Chapter 55: The Mystery of the Reigate Squire (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55: The Mystery of the Reigate Squire (3)
“I can hear your gears grinding from all the way over here.”
Charlotte looked down at Adler’s dazed expression with a look of profound satisfaction. She stood up, her voice trailing with a hint of mystery.
“Did you foresee something that’s going to happen in a few days?”
“……..”
“Or is it a new command?”
At those words, the stiff smile on Adler’s face faltered, and he turned a shade paler. Charlotte caught the reaction and let a quiet, mischievous smirk play on her lips.
“If it’s a new command, don’t overdo it. Just follow my lead.”
“Now, wait a minute…”
“I’m willing to tolerate quite a lot for your sake.”
Before he could finish, her soft lips pressed against his. Their tongues entwined timidly, tasting one another in a slow, lingering exchange of heat.
“… Uh.”
Startled by the sudden intimacy, Adler tried to pull back, but Charlotte grabbed his hand and pulled him deeper into the embrace.
“……..”
She tilted her head, eyes closed, savoring the moment for a long while.
Unlike the clumsy, frantic kisses they had shared in the past, this was gentle and tender—the kind shared by lovers. As the kiss deepened, Adler felt his cheeks flush with heat.
— Drip.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally pulled apart.
“… Haah.”
Charlotte stared blankly at the silver thread of saliva connecting their tongues before slowly reaching out to wipe it away with her fingers.
“… Miss Holmes.”
She toyed with his tongue for a fleeting second before finally letting go. Only then did Adler find his voice, though it came out as a soft breath.
“What exactly are you doing?”
“Collecting DNA.”
“You know very well that makes no scientific sense, Miss Holmes.”
Her gaze flickered away, shifting toward the side.
“… Do you like me?” Adler asked.
“……….”
The Charlotte of the past would have refuted the question instantly. Instead, she rose from her seat in a heavy, profound silence.
“It seems my logical and rational conclusions have led you to a misunderstanding.”
“……….”
“Well, think whatever you wish.”
“Ouch—!”
With an expression that suggested she was only answering him out of begrudging obligation, Charlotte reached out and plucked a few more strands of hair from Adler’s head.
Swirl, swirl…
She popped the strands into her mouth and began walking toward the mansion’s front door, chewing on them as she went.
“… Aren’t you going to investigate?” Adler called out, trying his best to ignore her bizarre obsession with "combining" their DNA.
She paused and turned back, a confident smile gracing her features.
“The investigation is practically over.”
“… Already?”
“Who do you think I am?”
She shrugged her shoulders with effortless grace.
“I just need to verify a few details. Local real estate records, that suspicious note from earlier, and the wounds on the butler—who should be on the autopsy table by now.”
“………”
“If my deductions are correct, the intersection of those facts will provide the answer I’m looking for.”
Her tone had shifted back to her professional, unyielding self.
“As expected of Miss Holmes.”
“No need for flattery.”
Adler, now accustomed to her shifts in mood, offered a faint, genuine smile.
“… You should prepare yourself mentally.”
However, his smile wavered when Charlotte swallowed the hair she had been chewing and pointed significantly toward her lower abdomen.
“Mr. Adler.”
She stopped at the threshold of the mansion and called his name one last time.
“I may have acted a bit… strategically, to turn the situation in my favor.”
Her voice trembled, just a fraction.
“But you know, Mr. Adler…”
“……….”
“In the end, one cannot pull off such an act without a grain of sincerity.”
A brief, heavy silence hung between them.
“… Take care of yourself.”
Her face flushed crimson. She looked as if she wanted to say more, but after a moment of hesitation, she turned and walked away.
“If you die, I’ll follow you to hell and curse you until you wish you were dead all over again.”
Her final parting shot echoed in Adler’s ears long after she had vanished from sight.
*
How much time had passed since Charlotte Holmes left?
I sat slumped in my seat, alone, staring vacantly at the handcuffs around my wrists. I found myself muttering under my breath without even realizing it.
“… I’m going insane. Seriously.”
My mind was a chaotic mess. I couldn’t wrap my head around how things had spiraled this far.
When did Charlotte notice my Karma System? And if she knew, did the Professor know as well?
‘No, that’s not the immediate problem.’
The core issue was that Charlotte had noticed the System. She was on the verge of uncovering the truth about me—and the truth of this entire world. And if she knew, Professor Moriarty would inevitably find out too.
The list of problems was staggering, but I had to force myself to focus.
‘Solving the case comes first.’
I had to deal with the threat right in front of me.
‘It’s the only way I survive this.’
Based on my deductions, this case wasn't as simple as it appeared. There was a possibility—remote, but there—that at the end of this mystery, I might finally encounter the entity I had been searching for.
And if I managed to capture them?
‘… I’ll need to establish my own organization.’
My mind raced. Building the Professor’s kingdom at a steady pace was fine, but at this rate, I wouldn't last long.
[Warning!]
– Probability of Confinement: 99.99% –
– Probability of being Tamed: 99.99% –
– Probability of ???: 70% –
“… This is a total disaster.”
To break free from these suffocating probabilities, I needed a personal guard—a force that answered only to me.
I already had a roster in mind. Princess Clay and Silver Blaze, who were dependent on me. The Queen of Bohemia and Colonel Rosel, who handled my logistics and finances. And most recently, Gia Lestrade, who had become entangled in my life by a twist of fate.
If I played my cards right, I might be able to nudge those terrifying percentages down, even if only by a fraction.
But it still wasn't enough. To stand a chance against a deranged genius like Professor Moriarty and a "realized" Charlotte Holmes, I was missing a key piece of the puzzle.
I prayed that piece was waiting for me at the end of this case.
‘… No, it has to be there.’
The thought of the 99.99% confinement probability waiting for me once the case closed sent a literal chill down my spine.
“Excuse me…”
“……..?”
A voice broke through my spiraling thoughts.
“… Your identity has been verified.”
The inspector, who had been so quick to arrest me earlier, bowed her head with an apologetic look.
“I’ll remove the handcuffs immediately. This is truly embarrassing… I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s quite alright, Inspector.”
Knowing it was my own fault for snooping around, I simply held out my wrists. The inspector unlocked the cuffs, nodding repeatedly in apology.
“But… are you feeling alright?”
“Pardon?”
She began looking me over with a worried expression.
“Your face is as pale as a corpse.”
“Ah…”
If anyone else could see the floating death sentences in front of my eyes, they’d look like a corpse too.
“It’s just… cough!”
Before I could invent an excuse, a violent cough tore through my throat.
“… Cough, cough!”
“Tsk, tsk. Such a young man, and in such a state.”
As I doubled over, covering my mouth, the inspector patted my back sympathetically.
“… Why is this happening?”
“Here, drink this.”
Dizziness washed over me, making me feel as though my time was running out. The inspector pulled a small bottle from her coat and pressed it into my hand.
“Thank… you?”
I took it absentmindedly and took a long sip. A sudden warmth flooded my body, and the sharp, tingling pain in my chest began to dull.
What was this? Some kind of elixir?
“I must be going. I have to assist the young detective with the autopsy.”
“Is that… so?”
“… Yes. I trust this makes up for the trouble?”
The heat in my body was becoming overwhelming. I nodded dumbly, and the inspector handed me the rest of the bottle before patting my back and heading for the exit.
“Take care of yourself, young man.”
“……..”
“… Far too young to be coughing up blood already.”
I barely caught her last remark.
“What is even in this…?”
The effects were surprisingly potent. I took another sip, but the world began to tilt.
Screech…
“What on earth…”
I tried to check the label, finally suspecting something was wrong.
“… Huh?”
Suddenly, a hand clamped a handkerchief over my mouth from behind.
“Mmph…!”
I tried to struggle, but my strength was vanishing at an alarming rate. I couldn't fight back.
“………”
My arms were seized, and I was dragged unceremoniously into a secluded room deep within the mansion.
Click!
“Haah, haah…”
“Si-Sister…”
As the door locked, the two Cunningham sisters came into view.
“Eek…!”
“Do… do we really have to do this?”
Before I could utter a word, the elder sister lunged at me, her hands wrapping around my throat.
“Chk… gurg…”
“You told us to trust you! You said you’d cover up our crimes!”
Her eyes were wide, brimming with a volatile mix of anxiety and terror.
“Then why does that Professor know everything?!”
“Ugh…”
“Why are the police leaving the mansion one by one?!”
The situation was spiraling into a total catastrophe.
“You betrayed us, didn't you?”
‘Wait… there was a scene like this in the original story…’
“You’ve been playing us from the start!!”
As my consciousness flickered, I stared dazed at the girl strangling me, my eyes drifting toward the floor.
‘… Ah.’
I finally saw the label on the bottle that had slipped from my hand. I cursed inwardly.
‘… It’s brandy.’
That was my final memory of the day.
*
Only a few minutes later…
“………”
Professor Jane Moriarty stormed into the room where the Cunningham sisters were hiding, her expression frantic. But the moment she stepped inside, she froze. A look of utter bewilderment—completely uncharacteristic of her—crossed her face.
“Fuck… you bastard…”
“Hehehe…”
The Cunningham sisters were on the floor. One looked utterly humiliated, the other wore a look of terrifying ecstasy. Both were huddled at the feet of Adler, who sat calmly in a chair, resting his chin on his hand.
“… Hiccup.”
“My beloved Professor.”
With a cold, unyielding gaze, Adler pressed his foot down on the elder sister’s head, forcing her to stay down. He gently stroked the younger sister’s hair as he spoke.
“I have a gift for you.”
“You certainly enjoy your games, don’t you, Mr. Adler?”
A chilling, wicked smile spread across the lips of both Adler and Professor Moriarty.