Chapter 168: Hotter Than July (2)
Beware the sword that rarely draws, and the spirit beast that rarely cries.
-An English maxim-
Thus, after inferring on several grounds that what had been hidden in the Fabergé egg was an egg of the Vermilion Phoenix, Watson nodded with a reluctant expression.
“Spirit beasts are astonishing. To think it can secure the warmth it needs to become a chick even without its mother brooding it.”
“But it’ll be impossible for the young to break out of the egg on its own. For most winged spirit beasts, the egg is strangely hard.”
“Then…”
“The young sends a signal from inside the egg and calls its parents. It pecks the shell with its beak, and even cries out.”
“Wait. You mean the mother and father can come looking after hearing that sound?”
“That’s right.”
Watson’s face began to turn paler and paler. “Wait. Just how good must their hearing be to come looking after hearing a chick pecking an egg? The idea that the creature called Vermilion Phoenix exists isn’t that hard to believe when the Azure Dragon’s bones are displayed in the British Museum, but…”
“That’s because they don’t come just by hearing sound.”
“Then you mean they find it by scenting the young?”
I shook my head.
“Spirit beasts often use a higher-order ability for communication.”
Between ordinary creatures and spirit beasts, there exists a wall that cannot be crossed.
With most plant-type spirit beasts, which have difficulty moving actively, it is hard to feel that difference, but with animal-type spirit beasts, the gap in capability was so severe that an outsider would be aghast nine times out of ten.
According to the research of Mysticobiologists, the reason such distinctiveness arises is that spirit beasts, mutated by absorbing Natural Qi, come to possess not only considerable intelligence but also a powerful intent on par with humans.
An ordinary human without instruction cannot even sense the existence of essence, let alone store it in the elixir field or move it.
Yet even within those who had not awakened, internal energy did exist.
Namely, the innate essence every human possessed.
Even those who had never learned martial arts sometimes drew on that power without realizing it, and this was the true nature of the potential manifested in extreme situations, such as when one’s life was at risk or when one had to protect someone precious.
By facing danger, intent heightened to its limit unconsciously moved essence, temporarily making one display power like a duelist.
And the ability that humans who have not encountered Kung-fu display only in extreme situations, spirit beasts could use at all times.
Spirit beasts, as said above, possessed overwhelming physical might, and also innately held various skills that a Kung-Fuist would have to spend time to acquire.
Breathing exercises that convert Natural Qi into vitality through breathing, Succession that transmits one’s Qi to another individual, Jesus Walk that runs across water, and the like.
This was not possible because they possessed knowledge of Kung-Fu.
A spirit beast merely controls its inborn vitality with powerful intent, constantly reproducing the process by which an ordinary human, through some trigger, transcends their limits.
Among a spirit beast’s supernatural powers, what was most notable was the strange ability of a young, whose body had not fully grown and thus needed its parents’ help, to inform its faraway mother or father of its location.
There were even cases where a whale spirit beast, robbed of its young, followed all the way to the opposite side of the Pacific, so it was obvious that this power did not rely on sound of a particular frequency or on scent.
“A spirit beast’s young can call its mother with the power of intent. It’s a power that even Police Telegraphy1 performed by Scotland Yard’s Chief cannot compare to.”
Even Enlightened Heart Speech, which transmits one’s voice directly into a desired target’s head, is bound by physical distance.
Yet a spirit beast, and one still young, not long after birth, could inform its mother on the opposite side of the earth of its location.
“So you mean Vermilion Phoenix can come find it even if it’s far away from its young…”
“Most likely. At first, it may only grasp the general direction, but as hatching draws near, the young’s intent will grow stronger, so the parents will find the egg’s location more accurately.”
Humanity had not uncovered even a tiny portion of the mysteries hidden in the world.
But if one thinks about it, it was only natural.
Humans had never fully conquered even the Kung-Fu they themselves created.
It was something you could tell just from the fact that even Sir Newton, who re-established modern Kung-fu, maintained a humble posture, saying he was ‘like a child on a beach before a vast sea filled with unknown Kung-fu principles, searching for beautiful tricks and smooth routines while honing Steps and Iron Sand Palm.’
There was no way humanity, unable to conquer even Kung-Fu, could fully grasp the ecology of spirit beasts that had handled mighty power since before recorded history.
Such was nature, mysterious and great.
“The problem is whether one Vermilion Phoenix will come to London, or two… Well, it doesn’t matter much. If the Tsar is that confident, it must mean that even if only one comes, the future where the city becomes a sea of fire cannot be avoided.”
In any case, now that we knew what would burn London, we had to find a way to solve it.
Mycroft, who had gone out of the conference room to speak with his subordinates, returned.
<No matter how the Tsar spirited away the egg, it seems certain he intends to drive out the cold of a specific region with Vermilion Phoenix’s power.>
“It’s a matter that affects the fate of the nation, so Alexander III wouldn’t act without something to rely on. He said he would leave the country in three days, so he would have prepared so there would be no problem even if he encountered Vermilion Phoenix while returning to Russia with the egg.”
<Either he has a means to calm Vermilion Phoenix that is trying to reclaim its young, or he’s confident he can escape…>
“And he likely has a means to control Vermilion Phoenix into nesting in the region he wants.”
The Emperor of Russia was one of the most powerful individuals in the world, able to fully draw upon the national strength of a vast empire.
Perhaps he had prepared both of the two things Mycroft mentioned and the one I mentioned.
“Then is there really no way other than quickly bringing Vermilion Phoenix’s egg to the Tsar?”
<If we fail, London will become ashes.>
“To be honest, I don’t like having to meekly follow the words of the man who threatened Her Majesty.”
<Even in a situation like this, you’re thinking about how to make the other side swallow water. That’s you, as always.>
“…You caught me.”
Above all, I could not accept, even a little, the fact that we had to entrust London’s fate to the Tsar, one of the causes of this mess.
The relationship between Britain and Russia could not be called good, due to long-standing rivalry.
In such a situation, could we truly take the Tsar at his word and expect his goodwill.
I did not think he could perfectly control the Vermilion Phoenix, treated as a colossal spirit beast and a divine beast.
But one possibility had been troubling my mind since earlier.
‘If the Tsar intends to obtain both outcomes, burning London and creating an ice-free port for Russia…’
Having faced Moriarty in my previous life, I had confirmed how evil a human being could become.
And I had witnessed how foolishly those who fell for his coaxing could act.
If the Tsar acted on whim or greed, and tried to choose both endings that benefited him no matter how things rolled, what should I do?
It was none of my concern whether Russia gained an ice-free port and drove away Siberia’s cold.
But I could not lose my home nor my precious friend.
London overflowed with criminals, true, but to a consulting detective like me, wasn’t that its greatest virtue and charm.
Perhaps seeing my expression darken, Mycroft sent a brief Direct Message.
I asked Watson’s leave and moved to the third-floor study. The moment I locked the door, Mycroft spoke again.
<…You believe we cannot trust the Tsar.>
When I slowly nodded, Mycroft let out a long sigh.
Judging by his expression, it seemed he had reached the same conclusion as I had again.
No, had he known something about the Tsar’s plan even before that.
“…So there was a reason Her Majesty sent you.”
Mycroft slowly nodded.
<The Butler Agency has already, since six years ago—>
“Been watching the Tsar?”
<Your habit of cutting your elder brother off is as strong as ever.>
The voice that arrived by the Direct Message was curt, but Mycroft was smiling faintly.
“I sensed it from the moment the old hands at Henry Poole & Co. mistook me for an agency agent, but I had no proof, so I stayed quiet. Then the moment the Tsar mentioned that I had met Her Majesty, suspicion became certainty.” “The opposite. I believed someone as capable as you, Mycroft, would not have let a Russian spy infiltrate the palace.” <...> The British Intelligence Butler Agency deliberately tolerated the Russian spy’s infiltration and leaked information.
That was the only way it made sense to me.
I still had too few clues to deduce what the purpose was, though.
“Why are you grinning so unpleasantly.”
<Because it feels like the first time I’ve heard such words from my younger brother.>
I had merely offered an evaluation based on objective fact, yet Mycroft thought I was praising him.
<You’ve grown, Sherlock. Your elder brother is pleased.>
“Judging by the nonsense you’re spouting, it seems your dying day is not far off.”
If I kept this up, I would be dragged into Mycroft’s pace again, so I chose to get to the point at once.
“Judging by Her Majesty’s reaction, it seems you were hiding information from her as well. I worry whether Her Majesty will censure the Butler Agency after this is over.”
I knew that the Butler Agency always worked by thoroughly hiding information and erasing even the fact that an incident had existed.
But to achieve the difficult goal of stopping the Tsar’s ambition and preserving Irene Adler’s life, I had to seize the initiative myself, and no one else.
“I’ll be blunt. Hand over what the agency knows. Alexander III is a cold and rational man. At this rate, we can’t avoid the worst outcome, where Russia profits unilaterally and London burns.”
Mycroft watched my eyes for a while.
<Will it change anything even if you hear it?>
“I guarantee we can obtain results beyond what we desire.”
After a brief silence, the Direct Message came again.
<…Fine. I’ll explain. What we have learned so far.>
- TL/N: voice transmission over a thousand li/500 km ️