109 – Again, the adventure of the empty house (3)
Holmes nodded his head in agreement with the opinion of Sir Alan Quartermaine, an experienced hunter. Of course, it was somewhat difficult even for her to read the meaning contained in the gaze of the hunter who seemed to be observing her.
From noble mtl dot com
Without saying a word in response to her, the hunter smoked her opium pipe, and her opium-intoxicated, hazy gaze lingered on her for a moment, but soon her body began to tremble and the hunter’s opium began to circulate around her body. Started to get drunk slowly.
However, Holmes knew well that the person in front of her was no longer just a drug addict drunk on opium. Unlike an ordinary opium dealer in an opium den, the old man’s empty hands were ready to grab a gun at any time, and even his eyes, which seemed hazy at first glance, were hiding his true eyes like well-tempered blades.
Did she make a mistake because she was still immature?
Holmes was half positive and half negative. She wasn’t making any excuses. Because she had a cool head, and because she was cool-headed, she could understand everything.
Unlike usual, she was caught in a bit of prejudice and was clearly lacking in the fact that she could not see the whole truth properly.
However, the skilled hunter in front of him was someone who succeeded in deceiving even some of Mycroft Holmes’s observations.
This could not simply be called a lack of ability. No, rather, only the recognition of the hunter’s abilities was closer to seeing the truth more accurately.
The moment of silence was a time used by the hunter and detective to explore each other again. And the old man, who had returned from being an opium dealer to being a hunter, quietly took his mouth off his pipe and opened his mouth in a mocking manner.
“Hmph, that’s what I told you. Anyway, young people these days only look for tricks and don’t know how to respect the elderly. “Miss Holmes, this thing I’m smoking right now is not the opium sought after by opium addicts, but a drug obtained from African shamans—”
“I have no intention of backing down on the fact that what you are smoking is ordinary opium, Lord Quartermaine. Excuse me, but you are just an opium addict. “There’s no need to use Africa as an excuse.”
“Tch, damn it… …. Things these days, huh? There is no courtesy towards adults. If an adult does that, then yes, yes, that’s what it was like for me, huh!”
Holmes could admit that he had made a wrong judgment about Lord Quartermaine’s skills, but he knew that he was right about drugs.
No matter how many excuses the old man made, it was clear that the man in front of him was smoking ordinary opium.
As an expert, you cannot fool your senses.
Lord Quartermaine scratched his head and grumbled as if embarrassed, but he did not raise any further objections. The hunter finally acknowledged that he could not deceive the beautiful little lady in front of him, and began talking about the topic in earnest.
“It was a scary year. “It was only after the raid was over that I was able to take a good look at the surroundings, and the location of the sniper shot was surprising.”
“…… But I heard from Mycroft that Lord Quartermaine also fought back?”
“The attacker had the advantage, so we couldn’t hit him in the end. As far as I know, there are less than 5 people in Europe who can shoot from that distance. Including me, of course. The problem is that all the guys I know are guys and there are no girls.”
“…… As for the identity of the attacker…… “I can’t tell you because I don’t have any evidence, but there is still one person who has a guess.”
“I have nothing to do with the law, but isn’t that a useless inference, Miss Holmes?”
“Yes… …. Well, that’s right.”
Holmes readily admitted. Even if she revealed right now that Professor James Moriarty was a criminal and that his maid, Sebastian Moran, was a sniper following Moriarty’s orders, it would be impossible to prove anything.
No, if I did something like that, I would have been lucky if I didn’t get sued by Mr. Moriarty. Britain’s strict laws and juries will most likely determine that Holmes’s remarks were groundless defamation and impose a huge fine.
However, despite his crude tone, the hunter opened his mouth again as if he believed Holmes’s words themselves. Perhaps he, too, trusts the inexperienced detective in front of him with his sense as a hunter.
“Are you a werewolf?”
“It will be similar.”
“Of course! Judging from the fact that he was firing the Elephant Gun so quickly, he was no ordinary person. He might be a witch or a werewolf or something. Oh, even mixed-blood fairies are possible…… Since it smells like an animal, it must be a werewolf. That’s a really weird idea, isn’t it? Who would have thought of training those rough wolf cubs who only show off their strength to become riflemen?”
“…… “You have great intuition.”
“If you want to survive in the African jungle, you have no choice but to grow colds, even if you don’t want to.”
Holmes could not help but be purely amazed. Of course, she had good sense, and she knew many people who had great sense as well.
However, even for her, her senses were educated under the guidance of Teacher Moriarty, and in the case of Mycroft Holmes and James Moriarty, her senses were to some extent based on observation.
But the hunter was clearly different. He literally had a feeling that was close to that of an animal, to the point that one might have thought he belonged to a fortune teller.
Although he initially made the mistake of misjudging the old man, Holmes was a man capable of reflecting, and he could not help but seek advice about the future from the expert in front of him.
“I don’t know if you know, but the robbery of the Bank of England occurred a few months ago… …. “Do you remember?”
“Are you talking about the incident where the criminal committed suicide?”
“It was announced that way, but I was also there at the time to catch the criminal. And he was killed by a sniper right before our eyes.”
“…… “That means he’s the one who attacked us, no, he’s like a woman.”
“So, just in case, I would like to ask for your advice, Lord Quartermaine.”
Holmes then briefly talked about the situation at the time. A bullet suddenly flew in without a sound.
And things that are difficult to happen based on common sense, such as pistol bullets that are difficult to shoot from a long distance.
No matter how much knowledge he learned about firearms, there were bound to be limitations for Holmes, who was still a college student.
But it didn’t matter. Because humans were able to borrow the wisdom of the elderly.
And the old man who listened to Holmes lent his wisdom.
“… I don’t think it was the gun they used when they attacked us, because it was an ignorant elephant hunting gun. But if you’re not mistaken, it really is a strange weapon.”
“Do you have any guesses?”
“First of all, it’s an air rifle. You knew that, right?”
In response to the old man’s question, Holmes nodded slightly. Since it was an obvious fact to both sides, the old man continued speaking immediately.
“Holmes, you certainly seem smarter than other ignorant young people. Anyway, he’s Mycroft’s younger brother, so he’s probably similar. But maybe because I’m still young, I think I’m too prejudiced.”
“Prejudice, you mean?”
“There’s nothing to think about complicatedly. I put a pistol bullet into a rifle and fired it. Ah, I’m talking to you, but please listen to the end! Anyway, young people these days, huh? I’m impatient. Of course, it’s difficult with ordinary guns. However, if it’s a specially made one, it’s a different story.”
At the same time, Alan Quartermaine carefully stroked the beloved gun still held in his arms. Holmes, realizing the meaning, slowly opened his mouth.
“You know a craftsman who makes such things.”
“He’s the craftsman who made this guy too. He’s not widely known. Just like true craftsmen, he is someone only the best know and seek out. He’s pretty old there too. There’s a German friend named von Herder, and he’s blind. “Unless that friend has trained his own disciples, he is the only one in Europe who can make such fancy things.”
“… “It was a great reference.”
“But that’s not important now, is it? “Aren’t you planning on catching this wolf cub?”
Alan Quartermaine grinned, showing his teeth. Of course, due to his age, there were only black holes here and there where teeth should be, so the smile may have looked funny at first glance.
However, it was that of an experienced hunter waiting for his prey, and Holmes also slightly raised the corners of his mouth and nodded.
“Of course. “I already have a personal grudge against that guy.”
It wasn’t like my stomach twisted every time I saw that hairball guarding Mr. Moriarty’s side. After all, it was because that wolf cub had put Mycroft in danger.
Thinking so, Holmes opened his mouth again to Lord Quartermaine, who was holding his gun as if waiting for his instructions.
“I know a good place to hunt him. “An empty house and a suitable boarding house to attract those furballs.”
