120 – Turning the Table Over (5)
It was a moment of crisis. And it was a moment of gambling. It was literally a reckless gamble. The stake was his own life.
No, Holmes immediately admitted that he had miscalculated. The stake was not just his own life, but the extremely heavy weight of life, including those of his precious others.
And in this situation, I suddenly had a stupid thought. If I hadn’t gone through that tragic incident 10 years ago with the man in front of me, or if fate hadn’t put me in this vicious relationship, would that man have also been added to that weight?
Maybe.
Holmes thought.
Maybe even now.
The fairy’s instinct may have whispered that. Of course, Holmes couldn’t hear, and even if he did, he pretended not to know.
But at the same time, I couldn’t help but be quite disappointed, no, despair.
The inspiration for this gamble came from his own experience. He doesn’t know what feelings and desires he has. Holmes tried not to delve into it, thinking it wasn’t important.
Maybe it’s because of fear.
But what is clear is that at the moment when James Moriarty in front of him almost left his side forever at the hands of that Edward Hyde, Holmes had no choice but to despair more than anyone else. He could vaguely understand.
I need a teacher. We need a living teacher.
There is no particular reason. Because we must live, suffer, and atone together. That’s it. Because the only meaning left in my broken life is my teacher. In order to do that, that man has to live.
It was something I never wanted to experience again, but I was able to get inspiration from it. I didn’t want to think of myself as the same person as the man in front of me.
However, as a detective and someone who always pursues the right answer, I had to admit that there were many similarities.
You are no different from me. So you too.
Part of it was because he was convinced that this was the only way, but the other half was clearly pouting like a child, thinking that he couldn’t be the only one.
Holmes had to accept. The fight between himself and his teacher right now was literally a fight between children who never grew up. Although there was a lot of crime, blood, and death involved in that fight, the essence was not much different.
So, you too, feel the same emotion I felt.
Holmes thought so and wanted to enjoy the sight of James Moriarty clinging to him even a little.
Of course, I couldn’t be completely satisfied.
Mr. Moriarty’s eyes, which were looking at him a little despairingly, were different from his own back then.
At that time, I was in despair and felt like everything was literally falling apart. Because for him at the time, and for him now, the only thing he had was the man in front of him.
But that scandalous playboy dared to look right in front of him and turn a blind eye. Of course, I was satisfied because I was able to read the obsession towards myself in the eyes of a man who was angry at the meaning of his actions, but I also knew that his gaze was not only directed at himself.
Actually, it was a simple problem.
The current Holmes himself was an important ‘toy’ to James Moriarty, but like children, there were many toys and they were bound to be replaced at some point.
‘I only have you… ….’
But at the same time, Holmes did not forget his mission. Therefore, he took the initiative to put off that important issue and taunted Moriarty, who was slowly rising from his chair to attack him.
“You’d better not move, sir. “You don’t think you can overpower me with your weak movements, do you?”
“Holmes.”
“Uh huh, I’m telling you to stay still? He was a little excited, uncharacteristic of a teacher. But it’s pointless resistance, you know? Right now, I can knock the teacher to the floor in less than 5 seconds at most. So, you should have exercised regularly, so you can live a long life. “I guess once this is over, I’ll have to force myself to do some exercise.”
“Holmes!”
James Moriarty finally raised his voice and revealed a little of his emotions. Holmes may have been the first time he was like that to someone.
Moriarty was taken aback by the unexpected situation, and soon he could not help but become angry. He was a selfish person by nature, so he tolerated certain things he did to others, but was angry when he was treated that way.
More than anything, Moriarty was like a child, as Holmes put it, and his anger right now was like that of a child who has been hit back by something he considered his plaything and toy.
Of course, if you think rationally, nothing would have changed from a macro perspective even if Holmes had pulled the trigger. This end itself was predestined at some point, and unlike Holmes’ obsession with Moriarty, for Moriarty, Holmes was just a special beginning, and it was not entirely impossible to find a replacement.
But it shouldn’t have ended like this. Even though Holmes could not be his final target, it was Moriarty who had spent the last ten years running solely to play with that child in front of him.
It couldn’t end like this.
Of course, from the point of view of the game, it was no different from Moriarty’s own victory, so it was completely different from when Moriarty tried to take his own life.
Perhaps Holmes’ current attempts were no different from those of a child. It was unreasonable and annoying.
However, sometimes such attempts are more annoying and cause anger.
He chewed his lips without realizing it and Moriarty let out coldly. Of course, the tone of his voice was cool and rational as usual, but it contained a murderous spirit that seemed to strangle Holmes at any moment.
Of course, despite that, he did not move, like a person stuck in place. Unfortunately, there was nothing wrong with Holmes’ provocation.
With his own body, he could not possibly think of a way to defeat the disciple in front of him. Holmes generously declared 5 seconds, but he could also see that it was nothing more than a mockery pretending to honor his teacher.
From Moriarty’s perspective, the time he needed to subdue Holmes was three seconds at most until he was thrown to the floor and Holmes climbed on top of him and knocked him unconscious.
“… Ha, what a disappointment. So in the end, threatening with your life was all you had in mind?”
“At least I was like that. Therefore… You too, feel a little bit of that feeling. It’s just me, isn’t it? Are you really… What a terrible villain. “You’re the only one I have, and I mean that much to you right now.”
“Even though you know, you do something meaningless.”
“… But you can’t give up on me completely, can you?”
At the same time, Holmes applied very slight pressure to the trigger, as if provoking him. Moriarty let out a rare shout, gritting his teeth slightly without realizing it.
“Just pull! If you bust that stupid head, I’ll kill not only your big brother, but your little nephews and even Mycroft! No, Holmes! Yeah, why don’t you just pull the trigger right now? Are you mistaken that you mean that much to me? You’re just a wannabe detective who’s only a little smarter than those idiots! But how dare you threaten me like this!”
After shouting without realizing it, Moriarty caught his breath and fell silent. Of course, he still didn’t forget to glare at Holmes.
I had to force myself to pretend to be okay, saying things I didn’t even mean to say.
In fact, this was the same for Holmes. Strangely enough, every word of Master Moriarty broke her own heart like a dagger.
I had to believe that the villain was lying to torment me. It had to be a lie. Because there was no way he meant anything to the teacher.
It shouldn’t have been that way.
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Still, it was clearly Holmes who was able to maintain calm first in this situation.
“… Yeah, I’m not asking for much though. I’ll really risk my life. “Let’s be fair and decide with luck.”
“… “I already gave you a chance.”
“Ha, opportunity?”
At those words, Holmes still aimed his pistol at his head as if mocking him, and turned over the two cards on the table to check their faces.
Both cards were ace of clubs, meaning death row inmate. The meaning was clear. In the first place, Miss Moriarty had no intention of sparing her Sherringford brother. Everything she did was just a ploy to mock herself like she was her child.
I knew it from the beginning. She was also confident that her brother was still alive. So she can mock her for causing her brother’s death through her own choices.
Even when her deception was discovered, Moriarty calmly maintained her silence, and Holmes opened her mouth.
“There’s no way you like luck in the first place. It was easy to guess from the story of Duke Florizel. In the case of the duke, it may be for ridicule, but in the first place, this suicide club is just a tool for your execution and not a place where fair luck is exchanged. If you check the cards with only the two Aces of Spades prepared from the beginning, you can always clearly determine who will die just by changing the cards. Is not it?”
“… So?”
“I knew right away because it was me. Teacher, don’t you understand? I am you. So, stop doing unnecessary things and don’t think about cheating on other people. Just focus on yourself. “Don’t let Sherringford or anyone else come between us.”
Moriarty was silent again.
Holding his voice trembling, Holmes attempted to make a deal once again.
“So… …. Let’s just leave it to luck. Of course, take out two correct cards. If it’s the Ace of Spades, Sherringford and I die, and if it’s the Ace of Clubs, we both live. “It’s simple, right?”
At the same time, Holmes slightly shook the gun aimed at his head as if to provoke him. Moriarty’s eyebrows twitched at that sight, and Holmes could not hide his smile.
Finally, Moriarty spoke coldly again.
“You will regret it.”
Then, after showing Holmes that there was an ace of clubs and an ace of spades this time, two cards with only their backs visible were placed on the table again.
