155 – Barney, Vampire (2)
“Watson, you forget common sense when you need it, and rely too much on it when you don’t really need it.”
“…… “It’s not enough to forget that it’s common sense not to wear pants.”
Watson rolled his eyes for a moment and grumbled at his friend’s usual reaction. It was an action that was uncharacteristic of Watson, and was truly contrary to the common sense that Holmes demands from Watson.
Of course, as if he was still half-tied, Watson covered his mouth with his hand after spitting out. At the same time, he subtly covered his chest with his other hand.
He was afraid that Holmes, who was grumbling again, would stab him with his finger. Unfortunately, Watson had already imprinted some of Holmes’ actions on his body.
But Holmes seemed to like Watson, and smiled slightly.
“Ha, that’s an un-Watson-like answer. Yeah, not bad. Of course, it would be better to use that tongue on our enemy, not on me.”
“Hmm, so? Cow… “Honestly, Holmes, I don’t understand what you’re saying. When are you going to explain it to me?”
“Walk for a moment, Watson.”
His friend, as usual, seemed to enjoy answering these riddles and did not answer right away. Instead, he began to walk ahead, gently waving his cane like a gentleman.
Watson had no choice but to follow his friend while sighing. He didn’t ask where he was headed. Holmes had some bad habits. At least Watson thought so.
Poking his own body with his fingers, or mocking Watson by overly lowly evaluating his own intelligence, or always doing things first without a proper explanation, these are some of the shortcomings that make him difficult to be friends with. That was all.
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But Watson thought to himself and waited for his friend’s answer.
Except for people like himself, Holmes would definitely have no friends. Therefore, he had to remain a friend, even if it was just him.
Of course, Watson himself was not without any benefit from this friendship. It may not be right to weigh the pros and cons of friendship, but at least Watson had fun with his friend.
Actually, although Holmes didn’t show it, it wasn’t much different. Of course, it was a different kind of pleasure than Watson.
Watson could see that they were heading towards the Thames River. I could already feel the stench of the Thames, which snakes its way through the center of London.
Watson had to unconsciously take out his handkerchief and cover his nose. Although it was a river that was a symbol of London, many Londoners unknowingly stayed away from this river.
It was simple. The river had already been polluted decades ago thanks to numerous factories. In fact, old people used to say that the Thames has become cleaner these days, but to people like Watson who had never experienced it, it was just a dirty river.
Of course, despite that, there were quite a few people on the riverside, going to the nearby bridge and looking down.
Some people took a rest near the river because they had become accustomed to the bad smell. Or, there were poor people who tried to catch eels living in the river to make a living.
It was a scenery with nothing unusual. It was part of everyday life, and a peaceful sight. Holmes looked down at the bridge in silence and took in the sight for a moment, while Watson stood next to him and watched him.
“Although torso corpses have been discovered one after another, it is a peaceful sight. Isn’t that right, Watson?”
“… Because everyone has to live. More than anything…… “Maybe it’s because he doesn’t think it’s his job yet?”
“That’s an unusually sharp point from Watson.”
Holmes nodded his head slightly.
It was not a wrong expression. Although the torso corpses were attracting the attention of many people, including Londoners, it was safe to say that there was no fear so far.
All of the torsos discovered so far were those that had gone missing a long time ago. Naturally, from the perspective of those watching this, it was not something that could happen to them right away.
“You know because we did the autopsy, Watson. “The criminal drained all the blood from the bodies as if he was trying to ‘butcher’ them.”
“… Huh. “Do you really think it has something to do with a vampire we don’t even know exists?”
“First of all, Watson, you are still bound by common sense. “Vampires still exist in London, albeit in small numbers.”
“… What?”
“Watson, it’s not surprising that you don’t know. “It’s not a widely known story to begin with.”
Holmes, how on earth do you know that? A question rose up in Watson’s throat for a moment, but he could barely keep it from spitting out.
If you think about it, your friend sometimes had amazing knowledge.
However, the fact that vampires were still alive was surprising in itself. Even now, legends about them and sometimes eyewitness accounts of them exist here and there in Europe, like ghost stories, but the accepted opinion is that they no longer exist.
Just as the fairies of old no longer exist, people believed that beings that had difficulty coexisting with humans had finally disappeared, and it seemed plausible.
“Well, given that they suck human blood, they are definitely difficult to coexist with. So, in order to survive, they have learned to survive by doing as little as possible.”
“You mean to drink animal blood instead of human blood?”
“Maybe. I haven’t met them in person, so I don’t know the details. However, human blood is still the most valuable food to them. To the point where we do deals in secret.”
“… Does this mean that the culprit in this case sold the blood?”
“Maybe. Of course, there is a possibility that he disguised himself to look like a devil worshiper. Did you see it too? He’s a wizard who uses strange magic. You could be so mistaken. Well, it’s very unlikely, but he may actually have succeeded in summoning the demon that people are talking about, but miracles should be ruled out for now.”
Watson nodded his head in agreement with Holmes’ words.
Vampires and fairies did exist in the past, but the stories of self-proclaimed devil worshipers calling on the devil or other beings were mostly lies or illusions.
However, Watson felt his heart beating faster at the thought that he might encounter a vampire. He opened his mouth, trying hard to hide his excitement.
“That… Well then… “Are you going to meet a vampire?”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Watson, but you have to find it first. I know there are some survivors in London, but I don’t know their location. “Even Mycroft doesn’t know about this.”
“Ah… ….”
“Well, I left it there for a while because I didn’t need to look for it, so it’s not that difficult. Long time…… “Baker will have to use the commando team.”
“Baker is a commando?”
“Watson, you know. “Wiggins and the kids.”
Holmes then turned around as if there was nothing more to see and caught an empty carriage crossing the bridge. Watson could tell from what Holmes was saying to the coachman that they were heading to Baker Street for the first time in a while.
Because it was quite a distance away, I naturally had some free time.
His friend took advantage of that time and opened his mouth as usual, boasting about his knowledge.
“All the vampires in England are family, Watson. At least, unless there are new people from abroad, it is ‘family’.”
“… “You say you don’t even know the location, but you know it in great detail, Holmes?”
“Are you being sarcastic? Since it originated from a famous vampire, everyone knows about it. Watson, have you ever heard of that name? Sir Barney. “He is the common ancestor of British vampires.”
“Ah! That… “Is that the Lord Barney I know?”
Holmes nodded his head, and Watson could not help but be momentarily shocked by the unexpected truth behind it.
A long time ago, not a very long time ago, Watson’s grandmother and grandfather were famous nobles and nobles when they were young.
He was a famous aristocrat of his time, a traveler, and a famous figure in British society who snooped around for various things, but strangely, he was also famous for dying on Mount Vesuvius in Italy.
The death was so bizarre that even Watson today, decades later, would know the name.
Of course, as he was wealthy like an aristocrat, he made donations here and there, so there was a library or building built with his donations at Watson’s medical school.
“Because he was a vampire. Well, if this became known, it would be a scandal in its own way, and there were many British politicians and people involved at the time, so everyone hid it. Still, it’s almost like an open secret because even during his lifetime, there was a conspiracy that called him a vampire. Oh, of course he’s dead. It was definitely a suicide. Isn’t it amazing, Watson? “It is a terrible thing for even a vampire who has lived for hundreds of years to live to the point of giving up on life.”
“…… It’s amazing. Then, all we have to do is find people related to Lord Barney?”
“It was decades ago, but of course everyone would have changed their identities appropriately, Watson. Still, it’s not that difficult. Often, people who are falsely accused of being vampires are actually vampires, including Lord Barney. There must be one or two people in London who have heard these rumors. And our special forces are more familiar with street rumors than anyone else, and they are valuable resources that can go anywhere.”
When Baker arrived at Mrs. Hudson’s home and saw her for the first time in a long time, Watson had to feel a little guilty.
Mrs. Hudson was shocked by the appearance of Holmes, but behaved like a slave to her master.
