Russell raised one eyebrow and turned his gaze to the mission details screen.
[Mission Content: Grand Opening, Perfect Curtain Call Requirements]: Complete the curtain call and leave Buckingham Palace in front of the main targets (Louise Edward, Charlotte Holmes, Mycroft Holmes). Mission Rewards: Title upgrade, Willpower bonus increased to 50%, Attribute Points +1 [Countdown: 48 hours (starting now) ]
[Penalty for Failure: Failure itself is the greatest punishment.]
[Recommended Attribute Upgrade for this operation: Close-quarters Combat]
Huh? A fight?
Russell choked for a moment.
Don't tell me there's going to be a boss battle scene.
Who were they supposed to fight? The Holmes siblings?
The goal was to capture them alive… surely it wasn't just to keep them breathing, right?
Russell shivered for no reason, then quietly allocated the newly acquired attribute point to [Combat] and purchased a few more items.
[Skill: Combat B — Enhanced. Current Level: B+. Attribute Points -1] Current Attribute Points: 0
[Purchased Gas Bomb ×5]
[Purchased Ghost Hand]
[Malice Balance: 3800]
With all preparations complete, Russell finally let out a sigh of relief.
Better safe than sorry.
He refocused his attention on the book in his hands and quietly waited for night to fall.
Time passed quietly as he turned the pages.
He wasn't sure how much time had gone by, but when the entire room was bathed in soft, dim light, the girl on the bed finally woke up.
"Mmm…"
Louise stretched and sat up in bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"Are you awake, Your Highness?"
Russell's voice came from the side as he placed a glass of warm water beside her.
"Please drink some water."
"How long was I asleep?"
The girl's voice was still a little hoarse from just waking up.
"Mmm… it's almost dinnertime."
"Ah…" The girl lowered her head a little shyly and took small sips from the cup.
"Dinner will be here soon," Russell reminded her. "You should get ready."
"Mmm… aren't we going to the dining room?"
Louise asked.
"There's no need. Please stay in your room until tonight is over."
Russell said.
"Understood…" Louise nodded and pulled her legs back under the covers.
"Mr. Watson, were you sitting here the whole afternoon?"
"The afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace is quite delicious."
Russell said with a smile.
Hearing this, Louise clearly understood Russell's intention and smiled mischievously.
"Thank you for your hard work."
The two chatted for a little while longer until the maids pushed in a meal cart and brought an extravagant dinner.
Russell stopped them at the entrance and carried the plates inside himself.
After dinner, the surroundings had grown completely dark.
Buckingham Palace was lit up brilliantly, like a solitary island floating in the night sky, radiating dazzling light and silence.
Louise sat on the edge of the bed, unconsciously gripping the hem of her dress. A hint of tension had appeared in her usually bright amber eyes.
She occasionally glanced at the night sky outside the window, then turned her gaze toward the boy quietly sitting on the sofa, flipping through his book.
"Mr. Watson…" Louise couldn't help but speak, breaking the silence.
"Do you really think he'll come?"
"He will."
Russell put down his book and said.
"Because he's Moriarty."
"But…" Louise's voice carried a trace of anxiety.
"There are way more guards today than yesterday. If you look outside, there's someone in the garden every few steps… Can he really break in?"
Hearing this, Russell smiled faintly.
"Your Highness, are you worried about him?"
"I…" Louise was momentarily at a loss for words at his question, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
"I'm worried about the music box."
"I see."
Russell smiled and nodded without pointing anything out.
"Mr. Watson, you seem to know him quite well?" Louise asked with great interest. "Have you met Moriarty before?"
"Well… I haven't met him, but he certainly helped me earn quite a bit of side income."
Russell smiled. "Thanks to him, paying my tuition wasn't so difficult."
Louise found the remark amusing.
He seems like a very nice person.
"Is there anyone who could argue with that?"
As the two engaged in casual conversation, time ticked by, and midnight was rapidly approaching.
About thirty minutes before dawn, a faint sound echoed through the quiet Buckingham Palace.
"——"
It was a hollow sound, like something being struck.
Louise instantly perked up.
"Mr. Watson…"
"Shh."
Russell raised a single finger, signaling Louise to stay quiet.
He then manipulated the ghost-like hand he had left idle earlier and knocked on the wall again, ten meters away.
Thud.
Another clear, hollow sound rang out—loud enough for anyone on edge to hear clearly.
"It's him… right?"
Louise instinctively grabbed Russell's sleeve, her eyes filled with unmistakable tension and excitement.
"Please calm down, Your Highness."
Russell whispered reassuringly, then moved the Ghost Hand directly beneath them.
Another knock.
"Below…!"
Louise lowered her head almost instantly.
"How did he do that…?"
The Ghost Hand's range was only ten meters, but those ten meters were in a straight line.
Since they were on the second floor, it was easy to cause a commotion on the first, third, or even fourth floor.
After the third knock, the entire Buckingham Palace went into high alert.
In the quiet night, hurried footsteps and the shouts of guards mixed together.
The guards stationed at every entrance and corridor swarmed toward the source of the sound like a startled colony of ants.
"He's in the third-floor corridor of the east wing!"
"No! The sound is coming from the west wing!"
"Damn it! It sounds like it's coming from the first-floor lobby!"
Russell manipulated the Ghost Hand, creating chaos throughout the palace while carefully listening to the sounds coming from outside.
Where is he?
Louise's palms were sweaty with tension. She gripped Russell's clothes tightly like a frightened little rabbit.
"There's nothing to fear, Your Highness," Russell said soothingly, gently stroking her hand. "We just need to wait here."
He controlled the ghostly hand, making the knocking sounds faster and increasingly irregular.
Sometimes below, sometimes on the roof, sometimes east, sometimes west.
This only further confused the already tense guards. They were completely manipulated by the invisible phantom, like a swarm of headless flies.
"Something like that should do it," Russell muttered to himself.
He targeted the living room of the neighboring empty residence as the Ghost Hand's final target.
Thud!
A knock far louder and clearer than any before suddenly rang out from the other side of the wall!
"Yes, right next door!"
Louise gasped and cried out, "He's right next door!"
"Your Highness, please don't move."
Russell stood up, put on a serious expression, and walked toward the door.
He flung the door open, peered outside, and once again manipulated the ghostly hand to pound violently on the wall of the neighboring room. The door on the other side opened from within.
The moment he saw the doorknob turn, Russell quickly retreated back inside and pulled the doorbell.
"Charlotte, Mycroft, he's right next door!"
Russell shouted, rushing in first and slamming the door to Louise's bedroom shut.
"Moriarty, you have committed an unforgivable serious offense under the laws of the British Empire. I strongly urge you to surrender and accept legal punishment!"
The instant he entered the room, Russell shouted loudly, creating a commotion inside while simultaneously throwing a smoke bomb onto the floor.
Smoke filled the room, and Russell's figure vanished.
Meanwhile, in Louise's bedroom, the girl sat on the sofa, listening to the commotion outside with an uneasy expression.
Just then, she suddenly felt that the neighboring room had gone quiet, and Russell stopped speaking.
"Mr. Watson?"
Louise called out instinctively, but there was no reply.
At that exact moment, a steady tap tap tap suddenly sounded from behind her.
Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.
Louise spun around abruptly and met the gaze of the phantom thief in the moonlight outside the window.
…
PS: Support me and read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode