Chapter 91: The Battle Intensifies
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: The Battle Intensifies
“Answer the question, Professor.”
“My apologies, but I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re referring to.”
Lestrade stared ahead with a frigid expression, her voice rising as she demanded an answer. In response, Professor Moriarty offered a leisurely, mocking smile.
“You know better than anyone that I have tended to Adler’s recovery without a moment’s rest over the past few days.”
“I am aware of that. What I am asking is—”
“Unlike a certain someone who, when forced to choose between her lover and her duty, ultimately chose the latter.”
Lestrade bit her lip so hard she drew blood, her sentence cutting off abruptly.
“My job is to uphold justice in London. Do not weigh its importance so lightly. And in the first place, I was the one who saved him, not you.”
“…And yet, despite being right there, you couldn’t prevent Adler’s chest from being torn open and left in tatters.”
“Are you going to keep finding faults?”
“It isn’t about finding fault, Lestrade. I am simply instilling the absolute truth into a dull-witted inspector. You mistakenly believe you saved Adler, when in reality, it was only because my late arrival forced Jill the Ripper to flee that you were able to save him at all—and even then, it was by the narrowest of margins.”
Their cold voices echoed sharply through the corridor.
“What a laughable situation. If you cannot protect him despite being by his side, why even bother with such a contract…”
“What contract are you talking about?”
“Adler surrendered half of London for your sake, and you surrendered yourself for half of London. Was that not the arrangement the two of you established?”
“…Do not speak so carelessly.”
“You aren’t exactly denying it, are you? You and Adler are nothing more than contract lovers, each merely pursuing your own interests.”
Lestrade opened her mouth to retort, but ultimately fell silent, her jaw set tight.
“It seems you are performing your duties to some extent, however. Seeing as you are wearing that unfamiliar dress instead of your usual police uniform, and carrying a basket of fruit—which has become quite a luxury following the recent heavy snowfall…”
“…I told you not to speak so lightly.”
“Why the sudden hostility? I doubt you’re embarrassed simply for bringing a fruit basket…”
Professor Moriarty looked down at Lestrade, who was quietly clutching the basket, and narrowed her eyes.
“That dress… did Adler buy it for you?”
Silence followed. Lestrade could only lower her gaze.
“Even though you were recently promoted to inspector, I heard your family’s circumstances were still quite dire—”
“Professor.”
Just as Moriarty was about to continue her probing with that frigid smile, a voice interrupted.
“Do not speak lightly of Miss Gia.”
Adler, who had remained silent until then, spoke in a dangerously low murmur.
Silence fell once more.
At his firm, resolute statement, Lestrade looked at Adler, a dazed expression momentarily flickering across her face.
“…I understand.”
The Professor bobbed her head quietly, then looked down at Adler with a gentle gaze.
“Be more careful in the future.”
Swish…
As the Professor wrapped her arm around his waist again, Adler could only silently grit his teeth.
“Get your hands off me.”
“…How strange…”
Lestrade watched the scene, a low growl vibrating in her throat. Adler’s neck was still marked, his expression dark as the Professor held him close.
“Surely, you’ve only been forced to pretend to be Adler’s lover to protect London.”
“Baseless nonsense…”
Moriarty tightened her grip on Adler’s waist, whispering under her breath.
“…Why has my urge to kill you doubled the moment you insulted my dress?”
Lestrade’s eyes, which looked ready to snap at any moment, suddenly went vacant.
“If I had to become the lover of the person I hated most in the world just to keep them at bay, I would be sharpening my knife in secret, no matter how fine I acted on the outside.”
“………”
“But the knife in your heart seems to be getting duller by the day.”
Moriarty’s mocking voice left Lestrade speechless.
“Could it be that you’re deluding yourself into thinking this is all an act? Just like a certain someone I know?”
“…I don’t know who that might be, but no.”
“Is that so?”
“My unwavering priority is to uphold justice in London. For that, I would willingly oppose Isaac Adler…”
Lestrade’s voice wavered initially but steadied into a firm tone, only to fade away at the end.
“Hmph.”
“…….”
She watched as Moriarty gently nibbled on Adler’s ear, acting as if Lestrade weren’t even there.
“What… what are you doing…?”
“…Please stop, Professor.”
Adler’s voice was colder than ice. Lestrade looked on, dumbfounded, as he spoke with a hint of genuine exhaustion.
“Stop it. You’re making me uncomfortable.”
Unlike his usual sly demeanor, Adler’s voice carried a weight of sincerity that made Lestrade’s complexion pale even further.
“I don’t want to.”
“…Ah.”
“I’m going to continue.”
Despite his protest, Moriarty was far more forceful than usual.
“…If you resist, there will be no thesis review this week.”
“………”
At those words, Adler bowed his head in resignation. Moriarty began to stroke his hair triumphantly.
“Why do you look at me with those eyes?”
“…You’ve crossed the line.”
Lestrade’s voice flew at her, thick with murderous intent.
“No matter what has happened between you two, I am still Isaac Adler’s lover—”
“Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.”
Moriarty met her gaze with an unblinking, mocking stare.
“…Adler is currently accompanying me as my assistant.”
Lestrade turned even paler. “That means…”
“You know exactly what it means.”
“………”
“Of course, with your dull deductive reasoning, you likely wouldn’t understand what’s happening anyway.”
Moriarty’s voice grew sharper, cutting through the air.
“The important thing is this: the Adler you are facing now is an adversary you must oppose.”
Lestrade bit her lip so hard it turned white, glaring at the Professor.
“Why are you doing this?”
The Professor, moving forward with Adler in tow, glanced back questioningly and tilted her head.
“Is something bothering you? Are you planning to cause a scene here?”
“………”
“All the better for me, I suppose. It would be a marvelous opportunity to completely dismantle the symbol of justice—whose reputation is already jeopardized by her recent association with Adler.”
Even after hearing such a dangerous remark, Lestrade remained silent, her eyes dark. She moved to step toward the exit where the two were heading…
“…….”
But she stopped in her tracks, her gaze turning hollow.
“There are reporters nearby, Miss Gia.”
As Adler passed her, he whispered in a low voice, shaking his head slightly. His expression was grim.
“I’ll be fine, so don’t get involved unnecessarily.”
“Look at me, Mr. Adler.”
“…Yes.”
At the sound of the Professor’s chilly command, Adler turned his head.
Swish…
The Professor caressed Adler’s cheek, applying enough pressure to force his head to lean against her shoulder.
“What a pity. And on a vacation, no less…”
A pleased hum flowed from the Professor’s lips as she led him out of the hallway.
“Instead of a boyfriend, you’re faced with a criminal.”
Her voice echoed and faded as their footsteps grew distant, leaving the corridor in a heavy silence.
“………”
For a long time, Lestrade stood still, biting her lip more fiercely than ever before.
*
“Enough already…”
“Who knew your true self would be this prickly? It really is adorable.”
“…Please.”
In the distance, Adler wore a troubled expression, persistently swatting away the Professor’s hand as she tried to caress his own.
“Be content with this.”
“…Hmm.”
“No more.”
He finally extended his pinky finger in resignation.
Puhk…!
Eventually, as they walked away with their pinkies intertwined, a single line of crimson blood trickled down Lestrade’s lip as she watched them with hollow, dark eyes.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, at 221B Baker Street…
“…What are you doing, Holmes?”
Watson rubbed her sleepy eyes, starting her day. She looked over at Charlotte, who was sitting at her desk, absorbed in her work as usual.
“What is it that you’re reading so intently?”
Charlotte, seemingly possessed by the material in front of her, gave no answer.
“Adler is expected to wake up soon. Aren’t you coming?”
“………”
“Hey, rookie detective.”
Watson narrowed her eyes, trying to provoke her, but Charlotte remained silent.
“Fine, then. I’ll go ahead.”
Accustomed to Charlotte’s eccentricities, Watson left the boarding house alone.
“But what kind of book is it? It doesn’t even have a cover.”
As Watson’s murmurs drifted into the early morning streets of London and faded away…
“Phew…”
Charlotte finally closed the book and let out a deep, heavy sigh. She mumbled to herself in a low, stunned voice.
“…So that’s how babies are made, huh?”
Thus, the battle over the greatest trophy in London grew increasingly intense.