Chapter 18 Sherlock Hermes
In the hallway of the Supervisory Bureau, a lazy young man with black hair and brown eyes was leaning against the wall, reading the newspaper in his hand with extreme concentration.
He also looked very young, probably in his early twenties, like a recent college graduate.
He is thin, with a long, hooked nose and thin lips that are always pursed, which makes him look a little mean.
He was reading the newspaper while Haena stood beside him, muttering something.
"...That's it, Mr. Sherlock! I've told you everything I remember, so can you please answer that question for me?"
Haina was obviously a little excited.
Not only did she achieve meritorious service, but she was also interviewed and made the front page of the Glass Steps newspaper. She was probably even noticed by the Queen - this incident made her feel like she was walking on clouds and floating.
After realizing that she might become famous, she gritted her teeth and used all her money except for her living expenses to buy all the copies of the Glass Steps Newspaper. She planned to bring them all back home during the holidays and give them to relatives and friends.
Today, she happened to run into Sherlock Consultant at work, so she asked him a question, half excited to see her former idol and half wanting to show off.
"...What doubts?"
Sherlock Hermes looked up and said casually, "You mean, 'Why did Mr. Aiwass guess that something was wrong with the bartender?' That's simple, because he's a very smart man.
"He knew the bartender's name, which meant he'd been here before. Mr. Aiwass's upright posture and refined sitting posture made it easy to tell he wasn't an old man. An old man's shoulders are in a different shape than a young man's. Of course, considering the bartender might not understand this kind of anatomy, I think the more reliable and direct evidence would be his boots.
"Hand-woven elven boots, crafted using the mystical art of alchemy and blessing, are deodorizing, sweat-wicking, ventilating, waterproof, and provide increased grip to prevent falls. A pair of these shoes would cost over 120 silver crowns. They're beyond the reach of the average knight family."
"The bars in Lloyd's are known to engage in some illegal activities, so they're very good at judging people. There's no way he wouldn't have noticed this obvious trait. And yet, even though he recognized Mr. Aiwass's identity, he deliberately addressed him as 'old gentleman'... Do you think a bartender in Lloyd's would say such polite and cultured words?
"Besides, why wouldn't he be afraid when he saw you? One of the jobs of the Inspectorate is to find those who appear to have not paid taxes and enforce their taxation. Taking the meager savings of these poor people, it would be surprising if they didn't hate you and not fear you. Businesspeople like you are more afraid of you than ordinary workers—because their account books are more or less flawed.
"Then why isn't he afraid of you? That means he doesn't care if you ask him for money. Or maybe he's just not from here—maybe not even from Avalon, and doesn't realize what the sudden and unexpected appearance of the Overseer means in this country.
"And the picture in the newspaper is very clear. The wheelchair highlights the style of his boots - not to mention his exquisite Elvish-style wheelchair. The Elvish etchings are very clear - Moriarty. Here, don't you see it?
"Look, Miss Haena... the professor told me you graduated with high marks. I assume you passed Elvish, right?"
"...Ah, yes. I recognize it."
Haina was a little embarrassed: "I just didn't see it."
She had been quite excited and proud at first, but now she was being scolded. Her excitement had faded a lot, and she felt a sense of loss, thinking, "I was so bad at this."
There were some things she hadn't said—for example, the day Aiwass was attacked, she had brought a banned book with her to the bar. That was Mr. Aiwass's secret, and she was determined to keep it secret for him.
——Because they are accomplices in reading the same banned book, they are on the same boat!
Even though Sherlock didn't know this crucial information, he was still able to deduce the truth from other details. These things, however, Haena had indeed not noticed.
It was just as magical as how Mr. Aiwass deduced from the bartender's actions that the murderer was hiding in the underground wine cellar!
Haina was very excited, but also a little disappointed.
Because she felt that she seemed to have fallen into the same state as when she first entered college - she originally thought that she was a very outstanding person, but once she was exposed to a wider world, she found that she was just so-so.
If she were to be told all these crucial details and evidence, Haena felt she would be able to deduce the truth, albeit a little slower. It was just that she simply couldn't see these details—this was the biggest gap between them.
The gap seems small, but in fact it is like an insurmountable chasm.
"It seems you understand the significance of Mr. Aiwass. That's good."
Young Mr. Sherlock commented sarcastically, "I'm sorry to say that among them, you're probably the one with the better work ability. You could be called a smart guy among the fools. The others, who have brawn in their heads, are just a bunch of idiots."
"They always fail to do anything and only mess things up. Even if I tell them the truth, I always have to explain it over and over again to convince them.
"And this Mr. Aiwass—with all due respect, his powers of observation are better than those of most of the Inspectorate combined."
"...You think so highly of Mr. Aiwass?"
Haina was very surprised.
She had basically only heard Mr. Sherlock think this person was incompetent and that person was stupid.
"Of course," Sherlock said indifferently, "In my opinion, your ability to 'join forces' to solve this case was entirely due to his observation and judgment.
"If you weren't with him, you would never have solved the case; and he could have solved this incident without you. You were just a wheelchair pusher, not even fulfilling your duty as a protector—when he clearly told you to attack with all your might, why would you hold back? Since you've chosen to trust his command, you must believe it to the end. Half-believing and then having your own ideas is even more terrifying than not believing at all.
"He possesses excellent observation, sound reasoning, decisive judgment, steady execution, a mindset far more mature and steady than yours—and precise shooting. His talent, character, and abilities are all remarkable. At only eighteen, he's already far superior to over ninety-nine percent of the people in this country. He deserves to be called 'Sir.'
"I'm very interested in him. I heard he's a freshman? Then I'm going to go back to my alma mater to see him. I have a feeling it would be quite pleasant to work or communicate with him."
After saying that, Sherlock folded the newspaper in his hand precisely in half and handed it back to Haina.
The four corners were perfectly aligned, without a single slant, a glimpse into Sherlock's perfectionism.
"Ah, he's actually been on leave for two or three months and hasn't come to school yet..."
Haina took the newspaper with some embarrassment.
The black-haired young man wasn't surprised by this result, but simply nodded calmly. "That's normal. Universities can't produce true talent. They're just a bunch of intellectual nannies, trying to break down knowledge into easily digestible mush, stuffing it into the mouths of lazy and idiots, trying to make them useful tools for society. They're not places that serve geniuses or teach the smart.
"I suspect Mr. Aiwass's knowledge and wisdom come from the professor's personal instruction. Even in the entire Royal Law University, Professor Moriarty is one of the smartest people there."
“…I see.”
Haina said embarrassedly.
She felt a little disappointed... because she felt that she was quite impressive for being able to enter the Royal Law University and become the female prefect since her sophomore year. But she also knew that Sherlock was qualified to say such things - because he was also the top graduate of the Royal Law University.
When Haina was a freshman, Sherlock was her senior. Without any scheming or background, she managed the student union so well, relying solely on her excellent academic performance and good relationships. This was entirely due to the many rules Sherlock had established back then.
They were both the head teacher, both the student union president, and both graduated with perfect scores. Yet, there was still a significant gap between them. After all, the Transcendental subjects were designed for ordinary people starting from scratch. For Transcendents who were already at a relatively high level, getting a perfect score wasn't that difficult.
"——Wait a minute, Mr. Sherlock," Haina finally couldn't help but ask, "I have a question:
"Since you think the Supervisory Bureau is full of idiots, and even rejected internship offers from them and even the Inspectorate upon graduation... why are you now joining the Supervisory Bureau as a mere consultant?"
No matter how well a consultant performed, he couldn't advance. All the credit went to Director Kent, and the most he could get from him was a book or two as a personal gift.
If he had chosen to join the Supervisory Bureau, he might have been the deputy director by now. And sooner or later he would have become the director—and by then, the entire bookshelf would have been his.
“…[Just a little]?”
Hearing this, Sherlock turned around in surprise.
He looked at Haina carefully for a few seconds, then understood what she said and sighed.
The young man shook his head and said in a low voice, "Remember not to say this kind of thing to anyone again.
"Those who believe in the Way of Authoritarianism shouldn't be so focused on 'promotion' and 'prospects.' An Overseer shouldn't have such clear 'ambitions.' This means you have the adaptability to the Way of Transcendence."
"In Avalon, those who want to be promoted will not be promoted - do you understand what I mean?"
(End of this chapter)
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