Chapter 22: Mycrony Holmes
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22: Mycrony Holmes
Mycroft Holmes.
Even Sherlock Holmes admitted that his elder brother, seven years his senior, possessed an intellect superior to his own.
Naturally, in this world based on the Sherlock Holmes series, Mycroft existed as well.
Of course, she had undergone a gender-swap and was renamed Mycrony, but that was simply the nature of the game’s premise.
“I didn’t expect to meet her so soon.”
However, a change in gender didn't mean her stature or significance had diminished in the slightest.
To me, she was no different from a final boss—perhaps even more so than Professor Moriarty herself.
As the living embodiment of the British government and the hidden power behind the throne, there was no way she would look kindly upon me while I was diligently building a criminal empire in London.
“Miss Holmes, what is your sister like?”
“My sister?”
Before entering the club, I quietly posed the question to Charlotte.
I had reviewed the game’s lore and possessed some information about her, but it was fragmentary at best. To ensure I wasn't delivered to Professor Moriarty’s office in a state resembling a canned sardine by tomorrow morning, verifying what I knew was essential.
“She’s quite remarkable,” Charlotte replied with a mischievous smile. “Her observational and deductive skills are, honestly, better than mine. If it weren’t for her excessive weight and utter lack of ambition, she might have been a far greater detective than I.”
“Your sister is… on the heavier side, then?”
“She’s had a weak constitution since birth. She doesn’t exercise at all, and apart from her work and the Diogenes Club, she never goes anywhere.”
“I see…”
“She also suffers from severe anhedonia and apathy. Even if she took a lethal dose of cocaine, she probably wouldn’t feel a thing.”
Saying so, Charlotte pressed a finger to her lips and whispered softly.
“We must be quiet from here on. Otherwise, we’ll be kicked out.”
“This is quite an unusual club.”
“My sister created this club for people like her—those who despise socializing. Shh. From this point forward, not a single word.”
I wanted to pry for more information, but Charlotte’s haste cut me off.
So, the only notable trait was that she was somewhat heavy?
I recalled the character draft I’d seen before, and it seemed slightly different from Charlotte’s description. Had the setting changed during development?
Swooosh…
As I pondered this, following Charlotte toward a guest reception room where conversation was permitted, people reading newspapers stole glances at me. Some seemed genuinely shocked to see me there, but thanks to the club’s strict rules, no unpleasant confrontations occurred.
Eeeeek…
The door groaned open, and the entity I feared most at this moment finally came into view.
“Hello~”
Mycrony Holmes waved at me with bright eyes and a cheerful smile. She did indeed possess the "substantial weight" Charlotte had mentioned.
The setting hasn’t changed.
The overwhelming presence of her ample bosom, resting atop the table, emitted a staggering aura.
…So, there’s only one way to play this.
It was do or die.
The method to break someone suffering from severe anhedonia and apathy was clear to me. Since this was a matter of life or death anyway, I had no choice but to take a shot in the dark.
*
“That massive, unnecessary flesh of yours seems to be growing by the day, sister.”
As Adler stared blankly at Mycrony Holmes, Charlotte, sneaking glances at him from the side, suddenly spat out a sharp comment.
“Yes, you must feel quite proud of being so sleek, Charlotte,” Mycrony replied in a leisurely tone.
“How strange. Isn’t this the part where you say you wouldn’t accept such useless weight even if it were offered to you?”
“Be quiet.”
Charlotte, momentarily glancing down at her own chest, frowned deeply at her sister’s teasing, laughter-filled voice.
“I never imagined our younger sibling could become this adorable… cough—.”
Mycrony, who had been watching Charlotte with a fond smile, suddenly began to cough, her expression grimacing slightly.
“Has your health worsened?” Charlotte asked, her expression shifting to one of concern.
“What is the secret to making my sister this cute, Mr. Adler?”
“…Stop spouting nonsense.”
Charlotte’s face flushed a cold red at Mycrony’s follow-up remark.
“Holmes. When you regularly observe the people here, there are things you can see without needing to look into their hearts,” Mycrony said, pointing out the window, unfazed by Charlotte’s reaction. “For instance, look at that woman crossing the street over there.”
“…A woman from a brothel,” Charlotte noted.
“But recently, she’s been seeing someone while hiding her true identity.”
“She’s already married.”
“No, it would be more accurate to say she’s engaged. You still have a long way to go, Charlotte.”
In just a few seconds, deductions spilled from their mouths like bullets from a Gatling gun.
“…She’s quite far away. How can you know all that?” Adler asked.
“The accessories she’s wearing are all obviously gifts. But they are merely lavish, lacking any consistency or harmony,” Mycrony explained.
“If such a woman is touching up her makeup at this early hour while moving from a commercial district to a residential one, her profession is obvious,” Charlotte added.
As Adler listened, the two sisters continued to trade explanations.
“If she were simply heading home, she would have removed her makeup entirely. But she is altering her flashy look into something more modest, implying she is meeting someone from whom she wishes to hide her true self.”
“Furthermore, on the fourth finger of her left hand, a jewel catches the light. That person is either engaged or married.”
“Charlotte, I believe we can safely deduce she is engaged.”
“…Why?” Charlotte asked, looking puzzled.
Mycrony turned her gaze to Adler. “Why don’t you tell us the reason, Mr. Adler?”
“I’m not quite sure.”
“Really?”
When Adler responded with feigned ignorance, the corner of Mycrony’s lips curved upward.
“It’s a bit strange for Adler, the UK’s foremost romance expert, to not know the reason, isn’t it?”
“………”
“Unless… the person inside has suddenly changed, that is.”
A chill crept up Adler’s spine. He averted his gaze and began to speak.
“…Ah, I think I understand now. Typically, a ring with a prominent center stone like that is an engagement ring. Most wedding bands tend to be simpler. And if she were already married, she would be wearing the wedding band. For someone working in the dangerous back alleys, she would likely prefer the less expensive wedding ring over a pricey engagement ring.”
Finishing his explanation, Adler scratched his head. “Well, it’s odd in the first place for a woman from a brothel to even wear such a thing.”
“That is true. But then again, love sometimes paralyzes even the most logical reasoning.”
Mycrony, her voice tinged with amusement, looked at Charlotte.
“Charlotte, you who have always claimed to be asexual and a misandrist… could it be that your eyes are betraying you now?”
“I still stand by my claims. And let me add one more thing—”
“Hehehe…”
As Charlotte whispered a sharp retort, Mycrony leaned back in her chair with a pleased smile.
“You know, I’m quite envious of Charlotte… being cheered up by such simple logical thoughts. I can’t seem to feel the emotion of fun, no matter what I do.”
“So, why did you call me here…”
Adler, sensing the atmosphere lighten, began to ask his question, but his eyes caught the sight of her heaving breasts. He quickly averted his gaze.
“Well, I simply wanted to see you.”
“Pardon?”
“I wanted to see the face of the man for whom Charlotte sent me a letter, claiming he was her destiny.”
“Sister! I really don’t understand why you are twisting the wording of a simple request for cooperation so much—!”
Just as Charlotte was about to burst with frustration…
“Excuse me… could it be?” a hesitant voice called out from behind.
“……?”
“Are you Miss Charlotte Holmes?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Excuse me… I’d like to have a word with you…”
“A case consultation?”
The uninvited guest peeking into the reception room nodded silently. Charlotte, though furrowing her brow, rose from her seat.
“I’ll be right back.”
She left a quick message for Adler and stepped outside.
“……………”
Silence pervaded the room.
“Our Charlotte, who typically can’t resist a case, made such an annoyed face when she saw that client,” Mycrony muttered, resting her chin on her hand. “It really is quite surprising.”
Her voice was now much heavier than the soft tone from moments ago. Adler shifted his gaze back to her.
“Don’t you think so, Mr. Adler?”
The woman’s usually sharp eyes were now slightly widened.
“I am…”
“You are an anomaly.”
Before Adler could respond, a chill ran down his spine at the sudden shift in her demeanor. Mycrony continued in a silky-smooth, dangerous voice.
“A variable far more unpredictable than the Auguste Detective Academy or the unsolved cases that have plagued London’s dark streets over the past year.”
“………”
“And if left unchecked, a variable that could potentially disrupt the seamless system of England under my command.”
The gleaming, faintly grey eyes looking at him through those slightly widened lids were anything but soft.
“Crucially, my precious sister—the only one who can feel the emotion called joy—has become far too infatuated with you.”
Mycrony’s expression turned cold for a moment before she gave Adler a sweet, sharp-eyed smile.
“So, can you please convince me in the next five minutes?”
“Convince you of what?”
“Why I shouldn’t kill you right here and now.”
As she finished, a palpable tension filled the air beyond the door.
“I wasn’t aware that the Diogenes Club was a guild of assassins.”
“I’ve rented it out for the entire day. These are the elite agents of the British Secret Service. Even a magician like you will find it hard to escape this place.”
The gazes of London’s puppeteer in the light and the shadow in the dark met silently.
“Aren’t you rushing things a bit?”
“I don’t have a choice. I don’t have much time left.”
Mycrony’s face turned slightly pale as she began to cough again.
“One minute has already passed.”
“………”
“Use any means necessary to convince me in the time that remains.”
Mycrony wore a languid, chilling smile. Adler quietly rose from his seat.
“You were the first to suggest such a thing.”
“Heh.”
As Adler approached her, Mycrony raised a hand, signaling the assassins waiting behind the door to hold back.
“I’m sorry, but I’m already married to Britain. I also suffer from extreme apathy and anhedonia. Therefore, regretful as it may be, the tactics you’ve employed on others will never work on—”
“Mycrony.”
Adler leaned close to her neck, whispering in a soft, low voice.
“You should become my blood bag.”
“What?”
His eyes were now glowing a deep, predatory shade of red.
*
A few minutes later.
…Another one of these pointless pranks.
Believing the "case" was just another of her sister’s tricks—since the client had vanished after making her wait outside—Charlotte Holmes returned to the club, clearly irritated.
“……..?”
However, a bizarre scene met her eyes.
“”…………””
The agents, who had been reading newspapers just moments ago, were now blocking the entrance to the reception room. Sweat dripped profusely from their brows.
“What the…?”
Confused, Charlotte approached them in haste. As she reached the door, the agents urgently shook their heads and tried to push her away.
— Heuhh…
Then, a voice—both familiar and strangely awkward—reached her ears.
— Hnghh…
Wondering if she had misheard, the sweet, cooing voice rang out again, far more clearly this time.
“………”
It was unmistakably the voice of Mycrony Holmes.
— Go oonn…
As Charlotte stared intently at the reception room door, her head tilted in shock, black smoke began to rise from her trusty cane.