Chapter 185: The Korean Interpreter (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 185: The Korean Interpreter (9)
To be honest, I’d already suspected that Charlotte would infiltrate this place disguised as an interpreter.
Assuming I had perfectly blocked the Professor’s eavesdropping, the only person left who could have bugged me was Charlotte herself. She had likely been preparing for this from the moment I disclosed the plan to my confidants earlier today.
Therefore, if she had simply infiltrated as an interpreter, I intended to play along and proceed with my plan.
"He... llo? Every... one?"
...No, what the hell is this sudden development?
However, when a somewhat understandable, if awkward, string of Korean tumbled from Charlotte’s lips, all my plans were instantly shattered.
How the hell does Holmes even know Korean?
Even with all the magic and mana in this world, I was currently in late 19th-century Britain. This wasn't the era of globalization; there certainly wasn't any internet. How could she have learned Korean in such a short time?
“Look. Before we start, we need to clarify a few things.”
As I broke into a cold sweat, a frigid voice came from behind the disguised Charlotte.
“Is this how you people always handle business?”
“We had to move our base in a hurry, and our losses were not minor.”
It was the men who had kidnapped the girl sitting next to me.
“Why are you even telling me that?”
“The interpreter your side sent betrayed us and leaked information. He must have taken a bribe somewhere along the line.”
“...Which means we don't trust you.”
One of the men, seemingly a subordinate, leveled a gun at Charlotte’s head.
- Click...
“Depending on your answer, we’ll decide whether to trust you or eliminate you right here, right now.”
“Go on. Convince us.”
Silence filled the room.
“...Aren't you the ones who made the mistake?”
I was still tied up, ready to make a move if things went south, but Charlotte stopped me with a silent signal from her eyes. She responded with a voice just as cold as theirs.
“Wasn’t it you who let an unidentified person into the hideout without even checking him?”
“What kind of nonsense is—”
“I heard you didn’t even have a password. If this matter was truly important, shouldn’t your side have decided on something like that in advance?”
The men’s faces instantly hardened.
“And did you think we wouldn’t contact you when sending someone? You should have received a note this morning.”
“There was no such mention...”
“You should have read the contract thoroughly. There’s a clause stating that while we decide the visit time at our discretion, we would contact you separately before sending anyone.”
At her response, one of the men frowned and pulled a contract from his pocket. Seeing that, Charlotte sent a surreptitious signal my way.
“...What? It’s actually written here?”
“Th-this is strange. I’m certain I checked the contract thoroughly...”
Seeing the opening, I followed her lead. With a subtle flick of my finger, I quietly added a new sentence to the contract.
...Magic really is convenient.
Of course, since the sentence was added after the contract was signed, it had zero legal standing. But the only thing that mattered was that these fools were unaware of the intricacies.
“...Tsk. Put the gun down.”
It seemed these two, lacking any magical ability, hadn't realized the clause was a fake written with the traces of Charlotte’s black mana residing in my body.
“Well, we are currently investigating whoever tried to sabotage the deal. Since it was our mistake for not clearly explaining all the clauses beforehand, we won't charge an additional fee.”
“Understood.”
As I sighed in relief inwardly, Charlotte continued her performance with a crisp, professional voice.
...She’s really good at this.
There was something oddly intriguing about watching her in action. Although she was a defender of justice through and through, I couldn't help but imagine how formidable she would be if she turned to crime. Wouldn't she be a match for Professor Moriarty herself?
“Then, please translate the message we intend to convey.”
“For your information, we’ll be staying inside this time. Being too lax last time is what led to this predicament...”
“Do as you please.”
As I lost myself in thoughts that would make a genuine Sherlockian faint in horror, the two men prepared to interrogate me and the girl.
- Swoosh...
“Ju-just kill me already, please...”
When torture tools—still stained with the girl’s blood—were produced, the girl beside me began to tremble violently.
“Tell them the following.”
As I looked at her with pity, the man in front spoke in a rough voice.
“If the woman does not disclose the location of the documents within a minute, and if the man does not truthfully reveal who bribed him within a minute...”
“………”
“...Both of them will be gruesomely killed on the spot.”
Charlotte’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but she quickly began translating with an unaffected expression.
"Document location... You no tell? You die..."
"Eeek...!"
Despite the grim situation, her translation came out in a cute accent that didn't match the atmosphere at all. However, the content was enough to terrify the girl beside me.
“...And I believe the person next to you understands English.”
“Ah, that is so.”
Reminding the man of that fact, she silently took off her wristwatch and tossed it toward us.
"Start now. I count. Ten..."
"Uh, ugh..."
"Count finish. Hurt very, very much."
Then, still using that cute Korean accent, she dropped a literal bombshell on the girl.
"...Hey! I thought we had sixty seconds!"
"One."
"Hey!?"
"Two."
Charlotte was undeterred, beginning her count much to the girl's dismay. Even though the girl tried to protest, she was met only with cold indifference.
"Three, four..."
- Clang, clink...
Simultaneously, the men standing beside us clashed their hideous torture devices together, creating a spine-chilling sound.
“Hmm...”
The choice I made in that situation was...
...Whatever.
To stay as still as a corpse.
It’s not like I’m actually going to die.
Under normal circumstances, Lady Clay—the fake interpreter—should have extracted information about the client from these men, but that was something even Charlotte, whose combat skills had improved to match the Professor's, could handle. And even if her plan involved me being tortured, I was prepared to accept it as karma for my past deeds.
"Mother..."
However, the one thing that troubled me was the poor girl sobbing beside me. I had firm belief that Charlotte would never jeopardize her safety, but lately, I couldn't deny that I occasionally saw a flash of Professor Moriarty’s aura in her gaze.
"Seven, eight..."
Because of that, I felt it necessary to prepare for any eventuality by loosening my restraints.
“Nine...”
I waited quietly for the count to end.
"Wait!!!"
The girl, who had been shivering in silence, suddenly screamed.
"...You decide speak?"
"Please, convey this message to my homeland!"
She blurted out her words urgently to Charlotte, who looked puzzled by the sudden outburst.
"We must call off the plan now! The Empire of Japan has already pressured and bribed several countries, including Britai—"
- Slap!
“...Ugh.”
Before she could finish, her head snapped back from a vicious slap delivered by one of the men.
“...And what did this woman just say?”
Charlotte, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"Ten."
She quietly moved away, pressing herself as close to the corner of the room as possible.
“What are you doing?”
“I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.”
“What?”
In the next instant—
- BOOOOOM!!!
A terrifying explosion resonated from everywhere at once. The walls of the hideout blasted inward, scattering debris in every direction.
“Eeek!”
Startled, I hurriedly shielded the girl from the falling rubble.
“...You’ve breached the contract.”
“.......!”
My eyes widened at the familiar voice of Lestrade, who stepped through the dust with elegant strides.
“However, I’ll overlook it this time due to the special circumstances.”
Lestrade, having neutralized the two armed men with a single baton in the blink of an eye, hoisted me and the girl up while whispering softly.
.
.
.
.
“I called for Inspector Gregson this time, not you...”
Charlotte, watching Lestrade’s exaggerated entrance with a vacant gaze, brushed the dust off her clothes and pouted at the Inspector.
“She is being disciplined for failing to prevent Lupin’s escape. I am handling her duties in her stead.”
“...Tsk.”
Charlotte clicked her tongue and began to walk.
“Honestly, if I had a bit more time, I could have dug up the client’s information too.”
“Ah...”
“But we can’t endanger the victim just to catch the mastermind, can we?”
Charlotte muttered what sounded like an excuse directed at me, then added in a low voice, “...And it was dangerous for you, too. Even more so...”
“Miss Holmes...”
Moved by her words, I slipped out of Lestrade’s hold and walked toward her.
“.....?”
When I reached her, I immediately kissed her soft, squishy cheek.
“Thank you.”
After I whispered shyly, a dazed expression took over Charlotte’s face.
“Ah, and...”
- Bam...!
“...Ugh!?”
I was about to whisper something else, but the words never reached her.
“That’s a breach of contract.”
“Grrr...”
Lestrade murmured coldly, having punched me in the ribs before hoisting me up again.
“Isaac Adler will be taken in as a witness.”
“........”
“I’m not asking for your understanding. I’m doing my job, so don’t think of objecting...”
As Lestrade gripped me by the ribs and began moving toward the exit, her voice slightly raspy, Charlotte surprisingly gave in.
“...Go ahead.”
“Tsk...”
“Khuk, um...”
After she spoke, Charlotte absent-mindedly rubbed her cheek. She was met with a deadly glare from Lestrade, who stomped toward the exit with me in tow.
...Well, there were some variables.
Thus, the atmosphere of the case began to wrap up ambiguously once again.
But things are still going according to plan.
For me, however, there was an exception this time.
“What’s there to smile about so foolishly?”
“No, it’s just... Aaagh!!”
I already knew who was behind this case and had planned how to conclude it properly.
- Pow...
“Ju-just be gentle...”
At the time, I didn't expect my plan to have such far-reaching consequences, but that’s a story for later.
“Once the interrogation is over, we’ll proceed with a private meeting at home.”
“.....What?”
Incidentally, I also hadn't anticipated being subjected to such a terrifying "interrogation" by Lestrade in our so-called honeymoon home. But that, too, is another story altogether.
.
.
.
.
.
“...Hey there.”
“Eek?”
Thus, while Adler was being dragged away, imagining he was about to pull off the perfect crime for once...
“Ah, calm down. We’re on the same side.”
“...Ah, you’re suddenly speaking Korean fluently now?”
“I’ve been practicing for a few months, after all. But that’s not what’s important right now...”
He had failed to account for one thing.
“You, from Joseon? The Empire of Korea? You are a diplomat from the Empire of Korea, correct?”
“Yes, that is indeed correct.”
“Then are you a noble, perchance...?”
“Not all diplomats are from noble families, but I indeed come from a noble lineage, yes...”
The fact was that Charlotte’s grasp on Adler’s deepest secrets stretched much further than he could have ever anticipated.
“...Then, you must know the surnames that are commonly used by nobles in your country, right?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing. I just need them to keep a certain pesky devil in check.”
“……?”