<em>- Trudge, trudge…</em>


    Just as Adler had identally revealed a third of his name to Charlotte, somewhere on the outskirts of London,¹


    “… Excuse me.”


    “Are you sure this is the right ce?”


    In a notorious area where even an average adult male would hesitate to enter, strangely, two young women could be seen walking.


    “… Hmm, it’s indeed inconvenient that we can’tmunicate.”


    However, the usual gangsters who would have swarmed the streets like bees, for some unknown reason, were eerily quiet today.


    “Wait till the interpreter arrives, why are you in such a hurry…?”Because one of the women was none other than Inspector Gia Lestrade, who possessed the ability to overturn the entire alley single-handedly.


    “… Haaa.”


    She quietly sighed while looking at herpanion, a girl with the status of a diplomat from the nation known as the Empire of Korea.


    “Weren’t we supposed to go to the embassy? This is clearly a back alley…”


    “Ah, Ahem. Not speak English…”


    “… Hmm.”


    After cautiously posing a question, Lestrade only received a very poor level of English in response. A helpless expression overcame her and she moved on, resigned.


    <em>… Usually, when dispatching a diplomat, don’t they choose someone fluent in thenguage of the country they would be operating in?</em>


    Just as such a question popped into her mind,


    “Eh? What is it?”


    The diplomat girl stopped in her tracks, a grim expression stered on her face.


    “Did you witness a crime scene or wha…”


    Following her gaze, Lestrade turned her head sideways. Immediately, cold sweat dotted her forehead as she gaped at the scene.


    “What the…”


    Looking at the copsed buildings and a multitude of people scattered everywhere, unconscious, she felt that a literal bombing had urred in this ce.


    “Ah, no…!”


    “Wa-Wait, where are you going?”


    Amid the crime-scented scene, just as Lestrade unsheathed her baton, the pale-faced girl dashed forward.


    “That way is dangerous…!”


    “No, there’s no danger.”


    Lestrade, trying desperately to reach out and stop her, paused in her tracks upon hearing the familiar voice drifting toward them from up ahead.


    “I’ve already eliminated all dangerous elements.”


    “Why are you… here?”


    She turned toward Professor Moriarty who approached them while silently brushing away pieces of debris from her clothes.


    “I was conducting a personal investigation.”


    “Investigation?”


    “There was something I needed to obtain.”


    Professor Moriarty then pulled something from her coat and waved it before them.


    “That, that…!”


    At that moment, the diplomat girl opened her mouth with a horrified expression.


    “I am K-Kim C-Cheong-yeon, a d-diplomat of the Empire of Korea! What you are holding is confidential documents that are to be reported to m-my country!”


    “.. Wh-What? You?”


    “If you don’t want to cause diplomatic friction, please return it!”


    As she spoke fairly fluent British English, an incredulous expression crossed Lestrade’s face.


    “Hey, if you knew English, why didn’t you speak it from the beginning?”


    “I apologize, but there were circumstances…”


    “I’m afraid that’s not going to work.”


    Meanwhile, Professor Moriarty looked at the pale girl with an amused look before responding.


    “Wh-Why…”


    “Return the documents, Professor Moriarty. You are clearlymitting a crime right now.”


    Gia Lestrade, pointing her baton at the professor, threatened her in a frigid tone.


    “Look here, Inspector Lestrade. What crime have I allegedlymitted?”


    “Property destruction, endangerment to human life, theft… you’re even caught red-handed. I could arrest you right now…”


    “Arrest? Hahahahaha…!!!”


    But the professor, with a look of disbelief, justughed off her words, almost mockingly.


    “… Do you really think you can arrest me?”


    “There’s no reason I can’t.”


    “No, aside from the question of might… do you think you can legally apprehend me?”


    “Eh?”


    “This is… the level of Auguste Academy’s top talent, huh… It’s quite interesting to see the academic achievements of students these days.”


    However, as the inspector looked ready to pounce at any moment, the professor shook her head sadly before exining.


    “I merely attacked an illegal intelligence gathering group located in a high-risk area.”


    “Gathering illegal information in such a dubious ce, that can never be considered an embassy, surely they can only be considered a puppet group, right?”


    Lestrade’s expression slightly furrowed as she realized the people knocked out by the professor bore a resemnce to the girl standing between her and the professor.


    “Then, you should have reported to the London Metropolitan Police Department. And the casualties you’ve caused here aren’t justified either…”


    “What are you talking about, Miss Lestrade? I am a professor at August Academy.”


    Despite her effort to articte her words, Lestrade clearly struggled.


    “As you well know, a professor at August Academy has investigative authority. Moreover, we are generally treated on par with an Inspector.”


    “… Ugh.”


    “And all those people lying around have simply been immobilised. I haven’t injured anyone. There’s absolutely no legal issue here.”


    It was impossible to verbally outmanoeuvre Professor Moriarty, who had everything perfectly prepared.


    “Then… I request you to share the investigation details.”


    “I’m afraid I must decline. If you are so fond of principles, shouldn’t you officially request for a coboration?”


    “Ha, you expect me to dy while knowing you could tamper with the documents in the meantime…”


    “Do not make unfounded usations. The only reason I haven’tpletely socially buried you is because I know Adler would dislike it.”


    Completely outyed in logic, Lestrade trembled and bowed her head.


    “Please return it. Since it’s written in our country’snguage, you won’t be able to read it anyway.”


    “… Do you really think that’s the case?”


    At that moment, the girl who had been silent until now clenched her teeth and bravely spoke up.


    “Unfortunately for you, I know many useful magic… or should I say, sorcery in yournguage? Anyway, I know a lot of sorcery.”


    “What do you mean…”


    “What I mean is that, I’ve already read all the documents and know that you are futilely trying to realize a hopeless dream.”


    However, the professor’s calm response unsettled her.


    “How can you possibly know that…”


    “A lot of magic has disappeared from this world. It’s truly regrettable.”


    “In my personal opinion, your homnd might also disappear before long.”


    “Don’t speak carelessly!”


    However, the professor’s provocative statement reignited the fire in the girl’s eyes.


    “… Well, it’s not really my ce to meddle.”


    <em>- Whoosh…!</em>


    “Ah.”


    Surprisingly, Professor Moriarty casually tossed the documents to her in the next moment.


    “I’ve already memorized all the contents inside, so it doesn’t matter.”


    “Thanks to that, I’ve caught the weakness of an annoying person, and I’ve realized what I need to do to increase my power and influence. I suppose I owe you a small favour.”


    She then pulled an old coin purse from her bosom and threw it to the girl.


    “That should be enough for you to quit your useless operation and seek asylum in Britain for a few years without worry.”


    “Think of it as payment for the information. My vault… has thousands more of these.”


    The purse she threw was filled with gold and expensive jewels.


    <em>I want to throw it away right now… but if I can get more information with this…</em>


    “… That being said, this is just personal curiosity.”


    As the girl quietly stared at the purse for a long time, muttering inwardly with tightly closed eyes, the professor’s voice resounded from the distance.


    “You didn’t happen to develop affection for that blond-haired boy, or made some promises for the future now, did you?”


    “Hmm? Why the face?”


    Upon hearing those words, the girl showed a momentary nk look, and the professor, b0bbing her head from side to side, questioned her again.


    “… Just speak the truth.”


    “Wha, whawhawha… what…”


    <em>- Gooooo…</em>


    “Eeek…”


    Startled by the sudden question and the murderous intent it carried, the girl stuttered. However, when even Lestrade began emitting a frigid chill, the girl stumbled back with an even paler face than before.


    “Ah, there’s nothing…”


    “Re-Really, I swear. It’s just that I had a strange mark branded on my lower belly…”


    Hearing her words, a sneer appeared on the faces of both the professor and the inspector.


    “That too disappeared after a few hours. That’s all there was.”


    “… Another breach of contract.”


    “It seems I will need to lift another one of those insufferable seals from someone’s stomach…”


    The two women then began to murmur, each casting a dark nce toward the girl.


    <em>…</em><em>What in hell is up with Britain?</em>


    Diplomat Kim Cheongyeon from the Empire of Korea, observing this bizarre spectacle, muttered to herself.


    In due course, she would retract the thoughtter after being selected as a special envoy to The Hague.


    <em>I’m not sure, but it must certainly be the most bizarre country in the world…</em>


    Because a very small butterfly effect that urred in Ennd would, by that time, create worldwide chaos.


    “… But where is Adler now?”


    “What even is the point of having you if you don’t even know that?”


    Some did im that a British Professor had amplified the butterfly’s wingbeat into a storm, but such a conspiracy theory was so absurd that it was soon forgotten.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    <em>- Fizzle…</em>


    At that moment, when the <strong>Korean Interpreter</strong> case was about to be wrapped up,


    Both Detective Lestrade, intent on apanying Kim Cheong-yeon and her associates to the embassy, and Professor Moriarty, determined to track down the enigmatic Adler, found themselves receiving the same golden message simultaneously on their hands.


    ?Save


    ?Hol… is


    For a few seconds, as they stared at the message, a terrifying killing intent began emanating once again from both the professor and the inspector.<ol>1. Korean names are traditionally three parts:


    <b>Surname (?, seong):</b> Thises first and is typically one syble. Common examples include Kim (?), Lee (?), Park (?), Choi (?), and Jung (?).


    <b>Generational Name (???, hangnyeolja - sometimes omitted in modern times):</b> Traditionally, one of the two sybles in the given name was shared by all siblings of the same gender and generation within a family. This practice is lessmon now, especially in South Korea.


    <b>Individual Name (???, dollimja):</b> This is the unique part of the given name, usually one or two sybles.


    So, while the full traditional structure is three parts (surname + generational name + individual name), in modern usage, especially in South Korea, it often appears as two parts (surname + given name), where the given name may or may not contain a generationalponent.</ol>