Chapter 37: Hidden Route
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: Hidden Route
“Neville, why have you been acting like this?”
“………”
It had been a few hours since Rachel Watson and Isaac Adler’s date began.
“Are you feeling unwell again?”
Seated in a private room within the coffee house, Watson spoke, her eyes filled with unadulterated concern as she looked at Adler. Across from her, he was drenched in a cold sweat.
“…No, I’m fine.”
“What do you mean, ‘fine’?”
Adler, sitting slightly stiffly, waved his hand dismissively. However, to Watson’s trained eyes, his behavior was beyond suspicious.
“Your face has been flushing and turning pale all throughout our date. You’re even shivering.”
“………”
“And what is with that anxious look in your eyes?”
Rachel Watson reached out and gently took Isaac Adler’s hand.
“Neville.”
The moment she touched him, she felt how icy his skin had become, which only deepened her worry.
“Is something wrong?”
“…It’s nothing.”
As Adler looked away to respond, his body gave a subtle, involuntary twitch.
“You didn’t have a bad experience back there, did you?”
“How could I…?”
“Look, you’re twitching again. What on earth did you do in that opium den to end up in this state?”
Alarmed by his strange behavior and unsure of what to do, Watson gripped Isaac’s hand tighter, trying to share her warmth.
“It wasn’t just a simple errand to pick up an item, was it? Were you forced to take some strange drug? Or did you fall under some unknown curse?”
“Rachel, first, please calm down…”
“If not that, did some invisible evil spirit attach itself to you?”
“………”
Adler, who had been forcing a reassuring smile, subtly shifted his gaze to the side at the mention of an invisible evil spirit.
“How could that be possible?”
Rachel Watson did not miss that fleeting flicker of his eyes.
“Isaac Adler… that piece of trash.”
As she muttered those words with a cold expression, Adler’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Why are you acting like this?”
“Don’t worry, honey.”
Watson whispered, a determined, loving light shining in her eyes.
“I’ll take care of that scum.”
“Uh…”
“And as for you, I’ll take responsibility and look after you.”
On her finger, a ring more precious than anything else in the world shone quietly.
“…I love you.”
After gazing deeply into his eyes for a long moment, Watson slowly leaned in.
“Wa-Wait a moment!”
“……?”
“No—now isn’t the time…”
As she moved to kiss him, Adler recoiled, a look of shock on his face.
“I think I might be coming down with a cold. I shouldn’t let it spread to you…”
Smack.
“…Rachel?”
Ignoring his protest, Rachel Watson pulled the hand she was holding toward herself and pressed a firm kiss to his lips.
“Just a moment. I’ll be right back.”
She flashed a soft, teasing smile and licked the back of his hand with her tongue before whispering and exiting the room.
‘…I wonder if there’s a place nearby that sells brandy.’
She intended to purchase a "panacea"—and perhaps a love potion—to ensure the success of the events planned for later that night.
“”………””
A heavy silence descended upon the room.
“…Can you still not see me?”
Within that silence, a low voice echoed.
“You seem to feel tactile sensations well enough.”
Charlotte Holmes, who had been sitting on Isaac Adler’s lap the entire time while hidden from view, tilted her head and asked the question.
Sssss…
Then, Charlotte fully withdrew the black smoke obscuring her existence, revealing herself to the world.
“…You can see me now, right?”
The emptiness in her eyes demanded an explanation.
“…Ms. Holmes.”
Adler looked up at Charlotte, his expression troubled as he finally spoke.
“Sexual harassment is wrong.”
At that moment, something inside Charlotte snapped.
“…Didn’t you shower me with affection first?”
A toneless, hollow voice flowed from her lips.
“You were the one who flirted with me first.”
“………”
“And now, you call it sexual harassment?”
“…Huh?”
Simultaneously, her black, smoky aura began to billow out, pressing down on Adler’s body.
“So, what exactly were you doing with Watson in this room?”
“Ms. Holmes.”
“So, being touched by Charlotte Holmes—whom you claim to like—is sexual harassment, but being blatantly caressed and embraced by Rachel Watson—whom you don’t even like—is romance?”
“………”
“It makes no sense. Explain it to me clearly.”
Charlotte leaned in, whispering in a soft, eerie voice.
“How does this situation help develop the narrative between you and me?”
The light from the room’s lamps reflected in Adler’s eyes as her cerulean orbs bore down on him.
“Tell me before my patience runs out, Mr. Adler.”
“………”
“What kind of riddle is this?”
.
.
.
.
.
“Ms. Holmes.”
How much time had passed?
“I told you I am a villain, didn’t I?”
Adler, his arms pinned against the wall by Charlotte, began to whisper with a gentle smile.
“Did you never consider that I might harm those around you—those who are my enemies?”
Charlotte gazed at him silently, her lips sealed.
“I am not your kind assistant. Much less your accomplice.”
“………”
“My role right now is that of the Professor’s loyal hunting dog.”
At the mention of the Professor, Charlotte’s expression turned rigid.
“Of course, I want to lose to you. I want to meet my end at your hands.”
“That is…”
“But that only applies once you have fully grown.”
Adler cut her off, speaking rapidly.
“Ms. Holmes, you are still a fledgling.”
“……..”
“Awakening your mana was unexpected, but facing both the Professor and me head-on as you are now? It would lead to nothing but your certain defeat.”
Charlotte’s eyes wavered ever so slightly.
“That’s why I want to nurture your growth. So you can become the hope of London, as I mentioned before.”
“…………”
“And to do that, naturally, I have to test you.”
Adler whispered, meeting her anxious gaze directly.
“Your most cherished friend, Rachel Watson. I plan to make her one of us.”
“………”
“…But if you grow a bit faster, you could prevent that, couldn’t you?”
He posed the question to her softly.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
When Charlotte didn’t respond, Adler continued his explanation with cruel kindness.
“From now on, I will begin to devour the people around you, one by one.”
His words echoed in her ears.
“Your assistant, your sister, the inspector… I’ll consume them all for the sake of nurturing the person I cherish—you.”
“………”
“And if you fail to grow properly, I’ll devour you, too.”
Even after hearing that declaration, Charlotte remained silent, staring at Adler with an intense, unreadable gaze.
“Of course, you wouldn’t want that. A detective being devoured by a villain… that’s a bit unsavory, isn’t it?”
Sreuk…
“Stay strong, Ms. Holmes.”
Adler carefully set Charlotte down beside him. He gently stroked her hair and added one final, soft request.
“…And please, hate me.”
A profound silence enveloped the room.
.
.
.
.
.
“………..”
My heart ached as I looked at Charlotte Holmes. She sat beside me with her head bowed, a vacant expression on her face.
‘…Yes, this will do.’
It was an inevitable step.
『Love-Hate Relationship』
– Description: Earn Charlotte Holmes' hatred…
– Progress: 0% → 20%
I had to proceed with Chapter 2 of her quest.
Would the odd relationship we had maintained finally be resolved?
Perhaps it was for the better. No matter how much I thought about it, I felt like I was being torn apart from the inside.
“…What if I devour you first?”
“Yes?”
Feeling both relieved and regretful, I was about to leave the room—aware that my disguise was about to expire—when she suddenly spoke.
“What if I devour you first… before you can devour those around me?”
“……..?”
Charlotte raised her head. Her gaze pierced through me, her voice resonating clearly in the small room.
“…Or what if I simply clear away everyone around me?”
“Holmes?”
“Then, I would be the only one left for you to devour, wouldn’t I?”
As I listened to her incomprehensible remarks, Charlotte’s eyes began to shine with a strange intensity.
“Come to think of it, there’s no need for that. You could just devour me from the beginning, since I am your target, right?”
“………”
“I won’t resist. So, try it. I’ll stay still, so go ahead and devour me.”
Taken aback, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me, but I managed to find my voice.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“I don’t know.”
That was her only answer.
“I don’t even know what I’m saying right now.”
“………”
“It’s strange, Mr. Adler.”
The vacancy in her eyes was gone, replaced by something much sharper.
“…Clearly, I should be angry that you, a villain, are targeting the innocent people around me.”
“Charlotte?”
“I should despise you for a rational reason like that, but…”
Her logic was twisting into something dark.
“For some reason, it’s the fact that you would become intimate with those people that makes me unbearably angry instead.”
A look of realization dawned in her eyes, her pupils seemingly reflecting the color of my hair.
“Just the thought of it makes my heart flutter with anguish.”
As I stared blankly, she grabbed my hand, looking both confused and anxious.
“Ultimately, I do despise you, but something feels very strange.”
Why was she acting like this all of a sudden?
“…What did you do to me?”
As I stood there, flustered by the unexpected turn of events and pinned by Charlotte’s trembling voice… a notification appeared before my eyes.
[Charlotte Holmes begins to recognize her emotions for the first time.]
It was a notification I had never seen before.
[The Hidden Route has been unlocked.]
What?
.
.
.
.
.
“Neville?”
At that exact moment, Isaac Adler froze.
“…Why do I hear a woman’s voice inside?”
The voice of Rachel Watson, who had returned with the brandy for her fiancé, echoed from beyond the door.
Click.
The situation from a few hours ago was repeating itself with ironic precision—only this time, the roles were reversed.