Chapter 111: Abduction


    It was a night when I received marriage proposals from three women in session…


    "... Oh my."


    ".........."


    "Who might this be?"


    When I visited the Diogenes Club secretly, apanied only by my bodyguard— Celestia Moran, a cold voice that gave me the chills greeted me.


    "... I haven’t even entered the waiting room yet, is it appropriate to be so loud?”


    "The Diogenes Club is not a ce for socializing today."


    There, at the desk ced in the very center of the club, sat Mycrony Holmes in her usual seat with the usual smile on her face. However, for some reason, that familiar smile of hers sent inexplicable shivers down my spine.


    <i>- Swoosh...</i>Slowly, she raised her hand, making a gesture with her hands. At that subtle signal of hers, immediately, heavy murderous intent began to emanate from the people sitting inside the Diogenes Club, reading newspapers.


    "... Hmm."


    It was exactly like the situation when I first met her.


    "Dad, shall we kill them all?"


    "... Wait."


    However, the difference from that time was that Celestia Moran was by my side, a small airgun concealed in her embrace.


    "I''ve merelye to talk today."


    <i>- Rustle...</i>


    Additionally, there was also Princess y in my arms. She had transformed into her cat doll form and was currently fidgeting inside my coat.


    Rather than me bringing her along, it would be more urate to say that she had stubbornly followed me and slipped into my clothes to apany me.


    Still, even Moran, who was specialized in detecting presences, had failed to notice her. Surely, she could provide some help if need be.


    "You seem awfully prepared for someone who ims to have onlye to talk."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "The daughter of the hero of Afghanistan, the war machine Colonel Sebastian Moran, and the vampire princess who almost devoured the entirety of London... Wouldn''t I be justified in attacking you first when you havee with such dangerous personnel?"


    However, the words that Mycrony uttered next made me dispel such thoughts from my mind.


    "... As expected, you are impressive."


    "Pardon?"


    "But, I really didn''te here to pick a fight."


    The feeling of having all my capabilities assessed so quickly wasn''t pleasant, but I couldn''t just back down right now.


    I wasn''t sure why her demeanor had reverted to how it was when we first met, even though I had already engraved the ve mark on her.


    If necessary, I could use the ve mark to subdue her, and I was confident that I could escape with my escorts if the situation really called for it.


    "So, what is it?"


    "... I''vee to seek your counsel."


    However, to achieve the ultimate reason for my visit, what came next was crucial.


    "My counsel?"


    "... Yes."


    "You, of all people?"


    So, with the most polite demeanor I could muster, I spoke to her, almost pleadingly. My words prompted her to tilt her head in quiet contemtion.


    "... Please."


    The reason I was being so polite to Mycrony Holmes was because her role in the game was none other than the of the game narrative.


    In the game, she didn’t provide clues for cases stumped by the protagonist like in the original , but she did offer hints that were vital for the future development of the storyline.


    And her hints, derived from those of hers, always proved to be invaluable in situations like the one I''m facing currently— a situation when the game’s progression hade to a standstill.


    Of course, to receive the best advice from her, one must maximize their affinity with Mycrony Holmes.


    "I would like to receive advice about my current situation."


    It was for this reason that I had built up a friendship with her beforehand.


    Although the current atmosphere made me feel somewhat uneasy, I had to trust the goodwill I had built up until now and take a shot in the dark.


    "Would you be able to help me?"


    "Hehe..."


    As I asked in a low voice, she covered her mouth and began to smile.


    "... No, I don''t want to."


    However, the very next moment, she opened her eyes calmly and answered in a stern and indifferent voice.


    "Why should I even help you?"


    "........"


    "Please leave, you’re being bothersome."


    And with that, silence ensued inside the club.


    ''... This is problematic.''


    After all the effort I went through to build an amiable rtionship with her, only for it to crumble at such a crucial moment - what am I to do?


    Should I activate the ve mark I''ve inscribed on her stomach right now to get the advice and swiftly escape?


    "........"


    Pondering for a moment in my mind, I eventually decided to give up on that idea.


    Didn’t Charlotte say that intuition was both the most important and the least reliable skill of a detective?


    Although I was not a detective, my intuition was currently telling me that proceeding in such a manner would be wrong.


    ''... What should I do, then?''


    "Why, did you suddenly decide to feed a fish you''ve already caught?"


    ''Why would she say that all of a sudden.''


    As I was sweating profusely while trying to understand why Mycrony Holmes was giving me such a solemn look, a system message suddenly appeared before me.


    Mycrony Holmes is upset with you.


    Quietly nudging my shoulder, the system window fluttered next to Mycrony, circling her as it delivered the message.


    "I''m sorry, but I''m full already."


    She''s quite a bit upset with you, in fact.


    The moment I saw the message, I was able to roughly grasp the situation at hand.


    "... So please leave as soon as possible."


    Miss Mycrony, she was upset because I hadn’t visited her for quite some time.


    <i>- Thud, thud...</i>


    Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time right now to consider her feelings.


    Taking the time and effort to soothe her mood would only aggravate the situation that I was currently facing, I was sure of that.


    So for now, I had no choice but to use the hical, immoral method that was simple yet was also a certain solution to this problem. It was something I had been trying to avoid as much as possible but, there was no other way out at the moment.


    "What are you doing?"


    "............"


    Thinking till there, I quietly approached her. Seeing my advance, Mycrony Holmes, sitting at her desk with a frigid look on her face, silently tilted her head.


    <i>- Click...</i>


    At the same time, her subordinates began reaching into their clothes, raising the murderous intent they had been emitting.


    "Before you regret it, take your hands out of your pockets."


    "... Grrr."


    Behind me, the quietly standing Moran had drawn out the air gun from her pocket, aiming it at Mycrony’s subordinates; Princess y, who had been fidgeting in my arms, revealed her teeth, baring her ws in a threatening gesture.


    ""...........""


    A tense atmosphere began to circte within the quiet club.


    <i>- Swoosh...</i>


    Amid that palpitating atmosphere, I slowly extended my hand toward Mycrony Holmes and immediately, everyone''s gazes focused on the two of us.


    "Ack!"


    "... What are you doing right now?"


    After taking a deep breath, I wrapped my arms around Mycrony Holmes'' waist and lifted her up in the air. Immediately, her frigid voice echoed through the room.


    "Just some mild kidnapping."


    "Don''t you remember saying that you came here for a conversation?"


    "... Since the conversation doesn’t seem to be working, I am left with no choice, unfortunately.”


    Holding her in a princess carry, I turned my body and quietly began heading towards the exit.


    "What are you going to do by kidnapping me?"


    "I will train Miss Mycrony to bepletely mine."


    "........."


    "I’ll make sure to make up for all the suffering she has been through."


    As soon as I finished speaking, the members drew their guns and aimed them directly at me.


    <i>- Bzzzzzttt...</i>


    "".........!?""


    However, their hostility was short-lived; with a burst of red sparks, their bodies became paralyzed and they dropped their guns simultaneously.


    "... Well done, Princess."


    I had been preparing to draw upon all my mana, expecting bloodshed, but things seemed to have gone smoother than anticipated.


    If she had such a terrifying area-of-effect skill, she should have used it earlier.


    <b>?No, I didn''t do it though...??</b>


    "Of course, you would say something like that."


    Despite clearly having expended a tremendous amount of power, Princess y maintained her typical tsundere behavior. I patted her head lightly and, along with Moran, who had quietly put away the small gun she had drawn, began to move outside again.


    <b>?No, really, I didn''t do it this time...!?</b>


    "... Dad, I smell something ominous from this woman."


    Although various things could be said and conveyed, I had already made up my mind and there was no turning back.


    "Mycrony."


    The Protector of London, still holding a frosty expression, was forcibly restrained by the ve seal on her belly and held in my arms.


    "... Are you prepared to be trained like a dog?"


    To escape this hopeless situation I found myself in, I had no choice but to subjugate her.


    "You’re the worst."


    "That''s a fitting response for someone about to be disciplined."


    It was time to cast aside any hesitation and truly immerse myself in darkness.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Dawn, in Adler’s hideout located inside the back alleys…


    "... Do you think you''ll be able to get away with this?"


    In the pitch-dark basement of that ce, Mycrony Holmes was currently being condoned there with one of her feet shackled with a golden chain. She was looking at the boy who had kidnapped her with a cold expression on her face.


    <i>- Click...</i>


    But Isaac Adler, paying no heed to her words or expression, affixed a cor around her neck engraved with the name .


    <i>- Swoosh...</i>


    "Don''t start losing strength already."


    Eventually, as he pulled the leash sharply upwards and whispered those words, Mycrony Holmes, now forced to look up at Adler, bit her lips hard and wore a look of utter humiliation on her face.


    "Change into the shabby clothes in the room."


    While prodding her abdomen, where his seal was engraved, with his foot, Adler nudged towards the shabby clothes provided on the side.


    "You''ll get food and water whenever you behave well."


    "........"


    "And from now on, you will call me ."


    After briefly stroking her disheveled hair, Adler moved towards the exit, concluding his words.


    "... Training will begin tomorrow."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Hey.


    Just thought I''d let you know, in case you didn''t know...


    However, just as Adler was finishing his sentence, a system message appeared urgently beside him as he opened the door of the basement room.


    ... No, it''s nothing.


    "... What is it?"


    I guess, it''s better if you don''t know.


    However, after a brief pause, the entity that had stopped outputting suddenly changed its tune, and Adler, tilting his head in confusion, quietly licked his lips and went up the stairs.


    "....... Hehe."


    A low chuckle from Mycrony Holmes – her index finger pressed to her lips as her eyes gleamed in an eerie hue – began to echo in the room immediately after. However, by then, the basement door had already been firmly closed.


    "... For a curse, it’s quite /genesisforsaken