Becoming Professor Moriarty’s Probability

Chapter 148: The Final Victor

"Stop right there!!"

"Particularly persistent today now, are we..."

Strutting through the air with Adler cradled in her arms, Lupin glanced down at the girl in uniform as she chased them from the ground below, sprinting at unbelievable speeds. A frustrated, almost troubled voice leaked out of Lupin, seeing that the girl was keeping pace with her.

"She doesn’t even seem tired. Not a mana user, nor does she wield a curse, yet showcasing such preposterous physical capabilities..."

"Is that person a normal human?"

"... Why? Are you still interested in her even after my warning?"

Eyes narrowing ever so slightly at Adler’s sudden question, she responded to his question in a chilling voice.

"No. It's just a personal curiosity of mine. She seems to be a formidable nemesis of yours yet you mentioned that she has no abilities… that’s quite intriguing.”

"You or rather the entirety of London are the oddity, in fact. Generally, mana users are a rare breed."

At her reasonable retort, Adler could only scratch his head, an awkward smile on his lips.

"I… do know that, but you see… when you are destined to face mysteries at every turn of your life, that fact sometimes fizzles out of your mind.”

"... That’s inevitable, I suppose.”

"Besides, if she has no abilities, shouldn't she pose no problem for the great thief Lupin, hmm?"

As Adler tilted his head in query, Lupin couldn’t help herself from leaking out a wry chuckle.

"Frankly, I’m more annoyed than frightened of that woman. However, if there ever were a nemesis of mine, then it would be Inspector Julia Ganimard of the Paris Police."

"... So it was Ganimard, after all."

"Eh? What did you say?"

"Nothing. But you seem to approve of her, don’t you?”

At his next question, a sigh escaped Lupin’s lips as she gradually started slowing down her pace.

"In this world, there might really be no one who can beat her in persistence and tenacity.”

"... Why slow down all of a sudden?"

"And you know. There's something eerily peculiar about that woman."

As her pace was about to come to a complete halt, abruptly, she kicked the air and shot upwards in but a fraction of a second.

"I told you to stop!!!"

And… seemingly out of nowhere, Inspector Ganimard had appeared and swung her baton at that place, where Lupin and Adler were present less than a second ago, missing the fleeing duo by the barest of margins.

"Ah, didn't you say she had no abilities?"

"... Yeah, she indeed doesn’t wield any abilities or powers."

"But then, what was that just now…?"

"That's what makes her remarkable."

Barely dodging the heavy attack, Lupin gazed down at Ganimard – who had landed on the ground and stirred up a massive cloud of dust – and murmured with an annoyed expression.

"She’s just too damn strong."

"... Pardon?"

"Not only was she already stronger than a gorilla, but ever since her travels to Japan and China, where she picked up all sorts of weird and esoteric martial arts, she has already surpassed the limits of humanity.”

Hearing her reply, Adler began blinking in astonishment with a stunned expression plastered on his face.

"That… Is that even possible?"

"You know, Adler… A devil standing at the heart of an era of mystery and the unknown shouldn’t be saying such things now, should he?"

"......"

"Personally, I find it far more astonishing that a devil from literal fairy tales is blatantly flirting around haphazardly, seducing the women of London."

"Enough already..."

Leaking out those words with a frustrated sigh, Adler lowered his head, dejected by Lupin’s blunt statement.

"... Ughh."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"She’s coming this way."

"What? Even for Ganimard, recovering that quickly should be nothing short of impossible."

Hearing Adler’s flustered voice, a bewildered Lupin couldn’t help but mutter those words in a faint voice.

"No, it's not Ganimard..."

As if on cue, before Lupin and Adler could even react, a girl in a familiar police uniform appeared before them out of nowhere.

"... It’s Lestrade."

"Ah."

A flashing light followed the next second, causing Lupin to lose her balance.

"Ugh..."

"Did you think you could wreak havoc twice in London and still be safe?"

Having struck the thief’s head with her baton already, Lestrade elegantly shifted her frame and took hold of Lupin by the scruff, thus kickstarting their descent straight to the ground.

"Why isn’t my magic working all of a sudden..."

"Anyone who comes into contact with me regains normalcy."

"What...?"

“Even the world-renowned phantom thief is no exception.”

Hearing the angered policewoman’s reply, a hazy look flashed in Lupin’s eyes.

"Both Ganimard and you, how can ordinary people untouched by mana be so strong...?"

"... It’s due to the application of medieval European and Chinese martial arts. Sword energy and internal qi are innate abilities and don’t disappear even if I touch them, that’s why I will never lose my powers whereas any magical beings are powerless before me.”

"Aha... I’m learning something new today..."

For a moment, she struggled in Lestrade’s grasp to free herself. Soon, however, she realized that escape was out of the equation now and began whispering in a subdued voice.

"But if you slam me into the ground like this, your lover will die too, won’t he?"

"... Ah, that's alright."

At that moment, Lestrade shot a frigid glare toward Adler before responding in a similar subdued tone.

"He's not my lover anymore."

"... Ah."

At those words, Adler hid his face in the confines of Lupin’s bosom and, peeking through the gap of the buttons of her shirt, looked at the expressionless policewoman with a blank gaze.

"We're screwed."

At that moment, Lupin closed her eyes in resignation, admitting her defeat.

- Booooooooooooooooom!!!

The speed of her fall, paired with the strength with which Lestrade hurled all of them towards the ground, sent the great thief crashing into the pavement with tremendous force.

"... Ahh."

Thanks to that, a cloud – much larger than when Ganimard fell to the ground –stirred up around the area of impact, making Lestrade gasp for air while rolling on the ground.

"... Huh?"

Surprisingly, just before Lupin hit the ground, Lestrade had pulled Adler out of her confines and took him in her embrace.

"M, Miss Lestrade...?"

"... Koff, kofff." ¹

"Why?"

Fully expecting to recover for hours from his body shattering due to the impact, Adler was left shocked at Lestrade’s last-second action. Thus, he could only ask with a shocked expression, as Lestrade – after coughing out blood due to shouldering the full brunt of the impact in his stead – avoided his gaze and replied in a faint voice,

"… Because I love you."

The moment the words left her lips, she started dusting off her clothes before standing up on her feet.

"Although we’re not a couple with budding romance going on for us any longer.”

"........"

At her frigid tone laden with unquestionable disappointment, Adler was left with no choice but to lower his gaze in silence.

"Why are you making such a sad face? It almost feels nonsensical when the great Isaac Adler makes such an expression."

"Miss Lestrade..."

"Just die already."

Delivering those words, Lestrade started walking away, leaving Adler behind.

"Are you still conscious?"

"Guh..."

"Well, at least, you're alive. Lucky for me then, a few pages of report will suffice to put this incident to rest.”

A dispassionate tone echoed out as she muttered, looking down at Lupin who was in tatters from the fall with an indifferent gaze.

"The inspector... w-will arrest…"

"I remember telling you to stop!"

"... Ugh."

On the other hand, Ganimard approached Lupin with staggering steps and promptly cuffed her hands.

"You'll be extradited to France just like this. Don't even dream of escaping. Dozens of mana users have been hired just to prevent your breakout..."

"... A, And half of those will be my men in disguise."

"Heh! Spare me your foolish jokes already!"

As the French Policewoman dragged Lupin – on the verge of fainting already – away from the scene, Adler – looking at the scene with a blank gaze while sitting on the ground – began muttering in a stunned voice.

"Ah, the kidnapping quest is still not finished...?"

"If you don't want to end up like that woman, it's best not to move a step."

"Yes, madam."

However, he immediately shut his mouth at Lestrade's chilling remark.

"Then, slowly follow me from behind."

"... You just ordered me to not move."

"You need to be interrogated as a witness in this case."

"I'm a bit busy right n..."

"Failure to attend the interrogating will lead to a high likelihood of you being considered as an accomplice, Mr. Adler.”

Lestrade’s emphasis on the words Mr. Adler made him sigh, prompting him to follow the policewoman to wherever she was taking him.

"Over there!"

"Lestrade! Look over here!!"

"We request an explanation!!"

".......?"

All of a sudden, a crowd with mana-stone-embedded cameras started pouring towards where Lestrade and Adler were located from across the street right at that moment.

"Oh… so it’s you guys, huh?"

Lestrade, who had already assumed a defensive stance with a vigilant gaze, soon realized that the sudden influx of people were actually the reporters who had been following her around since the announcement of her relationship with Adler; her brows knitted, she spoke to the unwelcomed crowd with a voice dripping with undisguised annoyance.

"I clearly told you not to cross the line time and again. I am on official duty now, so if you guys interfere, I will arrest..."

"Is the statement you made on the front page of Strand Magazine true?"

However, at the sudden question of the reporter who had gotten closest to her, Lestrade was forced to pause and tilt her head in confusion.

"What statement did I issue?"

"The declaration of your marriage to Isaac Adler!"

At the reply, both Isaac Adler and Gia Lestrade froze simultaneously.

"We've even received a response from the town hall that your marriage registration has been completed!"

"".........""

"We are curious about the reason that prompted this quick decision since both of you started dating merely two months prior, not to mention the fact that the marriage partner is a notorious figure surrounded by a considerable amount of negative rumours and controversy...!"

Yet, ignoring their reaction, a reporter continued to press on with an animated tone.

"... Adler."

A blank gaze was all Lestrade was able to give to the reporters who were eagerly waiting for an answer. In the end, she subtly turned towards Adler and began to whisper in a faint voice.

"Was this... your plan all along?"

".....???"

Adler, of course, was only able to direct a clueless look toward her at the seemingly nonsensical question.

"You had already chosen me among the three and just wanted to see my surprised face in front of everyone, didn't you?"

Quietly avoiding Adler’s gaze, her head bowed, Lestrade’s mind was already jam-packed with all sorts of irrational conjectures and nonsensical fantasies.

"Then, what should I do about the declaration I made just then?"

- Click, click...!!!

"... Well, he is indeed no longer my lover now. So I guess it doesn't matter anymore..."

As she whispered those words to Adler in a shrinking voice, her face flushed red, that particular scene went on to become the front page of every single newspaper in London that fateful day.

.

.

.

.

.

In the heated atmosphere that had engulfed the entirety of London, there was one person who had not quite adapted to the earthshaking change that had taken over the city.

"... Huh?"

That person was none other than Professor Jane Moriarty, who had provided Ganimard and Lestrade with Lupin's escape route, pursued the inspector duo with a leisurely gate, and had now appeared at the scene to retrieve Adler.

"Having a dragon as a vault keeper is a bit too much, even for someone like me, you see."

"..."

"So, to get a bit of revenge for the last incident, I swapped the marriage certificate halfway through."

The overwhelmed professor then heard the chuckling whispers leaking out of Lupin’s mouth, directed towards her, when she passed her by while being dragged by Inspector Ganimard.

"Don't resist, just come along nicely!"

"... Sorry about that, Miss Crime Consultant."

Her words concluded, she disappeared along with Ganimard into the bustling crowd, leaving a professor with all the light in her eyes fading into nothingness.

"Inferior vermin..."

That was the spark, the instant when dark clouds started covering the skies all over London— clouds that would not retreat for months on end.

1. This is the SFX for coughing basically