Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 11: Duel

Levi gripped his pistol tightly and glanced toward the doorway.

Then he saw Officer Fletcher walk in with both hands raised high, and behind him was a short figure———no need to ask, that was Doctor Doolittle.

At this moment, Doctor Doolittle was pressing a gun against Fletcher’s back.

His face was flushed red, his expression ferocious and grim as he stared at them.

“…………………”

Levi frowned and did not speak, while Katie was clearly at a loss over this unexpected turn of events.

“Throw away the gun in your hand, quickly!”

“And then let that monster kill us? Do you take me for a fool?”

Inspector Lestrade was clutching his wound at this time, gritting his teeth, glaring viciously at Doctor Doolittle.

He clearly had no intention of surrendering so easily.

Doctor Doolittle bellowed.

“Then I’ll kill him!”

“Then do it!”

Inspector Lestrade clearly was not frightened by Doctor Doolittle’s bluff.

He widened his eyes and stared at Doctor Doolittle.

“We finally managed to track down this monster, there’s no way we’re letting it escape! You can kill him, but we’ll kill this monster too! At least that way, the world will be a little safer! He’s a policeman, he knows his duty!”

“…………………”

For a while, Inspector Lestrade and Doctor Doolittle glared at each other, locked in a stalemate.

Obviously, any rash move now would lead to unpredictable consequences.

Katie clenched her little fists, glanced at the monster, then at Doctor Doolittle, but in the end she remained in place, watching the monster’s movements warily.

At this moment, Levi finally spoke.

“Though I don’t want to think this way, this monster………could it be Miss Emilia?”

“Eh?”

Katie gasped in shock at Levi’s words, while Doctor Doolittle’s face darkened.

“…………………How did you know?”

“I guessed.”

Levi looked once more at the monster still wailing on the ground.

“When we examined the corpses earlier, we found the cuts were all very precise, nothing like an amateur’s work. And I also heard Emilia was a top student in the medical department at the Royal Master Academy, very skilled in anatomy and human structure. And then she just so happened to die………”

As he spoke, Levi glanced at the monster again.

“Still, her current appearance is truly beyond what I expected.”

“This is only temporary!”

Doctor Doolittle clenched his jaw.

“As soon as the ritual is complete, Emilia will be fully resurrected!”

“So you killed those courtesans and took their organs?”

Levi raised a brow, fixing Doctor Doolittle with his gaze, and the latter nodded.

“Seems you really do know quite a lot. But that’s not surprising………”

Nonsense, anyone who saw that strange magic circle and those jars full of organs on the operating table would put the pieces together.

As someone born in an age of information explosion, Levi had seen plenty of horror films where cultists did exactly this.

“But why courtesans?”

At this time, Lestrade spoke up.

“You could have killed anyone. Why target those poor courtesans?”

“Because they are sinners.”

This time, Doctor Doolittle’s answer was calm.

“The Holy Lord gave them new life. Those lives that came into this world were their redemption. Yet these sinners killed them for their own selfishness! To kill one’s kin is a grave crime! Their sins are unforgivable! They must be punished!”

As he spoke, Doctor Doolittle began to chant softly.

“The Holy Lord created all things in this world. Every living being is its miracle, our brothers and sisters. Those who recklessly strip life away will face judgment!”

Then he lifted his head again, staring at the two of them.

“The blood of sinners can reverse all things. The flesh of sinners brings new life! As long as I gather enough of the sinners’ marks, Emilia can be resurrected………! Those courtesans deserved to die! They were foolish, corrupt, and ignored even the teachings of God! They had to be punished!”

“Completely mad………”

Hearing this, Inspector Lestrade clenched his teeth.

“But I still don’t understand.”

Levi still looked puzzled.

“There are so many courtesans. How can you guarantee this monster always kills the right person? I mean, it doesn’t exactly look very intelligent.”

Levi glanced once more at the monster, which was crouched on the ground, glaring at them angrily.

But as for its intelligence, Levi wasn’t sure.

It wasn’t like the thing could act like an assassin, carrying a photo around to track victims.

“And those little monsters, what were they?”

“Of course I had a method.”

Doctor Doolittle sneered.

“I ground one of Emilia’s finger bones into powder and mixed it into those drugs. That way, as long as those sinners ingested the medicine, Emilia would sense them and kill them! As for the little monsters, they were none other than the children of those courtesans! They were never truly killed. I saved their abandoned lives!”

“Ah!?”

Hearing this, Katie cried out in shock.

She looked uneasily at the corpses of the little monsters all around, instinctively stepping back a pace.

Good grief, truly good grief.

Levi could only sigh silently at this.

He had thought this world was quite scientific, but now it seemed maybe not so much.

Hmm? No, wait.

From the monster’s pattern of movement………yes.

The thought struck Levi like lightning.

“Then, how about we each take a step back.”

He fixed his eyes on Doctor Doolittle as he spoke.

“I can let this monster go, but you must also release Officer Fletcher.”

“……………？”

Hearing Levi’s words, Inspector Lestrade froze for a moment, but he did not speak.

Katie opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, yet in the end she remained silent.

Doctor Doolittle fell into thought, then glanced at Lestrade.

“But this inspector seems to hold a different opinion.”

“Human life is precious. Every person only has one.”

Levi sighed.

“We wish to ensure Officer Fletcher’s safety, and you want to take this monster away. I can swear upon the Holy Lord, I will never kill you.”

For people in this world, swearing carried real weight, especially when someone of status made the vow.

As he spoke, Levi lowered his revolver and tossed it onto the ground.

Seeing this, Officer Fletcher was horrified.

“Mr. Levi, you can’t do that! Inspector Lestrade is right! We must destroy that monster! Don’t worry about me…………!”

“……………And Inspector?”

“……………Hmph.”

Inspector Lestrade looked at Levi, who gave him a discreet signal.

Reluctantly, Lestrade only snorted coldly and said nothing.

Doctor Doolittle, seeing this, smiled.

“Very well, I can agree. Indeed, the Empire is vast, and staying here would be unwise. Now, back away!”

Hearing this, Levi raised both hands and stepped back.

Doctor Doolittle pressed his gun against Officer Fletcher’s back, carefully walked to the monster’s side, then kicked Fletcher forward.

At the same time, he did not forget to keep his gun trained on them.

Katie stood by, glaring at him angrily like a little growling dog.

But considering the gun in his hand, she dared not act rashly either.

“Well then, we shall take our leave. Hopefully, we will not meet again.”

“We won’t.”

Levi nodded.

“But I have one last question.”

“What question?”

“The Holy Lord created all things in this world. Every living being is its miracle, our brothers and sisters. Those who recklessly strip away life will face judgment.”

Levi stared at Doctor Doolittle, reciting the scripture he had just chanted.

“Then, as a doctor who schemed to murder those poor women, are you not also a sinner? After all, in the Holy Scripture, only the Holy Lord has the right to judge and punish. Humans have no authority to pass judgment in His name. Do you not fear that your actions are blasphemy?”

“So what if I am a sinner?”

Doctor Doolittle clearly dismissed this with contempt.

“I only wish for Emilia, my only daughter, to live……… As long as she can survive, then even if I become a sinner, so be it………”

“Pfft.”

Before Doctor Doolittle could finish, a flash of cold light swept across his throat.

Immediately, blood spurted out.

His eyes widened as he turned his head, only to see the monster staring at him coldly, without a shred of mercy.

“——————！！”

Doctor Doolittle opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but it was already too late.

In the next moment, the monster’s blade pierced into Doctor Doolittle’s body.

At the same time, Levi picked up the pistol he had dropped earlier and aimed at the monster.

The monster had already begun to lower its head and dissect Doctor Doolittle’s body.

Its thin arms were so agile, like those of a skilled surgeon.

Levi glanced at Doctor Doolittle, who was now completely lifeless.

“I told you, I would never kill you.”

Levi murmured, then aimed at the monster and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

“Bang bang bang bang bang bang!!!”

This time, Levi emptied all six bullets straight into the monster’s head.

The creature let out a howl, collapsed to the ground, and stopped moving.

Only then did everyone else finally react, staring in shock at the scene before them.

“Wh-what just happened?”

Katie blinked, her face full of confusion.

“Why did the monster attack Doctor Doolittle?”

“Because he was a sinner.”

Levi holstered his gun, looking at the gutted corpse of Doctor Doolittle.

“He said it himself. This monster needed the flesh and blood of sinners to be resurrected. Naturally, it would attack sinners—or at least those it deemed to be sinners.”

“But if that’s the case, why didn’t it act earlier?”

“Perhaps before this, Doctor Doolittle never considered himself a sinner. He may have truly believed he was a righteous agent of divine will.”

Levi chuckled.

“That’s why I wanted to test it. To see if, once he admitted himself a sinner, the monster would turn on him……… Looks like I was right. I have to say, this really is………rather fascinating.”

Hearing Levi’s explanation, Katie and Officer Fletcher were completely dumbfounded.

They had never imagined such a solution.

“Wait.”

At this moment, Katie suddenly thought of something.

“What if your plan hadn’t worked? Would you really have let them escape?”

“Of course not.”

Levi looked at Katie.

Her fair little face was now covered in grime and blood, leaving only her blue eyes blinking brightly, giving her an oddly cute appearance.

“I would have shot the gun from Doctor Doolittle’s hand first, let you deal with him, and then taken the chance to kill the monster. With your skills, handling an old man with limited mobility wouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Ugh……… That may be true, but……… ”

Katie’s expression was complicated.

Clearly, just because she could fight a twisted monster didn’t mean she liked the idea of beating down a defenseless old man.

“In any case, it’s all over now.”

Levi withdrew his gaze, surveying the wreckage before him.

“Next, we’ll leave it to the police to handle.”