Chapter 142: A Case of Identity (5)"Adler, why have you suddenly changed so?"
"........"
"Don''t do something you''ll regret..."
"... Haaa."
Dragging Lupin, disguised as Professor Moriarty, into the church by her leash, I couldn’t help but leak out a frustrated sigh when I heard the voice call out to me from behind. Immediately, I turned around and faced the owner of the voice.
"Stop whining."
She opened her mouth briefly, looking at me with what I could only interpret as a nk gaze, before lowering her head with an undeniable gloomy expression.
"Do you think you can behave so recklessly just because we’re already married?” <sup>1</sup>
"Ughhh."
I couldn''t understand why she was still acting so brazenly when I had already caught her in the act once, quite recently too in fact.Of course, her disguise and acting were so perfect that I might have been fooled again if the original wielder of this body of mine wasn’t a capable mage.
The truth of the matter was… Lupin could never truly deceive me by disguising herself as the professor.
It''s not because of something simple like <strong>calling out my given name</strong>. That was only good for one-time use, and Lupin herself knew that trick by now.
So then how was I able to discern that this person before me was indeed Lupin?
"Honestly, it''s slightly displeasing..."
"What do you want me to do about it, huh?"
The method was quite simple, in truth. I just needed to stand next to the professor and directly sense her mana.
Her mana was so thick and vast that just being near her made one experience a palpable aura of intimidation and oppression.
The effect was intensified in my case as half of her mana had been forcibly grafted onto my body. I was able to feel her aura and sense of intimidation from a few metres away, at least.
"Adler..."
"So, are you going to kill me now? Incinerate me with that greyish mana of yours?”
However, this thief who was sporting a sullen look in front, didn’t give off that feeling in the least.
Just to be sure, I even asked her to call my name again and inched closer to get a direct feel of her mana. The result was a negative, a confirmation of my hypothesis.
"You can''t kill me, can you?"
"........"
In other words, this person was definitely not the professor but a mischievous masochistic thief.
She may look pitiful at the moment, but once the sham wedding with Watson was over and we were left all alone… it was more than likely for her to be drooling and trembling with anticipation for what was toe afterwards.
I didn’t even need to experience it directly, just the past experiences were enough for me to picture such an oue.
"Good girl."
<em>- Swish, swoosh...</em>
Still, I didn''t feel like continuing this torment, so I moved closer and carefully started stroking her swollen red cheek with gentle motions.
<em>- Brrrrr...</em>
Immediately, the professor flinched as I reached out, perhaps mistaking my gesture for another p. Soon, however, she stood still and began epting my caresses like a little bird.
<em>It feels a bit odd seeing her act like this while maintaining the professor’s appearance...</em>
Jane Moriarty, the most feared individual in all of Britain, was trembling as I stroked her swollen cheek— the thought was enough for me to feel strangely unsettled.
It might sound odd, but the scene evoked a peculiar sense of conquest in my heart.
Indeed, anyone would feel this way if they sessfully subdued a being who could erase them from the world with just the snap of a finger.
"Stopining and let''s get going."
"But, you..."
"Hey."
However, realizing that the professor in front of me was just a masochistic thief, that feeling of thrill quickly shattered into oblivion.
"Haven’t I told you repeatedly to mind your tone and speak appropriately?”
"But you, you..."
As she tried to revert to her previous self once again, I whispered to her in a stern voice, causing her to stutter and speak awkwardly.
"... This is cheating."
"Let''s not talk anymore."
"Ugh..."
I had no intention of dancing to her tune, so I mercilessly pulled on the leash. As a result, the thief on the professor’s clothing gritted her teeth and started following me once more.
"If you were really the professor, you would have knocked me down by now."
"... I could never do that."
ncing over my shoulders to gaze at her, I whispered in a soft tone. A few momentster, she finally responded to my words with a hollow and bleak voice.
"How can I harm my own husband..."
"........"
"And with the state of my body as it is right now..."
I felt my heart skip a beat for some reason as I quietly listened to her murmurs.
"... Darling."
However, Rachel Watson''s frigid voice soon reached my ears, prompting me to focus on her words.
"How exactly did you subdue the professor...?"
"Hmm?"
"You two seem too close..."
Her dark voice, emanating beside me as she had been linking hands with me all this time, made me shift my gaze to Watson with a slightly perplexed gaze.
"... Just curious."
"........."
"There wasn''t some kind of deal, was there? You aren''t being coerced into catering to the professor''s hidden preferences now, are you?"
"No."
Following her sounds and reasonable deduction, I subtly shook my head and began making excuses with an awkward smile.
"Actually, it was Adler who made the contract. That''s why this is possible..."
"... So, the professor was Adler''s subordinate after all?"
"Ahaha... Perhaps that''s one way to see it..."
But thinking about it, even this excuse ultimately seemed like a futile attempt at thwarting the inevitable.
『London''s Casanova』
<b>– Description:</b> Have Rachel Watson uncover the sham marriage
Because she was bound to discover soon that this marriage was a sham. Nothing more, nothing less.
Honestly, I had no clue how to handle the aftermath.
The best way to minimise damage would be to confess now, but unfortunately, that seemed unlikely to work.
It''s best to stay quiet until the wedding is over.
Just saying, it''s a hunch I have. Take it or leave it, your choice.
Miss System had been sulking for days on end already, but she had finally dropped me a hint.
<em>... Thank you, Miss System.</em>
Don''t be presumptuous and call me Miss System.
Considering the odd camaraderie I had built with the system and my past experiences, it seemed wise to follow this advice.
But then, how was I gonna reveal to Watson that Neville was actually me, without getting killed by her in the next moment?
"Darling."
While I was deeply immersed in my thoughts, Watson, who had been quietly watching me all the while, spoke again in a slightly shy voice.
"We''ve arrived."
"... Ah."
Only then did I realise that we had fully stepped into the church.
"Are we holding the wedding here...?"
"Well, that is..."
"If you''re okay with it, I was thinking of inviting some family and friends, and having a grand ceremony..."
As I moved my steps forward, surveying the empty space devoid of even a single priest with an awkward expression, Watson began mumbling in a slightly excited voice.
"Shall we dy the wedding a bit then...?"
"... But a secret wedding like this might be nice too."
I was about to suggest dying the wedding to buy some more time, but Watson immediately took my hand and started dragging me forward.
"........"
Thus, it led to the awkward scene of me being pulled by Watson and Lupin, who was still retaining her transformation of the professor, being dragged by me.
<em>- Thud, step...</em>
A nun, who had been quietly watching the scene from afar, slowly walked towards us at that moment.
"Have youe to hold a wedding?"
"Ah, yes..."
To the nun''s question, Rachel Watson nodded with a tense voice.
"But how did you...?"
"People who wish to marry in secrecy, away from prying eyes, often visit this quiet church."
"Ah..."
Watson, reassured by the nun’s exnation, nodded in understanding.
"Darling, so you came here with the intention to marry me from the start…?"
"Pleasee this way. You will find a simple bridal dress for you there.”
"Ah?"
"You can''t get married in that outfit, can you?"
"Well, that''s true. Hehe..."
Following the nun''s gesture, she headed towards the vestry attached to the church.
"And the groom, please follow me."
"......."
"The suits are upstairs but you’ll need a key to ess them. I have the keys."
"I see..."
As Watson, blushing, stepped into the room, the nun naturally began to lead me upstairs.
"... Stay here."
"Adler..."
Feeling somewhat uneasy about continuously holding Lupin’s leash beside the nun, I tied it around a nearby pir. The thief hadn’t dropped her acting yet so I wasn’t really able to let her go at the moment.
"Who is that?"
"Ah, she’s the wedding witness."
"........."
Her expression momentarily shifted to one that Professor Moriarty wore just before a kill, suggesting she really had done her research.
"... Hmm?"
As I ascended the stairs, I began to feel a sense of déjà vu and couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.
<em>That nun''s outfit, where have I seen it before...</em>
It resembled the clothes Charlotte Holmes had worn, disguised as a young nun during the Bohemian Scandal incident.
No, now that I look closely, it was the exact same outfit.
"..... Aren''t youing?"
"Uh."
At that moment, a bone chilling wave started creeping down my spine as I connected all the dots together.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hi~!"
"Uh..."
It wasn''t merely due to the perfect <strong>coincidence</strong> that urred with the nun in front of me that I got this feeling.
"Is everything going smoothly?"
Lupin, hanging upside down next to the window I was beside, was fiddling with her trademark monocle and whispering into my ear in a hushed voice… that scene was the main perpetrator behind this sudden feeling of dread and horror.
"I''m not sure what you''re plotting with the threedies... But you have a n, right?"
"........"
"Anyway, hurry up and marry someone, and as per our agreement, let''s do an abduction y, shall we?"
If that''s the case then…
"Adler..."
Who was the person, tied to the pir behind me with a leash, calling me in a soulless voice while tenderly touching her swollen, reddened cheek?
Idiot. Fool. Moron.
"......."
From that moment, I began to experience a fear I had never felt before, slowly suffocating me out of all my breath.
"... Eeeeek."<ol>1. Professor Moriarty is referring to the marriage contract that they signed, which technically means he is indeed married to the Professor.</ol>