Chapter 147: Identity Revealed"I''ve arrived..."


    <em>- Bam...!</em>


    As soon as the carriage, which had been speeding along a stony country road, came to a halt, the person inside hurriedly stepped out, hastily throwing some coins towards the coachman during her descent.


    "Haa, haaa..."


    Despite not having run the long distance to the destination herself, Rachel Watson was still gasping for breath.


    Just minutes ago, she hade to the horrible realisation that her fiancé was already married, making herpletely lose her shit; thus, in a matter of seconds, she had now be the most pitiful bride-to-be in all of London.


    <em>- Click...</em>


    "... Should I perhaps call the police?"


    As she – a gun in her hand and bloodshot eyes that screamed the maddening state of her mind – walked towards an old church, the coachman stared nkly and began to ponder under his breath.


    "There''s no need for that.""Eeek."


    ncing over her shoulders, Rachel Watson whispered with a devilish grin on her lips.


    "An ordinary person like you shouldn''t be involved in a matter like this, don''t you think?"


    "Oh, a-ah, y-yes, I understand...!"


    Of course, what Watson was referring to was the difference between people who got themselves involved with monsters and other supernatural entities and the ordinary folks who were blissfully ignorant of such matters. However, what the coachman understood, after experiencing the sinister killing intent she had exuded throughout the whole ride, was slightly different.


    "I, I… I didn''t see anything...!"


    "......?"


    "Well then... goodbye...!!!"


    Thus, the coachman – trembling in fear as he saw the doctor’s clothes Watson was wearing, fluttering in the warm light of the sunset, as though it were a mafia outfit – hurriedly drove the carriage away from the scene.


    "... Well, it doesn''t matter."


    Watson, squinting at his retreating figure, soon began to hasten her steps towards the church. Along the way, she recited a piece of legal knowledge that her partner, Charlotte Holmes, had recently mentioned to her.


    "Devils aren''t humans but rather harmful organisms to humans, so whatever is done to them is considered perfectly legal."


    It was indeed fortunate that the faint-hearted coachman – who had been fooled and had his memory manipted by Adler, Professor Moriarty, and Lupin twice already – did not hear what she was spouting.


    <em>- Thud, step...</em>


    With bated breath, Watson skillfully twirled the pistol she had been holding in her hand as she steadily approached the church door.


    <em>… Should I put on an act for a while once I''m inside?</em>


    For a fleeting moment, the scene of her cunning fiancé sensing her killing intent the moment she entered the church and thus fleeing without a trace shed through her mind.


    <em>No, can’t do that.</em>


    However, just acting like nothing happened was definitely a bad move.


    Watson always prided herself as an elite who was second to none, but she knew all too well that her acting skills were nothing short of disastrous.


    Even if she wore a mask to hide her expressions, it wouldn''t take a few seconds before her fiancé suspected something amiss.


    <em>… So, should I just shoot him as soon as I enter?</em>


    It didn’t seem like a bad idea to her.


    She might not be as good as the petite gunner brat Adler kept around him as his underling, but Watson''s marksmanship was still more than adequate.


    Shooting an anaesthetic bullet into her fiancé''s thigh as soon as she opened the door would pose no trouble for her with her skills.


    <em>But then, it’s more than likely for the people inside to stop me…</em>


    However, the problem was that the people inside the church were among the strongest entities in this mysterious and monster-riddled London where the supernatural reigned.


    A renowned detective who, though she tly denied the usation, clearly used some form of dark magic that had already died out long ago.


    A world-renowned master thief who has been sweeping away jewels from all over the world, causing international arrest warrants to be issued left and right.


    And finally, a mysterious university professor who could somehow overpower both of those women with just a flick of her finger.


    Although Watson was a seasoned ex-military soldier, stopping a sudden gunshot from her would probably be no trouble at all for these women.


    "... Haaa."


    Well aware of the women’s capabilities, Watson eventually gave up on the surprise attack and started turning the doorknob while sighing out loud.


    "Well, can''t help it then."


    The n she ultimately settled on was quite simple.


    "Just have to get up close and shoot......."


    True to her character, it was a straightforward and obvious solution, using brute force. However, her ns never came to pass.


    "...... Eh?"


    Because… inside the church – which seemed to have be the site of an earthshaking battle in her absence, and thus was now inplete disarray – she couldn’t spot her fiancé no matter where she looked.


    "You''ve arrived."


    The only person in the devastated church was none other than her partner, Charlotte Holmes. The genius detective, who had been smoking so much that she had made the church air acrid, greeted Watson with an indifferent voice as she entered.


    "Holmes."


    "... Yes."


    "I have a case I''d like tomission toyou."


    As Watson''s ice-cold voice echoed through the eerie silence of the church, Holmes, with a look on her face that seemed to say that she had been expecting such a scenario, started walking out of the devastated building.


    "Actually, I wanted to inform you sooner, but I''ve been under some special constraints until quite recently."


    "......"


    "... So as a gesture of apology, I will not charge any fee for this request."


    Quietly slipping the pistol back into her coat, Rachel Watson silently followed behind her partner.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    A few minutester,


    "This..."


    "This is the cottage where you were with your fiancé not long ago."


    Following Holmes into the familiar-looking cottage, Watson couldn’t help but tilt her head in silence once she heard Charlotte speak.


    "Are you wondering why I''m here?"


    "........"


    "Since it’s only us here, I’ll spare you the unnecessary disy of intellectual vanity. The reason I''m here is..."


    "Fingerprints."


    However, Watson interrupted her mid-sentence, whispering the word out.


    "Years ago, you had published a thesis paper that recounted a distinct piece of evidence that could help identify a criminal, however, the conservative and outdated police hasn’t taken that piece of evidence seriously even now. You’re here for that, aren’t you?”


    "... Yes, that''s right."


    Swiftly finishing her sentence, Watson looked toward her partner for affirmation. Charlotte, her partner, nodded slightly, a look of surprise and astonishment colouring her face for a split moment.


    "I read it back when we weren''t close yet, to get to know you better. For your information, I found that paper quite impressive."


    "Ahem."


    "Anyway, you''re here to collect the evidence mentioned in that paper, right?"


    "... Of course."


    Charlotte couldn’t help but blush at the sudden praise. Coughing awkwardly to chase her embarrassment away, she pulled out a mana stone from her pocket and started infusing her mana into it.


    "Watson, it would be wise to take at least three steps back.”


    "... What are you going to do?"


    "I''m going to attempt the easiest and most reliable method of collecting fingerprints."


    And in the next moment,


    <em>- Puff...!</em>


    Abruptly, the mana stone in her hand disintegrated into powder and started scattering in the surroundings.


    "Cough, cough..."


    "Are you okay? If you have a headache, you should step outside and breathe some fresh air."


    "Uh... I''m fine."


    Despite having stepped back several paces as Charlotte had advised, a small amount of the mana dust still managed to get inside Watson’s lungs. The inhaling of the magically infused powder gave her a sudden dizzying fit, making her hold her head as she muttered.


    "... But, Charlotte."


    "Yes?"


    "You also inhaled the mana stone, right? Then howe you’re still…”


    Then, catching a momentary flicker in Charlotte''s eyes, Watson immediately donned a stern expression.


    "I told you not to misuse mana stones like that."


    "There''s a duality to finely ground powdered mana stones. Sometimes it''s even used for dark purposes, like inducing hallucinations."


    "Don''t change the subject. You haven''t curbed that disgusting habit yet..." ¹


    "However, if used a little differently, it can also serve to illuminate the truth."


    Quietly ignoring her words, Charlotte, her eyes trained on Watson, pointed to a cup on the desk.


    "Well, in my case, whether I use it to stimte my brain or to collect fingerprints, it all serves one purpose— uncovering the truth.”


    "This is..."


    "These are Isaac Adler''s fingerprints."


    The fingerprints that were imprinted on the cup, reacted with the dispersed powdered mana stones and shone brightly.


    "It''s a fingerprint, the only one of its kind as all fingerprints are."


    "... But, what if they are twins? What then?"


    "I''ve already tested that. Even twins born at the same hour on the same day have different fingerprints."


    At Charlotte’s confident words, Rachel Watson silently closed her mouth and began to look tense.


    "Then now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to collect your fiancé''s fingerprints..."


    "That won''t be a problem, Holmes."


    Suddenly, she pulled her blouse open, startling Holmes so much that her eyes widened unnaturally.


    "There’s plenty of samples here."


    Her breasts were smeared with her fiancé''s fingerprints, along with a thickyer of cosmetics.


    "......."


    "Isn''t what''s on top enough?"


    With a vacant look, Charlotte unconsciously trailed her hand over the assortment of fingerprints that extended well below her navel. The sudden touch made Watson blush slightly in shame, however, she quicklyposed herself and asked.


    "... That''s true."


    Regaining herposure like her friend, Charlotte red irritably at Watson’s chest, positively annoyed by the significant difference in size. A beatter, she pulled out a sticky, duck-tape-shaped tool out of her bosom to collect the evidence.


    <em>- Pssshhh...</em>


    "Aaah~"


    "Please don''t make any strange noises."


    Just like that, Charlotte Holmes was able to sessfully collect several fingerprints from Watson’s hefty breasts.


    "With the fingerprints this clear, the matching process will be very straightforward."


    "......."


    "Justy them on top of each other and then check, like this.”


    After cing the tape over Adler’s fingerprints glowing on the cup, she handed it over to Watson with a whispery note.


    "... A cup of bitter truth, just as you ordered.”


    Despite the grim, sarcastic joke, Watson remained unmoved and just collected the cup with her shaky hands. Then, a long silence ensued as she just stared at the cup without making a word.


    "... Hah."


    Abruptly, an icy sneer burst out of her mouth.


    "Ah, haha..."


    The cause? The fingerprints of Isaac Adler and Neville St. ire, oveid on the cup in her hands, were a perfect match without missing a single detail.


    "Ha..."


    Abruptly, herughter ceased like smoke in the wind, and in the following instant, her voice leaked out in whispery notes, more ferocious and murderous than she had ever uttered in her life.


    "... Fucking son of a bitch!"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Meanwhile, at that exact moment,


    "... Why are my ears so itchy."


    "Are you really asking because you don’t know?"


    Wrapped in Lupin''s cloak, Isaac Adler was darting through the skies of London while fleeing from the professor whose anger had risen to the very peak.


    <b>Chapter 2</b> – Complete


    "Aha."


    "You sound so naive..."


    Lupin couldn’t help but sigh at his unnecessarily optimistic response. Just then, Lupin’s eyes widened abruptly.


    "Oh, no."


    "Phantom Thief Lupin!!"


    A sharp voice began to emanate from the ground beneath them just as Lupin’s expression changed.


    "You have beenpletely surrounded!"


    "... Things have gotten quite troublesome."


    "So release the hostage immediately, and surrender peacefully! Now!"


    A youngdy with twin-tailed hair shouted through a megaphone, leading a group of people who were wearing police uniforms that were rarely seen in London.


    "I never thought she would actuallye to Britain..."


    "... Hmm."


    "Excuse me?"


    At that moment, as Lupin gazed at the policewoman with a particrly annoyed look in her eyes, Adler began wriggling in Lupin''s embrace.


    "She looks cute..."


    "You’re kidding, right?"


    For the first time, Lupin gazed at Adler with a chilling look and then whispered in a serious tone.


    "Any other woman is fine, except for her, so think again, alright?"


    Facing the grim-looking Lupin, Adler smirked and answered.


    "... But she''s totally my type though."


    "Shall I kill you and then preserve your body?"


    "I don’t die even if killed, what to do?"


    Hearing her words, Adler momentarily broke out into a cold sweat and asked, trying to keep his voice calm. In response, Lupin gazed at the boy who had lowered his head in her embrace and whispered in his ears in a frigid tone.


    "There’s always the option of preserving you alive."


    Game Over Alert!


    "... Eeek!"<ol>1. This line is talking about Charlotte''s mana poisoning which serves as drug addiction for this world. She''s basically saying Charlotte still hasn''t resolved her drug addiction yet.</ol>