ATPnovel Chapter 186: Butterfly Effect
Chapter 186: Butterfly Effect
“... Haah.”
“Master, are you feeling tired?”
“No... Not at all.”
It was the day after being subjected to a full day of torture disguised as interrogation by Lestrade, who had saved me in a moment of crisis.
“... But your legs seem to be shaking unnaturally, that too quite frequently.”
“My body has been aching lately.”
After barely escaping the house while Lestrade was off guard, I set off for the back alleys of London, accompanied by Moran, who had been waiting at the designated meeting place.
“Shouldn’t the pain you feel in your body and the female scent I can smell off you be separate matters then? Why do I think that’s not the case, hmm?”
“That’s just the usual smell coming off the back alleys, right? And mind your language, young lady.”
I felt a bit relieved as I moved away from the place I had been frequenting until yesterday, even though it was in a somewhat safer area. However, I couldn’t help but feel perplexed at the abrupt shift in Moran’s tone.
“.......”
“Hey, look at this.”
Therefore, I feigned a stern expression to admonish her, and she just stared at me with wide eyes.
“Am I in trouble?”
The thought that even the adorable Moran was no longer listening to me made my heart sink. For that reason, I tried my best to look even more frightening than before, and after a long while of holding that expression, she quietly bowed her head.
“... Sorry for daring to question you, when I’m merely a hound of master.”
Then she murmured in a low voice, and cautiously began gauging my reaction.
“That’s right. As long as you understand.”
Relieved by the loyalty she was finally showing, I reached out to pat her head.
- Slap...
“Ouch?”
She flinched and, with lightning speed, slapped my hand away. Barely able to even react, I just stared at her blankly.
“Wh-Why did you do that?”
What the hell? Was the resentment from yesterday still lingering? Or did I do something exceptionally wrong yesterday?
“... Don’t touch me.”
“Didn’t you like being stroked?”
“I’m in a fully alert state right now. Let me focus on my work.”
As I was lost in such confusing thoughts for a moment, Moran murmured with a slightly trembling voice.
... Is it puberty?
The conclusion I came to after staring at her with a puzzled look for some time was that puberty had finally hit little Moran.
Well, considering her age, it does make sense...
Recently, she has been growing noticeably taller and seems to have become sensitive about physical contact. Those aspects only confirmed my hypothesis further.
“Alright, I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“No, that’s not it... after it’s over...”
“If you’re uncomfortable in the future, tell me in advance, okay?”
“... U-Uh.”
Apparently, I needed to handle Moran with more caution from now on.
“... That face with that smile, it’s unfair.”
She’s grown taller, but she’s still a child...
Thinking so, I murmured to myself and gazed at Moran with a fatherly warmth in my gaze. Blushing, Moran was now bowing her head and averting her gaze from me.
- Knock, knock, knock...
“Is anyone there~?”
Having arrived at our destination without even realising it, I glanced around for a moment and then quietly knocked on the door in front of me.
“Hoo iz eet?”1
Not long after, awkwardly accented English began flowing from inside the firmly closed building.
“I’ve come looking for Mr J. Davenport.”
The name I mentioned with a hint of laughter was that of the anonymous tipster who responded to a troll-like newspaper ad by Mycroft in the original work The Greek Interpreter.
“Iz dat so?”
And the next moment,
“Master, danger...!”
Moran, who had been rolling her feet with her head still bowed, reacted slightly belatedly to the murderous intent and hurled her body forward.
- Bang...! Bang...!!!
“Aargh.”
Simultaneously, reacting a step ahead of her to the bullets that pierced through the door, I twisted my body and embraced her.
“Ma-Master...”
“... Kulluk.”
One of the good things that came about with my terminal condition was that, it didn’t matter how much I abused my body.
After all, in six months, this body would be buried six feet under and disappear forever; a few bullets puncturing it isn’t going to make any difference.
“I’m
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Therefore, unless it was a silver bullet, the rational thing was for me to take the bullets instead of Moran.
“You don’t seem to be in good condition these days.”
But that didn’t mean the pain disappeared, so, gritting my teeth, I forced myself to smile calmly as I patted the head of the frozen-stiff Moran.
“Rest for now.”
Then, I turned and began walking inside, clearing away the tattered door.
“I will definitely repay this kindness later...”
“Okay, goodbye~”
Why did I even go so far as to manipulate them?
“... Even if you don’t plan to repay, I’ll make sure you do.”
It was because I hadn’t yet paid the full price for failing to seduce the girl.
.
.
.
.
.
As Davenport and his entourage all escaped from the building, a silence descended upon the mansion.
- Click, clack...
“Um... was this the number?”
In that silence, I pulled out a portable communication device from my pocket – which looked like an old-fashioned telephone but had a magic stone embedded in the middle – and began dialling on it.
“Even though the mana stone and the use of magic make things a bit better, I still miss smartphones...”
The person I was trying to contact was someone I hadn’t spoken to in a long time after arriving in this world.
At the same time, she was someone who just might be able to fulfil the girl’s earnest wish.
- Beep...!
“Did it work?”
Of course, the special envoy to The Hague, secretly dispatched to attend the Universal Peace Conference, had failed in the history that I knew from I world.
And even if they had succeeded, it wouldn’t have changed the grim situation of the Empire of Korea.
Still, if the girl earnestly wished for the success of the Hague envoy, I had to listen.
Knowing how it would end made my heart ache, but things were beyond my control.
- I-Is it Adler speaking? Are you really Adler?
“Yes, it’s me. Your Majesty.”
That’s why I had dared to call none other than the Queen of Bohemia.
- I, I! I think of you every day...!
“Is that so?”
Yes, she was the victim of the Scandal of the Bohemian Queen— the very first case that pitted me and the professor against Holmes after I fell on this accursed world.
- I have even refused all the numerous marriage proposals I’ve received so far. But my situation has changed drastically recently, and I’m afraid I am reaching my limit... But, can you at least compliment me for enduring thus far?
“Calm down and listen to me first, please.”
- Ah, alright.
I scratched my head with a peculiar expression at the old memories that gradually began surfacing as I listened to her. Shaking my head to dismiss those thoughts, I immediately focused on the main point.
“That... Kingdom of Bohemia is part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, right?”
- Yes, but why?
The reason I asked this question was because one of the nations attending the Universal Peace Conference was none other than the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
I was tempted to ask the British royal family for a recommendation letter, but then I would have to meet the terrifying Jill the Ripper again. That’s why, I was left with no choice but to contact the Queen of Bohemia.
“... Um, just asking out of curiosity but... Are you close to the Emperor?”
- Eh?
“If possible, I would like to ask you to write a recommendation letter...”
Of course, if the Queen didn’t have the power to ask the emperor for a recommendation letter, it would be pointless.
In the history of my world, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary also held the position of the leader of Bohemia. However, in Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation, Bohemia was ruled by the fictional royal family of Ormstein instead of the Habsburg royal family.
So, I wasn’t really expecting much from the Queen of Bohemia. If it didn’t work out, I would have to look for another way.
- Um, Adler.
While I was waiting for the queen’s reply without much hope...
- I, I am the Emperor?
“... What?”
A response reached my ears from the portable phone, making me doubt my ears.
- Um, I mean, I am the ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire?
“What kind of nonsense is that? Your Majesty’s name is Lilia Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein. You’re definitely not from the Habsburg family... So how on earth...?”
- Habsburg family? Which country does that family belong to?
“Well, even if you ask me that...”
- I memorized numerous houses as part of imperial studies since I was young, so I’m certain. There is no such family in Europe.
It was only then that I realized,
“... Let’s assume that’s true. Then why have you been referred to as the queen until now...?”
“My coronation took place just a few days ago. After the previous emperor passed away, and there were no other royal family members left, so they crowned me as the Emperor or rather the Empress of Bohemia...”
That the woman I had enslaved was actually not only royalty, but also a member of the imperial family— a direct descendant of the last lineage of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
- But now, do you need my help?
- If it’s a request from you, my beloved, I can agree to anything. Except war, yes... That would be difficult. Anyway, please feel free to speak.
The situation had gotten way out of hand.
- No, please command me... I will do anything...
“... I’m gonna lose my mind, fuck.”
1. Tried incorporating a broken Greek accent, I apologise if I wasn’t able to do it correctly.2. The College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT, also abbreviated Suneung (수능; 修能), is a standardized test which is recognized by South Korean universities. The Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) administers the annual test on the third Thursday in November.
CSAT was originally designed to assess the scholastic ability required for college. Because the CSAT is primary factor considered during the Regular Admission round, it plays an important role in South Korean education. The test has been cited for its efficiency, emphasis on merit, and good international results. Of the students taking the test, as of 2023, 65 percent are currently in high school and 31 percent are high-school graduates who did not achieve their desired score the previous year. The share of graduates has been steadily rising from 20 percent in 2011. Despite the emphasis on the CSAT, it is not a requirement for a high school diploma.
On test day, the KRX stock market opens late, and bus and metro service is increased to avoid traffic jams and allow students to get to the testing sites more easily. Planes are grounded during the listening portion of the English section so their noise does not disturb the students. In some cases, students running late for the test may be escorted to their testing site by police officers via motorcycle. Younger students and members of the students' families gather outside testing sites to cheer them on.