Chapter Fifty-One: So Disgusting...

"A book?" Everyone looked puzzled.
"A book he published last year. *The Derision of Irene Adler*." His face was filled with utter despair. "He commissioned this publisher to print it."
"Because of a book?" Morley asked, confused. "What, was it plagiarized again?"
"Don't insult me!" A nameless rage surged into Hitoshi Kenhito's heart, and he roared aloud. "How could I ever write such a disgraceful book!"
"He actually, he actually!" Veins bulging around his eyes, he glared furiously. "He actually had Irene Adler mock Sherlock Holmes in the book!"
Irene Adler? That woman who outwitted Sherlock Holmes? Morley remained puzzled. "So what?"
"So?" Hitoshi Kenhito's eyes revealed a look of sheer disbelief. "Aren't you a Sherlockian?!"
"You should know better than anyone, how could Irene Adler possibly mock Sherlock Holmes?"
"And you, a Sherlock Holmes fan, actually nodded and allowed this book to be published?!" He turned his fierce glare back to Fujisawa Toshiaki. "Pitiful! Shameful!"
Morley fell silent.
...Seriously? Was that supposed to be a big deal? If he found out that Professor Moriarty had changed careers to become a detective, wouldn't he have a total mental breakdown?
However, looking at the hysterical Hitoshi Kenhito, Morley couldn't be bothered to say any more and pulled out a rope to tie him up securely.
Everyone was exhausted by now and retired to their respective rooms to rest. Morley volunteered to watch Hitoshi Kenhito, while Heiji and Conan also eagerly stepped forward to take the night watch shifts. Although the others objected to Conan participating in the night vigil, Conan kept nagging about it, and both Morley and Heiji assured them they would keep Conan safe, so they eventually relented.
In the dead of night.
Morley had already been relieved from his shift and was sitting beside Hitoshi Kenhito, sleeping. A child like Conan naturally couldn't keep watch all by himself, so he had shared the first half of the night with Morley and was now fighting off sleepiness.
He had originally intended to stay up and chat with Morley all night about Sherlock Holmes, but to his surprise, Morley had seemed thoroughly uninterested. Hitoshi Kenhito was quite knowledgeable about the subject, but facing imminent imprisonment, he had no heart to discuss such matters—especially since Conan couldn't be bothered to waste another half a sentence on this murderer. As for Heiji, he was someone who rarely read Sherlock Holmes, openly admitting he preferred Ellery Queen of America.
The result was a boring first half of the night, and now he just wanted to sleep.
Unexpectedly, Heiji Hattori, who had just come on for the next shift, pulled him aside and whispered, "Kudo!"
Conan's body stiffened. "Wh-What?"
He scratched his head with a silly laugh and said, "My name is Edogawa Conan, you know. Did big brother Heiji make a mistake?"
Heiji squatted down and grabbed Conan's bow tie. "Aha, still lying? Why does the mechanism behind this thing look so much like a voice changer?"
"Looking at that unreliable Uncle Mori's performance, you must have used this to imitate his voice to solve cases, right?"
"What are you talking about? This is just a toy..."
"A toy, is it?" Heiji chuckled softly. "Then I'll go ask Morley-kun. He has keen powers of observation, so he must have had his suspicions all along..."
"Don't!" Conan almost jumped up.
If he had to keep acting like a kid in front of Morley every day—and even keep getting his head patted by him—if Morley ever found out he was Shinichi Kudo, his social life would effectively be over!
Hitoshi Kenhito, who had been feigning sleep, quietly cracked open one eye.
Good. That dark-skinned guy had called the kid off to the side to whisper about something, and that silver-haired guy was asleep again.
I need to cut these ropes quickly. I remember the razor blade is in my belt...
Morley, who had not been asleep at all, raised his head to glance at the whispering duo and lightly tapped Hitoshi Kenhito on the back of the head.
Hitoshi Kenhito instantly plunged into a deep, dreamless sleep. Seeing that the other two hadn't noticed, Morley closed his eyes again.
These two... Morley sighed inwardly.

The next day, in the car.
"...So, you were fed a drug by the Black Organization like that, and your body shrank?" Heiji Hattori and Conan were huddled together, whispering.
"Yes. Don't go telling Morley!" Conan sighed. Luckily, he hadn't acted like a child too often in front of Heiji, so at least he wouldn't suffer total social death...
"Why not? Isn't he supposed to be pretty formidable? At the very least, he shouldn't be worse than you or me?" Heiji Hattori was baffled.
Hmph, you? Conan muttered inwardly, though he kept a straight face on the surface. He secretly glanced in Morley's direction and lowered his voice. "Morley... he's too kind."
"He said before that I'm still just a little child, without the strength to shoulder anything or save anyone. So, he's going to shoulder it all."
Morley, eavesdropping from the back seat, wore a peculiar expression. Did I say that? Why don't I remember ever saying I'd shoulder it all?
How sickening.
"He actually really dislikes being a detective; he only became one because of me," Conan's expression darkened. "He's already left a peaceful life behind because of me."
"How could I possibly let him get dragged into an even greater vortex?"
Is there any possibility that I am that vortex? Though I certainly didn't feed Kudo any drugs.
Morley thought about it for a moment. Oh well, the organization is bound to fall into my hands eventually anyway, so I might as well just take credit for feeding it to him.
I shall bear the burden! (Not really)
"...So cheesy." Heiji and Morley happened to share the exact same thought. "Still, he actually said something like that? From the things he said before, I honestly thought he was someone with extensive criminal experience..."
"That's called case-solving experience!" Conan's face soured.
"Then what are you going to do from now on? Keep following that Uncle Mori while looking for clues?"
"The scientist who researched that drug has already been found, but unfortunately, there are no records left. I'm waiting for an undercover agent inside to find an opportunity to smuggle the drug out, though I imagine it'll be very difficult."
"Undercover? You're even in contact with someone undercover inside?"
"That's a whole other story. Back then..."

How did these two end up chatting about such outrageous things? Morley, still eavesdropping, frowned. They had zero sense of self-preservation. What would happen if someone from the organization heard them?
No wait, someone from the organization *was* hearing them!
He couldn't let these two keep talking.
"What is it? What are you chatting about?" Morley stood up and slowly approached.
His shadow fell over their heads, causing both of them to shudder violently.
"Nothing!" Conan and Heiji Hattori immediately sat up straight.
Hitoshi Kenhito had already been handed over to the local police. The bus carrying the remaining passengers drove back toward Tokyo.

Back home, Morley collapsed straight onto his bed.
He was finally home.
Having spent the past three days cooped up with a bunch of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts, listening to them rave about Holmes's brilliant exploits in various cases while occasionally having to play along, had truly drained him both physically and mentally.
Whatever, let's check out this harvest.
He retrieved a silver chess piece from his imaginary space.
Its neck and mane were surrounded by hair, double horns were curled upon its head, its hands and feet resembled sharp claws, and it was posed as if roaring up at the heavens.
The Berserker among the Seven Knights.
Thinking of Hitoshi's fanatical appearance...
Morley figured this wasn't all that strange. If the Seven Knights hadn't lacked a Priest or Bishop, given his fanaticism, distilling these chess pieces would have been a walk in the park.
The pity was that this Berserker chess piece had remained restless ever since he integrated it into his body. Not only could it not form a resonance with any other chess piece, but it also constantly eroded his sanity, with symptoms gradually worsening over time.
Although using it would slightly boost his physical attributes across the board, after careful weighing, Morley decided he would rather not use it at all and simply sealed the chess piece away within his imaginary space.
After doing the math, the leave he had requested from the organization shouldn't go to waste, so he planned to slack off for a few more days.
Right, time to finish reading that book he hadn't finished yet!
But before that, he needed to take a nap to shake off the fatigue.
Morley locked the doors and windows, drew the curtains tight, and fell into a deep sleep.