Chapter 197. The Great Detective (2)
Sherlock Holmes.
The protagonist of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series.
The most famous detective in human history.
With a smile on his face, he naturally joined us and, like the Count, pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“No pipe?”
“This is more convenient.”
Seeing Holmes without his trademark pipe felt strangely unfamiliar.
Come to think of it, he’s probably the most modern figure among the Constellations I’ve met.
The Count of Monte Cristo was a figure from the early nineteenth century.
Sherlock Holmes began his career in the late nineteenth century.
Meanwhile, if I considered the period of the Trojan War, Odysseus would have lived around the twelfth century BC.
Arjuna was from roughly a similar era.
So two modern-era Constellations and two figures from unimaginably ancient times are sitting together in one place.
People separated by nearly three thousand years were casually holding a conversation.
Thinking about it made the situation feel strangely fascinating.
“Nameless King, shall I tell you what you’re most curious about?”
“What?”
Holmes suddenly spoke up.
Then he looked at my face and whispered in a low voice.
“You’re wondering how a Constellation smokes cigarettes.”
“No. I’m not particularly curious about that.”
“Really? If I were you, that would be what I was most curious about.”
“Holmes, stop playing at half-baked deduction.”
Odysseus laughed.
“I’ve never seen you get anything right.”
“That’s harsh. I think I get three out of ten.”
“That’s still not exactly something to brag about.”
“If I remember correctly, it was closer to two out of ten.”
Arjuna calmly joined in from the side.
Holmes shrugged as if there was nothing he could do.
What? Isn’t Holmes supposed to be the legendary detective who can figure out anything instantly?
Watching the other Constellations treat him like a useless detective felt deeply strange.
“Anyway, I’d like everyone to hear me out.”
“What is it?”
“I met an Apostle who says he can get erotic books from the Material Realm.”
“There you go again with that vulgar nonsense...”
“Do those kinds of desires remain after becoming a Constellation? I have none whatsoever.”
Whenever Holmes said something ridiculous, Odysseus would immediately retort.
Arjuna would add a calm comment.
The Count would sit silently and watch the exchange.
That was how the conversation continued.
This is kind of deflating.
I wondered whether they were only making small talk because it was my first day.
Even so...
this was far too different from what I had imagined.
Maybe it feels even stranger because Yang Jian and King Arthur, the people I met recently, were both painfully serious.
After roughly two hours of idle conversation...
Odysseus said he needed to leave, so the gathering began to wrap up.
No other Constellations appeared after Holmes.
“That was an enjoyable time, Nameless King.”
“For me as well... it was enjoyable.”
“Then I’m glad.”
As we left the salon, Holmes raised an arm and draped it around my shoulders.
“Let’s get along from now on. Hahaha.”
Was he more sociable than I had expected?
Holmes left the salon laughing.
After exchanging farewells with the other Constellations, I returned to my throne as well.
"...?"
But...
when I sat down after returning, I realized there was something inside my pocket.
A small note.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Nameless King.”
“I was surprised when I found the note.”
I was currently inside Sherlock Holmes’s throne.
It looked almost exactly like Holmes’s room from the novels.
Books and documents were scattered everywhere, making the place feel incredibly cluttered.
“So why exactly did you call me here?”
“You’re the one who has business with me, aren’t you?”
Holmes spoke lazily from his chair.
“Didn’t King Arthur tell you to rely on me?”
"...!"
I had never mentioned King Arthur in front of Holmes.
How had he figured that out?
“Did you hear it from King Arthur?”
“No.”
“But anyone could figure this much out with a little thought.”
Holmes rested one arm on the armrest.
“You want to ask about Armageddon and Merlin, don’t you?”
“How did you...?”
“Elementary deduction, Nameless.”
I was genuinely shaken.
Was this really the same Constellation who had been mocked by everyone for making nonsense deductions earlier?
“At the Committee, I don’t bother thinking logically.”
“I just say whatever I feel like at the time.”
“That’s why my accuracy there is only around twenty or thirty percent.”
“I see...”
Did he possess some Constellation Skill similar to mind reading?
Holmes was seeing through my thoughts far too completely.
“If I act too sharp all the time, people start depending on me for everything.”
“They begin to think I’ll provide all the answers.”
“So it’s more convenient to act like a mediocre detective.”
"..."
If I had known he was this kind of person...
I would have behaved much more carefully.
“Sit down first.”
“There isn’t a chair, but you can sit on that stack of books over there.”
“Understood.”
I sat on the pile of books as instructed.
It wobbled slightly, making me uneasy.
As I shifted my posture to balance myself, Holmes spoke.
“By the way... are you from the Material Realm?”
I nearly fell off the books.
“What did you just say...?”
“Let me rephrase the question.”
Holmes stared at me with razor-sharp eyes.
“What did you accomplish in the Material Realm that allowed you to become a Constellation?”
"...!"
He had caught me completely off guard.
The fact that I wasn’t a hero from the Fantasy Realm was something I had concealed meticulously throughout my entire existence as a Constellation.
And yet Sherlock Holmes...
had identified it exactly.
“You don’t need to look so shocked, Nameless King.”
"..."
“I’m Sherlock Holmes.”
He said it as though that alone explained everything.
“Losing in a battle of wits probably isn’t something you experience often.”
“But you can’t help it.”
“I am Sherlock Holmes.”
I sighed at his words.
I had badly underestimated Holmes’s deductive ability.
The moment I showed my face at the Committee...
the game had already been over.
