Professor Moriarty Wants to Retire.

Comfort.

Ironically, the first emotion Professor Moriarty felt after being violently thrown onto the water’s surface by the explosion was comfort.

The extreme shock and noise made his consciousness hazy enough that he couldn’t feel pain, and death is, after all, an eternal sleep.

For Professor Moriarty, who was always suffering from overwork, the embrace of sleep was inevitably a very welcome presence.

Wake up.

“…!!”

But soon, Professor Moriarty opened his eyes at a sound that seemed to pierce not his ears but his brain. The sound resembled human speech but was alien, as if poorly imitated.

“…!…!!”

His body slowly sank into the dark sea.

There was no need to consider whether to swim. As a result of being exposed to the blast wave with his bare body, he had received such a great impact that he couldn’t move even a finger.

Yet, his mind was more peaceful than ever. As if he were meditating rather than facing death.

Despite clearly being underwater, he felt no suffocation or any pain at all.

Don’t be too happy. Like the sun shining brightest before it sets, your mind has become clear because your body has entered the boundary between life and death. Of course, I’ve lent a hand too.

….Who are you?

Even though he didn’t open his mouth, Professor Moriarty could answer the being that was addressing him without any problem. The method of conversing with it, which could clearly see into the professor’s mind, was quite simple.

Who… who? Ahahah, you speak as if addressing a human. Do you still perceive me as human? I’m truly… overjoyed beyond words.

The professor felt that the joy in that voice was not mockery but sincere delight. It meant that it felt pleasure just from being treated like a human by the professor.

I’m truly happy you treated me like a human, but unfortunately, I’m not human. Although I know more about humans than anyone else, there are far too many fundamental differences between me and humans.

Then what are you?

A being that loves humans very much. A being that delights in observing humans, shall we say? And… a being that can save you, too.

Is it a god or a devil?

Professor Moriarty pondered. What is this being that transcends human comprehension?

I’ve been so bored until now. No human has given me as much enjoyment as I had hoped for. But… I have considerable expectations for you.

….Did you intentionally cause the explosion accident?

That wasn’t my doing. The fanatics who serve the Lord of the Abyss did it on their own. If you say I’m guilty of knowing about it and not intervening, I have no defense.

The being’s voice, which maintained a relaxed attitude as if knowing everything, sometimes felt as if it was mocking Professor Moriarty.

Everything originated from coincidence: you leaving London and boarding this ship, me being on that ship, that ship being targeted by the heretics of the secret religion, and finally, us meeting in this ocean.

All of it is a mere coincidence?

Should I believe those words or not?

From the beginning, whether I believe it or not, what meaning does it have in front of that being?

…I think it’s about time you revealed your identity. A name, perhaps.

You’re rushing. What’s so important about a name you can’t even pronounce? But… alright.

At that moment, the world flipped.

As if the stage curtains had suddenly changed, Professor Moriarty’s eyes, submerged in the dark sea, were now witnessing a sight that could never be seen in the ocean.

How should one describe that wonder?

A vast desert and ruins buried in sand. And something standing tall in the middle of it all.

Taking on many names and forms, all are mine, and at the same time, none are mine.

I am the chaos that crawls in and the one who whispers in the darkness, the formless darkness, and the guest from the outer universe beyond. To borrow your cumbersome expressions.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the black Pharaoh writhing between the start and the finish.

The huge eye-like structure that appeared above the ruins where sand winds blew soon spread and dyed the sky black.

The being that had been squirming like black sewage with amber light leaking from beneath it changed into a cracked obsidian statue and then took on the form of a black girl.

So, little human, let me ask you.

That wonder, that mystery that cannot be explained scientifically.

Do you want to live?

It was clearly the realm of the divine.

As I said before, I can save you. I can even make you a better being.

The outer god proposed to the professor.

Make a contract with me. Then you’ll be able to achieve everything you desire.

No, it was a proposal in name only; in reality, it was nothing short of an unspoken threat to accept the contract. There was no choice.

Professor Moriarty’s life was as precarious as a candle in the wind. If the professor didn’t accept the outer god’s proposal, he would die, even without any separate action taken.

When someone reaches out a hand to a person hanging off a cliff, it’s natural to grab that hand first, even if it’s a suspicious person whose intentions are hard to understand.

I refuse.

Yes, I thought you’d acce— Huh?

However, Professor Moriarty defiantly slapped away that hand.

Huh? What? I didn’t expect this. Why?

The outer god asked in a genuinely surprised voice at the professor’s attitude.

You’re going to die like this? Really? You’re going to accept such a meaningless death?

The professor had boarded a ship heading to a foreign land, abandoning everything to escape his fate. The outer god couldn’t understand why such a person would now disregard his life.

You seem to be under some misunderstanding. I didn’t run away because I valued my life but because I disliked the predetermined future.

But from the beginning, he had left London to escape the rails laid out by the existence known as the author, even before his life.

And now you’re telling me to make a contract with an inscrutable, omnipotent being like you. Isn’t that negating the very purpose of my escape?

To him, the outer god’s proposal meant nothing more than being manipulated by someone else’s hand again, just with a different subject. And moreover.

Besides… aren’t you just another character in the story, too?

Above all, it was laughable.

No matter how much you act like a god, the real god is outside.

The foolish sight of this being acting omnipotent, behaving as if the power bestowed by the author was its own.

You’re ultimately just the same as me.

He didn’t feel the same uneasiness from this being that he had felt from the author.

From this being, whose appearance was so bizarre it defied description and who possessed power worthy of being called a god, he felt none of the fear and discomfort he had felt from a mere old Englishman.

Acting like a god doesn’t make you a real god. Even if you’re called a god within the story, you’re ultimately just a creation of the writer who writes on the white pages above.

Put it bluntly, you could lose that omnipotent power overnight on the author’s whim, or suddenly be run over and killed by a steamship. The professor sneered at the sight of this being, boasting as if it knew everything, unaware that its fate hung on the tip of a pen.

Shall I worship you? Oh, god of the printed word.

….

For a while, there was no response.

But Professor Moriarty realized that the outer god was extremely angry, judging by the pulsation felt beyond the deep abyss.

My… how impertinent. I never imagined the day would come when I’d hear such words from a mere human.

As if about to crush and burst the dying Professor Moriarty’s body right then and there, invisible pressure was applied from all directions.

It’s truly humiliating and infuriating. This is the first time in my life that I’ve felt such rising anger.

But Professor Moriarty realized that the emotion the outer god was feeling wasn’t simple anger.

It was somehow different from just hot, boiling rage. Something else was mixed in.

What should I do? What can I do? This is the first time… that my chest has felt so hot…!!

It was ecstasy.

Ahahahahah!! Yes, you don’t fear me, do you? I don’t know if what you’re saying is true, but at least I can tell that you don’t fear me, whom even gods fear!!

Ecstasy towards this impertinent microbe that doesn’t fear it. Contemplation and anticipation of how to torment this microbe.

Good. This is beyond my expectations. I’ll be entertained for a while. Perhaps even more than the past few thousand years of human affairs.

Feeling a headache from that joy, the professor suddenly witnessed the tips of his fingers slowly disappearing.

For that, I’ll have to save your life first, right? As punishment for a human who dared to insult an outer god.

As Professor Moriarty tried to retort, he felt his consciousness rapidly fading.

But it was somehow different from the sensation of approaching death. Unlike then, when only comfort was felt as if falling asleep, now it was as painful as having his flesh torn off.

Now, a new fate awaits you, James Moriarty.

With the outer god’s voice, unable to hide its excitement,

Don’t disappoint me.

Professor Moriarty’s consciousness was cut off in an instant.

Translator’s Corner

Should I explain all the references to Lovecraft’s works? If yes, should I do it before, or after the arc?

Also, there’s a lot of stories referenced and sometimes I miss them, so tell me if I missed something when I explain stuff.

-Ruminas