I revered the gods, loved my friends, and never hated my enemies, yet I die scorning the Zion Clan.

–Voltaire

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The news delivered by the officer was completely unexpected.

From what I remember, the culprit of this case was Jefferson Hope, a hunter from the United States.

Before my regression, he had crossed over to London chasing after Drebber and Stangerson, and poisoned them while working as a coachman, waiting for the right moment.

He used alkaloids he obtained while working as a messenger in the laboratory at York University.

Yet, to find him discovered as a corpse.

Even more, the estimated time of death was three days ago.

It defies logic that the murderer would die two days before the victim.

Could there be something I’ve missed?

“Perhaps a family member or friend of the victim sought revenge.”

“Didn’t you just hear as well, Watson? Jefferson Hope died three days ago.”

“Now that you mention it, yes.”

For a moment, I considered the possibility that the coroner at Scotland Yard might be an imbecile beyond imagination.

If not, Stangerson might have used a small amount of bone-dissolving acid to make a freshly dead body appear as if it had been dead for three days.

Either way, it certainly makes the case more intriguing.

“Wasn’t there someone among the victim’s acquaintances who came over from America?”

“Yes. A secretary named Joseph Stangerson… Wait, how on earth did you…?”

“I checked the card case yesterday. So, where is Stangerson?”

“We’ve been protecting him since yesterday. He was terribly frightened upon hearing of Drebber’s death.”

It seems plausible, as Watson suggested, that if Hope killed Drebber, his friend Stangerson would seek revenge.

However, I doubted that an ordinary Mormon warrior could deceive a coroner.

Such sinister skills were the specialty of the Tang Clan, known for dealing with poisons, the prestigious Chenzhou Yan Clan for their Dead Men techniques, or perhaps it was the specialty of the monks from the Modern Clan, who inherited the true teachings of the Maoshan Clan.

Moreover, the police sent someone to Stangerson right after confirming Drebber’s death.

In that short span, killing Hope and tampering with the corpse seemed nearly impossible.

“Is there any testimony of Stangerson being seen near where Hope’s body was found?”

“No, there isn’t.”

I asked just in case, but the answer was as expected.

It wasn’t Stangerson who killed Hope disguised as a cabman.

“Understood. I’ll leave immediately, see you at the scene.”

I packed my belongings after sending the officer away.

“Watson, if you’re up for it, let’s have lunch outside today.”

“Are you buying?”

“Of course, that’s the plan. As long as your appetite isn’t spoiled after we reach our destination. If you lose the bet, you buy lunch.”

“What kind of nonsense is that!”

Watson grumbled something, but I grabbed my cane and headed downstairs immediately.

“Oh, and it’s best to prepare your finest coat. Unless you want to attract unwanted attention in the affluent neighborhood.”

Before we depart, there’s a small errand for ‘the guys’ to run. Better hurry.

Once ready, we hailed a carriage and set off for the site where Hope’s body was found.

Heading south along the Hyde Park fence. Passing Buckingham Palace, the carriage ran westward and as it entered Chelsea, luxurious mansions began to appear.

As one of London’s premier affluent neighborhoods, Chelsea was an exceptionally quiet and peaceful area.

When rumors of a dismembered body being dumped in such a place spread, the influential wives from the political and business circles are bound to chatter endlessly about Scotland Yard’s incompetence.

Imagining the dejected face of Lestrade being scolded by his superiors was nothing short of amusing.

“Holmes, you seem excited.”

“Is there any reason I shouldn’t be?”

Watson was looking at me as if I were an opium addict.

“The man you’ve identified as the culprit was found dead before the incident occurred. You might lose credibility as a detective, or rather, as an investigative consultant.”

Watching her struggle to lower her voice and speak in the tone of a dignified gentleman almost made me laugh, but I held back for the sake of my friend’s dignity.

“I suppose. Whether I’m wrong or not, we’ll only know by the end.”

“That’s quite some confidence.”

The way she tries to subtly scratch my pride after getting a bit friendly resembles the Watson I know.

She still doesn’t seem to understand what kind of person I am. She’ll learn eventually, so it doesn’t matter.

“I’m someone who has no qualms about admitting my mistakes. Even if I’m wrong once or twice, as long as I catch the criminal, isn’t that what matters? I’m just glad to be assigned a case where I can properly utilize my abilities.”

“I can’t understand…”

While exchanging various conversations with Watson, the carriage safely arrived at the destination.

A cozy garden surrounded by red brick walls.

However, what grows here are plants of incomparable value to those in other gardens of London.

Chelsea Physic Garden.

Since 1673, when the Society of Apothecaries interns rented the land for cultivating elixirs, this place has been a center for the improvement of elixir breeds and other experiments.

The Physic Garden, maintaining a unique microclimate with the power of the mechanism array, was famous for being able to cultivate foreign plants and elixirs that normally couldn’t grow in London.

The late director, Robert Fortune, was a skilled industrial spy from the East India Company who had stolen tea cultivation techniques from the Qing. One could say, with a bit of exaggeration, that it was thanks to him that the British Empire was able to mass-produce tea leaves in India.

It was also here, at the Chelsea Physic Garden, that they first succeeded in cultivating cotton, pineapples, rubber trees, and olives in London.

I had always wanted to visit, but I never thought it would be for an investigation.

“This place is really…a different world.”

As we passed through the main gate, Watson let out a small exclamation.

Inside the Physic Garden, colorful flowers and exotic trees flaunted their beauty.

Above all, the scent emitted by the plants here was so refreshing and vibrant that it seemed otherworldly.

“This isn’t a place one can visit easily.”

Seeing her unable to take her eyes off the rare herbs and fruits, it seemed Watson was more interested in elixirs than martial arts.

She must have put considerable effort into researching this field to change her own constitution.

Above all, since her profession was a doctor, it was understandable that her eyes would light up in a place like this.

The problem was me.

-Gulp.

Even if I let my mind wander for a moment, my hands would try to pluck the flowers on their own.

With the power of the Lionheart Method, I succeeded in eliminating the withdrawal symptoms of morphine and cocaine etched into my soul, but the fact that this technique is also demonic in nature remains unchanged.

Moreover, one of the side effects of the Lionheart Method was severe addiction to elixirs.

“Holmes, why are you standing there dazed? Come here for a moment.”

Watson pulled a handkerchief from her chest pocket and, standing on tiptoe, wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth.

“What a mess. Drooling like this.”

“…Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious.”

“Your eyes look unfocused, so I wondered what was going on.”

“I was just momentarily entranced by the beautiful scenery here.”

I replied, struggling to suppress the withdrawal symptoms of the spiritual medicine.

“I didn’t know you had such sensitivity.”

“Feel free to tease me now. Once you hear my violin playing, you won’t be able to say that again.”

“Could you play a tune for me when you have some time later?”

“Since you requested it, please don’t fall over in shock after hearing it.”

Unexpectedly, I ended up showing an unsightly scene.

I composed myself again and called the officer waiting at the main gate.

“Where’s the corpse?”

“Please wait a moment.”

Recognizing me, he brought over a security guard from the Physic Garden nearby.

“I will escort you inside. Within the Physic Garden, there’s a protective formation that confuses entrants.”

“How intriguing.”

“I agree on that point, but this formation has the power to bewilder the living. If you don’t want to get lost, please stay close to me.”

The security guard led Watson and me toward the inner part of the garden.

After going through a complex process of stopping every few steps, changing directions, and opening and closing our eyes, we finally reached the deepest part of the Physic Garden.

In the world I originally lived in, this place was called the Physic Garden, and its area wasn’t particularly vast.

In this London, however, it seemed to be treated as an important facility, unnecessarily large, requiring a full 30 minutes to reach the place where the body was.

“Not bad at all.”

Even in the midst of this, I didn’t neglect to observe the guards stationed at the main gate and inside.

Despite the horrific murder that occurred, they showed no signs of being disturbed.

They merely watched nervously to ensure that no one tampered with the garden’s elixirs.

Well, considering the value of the elixirs grown here, it’s only natural.

“Have you found out anything? Lestrade.”

I spoke to the inspector with broad shoulders, addressing his back.

Lestrade’s face, turned towards us, looked as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

“Nothing. It’s just horrible.”

Slowly walking to where Lestrade stood, we finally faced the corpse.

“Ugh…”

“I’ve won. Watson, you’ll be buying lunch today.”

“Seeing this, and you still joke—ugh!”

I patted Watson’s back as she gagged.

“…Certainly not a sight to behold before a meal.”

The corpse sprawled at our feet was in a pitiful state.

No, using such an expression was incorrect.

The face of the corpse was undoubtedly that of the criminal I remembered, Jefferson Hope.

However, his body, as the officer mentioned earlier, was dismembered.

Although I was reluctant to explain in detail, it was certain that using all ten fingers to count the pieces was still insufficient.

“Let’s see…”

I brought the cane closer to examine the size of the maggots feasting on the corpse.

“It’s true that it’s been about three days since death.”

According to the marks engraved on the Heavenly Demon Cane, the maggots had undoubtedly hatched three days ago.

“I understand why you, Lestrade, are eager to jump into the Thames right away.”

What caught my attention was not the fact that the corpse was dismembered.

The garden was filled with the various scents of elixirs, mingling with the stench from the corpse.

Even amidst that, the strong scent of lilies did not lose its presence.

The source of the sword’s fragrance was the severed edges of the corpse.

There was no doubt it bore the marks of being hacked by the Illusionary Swordsmanship of the Zion Clan, a move from the Lily Sword Technique.

“At least I think I know who did it.”

The body, cut sixteen times by a sharp sword, was all gathered within a 2-yard radius without any pieces scattered.

Embedded in the middle of the chest of the corpse was a broken blade.

I had a guess where the other half of the sword was.

“Lestrade. Bring Drebber’s sword. Immediately.”

Soon, the broken cane sword from the Scotland Yard evidence room arrived at the Physic Garden.

The weapon used by the Mormon, Enoch J. Drebber, who died yesterday, to confront the culprit.

I pulled out the blade stuck in Hope’s corpse, who died two days before Drebber, and placed it beside it.

“My goodness.”

A sigh escaped from Watson, who was in confusion.

“It’s getting more interesting.”

The blade found at the Physic Garden was the broken half of the sword Drebber had been holding.