Chapter 28: The Secret of the Speckled Band (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: The Secret of the Speckled Band (3)
Creak—
The door to the waiting room, which had been firmly shut, swung open as Professor Moriarty stepped out. Charlotte, who had been leaning against the corridor wall with a dazed expression, immediately fixed her gaze on her.
"You..."
Charlotte’s voice echoed through the corridor, cold as ice.
"What trick did you use?"
The Professor spared her a subtle, sidelong glance.
"An illusion involving a venomous snake. If you aren't a murderous professor who would stoop to such a thing, then what trick did you—"
"..."
The moment was brief. Moriarty averted her eyes and walked past, acting as if she hadn't heard a word.
"I wasn't finished speaking!"
"A detective begging for answers..." Moriarty replied, her voice cutting through Charlotte’s childish outburst. "How pathetic."
Charlotte was momentarily stunned into silence by the sharp retort, her hands trembling violently.
"...I feel the same way."
The Professor, walking ahead, murmured in a voice so low it was barely audible.
"How did I overlook such an obvious fact?"
After Adler’s shocking revelation, Professor Moriarty had been left alone to think. After sitting in a daze for a long while, she finally realized what she had missed. She had made the same basic, foolish mistake as the silly detective trailing behind her.
"..."
Now, she was on her way to correct that mistake. Her usual smirk was gone, replaced by a serious expression she hadn't worn in what felt like an eternity. At the same time, she felt a strange cocktail of unease and impatience—feelings she had never experienced before in her life.
"............"
As Moriarty disappeared further down the corridor, Charlotte stared at her retreating figure, grinding her teeth.
"What did I miss?"
Simply brooding wasn't improving the situation. She closed her eyes and lost herself in thought.
"There’s definitely... something wrong... somewhere..."
She entered a state of deep meditation. In the past, she could only reach this level of focus through intense experimentation or the use of narcotics, but now... if the matter involved that man, she could reach this state with ease.
"...Hmm."
However, despite reaching her peak mental state, the situation didn't improve. No matter how hard she tried to find a flaw in her deductions, there wasn't a single conclusive lead to chase. It felt like revving an engine in neutral—straining the machine for no reason.
"........."
The stagnation lasted for a long time.
"Um, Holmes. Come to think of it, there’s something strange..."
The unexpected individual who broke the frustrating silence was none other than Rachel Watson, who had been thinking hard beside her.
"Do snakes even drink milk?"
".........Ah."
Charlotte Holmes stood with her mouth slightly ajar, staring at Rachel Watson with a blank expression. After several minutes of silence—
"That’s right."
"Huh?"
"You’re right, Watson!"
Charlotte, who had unlawfully broken into Inspector Lestrade’s library to search for case materials, began speaking in an unusually excited voice, abandoning her usual condescending tone.
"No snake in the world drinks milk. They eat things like rats or insects. Therefore, the bowl of milk in the vault wasn't for feeding a snake."
"I thought as much..."
"Moreover, snakes can't hear a whistle. They can feel vibrations, but their sense of hearing is practically non-existent."
Charlotte lifted her head to look at Watson, her mind racing.
"And snakes can't move backward. That detail directly contradicts Miss Stoner’s testimony."
With a spark in her eyes, Charlotte asked in a haste, "Watson, do you have the medical reports for Miss Stoner? The ones from when she collapsed with Adler on the day of the crime?"
"Yes... right here."
Watson pulled the report from her bag. Charlotte read it with fiery intensity before squeezing her eyes shut.
"Excluding the marks suspected to be signs of abuse, there are no visible external injuries. Right... I shouldn't have overlooked this."
"Didn't you say earlier that the fang marks weren't visible because they were too small to notice?"
"I thought so. I was too engrossed in my own deductions to see the shortcomings of my assumptions."
Charlotte slumped to the floor, drained of energy.
"Adler would be so disappointed in me."
Seeing Charlotte in this unfamiliar state of self-reproach, Watson’s eyes widened in shock.
"Watson, maybe I’m just stupid..." Charlotte murmured gloomily, gazing forlornly at her friend.
"That’s absolutely not the case, Holmes." Watson, nearly bursting into a chuckle, gently stroked Charlotte’s head. "You’re just lacking some common sense. That’s all."
"........."
Charlotte furrowed her brows. Watson’s attempt at comfort felt more like a blunt insult.
"But it’s true, isn't it? Even when we first met, you didn't even know that the Earth rotates..."
"Why are you bringing up that old story?!" Charlotte interrupted, desperate to bury her embarrassing past.
Watson smiled at her friend's embarrassment and continued, "Our little detective here might be a once-in-a-millennium genius, but she’s still not quite there yet... But it’s okay to be inexperienced."
Watson reached out her hand to Holmes, her tone soothing. "As for general knowledge, I can always fill in the gaps for you."
"...Watson."
As Charlotte took the hand and stood up, Watson whispered with a mischievous glint in her eye, "But when it comes to romance, I’m still a bit clueless."
"...What?"
"I’m talking about that boyfriend of yours you’ve been tiptoeing around. He looked a bit disappointed. You might need to win his heart again..."
Watson suddenly stopped speaking. The unpleasant behavior Isaac Adler had exhibited a few days ago, contrasted with Charlotte’s sacrificial actions for him, tangled in Watson’s mind.
"Right." Charlotte’s soft voice broke Watson's train of thought. "...The riddle that man prepared for me isn't over yet."
Charlotte, as lively as ever, leaned back and began to pace.
"Ah..."
"The snake with the hallucinogenic venom wasn't the trick. Then what caused the hallucinations in Miss Stoner?"
While Watson watched with a resigned expression, Holmes murmured to herself, her eyes sparkling.
"...A collar? No. That would merely restrain the victim. It doesn't have a brainwashing effect."
"........."
"Then, the milk? No. She wouldn't leave such crucial evidence out in the open. It’s not something meant to provoke suspicion either."
Charlotte rapidly narrowed down the possibilities.
"A brainwashing spell? No, Miss Roylott has pathetic mana abilities; she’s a non-mana user. A curse? Unlikely that such a convenient curse exists..."
Her pupils suddenly dilated.
"...Holmes?" Watson asked, worried. As she reached out to touch Charlotte’s shoulder—
"Ha." Charlotte burst out laughing. "Ha-ha, ha-ha-ha!"
"...Did you finally figure it out?"
"Yes, thanks to you." Charlotte flashed a confident smile, looking at the person who had contributed the most to the breakthrough.
"So, what happened?"
"...In reality, Miss Stoner wasn't hallucinating at all."
"What?"
"Watson, you are indeed intelligent... but your ability to synthesize fragmented information is still lacking." Charlotte spoke with a hint of exasperation. "Think, Watson... Among all the people on the street, why did Miss Stoner happen to stab Isaac Adler? Why do you think she did that?"
"It could have... been a coincidence."
"It might seem like a fatal wound because it was close to the heart, but the autopsy report you gave me states that all major nerves were avoided by the knife's trajectory."
"Yes, it was quite a stroke of luck for Adler."
"But what if it wasn't luck or coincidence?" Charlotte smiled brilliantly. "Think about it, Watson. Who was the first to mention the speckled band when Isaac Adler was stabbed?"
"That was..."
"And the person who testified that the last thing they remembered before losing consciousness was a low whistle and a speckled band?"
"........."
"And the person who claimed they clearly saw a spotted rope or a speckled band moving away from the vent?"
Watson’s mouth fell open in realization.
"That’s not all. If Lady Roylott didn't design the vent that way, who among the mansion’s residents had the authority to do so?"
"Could it be..."
"Unlike the stepmother, whose mana abilities are dismal, who is the one with exceptional mana—enough to be admitted to the Auguste Academy?"
"Oh my God."
"And crucially, who in this mansion is a student of the Detective Academy and thus has easy access to Professor Moriarty?"
Charlotte took a brief pause to catch her breath, then barked an instruction. "Watson, contact your hospital immediately."
"Alright."
"We need to check if Miss Stoner is still lying in her hospital room or..."
A moment later, Watson’s portable mana crystal communicator buzzed. Her voice trembled as she read the reply.
"...Holmes. They’re saying Helen Stoner disappeared from the hospital this morning."
"I figured as much." Charlotte wore a satisfied smile. "Using testimonies and tampering with evidence, she cleverly crafted the illusion of a speckled snake to shift the blame for her attempted murder onto her stepmother. Perhaps she brainwashed the stepmother a long time ago. If that’s true, she’s the one pulling the strings, using the stepmother to get Isaac Adler into her clutches."
Charlotte’s eyes took on a golden hue. "The hidden mastermind behind this case was none other than Helen Stoner herself."
"But why?" Watson asked, tilting her head.
"That’s not important, Watson." Charlotte brushed past her, moving in haste. "What matters is that I’ve discovered the truth. And based on my predictions..."
Charlotte’s face suddenly turned pale.
"...That man is in danger."
.
.
.
.
"...Hmm?"
In a basement void of light, I found myself bound to a chair. I slowly opened my eyes.
"You’re awake, Adler."
“You were undressed, so I just dressed you back.”
The first thought that crossed my mind was that I was in deep trouble.
"Now, this place is your home, Adler."
“That being said, I’ve realized the mistake I made.”
Before me, Lady Roylott was lying on the floor, naked and unconscious.
"What you wanted to do with my stepmother, do it with me instead."
Miss Stoner, straddling my lap and pointing a knife at me, spoke in a bright, cheerful tone.
“...So, whisper to me the mistake I have made, dear assistant.”
Professor Moriarty, leaning beside me and whispering in a honeyed voice into my ear, suddenly tilted her head with a dark look in her eyes.
Bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!!
“Open the dooooor!!!”
Charlotte Holmes’ shouts reached a fever pitch as she pounded on the basement door, which was firmly sealed with mana enchantments.
"Mr. Adler."
“Adler, dear.”
“ADLER!!!!”
All the evidence pointed to one conclusion: I was definitely screwed.
...Should I just bite my tongue and feign death?
Even if I couldn't actually die, I desperately yearned for an escape from this twisted reality.