<em>- Plod, plod...</em>


    "Um, hey... Miss Holmes."


    Led by Charlotte, whose face was overtaken by a chilly expression, I couldn’t help but start worrying as we walked along a gravelden road for some time in silence.


    Questions like where exactly I was being led to, and just how much Charlotte knew about this affair crowded my mind and threatened to overwhelm my psyche.


    Not to mention, I was almost driven mad wondering how such vast smoke could cover the entire sky of Cornwall.


    "My legs and back are a bit sore..."


    And, to be honest, my body was in terrible shape after being thoroughly wrecked by the professor all night.


    "Perhaps we could rest for a moment..."


    "........."


    "Or, I could pay for a carriage..."Thus, I spoke in a whisper while cautiously gauging Charlotte''s reaction.


    <em>- Creak...</em>


    "Er, um..."


    Noticing her grinding her teeth, I stopped walking while my voice trailed off. Cold sweat beaded my forehead, wondering what was going on her mind.


    <em>- Swoosh...</em>


    "Eek."


    In that tense situation, Charlotte abruptly turned around and faced me.


    "M-Miss Holmes. What exactly is going on here…?"


    "Don''t speak."


    Her murderous aura almost made me faint as I babbled out nonsense, but soon, her voice took anpletely unexpected tone.


    ".....?"


    "Don''t say anything."


    Charlotte muttered, trembling like a child who had lost her parents.


    "Just, keep your mouth shut..."


    "........"


    "Stay like that..."


    At that moment, following hermand, I stood silently, and Charlotte took a step towards me.


    <em>- Swoosh...</em>


    She then slowly reached out her arms and began enveloping me in her embrace.


    ""..........""


    And with that, there was silence.


    <em>… Did she use perfume?</em>


    In that silence, I unconsciously buried my head in her neck, like a vampire sumbing to their instincts, and smelled the faintest scent of perfume on her.


    <em>It’s quite strong today…</em>


    The scent was so potent that it reminded me of a cute mistake she had made when she first used perfume.


    But that was way back. Now, she seemed quite adept at using makeup to enhance her beauty, not just for disguise.


    What scent was she trying to cover up by applying such strong perfume?


    "... Were you scared?"


    "What?"


    As I internally mulled over such nonsensical thoughts, a set of absurd words blurted out of Charlotte’s mouth.


    "It''s okay. Now that I''m by your side..."


    ".......?"


    "Don''t worry..."


    Despite attempting to sound reassuring, her voice trembled noticeably.


    But what was she trying to convey to me?


    "... Seeing that your reaction is so tepid, it seems it is as I feared."


    "What have you been saying all this while..."


    "That horrific sexual exploitation, it wasn''t the first time, was it?"


    Scratching my head in confusion, I only began to grasp the situation after hearing the continuation of Charlotte’s statement.


    "I''ve always wondered. Why, when you see the professor, someone you were supposed to like as much as you like me, do you look so scared and pale?"


    "No, that''s not rted..."


    "You were periodically subjected to sexual violence by the professor. That’s why your eyes are tainted with her hue, despite the fact that you don''t even like her..."


    Charlotte''s eyes were tinged in madness as she muttered the words with a bone-chilling killing intent imbued in them.


    "I do like the professor..."


    "LIES!! If you really liked her, you wouldn’t have been raped today!!"


    "Uh... well..."


    "Yes, from the beginning... You were forced to be with the professor...!"


    Trying to make excuses seemed to be futile as Charlotte was already beyond the realm of reasoning.


    "Calm down, Miss Holmes..."


    "What? Calm down? You''re telling me to calm down?"


    "Yes, let''s just calm down..."


    "How can I be calm when I watched the man I love being raped right before my eyes!?"


    Sweat began trickling down my forehead in torrents. Where did all this start going wrong?


    Wait, why was Charlotte even here in the first ce?


    <em>… Is this a scheme by the professor?</em>


    Suddenly, I remembered the professor''s request to pretend that she had assaulted me.


    Could it be that she had made the request with this scenario in mind?


    "... I''m sorry."


    "Miss Holmes."


    "It was you who were hurt, you must be suffering more... I shouldn’t have raised my voice like that."


    I narrowed my eyes, lost in my train of thoughts. Just then, Charlotte began whispering more aggressively as she pulled me closer.


    "It’s, it’s okay. I am..."


    Watching her intently, I started,


    "... Already used to it."


    Feeling a deep pang of guilt internally, I started whispering in a low voice, pretending to be a rape victim who had just resigned themselves to everything.


    <b>Chapter 3 – Life or Death</b> begins


    It seemed fitting to align with the professor''s n if I wanted the girl in front of me to awaken her full strength as quickly as possible.


    <b>『Life or Death』</b>


    <b>– Description:</b> Awaken Charlotte Holmes by any means necessary


    <em>- Gooooo...</em>


    And for her sake, I could do anything and everything.


    <b>Warning!</b>


    ※Death event invoked upon failure!※


    <em>… Of course, that would be the case.</em>


    The purpose of this event, where Charlotte Holmes and the formidable Professor Moriarty''s power gap is finally leveled, was nned by none other than myself, just days before transmigrating in this world.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "... What did you say?"


    "At first, I couldn''t sleep well, buttely, I don''t really think about it... Haha."


    As Charlotte Holmes listened to Isaac Adler''s words, her expression grew vacant, and with the continuation of his statements, her face darkened considerably.


    "Rather than letting the Professor run wild, if I sacrifice myself, I can be used as a control measure... I think it might be better that way..."


    "Quit the academy."


    "Pardon?"


    Cutting off Adler''s words, she spoke with a voice trembling in a myriad of dark emotions.


    "Go abroad. I''ve already nned the escape route, we could definitely deceive the Professor''s eyes."


    "But..."


    "Going to the United States would be best, but first, we need to mislead them about our destination. So, via Belgium to France, and then Switzend..."


    "No, not Switzend."


    As Adler sensed the <strong>Final Problem</strong> urring in the escape route she was describing, his face turned pale, and he hastily shook his head, causing Charlotte to pause for a moment.


    "No, escape itself is useless."


    "... Why?"


    "Because wherever we go, we''re still in the Professor''s grasp."


    Whispering this in a low voice, Adler began to gently stroke Charlotte''s back.


    "I’ll be the one to deal with the professor from now on. You understand?"


    "Why would you...!"


    "Because it would be too much for you..."


    Hearing his words, Charlotte ground her teeth, her expression darkening dangerously.


    "Moriarty..."


    Then, with trembling hands, she covered Adler’s right grey eye.


    "You''re not going to pluck it out, are you?"


    "How dare, how dare..."


    "Miss Holmes...?"


    "Ahhhhhhhh....!!!"


    As she continued, she buried her head in Adler''s chest and began screaming at the top of her voice.


    "........."


    A brief silence thus ensued between the two.


    "... Tell me you love me."


    "......."


    "Say that you love only me..."


    As Charlotte murmured through her sobs, Adler started gently patting her back and whispered tenderly.


    "I love you."


    "... Ugh."


    Moved by his gentle voice, she quietly raised her head.


    "I''ve decided..."


    ".......?"


    "Somehow… I''ll catch her... with my own hands..."


    From Charlotte’s lips, a ferocious voice began to emerge.


    "Within a year..."


    <em>- Goooooo...</em>


    <em>… What have I done to deserve this already?</em>


    At the same time, as the absurdly dense ck smoke spewed out in all directions, Adler momentarily sensed a level of magical power from her that was simr to Professor Moriarty. Immediately, Adler’s face froze in shock.


    <em>- Swoosh...</em>


    Just then, a group of armed individuals appeared behind them.


    "I''m sorry, but the reunion ends here."


    "... What?"


    There was both Princess y and Silver ze in the group, who had not shown themselves for a while. And in the front was Celestia Moran, who seemed to have grown quite a bit in the short interval that Adler had not seen her, who whispered in a cold voice.


    "From now on, Mr Adler will be under our care."


    "... Ah."


    Adler, who had been neglecting his loyal followers over the past few weeks, started trembling within Charlotte''s embrace.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "Protect?"


    "........."


    "You guys.....?"


    During that time, an awkward atmosphere lingered on both sides.


    "Ha! Hahaha....."


    Charlotte, who had embraced Adler even more fiercely, began to burst into a peal of coldughter with a crazed look in her eyes as she stared at the group of evil individuals that appeared before her.


    "What''s so funny?"


    Seeing her, a noticeably more mature Moran threw in the question.


    "Well, you lot are Adler’s loyal henchmen, aren''t you...?"


    "Just, just a moment, Miss Holmes..."


    At that question, Charlotte began to show a chilling expression, while Adler looked at her with a slightly ominous gaze and tried to urgently stop her from speaking.


    "But, just moments ago, your master was brutally raped."


    By then, it was already toote.


    "... Where exactly have you all been this whole time?"


    """.........."""


    <em>… I’m screwed, damn it.</em>


    As his faithful minions all began to look at him with faces turning pale all at once, Adler’s mind also began to turn nk simultaneously.