episode_0042

According to the Bible, the soul of an animal does not last forever and disperses at death.

Because he knew that fact, Gray had never prayed to heaven. I learned that the soul of a half-human, half-animal is ultimately no different from that of an animal.

“Lord of love, grant us the serenity to accept what we cannot change, the courage to change what we need to change, and the wisdom to distinguish between the two─.”

I just prayed for goodness. I prayed for the generosity to forgive because I had unforgivable anger. I prayed for wisdom to be able to discern between right and wrong because prejudice can hurt innocent people.

Love your neighbor, love your enemies, love yourself.

He wanted to follow the teachings of the Savior. We had no choice but to respect him, not because of the noble soul that God bestowed on us, but because of the soundness of his teachings.

If there is someone who tells you to love your neighbor, even if he is not a god but a gambling beggar, wouldn’t you listen at least once?

The teachings made sense, so I started studying the gospel. As I studied, my heart moved and I came to believe. I grew up because there was something unforgettable in my faith.

Dogs always want an owner who can hold their leash.

The gospel became his leash, and the law became his muzzle. Thus, Gray lived his whole life dedicating himself to God. The fact that he was not worthy of being held in the arms of the Master was not even that important of a matter.

“However, if I am not qualified to borrow your wisdom, please just let me listen. Then I know that the Lord is in me.”

It was like that that day too.

Gray was praying to the Savior. I prayed earnestly that the ‘impulse’ of the hateful beast would not devour my soul.

As he prayed devoutly, a children’s book called ‘The Little Prince’ was held in his arms like a Bible.

When I read this fairy tale, I was able to quickly forget about the prisoner’s impulses. To Gray, this fairy tale felt like a saving grace.

So, while offering a prayer of thanks to God, the Savior, and Homer.

An old friend of his, an agent who took on the form of a ‘beast man’ and took care of the tasks he could not do, came to visit him.

“Ah, Gray. Have you been praying? I’ll come back next time.”

“No. Isn’t prayer something that can be done at any time? I can’t use prayer as an excuse to waste your time. What brought you here?”

“The author of Homer is looking for Mr. Gray. I have something important to tell you.”

“The writer Homer? He… I didn’t know you would find me first.”

“He said that if you come, you will definitely hear good news.”

“If the author of Homer calls me, wouldn’t it be a happy thing even if there is no news? Let’s get ready to go.”

“Yes. We have prepared a carriage.”

“Thank you always.”

“It is my joy.”

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Gray, who came to see Homer’s call, encountered the priest of the church.

Beneficiaries who received blessings from God.

They are arrogant people who regard the noble mission given by God as their own privilege and despise half-humans and half-animals as ‘devils’. They were waiting for Gray.

At that moment, Gray could only guess what had happened. It was so familiar that I couldn’t help but know it right away.

Isn’t it such a rare thing for prisoners to despise and judge those who borrowed their help as ‘those who received the devil’s gold’? It was clear that the priests of the church had come to condemn Gray as he read ‘The Little Prince’ and sponsored children by borrowing the name of an agent and the wisdom of Homer.

It was a familiar experience when living as a prisoner.

The only thing that is curious is that the priests of the church fell silent when they saw him. There were a few priests who frowned as if they didn’t like it, but soon other priests noticed and bowed their heads as if they felt guilty.

“Ah, you’re here. I called you unexpectedly, but thank you for coming right away. Mr. Gray.”

“The writer Homer called me, so how could I not hurry up and come out? The author must be the benefactor of our prisoners.”

“I didn’t do much. Rather, I called it this way because there are people I want to introduce today.”

“Are the people you ‘want to introduce’ the priests glaring at me from behind?”

“Haha… . yes. I guess so. Priest Ignatius?”

“Yes. Homer Venerable Sir. The other priests seem to still be confused, so I will ask.”

A priest named Ignatius faced Gray in an uncharacteristically polite manner.

And after looking at the rosary hanging around Gray’s neck like a leash for a moment—.

I slowly opened my mouth and asked a question.

“Do you honor the Savior?”

“How can we not respect Him? I pray every day, every hour, every moment.”

“Are you married?”

“Suin could not get married because she could not receive the sacrament of marriage. I’ve never been married, so I’ve never had a relationship with a woman.”

“We are going through sad times right now. Is it like that too, brother?”

“Brothers… .”

Gray looked at the priest blankly for a moment at that unfamiliar name.

He immediately answered with a grin.

“Aren’t you the ones who locked the prisoner in a cage so that he could not mourn the death of his savior? But, that’s right. I’m sad.”

“… Have you carried your cross?”

“He carried it. Even though we are inadequate, we can only bear His cross together.”

“This is the end of my questions.”

The priest named Ignatius nodded and looked back at the other priests.

And he stared at them with cold, sunken eyes.

“I judged that the wisdom of the Venerable Homer was unmistakable, but what do other brothers think? ”

“… Thank you, Lord.”

“I will spread the gospel knowing that there is no disagreement. Brother Gray.”

“Tell me. Because I’m listening.”

“Which do you prefer, immersion or baptism?”

“… Hmm?”

“I heard that water people often dislike water. If you have any objection to immersion, we will make arrangements to allow you to receive the baptism of the Lord.”

“Wait a minute, what are you talking about─.”

“You will be baptized.”

The priest named Ignatius spoke like that in a firm voice, ridding himself of all delusion and hesitation.

He added in a voice filled with laughter.

“If there are more prisoners who believe in God and respect the Savior, please call them too. We will help them also receive baptism.”

Only then did Gray realize what kind of situation this was and blinked his eyes blankly.

I wondered if this was real, if those priests were planning some kind of prank, and if I had finally gone crazy. I couldn’t understand it with Gray’s common sense.

So, what the priests said now.

“You mean to baptize our prisoners… ?”

You’re going to baptize me, is that right?

“If there are people who seek to find the blessed voice and correct will of the Lord, why would not the merciful God wash away their sins?”

“Hehe… .”

“In the meantime, we were thinking too complicatedly… . The truth should be this clear and simple… .”

“Heh, heh… ! under! haha! Hahaha—!”

The moment I understood that incredible reality.

Gray laughed.

I smiled with joy as I received the grace I had longed for.

“Haha… . Off, off… . Ugh… .”

And cried.

I cried with joy as I received grace that I had never dared to hope for.

“Thank you… . really… Thank you… .”

“Thanks should not be given to us, but to the Lord and the Venerable Homer.”

In other words, the Savior’s miracle was something that moved people’s hearts.

Gray’s tear-soaked eyes sparkle brightly like sunlight.

From behind the priests, the figure of the ‘Savior’ was seen looking at him with a gentle smile.

The name of the savior.

It was called Homer.

[“But, why on earth would he have used such an absurd trick?”]

[“Because you have never tried to look at that person properly.” ]

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After the meeting with ‘Shingyo’, which was short but had its own results.

The date for announcing the results of [Sherlock Holmes Personally, this ‘contest’ was more meaningful to me than meeting Shingyo.

There were a lot of very interesting and new novels.

Most of them were mystery novels, but there were also a few romance novels that focused on the relationships between characters. (The novel about the forbidden love between Sherlock Holmes and Arsene Lupine did not win any awards because it blatantly ignored the characterization of existing characters. I couldn’t do it.)

Anyway, for that reason, I was at the small concert hall where the awards ceremony was held.

President Kindersley, who had already come to the concert hall to give a congratulatory speech, was surprised when he saw me. It seemed like he hadn’t heard anything else from CEO Ryan.

“Ah, writer! Are you planning to participate in the awards ceremony in person?!”

“Yes? yes. Wasn’t that the story originally?”

“That’s true, but I thought he would use some magic to change his appearance or hire an agent this time… .”

“Anyway, Ryan, the CEO of ‘Half and Half’, knows this, so I don’t think it will matter much.”

When I was publishing ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, I looked like a boy with a youthful appearance… .

Now, it has reached a point where I can barely call myself a ‘young man’. Of course, if you calculate his age based on the time when the ‘Conan Saga’ was serialized, you will only come to the conclusion that he is an outrageous genius.

I was prepared for that level of fame anyway.

Rather, this appearance of being a ‘young genius’ will also serve to protect me from rumors that I am ‘Homer’.

“Somehow, I feel like I lost… .”

“Yes?”

“The author was the first to start serializing at our publishing company, and the first to reveal his ‘true face’ was through the publishing contest ‘Half and Half’… This is cowardly! It almost makes me want to ruin the barn!”

“Please don’t do that… .”

“Not really! I’m just saying that it’s unfair!”

“Yes… .”

The Dolling boss made a groaning sound and pulled out his head.

And then he sighed.

He smiled helplessly, as if there was nothing he could do, and was worried about me.

“If there is any problem with the writer’s life, it will be a really big problem… .”

“At that time, I will tell my servant to send all the manuscripts I have hidden to President Kindersley, so you don’t have to worry.”

“If you say that, I think I will attack the author… ?”

“Haha… .”

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Among the writers who participated in the awards ceremony, there were many unusual people.

Compared to the second creative contest for ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, it seemed like more people from all walks of life had gathered at this awards ceremony.

Unlike back then, I was also able to proceed with the awards ceremony without being nervous.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some embarrassing incidents. When the winner’s name was called, two men suddenly stood up and started a riot.

“Haha! My name was called first, so it’s my victory! Do you see now that there is an unbridgeable gap between you and me?”

“Funny! I guess you were called first because your name comes first! It’s a draw since we were both selected for the Excellence Award!”

“Ha, it’s ugly that you don’t acknowledge victory or defeat! Are you still a man?”

“You are using absurd logic! Isn’t it because you’re afraid of competing with me again?”

“What? Have you said everything now?”

“I couldn’t do it all!”

“Hey, it’s a duel!”

“The sea I longed for!”

Two Excellence Award winners who suddenly tried to duel ended up being kicked out of the awards ceremony.

There were all kinds of strange things in the world.