chapter 240
240 – The Last Case (8)
Jane Watson was a brave woman that even Holmes recognized. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid in any situation. Of course she was. Normal people would call that kind of thing stupid.
Not backing down even though you are afraid of someone you should be afraid of. That was courage, and Jane Watson was clearly acting courageously.
Even though the woman who could possibly kill her was approaching her, Watson did not run away. No, she was looking for Watson in the first place when she saw Sebastian Moran approaching her.
Moran stopped right in front of Watson and growled softly. Watson felt like he was standing in front of her lion. But she mustered up her courage and cautiously opened her mouth.
“About Professor Moriarty…… “I was looking for you because I had something to discuss, Miss Moran.”
“Ha! “Are you saying that saying stupid things is a joke?”
Moran laughed. But she still glared at her enemy. But at the same time, she never stopped being wary of her surroundings.
No matter how much Peony was, she did not know that this witch in front of her, and the damn detective who would be with that witch, were the enemies of her current master.
It would be a lie if I said I didn’t feel regret later. At first she thought she was simply angry at the woman for slapping her tail at her master, but eventually the woman put her master on the defensive.
If he had known this would happen, he should have killed the woman and the witch in front of her directly, even if she was hated by her master.
For Moran, the most important thing was the master’s safety.
And Watson cautiously opened his mouth again.
“Ho… Holmes must be… I told him to bring Miss Moran if he found her. Regarding the professor… “The three of us want to talk about something really important.”
“The reason I don’t break all four b*tches right here… I’m afraid that if I make a fuss, I won’t be able to help my master. “Consider yourself lucky, witch.”
At the same time, Peony ignored her Watson and passed by her to return to her master. Of course she was going to evade pursuit and go back as far as she could. And as soon as I returned to my master, I was planning to leave Paris and go somewhere I could not go.
In the end, it would have been nice to sacrifice myself for my master. The only thing that mattered was to accompany the master on his journey until the end.
However, Moran had no choice but to turn around again without realizing it when she heard Watson’s urgent cry coming from behind her.
“That… otherwise! “Professor Moriarty’s life is in danger!”
“… Is it a threat? “If you want to go that far and end your life, I will help you.”
“Uh… …. What did I tell you to say……. It’s not a threat, ah… No, we also had no intention of harming Professor Moriarty in the first place… There are no more. Just… “I just want to save the professor!”
The silence did not last long.
“Guide me.”
It was as Holmes expected. Watson breathed a sigh of relief and began to walk towards the place he had promised with Holmes, and he could feel Miss Moran following him.
Of course, Watson was still confused as he turned to Holmes.
No, everyone was like that. Watson knew better. She often became obsessed with the madness of horse racing, so she knew what it felt like to have someone go crazy. Maybe even more than Holmes.
But sometimes, people had no choice but to face unreasonable situations that drove them crazy.
It was still the same now.
Is this really the right thing to do?
Watson’s conscience and reason were endlessly questioned.
She did the same to the woman who immediately followed her. Is it really right to cooperate with this woman?
Watson doesn’t know exactly how many evil deeds Miss Moran committed or whether she helped Professor Moriarty. Perhaps she will not be lucky enough to clearly prove her guilt to her jury in court.
Even Holmes said that everything was insufficient to properly prove the crimes in which Moran was used as a tool by Moriarty.
However, just as Professor Moriarty was a villain, Ms. Moran was clearly a villain.
But if you think about desire, it was the only collaborator that Watson and Holmes could find, and in a sense, could trust.
‘Watson, I need peonies.’
‘Really?’
‘Even if the teacher… Even if we were to confine him, it would be difficult for the two of us to monitor him all the time. But you can’t trust a maid or a servant. Rather… We need someone who shares common goals and evil deeds with us. ‘That’s a peony.’
‘… Will she really cooperate?’
‘That’s my problem to deal with.’
Holmes said so, and Watson, who had already given in to his desire, followed.
No, if you think about it, it may have been Watson himself who persuaded Holmes. But it had to be that way.
If I didn’t do this, I felt like I would lose everyone, including Professor Moriarty and Holmes. I was always used to losing money, but I couldn’t get used to losing my precious friends and desires.
As he neared where Holmes was, Watson thought again of the conversation on the train that had left London.
‘Honestly… ‘I’m still not sure, Watson.’
‘What… go?’
My friend, who had been looking at me with burning desire until just now, asking me to be with him, soon became depressed again, like a manic-depressive patient.
But Watson could understand. Watson himself still had doubts about whether this was the right thing to do. What about Holmes?
If someone who knew nothing, someone who did not know this desire, had seen this, it would have been crazy. According to Holmes’ story, Holmes and the professor were ‘accomplices’, and the professor was also Holmes’ enemy.
That’s why Watson was afraid. His friend, who was still just and reasonable, still couldn’t be honest about everything.
As he was a doctor, Watson knew that if things continued like this, everything would be ruined. He told Watson to first privately imprison Professor Moriarty, but can he really say that Holmes didn’t lie to him?
Isn’t Holmes still planning to kill Professor Moriarty himself, or even take his own life, as is the case in many stories? Wasn’t that the way Holmes thought of atonement by falling together into hell?
Watson hugged Holmes without realizing it. He hugged me soothingly. Holmes stayed. Watson cautiously opened his mouth.
Even he himself couldn’t tell exactly what he was talking about. Perhaps he would have taken it out as soon as possible to prevent his friend from taking his own life.
Or, both Holmes and Watson may have used the excuse of saying something that was whispered in a corner of their desires but could never be said.
“Ho… Holmes, it is still okay to die… It’s also a bad thing. Me… Are you going to die and leave me behind?”
“That thought-“
“I know it’s a lie. I only talked about Professor Moriarty, but my… I think you are similar, Holmes. Of course, Holmes, it’s not that I don’t understand how you feel, but…….”
“Okay. But what should I do, Watson? I am… I don’t know, I still don’t know. Even though I’ve decided, I don’t know the answer. A problem that has no answer… Same.”
“…… Cow… How about making something precious? Like family? Well, there is a saying. “When you become a parent, your life changes because of your children.”
“…… Watson, don’t be stupid. “I am not the Virgin Mary, what can I do with her virgin alone?”
“Alone… Nope. Holmes, you know. No, why do you keep hiding it?”
“What?”
“Ah… no. My… I mean…… Professor Moriarty… Are you there? That… Come to think of it…… Because the professor is a villain, ho… Holmes, you said it! I need to be punished. To the professor… That… Something like that… Punishment… Maybe? It happened once, to Professor Moriarty…… The ordinariness of daily life is actually a punishment. Normally…… Being forced to become a father………… Isn’t it a bee? Radish… Of course, you’ll be locked up………… Uh. Isn’t it normal? I don’t know.”
“That’s crazy, Watson. “It’s not reasonable and it’s stupid!”
But Watson knew that Holmes was still muttering in his arms. Therefore, he opened his mouth cautiously.
“Uh… …. Hmm… …. I am a fool, but, Holmes, surely you can find a reasonable reason? Now that I think about it…… Was it utilitarianism? “It may be a method that is more helpful to society.”
“That’s right…” Maybe. Yeah, me… Teacher or…… To die like this and leave nothing behind… Maybe it’s a loss. As far as…… For society……. No…… No, this is crazy!”
“But Holmes, you did not refuse… Hey?”
Silence.
When Holmes slowly opened his mouth again, Watson could sense that his momentum had changed a little.
“Stupid… It was just an example, but just use it as a reference. But… There’s still time to think… A lot, yes, a lot.”
“But Holmes.”
“What is it, Watson?”
“… Hmm… …. Is it okay if I wear it too?”