Chapter 44: The Case of the Missing Silver Blaze (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: The Case of the Missing Silver Blaze (6)
A few minutes after escaping Charlotte, I found myself intercepted by Colonel Rose.
"Excuse me."
"Hmm?"
"When exactly did we first meet?"
As we walked through the secret passage she had prepared in advance, I scratched my head and posed the question to the Colonel walking beside me.
"…Don’t you remember?"
At that, her gaze momentarily flashed with a chilling light.
"I sponsored you back when you were a nobody."
"Ah, right."
"You’ve been receiving regular support from me… even recently."
"Haha…"
So, those massive sums anonymously deposited into Isaac Adler’s account were actually from her?
The amounts seemed a bit excessive, though…
Perhaps before I possessed him, the original Isaac Adler had wooed several wealthy sponsors like Colonel Rose to act as his sugar mommas.
You really were a piece of work, weren't you, Isaac Adler? That bastard had a field day scamming all these women, but why do I, who had absolutely nothing to do with it, have to suffer the consequences?
‘…Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.’
However, now wasn't the time for grumbling. If I didn’t want to end up with a hole in my head or be shipped to the U.S. in a wooden crate, I had to act.
"…Why have you stopped?"
As I halted, Colonel Rose tilted her head, her grip tightening on the gun pointed at me.
"Are you trying to run away like last time?"
"……"
"You can’t. This pistol was custom-made specifically to hunt you."
She was right. Even though I was a powerful mage and a pureblood vampire to boot, there wasn't much I could do with a high-powered mana pistol pressed against my skull.
Magic required chanting, and transforming into a vampire took far too long. Moreover, it was broad daylight; I doubted I could harness the full extent of my powers even if I tried.
On the other hand, all Colonel Rose had to do was pull the trigger, and I’d be finished.
Even if I somehow managed to dodge the first shot, she held the rank of Colonel and possessed an artifact-grade weapon. With those two factors alone, she could likely take down mid-level bosses with ease, let alone someone like me.
To make matters worse, I couldn't even call upon Princess Clay, as her power had barely recovered enough for basic telepathy.
"Yes, you were my first."
"…Hmm?"
There was only one move left.
"Thinking back, the only reason I’ve made it this far is thanks to you."
"Adler…?"
"I’m sorry for not realizing it until now."
Since my youth, I had always been confident in my ability to persuade.
"Why are you suddenly being so kind…?"
"……"
"You’re not resisting or acting cold like you did back then?"
"I’m not."
"…Why?"
I had seen plenty of ways to handle these situations in webcomics and online communities. I wasn't sure if it would work here, but I had nothing left to lose.
"Because I like you more than anyone else in the world."
"…………"
"…Shall we hold hands?"
As I spoke and gazed into Colonel Rose’s eyes, the hand not holding the gun began to slowly lower.
"But that’s not what I meant…"
Soon after, blushing like a maiden in love, she wrapped her arm around mine.
…Is it working already?
The ultimate counter to a yandere was none other than pure, unadulterated affection.
.
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"What should we do first when we get to the States? Should we go house hunting? Or should I leave that to my subordinates so we can travel? Or maybe…"
"As long as I'm with you, Colonel, anything is fine."
"…Ahh…"
Colonel Rose, who had been rambling with her eyes fixed on the path ahead, trailed off at the sound of Adler’s gentle voice.
—Shiver.
At the same time, the pistol aimed quietly at the back of Adler’s head trembled ever so slightly.
"If you could have treated me this way from the beginning… why didn't you…"
"That being said, I have a question."
Adler, who had been quietly observing her, calmly changed the subject.
"What on earth did you put in the curry?"
"…What?"
She stared at Adler, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Don’t beat around the bush. Just in case we need to share a kiss to—"
"What are you even talking about?"
"Pardon?"
Colonel Rose tilted her head, looking genuinely confused.
"I didn't add anything to the curry."
"Then why did you change last night’s meal to curry?"
"I just had a craving for curry yesterday…"
A puzzled expression spread across Adler’s face.
"Then, what did you do to Mr. Straker?"
"I entered his room under the pretext of bringing him a late dinner."
Thus began Colonel Rose’s testimony…
"As you know, despite having a wife, he’s in love with me. If I say the word, he’ll blindly follow my every command."
"Yeah… I suppose."
"So, I simply asked him to give Silver Blaze a doping injection."
"…That’s it?"
Adler, eyes wide in disbelief, furrowed his brows and asked again.
"Yes. I planned to frame him and cover my tracks later. But then, all of a sudden, he died."
"Then what about the drug in the curry?"
"Oh, that slipped my mind, sorry. I did deliver a drugged meal to him, but that was intended for the demi-human he was training."
Colonel Rose clapped her hands as she remembered, then scratched her head.
"But that… it’s just a mild sedative, right?"
"So… there’s no chance of him becoming aggressive or brutal if he ate it?"
"None. That drug is specifically for demi-humans. For us, it would just make our senses a bit sharper. Nothing more."
At that, Adler fell into deep thought, his expression blank.
"…Then why did Straker…?"
"That doesn't matter now."
Colonel Rose, her fingers still interlocked with his, gently tightened her grip and stopped walking with a soft smile.
"We are leaving this place today."
At that moment, a massive door began to grind open.
"…Huh?"
"I’ve even gathered these loyal subordinates to accompany us."
Adler’s eyes widened as he took a step back from the heavy vibrations of the opening door.
"How is it, honey?"
A significant number of demi-humans stood before them, bowing their heads in unison.
"It’s impressive, but… if such a large group moves at once, we’ll surely be noticed…"
"We’ll split up and move in small, elite groups. The ones escorting us are the most trustworthy among them."
"…Will all these demi-humans really follow our commands?"
"They’ll have no choice."
Seeing the doubt in Adler’s eyes, Colonel Rose pulled a bundle of documents from her coat and waved them.
"It’s all thanks to your contract magic, Adler."
"……"
"It’s fascinating. You can’t perform any other magic, yet you excel at this one more than anyone else in the world…"
Just as Adler broke into a cold sweat under the array of resentful glares directed at him…
"…This seems different from what you promised."
"……?"
From behind the demi-humans, a chilling voice resonated through the chamber.
"Didn't you clearly say you’d hand Adler over to me?"
"Who’s that…?"
"Did I really say that?"
As a silhouette emerged from the darkness of the crowd, Adler’s pupils dilated in astonishment. A cold smile crept onto Colonel Rose’s lips.
"All I did was provide you with a hiding place in exchange for kidnapping demi-humans from the back alleys."
"……"
"Don’t you know who’s in charge here?"
Her voice was haughty and dismissive.
"I don’t know exactly what you’re up to, but you’re no longer needed."
"Hmm."
"So, it would be best if you left gracefully while I'm still being polite."
She gestured dismissively toward the shadowy figure.
—Sqwelp!
"…Huh?"
The sound of something piercing flesh echoed, and a gasping breath escaped Colonel Rose’s mouth.
"Ugh, erk…"
"Since it looked fun, I helped you a little with that insignificant plan of yours… and this is how you repay me?"
Staggering, a bewildered Colonel Rose realized a black blade had pierced her chest. She fell to her knees.
"I should’ve just killed you when I merged¹ with Straker back then."
"…What?"
"I don’t know why I always have such bad luck with my employers."
Suddenly, the mysterious shadowy figure appeared directly in front of her, gently caressing her chin with dark, ethereal hands.
"…Isn't that right?"
"Wh-wh-who are you?"
"Hehe…"
As the shadowy entity turned its head, revealing a chilling smile, a pale-faced Adler began to back away… toward the demi-humans.
—Bang!
The sound of a gunshot thundered inside the dim shelter.
—Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Run… Adler…"
Colonel Rose, her face deathly pale, was desperately firing her pistol at the figure.
"…How pitiful."
The being veiled in shadows seemed unfazed, gazing down at the holes forming in its body. It murmured with a voice tinged with mocking laughter.
—Clink, clink…
"Do you really think you can harm me with a toy like this?"
With a mere gesture from the shadow, the weapon that could bring down mid-level bosses was effortlessly crushed.
—Crackle!
"Adler…"
Once again, the sickening sound of piercing flesh echoed, followed by Colonel Rose’s faint groan.
"…………"
The mysterious figure silently surveyed the terror-stricken basement before its eyes lit up. It spoke in an excited, high-pitched tone.
"Hello, Adler?"
Facing the very entity it so desperately desired, the figure felt a shiver of ecstasy run down its spine.
"I love you~!"
.
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.
[??? feels a chilling tenderness toward you!]
"Love, my ass…"
My eyes were wide with shock as I stumbled backward in fright. Only when I saw the system message did I realize the truth.
"I really, really, really, really love you…"
That creature is the cause of the erosion.
Every time I didn't directly intervene in an event, the Erosion Rate would mysteriously increase without explanation.
[Warning!]
[Erosion Rate — 6% → 15%]
The cause was standing right in front of me.
I need to run.
Even without seeing Colonel Rose’s struggle, I knew… I had to escape immediately. I had to run without even thinking about looking back.
"You’re running away?"
Whether she had sensed my intention or not, the shadowy figure holding a knife as black as the abyss tilted her head.
"If you run, I’ll kill you."
Of course, even if I stayed, she clearly intended to kill me, so the threat felt redundant.
"The demi-humans behind you…"
But then she spoke again.
"And the girl who was hanging out with you just now. I will kill them all…"
I had no choice. I stopped and faced the mysterious figure.
[Warning!]
[Probability of Assassination — 40% → 99%]
"That won't do."
I was truly grateful that I had left Charlotte behind.
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.
How much time had passed?
"Hands up! Police!"
"Surrender!"
With Charlotte Holmes leading the way, the officers burst through the door of the secret hideout beneath the racetrack, shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Drop your weapons and stay where—"
"Huh…?"
However, after only a few steps, they came to an abrupt halt.
"Cough, cough…"
Isaac Adler sat leaning against a wall, his abdomen gruesomely slashed. He was breathing laboriously as he greeted them.
"…Adler?"
Charlotte, who had been leading the charge with confidence, froze. Her expression went blank as she took in the sight.
"I’m sorry, Miss Holmes…"
With a faint, weary smile, Adler spoke.
"It seems I’ve ruined the riddle…"
His eyes began to lose their focus.
"…Well, it’s okay… as long as you’re safe."
"No…"
For the first time in her life, a look of sheer terror manifested on Charlotte Holmes’ face.
*
Footnotes:
1. This is a concept that will be explained in detail later in the story, but essentially, this mysterious being has the ability to possess or "merge" with others.