"...?"
Wow, that's incredible—so that's what kind of phrase it was! Yes, yes, that's it...
Russell's eyes shone, as if he'd suddenly seen the light.
"That would explain everything. Mary, you really are amazing." He gazed at her with a mixture of approval and admiration, a faint epiphany on his face.
Exactly right. This is how you turn things around. In a few days, he would steal something from Mycroft's nemesis's house and cement that idea.
Seeing Russell's reaction, Mary's lips curled in satisfaction. She was clearly enjoying this feeling—this sense of intellectual superiority. Her thoughts wandered.
"Mycroft wasn't just trying to distance himself. He used this method to hint at Charlotte and send a message."
He was telling Charlotte that Moriarty was his own agent, and that she should keep out of Moriarty's business.
"But what if Charlotte doesn't understand?" Russell asked hesitantly.
"She'll absolutely understand—she's Holmes," Mary said with full confidence. "Of course, even if she didn't, it doesn't really matter."
Mycroft had planned this from the beginning. Whether Charlotte understood or not, he'd ensured maximum safety.
"What's wrong, Mary?"
"Of course, it's just workplace rhetoric, Russell." Mary was clearly amused. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and laughed quietly. "His rhetorical strategy is a perfectly closed loop." She raised one finger.
"First, suppose our initial guess is correct—that Mycroft wants to 'protest too much.' He gets close to Charlotte, asks her to investigate Moriarty, and basically wants to prove that Ethan Roy's downfall has nothing to do with Moriarty."
"I see," Russell nodded in agreement.
"And in this situation, of course Charlotte would refuse—Mycroft's choice of words likely pressed exactly the wrong buttons for her. Knowing Charlotte, he'd know the way to stir up her rebellious side is to provoke her dislike."
"And obviously, Mycroft succeeded," Mary concluded.
"I see...," Russell said, finally realizing. The first level of logic is completely closed. Brilliant.
"Now, let's consider the second scenario—what if Charlotte understood Mycroft's hint?" Mary raised a second finger, her smile widening.
"If Charlotte understands Mycroft, she'll choose to ignore the case entirely." In reality, her indifference was obvious from the start—she had no real interest in Moriarty at all.
"And what if Charlotte's rebellious side is triggered again?" Russell played the perfect straight man, picking up her cue.
"Then we loop right back to the standard office talk," Mary chuckled a little. "Remember the 'title' Mycroft put on Moriarty?"
"A threat to national and political security."
"Right—and if Charlotte really caught Moriarty, what do you think that would mean for Mycroft, Russell?"
Russell's mind raced. That meant his academic career would be cut short, and his leg would need to undergo some form of metal endurance testing.
"That means Mr. Mycroft could use the opportunity to publicly 'eliminate' a criminal who threatened national security?"
"Full marks." Mary snapped her fingers. "You see? Whether Charlotte understood, accepted, or refused, Mycroft was always the winner."
He could protect Moriarty and use him to defeat his rivals, or win a reputation as a defender of law and political security. Even if Moriarty ultimately tried to expose Mycroft with all his might, nobody would believe him.
One had to admit, Mycroft Holmes was truly an intelligent man.
"Shhh—" Russell sucked in a breath. "How can Mycroft be so sinister? Next time, I'll rob his house myself!"
"Anyone involved in politics is dirty," Mary shrugged as if used to it.
With that, she turned back to the chalkboard, refocusing on the professor's lecture and the characters on the board.
Ethan Roy, Mycroft Holmes, Phantom Thief Moriarty—three originally unrelated names, now connected by Mary's imagination and deduction, forming tangled threads full of intrigue and vested interests. It was like watching a puzzle gradually complete, its whole outline becoming clear.
"But doesn't this return us to the first point?" Russell asked.
"What's wrong with that?" Mary's attention drifted away again.
"So what about the motivation?" Russell pressed. "I mean, Moriarty's motive."
"If it were money... that's obviously impossible. Moriarty never stole jewels." Even if he did, in the end he would always return them to their rightful owners, Mary thought, frowning as she answered her own question.
"So then, is it for fame?" Russell asked.
"If it was about reputation, not working with Mycroft wouldn't damage him at all," Mary replied. "He could just expose Mycroft, couldn't he?"
Mary shook her head, rejecting that idea. "Unless..."
Unless? Russell's heart raced.
"Unless what?"
"Unless he knew Mycroft from the very beginning," Mary said. "It's a bit far-fetched, but it would explain everything."
"What do you mean?" Russell asked.
"You know, Russell." This time, rather than answering directly, Mary offered an obscure fact about noble lineages.
"Actually, some nobles adopt children from orphanages. They provide them with food, clothing, education, and a place to live, making the children feel grateful and see them as benefactors. When those children grow up, they blend into all corners of society, becoming the eyes and ears of the aristocrats everywhere."
Mary's voice was gentle and matter-of-fact, as though discussing something entirely ordinary.
"In some cases, attractive girls are raised as heirs, becoming pawns for political marriages or business alliances. Since the adoption procedures are private, no one ever knows if an adopted child is truly their own."
Meanwhile, boys might be trained to become journalists, lawyers, businessmen—professionals with spotless identities and backgrounds, whom no one ever suspects of noble connections.
"So aren't they their 'shadows'?" Russell continued, sounding a little surprised.
"Yes, shadows—and tools." Mary nodded. "Compared to interests, emotions are an even stronger, cheaper chain." If necessary, it could inspire people to abandon everything, even their freedom and lives.
She paused, then looked Russell in the face again. "So what happens if Moriarty is one of them?"
…