Chapter 238: The Detective's Sorrow (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238: The Detective's Sorrow (3)
“… Leave this place.”
The silence that had long suffocated the study was finally broken by Professor Moriarty. Her gaze was dark and guarded as she pulled the children into a protective embrace, shielding them from Charlotte and Watson.
“The children’s safety could be compromised if outsiders are allowed to roam freely.”
Crrrk…
“Please, leave on your own before I am forced to resort to violence.”
She averted her eyes as she spoke, but Charlotte ground her teeth audibly, glaring daggers at the professor.
“You wouldn’t want Adler’s children caught in the crossfire and hurt… would you?”
“…….”
Those words made Charlotte freeze in place. Her anger dissipated momentarily, her gaze softening as it fixated on the adorable children with a strange, vacant expression.
“I… have one condition.”
“… What is it?”
“Just for a moment, even a brief one… let me see the children up close.”
“No.”
Charlotte’s request was hollow, but Moriarty’s icy refusal was instantaneous.
“How could I possibly trust what you might do…!”
“… You should accept my proposal.”
“……..”
“Because, as you said yourself… I don’t want his children to get hurt either.”
Charlotte’s voice was distant and empty, yet she began emanating a murderous aura so heavy it seemed to saturate the very air. Moriarty, glaring back through gritted teeth, looked visibly shaken.
“Are you serious right now?”
“… Does it look like I’m not?”
For the first time in her life, Moriarty was confronted with a threat that exploited something she now held dearer than her own life. The thought terrified her; cold sweat trickled down her face in rivulets.
“Only for… a very brief moment.”
After what felt like an eternity, Moriarty clenched her fists. Her expression was one of profound reluctance, yet she finally caved to Charlotte’s demand.
“If you try anything reckless… you won’t be leaving this place alive.”
As the professor’s voice dripped with lethal intent, Charlotte nodded silently and stepped forward.
“Awu?”
“Whiiing?”
She took slow, deliberate steps toward the infants—beings whose faint resemblance to a face she had only seen in photos and dreams until now.
“… Hello.”
Having reached the professor’s desk, Charlotte hesitated for a heartbeat before greeting the children.
Swish…
Almost unconsciously, her hand reached out toward the children’s soft cheeks.
Bzzzt! Zzzzt!
“… Huh!?”
Before her hand could even graze their skin, a complex magical sigil flared to life in mid-air, jolting her hand with a sharp burst of electricity.
“Don’t… touch my children…”
It was one of the numerous protective spells Moriarty had meticulously crafted over the span of a week, pouring every ounce of her magical expertise into safeguarding them.
“……..”
Charlotte glared at the professor, her hand trembling from the sudden paralysis. Gritting her teeth, she turned her gaze back to the children, her expression a painful mixture of frustration and longing.
“Gyaoo…!”
“Gyaa~!”
The children, as if instinctively recognizing Charlotte as a threat, mimicked the playful growling sounds Adler often used, trying their best to intimidate her.
“……..!”
Charlotte’s eyes began to waver. The sight of the children stirred something deep and agonizing within her.
“Kids…”
Suppressing her emotions, she lowered her head further, trying to burn every detail of Adler’s children’s faces into her memory.
“Hee?”
“Wah?”
But then, the children tilted their heads from side to side in curiosity—perfectly mimicking Moriarty’s own habit. At this, Charlotte’s expression grew visibly darker.
“… Ugh.”
Her face turned deathly pale, and she abruptly clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Urgh…!”
“”………?””
Without another word, she turned on her heel and bolted out of the study, leaving the confused children behind.
“”………””
A heavy silence followed her sudden departure.
“… So, what’s your plan now?”
Breaking the stillness, Watson, who had remained motionless, fixed Moriarty with an icy glare.
“Now that you have children you love so dearly, are you planning to retire from the criminal underworld?”
“…….”
“Are you going to hide that cruel side of yourself and settle into the role of just a regular professor?”
Professor Moriarty stared at Watson for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
“If I were to return to a normal life, could the children truly live happily?”
“……..”
“… When there are dozens of people, including that brat and you, who want me dead?”
Her eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
“From today onward, I will solidify my empire even further. For the sake of my children.”
“Hah…”
“I will reign at the very top, eternally, so that… no one can ever lay a finger on them.”
Watson’s gaze remained frigid as she responded.
“Such a touching display of maternal love.”
“…….”
“Though, it’s twisted to an utterly absurd degree.”
“… Leave.”
At Watson’s mocking tone, Moriarty growled, pointing toward the door.
“If you disappear right this instant, I shall overlook your earlier insult.”
Watson stared at her for a moment before finally turning to go.
“Even the love you’ve finally realized is warped. You truly are pitiful.”
“… At the very least, I’m less pitiful than those who don’t even have a single memory to hold onto of the one we all lost.”
As Watson walked away, Moriarty shot back with those parting words, her gaze softening only when she glanced at the whining children. Watson exited the study without another word.
“Ugh… guh… blegh…”
“….. Holmes.”
Once outside, the first thing Watson saw was Charlotte slumped in the corridor, retching up bile.
“Watson…”
Charlotte, her face streaked with tears and snot, gasped for air. She looked up at Watson, her voice trembling.
“I see… I see the face of the woman I hate most in the world… on the faces I love more than anything else…”
“……..”
“They’re so precious, so lovable… I want to hold them close, but… I can’t even bring myself to meet their eyes…”
Watson silently looked down as Charlotte’s trauma consumed her once again.
“I-I… just what the hell am I supposed to do…”
“Let’s go…”
Watson finally helped Charlotte to her feet, practically forcing her to walk as they moved away.
“… Adler…”
“Haaah…”
The sky over London that day was particularly overcast.
*
A few days later. 221B Baker Street.
Knock, knock, knock…
“……..?”
Charlotte, following Watson’s advice, had quit both drugs and cigarettes. Yet, for days now, she hadn't touched food or drink. She sat vacantly in her armchair, staring out the window.
“… Who is it?”
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she turned her head toward the door.
— It’s me, Holmes.
“… Come in.”
She muttered weakly at the sound of Watson’s muffled voice.
Creak…
The door opened slowly, but it wasn’t just Watson who entered.
“……..”
It was Gia Lestrade. She wore a black flower pinned to her uniform, her expression so drained and ragged she was almost unrecognizable. The inspector accompanied Watson into the room.
“… What brings you here?”
Charlotte spoke in a flat, emotionless tone, devoid of any interest.
“… Are you aware of the recent resurgence of unsolved cases in London?”
“No. I haven’t read the papers in a while.”
“You… who used to memorize the newspapers daily, are saying that?”
“… Nothing interests me anymore.”
At her dry response, Lestrade frowned deeply before beginning her explanation.
“The professor’s shadow is creeping over London again. There’s mounting evidence that her organization has resumed its acti—”
“… I don’t care.”
Charlotte cut her off, her tone indifferent.
“No matter what happens in the world… no matter what the professor is plotting… it has nothing to do with me anymore.”
“Then… what do you plan to do with yourself?”
“… Move to the countryside, take up beekeeping, and eventually kill myself, I suppose.”
Her response, laden with despair, made Lestrade glance cautiously at Watson.
“It seems… there’s only one way left.”
“… It does.”
After a brief exchange of silent understanding, both of them steeled their expressions.
“But Miss Holmes, listen. What if…”
“… I’m not interested.”
Charlotte looked ready to dismiss Lestrade again, but the inspector pressed on.
“What if… there was one final mystery left behind by Isaac Adler?”
“……..!”
At the mention of that name, Charlotte’s pupils dilated sharply.
“He… left a final mystery?”
“Indeed. Miss Watson will provide the details.”
Charlotte’s gaze shifted instantly to Watson.
“… I heard it directly from Adler himself, just days before the incident.”
“What did he say…?”
“The name of the one responsible. The source behind the now-vanished supernatural and bizarre phenomena.”
At her reply, Charlotte’s brow began to twitch, her interest piqued despite herself.
“Adler sacrificed himself to stop the monsters from spreading worldwide. And that means…”
“The true culprit behind Adler’s death is that very entity.”
Lestrade, unable to contain her fury, ground her teeth as she interjected.
“We’ve vowed to catch that bastard, no matter what it takes.”
“……..”
“… Are you still not interested, Miss Holmes?”
With Lestrade’s provocation, the fire that had been extinguished in Charlotte’s eyes began to blaze to life once more.
“What’s that bastard’s name…?”
“But before that, there’s something else we need to deal with.”
In a low voice, Watson spoke.
“According to Adler, the professor and that entity must never become aware of each other’s existence.”
“…….”
“So first, we need to completely put an end to the professor, who has resumed her activities…”
Before Watson could even finish, Charlotte rose from her seat.
“… I don’t care.”
“”………””
“The professor, that bastard… I’ll destroy them both.”
For the first time in days, Charlotte changed into her outdoor attire. Her expression was sharp and menacing, her resolve absolute.
“… So, what’s that bastard’s name?”
*
Meanwhile,
“… Argh!”
Adler, drenched in cold sweat and tossing restlessly in bed, suddenly screamed and bolted upright.
“………”
For nearly a year and a half, he had been plagued by vivid nightmares of the women he left behind in London, living utterly broken lives. Night after night, without fail.
“… This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”