47 – The reunion with the teacher was the worst (2)
In a large lecture room, nearly a hundred students were sitting in silence, befitting the scale of the place.
The gathered people were diverse. Although it was a general course with a simple name, ‘Introductory Mathematics’, not just mathematics department students or newly enrolled freshmen, but also the school’s seniors, and female students including Sherlock Holmes were scattered around.
The silence of the lecture room, of course, was caused due to Sherlock, but she lightly ignored it and merely checked the clock repeatedly, waiting only for Professor Moriarty.
She easily ignored some of them looking at her as if they were spellbound by her. However, the fact that Professor Moriarty was attracting so much attention made her feel a little upset for some unknown reason.
Despite Sherlock’s feelings, though, Professor Moriarty’s lecture itself was bound to be popular within the university.
First of all, he was one of the youngest professors in the university, just entering his thirties, not actively participating in school activities, but not isolated either, so naturally he was popular among the seniors who knew a bit about the school situation.
Of course, his reputation as a widely known scholar played a part. Some of them regarded his mathematical talent as genius, which had been quite famous in Britain’s social circles recently.
In particular, the paper on asteroid dynamics by Professor Moriarty announced recently contributed greatly to enhance his reputation once again across Europe, and there were rumors that the military was consulting him for reasons related to ballistics.
Of course, the interest in an individual named James Moriarty also played a part. James Moriarty, who has a reputation as a successful investor aside from being a professor, has a high reputation that is not fitting for his age in the social circles of London.
So, those who were there mostly for the sake of making some connections rather than being genuinely interested in mathematics or his scholarly abilities occupied the most of the place.
Of course, there were also those who were like the few silly schoolgirls sitting near Sherlock, who came because they were interested in the handsome Moriarty.
Naturally, Sherlock didn’t like these idiots at all.
Although the lecture time was not yet due, most of the enrolled students had already secured their seats and were waiting for the professor.
They had a fortunate advice from their seniors that it was better to take a seat at least 10 minutes before the class to attend Professor Moriarty’s lectures.
And about 10 minutes before the class, the gathered people could understand the reason.
Someone coming in to call early attendance was not unusual, so it was not surprising. However, they couldn’t help but be surprised because the person who came in was not a mere teaching assistant.
Instead of a teaching assistant, it was a young maid. She was wearing a normal maid’s uniform, holding papers in her hand like a secretary, standing on the stage where the professor should be, and briefly looking around.
Students couldn’t help but be surprised for two reasons.
The first was her beauty. The young maid, seemingly their age, was a very beautiful woman. Some students couldn’t help but be surprised by the appearance of the beautiful maid, who could match the fairy sitting beside them.
Contrasting with black-haired Sherlock, the maid had her long blonde hair neatly braided and put up.
The second was due to the existence of wolf’s ears sticking out from her head and the tail moving behind her. Those who were knowledgeable would know that she was a being that had taken wolfman’s blood.
However, although most of them couldn’t hide their surprise as they prided themselves as educated, they didn’t openly reveal it.
“It’s Mrs. Moriarty.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, someone whispered to someone else from behind.
Upon hearing this, Sherlock instinctively opened her eyes wide and had to turn her head towards the sound.
She couldn’t even notice the maid’s gaze for a moment. Why did she react with such surprise?
But observation was crucial first. The speaker was one of the seniors, whispering to a fellow freshman beneath her.
Fortunately, Sherlock’s misunderstanding was soon resolved.
“Everybody casually calls her that. She’s Professor Moriarty’s maid who always follows him around for assistance. I heard she’s a distant relative, and he had employed her ever since she was young. She’s another showpiece of our college.”
“I see―”
“Shush, attendance is being taken.”
As she had said, the woman, said to be Professor Moriarty’s maid, started calling out and checking attendance one by one, so Sherlock had to concentrate on it for a while.
Of course, her eyes were keenly observing the other party. Moriarty, if he’s that man’s confidant, she had no choice but to keep an eye on her.
She tried to quickly organize her thoughts while gathering information through observation.
Could it be because she’s the confidant of that villain? Even though she had just met her, she was a woman who didn’t appeal to her emotions, which was unlike her usual self, and she found no likable qualities in her.
From her hands and standing posture alone, she knew she was a woman who had been trained for a long time. As a being who was born not quite a werewolf, she was surely weaker than a werewolf but much stronger than any ordinary man.
But she did not like her.
She handles firearms quite often. Does she have a hunting hobby? No, it’s not certain.
She also has a vulgar physique, perhaps due to the taste of a rough villain.
She really did not like her.
Her height is 5 feet 9 inches (about 175cm), 2 inches taller than herself.
Of course, Holmes, she also has gone through many changes as compared to 10 years ago, possessing a beauty that anyone could fall for and a sensuous physique, although not quite as much as that vulgar werewolf. But she couldn’t bring herself to think that far.
Desperately trying to keep her composure, unknowingly biting her lips, Sherlock continued to organize her thoughts. Because whenever she thought of confronting that man and villain, she ended up getting emotional.
As a detective, she had to be careful. She had to bring down that man, and prove he was a villain.
‘I was ruined because of you……’
But while she was organizing her thoughts, she wasn’t entirely caught up in it. After a while, the vulgar werewolf, whom she disliked, called her name.
“…Holmes, Sherlock.”
“…Yes.”
Most of those present did not notice, but for a moment, the eyes of the bluishly lit beast and the burning red fae stared at each other as if challenging.
At least Sherlock was certain.
Surely, there was no way that man had forgotten her. Of course, even his confidants were paying attention to her in such a way!
Thinking so, she unknowingly started to smile and had to hide her mouth as if wiping her lips with her hand.
From noble mtl dot com
But when she turned her gaze back to the wolf, it seemed like the previous gaze was a mirage. She no longer even looked at her.
And when the appointed time came, Professor James Moriarty, whom she’d been waiting for, finally appeared. She overheard a few female students admiring his looks, but Sherlock didn’t care.
She observed him intensely as he stood at the podium and couldn’t help but feel a moment of disappointment.
It was strange. It wasn’t right. Something went wrong.
While Sherlock desired to keep her cool and lead a life devoid of emotions, she found herself desperately denying what she could see and was thrown into disarray.
10 years ago, the teacher she had parted with was right in front of her. Of course, the lapse of 10 years had brought changes not just to her but to him as well, but it was the same Moriarty teacher she always dreamt of and confronted in her hallucinations.
But it was strange.
Sherlock herself had contradictory thoughts about him.
At least, she did not want him to feel guilty for scheming with her parents to kill them and live an insignificant life for the past 10 years.
If he was such an insignificant man, it would only prove that she wasted her time over the past 10 years. As she had imagined and expected, and more importantly, as she had deduced, he had to be a villain ruling the underworld of London.
He had to be a worthy opponent she needed to confront as a detective.
At the same time, unlike her ruined self, she did not want him to live happily. Hence, she might have thought negatively when she saw his maid. She wished he had broken down over the past 10 years while constantly thinking about her.
However, the Moriarty teacher, the Moriarty professor she reunited with after 10 years, was neither.
He often enjoys hunting. He enjoys cricket matches. Frequent drinking and smoking.
Lack of exercise. If faced, she could take him down in 3 seconds.
Suffering mild arthritis,
His height is the same as 10 years ago, 6 feet 1 inch (about 185cm).
But was that all?
It wasn’t right. Even though he didn’t even glance at her and was unable to recognize her with just one look, somehow it was tolerable.
But no matter how much she observed and inferred, he was just a thirty-something professor, like any other she could find anywhere.
Of course, if she thought about it deeply, it could have changed, but at that moment, the bewildered Sherlock had no choice but to act emotionally.
She subtly shifted her gaze towards the seniors, who were loudly blabbering just a moment ago, to check if her judgment had been wrong.
Having a hobby for crossdressing.
She had contracted syphilis.
There were no issues. Then, the Professor Moriarty before her, the villain of England who was supposed to reunite after 10 years, the Napoleon of crime, indeed was nothing more than an insignificant person.
No.
Sherlock immediately denied it.
Indeed he was a villain, a villain that I acknowledge, a villain that I should spend my life hunting down.
He was clearly tricking me, I won’t be fooled by you.
Even so, Sherlock could do nothing but observe Professor Moriarty, who had begun his lecture, without focusing on the lecture. Needless to say, the lecture time passed quickly.
Professor Moriarty, who had finished his lecture, stated that he does not take questions on his first day, and then stepped outside with his maid.
But Sherlock had to swiftly follow him.
Walking down the corridor to likely return to his office, Sherlock yelled from behind him.
“Professor Moriarty!”
His maid tried to stop her. But before she could, Professor Moriarty turned around and faced her with a friendly smile.
“I said I won’t take questions today … well, it’s not proper to refuse a lady, what are you curious about, student?
“Sherlock Holmes; it’s Sherlock Holmes, Professor Moriarty.”
“Ah … Yes, Miss Holmes. And pardon me, but please call me sir since I am a professor.”
This couldn’t be happening.
It was a truly villainous act. Unlike her, the man before her was greeting her like an ordinary man, as if he was seeing her for the first time, or as if he didn’t remember her at all.
Her mind wasn’t working properly. She simply had to stammer back in her trembling voice.
“Do you, by any chance, not remember me?”
“Have we met before? Wait a moment, Holmes … ah! ah… you are perhaps the younger sister of Mycroft Holmes?”
“Yes, yes… that’s right. Pardon me, I just wanted to say hello as it’s been a long time since we met.”
“I see, I understand, Miss Holmes. Anytime, come visit my office, how is Mycroft doing?”
She wanted to regain her rationality and yell at him to stop pretending. However, she couldn’t help but remember the words spat out by his illusion when she was drugged.
What if he really had forgotten her?
No, what if everything was a delusion or a false memory from her childhood? What if it was a hallucination from being drugged?
All kinds of dark assumptions seemed to crawl over her like bugs.
She had no choice but to back off, answering mechanically and fleeing. Needless to say, her reunion with Professor Moriarty was the worst.
