Stop trying to control me, Miss Moriarty!

Chapter 25 The Man with the Crooked Lips

After a brief moment of thought, Erin decided to open the door.

Since the unexpected visitor is Sherlock Holmes, there's no need to worry about security. Besides, he hasn't done anything wrong.

Thinking of this, he turned around: "Madam, please keep everything that happened today a secret."

Cornelia pouted: "Don't worry, I have no interest in mentioning you to anyone."

Click—

The door lock clicked, and Erin took two steps back.

Charlotte pushed open the door almost simultaneously and walked in with Aysa.

She closed the door behind her and locked it again, quickly scanning the room's furnishings before her gaze fell on an inconspicuous brass switch on the wall beside the door.

As the switch was pressed, a faint ripple of magic quickly spread throughout the room.

The mist that had been shrouding the faces of the four people vanished instantly, as if shone directly into the sunlight.

This feature is available?

Erin thought that was also used to turn on the colorful magic lamps above his head.

But on second thought, this is more reasonable.

Given the typical function of these rooms on the third floor, it would be extremely disappointing if you couldn't see the other person's face clearly while doing that kind of thing.

"Mr. Adler," Charlotte turned around, as if greeting someone in a college corridor, "what brings you here?"

Erin met her gaze: "Miss Holmes, following someone is illegal."

"I know." Charlotte walked to within two or three steps of Erin, "but it's just a coincidence in probability."

Erin knew Holmes; she wasn't the type to lie about trivial matters.

Considering this, the reason why she would appear at the "Golden Sparrow Pavilion" is obvious.

Is it "The Man with the Crooked Lips"?

He was somewhat, no, quite curious about how this case would end.

Erin said apologetically, "That was indeed a misunderstanding on my part. So it seems you've accepted someone's request?"

Charlotte's expression subtly revealed a degree of wariness.

Erin smiled and explained, "First of all, you didn't come alone; you brought Miss Watson with you. So, the possibility of you coming here for pleasure can be ruled out immediately, since Miss Watson would definitely stop you from doing so. Considering your profession, the answer is already obvious."

He aligned his ten fingers and made a profound expression: "This is basic reasoning, Miss Holmes."

Charlotte paused for two seconds, then frankly admitted, "The logic is clear, the premises are correct, and the deduction is valid. Very good, Mr. Adler."

Despite relying on an informational advantage that bordered on cheating, he gained Holmes's approval in terms of reasoning.

This feeling...

It's really amazing.

Aysa, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed, her incredulous gaze shifting back and forth between the two.

What the hell did she see?

That Charlotte Holmes actually praised someone else's reasoning skills?

Why is Adler, that scumbag, so skilled at deductive reasoning?

Just then, she felt her sleeve being tugged, so she looked down.

Cornelia looked up, smiling politely, and asked, "Miss Watson, what exactly is the relationship between those two?"

Her curiosity was churning.

The name Sherlock Holmes has been making waves in London lately.

Judging from the way the two of them interact, their relationship is clearly not ordinary.

Asha frowned and began to think about this seemingly simple but actually very complicated problem.

"The specific relationship... uh..." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully, before finally asking uncertainly, "Classmates?"

Are you sure?

Cornelia looked at Asha with suspicion.

It's not like she never went to school...

Where do students have this atmosphere of exchanging encrypted telegrams? At a spy school?

Aysa felt a little guilty under his gaze and gave a slightly awkward smile: "Probably... right?"

Only then did she notice the delicate and lovely girl in front of her, who was clearly only twelve or thirteen years old.

The anger and protective instinct that had been interrupted reignited, and she pulled Cornelia into her arms, glaring at Erin:

"Adler! You hopeless scum, the bane of society, you damned pedophile! How could you lay a hand on such a young child! I'll have Miss Lestrade throw you into the lowest rung of Scotland Yard!"

Her words were filled with generous justice.

Oops.

Erin's heart sank.

He completely disregarded the baseless accusations.

However, "child" and "Lestrade" are both taboo words that must never be mentioned in front of Cornelia.

His premonition instantly became a reality.

An oppressive magical power erupted from Cornelia's petite body without warning!

She didn't even launch a deliberate attack; the magic was like an invisible giant wave crashing towards Aysha.

She felt short of breath and her body was incredibly heavy, as if she had been bound by countless cold iron chains and thrown into the deep sea, and she fell backward to the ground.

Cornelia easily broke free from her embrace, her head lowered, her emerald eyes filled with displeasure: "You, are that woman's friend?"

Charlotte was also drawn to the commotion.

Her gaze first fell on the pink-haired girl there, and she quickly deduced the identity of the "girl" in front of her.

"Pink hair, very cute, great personality, very capable, and witty..."

She frowned slightly. Lestrade was as naive as ever; there were hardly any features that matched up.

She took a half step forward and spoke in as calm a tone as possible, "Miss Ke Ke..."

It’s over.

Why is Sherlock Holmes getting into trouble at this time...?

As Erin predicted.

The moment Cornelia heard this cute nickname, she started growling like a kitten going into battle mode.

"*Swearing*! Don't call me that disgusting stuff! You *London swearing* *Lestrade swearing* idiotic friend!!"

Her face turned bright red with anger, her short pink hair floated in the air under the influence of magic, and her immense magical power was fully released, directly crushing Charlotte.

Charlotte reacted extremely quickly, almost instantly mobilizing her inner magic to try and fight back.

However, faced with an absolute disparity in strength, she was as vulnerable as Don Quixote charging at a windmill.

Watson sat motionless on the ground.

Holmes looked up at the sky, his expression blank, as if he were contemplating life.

Erin raised his hand to his forehead, his shoulders trembled a few times, and he couldn't help but laugh.

He finally approached the ruffled kitten and said sincerely, "Madam, these two impetuous ladies have already learned the price of offending a noble lady like you. But excessive punishment will also affect your reputation."

Erin's attitude and words clearly pleased Cornelia.

She snorted, raised her chin like a victorious little sparrow, and although her cheeks were still a little chubby, the magical flow that had enveloped the room had receded.

Aysa scrambled to her feet and quickly retreated to Charlotte's side, staring warily at Cornelia: "Charlotte, who exactly is this child?"

"You *London lady's swear word*! You fat brown gorilla!" Cornelia was furious again.

Charlotte straightened her clothes and bowed slightly, saying, "I'm very sorry, Ms. Mister Ludwig, we did not mean to offend you."

Mistilde?

Asha was taken aback: "You mean, she's that one?!"

"That's right." Charlotte nodded. "This is the most outstanding alchemist of our time, the winner of the 54th Maple Star Award, the honorary vice minister of the Ministry of Magic, a once-in-a-millennium talent..."

Charlotte's speech was very effective.

As Cornelia listened to these titles and praises, the anger on her face visibly dissipated, leaving only smugness.

She put her hands behind her back, raised her chin haughtily, and straightened her pitifully short 1.4-meter frame: "Since it wasn't intentional, I'll reluctantly forgive you this time."

He's just a little kid...

They're so easy to fool.

The thought came to them almost simultaneously.