episode_0039

The Father Brown series is a novel with a quite unusual structure among mystery novels.

While most mystery novels are brain battles and puzzles made up of ‘tricks’ and ‘twists’, the Father Brown series is a ‘profiling’ type novel that delves into the psychology of criminals. This is due to the unusual setting of the main character, Father Brown.

“Writer Homer, have you ever held a priestly position?”

“No.”

“Oh, I guess so. Sorry for asking a strange question. this… I really sympathized with the feelings of the priest described in the novel Father Brown. I think he is a very pious priest.”

In the Father Brown series, as the title suggests, the main character is a priest.

As a result, the reasoning process was also a little different from a typical detective novel.

Father Brown usually listens to the confessions of sinners, so he is knowledgeable about the psychology and methods of criminals. We understand what kind of change in their mindset they went through to commit a crime and regret it, and what kind of scars they have on their hearts.

And based on such ‘understanding’, the ‘psychology’ of the criminal is tracked and the truth is guessed. As a result, ‘logic’, which is emphasized in general mystery novels, was often not that important.

Cardinal Garnier also seemed to think that Father Brown’s actions were appropriate.

“Of course, as a cardinal, there are some parts that are difficult to criticize, but if ‘Protestant’ friends read this story, they will definitely like it. Those friends are just as tolerant and generous as this ‘Father Brown’.”

“Singyo… What do you mean?”

“Yes. Directly under the Holy See… It is a knightly order of the church that strives to break away from classical doctrine and spread the gospel.”

“There was something like that.”

“It was created recently. This is also thanks to the Venerable Homer.”

“Yes?”

The Cardinal explained in detail the process by which ‘Protestantism’ was created.

Thanks to this, I was a little dazed. I certainly did not expect that the meeting at that time would result in an internal religious reform.

Cardinal Garnier continued as if it was not that unusual.

“The Savior said that those to whom we should reach out are sinners, not saints. Those who are lost and wandering are the ones who really need the gospel. But how can we heal their souls if our gaze, obsessed with doctrine and prejudice, cannot reach their souls? A doctor who does not listen to the patient’s story cannot cure the disease. That’s why we had to create a new religion.”

“Aha… .”

It was a bit surprising that the cardinal of the church said that he was ‘obsessed with doctrine and prejudice.’

This is ultimately an acknowledgment that the doctrine is not perfect.

Perhaps because God exists in this world, it may be a little more tolerant of specific doctrines and methodologies.

” This ‘Father Brown’ also seems to be a priest with such tolerant tendencies. It doesn’t suit an old priest like me who divides everything into white and black… .”

“Aren’t you young enough, Cardinal Garnier?”

“Haha, I am definitely the youngest among the cardinals. I also heard that he is the youngest cardinal. But─.”

At that moment, Cardinal Garnier’s smile was different from his usual gentle smile.

A little more lukewarm, again.

It was the smile of someone who was exhausted and had run out of strength.

“Regardless of time, aren’t there cases where you become old depending on what you do?”

“… I see.”

“So, let me introduce you to my friends from Shinkyo. It will be much more helpful than someone like me.”

“Yes. Thank you for your consideration.”

That’s how I met a knighthood group with a somewhat familiar name, ‘Shingyo’.

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“Hello! It is an honor to meet you, Venerable Homer!”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”

“I read all of the author’s books with great emotion! So, would you mind if I ask the author to sign this book?”

“Yes. Of course.”

The Protestant clergy were a little different from what they thought.

I expected a reverent and static atmosphere, but they looked a little more cheerful and light. However, since the rules of etiquette were maintained, the cardinal could certainly be described as ‘tolerant.’

“Thank you!”

“Yes, yes. Rather, I heard a lot from Cardinal Garnier. They are especially tolerant and generous people in the church.”

“Did Cardinal Garnier tell us that?”

“Yes. He praised me a lot.”

“That’s right. We call Cardinal Garnier the noble and foolish Cardinal.”

“… Yes?”

“Now that we’ve heard him evaluate us, wouldn’t it be appropriate to also talk about how we evaluate him?”

… He’s a bit of an unusual person.

Looking at the other priests standing next to me nodding their heads, it seems like they all have similar personalities.

I was a little curious as to what criteria were used to select the people who belong to this order of knights called ‘New Religion’.

“I see… . The reason I wanted to meet Protestant clergy is because I wanted to get advice on writing a novel with a priest as the main character.”

“It is the honor of a lifetime to be able to help Venerable Homer in his writing.”

“That’s it… .”

“I am sincere. For us Protestant clergy, the author’s novels are no different from the Bible.”

“Yes?”

“The words of the Savior make us holy, and the words of Homer make us intoxicated. This is a word floating around among young priests these days. This means that there are many priests who were helped by Homer’s books.”

“Ah, yes… .”

“So, I would like to help you with the writing of Homer.”

“Yes, thank you… .”

No, this person.

He was praising me in a very serious tone!

I’ve seen a few people raise their voices out of excitement as a fan, but it was a bit refreshing to see a church priest do this.

Not at a tolerant level, but something.

“This is the manuscript. Father Brown… It’s a good name. Would it be okay if I prayed to God first before reading the manuscript?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“The Lord is wisdom─.”

Isn’t he a person who is slightly obsessed with religion in a strange way? ?

I do not know.

“Thank you. Then, let’s read the manuscript right away.”

“Yes… .”

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In this way, the ‘Father Brown’ series, which received advice from ‘Cardinal Garnier’ and the ‘Protestant Knights’, was published.

The news that ‘Homer’ wrote a mystery novel quickly spread throughout the empire.

Even though it was in the form of a collection of short stories rather than a magazine series, the Father Brown series sold like hotcakes. ‘Pulp Fiction’ readers who were familiar with existing mystery novels also did not hesitate to buy ‘Father Brown’.

This was due to the slightly unusual nature of mystery novel readers.

The more mystery novel readers read, the more novel and more mystery novels they pursue!

Of course, this is true for most genres, but readers of mystery novels have a particularly strong tendency to do this. This is because mystery novels have strong ‘genre’ elements, but at the same time, they are a genre that requires extreme originality in each work. Simply put, if you read a novel that uses similar tricks or events that you have already seen, it becomes uninteresting.

“Homer’s mystery novel! Is this a detective novel written by the author who created ‘Jekyll and Hyde’? I can’t wait to see how amazing it will be!”

“I like Herodotus’s novels more than Homer’s… Still, I still can’t stand mystery novels.”

The response to the Father Brown series was good.

Both critics and existing ‘mystery novel’ readers praised it highly.

“The Father Brown series is full of humility and a sincere attitude toward the truth! If you think about it, isn’t the truth ultimately revealed in the light of day, no matter how thick the curtains hide it in the dark?

“A detective doesn’t necessarily have to be a puzzle-solving machine. Deep interest in people is what truly gives us the wisdom to reveal the correct truth.”

But─.

When people read novels of similar genres, they tend to compare the two novels.

Just like comparing ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and ‘Arsene Lupine’.

“Hmm, it’s new, but… I feel a little bored. Hey, would you say there is no irritating feeling in your head?”

“You should stop reading crime novels. I’ve never read a novel that cuts so sharply into the soul, but what kind of stimulation are you talking about? Since you read the novel lightly, you probably don’t understand this delicate psychology.”

“What? It’s you! Haven’t you lost your masculinity after reading romance novels?”

“Ha! How can you understand the fun of this novel if you don’t know the nobility of the soul!”

“This bastard?!”

“Did I say something wrong?!”

“It’s a duel!”

“It’s a duel!”

The problem is that, from the outside perspective, it was the work of a ‘different author’ rather than the ‘same author’.

As a result, it was easy for it to become a ‘fandom fight’.

This was also a battle of pride between fans who were deeply interested in the genre called ‘mystery novel’.

“Homer is the god of literature! Father Brown’s process of tracing the psychology of criminals shows how deeply he cares about people’s souls! Are you saying you don’t understand the fun of this?!”

“Herodotus is the god of mystery novels! Cool-headed reason and rationality are the values that mystery novels should pursue! I don’t know if it’s any other novel, but as a mystery novel, Herodotus is one step above!”

“If you think about it, isn’t it Homer’s ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ that started the mystery novel? ”

“But it was Herodotus who completed the detective novel! Aren’t the Father Brown series also ultimately a descendant of ‘Sherlock Holmes’?”

“I can’t understand anything with you!”

“That’s what I’m going to say!”

“Then it’s a duel to see who understands mystery novels more deeply―, no, it’s a contest!”

“The sea I longed for!”

“The winner will be decided by participating in the ‘Sherlock Holmes

“What.”

and.

At the same time, a huge event called [Sherlock Holmes

Mystery novel enthusiasts have started participating in contests to prove their ‘sincerity’.

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“Did you expect all of this?”

“Slightly… ? I consulted with the publisher to create a bit of an atmosphere, and it worked better than I expected.”

In other words, every reader is ultimately a potential writer.

What ‘Herodotus’ does is to give a ‘potential writer’ a pat on the back.

That was it.