piratefiction Chapter 177: Unexpected Favor
Chapter 177: Unexpected Favor
-British Proverb-
The moment we arrived at the safe house, Watson waddled through the Butler Agency agents and greeted me.
“Holmes! Did your conversation with the Lunar Society Lord go well?”
Since we were in a situation where we had to steal the Vermilion Phoenix’s egg, seeing Watson’s unsteady legs made me picture a chick.
“Of course. I heard all manner of valuable things. I only regret having had to send you ahead.”
“It’s all right. I’ll hear the details after the case is safely resolved. When I record your exploits, I can’t leave this out. Of course… I may need a little embellishment.”
“…That doesn’t seem like something to say in front of Butler Agency agents.”
“Ah— I nearly drew their ire without realizing it.”
She was quite optimistic, even though she had not yet checked the magazine’s reply.
Well, the very fact a reply had arrived was encouraging, so I could understand Watson’s feelings well enough.
“Oh. I delivered the memo you asked for. The Butler Agency agents ran off in a hurry.”
“That’s because one of the two is terribly busy.”
As for Yan, so long as you paid him, or if it involved the Worm Poison Immortal, the mortal enemy of those like his household and the Modern Clan who lived on Dead Men arts and then fell, he would come running anytime.
But Ulrich Zuckerberg was different.
By the nature of his work, he would travel often, and he would frequently return to Germany, where the Zuckerburg Family’s main house was.
He was the eldest son of a wealthy Kung-Fu noblesse that maintained its power through business, and the future patriarch.
Well, if London became ashes, Yan the Taker1 would be far busier than the Zuckerburg family’s First Young Master. He would have to recover and bury victims turned to charcoal.
If only to prevent an unintended reduction in the wealth gap, we had to resolve this case.
/
“You mean Young Master Ulrich? Why not summon him here…?”
“Watson, Ulrich Zuckerberg is German.”
“Ah…”
Watson asked as if puzzled, so I answered for Mycroft
“Even if someone is an interested party, the Butler Agency cannot easily reveal classified information such as the safe house’s location to a foreign Kung-Fuist.”
/
“Indeed. My thinking was shallow.”
Mycroft smiled as if trying to spare Watson’s embarrassment.
/
“When did you determine the Dragon Head’s location?”
/
“The Turntable? Ah, the one my master mentioned…”
I had heard it from my master.
That there existed a group Her Majesty had gathered to face national crisis, twelve of Britain’s greatest masters of the age, including Her Majesty herself.
I had also heard that my master, Phileas Fogg, was invited as a thirteenth member, but did not accept.
Of course, it did not seem he had no contact with the Knights of the Turntable at all.
Sir Newton had said he had been holding a letter of his, and the Head Professor Louise Carroll also seemed to know a thing or two about my master.
“I can’t understand what the two of you are talking about at all.”
Watson’s curiosity had been triggered, but none of us tried to resolve it.
It was a matter concerning a group not well known publicly, so I would have to explain it slowly later at the boarding house.
/
“Seems something urgent came up.”
/
“Don’t go grabbing the wrong person.”
/
The moment Mycroft finished speaking, a Super Junior with orange hair approached and dipped his head.
A Butler Agency agent I had seen in the carriage earlier.
The projectile user I had encountered at the Debutante Ball and Buckingham’s royal ball.
“You may call me M.”
The man looked as if he was exhausted to death, yet he maintained a polite tone to the end.
The mischievous smile he wore when called onto the platform at the Debutante Ball seemed to have been acting after all.
Or else, to monitor the Tsar and Irene Adler and control the situation, Mycroft had been working the Butler Agency agents mercilessly.
Perhaps it was both.
“For now, let us go. I will guide you to where Young Master Zuckerberg is.”
“I’ll be in your care.”
Watson and I left the safe house following M, with Mycroft seeing us off.
And the place where Ulrich Zuckerberg was waiting was our boarding house.
“…I thought you would find somewhere to avoid other eyes.”
“As I understand it, you already have a point of contact with Young Master Ulrich. If you meet here, it will look as if he stopped by to pay his respects.”
It didn’t seem wrong, so I didn’t argue.
In truth, Ulrich had said he was preparing a ‘groundbreaking gift’ as reward for resolving the Phantom Fist case, so once it was complete, he was going to come find me separately.
I did not like the Butler Agency’s way of trying to do everything in secrecy, but it was true that 221B Baker Street was the most natural place to meet Ulrich Zuckerberg.
“Then I will return this evening with the young master of the Yan Clan.”
M said that and drove off at once.
“Sir, you’re unusually busy today.”
I was about to go into the boarding house with Watson at once, but a young voice rose from around my waist, so I turned my head.
“…Wiggins?”
At some point, Wiggins had come close enough to be within arm’s reach, and I saw him lined up with the kids of the Homeless Clan.
Earlier, he had been beyond the carriage M drove, so I hadn’t noticed.
“Any work these days? It stings that you don’t come by much. You’re always with high-and-mighty folks. Did we do something rude or what?”
Was it because the bloodline was different, or because he learned Kung-Fu? Wiggins had changed into a face that would draw far more attention from adults and girls his age than when I met him in that other world, and he was grumbling up at me.
Like Mycroft, there were many figures in London Murim whose looks differed from that other world to a heaven-shaking degree, so at times my reactions came late.
It was because my memories from this world collided with my original memories, creating a sense of dissonance.
“You are greatly mistaken about something. What I discriminate between is cases, not people.”
If there was an interesting case, I was the sort of man who would lend an ear no matter who the other party was.
“Got it. So I just gotta bring you fun work, right?”
Even as he stuck his lips out like a duck and complained, his eyes curved into a smile.
“I know you and the doctor are busy, but sometimes play with us poor commoners too. Work’s good, but if you keep running around like that every day, your body won’t hold up. Take care of your health.”
“Don’t worry about me. London’s finest physician is right here.”
“You flatter me.”
Watson beside me smiled with a pleased expression.
“Oh. The Dragon Head and an elder passed by nearby and handed out a few elixir pills. It felt too good for the likes of us to eat, so we gathered them little by little, to repay you since you usually cover our bread money.”
“…What did you say?”
“It might be lower quality than what you usually take, sir, but among things beggars like us can obtain, there’s nothing more precious. Please accept it.”
When Wiggins held out a grimy cotton pouch, the other children bowed their heads in salute.
“No, how could I take medicine the elders gave you to eat…”
Their unexpected kindness left me speechless.
It was true that I usually covered the costs the Homeless Clan kids of Baker Street needed to maintain their livelihood.
But that was only because they served as excellent informants when needed, not because I pitied their circumstances and performed charity.
Yet they were instead worrying whether I might collapse from overwork.
And as if that were not enough, they had voluntarily gathered medicine given by the Dragon Head and the Homeless Clan elder to give it to me.
Seeing it, my heart moved without my intending it.
I had confidence to spare that I could steal the Vermilion Phoenix’s egg from Irene Adler’s estate.
But if, by some chance, I failed, what would become of these children?
Even if the Tsar accurately predicted the hatching time, could an enraged Vermilion Phoenix not strike London first?
Of course, to prepare for that, Mycroft was monitoring the most likely route of the Vermilion Phoenix’s approach. In that case, we would smash Irene Adler’s estate without regard for consequences, seize the egg by force, and grant a swift family reunion to the one that came seeking its young.
But if even that failed, the first to be sacrificed to the Vermilion Phoenix’s fierce flames would be the weak and helpless, like these children.
These were the only children I had a point of contact with.
I had already agreed with Mycroft that we should not spread ominous rumors and plunge the citizens into fear, but looking at the children, my resolve began to waver little by little.
“The children have gone this far. Why not accept it, if only to honor their sincerity, Holmes?”
I nodded, thinking that if I refused, the sensitive Watson might burst into tears first.
“I’m sorry, when I haven’t even done that much for you.”
“Don’t say such things, Sir Holmes.”
“…One who calls himself a gentleman cannot accept such kindness for nothing. Here.”
I took a considerable sum of money from my wallet, distributed it to Wiggins and the children, then whispered to them.
“Listen carefully to what I say now. With this money, buy the best clothes you can, then take an excursion ship and stay out of London for three days. You must not tell anyone.”
“What are you saying, sir?”
“There’s no time to explain. Go.”
“……”
Wiggins swallowed hard, his face stiff.
Then he nodded heavily and handed over the cotton pouch containing the elixir.
“If the Dragon Head asks, please keep it secret, including that we gave you the elixir.”
“I will.”
He had the children make a deep bow to me, then left Baker Street at a quick pace.
“So you have compassion too. Impressive.”
“…We ended up making Ulrich Zuckerberg wait. Let’s go inside.”
“Don’t be shy after doing a good deed.”
“I only paid a proper price. The Homeless Clan’s elixirs have excellent efficacy.”
Watson tried to tease me with a languid smile, so I cut her off.
“If it’s something they hand out to a Single Knot Beggar, isn’t it a common item?”
“To the children, that is everything. And they gave it to you without hesitation.”
“……”
It was true that the Dragon Head often distributed elixirs to the Homeless Clan’s children.
However, Wiggins was the Dragon Head’s grandson, so he would be receiving special treatment in subtle ways.
Even if he was a Single Knot Beggar, the elixir he received must certainly have been decent.
I did not give money because I coveted the elixir, but it was true that I was curious about what was inside.
Before entering the boarding house, I opened the cotton pouch for a moment.
But then.
“What is it all of a sudden, Holmes? Your complexion is—”
“…It’s a dewormer.”
“……”
“Tell Ulrich Zuckerberg that I’m sorry. I have to go meet the children for a moment.”
“Don’t be vulgar. What are you doing?”
“Don’t stop me.”
“Holmes!”
TL/N: Yan in Korean is pronounced Un… so it’s Undertaker lol ️