Episode 16

Give a mask to a person of Murim, and they will speak the truth.
–Oscar Wilde

Perhaps she was satisfied with her skills improving rapidly under my guidance.
After two days of persistent persuasion, Watson decided to attend the ball.

“You worry so much about my lifespan that I can’t just sit idly by.”
“Thank you for agreeing. And, as I’ve mentioned several times, understand that I too have made a difficult decision for your sake.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“……”

I needed time to prepare myself mentally as I had to reveal an embarrassing past.

“…This invitation has been delivered to me every spring, regardless of where I am. It’s already the sixth year.”

Watson’s eyebrows rose high as she understood the implication.

“It means you were already considered a rising prodigy at the age of twenty-two, doesn’t it?”
“Well, something like that. The invitation comes due to my master’s reputation, though.”

The other name for the Debutante Ball is the U-35 Invitational.
In other words, it’s a ball where only those under thirty-five are eligible to participate.

However, this is merely the upper age limit for stepping foot in the ballroom.
London’s curious onlookers enjoyed speculating about the potential of those attending the ball for the first time based on their age.

And.
The prodigies of large sects with the Royal Warrant or the secular disciples of renowned clans usually made their mark at the Debutante Ball before turning twenty-four.

What this means is that, at twenty-eight this year, I would be dismissed the moment my age is revealed at the ball.

“Holmes, could it be that you’ve avoided participating in the Debutante Ball all this time just to maintain your pride?”
“Unbelievable. To think you would see me as such a man. The only reason I have declined the invitations thus far is simply that I do not enjoy social gatherings.”

It wasn’t a lie.
At least for the first three years, I consistently expressed my refusal to attend.

However, from the fourth year on, even if I wanted to participate, I couldn’t find a partner.

The reasons were mainly threefold.

First, the martial artists from other sects were uneasy around my master.
Second, even if I tried to find a partner within the same sect, there were few of my master’s disciples with a status similar to mine.
Third, I’m not the type to initiate asking a lady to accompany me to the Debutante Ball.

Of course, this was something I’d never admit, as Watson would tease me endlessly if she found out.
This time, considering Watson’s health, I decided to attend out of pure altruism, so Watson shouldn’t do that to me. Yes, she shouldn’t.

“Still, considering you’ve missed it five or six times already, it’s impressive that you keep getting invitations. Your master must be quite influential.”
“Well, as far as I know, he holds little influence. It’s likely the sect leaders who once lost to my master who intend to pit their disciples against me.”

Of course, their disciples probably have no idea who their masters were defeated by back then.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never heard who your master is. Surely, he’s a renowned master in the martial world.”

Watson looked up at me with eyes full of curiosity.

“I’d rather not even think about that man. To this day, I still find it hard to believe that Mycroft and I survived his training.”
“Mycroft?”
“My older brother.”
“This is the first time you’ve mentioned a sibling.”
“We’re related by blood, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. Just a word of caution, it’s best not to get involved with him in any way.”

In this world, too, Mycroft was an annoying person.
I hope that man never crosses paths with Watson, but will things go as I wish?

“Still, learning martial arts with a sibling from a young age must be a good memory. I had a similar experience.”

I was trying to forget Mycroft’s face that flashed through my mind, but Watson brought up something unexpected.

“…Do you have siblings as well?”

I feigned ignorance to change the subject.

“Of course. We were very close.”
“……”

Something feels off.

If I recall correctly, before I regressed, Watson harbored ill feelings towards his brother Henry.
The reason was simple. Henry squandered the family fortune on alcohol and eventually died young.
In this world too, on the first day I met Watson, I remember seeing Henry’s name engraved on the back of her pocket watch.
To be precise, it was the pawnshop owner’s mark of the initials of the person who pawned it.

It was unexpected to see ‘John Watson’ engraved alongside it, unlike what I saw in the world I originally lived in.

In this world, even though only the gender changed, Watson grew up in a similar environment, and yet she talks about the memories of practicing martial arts with her sibling.
The relationship between Watson and Henry, as I knew it, was something I couldn’t comprehend.

Perhaps there were truths I was unaware of.

My intuition was perfectly correct.

“I haven’t yet mentioned that I have two older brothers.”
“…Two older brothers?”

What could this mean?
Watson should have only one sibling.

“You and I might be somewhat alike. Especially in our mutual dislike for the eldest.”

Watson sighed lightly and continued.

“Honestly, I couldn’t care less if Henry, the eldest, lived or died. But my second brother was different. He was very kind to me.”
“Wait a moment, Watson. May I ask you something?”
“Hmm?”
“Wasn’t your name John Watson?”

When I asked, she blinked her round eyes like a rabbit and replied.

“Of course, it’s an alias. My name is Jane. Jane Watson.”
“Then who is John—”
“The second brother I just mentioned is John Watson. We’re fraternal twins.”

My voice unconsciously rose at the unexpected answer.

“Then, John…where is John?”
“I haven’t seen him since he vanished without a trace long ago. He left nothing behind except his name engraved on Henry’s keepsake.”
“…?!”

It was then that I recalled that the handwriting of the two initials engraved on the back of the pocket watch was completely different.

At first, I thought it was simply engraved by the pawnshop owner and Watson herself, but that wasn’t the case.

“If you don’t mind, may I take a look at that keepsake?”
“If you wish.”

Watson opened the table drawer, took out the pocket watch, and handed it to me.

[J. W.]

As I saw before, John Watson’s initials matched perfectly with the handwriting of a man I knew.
I was mistakenly thinking that the initials were carved by Jane because I didn’t know the handwriting of Watson in this world, namely, Jane Watson.

“Thank you, Watson. I am sincerely grateful to you.”
“…What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“Later… Someday, I will explain it in a way you can understand. But not today.”

An indescribable emotion began to well up from the depths of my heart.
It was very similar to the emotion felt by someone who finds a ray of light in a dark sea.

“I will find you, no matter the cost.”

I muttered quietly so Watson wouldn’t hear.

Even in this world, John Watson existed as my one and only companion.
And I was the only man capable of finding him using a single trace as a my lead.

Two weeks later.

As the evening glow settled over Baker Street, we were ready to leave for the ball, dressed in the designated attire and masks.

I was quite excited while preparing for this ball.
I thought my friend John Watson had turned into a woman, but he was alive and well in this world too.

A clue is necessary to find him.
By curing his sister Jane Watson’s meridian blockage disorder and staying with her, I might learn something.
No, the option of letting Watson’s precious twin sister die never existed in the first place.

I must obtain the inner core of the Unicorn Salamander at this ball.

“Are you prepared, Watson?”
“With the inner core at stake, there’s no other way. I’ll do my best.”

I was dressed in a white shirt and vest, complete with a bow tie and tailcoat, and the feel of the white gloves, worn after such a long time, felt unfamiliar.
Meanwhile, Watson seemed inexplicably embarrassed, nervously clutching the shawl covering her shoulders.

“Why are you so tense?”
“It’s my first time wearing clothes like this…”

Watson, having lifted the face-changing technique, answered in a much softer voice than usual.
She was now looking at her reflection in the mirror, shyly drawing her shoulders together.

“Rest assured. It suits you well.”

What she borrowed from the costume room was a bell-shaped gored skirt that widened towards the hem.
A practical outfit where, even if the hem drags on the floor, it can be fixed with a loop to prevent it from being cumbersome when moving.
The brightly colored evening dress that wrapped her upper body was tailored with short sleeves and a low-cut neckline, revealing the body’s lines.
Her hair, a mix of red and silver, was adorned with ribbons and flowers, and her dexterity, befitting a doctor, made an impressive silhouette.
The ensemble was completed with gloves reaching up to the elbows and a fan, which also matched Watson’s calm demeanor beautifully.

“While I don’t plan to suggest you go without the face-changing technique, dressing like this is quite stylish.”
“You’re one to talk. Why don’t you wear a tailcoat regularly? It’s neat and gentlemanly.”

We exchanged banter as we descended to the first floor.
There was no need to worry about Mrs. Hudson and the maid catching a glimpse of Watson in her dress.
That’s why I had given the landlady two second-class train tickets to Norwich in advance.
By now, she would be enjoying a comfortable time at a hotel in the city, 33 leagues northeast of London.

In front of the door on the first floor, the carriage was waiting as promised.
When the coachman opened the door, I playfully gestured to the interior seats.

“Ladies first.”
“…Just for today.”

Watson, seemingly displeased with my teasing, huffed and climbed into the carriage.

“Take us to St. James’s Square.”
“Yes, sir.”

In less than 15 minutes, the carriage brought us to our destination on King Street.

This street, once known for the exclusive clubs of East India Company officials and Christie’s Auction House, was a popular spot for London’s upper class.
Of course, since the fall of the East India Company, its prestige has waned.

“This very place is Almack’s…”

Upon stepping out of the carriage and seeing the building where the ball was to be held, Watson uttered a brief exclamation.

The Palladian-style building, inspired by the designs of a Venetian architect, possessed a grandeur and beauty that overwhelmed its viewers.
This year, the location of the Debutante Ball is here, Willis’s Room.
It was the largest ballroom of Almack’s, London’s premier social club.

“Be prepared. Ahead is a battlefield disguised as a ball.”
“Let’s hope for good fortune…”
“Remember, this isn’t a place easy enough for gamblers relying on luck to survive.”

Beyond that door awaited a battlefield of elaborately adorned Murim warriors.

After warning Watson before heading towards the entrance, I promptly donned a mask.

The very mask of the Heavenly Demon, worn by my master during his Brexit¹ days.