Chapter 33: The Man with the Twisted Lip
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: The Man with the Twisted Lip
It had been a few weeks since the conclusion of The Secret of the Speckled Band case.
“Mr. Adler…”
“Professor?”
Having rushed to the office following a surprisingly urgent summons, I was greeted by the sight of Professor Jane Moriarty sprawled listlessly across the sofa.
“Help me…”
“What on earth happened? Were you attacked?”
“That’s not it…”
As I approached her, shock evident in my eyes, Professor Moriarty murmured in a faint, weak voice.
“Then what is it?”
“…I feel as though I’m dying of boredom.”
Hearing those words, I stood there with a completely dumbfounded expression. Meanwhile, the professor remained draped over the sofa, speaking in a tone of utter defeat.
“There are no cases… No cases to consult on…”
“……..”
“I never imagined I would come to understand how detectives feel when they have no clients…”
The sight of the professor rolling around on the sofa and mumbling to herself reminded me of how Holmes and Watson would grow sullen whenever there was a lack of work. I never expected to see such a sight in a place like this; it was truly unexpected.
“Professor, please be patient for just a bit longer. Haven’t we only just started this crime consultation gig?”
“Hmm…”
“If we successfully advise on just a few more cases, our names will surely spread through the underworld. By then, you’ll have so many requests you won’t have time to be bored, right?”
“I’m well aware of that, but…”
Regardless, the professor’s boredom was a serious matter, so I did my best to comfort her.
“But we can’t resolve that boredom immediately, can we?”
The professor lifted her head slightly, looking at me with drowsy, heavy eyes.
“This is all because of you.”
Her eyes, gleaming with a dark intensity, were fixed directly on me.
“…Because of me?”
“Didn’t you provide me with three consecutive, thrilling experiences right from the start?”
For some reason, I shivered as I recalled the day I first met her. Thinking of the dean lying there with a hole in her head gave me goosebumps all over again.
“Now, my body doesn’t react unless it’s to that level of stimulation.”
“………….”
“Take responsibility.”
“What exactly would you like me to do?”
She leaned in slightly, patting the seat next to her, and whispered in a soft, sultry voice.
“How about we play a kissing game?”
“That’s sexual harassment, Professor.”
“But it’s a good idea.”
A smile spread across her lips as she spoke.
“To completely seduce you and make you mine, I must persistently engage in this act of kissing.”
“What are you even talking about?”
“Looking at the change in your complexion and your heartbeat, it’s clear that the act affects you greatly.”
“………”
“But kisses aren’t as sweet as they seem in books. That’s a bit of a problem.”
After muttering to herself for a moment, she fished a sugar cube out of her pocket.
“…Wouldn’t this make it sweeter?”
Then, she placed it on her tongue.
“………”
I stared intently at the professor, who had tilted her head and spread her arms toward me.
“…Uh.”
“You really must be bored.”
I used my finger to push the sugar cube further into the professor’s mouth as I spoke.
“However, regrettably, I don’t have time to entertain your whims today.”
“……….”
“There is a matter I must attend to.”
Professor Moriarty, who had been quietly chewing on the sugar, began to gaze into my eyes with an expressionless stare. However, I truly didn’t have the time to indulge her.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“It’s related to the organization.”
“Explain it to me in more detail.”
Upon reflection, hiding information from the professor—who was, after all, the head of the organization—seemed ludicrous.
“I need to retrieve a new body for Princess Joan Clay.”
“Princess Joan Clay?”
After clearing my throat, I began to explain, showing her the ring on my finger.
“It’s about our client whom I subdued and sealed in this ring during the Red Mana League case.”
“Ah, right. I remember now.”
Jane Moriarty blinked and nodded thoughtfully.
“Personally, I’d prefer to keep her sealed in the ring a bit longer due to her rebellious streak, but the Princess seems to have a particular fondness for my blood.”
—Ziiing…
“Since I wear it on my finger, she’s constantly draining me.”
The ring where Princess Clay was sealed began to glow, drawing my blood the moment I finished speaking.
“What a naughty little mosquito.”
“Well, it’s fine for now. I only experience occasional symptoms of anemia, but…”
“If you lend her to me for a bit, I can train her perfectly.”
“I’ll pass. Whether by accident or intention, you’d surely break her, Professor.”
Staring intently at the ring, Professor Moriarty extended her hand. I quietly lowered my head and offered a retort.
“…You caught me.”
She chuckled and began tapping her desk with her finger.
—Ziiing…
The ring, which had been fervently sucking my blood, suddenly started to tremble as if it were frightened. Surely, it was just my imagination.
“In any case, for these reasons, I intend to place her in a new body and continue her training.”
“What do you mean by a new body? A sickly slave? A hunting dog? Or perhaps a stray cat?”
“I considered a living body, but I realized that would shorten her lifespan considerably.”
Scratching my head, I pulled a blueprint from my bag and handed it to the professor.
“So, I specially ordered a doll powered by a mana stone—one virtually indistinguishable from a living being.”
“There are craftsmen who can make such things?”
“Typically, no. But there are a few in the underworld.”
The design of the doll I had conceived was, as previously promised to the Princess, shaped like a cat.
“They wouldn’t accept requests for humanoid shapes, so I ordered a cat-shaped doll instead.”
“Pffft.”
The thought of the fourth smartest and most powerful woman in London being reduced to a cat made Professor Moriarty burst into laughter.
“That would certainly be a sight to behold.”
Her eyes shone with anticipation as she murmured to herself. For someone who often seemed emotionless, she had a surprisingly rich range of reactions.
“So, are you leaving now?”
“Yes, most likely…”
“Perfect timing. I don’t have any lectures this morning, so I’ll join you.”
I pondered her proposal for a moment before responding.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
I had no choice but to refuse.
“And why is that?”
“Because given your impeccable and pristine status as a professor of the August Academy, you absolutely cannot be seen in the place I’m going.”
“…Where exactly is this meeting place?”
The place I was heading to was…
“An opium den.”
One of the most dangerous places in London.
“…So, you’re saying you want to be completely deprived of your free will and imprisoned forever, is that it?”
“Please calm down, Professor.”
As expected, the moment I finished speaking, Professor Moriarty whispered in a dark tone, binding me with mana in an instant.
“Of course, I’ll be prepared. Very thoroughly, in fact.”
“If you’re thrown into the river adjacent to that place, your body will disappear without a trace, no matter how well you prepare.”
“………”
“Especially someone like you, who has more enemies in London than anyone else. They’d likely throw your dismembered remains into the Thames. If that happens, I doubt I could find so much as a single finger.”
Professor Moriarty might have been aggressive with her words, but she was right. Currently, I was a prime target due to my past transgressions, my reputation for scorning women, and the unidentified person who was brazenly interfering with the world’s erosion rate.
In such circumstances, walking into an opium den was akin to advertising my desire to be murdered.
“…There’s always a way around things.”
However, that only applied if I went as Isaac Adler.
—Zzzzzz…
“Hm?”
When I used the original body owner’s signature disguise magic to change my appearance, the situation shifted.
“Ta-da!”
What if it was a perfect, full-body disguise, stored in the mana slot of Isaac Adler—a man hailed as a master actor? A disguise that had clearly taken years to perfect? Even in that notorious opium den, no one would be able to see through my true form.
“Are you still worried?”
“………..”
When I showed the transformation to Professor Moriarty—where the sharp aura of Isaac Adler was gone, replaced by an honest, naive-looking man—she quietly tilted her head.
“You certainly don’t look like Isaac Adler.”
“Don’t I?”
“Did you deliberately twist your lips like that to hide your features? It’s a very high-level disguise; your inherent appearance is completely masked.”
She finally released her restraint and nodded.
“But remember, even if you aren’t Isaac Adler, the opium den is still a dangerous place.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“…It’s not just empty words. I’ve killed a few people there myself.”
As I turned away, giving her a smile, I shuddered at the chilling words that followed.
“Just kidding.”
Professor Jane Moriarty grinned.
“Take care of yourself.”
“…Yes.”
“…If you get hurt again, I’ll kill you.”
“It would be my honor.”
After that stern farewell, I made my way out of the office.
‘…There won’t be any problems, right?’
I was heading to the setting of that bizarre incident from the original novels—the opium den.
*
Several hours later—
“Well then, enjoy your time.”
“…Thank you.”
Upon arriving at the opium den, I managed to enter safely by handing a purse of money to the Indian manager who had been leaning near the entrance, waiting for me.
‘…Ugh, the smell.’
As I cautiously moved forward, the pungent smoke stung my nostrils.
““…………””
As I walked through the haze, the eyes of the addicts sprawled on the floor focused on me all at once.
‘As expected, this isn’t just any ordinary opium den.’
While the majority were mere addicts, scattered among them were individuals who showed no signs of intoxication.
“Heh… heh…”
For instance, a handsome young boy who pretended to be high, moving his body sloppily while sneaking glances at me with a disturbing smile.
“…Look at that lad. Seems like he might fetch a good price.”
“Forget it, I can sense mana in him. It’ll be trouble.”
“Tsk, what’s a mage doing here…”
Or the thugs who were openly evaluating my worth with glinting eyes.
“……….”
Or the individuals who merely stared at me in silence.
‘…This is intimidating.’
Sensing the mana and sword energy within them, I realized most of them were skilled assassins or criminals. I was glad I used the disguise stored in Isaac Adler’s mana slot. Had I come as my true self, I likely would have been dismembered by now.
—Creak…
Shivering at the thought, I breathed a sigh of relief after unlocking the door with the key the manager gave me and stepping into my assigned room.
“…Phew.”
Once inside, I could finally relax. All I had to do was wait here until the doll-maker arrived.
“Hmm…”
As I looked around the room, two windows caught my attention.
‘They’ve recreated this from the original novels as well.’
One window faced a rapidly flowing river, and the other offered a view of the street. No matter how I looked at it, the room was a perfect match for the one from the incident in the novel titled The Man with the Twisted Lip.
‘While they omitted the actual event, they replicated these unnecessary details so accurately.’
It was puzzling why they meticulously designed the opium den but left out the actual plot of The Man with the Twisted Lip. Well, I was relieved not to be entangled in a pointless incident, but still…
—Creak…
“Huh?”
As I opened the window, lost in thought, I suddenly paused, my expression twisting into a frown.
“…Why is my mouth like this?”
My reflection in the window showed my lips were twisted. Did I make a mistake when casting the disguise magic?
‘If it’s not that…’
—Shiver…
“……!”
As a chilling thought raced through my mind, I was startled by the sound of the door opening behind me.
“W-what!?”
“Hehe.”
Panicking, I hurriedly closed the window and turned around to face an astonishing sight.
“What brings you here?”
The young boy who had earlier glanced at me with that unsettling smile was now tearing the skin off his face.
“Mr. Isaac Adler?”
Hearing that familiar voice, I stood stunned, wondering how my impeccable disguise had been seen through.
“…Miss Holmes?”
Before I knew it, I was speaking to Charlotte Holmes, who had suddenly appeared before me.
“Stalking is a crime, you know.”
She stepped forward, her eyes shining darkly.
“…I know.”
“Surprising someone is a crime, too.”
If she did that again, I was definitely reporting her to the police.
*
Meanwhile, at that very moment—
“What have I…”
Upon hearing the news that her friend’s younger sibling hadn’t left the opium den, Rachel Watson, armed with a pistol, had braved the dangers of the district.
“What have I just witnessed?”
She mumbled, staring blankly at the window that had been hastily shut a moment ago.
“…Why are you here?”
That man, who had been missing for over a month, was—for some bloody reason—spotted in the top room of an opium den.
—Click.
The pistol in Watson’s hand, which she hadn’t used since retiring from the military, was loaded once again.