Chapter 39 : Saint (1)

The moment the fountain pen moved on its own, I felt as though my mind floated away, as if experiencing an out-of-body experience.

It felt like I was watching a movie in a dark theater with the lights turned off, as if a third party, not me, was writing.

When I regained my senses, blue magical words were written on the counter.

[Ashley Cooper is an anatomist before being a surgeon.]

[Corpses, anomalies, the Royal Society. This might even be linked to the royal family…]

Conan always muttered to himself whenever he was solving a case.

The fountain pen’s deductions resembled Conan’s speech pattern.

If Conan knew Korean, I thought he would write just like this, even his handwriting was exactly the same.

“Do artifacts resemble their owners?”

After all, this fountain pen was the one Conan used while writing Sherlock Holmes.

When I thought about Conan’s daily life, which revolved around writing for half of the day, this fountain pen must have been like an extension of Conan himself.

It also meant that Conan couldn’t bear not having his pen, as he wanted to write my story into Sherlock Holmes.

Anyway, the deduction made by the fountain pen about why Ashley Cooper killed the prostitute was more than just a clue—it was close to the answer.

This was Conan’s deduction, after all.

But since it was only a strong intuition from piecing together puzzle pieces, the deduction ended with a question mark.

I opened my phone and searched the name “Ashley Cooper” on the website.

[Ashley Cooper, Sir (1840-1888)]
He was an anatomist who made significant contributions to the development of biology, vascular surgery, and anatomy. He also laid the foundation for modern anomalous studies.

As the missing puzzle pieces filled in, the picture was completed.

“It seems like the reason for removing the organs was for an experiment.”

Prostitutes, left alone, would eventually become anomalies and die anyway.

There couldn’t have been a better subject for an experiment for the surgeon Ashley Cooper.

Just like the fountain pen’s deduction, it might have been something orchestrated under the British royal family’s guidance.

Ashley Cooper was a cruel murderer, but ironically, he was recorded as a great figure who advanced modern medicine.

The deduction written by the fountain pen on the counter gradually dissipated as time passed.

I continued testing Conan’s fountain pen after that.

I was curious just how far this pen could deduce.

From famous detective novels like ‘And Then There Were None’, ‘The Tragedy of Y’, to a collection of locked-room tricks.

Swoosh—
Conan’s fountain pen deduced without hesitation, as if it were the key to the truth.

I used Conan’s fountain pen without realizing how much time had passed.

Then, at some point, I felt a burning sensation in my head, and the smell of smoke came from my nose.

“I think I should stop.”

I put down the fountain pen. I felt dizzy as the magical power drained out.

The pen’s ability was so extraordinary that it made me feel like Conan was right beside me.

However, Conan’s fountain pen was not omnipotent.

The harder the deduction, the fewer the clues, the more magical power the pen required, growing exponentially.

If there were too few clues, the pen would either draw a line through and restart or simply stop altogether.

As a result, the time spent deducing increased, causing the magical power to drain away like water.

Even Conan’s fountain pen only provided “clues.”

Deductions were still just deductions; they could never be the definitive answer, so blind faith in them was dangerous.

If there were no clues, deductions were impossible.

“At least it doesn’t take up a slot.”

Conan’s fountain pen was a rare artifact that could be stored anywhere, whether in the artifact catalog or the general catalog.

Originally, the artifact catalog had exceeded its slot limit, so it couldn’t have been stored there.

• The artifact catalog slot has been exceeded.
  Conan’s fountain pen will be moved to the general catalog.

It was automatically moved to the general catalog with a warning message.

It was likely because this artifact was obtained from a side quest, not the main quest.

It was Vanessa, not Conan, who called me to London.

Though it was a legendary artifact, it was a non-combat type, a fountain pen.

◆ Transcendent Catalog

Joan of Arc
Vanessa Walker

Vanessa was newly added to the transcendent catalog, which previously only had Jeanne.

[The Woman Who Twisted Fate, Vanessa Walker]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Attribute: Shadow]
[Summon Time: 6 hours]
[Resummon Cooldown: 01:57]

Vanessa Walker was a seamstress in London, recorded as Jack the Ripper.

She was supposed to be a ghost of history, but she changed her own fate and regained her name.

As a result, she was banished from the world.

The shocking content made me gasp.

A woman who twisted fate, huh?

“Fate wasn’t set in stone.”

I shook my head at the description that made her sound like a traitor of history and summoned the two of them.

“We’re back,” Jeanne said.

Jeanne casually accepted the urban landscape reflected in the window.

Having spent more than a month with me, Jeanne had already blended into modern society.

On the other hand, Vanessa had an unusually surprised expression.

Her golden eyes, gazing at the new world, were wide open.

“So this is the world of Silver Grace?”

“Yes, this is a place called Seoul.”

Her surprise was short-lived, and Vanessa quickly returned to her usual expression.

“Does that mean I can eat bread as much as I want now?”

She smiled and even made a joke.

I chuckled and nodded.

“You’ll be able to eat not just bread, but even more delicious things. That’s why I called you here.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Before that, though, we should buy you some new clothes first.”

Vanessa, who was tilting her head in curiosity, was dressed in 19th-century retro fashion.

I called Choi Seoyeon once again to buy Vanessa’s clothes.

“Oppa, are you collecting women?”

“We’re staying together because of work.”

“What kind of work?”

“Don’t ask. There’s just something like that.”

After giving Choi Seoyeon some pocket money, we went to the shopping mall and picked out Vanessa’s clothes.

A white blouse and a black skirt.

“Hmm, so this is the kind of clothing worn in the world of Eun-gong.”

Vanessa showed interest in the clothes she was wearing.

Since she was originally a seamstress, she seemed to have a keen interest in design.

“If you’re interested, would you like to look around a bit more?”

“No, I can’t keep you both waiting just because of me.”

Looking at the shopping room, Vanessa smiled slightly as if she found it amusing.

Following her gaze, I clicked my tongue.

Somehow, Jeanne had already been dressed in a new outfit, held in Choi Seoyeon’s hands.

Her cheeks were slightly puffed up.

Nikolai was a hunter affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

He had entered Korea to carry out a mission assigned by the Moscow diocese.

“We must secure the saint before the Catholic Church does.”

Nikolai’s mission was to secure the saint who had appeared in Korea.

Since he had heard that the Catholic Church had also sent people to Korea, Nikolai felt pressed for time.

If things went wrong and the Catholics took the saint, his position would be in jeopardy.

The Patriarch was not the kind of man to give a second chance to those who failed their mission.

No matter what, he had to secure the saint.

The ‘saint’ was that much of a symbolic existence for the church.

The saint’s approximate location had been identified.

All that remained was to find and take her.

“Mobilize all execution priests and bring the saint to us.”

“Understood.”

Upon receiving the order, the execution priest left the room.

Left alone, Nikolai gazed at the night view of Seoul and took a sip of vodka.

After finishing our shopping, we leisurely explored Seoul.

We had Korean food for dinner, went to an arcade, and even played bowling.

However, we didn’t expect Jeanne to have such a strong competitive streak.

Unhappy with her lower-than-expected score, she kept rolling the ball with her cheeks puffed up.

It wasn’t that she was bad.

A score of 90 was quite decent for a beginner.

The problem was her opponents.

Choi Seoyeon, my younger sister, was experienced in bowling, and I could easily score over 100.

“Hmm, I feel bad like I was the only one having fun.”

“No, it was plenty of fun.”

Jeanne smiled brightly, showing she was sincere.

“Let’s come bowling again next time.”

It seemed like she was slightly frustrated with her low score.

‘I didn’t expect Jeanne to be so competitive.’

Well, considering she had lived through the tumultuous era of the Hundred Years’ War, it was natural for her to have some competitive spirit.

It was just unexpected.

By the way…

“Vanessa, I was really surprised at how good you were at bowling.”

“Was I?”

“Yes, was there a bowling alley in England?”

“No, this was my first time.”

Vanessa smiled gently.

Despite her words, she played incredibly well.

For someone playing for the first time, she scored an astounding 220 points.

That was even with a missed shot in the beginning—if not for that, her score would have been even higher.

After lightly feeling the ball and practicing a few times, she never missed again.

‘She could go pro.’

As expected of Jack the Ripper.

Her body control was on another level.

Though she didn’t seem interested in bowling at all.

Anyway, after having such an exciting time, we returned to the pawnshop at night.

Suddenly, Vanessa silently gazed beyond the residential area.

“Is something wrong?”

“Eun-gong. May I take a short walk to get some fresh air?”

“Go ahead.”

I agreed without much thought.

Since the summoning would be canceled automatically after some time, there was no worry about her getting lost.

‘She must have something on her mind.’

She had suddenly been taken far from her homeland, so she probably wanted some time alone.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Vanessa smiled warmly, as if telling me not to worry, and disappeared beyond the residential area.

Meanwhile, at that very moment…

In the underground of the Yeoksam-dong residential area where Vanessa was looking…

Around a circular table, execution priests of the Russian Orthodox Church had gathered.

They were the shadows handling the church’s dirtiest work.

“I confirmed that the saint entered the shop.”

A priest who had been watching the pawnshop reported.

“Are you sure it’s the saint?”

“See for yourself.”

The priest tossed a photo onto the table.

The photo showed Jeanne entering the pawnshop.

“What about her escorts?”

“There were three, but they didn’t seem to be an issue.”

“Then let’s retrieve the saint immediately.”

Just as the execution priests finished their discussion…

“Hmm, by any chance, are you referring to Jeanne as ‘the saint’?”

“Who’s there?!”

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, the execution priests jumped to their feet.

A woman they had never seen before was sitting among them.

“Got it.”

Holding the photo of Jeanne in her hand, Vanessa smiled.

Her golden pupils, visible between her curved eyelashes, gleamed like cold glass.

Click.

A single sound rang out.