Bloody Sunday Riot (4)

No one had knocked on the door yet the voice had still called out.

"You're here~?"

Compared to the young and still somewhat naive looking Charlotte, Myroney Holmes was a full fledged adult… in more ways than one.

"I need help with a case."

Charlotte said firmly, facing the lazy looking and gentle older sister of hers.

"Wow~ This is a first isn't it~?"

"...It is."

"Since you are my sister, that's the least I could do~"

For a moment I had thought Mycrony had stared deeply at me.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem~"

As Charlotte introduced me and the case, not once did Mycrony's face change once.

It was rather strange as the scale of the case was concerning the world.

"Ah, you know~? This sounds awfully similar to a case we were about to stop."

As if she had expected it, Charlotte Holmes' face didn't change.

"Tomorrow there was supposed to be a riot at Trafalgar Square~ I didn't really pay much attention to it that much before but I still have the files on the people who were supposed to be the leaders of this riot~ Do you want it~?"

"Yes, I would."

As I saw and further observed the conversation unfold, it was rather clear that the sibling bond between the two was constrained or extremely formal.

Charlotte Holmes grabbed the file and indicated for us to follow.

"Ah~ Wait, leave that man here, I would like to talk to him for a few moments."

Mycrony said, her leisurely tone never changing.

Holmes looked at me, then at Mycrony before leaving, Watson in tow.

As I faced the older Holmes' sibling, she stared at me deeply.

"...May I ask why you asked to see me?"

"You know~? I can't see through you."

'?'

"You see, I have a curse. One where I know everything and can find anything as long as I put my mind to it. But with this 'gift' came with no emotions. It's quite a cruel curse."

"Of course there are exceptions like my sister whom I deeply care for. But those are rare, and today I found another one, you."

"Say… Would you like to be my boyfriend?"

"!?"

"I don't think another chance like this will appear for some time, so will you?"

"..."

It was an enticing offer.

The more I thought, the more enticing it became. But due to the unknown she posed, she seemed more of a dangerous individual than Holmes. Though I had no reason as to why I thought so.

"...I'm sorry, but even if I would want to become your spouse, I don't even currently own my own self."

"Is it a contract? If it is, I would surely be able to buy the rights to it no matter the cost."

"...I'm not so sure about that, but we'll most likely be seeing each other in due time."

"..."

Mycrony's face looked slightly distressed, something that I thought was impossible just a minute prior.

"What a pity…"

"Yes, well, I hope you have a good day Miss Holmes."

I nodded at her, not once did her eyes leave me.

* * *

Charlotte Holmes and Rachel Watson were sitting at one of the tables, waiting for their client to finish his talk with Mycroney Holmes.

"Miss Holmes, Dr. Watson, I'm back."

Holmes took a deep breath and released smoke from an Arcadia cigarette she had gotten from Watson who happily gave it to her in exchange for leaving her alone.

She was looking at the documents with a fervent intensity.

Watson, who looked to be half-asleep didn't respond; rather, she leaned her head on the wall next to her as she dozed off to sleep.

Holmes as well didn't respond, her eyes were too glued to the papers in her hands that she was within her own world.

Seeing that no one had responded, Alvis pulled out a chair and waited for Charlotte to finish reading the documents.

"...This is quite the mess you have given me Mr. Quinn."

"Wasn't what I gave you a mess to begin with?"

He couldn't possibly see how a mess could grow larger if the world was at stake.

"The culprit could have been easily found if it was a singular or perhaps two people, but here in the documents, it is shown that there are potentially five culprits all in cahoots with one another."

Alvis' eyes flinched.

"Do you see now?"

"Yes…"

Holmes passed on the documents to Alvis who then skimmed through the documents intending to use the least amount of time possible.

Within the file were documents that detailed five people.

Robert Reynolds, Elizabath Burns, Annie Morris, William Besant, and Agatha Cunninghame-Graham.

Each was a member of the Social Democratic Federation.

The Federation was Britain's first organized socialist political party and unlike those who wielded Marxism to the extreme, this organization held the pure ideals yet ironically the leader of the party was in constraints with Clara Marx, the founder of Marxism.

In 1886 of February, the first protest was held in Trafalgar Square by this very organization led by Elizabeth Burns. 

Blueprints of their houses, their background, everything to know about the leaders of the protest were inside of the files.

…

Alvis put down the small stack of papers already seen enough of the background and the people inside.

Holmes was looking out through the glass window and into the midnight sky, stars glistened filling the sky like a beautiful artwork.

"Are you done?"

She rubbed the tip of the cigarette into an ashtray, killing the fire.

"Yes, but my question is: How are we supposed to find who is responsible for the attack?"

"That will not be a problem, I have some beggars who will go to each house. They carry a mana transmitter which will tell me if any suspicious activity is happening. Aside from that, I will personally visit each of them to find a hint of mana within their residence. None of them are mana users so even having mana emitting would be strange, would it not?"

"...I suppose that is the most viable plan for now…" Alvis further asked, "But would it not be better to have your sister in this case as well?"

Holmes' eyes looked at Alvis with an indescribable expression.

"You seem to be undergoing the mana color theory. How rare, even I have never met a person who was so dedicated to their partner."

"Huh?"

Alvis touched his temples, confused by the sudden comment.

"I hope that was enough of an answer, Mr. Quinn?"

"Ah… Yes, I understand."

'I was undergoing mana color theory…?'

Alvis thought, confused as to when the phenomenon had started.

But he knew clearly who he was undergoing mana color theory for, there was only one person who could invoke such feelings within the entire world.

"Watson? Watson? Wake up, it's time to start investigating."

Holmes shook Watson awake, who then grumbled about more sleep but eventually awoke only half in mind but eyes fully open.

"Mmm…"

She answered Holmes.

"She was never a very good morning person…"

Holmes mumbled.

'It was most likely due to her military training that she can even fully open her eyes right now. These two are quite the duo. They are far more casual than in the book.'

Alvis chuckled in his mind.

The group left the Diogenes Club where they then arrived back at 221B Baker Street.

"I've called the helpers over."

Holmes said, a small mana device in her right hand which flickered slightly.

Alvis looked at the grandfather clock inside the study, it read: 1:37 a.m.

Watson was heavily smoking Arcadia cigarettes angrily causing her pack of cigarettes to reduce to only three.

Minutes passed before the butler of the boarding house let out a yelp before letting the guest into the residence.

Knock, knock—

Holmes opened the door, outside were seven dirty orphans.

"We're here Miss Holmes."

"Yes, my task for you is to go to these locations and to alert me when any suspicious activity is found using the mana transmitter."

"Here, three shillings for each of you."

The orphans nodded before leaving with the pieces of paper and money in their hands.

'They could read…?'

Alvis thought in surprise.

"...Is it fine to use orphans as labor? Does this not break some type of law?"

Holmes looked at Alvis with no emotion.

"Even if morally questionable, for them this is one of the only ways to survive, wouldn't you know Mr. Quinn?"

Holmes sharply remarked.

"..."

"I suppose I expected nothing less from you Miss Holmes."

She didn't reply.

"Now that they have left, I suppose it's about time to start looking for our culprit."

Holmes suddenly said.

"Watson, you can stay here, you look tired enough as is, if you take a step further I'm afraid that you'll collapse and fall onto the ground."

"I'm fine, Holmes."

Within Watson's voice, Alvis caught a glimpse of anger, no doubt originating from her sleepiness.

"Dr. Watson I truly believe that it's fine if you stay in the boarding house, I was the one who came late in the night after all."

"No you don't understand Mr. Quinn, if I don't follow along with Holmes then who will write about this adventure? Holmes? She is more keen on solving the cases and satisfying her own curiosity rather than writing them down like I do, so please I am fine."

Alvis felt that if he urged even a little further they both would end up in a gun stand off at each other and so he closed his mouth.

"I've already decided on our first target, her name is Agatha Cunninghame-Graham."

Holmes spoke, Watson's almost deranged rant put to rest.

"Her place of residence is quite close to Baker Street so she will be our first target."

"By the way, Miss Holmes… If we do not find the culprit in the manner you spoke of before, what will you do then?"

Alvis asked.

"Naturally we will need to break into each home to search for the object."

Holmes confidently said, as if it was simply natural to do so.

"..."

"I understand."

* * *

It had been fifteen minutes since Alvis had left 221B Baker Street with Charlotte Holmes and Rachel Watson and they were now in front of the residence of Agatha Cunninghame-Graham.

As Holmes went around carrying a particular mana device, Alvis spoke to the orphan who was carrying a mana transmitter.

"Yes! Miss Holmes is truly benevolent, the tasks she has given us aren't particularly hard but she still gives us money and she also taught us how to read in order to further help her."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! All of us truly believe that she is like a guardian angel to us."

The young boy said, full of enthusiasm.

After questioning the boy a bit further, Alvis simply watched Holmes as she went around the property multiple times, sometimes stopping at odd points.

"There's nothing here. You may leave."

Holmes spoke to the boy who then nodded and left into the alleyways.

"At the very leasts it is not the leader of this party."

Watson said, writing what was happening into a book.

"Indeed, if it was then it would be proper to assume that the rest was in cahoots, but now it can be assumed that our culprit is merely a singular person."

Alvis nodded along with their findings.

"Let's go to our next target."

It had been twenty minutes since Alvis had left the residence of Agatha Cunninghame-Graham and were already on their next target, William Besant.

"Still nothing?"

Holmes held her face in contemplation, not responding to Alvis' question.

Alvis could do nothing as he stood with Watson as they both watched the detective round the residence several times using a device.

"Hmm… There's nothing here as well. Let us move onto the next residence."

Holmes said.

'This is quite anticlimactic, though this might be for the better.'

Alvis thought, wryly smiling at the languid process.

"I have noticed this, but Dr. Watson, are any of Holmes mana devices standard made by the August Academy?"

"No, she personally has made a variety of devices even before I met her, this is mostly based on the fact that she isn't quite fond of the August Institute causing her to make them in the first place."

'I guess even if she seems like an adult, she is in the end just a teenanger.'

All of sudden, goosebumps rapidly appeared on Alvis' skin.

"!?"

Looking at both Holmes and Watson, they too looked at each other, unable to comprehend the phenomenon that was happening.

Within a moment Alvis felt his body shifting, something that felt akin to his body when it 'traveled'.

They were transported into Trafalgar Square.

"Color me surprised that London's genius girl and her partner are searching my comrades' houses in the dead of night. Do you people like to stalk others?"

A middle-aged woman wearing a black robe asked, an ominous piece of paper within her right hand.

"Are you the culprit of our incident?"

Holmes asked, her eyes no longer seeking mystery but in all seriousness.

"What incident? I haven't even done anything yet, though you people seem to know what I was planning before I even started the ritual."

"Although you aren't enough sacrifices for the end to start, you will be enough at the very leasts to summon one of 'them'."

The paper glowed in a red hue before being aimed at them.

Boom!

As if rehearsed, all three of them lunged out of the paper's way only to find the previously perfect square to be cut in a rough slice. It looked as if something large had tried to grab something.

"Ugh…"

Elizabeth Burns faltered, as if she was hit with something.

"This is looking to be quite dangerous."

Watson muttered to herself. 

Alvis already had a grave look on his face. His hands had already grabbed the revolver in his coat pocket about to pull it out.

"Yes… yes, of course."

It was Burns' voice and although she was muttering to herself, her voice resounded to her surroundings.

"!?"

Another unsettling feeling arose quickly within Alvis as he tackled Watson out of the way.

Boom!

Three smaller 'things' had gouged out the ground, each aimed at their previous location.

Alvis pulled out his revolver and shot several times at Burns.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! 

Six shots fired and half of them hit true.

Three distinct holes were on her chest, yet no blood came out.

Crack!

"What the hell…?"

Instead of blood coming out, her neck snapped due to some force.

Glancing over at Holmes, she too couldn't seem to understand what was happening at a shocked expression adorned her face.