Chapter 3: A Study in Grey (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3: A Study in Grey (2)
Moriarty tilted her head at the blond student’s unexpected remark. She went still, her gaze boring into him as she sank into deep thought.
Interesting.
It had been a long time since she felt this way.
In this dull world where even committing crimes had become a tedious chore, his presence was... amusing.
What is his motive?
For the first time in her life, a variable had slipped through her fingers. To gauge his reaction, she had committed a murder that wasn't part of her original plan.
It had been an impulsive decision, but since the victim was the insufferable dean, it was a murder she found herself quite fond of.
He doesn’t seem entirely immune to fear.
The look in his eyes when he first saw the corpse had held clear traces of terror. From that reaction alone, she knew he wasn't one of her kind.
However, the student now standing before her, fiddling with the mana accumulator on the table, was remarkably composed. It was as if an amateurish vulnerability and a savvy, calculating demeanor coexisted within this mysterious boy.
For Moriarty, that was the most intriguing part of all.
“We’ll have to talk a bit more.”
What his purpose was, what thoughts swirled inside that head—even as a professor, she couldn't yet discern them. However, in this specific situation, she clearly held the upper hand.
To understand the unknown entity before her, it was time to make the most of that advantage.
“Why should I?”
“Pardon?”
Moriarty tilted her head, her deep gaze fixed on him as she posed the question.
“Why should I accept you?”
“Well…”
“I can roughly guess the benefits you’d gain by becoming my graduate student. But what do I stand to gain by taking you in?”
She was being blunt.
Of course, graduate students were valuable assets to most professors, but Moriarty felt no need for subordinates. Born with the blood of a criminal, she had always walked her path alone. She had never even considered having someone by her side.
“If you can’t explain that…”
Moriarty prepared to press him further, her eyes narrowing.
“…Hmm.”
But then, she stopped. Her eyes lit up as she fell into a sudden realization.
What has this student been looking at this whole time?
Ever since he declared his wish to become her student, his gaze hadn't been on her. Instead, he was staring into the thin air in front of him.
At first, she thought he was deliberately avoiding her eyes. However, his pupils were periodically contracting and expanding, and his expression was a confused mix of focus and bewilderment.
It was as if he were reading something written in empty space.
“Student, are you reading something in the air?”
“Ah, no?”
“Then why have you been staring blankly into the void?”
“…You must have seen it wrong, Professor.”
Hearing the flustered note in his voice, she quietly furrowed her brows.
I shouldn’t show my hand so soon.
She had found an oasis in a barren desert. At least until her thirst was quenched, she wanted to savor this feeling.
“To be honest, it’s hard for me to accept your proposal right now.”
“…Is that so?”
“However, if you can solve my dilemma, I might consider it.”
Before diving in, she needed to discern whether the entity before her was a true oasis or a mere mirage.
“What dilemma would that be?”
“Simple. What should I do from now on?”
Professor Moriarty began to pour out her long-standing concerns to the boy.
“Thanks to this cursed talent of mine, every crime I commit becomes a perfect crime.”
A deep darkness settled in her grey eyes.
“At first, it was fun. It felt like the whole world was in my grasp.”
“……”
“But over time, the thrill faded. It started to feel like I was using a cheat code to win a game.”
“Have you ever thought about breaking that curse?”
“Of course. I’ve taken every measure possible and met countless people. But none of them could shatter it.”
In those eyes filled with profound darkness, the blond student’s reflection flickered.
“Except for you.”
The student’s hand, still resting on the mana accumulator, twitched ever so slightly.
“To be honest, I wished you would oppose me.”
“………”
“Yet, for some reason, instead of standing against me as a detective, you’re asking to serve under me.”
The peculiar tension between them began to vibrate violently.
“Because of that, I’ve lost my will to live again.”
“That’s… truly unfortunate.”
“So, I’ll ask you once more.”
The professor’s voice was soft as she addressed the boy, who was discreetly wiping away a bead of sweat.
“How can I quench this burning thirst?”
Depending on his response, this could be the final question of the day.
“………”
A chilling silence filled the room as Moriarty stared him down.
“So… if I understand correctly, Professor, you wish to engage in a breathtaking battle of wits with a detective.”
“That’s right.”
“But because of the curse that makes every crime you commit a perfect crime, that scenario can never happen. That is your dilemma, correct?”
“Exactly.”
As the student broke the silence, Moriarty tilted her head, a hint of anticipation returning to her eyes.
“Um…”
Maybe he’s not up to the task after all.
As his words faltered, the hope in Moriarty’s eyes began to fade.
I got uncharacteristically excited.
Because she had encountered such an alien presence, she had been unusually agitated. But now that she had calmed down, all she saw was a freshman who had just entered the academy. Considering he wanted to be her assistant rather than a detective, it was improbable that he could solve a problem that had plagued her for years.
“It’s quite simple, actually.”
Yet, he clearly thought otherwise.
“Start offering crime consultations.”
“…Crime consultations?”
After a moment of contemplation, his expression turned resolute, and the words tumbled from his lips.
“If the problem arises when you personally commit the crime, Professor, then what if the perpetrator isn't you, but someone else?”
It was, even by her standards, a highly persuasive suggestion.
“Provide crime advice. Use your knowledge to help those who need to commit a perfect crime.”
“………”
“The only way to quench your thirst, Professor, lies there.”
He offered her a gentle smile, then added as if he’d just remembered something.
“And that is why you need to take me under your wing.”
Moriarty burst into a roaring laughter—a sound she hadn't made in a long, long time.
“Just as detectives need assistants, crime consultants require their own aides.”
“Ha, hahaha!”
“Isn’t that right, Professor?”
“Ahahahaha!!”
She hadn't just found an oasis; she had stumbled upon a vast ocean.
“Regrettably, I can’t immediately make a freshman like you a graduate student. It would go against procedure.”
“I understand.”
After laughing her fill, Professor Moriarty wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
“But remember this.”
A visible fondness appeared on her face—a face still splattered with the dean’s blood.
“From this moment on, you are the assistant to the crime consultant, Moriarty.”
As Moriarty leaned back leisurely in her chair, a message appeared before the boy's eyes.
『Villain Maker』
– Description: Fulfilling the probability of Professor Moriarty's appearance.
– Progress: 10%
Another unidentified message followed.
“Ha…”
Looking at the header, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
[You are the probability of this world.]
[Fill the lacking probability at the risk of your life to prevent the world from collapsing.]
These damned bastards.
Was it because I had so stubbornly insisted on risking my life to prevent the plot from being confirmed? I had become the very probability of this world…
[Quest List]
– Villain Maker: Fulfilling the probability of Professor Moriarty’s appearance.
– Love-Hate Relationship: Become that man for Holmes.
– Lady of London: Complete one sham marriage with Watson.
– Phantom Thief’s Treasure: Get kidnapped by the Phantom Thief Lupin.
– Freeze: Receive a confession from Inspector Lestrade.
(… truncated …)
The dauntingly long list of quests at the bottom attested to my new reality. I had no idea when I’d ever finish them all.
As I blankly skimmed the list…
“…Hmm?”
A question popped into my head, and I scratched the back of my neck.
Why is Irene Adler missing?
She was one of the few individuals who had ever made Sherlock Holmes taste defeat. The only woman he ever acknowledged. In almost every derivative work, she was the character most popularly linked with him.
While all sorts of notable names were present in the quest window, hers was conspicuously absent.
Could it be?
“Ah, you.”
Just as I was about to stand up with an uneasy feeling, Professor Moriarty’s voice rang out.
Right, I’m still in front of her.
Even if she had just become an ally, she was undeniably dangerous.
“If you’re going to carry such an important photograph, be more cautious in the future.”
Tensing up, I straightened my posture as she pulled a photograph from her pocket and handed it to me.
“……!?!?”
I took the photo, and the moment I saw it, horror froze me in place.
“This… this is…”
In the photo, a stunningly beautiful woman wearing a tiara was lying on the ground like a leashed dog. Standing beside her, trampling on her hair, was the blond boy whose body I now inhabited.
“The only man capable of putting a leash on the Queen of Bohemia and taking her for a walk... is likely you.”
“…Pardon?”
While I stared in shock, Moriarty spoke with a voice tinged with amusement.
“Isn’t that right, Adler?”
Wait a minute. What did she just call me?
“Ah.”
With a sinking feeling and cold sweat matting my brow, I read the final line of the system message and squeezed my eyes shut.
[Best of luck, Isaac Adler.]
I wasn't replacing Irene Adler's role. I was Adler.
“But remember this.”
“………”
“Even a dog, when cornered, might bite its master.”
In my dazed state, Moriarty’s warning echoed in my ears.
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in the streets of London, the sunset bathed the city in a waning, orange light.
Tap, tap…
A woman hurried along, her figure concealed by a black robe and mask, though she could not entirely hide her air of elegance.
221B Baker Street.
The old boarding house was finally coming into view.