Chapter 226: The Final Problem
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: The Final Problem
“…Hey.”
“Ah.”
“Are you alright?”
After observing Adler through the gap in the door for a while, I finally slipped into the room and spoke to the young man, who was racked by a painful cough.
“You really don’t look well…”
“Ahaha.”
“This isn’t the time to laugh, is it?”
His face, wearing a foolish smile, was as pale as a corpse. As a former military medic and now a practicing doctor, I had seen this look all too often.
“They say laughing brings good fortune.”
I looked at him with a gaze full of pity. Adler, still spouting nonsense, offered a weak, eye-crinkling grin.
…Damn it, he’s too bloody handsome.
Despite my disgust, I flinched involuntarily when I looked at that accursed face. I couldn’t help but wonder why he went around doing such depraved things. Was I, a dignified, elite woman, not good enough for him?
Well, as a matter of fact, I suppose I wasn't, considering this bastard could make the queen of a country serve him as wholeheartedly as an obedient slave. I could more or less understand why Adler was never satisfied.
“Let’s get out of here before Miss Mycrony wakes up.”
“…I have a question.”
Feeling a surge of annoyance but doing my best to hide it, I casually threw a question at Adler as he took my hand to stand up.
“If you had a panacea that could save someone from a terminal illness, why didn't you take it yourself?”
“There was only one.”
“What?”
“If I had taken it, I wouldn’t have been able to save Miss Mycrony, would I?”
He gave an answer I never expected.
“You’re joking, right?”
“I’m serious…”
“I didn't know you were such a selfless person,” I sneered. Adler scratched his head, looking downhearted.
Could it be that he knew exactly how handsome he was and was doing this on purpose? Using his looks as a weapon—that was too cowardly, even for a scumbag like him.
—Flinch.
Was it just my imagination? It seemed like Miss Mycrony, lying in the bed behind Adler, twitched slightly.
“Eek…”
“……?”
As I stood there puzzled, Adler suddenly let out a startled yelp, glancing at the empty air. I didn't know what he was looking at; I couldn't see a thing.
“Is that even possible? The probability suddenly jumped to a thousand percent…”
“What are you even talking about?”
I tilted my head, then quietly grimaced as I recalled Holmes’ theory. Charlotte had mentioned that something or someone might be controlling Adler. At the time, even though they were Holmes’ words, I hardly believed it. But to see it with my own eyes…
Then…
Suddenly, I felt a twinge of discomfort in my heart. It would be the joke of the century if it were true, but… was it possible that he didn’t leave me of his own volition?
“……..”
Was it possible he was forced to be with the Professor and Holmes? Was it possible that all his flirting with other women had some underlying reason?
“…Why did the probability increase so much? What the hell is happening?”
I felt as if my entire body was being drenched in water so cold it numbed my very soul. If my assumptions were true, had I not been unjustly deprived of a husband?
Even when we were dating, I thought he was poor, so I paid for everything myself. I even took out loans to buy our newlywed house. And I was left with the 'mark of marriage' due to the ceremony I performed with this asshole. It would be extremely difficult for me to remarry now, no matter how exceptional and elite I am…
“Wow, Watson. Why do your eyes suddenly look so ominous…?”
I was unable to hold back my emotions any longer. Everything I had been suppressing surged back like a tsunami. Then again, I wondered if there was any reason to hold back at all. Perhaps I had just been too nice for no reason this entire time.
Oh, forget it.
—Swoosh.
“W-Why did you pull out a gun…?”
Adler asked with a startled expression as he saw the prized possession I had drawn from my coat.
“…Are you being controlled by someone?”
“What… What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
—Click.
“H-h-h…”
As I pressed the muzzle against his head, his face contorted in terror.
…All this bloody asshole has are his looks and his stupidly long, girthy cock.
Even his handsome appearance set my mind on fire with fury now. I wouldn't suppress my feelings any longer. I didn't want to.
“Say you’re being controlled.”
“Wh-Why are you doing this…”
“Say it.”
I should have done this sooner. I finally felt a bit of relief.
“…I, I am being controlled.”
“Right. I thought as much. It was true all along, wasn't it?”
Although his confession lacked soul, I finally managed to wring it out of him. Well, then. It was time for an intervention.
“I’ll help you.”
“No, it’s okay…”
“I said I’ll help, bloody hell.”
“…Thank you.”
Indeed, a gun proved to be an excellent tool for conversation. Whether it was enemies or difficult patients, it got them all talking in the end.
“Now, get in here.”
“What?”
I pointed toward the familiar trunk sitting in the room. Adler gave me a puzzled look.
“I spent three days inside that thing naked, so I know it’s quite comfortable. Don’t complain.”
“…….”
As I brought up one of the many wrongs he had done to me, Adler broke into a brief sweat and silently rose from his seat.
“I need to use the bathroom…”
“Get in.”
Without further protest, he obediently stepped into the trunk of his own free will.
“Excuse me… Miss Watson.”
—Creak.
“Surely, you aren't going to bury me somewhere, right…?”
—Clank.
I ignored his nonsense and locked the trunk.
“………”
In the ensuing silence, I could feel my heartbeat quickening.
Thump, thump, thump.
Inside this cramped trunk was the object of half the women in London’s unrequited love. He was the paramour of London’s Queen of the Underworld, that man to London’s greatest detective, the husband of London’s mightiest inspector, and the lover of the Bohemian Queen.
Locked from the outside, there was no way for him to escape. Reduced to mere luggage, he had no choice but to be dragged wherever I wished.
…Is this why people commit crimes?
I momentarily understood the feelings of the bizarre criminals mentioned in the case journals I had recorded.
“Miss Watson… this is a crime…”
“…Haa.”
As a trembling voice leaked from inside the trunk, an incredulous smile formed on my lips.
“Hey, you fucking bastard. Is that what you should be saying right now?”
“……..”
“To the woman you deceived, seduced, and entered a sham marriage with—only to marry another woman in secret? To the woman you didn't even feed for three days while you kept her locked naked inside a bag? Is that how you should speak to me? Huh!?”
“Well, but…”
I leaned toward the trunk’s opening and whispered in a cold voice.
“Well, honestly, Miss Watson, you raped me, so we’re even…”
“Adler, I don't know what you're talking about.”
I replied to his timid rebuttal with a frigid smile.
“I never raped you.”
“What are you—”
“It happened under the influence of alcohol; that falls under mental incapacity. It’s invalid.”
“……..”
“And you were the one who flirted first!”
Feeling the fury rising again, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Haa…”
Sighing, I picked up the heavy trunk.
“So, where are we going?”
…Now, what do I do?
My mind began churning out possibilities faster than ever before.
I need funds to escape… I must return to Britain even if it’s dangerous, then gather some money…
“Miss Watson…?”
…We’ll go through Belgium to France. No, that’s too dangerous because of that thieving bitch. Maybe a detour through Switzerland…
Suddenly, I recalled a joke Holmes often made: that if I had been a criminal, I might have been a real big shot in the underworld.
Sorry, Holmes.
A top detective shouldn’t become a criminal, should they?
So, I’ll be taking over for you.
“Please save me…”
“Shut up before I shoot you. We need to get out of this hotel…”
“Sniffle, sob.”
Besides, if you really thought about it, what was inside here wasn't technically a person, nor did laws apply to him. So, it wasn't even a crime in the first place, right?
*
That night, in the darkness of the New York harbor wharf…
Watson, carrying an unusually large trunk, briefly surveyed her surroundings before moving forward.
“Excuse me.”
She attempted to board a ship that was about to depart.
“…I need to check your ticket.”
“Right here.”
A crew member stopped her, and Watson handed over her ticket with a calm expression.
“Everything seems in order. Thank you.”
“…….”
As soon as the check was over, Watson snatched back her ticket and started walking briskly.
“…Excuse me, ma’am.”
The crew member suddenly grabbed her shoulder.
“What’s the matter?”
“Apologies, ma’am, but could we inspect your luggage?”
“I was under the impression that luggage inspection wasn’t required with the purchase of this ticket.”
As the crew member asked with a slightly pale face, Watson tilted her head.
“The bag… it’s been shaking continuously.”
“…Ah.”
Her expression turned icy.
“”………””
Silence fell between them.
“…It’s a guinea pig.”
Watson gazed at the crew member for a long moment before responding in a low voice.
“Why would you have that in a bag…?”
“I’m a doctor. I carry quite a few with me for research.”
“Is that so…?”
Trying to smile, the crew member nodded. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, ma’am…”
“I’m sorry… Miss Watson…”
“……..”
At that moment, a distinctly human voice drifted from the bag, freezing the crew member's smile.
“Haaah…”
As cold sweat began to pour down the crew member’s face, Watson sighed deeply, her eyes turning cold.
“Here, take this.”
She pulled three hundred pounds from her wallet and slipped it into the crew member’s pocket, whispering in a chillingly soft voice.
“…Let’s not make a big deal out of this.”
The crew member, looking terrified, shook his head.
“Miss Watson…”
“If you’re so keen on bringing that up again, then by all means, keep talking.”
The source of the crew member’s fear was not the money, but the pistol in Watson’s coat pocket, gleaming faintly in the moonlight, ready to be drawn at any moment.