Professor Moriarty Wants to Retire.

TN: The narrator is the outer god.

The Deep Ones – Captain Obed and the residents of Innsmouth temporarily gave that name to the species they encountered.

Beings of the deep sea, deep sea people? It might seem like a carelessly chosen name, but in a way, there may be no more intuitive and easy-to-understand term.

Anyway, this species called the Deep Ones not only dwells in the deep sea but has established its own civilization of intelligent beings.

Despite their ugly outward appearance, they are a species with intelligence equal to or greater than humans.

The Deep Ones believe in a kind of folk religion worshipping Father Dagon and Mother Hydra, and have a habit of trying to spread it to humans.

Furthermore, their goal is to mix blood with humans, gradually transform them into their own kind, and turn all humans into Deep Ones.

To put it simply, they are a tribe aiming for world domination. Only their method is not force, but reproduction.

At first, the Deep Ones only demanded living sacrifices from Captain Obed and the residents of Innsmouth, but then they ordered the residents to mix their blood with theirs. The blood of the Deep Ones spread through the Dagon cult that permeated Innsmouth.

In other words, it’s common for Deep Ones to occasionally choose humans they like from the living sacrifices as mates.

“…..”

This time, unfortunately, Moriarty became the target.

“…May I ask just one thing?”

…Sure, go ahead.

Ignoring the excited chatter of the priest, residents, and the gaping Deep One, Moriarty asked the outer god.

“Is that monstrosity similar to your kind?”

I can’t say there’s no relation at all…

The ancient being called Dagon, which the Deep Ones worship, is not completely identical to outer gods, but there is some overlap.

“….By any chance, do all of your kind have such… preferences?”

That’s… probably not the case…?

So, misunderstanding like that might be possible… but isn’t that too irreverent a thought?

I turned you into a little girl just to see the reaction when an old man is turned into a young girl. And since I was making you anyway, I deliberately put effort into making you pretty rather than ugly.

That fish-head wanting to make you its bride isn’t because of your appearance or age, but because it sensed my touch on you, and it’s not like its preference is pedophilia—

“…”

For a moment, I forgot my role as the narrator.

Anyway, the reason the Deep One took an interest in Moriarty was clear. He is a being newly molded by the hand of an outer god, and the Deep Ones who worship Dagon would have felt that influence.

This applies equally to the residents of Innsmouth with Deep One blood mixed in. That’s why the mad fisherman called Moriarty a lucky charm when he first saw him.

Of course, to Moriarty, who knows nothing of all this truth, the Deep One is just an ugly pedophile, both in appearance and in heart.

“…”

While most people would be terrified by the ugly appearance of a Deep One, Moriarty’s gaze was merely cold.

To him, the Deep Ones were no longer incomprehensible unknown monsters, but beasts from the bottom of the sea that he didn’t even want to understand.

“Honor…!!!”

So when the priest approached the altar, trying to imitate a wedding ceremony in their own disgusting way, Moriarty kicked him hard in the groin.

“—!!@#!@#*$%!!??”

“I see that even with fish blood mixed in, what was originally there doesn’t disappear or move.”

As soon as he saw the Deep One’s face, Moriarty realized that the residents’ appearance had been altered by interbreeding with another species rather than continued inbreeding.

He also knew that this act would provoke not only the hideous residents but also the Deep One, who was excited in many ways at the thought of receiving a bride.

“Explain why I shouldn’t pull out the gun in my pocket. In about 60 characters.”

That gun probably sank in the Atlantic, didn’t it?

“…Ah.”

The situation was very unfavorable. Moriarty didn’t even have the minimum means to resist, and even if he had, it wouldn’t have been much use.

“Huh…”

Surprised by the sudden outburst of the unexpected sacrifice, the residents and Deep Ones began to show anger in their eyes, and a sound that could be either phlegm boiling or drowning came from their throats, Moriarty watched quietly and then…

“…A chase, it’s been a while.”

He threw himself towards the window right next to him.

Crash—!! With a crisp sound, the window shattered, and glass fragments scattered.

There was no time to worry about getting cut by glass shards. Beyond the broken window, he could feel the ominous gaze of the residents.

The odds were slim. He might not be able to find an escape route.

But Moriarty ran without hesitation. It wasn’t so much that his gambler’s spirit was activated…

Rather, his desire not to become the bride, or more accurately, the breeding stock of a terrible fish-person was much stronger.

Honestly, who would like that?

――

The roars of the Deep Ones could be heard from all directions.

Avoiding those ugly shadows, Moriarty ran aimlessly.

“It’s not just one or two…”

The Deep Ones hidden in Innsmouth were not just the one pedophile who wanted to make him its bride.

It was unclear whether the residents had transformed into Deep Ones or had come up to mix more blood with them, but they all expressed their anger towards the outsider who refused to assimilate with them in one mind and heart.

“Hmm.”

“@#$*%!~?”

If there was any good news for Moriarty, it was that his newly acquired body had considerably better physical abilities than before.

“Indeed… my body has become lighter.”

You’re no longer an ordinary human. You’re a slightly more evolved… a being that has taken a step forward, so to speak.

The previous Moriarty wasn’t particularly sickly either. Rather, he could be said to be quite healthy for his age.

But no matter how much he took care of himself, his body was that of an ordinary Englishman, and it was natural that it would weaken as he aged.

In contrast, his current body felt light enough to give him an inexplicable sense of liberation from the old flesh he had been trapped in.

When reshaping his body, the outer god didn’t just focus on appearance but also raised it to a level that could resist beings somewhat stronger than humans.

“Counterattacking… would be difficult..!!”

Of course, after careful adjustment, the final result was a weakling that could only resist, not excel in strength.

Thanks to this, Moriarty was able to somehow save himself from the pursuit of the Deep Ones.

“….!!”

In the midst of shaking off the pursuit of the Deep Ones, Moriarty’s eyes caught sight of a railway that seemed to have been unused for a long time.

Following the railway might lead to another city or village where people live. Human settlements tend to spring up near railways and train stations to use them.

“~!@#!@$)_&!!!!”

Of course, there was a possibility that those settlements might have been greatly influenced by something unknown like Innsmouth, but Moriarty had no time to think about such things while being chased by Deep Ones.

He also thought that no matter how chaotic it might be, it couldn’t be worse than Innsmouth.

This was somewhat true. It’s hard to find a place as thoroughly overtaken by Deep Ones or other entities as Innsmouth.

However, if someone were to ask if his path ahead was bright, they would definitely answer no.

“Huff… huff….”

Anyway, that’s how James Moriarty’s Innsmouth exploration came to a rather anticlimactic end.

――

Although it’s now a closed line where trains no longer run, the railway passing through Innsmouth was once an important line connecting various cities in Massachusetts.

Notably, Arkham has occult experts scattered about, including some faculty members from Miskatonic University, so Moriarty’s choice to follow the railway could be seen as very desirable.

The problem, however, was that his direction was completely opposite that towards Arkham.

Even if there had been signposts, they were all rusted or broken, and even if they weren’t, it would have been meaningless as Moriarty wouldn’t know about a city called Arkham anyway. In any case, he was getting farther and farther away.

Unfortunately, no one or clue could tell him what kind of city Arkham was. The outer god was practically neglecting him.

“……Cough…”

Of course, anywhere with people living would be welcome for him now, whether it’s Arkham or anywhere else. After walking for three days and nights without a sip of water, is he in any position to be picky?

His vision was getting blurrier, and the strength was leaving his legs that had been moving his heavy body somehow. When his steps finally stopped, his eyes were almost closed.

Even though he had reached the town with people living that he had so desperately wanted, he was too exhausted to even realize it.

“….Huh?”

But fortunately, he didn’t become a ghost driven mad by frustration.

Because someone found Moriarty, who was like half-dried seafood, practically a walking corpse.

“Are you alright… Eek!?”

How fortunate, James Moriarty, how fortunate.

[Dunwich]

If only the name written on the signpost fallen beside the railway had not been this, it would have truly been fortunate.