Chapter 71: The Blue Carbuncle (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: The Blue Carbuncle (3)
While Isaac Adler and the mysterious girl faced off back at Lestrade’s house…
“What on earth do you mean, Miss Holmes?”
“It seems you truly didn’t notice.”
Lestrade, walking through the snowy streets of London alongside Charlotte, raised her voice in shock at the detective's revelation.
“Are you saying Inspector Candidate Baynes is an imposter?”
“Shh. Do you intend to announce that to the entire neighborhood?”
“But… no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve known her for a long time. I’m certain that Inspector Candidate Baynes was no different from her usual self today.”
Lestrade turned toward Charlotte with a look of pure disbelief.
“Could you be mistaken this time, Miss Charlotte Holmes?”
“…Not in the least.”
“Then please, explain your reasoning.”
“I was just about to do so.”
With a firm shake of her head, Charlotte looked at the unconvinced Lestrade and began to explain in a low, steady voice.
“I remember you mentioning Inspector Candidate Baynes several times. According to you, she was an incredibly sharp girl, wasn't she?”
“That’s right. She held the highest scores in the history of August Academy—at least until you took the entrance exam.”
“Do you think such a girl would simply sit there with listless eyes, listening passively to Adler’s and my deductions? In front of evidence overflowing with clues, would she really stay silent without chiming in or arguing?”
“Well…”
Lestrade scratched her head, momentarily silenced by Charlotte’s logic.
“…I was so engrossed in handling the duck in the kitchen that I didn’t notice.”
“Of course. I saw you secretly drooling when you took the bird to the kitchen.”
“………”
“Perhaps you should clean the feathers off your clothes first.”
Blushing slightly at Charlotte’s sharp observation, Lestrade brushed the traces of the poor duck from her coat.
“Wasn’t Inspector Candidate Baynes known for being naturally sloppy?”
“How did you know that?”
“Because the person impersonating her likely only saw that side of her. They made the mistake of thinking she was a dimwit. They probably didn’t have enough time to study her properly.”
“Ah…”
Somewhat convinced, Lestrade tilted her head and raised another point.
“…But couldn't she have stayed quiet just to appear modest?”
“You mentioned it before, didn't you? Inspector Candidate Baynes is an avid fan of Watson’s adaptations of my case files.”
“Yes, that’s right. I visited her room once and found quotes and case files of your work piled up like mountains.”
“Do you think such a person would miss a rare opportunity to showcase her skills and gain recognition just for the sake of modesty? To keep up appearances?”
“…Certainly not.”
Finally, Lestrade nodded in agreement, fully convinced by Charlotte’s explanation.
“So, how did she disguise herself? If she had used disguise magic, I surely would have noticed.”
She looked puzzled, questioning Charlotte once more.
“That is true. Due to your natural detection abilities, you are called the nemesis of mages, after all.”
“Then…”
“Rather, the fake Baynes took advantage of exactly that.”
Charlotte Holmes responded with a cold smile stretching across her lips.
Swoosh…
“Wh-what the hell is that?”
As Charlotte pulled an incredibly thin leather mask resembling a human face from her coat, Lestrade recoiled in shock.
“It’s a disguise tool called a Human Skin Mask. It’s quite rare in Europe and England, but it was widely used in the martial arts world of the ancient Qing dynasty.”
“…You wear it directly over your face?”
“Cheap ones are noticeable even at night, but high-end products like this one are hard to distinguish unless you’re an expert.”
Charlotte explained as she gently pressed the mask against her face.
“It is an item that can completely bypass European security methods, which have focused on banning or identifying magic for the past few centuries.”
“My god…!”
“There’s a reason detectives become wary when the Chinese get involved in their cases.”
Lestrade looked horrified as the mask seamlessly merged with Charlotte's features with just a slight touch.
“If such things start circulating in England, wouldn’t that be a major crisis?”
“It’s alright. The Human Skin Mask has one fatal flaw.”
Charlotte began peeling the mask off, speaking as if to comfort Lestrade.
“Unlike disguise magic, this Human Skin Mask cannot perfectly replicate facial emotions.”
“…Why is that?”
“The human face has a very delicately arranged skeletal and muscular structure. When you classify the number of expressions a person can make, there are over a thousand variations.”
Charlotte stretched the material of the mask.
“But when you use this, the number of expressions you can make becomes limited and stiff.”
“I see…”
Charlotte’s eyes sharpened as she looked at Lestrade, who finally seemed relieved.
“Despite that, the fake Baynes showed almost impeccable acting, eye movements, and voice modulation. It was nearly impossible to distinguish her from the real Baynes.”
“…That’s terrifying.”
“I only realized it near the very end myself. If someone hasn't used a Human Skin Mask before, like Adler or myself, distinguishing them would be nearly impossible.”
A brief silence followed.
“Hold on.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly stopping in her tracks, Lestrade’s expression turned cold and vacant.
“If someone that dangerous was impersonating Inspector Candidate Baynes…”
“……..”
“…Then where is the real Baynes right now?”
After a moment, she exhaled sharply and looked back in the direction of her house.
“Don’t worry. The Human Skin Mask isn't actually made from the face of the person being impersonated—or any human, for that matter. They are artificial, in most cases.”
“But still! If an imposter is out there pretending to be her so openly, something must have happened to Baynes!”
“Calm down. Inspector Candidate Baynes will be safe.”
As Lestrade began to emit a chilling, cold aura, Charlotte gently grasped her shoulder and whispered softly to calm her.
“I think I have a lead on who is behind this.”
“…Still, I need to go home,” Lestrade murmured, her voice trembling slightly. “Isaac Adler and my siblings are back there. They’re in danger.”
“I told you not to worry, didn’t I?”
Charlotte Holmes forcefully pulled her close and whispered in her ear.
“Don’t underestimate the intelligence of my fated nemesis.”
“…Pardon?”
“Mr. Adler, unlike you, has been aware of everything from the very start.”
“But his combat abilities…”
“…Shush.”
Charlotte gently placed a finger over Lestrade’s lips.
“Let’s focus on the case at hand.”
“Ducky… where are you…?”
From not too far away, near the scene of the original incident, the sound of a woman’s sobbing could be heard.
“Please come back… ducky…”
Straining their ears, Charlotte and Lestrade slowly began to move forward.
“Tsk.”
“Ho-honey.”
“…I really have a useless wife.”
They stopped and hid as a new voice emerged.
“Tha-that’s a bit harsh…..”
“What?”
“…Kyaa!”
Upon hearing a scream, Lestrade cautiously raised her head.
“I should just…”
“Ugh…”
A man, appearing drunk, raised a bottle high over a woman trembling on the ground.
Crash!!
“…Eep.”
He shattered the bottle against a nearby wall, spat on her, and walked past.
“Don’t even think of coming home until you find it.”
“……….”
“You understand, right, Miss?”
“…Yes.”
The woman on the ground nodded hurriedly in response to his harsh command.
“”…………””
Silence returned to the street.
“…Excuse me.”
“Are you alright?”
Charlotte and Lestrade, who had been observing the situation, approached the woman with silent steps.
“……”
The woman looked up at them with blank, hollow eyes.
“If you’re alright, could we talk for a moment…”
“…Did Master send you?”
“Pardon?”
The two girls, helping the fragile-looking noblewoman to her feet, tilted their heads in confusion.
“It… it’s been a long time since Master reached out to me… He rarely makes contact these days…”
“…….?”
The noblewoman, who had been sobbing under her husband’s violence moments ago, was now muttering with a straight, impassive face.
Whoosh…
“…….?”
“Wha-what are you doing…”
Before the bewildered girls, the woman abruptly pulled up her top and bit the hem of her garment, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“”………..””
The expressions of Charlotte and Lestrade instantly turned cold.
“…Not surprising anymore.”
“That is…”
On the woman’s exposed, pale belly was a golden seal—identical to the design of the seal engraved on their own lower abdomens.
“Why aren’t you gweeting your senior?” (Why aren’t you greeting your senior?)
The noblewoman, still holding the hem of her clothes in her mouth, muttered while pointing at her seal.
“Kids thesh daysh are rwallry cwazy.” (Kids these days are really crazy.)
Her gaze sharpened.
“Who are you? You two.”
“”…………””
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile…
“Brother Adler~!”
The second sibling, having hastily wiped the blood from her hands onto her sibling’s clothes, entered the living room with a plate of duck meat.
“Let’s play a Christmas game…”
Her voice trailed off as she saw the scene in the room, the cheerful expression fading from her youthful face.
“…Ugh.”
The girl who looked like Baynes was gasping for breath at Adler’s feet. He was sitting on the sofa, looking down at her. It seemed she had taken several more blows in the interim.
“Lift your head.”
“Ugh.”
Isaac Adler, his gaze freezing, grabbed her slender chin and forced her to look at him.
Slap!!!
The sharp, ear-piercing sound of a strike filled the living room.
“……….”
The girl’s head whipped to the side from the impact. She touched her cheek, an awkward expression on her face, as if it were the first time she had ever been struck like this.
Snap!!!
Adler roughly grabbed her arm, pulled her up, and backhanded her across the same cheek.
“Ah…”
Whoosh…
The girl’s body went limp, and she lost her balance, collapsing against Adler’s legs once more.
“Using that anesthesia spray was your second mistake.”
“………..”
“Those sprays tend to contain alcohol.”
Isaac Adler wound his hand tightly into the girl’s hair and shook the confiscated spray bottle. His eyes were already dyed a deep, blood-red.
“I have a bit of a problem with alcohol, you see.”
“Haah… ha…”
The girl, resting her cheek against Adler’s leg, couldn't even find the words to reply. She simply gasped, her body quivering.
“…Excuse me.”
Just as Adler bared his fangs and moved his head toward her neck…
“Could you hit me one more time?”
The girl, sprawled across his lap, looked up with a faint, sweet whisper.
“Ah… this time, on the other cheek…”
As Adler stared blankly at her, she tilted her face, exposing her uninjured side.
Slap!!!
“…Ah.”
Instead, Adler pulled her hair to expose the already swollen red cheek and struck it again. The girl’s body convulsed as she fought back tears.
“…Excuse me.”
With her head buried against his legs and tears welling in her eyes, her voice came out in a muffled sob.
“I’m sorry… but just one more time.”
She quietly wiped the blood from her split lip, her swollen cheek pressed against the fabric of Adler’s trousers.
“A bit harder…”
‘…I didn’t think Lupin was such a masochist.’
Adler tilted his head, processing the thought, before raising his hand once more.
Slap!!!
“…So cool.”
“Sister, please snap out of it already!!”