone grilling meat…?”
“Aaaaagh!!!”
“…Ah.”
I realized it wasn’t the sound of average meat being grilled when a terrible scream echoed from the back.
—Click…
And right at that moment—
“It would be wise for both of you to raise your hands…”
A bone-chilling, eerie voice echoed from the darkness.
“…Very well. Now, identify yourselves.”
As the Professor and I obediently raised our hands, a man in a suit aimed a gun at us. He looked at us alternately with a wary gaze and made his demand.
“You folks really lack manners.”
In such a tense situation, Professor Moriarty whispered in a relaxed voice as she slightly flicked her finger.
—Clatter…
“What?”
The gun he was holding immediately disassembled and fell to the ground, causing momentary confusion to wash over the man’s face.
“We did not accept your request just to be treated this way.”
“Huh, a vampire…?”
“That’s right. As my assistant said, you shouldn’t think of us as just any subcontractor. Given that we hold what you need, and possess the advantage in strength and abilities, you guys are merely our subordinates. Nothing more.”
Sensing the severity of the situation, I activated my vampiric abilities, my eyes turning red as a result, and cautioned the man. The Professor stroked my head approvingly and drove the point home.
“…My apologies.”
Noticing our reactions, the man in the suit soon bowed politely and offered his apologies.
“Given the nature of the matter, we had to be cautious about security. Please be gracious enough to forgive us…”
“Yes, that’s how you should show respect if you want us to feel inclined to work.”
Finally, with a satisfied expression, the Professor began moving forward.
“Gao…”
“……..?”
I raised my hand in a threatening manner toward the man who remained bowing, and then followed behind the Professor.
“…Is this the kidnapped Asian?”
“Ugh, uh…”
As we moved into a dimly lit basement, the source of the screams finally became visible.
“That’s right.”
“Judging by her state, she’s been toyed with quite a bit, I assume.”
Despite being severely emaciated, the Asian woman possessed a certain grace. Tied to a chair, her head was lowered, her eyes filled with despair.
“We are quite gentlemanly if we receive proper cooperation.”
“And?”
“Unfortunately, this woman wasn’t very cooperative.”
Watching her with a vacant expression for some time, the Professor began examining the woman with interest.
“It would be better if we could communicate, but we must first understand the language she speaks.”
“Isn’t she Chinese?”
“Judging by her appearance, it’s certain she’s Asian. However, having dealt with many Chinese myself, I can say… the language this woman is speaking definitely isn’t Chinese.”
Hearing the man’s reasoning, the Professor’s eyes gleamed with even more interest.
“I would like to hear what this woman has to say.”
“…Alright. There’s no harm in trying.”
At the Professor’s request, the man nodded and removed the gag from the woman’s mouth.
“Ah, ah…”
As she alternated her gaze between the Professor and the man, incomprehensible words burst from the lips of the woman, who was pale with fear and pain.
“These fucking bastards…!”
“…Huh.”
A scent all too familiar to me—one I never imagined I’d encounter in the heart of London—was emanating strongly from the woman.
“You bastards who deserve to be boiled down to the bone… listen carefully!!”
“………”
“No matter how much you rant at me like a dog in heat, you won’t be able to extract any information from me… Kulluk!”
While listening to her rather archaic swearing, which did not suit her elegant appearance, I struggled to manage my expression.
“Even if we can’t understand the words, we’re not fools who can’t pick up on the nuances…”
—Crunch…!
“…….!”
The man struck her in the abdomen, and she began shivering in pain. Soon, however, she bit down fiercely on her tongue to halt her screams. The sight filled me with a complex set of emotions.
…I can’t believe it. It’s just as I suspected.
“………”
The Professor standing next to me was observing me with a curious gaze, but that wasn’t important right now.
“Sigh… Get a healing magic circle from the black market. The cheapest one.”
“Yes.”
I never imagined I’d end up consulting a distant ancestor of mine on criminal matters.
“If you don’t want to die, you’d better stay still this time…”
—Sizzzleee…
“…Ughhhhh!”
What am I supposed to do now?