Stop trying to control me, Miss Moriarty!

Chapter 6 The Scandal in Bohemia

Adler's residence, third-floor study.

Erin stood in a blind spot, his gaze piercing through the gaps in the blinds, discreetly observing the beautiful woman hiding behind the bushes.

It is obvious that she is Asha H. Watson.

Despite having the advantage of knowing the plot in advance, at this moment, the feeling of being behind the scenes and observing others struggling futilely on a predetermined path is indeed very interesting.

……Um?

He sensed an extremely subtle yet unusual fluctuation of magical power.

Then, this magical power acted like the fuse of gunpowder, triggering an even larger spell.

Even without seeing it with his own eyes, he was able to instantly decipher the meaning of part of the spell by observing the magical fluctuations in the air.

"Big Bang," "Near-Range Specialization," "Destructive Power Enhancement"...

Damn it! Alchemy bomb!

And it's about to explode!

Jump out the window? Too late!

Erin disregarded the alchemist's warning, his magical power surging like a tidal wave as he simultaneously connected with the three magic crystals in his pocket, rapidly rewriting the original "Explosion" spell.

— "Triple Chanting"!

This is the limit of what his current magical power can achieve.

boom!!!

White light.

Pure white strips away all color.

A wave of scorching heat rushed towards us, and everything in the study turned into dust and fuel for the flames in the blink of an eye.

At the critical moment, he successfully rewrote the spell on the magic crystal into a "barrier," and three layers of pale golden magic walls were rapidly constructed and unfolded in front of him.

The massive impact tossed him through the air like a tattered rag doll, sending him crashing through the study wall and plummeting toward the lawn.

The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground echoed in the courtyard.

"Cough...cough cough..." Erin coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A few seconds later, the pain spread throughout my body.

He broke a rib, his magic circuit was overloaded, his left arm and face were slightly burned, and his internal organs were also damaged to varying degrees.

The first two barriers were completely shattered, leaving only the third layer with some magical fragments, but fortunately they absorbed most of the explosion damage and the impact of the fall.

The injuries were serious, but not fatal.

"Damn it..."

He cursed under his breath.

According to the power ranking standards of this world, he could barely step into the second tier.

This alchemical bomb was powerful enough to kill a fourth-tier being. If it were the original Erin Adler, he would have died on the spot.

"Lord Adler! Are you...are you alright?"

The maids cried out in terror.

The head maid reacted the fastest, rushing to his side and reaching out her trembling hand to help him up.

"I'm fine..." Erin waved for her to step back.

He quickly looked around the courtyard.

Hearing the commotion, the maids had already run out from the side building, their faces filled with fear and panic. Their numbers had not decreased significantly, but Holmes, disguised as a nun, was not there.

He didn't care about his public image anymore and hurriedly asked the head maid, "Where is that nun? Are there any others who haven't come out yet?"

"The nun should still be in the living room... Linxia and the other two are in the kitchen preparing dinner, but the fire is too big for us to get in..."

Erin breathed a sigh of relief.

Judging from the architectural layout, the living room and kitchen are quite far from the study, and "near-area specialization" is a spell that sacrifices range to increase power, so Holmes and the remaining three maids were not blown up on the spot.

He immediately ordered, "One person go and call the police. The rest of you who can still move, go and fetch water to try to stop the fire from spreading. I'm going to rescue people."

"Sir! Your injury...we should wait for the police! It's too dangerous!"

Erin was somewhat surprised.

Compared to the abused maid, the head maid did not have any obvious injuries, but why would she care about me?

"It will be too late by the time the police arrive." He shook his head.

That's four lives at stake. His upbringing made it impossible for him to stand idly by when he had the power to do so, especially since the explosion was caused by him.

Furthermore, Holmes is London's future savior; if she were to die in this accident, the city would truly be doomed.

Thinking this, he tore off his badly tattered, charred trench coat and ripped off the relatively clean inner lining.

At the same time, he took out a short staff and began chanting "water" magic and "barrier" magic respectively.

As a medium for casting spells, the staff is much gentler than the magic crystal, but the burning sensation from the magic circuit still made him twitch his lips.

What bad luck.

The recovery time will be delayed for a long time now.

Erin took a deep breath and rushed into the mansion engulfed in flames without hesitation.

.

.

.

"Ugh—"

In the living room, Charlotte, clutching her bleeding left arm, stood up from the window.

"...Damn it!"

She glanced at the flickering flames in the living room and the cut on her arm from the falling plaster statue, and cursed under her breath.

The explosion came out of nowhere. She hadn't brought any spellcasting tools with her when she went in, but luckily she reacted quickly and only suffered minor injuries.

At the same time, she began to observe the scene and recall what had just happened, calmly analyzing the current situation:

The fire and smoke spread from the northwest side.

Based on the sound of the explosion and the layout of the mansion she had studied beforehand, the source was on the third floor—probably the study or bedroom.

In other words, this was a premeditated assassination attempt against Erin Adler, and there was likely an undercover agent among the mansion's maids.

"Tsk—" Charlotte frowned.

She had already searched the living room; the photos weren't there. If Adler wasn't dead, he had most likely already escaped with the photos.

Even if Adler was killed in the bombing, it cannot be confirmed whether the person behind the assassination also wanted to find that photo and use it to blackmail the Queen.

It seems we need to revise our plan based on the variables.

Step. Step. Step.

She noticed that the sound of hurried, slightly unsteady running was coming through the corridor and quickly approaching the living room door.

At a time like this? Could it be Erin Adler?

Charlotte made a quick decision, nimbly flashing to the sofa and lying down on it to continue pretending to be unconscious.

His right eye squinted slightly, his azure eyes fixed on the doorway.

boom!

Sparks flew as the burning, warped living room door was kicked open.

It really was Adler.

His appearance was truly pitiful; his clothes were charred black, his left arm was burned, his face was covered in blood and soot, and his right hand was clutching his left rib, presumably because his ribs were broken. It seemed that he had been seriously injured in the explosion.

Even so, there's a reason why I had to come in person...

The only plausible explanation is that the photos were hidden in the living room.

It seems there are hidden doors or some kind of mechanism; they're really cunning.

Very well, luck is on her side.

Of the several possible paths, events led her in the direction most favorable to her. The criminal, surprisingly, brought the truth to the detective's side.

"Phew... It's here."

Adler's hoarse voice came through, sounding like... he had breathed a sigh of relief?

He walked straight toward the sofa.

Charlotte quickly closed her eyes.

That shouldn't be the case.

She had already checked this sofa; its structure was very simple, and apart from being comfortable to lie on, there were absolutely no hidden mechanisms.

"Arm injured...has she passed out?" Adler's voice was close at hand. "Tsk tsk, how pathetic, Holmes..."

We've been found out?!

When?

Charlotte instinctively opened her eyes, preparing to forcibly subdue Adler.

However, unexpectedly, a pair of slender arms reached behind her neck and under her knees, gently lifting her up.

"Fortunately, nothing serious has happened."

"...???...???"

Charlotte felt a sudden loss of weight, and then she landed in a warm embrace filled with the scents of blood, burnt ash, and cool, crisp snowflakes.

Since her father's death, she has never had such close physical contact with a man.

As for being hugged by peers, it was an experience I had never had before.

For a moment, her brilliant mind, capable of seeing through all the conspiracies in London, stopped thinking and went blank.

Without the slightest hesitation, Adler hugged her tightly and slammed his back against the living room window.

The crisp sound of shattering glass, the receding heat, Adler's voice—

"Take good care of this nun."

Finally, there's the feel of the grass.

Through her squinting eyes, Charlotte saw the wounded figure once again erect the magic barrier and rush into the raging mansion without looking back.

"When faced with a desperate situation, humans will instinctively try to save what they cherish most."

Her thoughts began to race again, and the first thing she remembered was what she had said to Asha the night before.

"—This is one of the inherent traits of human nature."

I can't understand it.

There was not a trace of hypocrisy in Adler's words.

Even if he possessed superb lying skills honed through his manipulation of countless women, there was no need for him to use them on himself while he was "in a coma."

A feeling of confusion, like the morning mist over the Thames, quietly permeated his azure eyes.

For the first time since birth, Charlotte Holmes encountered a problem that could not be dissected, categorized, or given a clear answer through deduction—

"The puzzle".