Forbidden Flower of Moriarty || Moriarty the Patriot Fanfiction ||

Chapter 39: Return

A/N: I don't own the image used. Credits to the mangaka.

Happy Reading!!

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"Ah, Lady Elise. We were waiting for you two." Moneypenny greeted Elise and Mycroft who just arrived to the company with a polite smile. "Nothing troubling happened on the way, I suppose?"

The brunette gave her a close eyed smile. "Yes. Everything was fine, Miss Moneypenny. Chief Mycroft and I were a little sidetracked with our conversation. My apologies for that."

Seeing that she had hid what happened earlier, Mycroft took off his hat and bowed his head. "Apologies as well. Since we were the last ones, shall we start planning for the next operation?"

Elise was silently grateful Mycroft went along with her excuse.

Inside the main room of Universal Exports Company, Mycroft relayed to them what the Foreign Minister talked to him previously after the incident with Adair happened. Putting the pieces together, everything was falling in to place.

"...So, from that point on, we can conclude that... "Balmoral most likely has a close relationship with Adair, and he is aware that Adair's killer is targeting his life for the same reason"." Louis says.

Fred made a fist as he spoke up. "Moran-san is... isn't someone who kills people for no reason."

Elise slowly nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's right. With the information we have with us, it is clear to us why Moran-san would do something like this."

She held her hands together on her lap as Mycroft voiced out what's in their minds.

"Regardless of the circumstances, the reason why Colonel Moran hunted Adair and Balmoral was simple and clear." The older Holmes' expression was grim as he continued. "It's because they were unmistakably traitors to the country."

"Sir Balmoral is the key man in the Entente Cordiale agreement." Bond says. "... And yet he's trying to sell his country. Isn't that man too dangerous?"

Herder clapped his hand as he said in a chipper tone. "In that case, let's just leave everything to Moran-san and have Balmoral assassinated!"

Of course, he was just kidding, but Moneypenny called him out from behind. "...Herder-san..."

"I know. I know. That won't do." He says. "Just kidding! ... Or not?"

Elise shook her head.

The man was obviously kidding but she can't help but feel he's partly serious about it. If this were the old MI6, they might have considered doing that option. However, they are no longer the organization that kills in order to get the result they desired.

"...We have to stop him." Louis says firmly. "Whatever the reason, it should be the law that judges the bad guys. Punishing criminals arbitrary isn't something that can be forgiven. Neither can we. What we have now... It's all mere speculation. As long as we don't have the evidence, we can't do anything."

"But, even without evidence... I am sure... Moran-san is doing all these because... He wanted to carry on William's legacy..." Elise's eyes drooped a little as she recalled her previous talk with him. "I think Moran-san believed William had really died that day... For three years, Fred and I tried searching for him but to no avail..."

Elise felt guilty for plenty of things, and one of them includes not telling them the truth about William's status. Though she herself is also unaware of how he is the past three years.

She asked herself, if she told Moran about the plan she had or even asked Louis to pull him along before, will it prevent the man from doing something like this? If she asked for his help as well, wouldn't that affect William's plan of changing this country?