Chapter 85 Edward's Showdown
As Sherlock finished speaking, his small room fell into complete silence. The only sound was the rhythmic sound of Edward chewing his sandwich slowly.
After a few seconds' pause, Sherlock smiled and said, "Of course, that's impossible.
"Because if the professor was the mastermind, he wouldn't have used such a simple, flawed method. He's already familiar with Minister Droste and has connections within the kingdom. He could definitely achieve this goal without showing up himself."
Having said that, Sherlock took out a box of matches and a cigar under Edward's silent gaze, and began to rotate the cigar to heat it evenly.
He lowered his head to handle his cigar and said nonchalantly, “And the person who did this now, her motives are flawed.
"The plan itself was ingenious. First, they assassinated Secretary Raff, then attacked Her Royal Highness the Princess. This move naturally exposed Minister Droste's possible involvement in the alchemical smuggling case. They also maximized the social impact of this incident, making it impossible for Old Droste to suppress it, even with his connections.
"But on the other hand, if she could devise such a plan, why didn't she use more direct means? It's as if her goal has never been to overthrow Droste or cause trouble for the Droste family; she hasn't been trying to steal data or stop smuggling; she hasn't been trying to plunge Avalon into chaos, nor has she been trying to uphold justice or truth.
"It's as if that person's sole purpose was to 'expose Minister Droste's actions,' and that was all she had to do. She was capable of formulating such a plan, possessing such a high degree of initiative, yet her purpose was so reserved. Therefore, I conclude that the person carrying out this plan must have been following orders from someone—and that person's influence within Avalon's upper class was minimal, requiring the aid of public opinion to achieve their goals.
"—For example, a spy from another country. Considering the hostile relationship between Iris and Star Antimony, I think it might be a spy sent by Iris."
Sherlock said, holding the smoking cigar between his lips and exhaling deeply.
He raised his head and looked at Edward with clear eyes: "Since you didn't attack me just now...so I guessed right?"
Edward still said nothing, still chewing his food slowly and remaining silent.
"You've been chewing this sandwich for almost a minute, my dear."
Sherlock said lazily, crossing his legs.
He blew a puff of smoke in Edward's face triumphantly, with no fear in his eyes. "It seems my previous speculation was correct. The Moriarty family's business... doesn't seem to be very legitimate."
"—You'd better not continue your investigation, Sherlock."
The food in his mouth was swallowed silently. Edward was silent for a long time with a dull expression: "Just consider this as my request to you."
"…I'm glad, Edward. You consider me a true friend."
Sherlock's lips curled up as smoke slowly enveloped him. "Based on my trust in you, I will temporarily abandon my investigation into Moriarty. All my findings so far are placed in the folder with the initials M on the bookshelf to your left. There is a blue envelope with 'Moriarty' written on it."
Listening to Sherlock's words, Edward stood up without hesitation and walked to the bookshelf, reaching into the folder and finding the envelope.
"Got a copy, Sherlock?" Edward asked.
"You know I never keep things like that, my dear friend. But I urge you not to destroy it outright. It's better to open it and take a look at it now."
Sherlock said leisurely, "Aren't you curious about when I started to doubt the professor? And why I dare to say these words to you here?"
Edward was no fool.
His tough face with a few edges and corners now showed a steely silence.
"...Is it because my father suddenly left Glass Island?"
"Partly. But mainly because of the warehouse explosion."
Sherlock replied, "You were so focused on the case that day. But after that, you didn't continue to investigate the case. You didn't report it to the media, and you didn't even mention it to me. I think you were afraid I would pay too much attention to it. But it was precisely because you didn't say anything that I noticed something unusual.
"I can easily find out that you took the opportunity to send Aiwass to school the next day and went to the university to see Dr. William Wayne Westcott. He happened to be the one who analyzed the 'fire essence' component in this case..."
"What does this mean?"
Edward asked back, "Or did Dr. Westcott say something to you?"
He didn't sit down, but just stood next to the bookshelf and slowly opened the blue envelope.
Edward was surprised to find that there was only a piece of white paper in the blue envelope.
"Yes, I have no evidence. But your reaction tells me... I'm right."
Sherlock stood up from his rocking chair and poured himself a glass of cold water.
He held the cigar in his left hand and the cup in his right hand, and drank the cold water in one gulp. It was obvious that Sherlock was a little nervous just now.
"Actually, it was because I found that I couldn't find any evidence to prove that Professor Moriarty was involved in the crime...that's why I vaguely realized that something was wrong.
"Is it really possible for a founding family, at the heart of the capital's social circle, to remain so clean and flawless for so many years? I don't believe it. Whether it's you, Aiwass, or Yulia... your adoption records are all so clean.
"And the professor has no relatives, no wife, and no record of his parents—as you just said, you were married too. And you're still urging me to get married soon. So, hasn't anyone urged Professor James?
"I only have adopted children and friends, but no social connections closer than that. None at all, not even death records."
Sherlock exhaled, picked up his cigar again, and said calmly, "Don't be nervous, my dear friend. When I found out that Aiwass really wanted to protect Princess Isabel, all this was nothing.
"Her Majesty saved my father's life, and I must repay her. That is why I serve Mr. Kent. I do not serve Avalon, nor do I serve the Round Table. I serve only the Crown—or rather, I serve only Queen Sophia.
"I'm not a pedantic person, Edward. You know me. I don't seek justice or order, I'm just curious about the truth. As long as it's not something that harms the world, I can even help you. So what is it that you have to keep in your heart that you can't tell me?"
"...I'm not telling you because it's for your own good."
Edward was silent for a long time before he shook his head and said sincerely, "All I can tell you is that my father has no hostility towards the royal family. This is already the limit. You really shouldn't investigate further."
Sherlock continued, "So we are not in opposition..."
"—it's not a warning, Sherlock. It's an exhortation."
Still wearing his mourning-like black suit, Edward stood upright, his voice low and magnetic: "Moths will be caught by spiders. The best thing you can do is stay away from the spider web. The less you know, the safer you are."
"...Okay. I trust you, my dear friend. I won't investigate this matter further without your permission."
Sherlock shook his head and sighed.
He still couldn't find out what his old friend was worried about.
But there are still some results.
At least now the two sides have had a preliminary showdown and compromise.
In this risky encounter, their friendship was not only not destroyed... but became even stronger.
Sherlock felt somewhat relieved, yet also somewhat regretful. "I originally thought you were one of those being manipulated. Just like Aiwass...trying to break free from the constraints of your adoptive father. But now it seems you're on the other side."
"Wait...you said, Aiwass?" Edward was stunned for a moment and repeated in a low voice.
"Yes, he was previously spotted by Master Janice and chosen to accompany Princess Isabel. And this time, he saved the princess, and I'm afraid Her Majesty the Queen will summon him personally. This must be his plan to break free from the constraints of fate... If, as you said, Professor, he has no hostility towards the royal family, then he should no longer care about Aiwass."
Sherlock shook his head. "If my previous judgment is correct and the murderer is related to Iris's spies, I don't think the murderer is going to attack Princess Isabelle. Because to the Iris people, Isabelle is the best ruler of Avalon. They can't possibly want to kill her.
"Based on this, the assassin entered the Princess's shadow, clearly to avoid Commissioner Gordon's perception. Furthermore, she heard Commissioner Gordon's words and knew you were approaching... In the presence of multiple high-level transcendents, those who are well-adapted to the Dao will inevitably tend to hide or flee.
"And she's obviously very proficient in her shadow-stalking skills, so she'll choose the one with the most stable shadow among those who will definitely leave the venue."
That was Aiwass in a wheelchair - that's why Aiwass's first shot hit his own shadow.
Although Aiwass was somehow familiar with the knowledge of shadow stealth... his position was unquestionable. This was evident from the second shot alone.
"Evans fired twice because he didn't know the exact location of the criminal. Firing a second bullet at Princess Isabel's shadow was a very dangerous move. If the first shot missed, and Princess Isabel met with an accident later, then Aiwass would most likely be held responsible.
"A person with ulterior motives should try every possible means to maintain his innocence and should not take meaningless but risky actions. Especially if he is a smart person and has never been exposed to anyone's attention before.
"—From this one shot, I concluded that Aiwass truly wanted to protect Isabel.
"Further reasoning reveals that Commissioner Gordon's intention in having him conduct a thorough search of the second floor before your arrival was to 'force the murderer back to the first floor, where no other high-level transcendents were present.' The second floor of the club is vast, and without a high-ranking transcendent to conduct a thorough search, the inspectors likely wouldn't have noticed her presence.
"And by that time, you were almost there. By the time you got there, there would have been people on the first floor, and she wouldn't have been able to move. She must have heard this.
"So from that moment on, she had to make an immediate decision—whether to abandon the second floor, which was likely to be heavily searched, and move to the first floor, where the defenses were relatively light and safe.
"She has very limited time to think, and Chief Gordon's slow search will continue to put pressure on her.
"If the assassin comes down from the second floor, she'll have very limited places to hide. The first possibility is under Aiwass, and the second is Isabel beside him. Only these two will definitely not run, and no one will interrogate them.
"All that 'deduction' in the newspapers is nonsense. Or rather, Aiwass wasn't deducing at all—more precisely, he was committing fraud. He wasn't deducing the truth about the past; he was personally directing the future.
"He had no idea where the assassin was. Like a spider weaving a web, he was invisible controlling the ignorant assassin, leading her step by step into the trap he had prepared long ago.
"—I think this should be the whole truth."
Aiwass is only nineteen years old and has never been exposed to these things before, nor has he ever had any record of using this skill.
No matter how smart he is, he couldn't have acquired this knowledge out of thin air. Where did he learn this skill?
Then it can only be from the professor.
"The only time he wasn't in the public eye was from the time he graduated from high school until mid-November. I think it was during this time that Aiwass learned the professor's skills, understood his plans, and began to oppose his ideas... In a sense, Aiwass was perhaps closer to the professor than you are."
Sherlock still has some feelings for the professor, so he doesn't want to use the word "conspiracy" but chooses "scheme".
He said with certainty: “Because of this, I am certain of Aiwass’s intelligence, reliability and innocence, and that the professor has problems.
"That's why I'm speaking frankly now, before I even begin my investigation. Just as I concluded Professor Moriarty wasn't responsible because he was so naive, if Aiwass were involved, the truth of the case wouldn't be so easily revealed to me. That's why I'm certain Aiwass's position is completely contrary to the professor's.
"If there's anything you can't tell me or your father, talk to your brother Aiwass. Aiwass is much smarter than you think.
"Or rather, he is much smarter than you."
Shylock offers ruthless yet kind advice.
Over 7,000 words! I'm asking for votes at the end of the month. I feel like there's a chance this will be in the top 100 in monthly votes in the first month!
(End of this chapter)
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