Chapter 230: The Final Problem (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 230: The Final Problem (5)
We had arrived safely in Belgium, but less than a day later, we were forced to flee.
“…We’re being followed. Two pursuers.”
“Here? In Belgium?”
“There are only two following us because we’re in Belgium.”
Adler had been the one to spot them.
The truly frustrating and unsettling part of the situation was that we couldn’t even deduce which faction they belonged to. One thing was certain, though: the forces pursuing us did not belong to the Professor or her subordinates.
“Shall we kill them, Master?”
“Well… I don’t exactly want to add the Belgian police to our list of problems.”
“…And it would be even more catastrophic if it ended up in the newspapers. It would be like advertising our exact location.”
“Tsk…”
We had to weigh the consequences of every move.
“On the count of three, we run. One, two… three!”
“Hey! Why are we suddenly running in opposite directions?!”
That was how we narrowly managed to shake our tail before boarding a boat bound for France.
For the record, I was dead set against going because of Phantom Thief Lupin, but for some reason, Adler insisted on France.
“I don’t want to create any variables by breaking the sequence,” was his excuse, but I didn’t have the slightest clue what he meant by that.
“If only there had been an aeroplane…”
“……?”
It wasn’t the first time Adler had spouted nonsense.
Would Holmes or the Professor have understood him? Lately, I’ve begun to suspect there might be some hidden meaning buried within the gibberish Adler occasionally mutters.
“Hmmm…”
“………”
Regardless, once we arrived in France, we were subjected to constant, blatant observation throughout our entire stay.
It was obvious, even to someone as unobservant as me, that these were Lupin’s subordinates. At this point, they practically owned all of France.
“…I really don’t understand why we jumped into the tiger’s den just to avoid two measly pursuers.”
“Miss Watson. I need to make a quick trip.”
“Eh?”
“The plausibility still seems insufficient.”
“Hey!”
Just as I was about to demand why the hell we had come to France in the first place, Adler vanished into thin air, leaving me alone in the hotel. The sheer absurdity of it left me feeling completely drained.
“What the hell…”
“…Tch.”
“Look, I don’t want to be stuck with you either, okay?”
The only saving grace was that he had left Celestia Moran behind as my bodyguard.
Thanks to that, I could hold onto the hope that Adler wouldn’t abandon his closest allies, even if he was willing to ditch me.
“So, I told you I sniped the enemy’s hound on that street, right? If I’d known my life would turn out like this, I would’ve become a marksman instead of a medic. But alas…!”
“…Utter rubbish.”
“Want to bet?”
Though she clearly loathed the idea of being my babysitter, we managed to break the ice by talking shop about the military. It was the seventh day since Adler had disappeared.
“…Not bad.”
“Haaah…”
Of course, in the shooting contest that followed, I was utterly crushed by that kid with a dismal score of 3 to 7.
According to Moran, no one had ever pushed her past a 2 to 8 ratio before, so I was supposed to take some pride in that. Still…
The feeling of losing to a mere twelve-year-old was not pleasant by any means.
If the target had been a dog, I definitely would have won.
“Hey…”
Anyway, we were on our way back from the shooting range when it happened.
“I handled him with care and left him in fairly good condition, okay?”
“…What?”
A passerby brushed past me, whispering softly into my ear.
“……!?”
Startled, I whipped my head around, but the stranger had already vanished into the crowd.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
The fact that Moran hadn’t reacted meant she hadn’t sensed any malice, so I wasn’t particularly worried. However, an unnatural uneasiness settled over me, and I quickened my pace back to the hotel.
“”……….””
Upon opening the door, Moran and I could only stare in grim silence at the scene before us.
“…Miss… Watson.”
Adler, who had finally returned after a week, was twitching sporadically on the bed. He was naked, barely covered by a loose bathrobe.
“I know I’ve built up a lot of bad karma with you… but isn’t this a bit much…?”
His arms and neck were covered in unfamiliar handprints, nail scratches, and bite marks.
“How can you just pounce on someone while they’re sleeping? Next time, let’s at least agree on a…”
Incidentally, the "adventures" Adler had with Lupin during that week would later be detailed in Lupin’s own memoirs: The Hollow Needle, The Crystal Stopper, and The Cagliostro’s Revenge.
Of course, these are books I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. The misspelling of Holmes’ name and the deliberately misleading interpretation of events are just a few of the reasons I judge those works so harshly.
In particular, Lupin’s account of the recent incident in The Last Love of Arsène Lupin is better left unread.
It’s not that I’m jealous.
Setting aside her uniquely vulgar and crude narrative style, it is, after all, an unfinished book.
I’ll explain why now.
.
.
.
.
.
“I-I’m really the victim this time, you know…”
—Beep! Beep…!
“Ah, um… just a moment.”
He had held my hand, suggesting a trip together, only to spend a week rolling around happily with Lupin. Even moments ago, he had been physically tumbling with that thieving bitch. And now, under our icy glares, that same bastard had just received a message.
“…Hmm.”
Suddenly, Adler’s expression turned unnaturally serious.
“The detectives have gone missing…? Seriously? Even personnel from the Pinkerton Agency?”
“…What now?”
Seeing him mutter with a pale face, I reluctantly set aside my plan to sulk and pouted as I asked.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware of Lovecraft.”
“Love… Craft? Is that a person’s name?”
“…Regardless, it seems the detective agency I hired to find this individual has been wiped out instead.”
He answered, his voice eerily calm.
“I wanted to secure the bitch before ending this…”
As usual, he spoke in riddles only he understood, his eyes trembling incessantly.
“…Is it a woman?”
“That’s not the issue. Listen carefully, Miss Watson.”
“……”
“When this trip is over, warn Holmes. Tell her to be extremely cautious of the name Lovecraft.”
I was curious, but Adler’s expression was so grave that I don’t think I had ever seen him look more serious.
There wasn’t a trace of a jest in his eyes. It seemed this Lovecraft person, whom Adler had been pursuing amidst his busy schedule, was a truly dangerous individual.
“What exactly does this person do?”
“…In today’s newspaper, there’s a front-page article about bizarre phenomena rising all across France.”
My curiosity piqued, I pressed for more. Adler suddenly thrust a newspaper from the table toward me.
“The news is similar to the paper you bought in Belgium, isn’t it? Not to mention the reports from Britain.”
“Now that you mention it…”
I wondered what he was getting at, but since this was the same way Holmes explained things, I watched him quietly. Adler continued, his voice heavy.
“Some say that if this trend of bizarre phenomena continues, the entire world will be in danger within a few years.”
“I’ve heard those speculations, yes. Personally, I wasn’t quite convinced…”
“Lovecraft is the individual behind it all.”
“…What!?”
If what he said was true, it was staggering.
To think there was a single mastermind behind the global surge in supernatural phenomena. It wasn’t just the detectives—the entire world could be turned upside down by such news.
“Then, doesn’t this mean this person is even more dangerous than Professor Moriarty?”
“They walk different paths. If the Professor rules the human realm… that guy rules over the monsters. Their territories are vastly different.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, if things continue this way, they will inevitably clash. And… that day might just be the beginning of the end for this world.”
Adler’s analysis was bleak.
Even I, who usually didn’t care about the state of the world, felt a chill of fear at the thought.
“So… is there really no way out?”
“Of course there is. That’s why I’m so busy.”
Fortunately, it seemed Adler had a solution.
“I know how to seal the monsters. This journey isn’t just a game of tag; it’s for that purpose.”
“……..”
“But it’s not that easy…”
It was only then that I realized something.
“That’s alright. We’re almost there.”
I realized that, for the very first time, Adler was revealing the truth to me—a truth he likely hadn’t shared with anyone else.
“Just a little bit more to go…”
He told me. Not the Professor, not Holmes, not even the Inspector.
—Thump, thump…
“…Why? Why are you telling me this?”
Despite the disastrous news, I felt a thrill spreading through my body—a sensation I had only experienced briefly on the battlefield. I asked in a quiet voice.
“Well…”
Adler sat down beside me. He gently stroked my neck and whispered, and in that moment, I had to admit it.
“…Because you are the last piece of my puzzle—the key to fulfilling my goal.”
I had grown quite fond of this son of a bitch.
“You… you’re definitely going to hell.”
“…Is that a compliment? I am the devil, after all.”
“Ha…”
After sending Moran out of the room for a moment, we stayed in France for one more day before agreeing on our next destination.
“…Watson, don’t you want to go somewhere cool?”
“Huh?”
Soon, a waterfall in Switzerland—a place I had never even heard of before—was chosen as our next stop.