Chapter 63: The Blooming Detective
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 63: The Blooming Detective
A few days had passed since Charlotte Holmes collapsed in her boarding house.
“…Hmm.”
“Miss Holmes?”
For some reason, they were still at the boarding house rather than a hospital. Isaac Adler held her in his arms, the two of them sharing her bed.
“Have you come to your senses?”
Hearing a dazed mumble near his ear, Isaac quickly checked on Charlotte. She had been nestled against him this entire time.
“Hehe…”
Charlotte Holmes opened her eyes, a wide smile spreading across her face as she gently clasped his hand in hers.
“You’re by my side today.”
“…Yes, I am.”
“That’s a relief.”
She stared at Adler for a long time, her gaze lingering before she snuggled back into his embrace.
“I was afraid to open my eyes for thirty minutes, fearing you wouldn't be there when I did.”
“But didn't I hold you all through yesterday? Your condition was chaotic and precarious.”
“Still, there was only a 50% chance it would be you, right?”
“…Why do you think that?”
From within Adler’s embrace, her small but confident voice began to flow with steady conviction.
“Just think about it… When I open my eyes, there are only two possibilities: either you’re holding me, or it’s someone else.”
“…”
“So, it’s fifty-fifty. A 50% probability, right?”
With a look of absolute certainty, Charlotte finished her somewhat illogical explanation and looked up at him with a calm gaze.
“But now that I think about it, 50% is a perfectly balanced probability, don’t you think? It’s very stable.”
“Miss Holmes.”
“Mr. Adler, a human is all about balance as well. You should draw a line down the center of your body in advance.”
She was breaking out in a cold sweat, not just on her forehead but across her entire body. Her condition seemed grave as she continued to ramble nonsensically.
“It’ll be easier to maintain physical stability that way. You can even use it as a guideline if need be…”
“Please, I beg of you…”
Isaac Adler watched her rave like a lunatic, a devastated expression on his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and spoke in a pained tone.
“Let’s get you to a hospital. Now.”
“A hospital?”
Hearing the pity in his voice, Charlotte seemed to snap back to reality. She drifted away from her delusions and gently tilted her head.
“It’s no use.”
“But—”
“As you can see, the outcome is already evident.”
She gave him a pained smile, one heavy with resignation.
“What was in that box wasn’t magic; it was something called Sorcery. It’s a unique branch of the mystic arts—also known as witchcraft—researched in parts of India and the East. It is one of the most difficult forms to execute.”
“………”
“And Watson already informed me… The mana circuits that make up my body have been damaged beyond repair by the sorcery.”
As she spoke, her breath came in labored, heavy gasps. Isaac Adler’s expression hardened in real-time.
“It’s all over for me now, Mr. Adler.”
“……..”
“Our adventures together, the mysteries we solved… Everything is over, Adler.”
Caressing his cheek, Charlotte spoke in a serene voice.
“…I am truly saddened beyond what words can convey.”
She whispered faintly, her gaze lowered and full of sorrow.
“It was fun while it lasted.”
Upon hearing those words of regret, Adler instinctively tightened his hold on her, bowing his head.
“……….”
Silence filled the room for a long moment.
“Hey…”
Some time passed.
“Since I feel a bit more lucid now…”
Charlotte, who had been sweating profusely and panting heavily, lifted Adler’s head. She locked eyes with him and began to whisper.
“…Let me give you the proposal I’ve been thinking of.”
“…….?”
“Take my soul.”
A stunned expression froze on Adler’s face.
“What are you saying…?”
“I actually already know, you know?”
Charlotte placed a finger on his lips, a frail smile adorning her pale face.
“That you don’t have much time left.”
“That is…”
“We’re both terminally ill. Let’s stop with the farce.”
The color drained from Isaac Adler’s face.
“That body of yours doesn’t have much time left to tread this Earth.”
“……….”
“So, you’re searching for a way to extend your life.”
Struck by the raw truth of her words, Adler was left speechless, staring at Charlotte in astonishment.
“I was recently investigating a case involving traces of sorcery, so I did some research.”
“Charlotte.”
“In most books on Sorcery, it’s common to extend one’s life by taking another’s soul.”
Charlotte’s gaze shone with a gentle light.
“So, devour my soul… please…”
“Do you even realize what you’re saying right now?”
“I’m offering you my soul. For your sake, of course…”
“Putting aside the ramifications you would face… do you, the most rational being I have ever witnessed, really believe in such occult tales?”
“In a world nearing the turn of the century—where magic that once only existed in fairy tales has revealed itself, and all manner of bizarre phenomena, sorceries, and curses appear everywhere—do you really think it’s time to be skeptical?”
Caught off guard by her logic, Adler found himself silenced, unable to retort.
“…Either way, I wouldn’t know how to take your soul even if I wanted to.”
“Heh.”
“What’s so funny?”
Charlotte burst out laughing, lifting her sweat-drenched head.
“Out of everyone, how is it possible that you don’t know how to do that?”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve gone through countless papers, but there’s never been a precedent for a vampire with a tail.”
Her pupils momentarily regained their original, sharp clarity as she delivered her next line.
“You wield contract magic suspiciously well, and you possess an odd allure that can immediately enchant any woman, cursed or not.”
“……..?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t realize your true nature?”
Her voice, though soft, was filled with the absolute conviction of her deduction.
“Little Devil, sir?”
“…Sigh.”
Adler looked down at Charlotte quietly before letting out a deep sigh of regret.
“…For a moment, since you seemed clearer, I thought your condition had miraculously improved.”
He gently stroked her back, his voice thick with emotion.
“It seems you’re still unwell, spouting such illogical nonsense.”
“……….?”
“It’s all my fault. If only I had arrived at the boarding house a bit earlier…”
As he hugged her with a look of sincere remorse, Charlotte gave him a doubtful look for a moment, but her gaze soon turned distant.
“…What I wanted to say is—”
She began to gently stroke his cheek again.
“You must survive, at any cost.”
“…Miss Holmes.”
“Though my mana circuit is damaged beyond repair, it’s entirely possible to partially transplant it into your body.”
Her voice darkened toward the end.
“And even if you don’t use me, perhaps your curse might be lifted this way?”
“Pardon?”
“I have a rough idea. A way to break the curse you’re entangled with.”
It was at that very moment…
Ending 09
The Millennial Kingdom
Among the countless endings, one that had a fraction of a probability to be achieved—and one that wasn’t so bad from Adler’s perspective—flashed through his mind.
“It’s okay if I lose to you and the professor.”
“What are you even talking abo—”
“It’s a simple thing. I just need to die…”
As Charlotte perceived his intent, her voice began to tremble ever so slightly.
“Let’s be honest. You never really liked me, did you?”
“……….”
“The one you truly took a liking to was the professor all along. That’s why you approached her first, and why you’re acting as her assistant instead of mine.”
“I…”
“But…”
She paused, taking a deep breath.
“…I’m still okay with that.”
Her voice cracked as it resonated in Adler’s ears.
“Though it was brief, the time I spent with you was genuinely blissful.”
A contented smile appeared on Charlotte’s lips.
“…Mr. Adler.”
Adler watched her, his expression crumbling on the verge of despair and agony. Charlotte spoke again, her face paler than ever before.
“Do you know what my curse was?”
Her voice was so weak it was hard to believe it came from her, yet it was crystal clear to Adler, who was listening more intently than ever.
“It was a curse that prevented me from loving anything in this world.”
Adler’s thoughts came to a grinding halt.
“Except, of course, for the concept of a riddle. A mystery.”
Staring deep into his eyes, Charlotte whispered in a soft, dreamy voice.
“Perhaps that’s why. I opened my heart to you, who presented me with riddles and mysteries the likes of which I’d never seen. Someone… who was a riddle in and of himself.”
“………”
“But seeing that my heart is still open to you even now, as I’ve come to somewhat understand you and the mystery surrounding you…”
She paused, looking as if the mere act of speaking was unbearably painful. She continued with a choked voice.
“…It might be that my curse has already been lifted.”
Adler’s eyes shook violently.
“Because of your very existence…”
Watching him with a gentle smile, Charlotte slowly closed her eyes.
“…Whatever it may be, it’s now my turn to give back.”
She finalized her statement with a resolute look.
“Use me as a sacrifice to grow your professor and your kingdom of crime.”
“………”
“I’ll die without any resistance.”
Cold sweat began to bead on Adler’s forehead.
“In doing so, perhaps the curse that binds your life will be lifted as well…”
Charlotte, too, was dripping with sweat, seemingly from the boiling heat engulfing her body.
“…You must live… You must live a happy life…”
She whispered with eerie determination, as if her fate were already sealed.
“If there is such a thing as a soul, then I’ll drop by your wedding with the professor as a lingering spirit… or perhaps a ghost.”
“Miss Holmes.”
“So please…”
“Charlotte.”
Before she could finish, Adler covered her mouth.
“……..?”
He looked at her as she tilted her head in confusion, then began to rise from the bed.
“…Indeed, you are not in your right mind.”
Charlotte struggled to sit up.
“I can see that brilliant mind of yours is not functioning properly.”
Adler’s face came into her field of vision, more serious than she had ever seen it.
“Do you really think I don’t love you?”
His blue eyes began to bleed into the same shade as her hair—an ominous, raven black.
“You’re welcome.”
Their eyes, now stained with each other’s colors, locked deeply.
“…I will definitely save you.”
She knew, without needing confirmation, that this wasn't the usual deceit Adler used to navigate difficult situations.
“Even if it means my death.”
For the first time, there wasn't a hint of deception in his voice.
“That was the deal, wasn't it?”
Tears filled Charlotte’s golden eyes as she lowered her head.
“I have a rough idea of someone who can fix your condition.”
Adler gently wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up.
“So just wait for me.”
Wrapping her in his overcoat, he moved toward the exit.
“Even if I have to sell my body and soul, I’ll bring them here.”
The door to the boarding house closed quietly behind him.
“”…………””
A heavy silence filled the room.
.
.
.
.
.
“…What?”
The profound silence was, surprisingly, broken by a third figure.
“The turn of events is completely different from what we expected… right?”
It was Rachel Watson. she had been hiding behind the bed with a miniature recording device powered by mana stones and her favorite pistol tucked in her arms.
“What’s going on, Holmes?”
She asked, looking completely bewildered, as Charlotte remained lying on the bed.
“………”
For some reason, Charlotte remained silent.
“…Holmes?”
Watson crawled out from her hiding spot and leaned over to check on her friend. Her face twisted into an expression of utter astonishment at what she saw.
“Watson.”
“You…”
Though Charlotte still looked pale, her overall state was noticeably better. However, the real surprise was the genuine tears streaming down her face.
“…I think I have no choice but to admit it now.”
Despite the smile on her face, words emerged with a note of absolute conviction—words no one could have imagined coming from her lips.
“My curse has finally been lifted…”
At the same time, her bright, tear-filled eyes shone with a color that no magic could ever change again.
“By the man named Isaac Adler.”
In the heart of the girl—a heart fated to remain cold and frigid for all eternity—a golden spring had finally bloomed.