Chapter 188: Omen of the Storm
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 188: Omen of the Storm
Step, step...
Just as Adler had inadvertently revealed a third of his name to Charlotte, somewhere on the outskirts of London...
“...Excuse me.”
“......”
“Are you certain this is the right place?”
In a notorious district where even a grown man would hesitate to tread, two young women were walking alone.
“......?”
“...Sigh, it really is inconvenient that we can’t communicate.”
Strangely, the thugs who usually swarmed these streets like bees were eerily silent today. This was likely because one of the women was none other than Inspector Gia Lestrade—a woman capable of dismantling the entire alley’s underworld single-handedly.
“........”
“...Haaa.”
Lestrade let out a quiet sigh as she looked at her companion, a girl serving as a diplomat from the nation known as the Empire of Korea.
“Weren’t we supposed to go to the embassy? This is clearly just a back alley...”
“Ah, ahem. No speak English...”
“...Right.”
Whenever Lestrade posed a question, she was met with only the most rudimentary, broken English. Resigned, she wore a helpless expression and kept moving.
Usually, when a nation dispatches a diplomat, don’t they choose someone fluent in the language of their post?
Just as that question crossed her mind—
“.......!”
“Eh? What is it?”
The diplomat stopped in her tracks, a grim expression plastered across her face.
“Did you see a crime or some—”
Following the girl’s gaze, Lestrade turned her head. Cold sweat immediately dotted her forehead as her jaw dropped.
“What in the...”
Before them lay collapsed buildings and a multitude of people scattered across the ground, unconscious. It looked as though a literal bombing had occurred.
“Ah, no...!”
“Wa-Wait! Where are you going?”
As Lestrade unsheathed her baton, sensing a fresh crime scene, the pale-faced girl dashed forward.
“It’s dangerous that way...!”
“There is no danger.”
Lestrade, who had been desperately reaching out to stop the girl, froze. A familiar voice drifted toward them from the wreckage ahead.
“I have already eliminated all hostile elements.”
“Why are you... here?”
Lestrade turned toward Professor Moriarty, who was approaching them while calmly brushing debris from her coat.
“I was conducting a personal investigation.”
“An investigation?”
“There was something I needed to obtain.”
Professor Moriarty pulled a folder from her coat and waved it before them.
“That—that is...!”
At that moment, the diplomat girl cried out, her expression one of pure horror.
“I am Kim Cheong-yeon, a diplomat of the Empire of Korea! What you are holding are confidential documents intended for my home country!”
“...Wh-What? You?”
“If you do not wish to cause a diplomatic incident, please return them at once!”
As the girl spoke in perfectly fluent British English, an incredulous look crossed Lestrade’s face.
“Hey! If you knew English, why didn’t you speak it from the start?”
“I apologize, but there were circumstances...”
“I’m afraid that won’t be happening.”
Meanwhile, Professor Moriarty looked at the pale girl with an amused glint in her eyes.
“Wh-Why...”
“Return the documents, Professor Moriarty. You are clearly committing a crime right now.”
Gia Lestrade pointed her baton at the professor, her tone turning frigid.
“Now, now, Inspector Lestrade. What crime have I allegedly committed?”
“Property destruction, endangerment of life, theft... you’ve been caught red-handed. I could arrest you this second.”
“Arrest? Hahahahaha...!”
The professor let out a mocking laugh, looking at the inspector with genuine disbelief.
“...Do you truly believe you can arrest me?”
“There’s no reason I can’t.”
“No, putting aside the question of physical might... do you think you can legally apprehend me?”
“Eh?”
“So this is the level of Auguste Academy’s top talent... It is quite fascinating to see the academic standards of students these days.”
As the inspector looked ready to pounce, the professor shook her head sadly before explaining.
“I merely neutralized an illegal intelligence-gathering cell operating in a high-risk zone.”
“.......!”
“Gathering illegal information in such a dubious place—which certainly cannot be considered an embassy—surely makes them nothing more than a puppet group, wouldn't you agree?”
Lestrade’s brow furrowed as she realized the people knocked out by the professor bore a striking resemblance to the girl standing between them.
“Then you should have reported it to the Scotland Yard. And the casualties you’ve caused here aren’t justified either...”
“What are you talking about, Miss Lestrade? I am a professor at Auguste Academy.”
Despite Lestrade’s efforts to argue, she was clearly struggling to keep up.
“As you well know, a professor at Auguste Academy holds investigative authority. Moreover, we are generally treated as equals to an Inspector.”
“...Ugh.”
“And all those people lying about have simply been immobilized. I haven’t permanently injured anyone. There is absolutely no legal issue here.”
It was impossible to outmaneuver Professor Moriarty in a battle of wits; she had prepared for every contingency.
“Then... I request that you share your investigation details.”
“I’m afraid I must decline. If you are so fond of protocol, shouldn’t you submit an official request for collaboration?”
“Ha! You expect me to wait for paperwork while you tamper with the documents?”
“Do not make unfounded accusations. The only reason I haven’t socially buried you yet is because I know Adler would dislike it.”
Completely defeated by logic, Lestrade trembled and lowered her head.
“Please, return them,” the diplomat girl pleaded, clenching her teeth. “They are written in our language; you won’t be able to read them anyway.”
“...Do you really think so?”
The girl spoke up bravely, despite her fear.
“Unfortunately for you, I am well-versed in many useful magics... or should I say, sorcery in your tongue? Regardless, I know a great deal of it.”
“What do you mean...”
“What I mean is that I have already read the documents. I know you are futilely chasing a hopeless dream.”
The professor’s calm response left the girl unsettled.
“How could you possibly know that...”
“A great deal of magic has vanished from this world. It is truly regrettable.”
“........”
“In my personal opinion, your homeland might also vanish before long.”
“Don’t speak so carelessly!”
The professor’s provocative statement reignited the fire in the girl’s eyes.
“...Well, it is not really my place to meddle.”
Whoosh!
“Ah.”
Surprisingly, Professor Moriarty casually tossed the documents back to her.
“I’ve already memorized the contents, so it doesn’t matter.”
“........”
“Thanks to this, I’ve discovered the weakness of a very annoying individual, and I’ve realized what I must do to expand my influence. I suppose I owe you a small favor.”
She then pulled an old coin purse from her coat and tossed it to the girl.
“That should be enough for you to abandon your useless operation and seek asylum in Britain for a few years without worry.”
“.........”
“Think of it as payment for the information. My vault... has thousands more of those.”
The purse was heavy, filled with gold and exquisite jewels.
I want to throw it back at her... but if I can get more information with this...
“...That being said, I have one point of personal curiosity.”
As the girl stared at the purse, her eyes squeezed shut in internal conflict, the professor’s voice rang out from a distance.
“You didn’t happen to develop an affection for that blond-haired boy, or make some promises for the future, did you?”
“.........”
“Hmm? Why that face?”
The girl looked momentarily blank. The professor tilted her head from side to side, pressing the issue.
“...Just speak the truth.”
“Wha—wha-wha-wha... what...”
Gooooo...
“Eeek...”
Startled by the sudden question and the sudden, suffocating murderous intent accompanying it, the girl stuttered. When even Lestrade began emitting a frigid chill, the girl stumbled back, her face turning even paler.
“Ah, there’s nothing like that...!”
“”.........“”
“R-Really, I swear! It’s just that I had a strange mark branded on my lower belly...”
At those words, a sneer appeared on the faces of both the professor and the inspector.
“That disappeared after a few hours, too! That’s all there was!”
“...Another breach of contract.”
“It seems I will need to lift another one of those insufferable seals from someone’s stomach...”
The two women began to mutter darkly, casting ominous glances toward the girl.
...What in the hell is wrong with Britain?
Kim Cheong-yeon, the diplomat from the Empire of Korea, watched this bizarre spectacle and muttered to herself.
Much later, after being selected as a special envoy to The Hague, she would reflect on this moment.
I wasn’t sure then, but this is certainly the most bizarre country in the world...
Because a tiny butterfly effect that began in England would, by then, have spiraled into worldwide chaos.
“...But where is Adler now?”
“What is the point of having you around if you don’t even know that?”
Some would later claim that a British Professor had amplified that butterfly’s wingbeat into a storm, but such conspiracy theories were so absurd they were quickly forgotten.
.
.
.
.
.
Fizzle...
Just as the Korean Interpreter case was reaching its conclusion—
“”.......?””
Both Detective Lestrade, who was about to escort Kim Cheong-yeon to the embassy, and Professor Moriarty, who was intent on tracking down the enigmatic Adler, felt a sudden heat. A golden message manifested simultaneously on the backs of their hands.
｢Save m... pl...｣
“”.........“”
｢Hol... is tak... m...｣
For a few seconds, they stared at the flickering text. Then, a terrifying, world-ending killing intent erupted from both the professor and the inspector once more.
*
Footnotes