Chapter 213: The Sign of Four (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213: The Sign of Four (2)
—Craaaaaaaash!
"KAAAAAAAAAH!"
"P-People... people are falling from the sky!"
Early that morning, pedestrians strolling through the streets of London shrieked in terror as a girl plummeted from the heavens, slamming into the sidewalk.
"Oww..."
Despite the staggering height of the fall—caused by a malfunction in her thrusters—she appeared surprisingly unscathed.
—Whoosh...
"...Heh, I won't be caught off guard again."
Having previously been intercepted mid-air by Inspector Lestrade and sustaining severe injuries, Lupin had equipped an emergency air cushion as a precaution.
—Flick!
"Ah, waiiiit—"
But before she could savor the success of her foresight, compressed air bullets tore through the billowing dust at lethal speeds.
"Isn't this a bit much for broad daylight on a main street...?"
Lupin had assumed her pursuers would hesitate due to the crowd of bystanders. Instead, she was baffled by the unrelenting killing intent directed her way. She frantically deployed card after card to intercept the incoming fire.
—Crackle! Fizzzz!
The attacks collided in mid-air, the impact sounding like detonating bombs.
"Hey... kid. What’s this all about? Are you one of Adler’s minions? Or is there something else you want?"
"........"
"Should I give you some candy? Or maybe some gold and jewelry? Just say the word and I’ll give you anything, so why don’t you just stop this nonsense, hmm?"
Through the exploding shards of her cards, Lupin caught sight of sparkling azure eyes staring at her with an indifferent, icy gaze. Cold sweat dripped down Lupin's face as she finally got a response.
"The thing in your hand."
"...What?"
The voice came from a distance, simple and cold.
"Hand it over, and I’ll spare your life."
"The kid’s got a sense of humor, I'll give her that," Lupin said, her lips curling into a smirk despite the tension. "You should go back and suckle at your mother’s breast for another ten years."
"Is that so?"
The young voice returned, tinged with a hint of mockery.
"But by then, how old will you be?"
".........."
Lupin flinched. The straightforward hit to her insecurities left her looking uncharacteristically flustered.
—Fizzing!
The dust cloud surrounding her took on a reddish hue, and sparks began to arc through the air.
"Gruh..."
In the next heartbeat, a wave of crimson flames engulfed her.
"...Are you seriously going to cause this much havoc in public just for a piece of paper?"
Lupin narrowly escaped the deadly spell, but she was now trapped, surrounded by a ring of fire with no path for retreat.
"Everyone’s lost their minds."
"Good. You bought us some time."
From beyond the wall of flames, Princess Clay spoke, a relaxed smile playing on her lips.
"Well done. I’ll give you a piece of candy when we get back."
"...I’m not a kid."
As the Princess reached out to pat Moran’s head, Moran sternly slapped her hand away with a low snarl.
"Tsk, no manners at all."
"......"
"Anyway, you there. Hand over the paper."
The Princess turned her gaze back to Lupin, her expression shifting to one of cold command.
"I won’t say it twice. Give it to me before the other bitches arrive. If you don’t hand it over by the time I count to three, I’ll just burn that paper to ash along with—"
—Swish.
"...Eh?"
The Princess blinked, momentarily dumbfounded. Lupin had held out the paper—a bit too readily, in fact.
—Whoosh!
"...Even if you have a nasty habit of stealing other people's property, at least you know the value of your own life."
The Princess swiftly snatched the contract from Lupin’s hand.
"Hmph... None of them can compare to me. I have royal blood flowing through my veins, after all..."
She gazed down at the contract, red mana swirling at her fingertips and a triumphant smirk on her face.
"Well, it’s rather obvious who will be chosen..."
—Click.
Just as her fingers moved toward the fourth signature line...
"...What?"
A cold muzzle pressed against the Princess’s temple.
"Even for a vampire, having your head blown off would be a significant problem, I’d wager."
"You..."
"Put it down."
Moran’s eyes were colder than arctic ice as she leveled her signature gun at the Princess’s head. Her voice was a low whisper of death.
"I tried to be lenient because you’re young, but it seems you’re still blind..."
"I told that thief earlier, but I'll ask you too: when I turn twenty, how old will you be?"
"Such a brazen little bitch. I’m a vampire. I don’t age."
"But you still get older, don't you?"
A suffocating standoff began between the Princess and Moran.
"...Will you pull the trigger first? Or will I incinerate you with these blood flames faster? Hmm?"
"I’m not sure. Shall we find out?"
As the tension accelerated toward a catastrophic explosion...
—Swish.
Lupin, who had been quietly observing the chaos, suddenly pulled a card from her pocket.
"...What’s this?"
"Hey, don't move."
Princess Clay and Moran were no ordinary talents; Lupin’s suspicious movement was caught in a fraction of a second.
"Hey, listen..."
Lupin spoke up, her face wearing a look of brazen confidence.
"Do you two really think the contract you’re holding is the real deal?"
"“.........”"
"Who knows? Maybe I gave you a fake, and the real one is still with me?"
Adler’s two pursuers scowled instantly.
"Don't talk nonsense. You didn't have time to produce a counterfeit."
"Well, if you don't believe me, why not sign it and see what happens?"
Lupin looked at them with a relaxed expression, her voice dropping to a soft murmur.
"Whether the contract is real..."
A predatory gleam shimmered in Lupin’s eyes.
—Swoosh!
"...or fake!"
Abruptly, Lupin flared her cloak, obscuring herself from view, and shouted at the top of her lungs.
"T-The contract was actually a fake...?"
Immediately, the contract in the Princess’s hand dissolved into the Ace of Spades with a puff of smoke. Moran muttered in a hollow voice.
"...No, it’s a switcheroo!"
"Ah..."
"What are you staring at?! Shoot!!"
The Princess, proving why she was considered one of the sharpest minds in London, realized the trick instantly and screamed the order.
—Bang!
"...Argh!"
Moran fired instantly. Her compressed air bullet penetrated Lupin’s defensive cloak and struck the thief's hand with pinpoint accuracy.
—Thud.
Lupin, who had just managed to scrawl the letter 'A' on the contract, dropped the paper and slumped to the ground, clutching her bleeding hand.
"Next time, it’s your left hand."
"There’s no way out. Hand over the contract and I’ll put out the flames. Hand it over properly this time."
The deck of cards at Lupin's waist spilled onto the pavement. Moran and the Princess closed in, looming over her with lethal threats.
"Ha... haha..."
"“.........?”"
"Ahahahahaha!"
Despite her dire situation, Lupin began to cackle hysterically.
"What’s so funny...?"
"...Do you two like treasure hunts?"
Flicking her fingers lightly, she whispered.
—Flutter, flutter...
Suddenly, the numerous cards scattered on the ground—all perfectly mimicking the appearance of Adler’s contract—took flight, caught by a sudden gust of wind.
"Ughhh...!"
"No!!"
—Whirr!
The contracts burst through the ring of flames and soared into the sky, dispersing across the London skyline.
"One of those is real."
As the bizarre spectacle drew murmurs from the gathering crowd, Lupin stood amidst the chaos, a cold smile on her lips.
"Try to find it... if you can."
A brief, heavy silence fell over the street.
Seconds later...
—Rumble!
Exactly half of the women in the vicinity, their eyes burning with sudden greed and determination, scattered in all directions like a gale.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you searching?!"
"That damn baguette-munching bastard..."
"...Damn it!"
In a matter of hours, London had been transformed into the arena for the largest treasure hunt in human history.
*
"Ha... ha..."
Meanwhile...
"...Is Britain really going to be okay?"
After being beaten black and blue by three women for his "heinous crimes," Isaac Adler sat imprisoned in the Professor’s basement, bound tightly in silver chains.
Will it be okay? Are you seriously asking that? Britain is already finished!
"Uh..."
Having become the ultimate prize in the greatest treasure hunt in the history of the Empire, he grimaced and shifted his gaze.
"...Then, it’s time for the next phase of the plan."
His lips curled into a smirk as he took a deep breath.
"Poppy!!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
"...Woof!"
In the blink of an eye, his faithful Hound of the Baskervilles, eyes glowing with an eerie blue light, lunged out from Adler’s shadow.
"Do me a favor, okay?"
"Haaah, haaaaah..."
The creature rolled onto its back, baring its belly to Adler while wagging its tail wildly and panting.
"If you do as I say, I’ll play with you every day for a month. Just the way you like."
The creature’s innocent expression shifted, a gleam of sharp intelligence appearing in its eyes at Adler’s promise.
"Can you do it?"
Adler couldn't see the change in the beast's expression; to him, it was just his loyal hound. He squinted and asked again with a grin.
"...Haaaah♥︎"
"Right. Good boy..."