abcnovels
Chapter 125: Marriage
Chapter 125: Marriage
Chapter 125: Marriage
Warning!
Calibrating probabilities
– Probability of being Imprisoned.....– Probability of ???.....– Probability of being Shared.....
Riding in a carriage back to London with Professor Moriarty, after having dramatically escaped the crime scene, a multitude of messages began manifesting before my eyes.
... They're all already at 100 percent… why are they still updating?
I know, right…
Well, normally I would have been freaking out by now, but, with my current circumstances, the flickering probabilities didn’t bother me in the least.I never thought the difference between having a means of escape and not having one could be so profound. But now that I thought about it, the moment I got my hands on the ticket, I stopped looking back.
Still, it's a bit much...
But as the tension eased and I fought the encroaching drowsiness, trying to keep my eyes open, I began to wonder.
Was it really necessary to go to such lengths?
Since I had already resolved myself to finish all the preparations that needed to be done before my return to ensure that this world wouldn't simply come to an end even if I disappeared… couldn't I have chosen a more moderate approach?
These were the thoughts and regrets that started to surface after the deed had already been set in stone.
"Hmm..."
However, it didn’t take long for those worries to start fading away from my mind.
No, they didn’t just fade away; I almost started to regret not having been more mischievous and cruel in my approach.
Something was definitely off. Even though I was elated from the moment I obtained the return ticket and no longer needed to be concerned about other’s feelings, wasn’t this going a bit too far?
"........"
After going through a long period of solitary contemplation, I was only able to arrive at the following reasoning.
... Am I, my real self, transitioning more and more into a devil?
Ever since I became aware that the identity of the body I inhabit was of the biblical mythos, something had certainly begun to stir within me.
Of course, these were still feeble and negligible emotions for now.
For instance, I had the thoughts of sneakily approaching a girl who disliked me and flirting with her, annoying her; or maybe secretly bullying and tormenting a girl who had a crush on me. Then there were also thoughts of deceiving and troubling someone who trusted me… There were lots of similar thoughts going on in my mind.
They were minor moral lapses, but somehow, I got the feeling they would keep growing stronger with time.
… Becoming more devilish isn't all that great after all.
Even though I acquired an unignorable debuff known as , the benefits gained from this ordeal were immensely significant.
Thanks to the advice from Mycrony, which was akin to a cheat key to be used when one’s progress is hindered, I succeeded in realising my true identity and the tasks I must undertake from henceforth.
By becoming conscious of my identity as , I was able to efficiently control the powers that I had only been using subconsciously up until now. More than that, the most crucial thing was being able to properly identify the cause of the world-threatening erosion rate.
Yes, it was none other than me— the very existence of Isaac Adler. It was this body’s existence on this world which was drawing all kinds of oddities to this plane in real time.
Consequently, what I must do next became clear without a shadow of a doubt.
I now had to plan the perfect case— a case that would need to be acknowledged by everyone, a case that could not be pushed down no matter what, and then to be utterly defeated by Charlotte Holmes in it.
Neither suicide nor natural death was an option for me.
Given the speed at which the erosion rate was increasing, it was highly likely that the world would be fully eroded before I could die of natural causes.
After going through everything, I do not wish to tarnish the world with a vague ending, a cliffhanger ending so to speak, through committing suicide.
Ending 999
Epilogue: Disaster of The End
The message warning me of the series' worst ending loomed threateningly before my eyes every time I even slightly entertained the thoughts of , serving as a reminder of this very fact.
Indeed, that's the only way.
Therefore, by being defeated by Charlotte and completely disappearing from this world, I would be able to prevent the inevitable apocalypse caused by the alien entities. Simultaneously, this outcome would induce a heartbroken Professor Moriarty to voluntarily, ashamed and despondent at the greatest defeat of her life… delivered by her one and only nemesis.
Of course, if I were to use the return ticket just before dying, I could save this world without actually passing on to the afterlife by returning to my original world.
From the moment I genuinely fell in love with Professor Moriarty, who is the final boss of the game, the predetermined happy ending had essentially been lost.
As a result, the only feasible ending that I could foresee was a suboptimal forced settlement where Charlotte, Professor Moriarty, and I all somehow barely survived; as well as me being able to return safely to my world in the background.
Naturally, the problem here was that it was a , but…1
… Well, it's no longer my concern.
Yet, for me, having received the return ticket to my original world, such things were hardly a problem.
This bizarre world, where magic and mystery co-existed to form a bizarre symbiotic synergy, was not where I belong. Rather the real world where the convenience of modern civilisation was omnipresent is my real home.
Yeah, it's not my job.
So, even though I've traversed this world and grown a bit fond of it...
Not my job...
No, I've actually grown quite attached to this world...
"........."
It was utterly strange.
In a situation where I didn’t know when I might die or be attacked from who knows where, I thought that I would be overjoyed at the possibility of returning at a moment’s notice. Yet, why does a part of my heart feel so uneasy?
"..... Ah."
The answer could be found in my own eyes, reflected in the window of the carriage.
"Haha..."
One black and one grey.
Indisputable evidence that I had surrendered my heart to both Charlotte Holmes and Professor Jane Moriarty, respectively representing the colours dyeing my eyes and heart. It was unequivocal proof that forbade even the excuse of being overwhelmed by them.
"Ha..."
As I quietly observed these orbs of evidence, the actions I had been trying to pass off as nothing seemed all the more foolish now.
… But even though things are more or less settled for me, what will become of Charlotte and the professor when I return to reality?
As I remembered the thoughts I had been avoiding, my complexion began to darken involuntarily.
"........."
However, I soon shook my head silently and started to steel my heart.
… Still, I can't allow the world to be destroyed.
It wouldn't be right to erode the world into nothingness for just a year of happiness and bliss.
It would be better to give Charlotte the opportunity to bring things to an end herself, to become the stepping stone for her growth.
And as for the professor...
"...... Uh?"
While thinking such thoughts, I turned my head to the side for the first time in a few hours and couldn't help but shudder.
"........."
Because Professor Moriarty, who had been sitting next to me before I even knew it, was staring at me with her head leaned so close that her breath was now touching my face.
"... How long have you been sitting like this?"
"Since we got on the carriage."
What followed was her usual monotone voice, yet somehow I felt like I could sense a trace of anxiety hidden deep within.
"Hmm..."
Hearing that voice of hers, a sense of mischief began to bubble up from deep within me once more. Setting aside all my worries for a brief moment, I started shoving sarcastic remarks her way.
"... You're being rather creepy, Professor."
"........"
Unlike Charlotte or Lestrade, I wasn’t able to instantly create distance with the professor, so I chose to do the next best thing.
"I don't like women who are so clingy."
In truth, this might have just been my subconscious self, acting petty and distant, as I realized that we would eventually have to part ways.
.
.
.
.
.
"Thinking about how you've been staring at my face for hours without saying a word gives me the chills… Soooo creepy…"
"......."
"Perverted Professor."
As Adler crossed his legs and muttered with narrowed eyes, the quietly observing professor cocked her head to the side. Her silence remained as she still stared at him with that tilted look.
"... It's a joke."
Adler inadvertently cowered, muttering with a slightly sullen face.
"Ah, speaking of jokes, that marriage contract…"
"........"
"It was an excellent strategy."
Adler, while gauging the Professor's reaction, suddenly began poking her ribs with a friendly expression.
"... Strategy?"
"You brought it on purpose to disrupt Charlotte's mana in case of emergencies, right?"
Surprisingly, the professor didn’t stop his bold, subconscious actions that were a bit over the top. She just kept watching him as he did whatever he wanted.
"Now, give it back to me."
".......?"
As she watched Adler naturally slip his hand into her clothing and start rummaging inside with a bright expression, she finally couldn’t help but stare at him with a look of utter bewilderment.
"I'll hold onto it, to use it conveniently when dealing with Charlotte in the future."
"........."
"Oh, here it is."
Adler finally succeeded in grabbing the contract from within the professor's garments, and just as he was about to naturally pull it out—
"How did you manage to create such an excellent forgery..."
- Thump...!
"... Huh?"
The professor grasped his hand roughly and pulled his hand, snatching back the contract as she did.
"Professor? What are you doing?"
"........."
"Uh, ouch…!?"
Adler, with a momentarily dull expression, tried to raise his hand high to snatch the contract back from her. However, due to their significant height difference, his hand couldn't reach the Professor's, which was touching the ceiling right now.
"Stop joking around..."
"This is not a joke."
Jane Moriarty silently shook her head and opened her mouth in response to Adler's flustered voice.
"It's not a forgery."
"Then...?"
"This is a real, legally binding, marriage certificate."
As her grey eyes began to darken, Adler, struggling to snatch back the contract, froze in place.
"The moment you signed, it became effective."
At that moment, the messages began to reappear before his eyes.
Warning!
– Probability of being Imprisoned — 100% – Probability of being Tamed — 100% – Probability of ??? — 100%
As Adler blankly stared at those messages, a cold object slipped into his finger.
"Uh..."
He then realized that it was a ring, clearly a top-quality item even to a layman's eye, set with a diamond in the middle, and Adler's mouth fell open in astonishment.
[Among all the possibilities of all three probabilities occurring simultaneously, did you not consider marriage being among them at all?]
As Adler cautiously began to reach with his free hand towards the menu with the return ticket,
"How is it?"
He soon found himself unable to continue the action, his mind turning blank.
"... Darling."
As he witnessed the scene of the professor, who had slipped the ring on Adler's finger and was now avoiding his gaze with a flushed face, leaking out those words in that cute and endearing tone.
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, at that time in the Baskerville estate…
"... So, what do we do now?"
"........."
"If what Isaac Adler says is true... are we truly to bring him down with our own hands?"
Charlotte Holmes, drenched from the rain, returned to the Baskerville estate and was rummaging through Adler's room.
"Are we to watch, with eyes wide open, as he is forced into marriage with the Evil Queen for our sake?"
"... No."
She turned, her expression icy, to look at the anxiously muttering Gia Lestrade and opened her mouth.
"There is a way."
"What is that way?"
"His ."
Hearing her answer, Lestrade clenched her fists and bowed her head.
"... How can we possibly discover that?"
"We need time. If we can buy just a little more time, then there's certainly a chance."
Charlotte replied to her cracked voice and started pouring her black mana into the ashes of the paper smouldering in the fireplace.
Mr. Adler, here is the information on the case that you requested. It was a bit difficult to retrieve from the American embassy, but the information is very reliable.
- Caroline Augustus Milverton
A moment later, as the note slowly began to restore itself amidst the ashes enveloped in her mana, Charlotte opened her mouth again, gazing intently down at the reconstructed paper.
TOP SECRET
U.S. Bureau of Supernatural, Anomalous & Aberrant Phenomena Correspondence
Her golden eyes began to shine darker than ever before.
The General Sherman Incineration Incident
This document is a report containing the facts regarding the incineration of General Sherman that took place a year ago...
"The Devil… interested in Orientalism, isn't that /genesisforsaken