Chapter 72: The Blue Carbuncle (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: The Blue Carbuncle (4)
“Adler…?”
“No, what in the world…”
Charlotte and Lestrade, who had brought along the strange lady they encountered on the street, stood frozen. Their eyes widened at the scene unfolding before them.
Gulp…
The girl who had been impersonating Baynes just moments ago was now flushing a deep crimson. She gripped Adler’s hair as he greedily drained blood from her neck.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Startled, Lestrade rushed forward, but her gaze was inevitably drawn to the girl. The imposter was offering her neck to Adler with a look of utter resignation—or perhaps something else entirely.
“………”
Her pupils were dilated, her hair was a tangled mess, and her once mischievous, witty face was now bruised and battered.
She looked pitiful, a ruined thing.
The girl, who had been so vibrant and energetic just moments ago, was now wilted like a trampled flower, completely surrendered to Adler’s violence.
“Excuse me, but…”
Horrified by the girl's condition, Lestrade stopped in her tracks and shifted her glare toward Adler. Meanwhile, the girl’s bruised lips moved slowly, whispering something.
Thud!
“…Eugh.”
Before she could finish, Adler roughly yanked his fangs from her neck and buried a heavy fist into her solar plexus.
Tremble…
The girl’s eyes went wide like a startled rabbit’s. Her face turned deathly pale, and her body began to shake violently. She clung to Adler’s arms just to keep from collapsing.
Slap!
Adler’s hand swung in a merciless arc, slapping her across the cheek. Unable to maintain her balance any longer, she crumpled to the floor, clutching her bleeding nose.
“…Ugh.”
Adler looked down at her coldly and placed his foot on her stomach. Her body convulsed slightly, and a faint moan escaped her ruined mouth.
From the looks of it, her face wasn't the only thing Adler had broken.
“…Just what are you doing?”
Lestrade’s voice was thick with fury. She had watched the gruesome display in disbelief, but she couldn't stay silent any longer.
“Even if she is an imposter, she’s still a human being! There’s no need for such brutality—”
“Strange. Since Master has already engraved his seal upon you, how could you possibly not know?”
A chuckling voice echoed from behind them.
“My, you really don’t know anything about Master Adler, do you?”
“…Pardon?”
Lestrade snapped her head back, looking at the noblewoman with a cold, confused expression.
“What are you talking about?”
“If you belong to my Master, there is no way you shouldn't know…”
The lady covered her mouth with her hand, her expression turning equally chilly as she added, “…that Master never lays a hand on a woman who doesn't wish to be touched.”
“So, you’re saying this is voluntary?”
Lestrade snorted in derision and started toward Adler again, but then…
“Hey…”
The girl reached out with a trembling hand to grab Adler’s arm. She muttered with glazed, tired eyes.
“My face…”
Lestrade paused, listening intently.
“Instead of a slap… I want you to punch me.”
“………”
Lestrade went blank once more.
The girl, whose condition was so wretched she looked pitiful even from a distance, was resting her cheek against Adler’s leg, looking down and muttering incomprehensible nonsense.
“…Just how many times do I have to tell you?” Adler sighed.
Silence descended upon the house.
“…Did I misunderstand the situation?”
Charlotte, who had been watching the girl with a sharp gaze from behind the stunned Lestrade, tilted her head and muttered to herself.
“The alcohol seems to be finally leaving your system.”
Adler looked down at the girl resting on his leg with exhausted eyes, then shifted his gaze forward.
“…Could you please get this girl away from me?”
His expression was just as weary as the girl’s.
“No matter how much blood I take, she won't listen to a single command.”
““………””
“Help me, please…”
*
A few minutes later.
“…You’re telling me you called me here for a duck, not for Master?”
Charlotte had handcuffed the unidentified girl to the end of the sofa. As she explained the situation to the noblewoman, the lady’s brow furrowed in disappointment.
“That can’t be. This is the first time I’ve heard from Master in months. I was looking forward to this encounter so much…”
“Excuse me… I’m not finished yet…”
“Master, have you abandoned us?”
Adler, looking perplexed, couldn't help but ask, “Us?”
“We are still waiting patiently for you.”
“…Could you explain exactly who this ‘us’ refers to?” Charlotte asked, her gaze darkening.
“…You commoners might not understand, but there is an unspoken rule among the high-class ladies of London.”
Sipping the tea brought by Lestrade’s youngest sibling, the lady spoke with an air of practiced nobility.
“It doesn’t matter how many husbands we have; there will only ever be one Master for us.”
“Isn’t that a rather rude thing to say about the married men of London’s upper class?”
“You mean those men we were forced to marry for status? The ones who treat us like objects and resort to violence whenever they please? Are you talking about those wretched men?”
Her gaze turned fierce.
“You’re young, so it might be hard to understand. But you saw it earlier, didn't you? My husband is a violent alcoholic who beats me as he pleases.”
“………”
“Would you want to be embraced by such a monster? Or would you rather be held by Master, who supports us and warms us with his gentle, soothing smile?”
At the chilling voice filled with hatred, Charlotte and Lestrade fell silent. The noble lady smirked, setting down her teacup.
“Simply counting those who were so infatuated with Master Adler’s appearance that they willingly branded themselves as his slaves… I can say for certain that more than half of London’s ladies would choose the latter.”
“…Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”
“Surprisingly, it’s the truth. I’ve confirmed it with my own eyes—the majority of the high-class ladies who dominate London’s social scene bear the same golden seal as you and I.”
Charlotte let out a hollow laugh. “So, you’ve been going around social gatherings lifting noblewomen’s clothes to check?”
“If you chant a special spell, those with the seal can recognize one another. It’s only natural that such people would band together and form a faction.”
Charlotte’s expression turned serious. “If such a power really exists, why hasn't it been exposed?”
“The higher-ups aren't in their positions for nothing, dear.”
“What do you mean…?”
“…Even though Master is a mage, he has crossed the line quite a few times, hasn't he? Why do you think he has never been legally prosecuted? Hmm?”
Cold sweat began to bead on Adler’s forehead as he listened.
The organization… it already existed?
“Recently, however, Master’s contact has been completely cut off, and everyone is becoming anxious.”
Ignoring Adler’s internal crisis, the lady calmly continued.
“That bewitching fox, Gia Lestrade, is definitely the cause.”
“……!”
“Everyone is waiting for Master. I don’t know how she seduced him, but if they’ve finally broken up, then surely…”
“I’ve heard enough.”
Charlotte Holmes cut her off, her expression suggesting she had grasped the core of the matter. Meanwhile, Gia Lestrade’s eyes trembled at the noblewoman’s last remark.
“Alright, returning to the duck—”
“I think we can skip that.”
As Charlotte tried to pivot back to the case, the lady waved her off with indifference.
“As soon as I bought the duck, some madwoman attacked me… and before I knew it, I was on the outskirts of London, far from home…”
“…Hmm.”
“It must have been some paranormal phenomenon. That duck is definitely cursed. I don’t want it anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
“It was just a tool to play the role of the submissive wife anyway. Strangle it, kill it, do whatever. I don’t care.”
She stood up and pointed to her hat on the desk.
“I would like my hat back, though.”
“………”
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
After a long silence, Charlotte handed over the hat. The lady placed it on her head and headed for the door.
“…I don’t care if you abandon us,” she whispered in a faint, soft voice as she stopped at the threshold. “But please contact us occasionally, dearest Master Adler…”
Silence followed her departure.
Swoosh…
“Perhaps you should contact me instead from now on.”
“Do I even have a reason to—”
Charlotte watched the lady’s retreating figure and smirked, lifting the hem of Adler’s shirt. The lady turned back to respond, but her eyes widened in shock.
“That is…”
“I believe you understand our relationship now.”
Engraved on Adler’s stomach was Charlotte’s black seal—the mark of the contract they had established during the Reigate case.
“…I—I apologize.”
“I was in a bind since my sister suddenly declared her neutrality, but this will do for now.”
The lady stared at the seal blankly before quickly kneeling before Charlotte, her face pale with fright.
“Arrange a meeting soon.”
“…Yes.”
She bowed respectfully to her new leader.
“I should also ask Big Brother Adler to engrave a seal on me,” one of Lestrade's younger siblings whispered.
“…London is doomed,” the other muttered.
The two siblings, who had been watching from their room, were filled with very different emotions.
*
“Everything is going as expected so far.”
As soon as the lady left—after repeatedly bowing to Charlotte in a forced, submissive manner—Charlotte picked up her cold tea and began to mumble.
“The owner of the hat was that lady, and she was caught up in this mess involuntarily.”
She tapped the desk rhythmically.
“That only leaves the other person at the scene.”
“Yes, but I’m afraid it’s too late to mobilize the police to catch them now,” Lestrade said, finally snapping out of her daze.
“…Too late?”
“The London police are skilled in search and arrest. I think within a few hours—”
“Considering how swiftly they vanished from your sight, Miss Lestrade, and the lady’s testimony, it’s clear the culprit has the ability to leap through space.”
Charlotte’s sharp assessment left Lestrade speechless.
“Is that even possible? An object, maybe, but people teleporting?”
“It’s a bizarre phenomenon reported a few times recently in France. Apparently, there’s a new organization there using such means to commit thefts.”
Lestrade’s expression turned grim. “So, there’s no way to catch the thief targeting the jewels?”
“Don’t worry, I have a way to bring them to us.”
“How?”
“By utilizing the advantage we have.”
A sly smile spread across Charlotte’s face.
“The Blue Carbuncle they’re after is currently in our possession.”
“Oh, right! We have the jewel!”
“And we also have that slightly broken girl…”
Charlotte turned her gaze toward the girl tied to the sofa.
“…?”
“…At first, I thought she might be the leader of the organization rampaging in France, but that doesn't seem to be the case.”
The girl was currently kneeling and licking duck meat from Adler’s outstretched hand. As she tilted her head curiously, Charlotte frowned.
“There’s no way such an extreme masochistic pervert could be the boss of an organization. Not even my sister is that far gone.”
“Then, what is she?”
“She’s likely a member. And not a small fry, either. Considering her disguise and acting skills, she must be an executive.”
“Hmm…”
Lestrade stared intently at the handcuffed girl.
“Why the jewel that vanished from the hotel was swallowed by a duck in a grocery store, or how the culprit knew and attacked the lady who bought it… none of that is clear yet.”
“………”
“I have some guesses, of course, but now isn't the time to chase evidence. It’s time to gamble to catch the culprit.”
Charlotte stood up and approached the girl.
“Mr. Adler, I need you to sign a contract with this girl.”
“…What?”
“We’re going to use her as bait to catch the mastermind.”
She handed Adler a piece of paper and a pen.
“…Don’t you think we should teach those miscreants who dared to invade England a lesson?”
Adler pondered for a moment, then nodded. He swiftly drafted a contract and laid it before the girl.
“Sign it.”
“…I don’t want to.”
The girl looked up at him and shook her head.
Smack!
The sound of a palm hitting flesh echoed through the room. The girl’s head snapped to the side. A moment later, she picked up the pen from the floor, her eyes brimming with tears.
“…Hey.”
She caressed her bruised face and murmured in a tired voice.
“I’ve been saying this all along.”
“………”
“I want you to punch me in the face, too.”
She placed the pen on the paper and looked up at him with a blank stare. Adler’s face contorted in a mix of confusion and unease.
“…What on earth are you, really?”
A few seconds later, with the heavy sound of a fist sinking into flesh, the girl’s stomach began to glow with a golden hue.
“…Ugh.”
“This is driving me fucking insane…”
*
That night. At the clock tower of Westminster Palace—the landmark symbolizing London, the tower that warned citizens of strange phenomena and beasts, the tower that would later be known as ‘Big Ben’…
“………”
The girl, released on Adler’s orders, sat on the roof, quietly caressing the golden seal etched on her lower abdomen.
“…Who are you?”
A cold voice rang out beside her.
“Who are you to aim for the jewel we’re after?”
“………”
The woman who had fought over the duck that morning was there. Her hat was pulled low, and she was pointing a gun at the girl’s head.
“Just who are you?”
Silence followed.
“If you won't speak…”
Swish!
“…Huh?”
The woman, finger tightening on the trigger, gasped in surprise.
“This is…”
A blood-stained Ace of Spades had somehow jammed itself into her gun, blocking the firing mechanism.
“…Boss?”
The woman stared blankly at the card, her voice trembling with disbelief.
“Weren't you in India?”
“………”
“Didn't you say that during our last communication? I know the signal was bad, but I’m sure you said…”
With a sudden flash, the girl looking down at the quiet streets of London underwent a complete transformation.
“When did you come to England?”
Her face was perfectly healed. A golden monocle rested over one eye, and a stylish cape was wrapped around her body—the same body that had been bruised and branded with Adler’s seal. She sat there in silence, gazing down.
“Ah…”
The pitiful girl who had been beaten to the brink of death was gone. In her place was a figure exuding a mysterious, impenetrable aura.
“…It’s quite exciting, pretending to be weak and being dominated while hiding my strength.”
As she murmured in a calm voice, the woman standing next to her looked on with clouded eyes.
“…What did you… just say?”
“I might get addicted to this feeling.”
The darkness covering London deepened, ever so slightly.