Chapter 206: Third
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 206: Third
Two days had passed since the revelation that the culprit behind this world’s ruin was none other than Lovecraft.
“...Tsk.”
“Ahem.”
Inside Silver Blaze’s hospital room, Charlotte sat leisurely sipping milk tea, having arrived for an early visit. Suddenly, her brow furrowed deeply, a dark shadow crossing her eyes as she muttered in a bone-chilling voice.
“In the end, it all boils down to this, doesn't it?”
“...What happened, Miss Holmes?”
Confused, I turned toward her. Charlotte slowly shifted her gaze to me, her eyes burning with palpable intensity.
“Have you no conscience?”
“Pardon?”
“You thought I wouldn’t find out? That you were the one behind this?”
“I genuinely have no clue what you’re talking about.”
I shrugged, feigning ignorance. Charlotte stared at me for a long beat before finally answering.
“The KKK vessel heading toward the trap we set went missing early this morning.”
“...!”
“The cause of its disappearance is unknown. It literally vanished overnight.”
“But you don’t have a telegraph or a telephone nearby. How could you possibly have received such information?”
I couldn't hide my genuine shock as I questioned her. Charlotte continued to stare at me in silence before speaking again.
“...I intercepted the shipping company’s communications.”
“That... isn’t that illegal?”
“If you thought I was a model citizen who abides by every law and regulation, you are sorely mistaken.”
A smug expression played on her lips, but her voice quickly dropped an octave as she leaned toward me.
“However, I don’t take things to the extremes that you do.”
“........”
“Be honest with me. You were aiming for this from the start, weren’t you?”
She spoke in a subdued tone, her index finger rhythmically tapping the desk.
- Tap, tap, tap...
“From the moment you approached me with a plan to arrest the KKK members in one fell swoop, you were gunning for this outcome, weren't you?”
It was a strange privilege to see the famous habits of Holmes from the novels manifesting in real life.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
Of course, the experience would have been far more glorious if I weren't the one being interrogated. Then again, perhaps it was a good thing; it wasn't exactly a common experience.
“...You really underestimate people.”
As I smirked silently, her frown deepened, and she stood up from her seat.
“Who was it that forged the letter in that unfamiliar handwriting you showed me, doing exactly as you wished?”
“...Miss Holmes.”
“And who was it that waited obediently in the boarding house, trusting your words instead of rushing into the KKK headquarters as they wanted to?”
By the look on her face, she was genuinely incensed.
“Why do you believe I did this? I don’t have the power to sink a steamship, do I?”
“...Haaah.”
“This is just a guess, but perhaps they encountered a storm or a natural disaster and unfortunately sank? It sounds like divine punishment, don't you think?”
I couldn't simply admit to being the mastermind. I maintained my sly expression. In a way, I wasn't entirely lying. After all, isn't the Professor a natural disaster in her own right? Treating her like a storm or a calamity felt fairly accurate.
“I heard an unbelievable eyewitness account from ships that passed through the KKK’s vicinity.”
“Oh? And what was that?”
“A giant sea monster supposedly appeared there.”
Charlotte was clearly adamant about getting to the truth.
“...It’s a hallucination. A collective hallucination. It’s a common phenomenon among sailors traumatized by giant waves or maritime disasters.”
“For a hallucination, the testimonies were remarkably consistent.”
“...That only makes sense if they all survived the same natural disaster.”
“For some reason, they also claim their memories are blurry...”
“Did you eavesdrop to that extent? That really is illegal, Miss Holmes.”
I maintained a forced smile, countering her points as best I could. Her eyes narrowed further with every retort.
“...I’m disappointed.”
She muttered the words with a cold expression and stood up.
“I’m not sure what you mean by disappointed...”
- Step, step...
“.......?”
I had to do my best to ensure this case remained unsolved. I had no choice but to deny everything until the bitter end.
- Swoosh...
“Miss Holmes?”
Instead of leaving the room, Charlotte stepped closer to me.
“...Didn’t you just say you were disappointed in me?”
“Yes, I am very disappointed.”
In the next second, she began to whisper in a barely audible voice. She tapped into her mana, her body becoming shrouded in an ominous black aura.
“But that’s all you can do. You’re just that kind of man, after all.”
“Um, that... sounds somewhat offensive...”
“But what can I do? I love you, and leaving you would only hurt me more. It’s my loss either way, isn't it?”
Her voice grew chillier with every word.
“So, instead of leaving you like I should, I thought we’d go on another date and try to re-establish our relationship.”
“...What do you mean?”
“I’ve booked the same room in the hotel we stayed at last time.”
As dark shadows danced in her eyes, Charlotte seized my arm.
“How dare you turn a case I started into an unsolved mystery and not expect consequences?”
“.......”
“Loosen your grip and be obedient. That is, if you want to walk out of here on your own two feet.”
Just as I let out a quiet chuckle at her bittersweet threat—
- Swoosh...
“...Eh?”
Suddenly, something popped its head out from the crook of my arm.
“You are...”
“...Princess?”
It was the Princess. To be precise, the Princess—who was usually coiled up in my arms in her cat form—was now glaring at Charlotte, her head peeking out.
- Plop!
She sprang out, revealing her true form.
“...You’d better let go of that hand.”
“Why should I listen to a loser who has already been defeated by me?”
Charlotte recognized her instantly and began to growl in a low voice.
“Is that so...?”
The Princess stared coldly at Charlotte before glancing sideways at me.
“...Chomp.”
“.......!”
Suddenly, she bared her fangs and bit into my neck.
“What are you doing...?”
- Gulp, gulp...
“...What the hell are you doing?!”
Closing her eyes in ecstasy, the Princess methodically drank my blood in a steady stream.
“I’m asking you a question...!”
“...Puhah.”
She finally detached herself when Charlotte screamed hysterically. Blood mixed with saliva dripped from her mouth as she retracted her fangs, which she promptly wiped away with her sleeve.
“...Adler and I have a contract.”
“A contract...?”
“Isaac Adler must now offer his blood whenever I want, in whatever amount I desire.”
She poured oil on the fire, completely disregarding the explosive tension with Charlotte.
“I’m sure the clever little detective understands what I mean.”
“.......”
“...But to clarify: if you don’t let go of him and leave now, I’ll drain every drop of Adler’s blood right in front of you.”
A heavy silence descended upon the room.
“Did you... just deduce everything up to this point?”
Charlotte glared at the Princess with thick killing intent, then glanced at me before asking in a low voice.
“...Because you helped me this time, I’ll overlook it just once.”
Her voice had lost its composure, now drenched in an ominous melody.
“Keep this in mind.”
“........”
“The seeds are already sprouting within me.”
With those cryptic words, Charlotte silently exited the hospital room.
“Phewww.”
As soon as the door closed, the Princess standing next to me let out a sharp breath.
“Take it, Princess.”
“.......?”
“It’s the reward I promised. You may take as much as you desire.”
I extended my arm with a dejected look, muttering.
“I am now your free vending machine.”
“.........”
“...Of course, you may feed on me until I die, if that is what you wish.”
For some reason, she just stared blankly at me.
“Hmph.”
After a moment, she turned away with a frosty look and muttered in a barely audible voice.
“...I am full for today.”
With that, she transformed into dozens of red bats and scattered in every direction.
“What is going on...”
As I scratched my head in response to the Princess’s unexpected behavior—
- Rustle...
“...Huh?”
I heard something moving beside me.
“Master...?”
Turning my head, I couldn't help but smile. I gently caressed the cheek of the greatest victim of this entire incident.
“...You’ve finally woken up, Blaze.”
Since I had already shown her my gallant side, I resolved to maintain a cool image for my adorable maid, rather than being a mere doormat for the time being.
.
.
.
.
.
However, there was one crucial detail that Adler had overlooked amidst the chaos.
“I’m so relieved there were no complications.”
“Ah...”
Conveniently—eerily so—it happened to be the final stretch of Silver Blaze’s mating period, an urge that had accumulated during her long period of unconsciousness.
- Thump thump thump thump...
MasterMasterMasterMaster...
“...Um, Blaze?”
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
“Hmm, hmm...”
Gia Lestrade, a band-aid on her cheek and her face flushed an unusual shade of red, stood in front of the hospital.
“...This must be the place, right?”
Hidden behind her back was a bouquet—the kind famously used for proposals—that she had stayed up all night preparing with her own hands.