Chapter 186: Butterfly Effect
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: Butterfly Effect
“…Haah.”
“Master, are you feeling tired?”
“No… Not at all.”
It was the day after I had been subjected to a full day of torture disguised as an interrogation by Lestrade—the very man who had supposedly saved me in my moment of crisis.
“…But your legs are shaking quite unnaturally. Frequently, too.”
“My body has just been aching lately.”
After barely escaping the house while Lestrade was off-guard, I set off for the back alleys of London. Accompanying me was Moran, who had been waiting at our designated meeting place.
“Shouldn’t the physical pain you're feeling and the scent of a woman I can smell on you be separate matters? Why do I get the feeling that isn’t the case here, hmm?”
“That’s just the usual stench of the back alleys. And watch your language, young lady.”
I felt a sense of relief as I moved away from the area I’d been frequenting until yesterday, even if we were heading into a seedier district. However, I couldn’t help but feel perplexed by the abrupt shift in Moran’s tone.
“…….”
“Hey, look at me.”
I feigned a stern expression to admonish her, but she simply stared back at me with wide, searching eyes.
“Am I in trouble?”
The thought that even the adorable Moran was no longer listening to me made my heart sink. I tried my best to look even more intimidating than before, and after a long silence, she quietly bowed her head.
“…Forgive me for daring to question you. I am merely Master’s hound.”
She murmured the words in a low voice, cautiously gauging my reaction.
“That’s right. As long as you understand.”
Relieved by the loyalty she was finally showing, I reached out to pat her head.
Slap!
“Ouch!”
She flinched and, with lightning speed, slapped my hand away. Barely able to react to her reflexes, I just stared at her blankly.
“Wh-Why did you do that?”
What the hell? Was she still resentful about yesterday? Or had I done something exceptionally wrong that I wasn't aware of?
“…Don’t touch me.”
“I thought you liked being stroked?”
“I’m in a state of full alert right now. Let me focus on my work.”
As I stood there lost in confusion, Moran murmured in a slightly trembling voice.
…Is it puberty?
The conclusion I reached after staring at her puzzled face was that puberty had finally hit little Moran.
Well, considering her age, it does make sense…
Recently, she had grown noticeably taller and seemed to have become sensitive about physical contact. Those factors only served to confirm my hypothesis.
“Alright, I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“No, that’s not it… after this is over…”
“If you’re uncomfortable, just tell me in advance, okay?”
“…U-Uh.”
Apparently, I needed to handle Moran with more care from now on.
“…That face, with that smile… it’s unfair.”
She’s grown taller, but she’s still a child…
Thinking so, I gazed at Moran with paternal warmth. Blushing, Moran bowed her head further, averting her gaze.
Knock, knock, knock…
“Is anyone there~?”
Having arrived at our destination without even realizing it, I glanced around and quietly knocked on the door in front of me.
“Hoo eez eet?”
Not long after, English spoken with a heavy, awkward accent drifted from inside the firmly closed building.
“I’ve come looking for Mr. J. Davenport.”
The name I mentioned with a hint of a smile was that of the anonymous tipster who had responded to a troll-like newspaper ad placed by Mycroft in the original work, The Greek Interpreter.
“Eez dat so?”
In the next heartbeat—
“Master, danger…!”
Moran, who had been fidgeting with her head down, reacted a split second late to the sudden surge of murderous intent and hurled herself forward.
Bang! Bang…!!
“Aargh.”
Reacting a step ahead of her to the bullets piercing through the door, I twisted my body and pulled her into an embrace.
“Ma-Master…”
“…Cough.”
One of the few perks of my terminal condition was that it didn't matter how much I abused my body. After all, in six months, this body would be six feet under anyway; a few bullet holes weren't going to change that.
“I’m sorry…”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Unless it was a silver bullet, the rational choice was for me to take the hit instead of Moran.
“You don’t seem to be in good condition these days.”
The pain didn't just disappear, of course. Gritting my teeth, I forced a calm smile and patted the head of the frozen-stiff Moran.
“Rest for now.”
I turned and began walking inside, stepping past the tattered remains of the door.
“I’ll be back soon.”
It was time to wrap this case up.
*
“Blimey, you’re still alive after being shot…?”
“…Could there be devils in the West, too?”
“I was wondering why you came alone so confidently. Seems you had something to rely on.”
I stepped quietly into the shabby mansion, breezing past the men pointing guns at me. The man who was clearly the leader soon came into view.
“Pardon me, sir, but are you perhaps Mr. J. Davenport?”
“Hey, you’re not supposed to know that name…”
As I approached him, Davenport whispered back in a menacing tone.
“Because that name is a pseudonym I use when hiring criminals in this country.”
“Are you referring to Harold Latimer, the top-wanted fugitive arrested in the back alleys yesterday, and his subordinate, Mr. Wilson Kemp?”
“…Are you the subcontractor those fellows hired?”
“Well, sort of. I happen to be a subcontractor of the subcontractor.”
His clothes, appearance, and physique screamed "high-ranking official of the Japanese Empire." The man silently tilted his head to the side before speaking.
“What brings you here?”
“…Let’s be honest about recent events. If you return to the Japanese Empire like this, wouldn’t it put you, Mr. Davenport, in a rather awkward position?”
Returning his question with one of my own seemed to unsettle him. A chill entered his voice.
“…It’s still better than your current situation.”
“Yet you don’t deny that we’re both in a tricky spot, right?”
“……”
“That’s why I’ve prepared this!”
I pulled a stack of documents from inside my coat and waved them. Immediately, every eye in the room locked onto my hand.
“Fortunately, there are no bullet holes. Haha…”
“…What is that?”
“What do you think? It’s exactly what you’ve been desperately searching for.”
Intrigue flickered through Davenport’s wary eyes.
“How can I believe that?”
“If you look at the handwriting and the content, you can make a rough guess. This is part of a life-or-death plan from the Empire of Korea.”
“Hmm…”
“Of course, I will only hand this over once you accept my terms.”
Despite his lingering doubts, the mention of the Empire of Korea brought a look of undisguised interest to his face.
“What are the terms?”
“Simple. You agree not to cause any trouble for our side.”
“…Is that all?”
“This industry lives and dies by its reputation. Even a hint of bad news is enough to put us out of business…”
I began whispering a sweet offer Davenport could never refuse.
“Well, if it still bothers you… perhaps you could discreetly put in a good word for us among your contacts? You are a resourceful diplomat with extensive connections, after all…”
“…You’re quite well-informed, aren't you?”
“It’s not for nothing that people say we're in the process of taking over London. Oh, and if you have any additional requests, I’ll offer a discount.”
After a moment of coaxing, the bureaucrat flashed a toothy grin and shook his head.
“If the contents of the document are plausible, I will certainly put in a word for your organization. Is that really all you want?”
“Yes, of course~”
With a smile, I handed him the documents.
Swoosh…
As the verbal agreement was established, a tiny magical seal was imprinted on the Japanese diplomat’s forehead, though no one noticed.
“…Heh, hehehe.”
As I thought about how I would exploit this unlucky fellow in the future, a sound like a leaking breeze came from the man in front of me.
“Hahaha… ha…”
As he read halfway through the document, he couldn't hold back his laughter.
“A special envoy to The Hague? A Universal Peace Conference? Do you really think that would work? Such a pitiful notion…”
“…….”
“…But it might be necessary to prepare for it.”
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Davenport stood up.
“By the way, where did you find this?”
As he prepared to dismiss his men and storm out of the mansion, he stopped and asked the question. A bright smile stretched across my lips.
“…That’s a trade secret.”
I said that, but the truth was the source was a history textbook I had crammed in high school to pass the CSAT.
There was no way I could find the actual secret document the girl had protected until the very end through harsh torture—especially since I had utterly failed to seduce her.
However, considering the historical background, the situation, the time period, and the last words the girl had left behind, the document was undoubtedly related to the special envoy to The Hague. That envoy intended to expose the atrocities of the Japanese Empire to the international community.
So, I simply forged a version that suited their tastes.
Of course, it was so sloppy and absurd that anyone reading it would let out a hollow laugh. Just like Davenport did.
“I will definitely repay this kindness later…”
“Okay, goodbye~”
Why did I go so far as to manipulate them?
“…Even if you don’t plan to repay me, I’ll make sure you do.”
It was because I hadn’t yet paid the full price for failing to save that girl.
*
As Davenport and his entourage cleared out, silence descended upon the mansion.
Click, clack…
“Um… was this the number?”
In the silence, I pulled a portable communication device from my pocket—it looked like an old-fashioned telephone but had a mana stone embedded in the center—and began dialing.
“Even though mana stones and magic make things better, I still miss smartphones…”
The person I was trying to contact was someone I hadn’t spoken to in a long time. She was also the only person who might be able to fulfill the girl’s earnest wish.
Beep!
“Did it work?”
In the history I knew from my world, the special envoy to The Hague had failed. And even if they had succeeded, it wouldn’t have changed the grim fate of the Empire of Korea.
Still, if that girl earnestly wished for the success of the Hague envoy, I had to listen. Knowing how it would end made my heart ache, but some things were beyond my control.
—I-Is that Adler? Is it really you, Adler?
“Yes, it’s me, Your Majesty.”
I had dared to call none other than the Queen of Bohemia.
—I… I think of you every single day…!
“Is that so?”
Yes, she was the victim of the Scandal of the Bohemian Queen—the very first case that pitted me and the Professor against Holmes after I fell into this accursed world.
—I have refused every marriage proposal I’ve received. But my situation has changed drastically recently, and I’m afraid I am reaching my limit… But can you at least compliment me for enduring this long?
“Calm down and listen to me first, please.”
—Ah, alright.
I scratched my head, a peculiar expression on my face as old memories surfaced. Shaking my head to dismiss them, I got to the point.
“The Kingdom of Bohemia is part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, right?”
—Yes, but why?
The reason I asked was that one of the nations attending the Universal Peace Conference was the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I was tempted to ask the British royal family for a recommendation letter, but that would mean meeting the terrifying Jill the Ripper again. I was left with no choice but to contact the Queen of Bohemia.
“…Um, just asking out of curiosity, but… are you close to the Emperor?”
—Eh?
“If possible, I would like to ask you to write a recommendation letter…”
Of course, if the Queen didn’t have the influence to ask the Emperor for a favor, this was pointless. In my world’s history, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary was also the ruler of Bohemia. However, in Arthur Conan Doyle’s world, Bohemia was ruled by the fictional Ormstein dynasty instead of the Habsburgs.
I wasn't expecting much. If this failed, I’d have to find another way.
—Um, Adler.
As I waited for her reply without much hope…
—I… I am the Emperor?
“…What?”
The response made me doubt my hearing.
—I mean, I am the ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
“What kind of nonsense is that? Your Majesty’s name is Lilia Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein. You’re not a Habsburg… so how on earth…?”
—Habsburg? What country is that family from?
“Well, even if you ask me that…”
—I have memorized every noble house as part of my imperial studies since I was a child. I am certain. There is no such family in Europe.
It was only then that I realized the truth.
“…Let’s assume that’s true. Then why have you only been referred to as the Queen until now…?”
—My coronation took place just a few days ago. After the previous Emperor passed away with no other heirs, they crowned me as the Empress of Bohemia… and the Empire.
The woman I had essentially enslaved was not just royalty. She was the direct descendant of the last lineage of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
—But now… do you need my help?
“…….”
—If it is a request from you, my beloved, I will agree to anything. Except war, perhaps… that would be difficult. Anyway, please, feel free to speak.
The situation had spiraled completely out of control.
—No, please… command me. I will do anything…
“…I’m going to lose my mind. Fuck.”