Chapter 76: Touchable, Untakable (1)
As long as a martial artist doesn’t lose their beloved weapon and honor, they can live surprisingly well without complaints.
–Niccolò Machiavelli1
Mrs. Hudson empathized deeply with Watson, who came to the big city to find her twin brother despite suffering from meridian blockage disorder, and she swore to keep Watson’s secret, even foregoing a substantial informant reward.
“Don’t worry. This story ends here. It will never leak outside.”
Only after hearing Mrs. Hudson’s promise did Watson and I breathe a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate that the maid left right after the court lady returned.
Even though she is scheduled to be dragged to the police tomorrow morning, if she had overheard this, she would have had restless dreams.
“I knew Mr. Holmes was amazing, but I never imagined he could treat a meridian blockage disorder. There must be some destiny in you two living together. Well, now that my curiosity is satisfied, I’ll head on to bed. You can leave the empty dishes in front of the stairs.”
Mrs. Hudson said this and went downstairs
holding the royal decree made of gold. Fortunately, I went up before Watson and put away the Ancient Vicuña fabric and the horn of the Unicorn Salamander, otherwise, the conversation would have dragged on longer.
“…I feel I’ve done something wrong to Mrs. Hudson, Holmes.”
Meanwhile, Watson seemed to be feeling both guilt and gratitude towards Mrs. Hudson, displaying a complex expression.
“Don’t blame yourself. You hid your gender because you had no choice but to survive. There aren’t many in this country who can accept a woman becoming a doctor.”
When I spoke, Watson nodded awkwardly.
“As a doctor, I believe it’s my duty to save many lives. It would be a bit sad if someone viewed me through a biased lens due to my gender. Of course, I’m not an exceptionally brilliant doctor.”
“Humility is not a virtue, Watson.”
Although I hadn’t seen her fully engage in medical practice yet, from my exchanges with her regarding anatomy and Kung-Fu, I honestly thought it would be hard to find a doctor more skilled than Watson.
“An invitation to the Royal Ball isn’t given to just anyone. You are already an excellent martial artist and doctor.”
“The invitation is practically thanks to you, is it not?”
Even as she said that, Watson could not help but smile.
As if her earlier melancholy from Mrs. Hudson discovering her gender was a lie, once her worries were resolved, she eagerly picked up the two envelopes with a sparkle in her eyes.
“How about it, Holmes? Shall we open them together after counting to three?”
“But I mentioned I had something to tell you before that, remember?”
“Oh.”
Only then did Watson seem to recall why she had walked straight home from the hospital, placing the invitation on the table and sitting quietly.
“I wasn’t forgetting, really. I hurried home because you said you’d tell me about what happened last night.”
“Haha. Of course.”
I recounted in detail what I had experienced while she was asleep last night.
To uncover the truth behind the case, I disguised myself and interrogated the imprisoned Phantom Fist, saving his life from an assassination attempt and identifying the culprit who attempted murder on the bridge.
However, I intentionally withheld information about James Moriarty and Sebastian Moran.
I thought that if Watson were to learn their names, she might unconsciously react if she ever came across them.
I also kept the fact that Colonel Moran, who tried to kill the Phantom Fist, was a markswordsman to avoid triggering her bad memories.
“A martial artist capable of targeting the neck of the Phantom Fist, confined in a windowless room, must indeed possess extraordinary intuition and Kung-Fu prowess. Just like the markswordsmans I encountered in Afghanistan.”
Even though I hadn’t shared specific details about Sebastian Moran, Watson was recalling past nightmares.
“If you had told me this story first, I wouldn’t have gotten angry with you at lunch.”
“Indeed.”
“Hmm. You never seem to apologize properly, do you?”
“Me?”
“Never mind. I’ll just suffer in silence.”
Watson sighed heavily and continued.
“Thankfully, your performance was excellent. When you suddenly started playing the violin, I thought you’d finally gone mad, but to think such a thing happened last night. I understand it was to calm your troubled mind, so I’ll be understanding.”
“A troubled mind, huh. Well, something like that.”
Whether it’s Papiyas or a troubled mind, they’re essentially the same.
Thinking that continuing this topic would only make Watson more depressed, I quickly decided to switch to another subject.
“Actually, there’s something that’s been bothering me. You know the invitation to the Royal Ball? According to the court lady, it seems like the ones you and I received are different types.”
“Really? Hmm…”
Just as Watson squinted and began to alternate her gaze between the two envelopes,
“Thief!!!”
A scream erupted from downstairs, followed by Mrs. Hudson rushing into the room using her lightness skill.
“What happened, Mrs. Hudson?”
She, panting heavily, shouted with a face that looked like she might burst into tears any moment.
“The royal decree!!
The royal decree is gone!!”
“What?!”
Watson was the first to react.
“This is serious,
losing the royal decree to theft. Could this be a case suited for Holmes’s dismembering intelligence…?”
I wanted to say, is this really the time for jokes, but according to the strict laws of the British Empire,
losing the royal decree due to negligence is a grave crime worthy of a Family Funeral2.
Since someone else stole it, there might be some leniency, but severe punishment is inevitable.
However, that’s only if I
fail to retrieve the royal decree.
I was already planning to question the maid’s background, so I might as well
find the royal decree while I’m at it.
I’ve already prepared countermeasures.
“Let’s head to the first floor for now. We need to check if there are any traces of the culprit at the shrine.”
Leading the way down the stairs, Watson and Mrs. Hudson followed behind me.
“How can you remain so calm in this situation, Holmes?”
“Well, that’s because I’ve always prepared for situations like this. Unfortunately, it seems our first line of defense was breached by our nimble thief.”
First floor, Mrs. Hudson’s room.
I stopped in front of the door and turned to the landlady to ask for her understanding.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I open the door, Mrs. Hudson?”
“Yes, please do.”
Only after confirming Mrs. Hudson’s nod did I slowly turn the doorknob.
“…Huh.”
The scene of the theft was immaculate.
There were no traces visible indoors.
The small shrine’s altar beside the bed was designed to be as secure as a safe.
The lock and hinges were custom-made using a small amount of multiple-refined steel, making it difficult to take the contents easily.
It seemed the culprit did not bother trying to open the shrine by conventional means.
“As expected.”
Sticking my head out the open window, I checked the outer wall and, as expected, found a small hole.
“They haven’t yet gone far. We can catch up.”
Mrs. Hudson, who followed, spoke urgently.
“I locked the shrine after placing the royal decree inside. I went to the kitchen for a drink of water, and then I heard a rattling sound from the altar.”
“By the time you opened the window to check, the culprit was already fleeing.”
Mrs. Hudson nodded with a dark expression.
“May I borrow the key for a moment?”
With the key that the lady wore around her neck, I unlocked the household shrine.
Inside the shrine were porcelain figurines of Baby Jesus, Thousand-Hand Mary, and the three Magi, adorned with incense.
“The thief left the valuable porcelain figurines and
took only the royal decree.
The maid must have moved after confirming the royal decree was received. Judging by the different footprint sizes, it seems there was an accomplice who carried out the theft.”
When trying to unlock the altar at home, it was obvious that I would notice, so instead, they used a sharp blade to cut through the wall without emitting Sword Aura from outside.
The next step was simple. They just slipped a hand in and
stole the royal decree before making their escape.
“Even if that guy runs, he’s still within the palm of Christ’s nail-pierced hand.”3
-Jesus Put All In His Pierced Hands, So It’s Blocked4
Though there are holes in Jesus’ palms, making it seem loose, the wicked can never escape, like fish caught in the net of a Galilean fisherman.
Fortunately, ever since I confirmed that the maid had been instructed by someone to bring in poison, I had prepared a way to deal with emergencies. Tracking them down shouldn’t be difficult.
“First, we need to find out where they are.”
“How on earth will you do that…?”
“Like this.”
I walked to the front door and whistled.
-Biiik!!
As the sharp sound resonated through the street, dozens of scruffy children poked their heads out from the rooftops of the moonlit buildings on Baker Street.
And from the shadows on the opposite sidewalk, a blond boy rose and walked toward us.
“The Baker Street Irregulars, executing Mr. Holmes’s orders perfectly.”
Wiggins removed his hat with a comical gesture and greeted in an amicable Cockney accent.
“This way, you said?”
“Yes, sir.”
Soon, guided by the children of the Homeless Clan, I was heading south on Baker Street towards Mayfair.
“The one who seems to be the maid’s lover turned right at Portman Square and went straight towards Hyde Park. After that…”
The thief passed between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, the refuge of Londoners, and continued down towards the Royal Albert Hall.
“When did you start having the maid followed?”
Meanwhile, Watson was struggling to keep up with me at a brisk pace, but it didn’t seem easy for her.
Above all, she seemed to be dying to know how I figured out the maid was a criminal.
“I had the kids tail her the day after she started working.”
“How did you see through her suspicious behavior? No, more importantly, why did you leave the maid alone until now?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, we need to pick up the pace.”
I tossed coins to Wiggins and the kids, then patted Watson on the shoulder.
“We need to catch the culprit first. Meet me at the pub across from Harrods when it’s over.”
- TL/N: The original quote is as follows—Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony ️
- TL/N: Execution of a family's three generations ️
- TL/N: Journey to the West, Five-Finger Mountain reference? ️
- -主掌恢恢 疎而不漏 ️