119 – Turning the Table Over (4)
Of course, Holmes did not choose a card right away. Instead, he just glared at Moriarty in silence, just as he had when he came here.
If he could kill people with just his gaze, Holmes would have become the world’s most horrific serial killer.
If anyone had been singled out as the target of that gaze, no matter how brave he was, he would have instinctively recoiled, feeling a threat to his survival. If Watson had been next to Holmes right now, even though the gaze was not directed at him, it was clear that he would have trembled as if he had confirmed that his bets on reverse odds had been defeated one after another.
In that respect, it was clear that Moriarty, who did not lose his smile even when the fairy glared at him as if he would destroy him at any moment, possessed superhuman mental power in some sense.
Seeing that scene, Holmes couldn’t help but smile bitterly inwardly without realizing it. Isn’t there truly a gap between the body and the spirit?
The man in front of me right now was a man who could easily take his own life if he wanted to.
James Moriarty was handsome enough to often be called sarcastic by strangers, but at the same time, he was close to being physically weak, like a sickly master. Although he was taller than average, he was thin and lived like a typical closet scholar, so he was not very athletic.
If it weren’t for the nagging control of Moran, who took care of him, he would have been even weaker because even his eating habits were irregular.
But at the same time, the man in front of him was the Napoleon of the criminal world, the king who created a criminal kingdom waiting for himself alone.
How can I destroy that superhuman mental power?
For a moment, Holmes had that thought. He surprised himself, as it was a half-impulsive thought, but then he took the trouble to make an excuse to himself.
My goal was to fall into hell with that man and suffer together with him, and I knew from the terrible memories of the last time that even death could not be a punishment for him, so I had to find another way.
Holmes, certain that it had something to do with breaking Moriarty’s spirit, opened his mouth to face his teacher, who was smiling as coldly as a glacier.
“I…” I’m not here to play games, sir. “I came to make a deal with you.”
“Let’s talk.”
Moriarty spoke briefly. Then, while smiling bitterly, Holmes took out some documents from the briefcase he had brought with him and laid them down on the table like the head of a diplomatic mission.
Moriarty did not even move a muscle during this, and was just taking in all of these sights with his eyes as if he was enjoying them.
Holmes did not like that sight. It wasn’t bad that the man was focusing on him, but he didn’t want people to look at him like a spectacle.
Since there was no response from the other party, Holmes sighed softly and sarcastically said.
“By the way, you’re not even hiding it anymore, are you, teacher? Considering what you’ve said so far, I assume you’re admitting that it was you who kidnapped Sherringford Holmes?”
“No matter what you say, it doesn’t mean anything. Isn’t that right, Holmes? Unless proven, no matter how plausible the hypothesis is, it is nothing more than a meaningless proposition. So many people hate math, but isn’t that the fun of math? It won’t matter what I say here and now. Even if I say I’m going to assassinate Buckingham’s widow right now, or admit that I’m the person responsible for kidnapping Sherringford Holmes or the president of a suicide club, or even if I say that I’m actually the crown prince’s secret illegitimate son, there’s no point in distinguishing between truth and lies. . “Because I can’t prove it.”
“… But for now, you’ll have to be a little more careful.”
Meanwhile, Holmes continued speaking, tapping the documents on the table with his fingers as if showing off to the still arrogant man.
“Anthony Tidkin. Was he called the Leisure Reaction Man? It’s a really cliché nickname, but he was a man who really lived up to that nickname, Mr. Moriarty. “It was one of your limbs, right?”
“It was actually good for me to be able to take care of it this time. “Keep going.”
“You know what documents I brought, and their meaning. Of course, it’s not evidence that can reveal everything. But at least it’s such trivial evidence that someone might be suspicious of your relationship with Tidkin. Luckily for you, I’m the only one who knows this, and it’s all that’s here right now. So make a deal.”
“In order to make a deal, you have to have something you can give and something you want, Holmes. “My student always omits important things.”
Holmes could barely resist the urge to bite his lip without realizing it. Even in the face of evidence that could be dangerous to him, the man remained calm as if he had not heard anything.
Therefore, he had to remain calm. He had to pretend like nothing was wrong.
Ironically, Holmes was surprised by Sherringford Holmes as a family when he heard that his brother had been kidnapped, but at the same time he was able to realize that he did not have many memorable memories with his older brother.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t love his brother Scheringford as a family member and as his sister.
No, on the contrary, it was a great thing to even be able to pretend to be calm right now.
Among the three siblings of the Holmes family, Sherringford Holmes was actually the most alien. Of course, this was only from the perspective of Mycroft and Sherlock themselves, and from the perspective of ordinary people, Sherringford was still the most ordinary of the three Holmes siblings, each of whom had their own unique aspects.
Therefore, since childhood, Sherlock mainly talked and played with his brother Mycroft, but he did not really have any great memories with his Sherringford brother. Of course, considering the age difference between the two, it wasn’t such a strange reason.
But at the same time, because Sherlock had an ordinary older brother, Sherlock played his role as the head of the family after his parents died because of Sherlock, so Sherlock himself was not ruined.
Despite the tragedy of their parents, the fact that the three siblings, Mycroft and Sherlock to be precise, were able to grow up until adulthood was largely due to the power of Sherringford, who had just become an adult and faithfully performed his duties as the head of the family.
No one could deny that.
When Holmes heard the news about Sherringford, the first thing that came to mind was the moment of that terrible day about 10 years ago.
This time, it was because of me.
Of course, unlike his parents, Holmes was able to think as rationally as possible while maintaining his sense of reason. Because the person to blame for this was not him, but James Moriarty.
Nevertheless, even at the moment when Holmes was glaring at the person responsible, he could not help but feel guilty towards himself.
Did he really think he wouldn’t mess with his family? Or, was he so absorbed in ‘playing’ with his teacher that he didn’t have time to think about such things?
When he heard that Mycroft had been attacked, he already felt it and acted complacently.
So this time, the tragedy of 10 years ago could not be repeated. Whatever it takes.
“Release Sherringford safely and intact. And disband the suicide club and never open it again.”
The addition of the latter was due to the whisperings of conscience still alive in Holmes’s own heart. The reason he took Tidkin’s documents, which might serve as evidence in the first place, was for the sake of the negotiations.
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Of course, from a macroscopic perspective, it was reasonable to share that evidence with Mycroft and use it as the cornerstone of a grand plan to bring down James Moriarty. However, unlike Moriarty, Holmes was a good man, and yet he could not ignore the innocent deaths of those who would be sacrificed in the endless suicide club.
Moriarty unconsciously raised his eyebrows at the terms of negotiation added by Holmes. Indeed, he was a model of a good detective who was the counterpart of a villain. Of course, the young student in front of me still had a long way to go before he could be considered a detective.
But Moriarty opened his mouth as if to sneer.
“I guess that’s okay. Do you think that things like that will break me down? That can’t be a condition of negotiation, so what do you do? Holmes, you have to save your brother, right? Let’s choose a card and leave it to luck.”
Holmes finally couldn’t stand Moriarty’s calm words and bit his lip and let out a cry.
“You…” To you, this is all just play, right? Yes?”
The villain snorts at the detective’s interrogation.
“Then, isn’t it obvious? How could we live in a boring world without something fun like this, right? “Holmes, you can understand a little bit.”
“…… You are a brat. “A selfish brat who behaves as he pleases.”
“Well, I won’t deny it. But this is fun, how can you do it, right? Just as you find pleasure in solving riddles, I create riddles and make you want to solve them… Yeah, I enjoy teasing you a lot. Give me one minute. “If you don’t draw a card, you will get your eldest brother back according to the number on the card, Holmes.”
Then, Moriarty secretly took out the pocket watch from her arms and turned away from Holmes, fixating her eyes only on it.
However, Moriarty, with a faint smile on her lips, looked excited, as if he could hum her song at any moment.
Still glaring at him, Holmes let out a short, deep sigh. Then, slowly, Moriarty took out her ready-made pistol from her arms as if to show off.
Seeing this, Moriarty sighed softly as if he was disappointed for the first time.
“Oh, please…” ! That’s not what you thought, right? Do you think threatening me now will make a difference, Holmes? Why don’t you shoot it, right here, in the middle of the forehead……. “What are you doing now?”
“I’m doing it the way I treat a brat, I wouldn’t have expected it to be done in a way that you really wouldn’t like.”
For the first time, seeing Mr. Moriarty’s expression shake for a moment, Holmes answered with a sincerely happy smile.
She felt the cold muzzle of a gun pointed at her own temple. If he had applied just the slightest pressure to the trigger, he could have killed himself, but even so, Holmes smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling.
