Typhoid Mary.
That wasn't her real name...
Her actual name was Mary Mallon.
She was an Irish-American... and the timeline doesn't match.
'It's almost... a difference of about 100 years, isn't it?'
I don't remember the details, but by then, humanity, surprisingly, already knew about the existence of germs.
I wonder what happened in the 19th century to lead to such development...
Anyway, even though it was an era where the concept of a 'carrier' didn't exist, they still knew about germs, which is how they were able to identify Typhoid Mary.
'Just because it's 100 years earlier doesn't mean there can't be typhoid carriers.'
Typhoid...
is a disease with a long history.
It's probably at least several thousand years old.
This disease, also called 'pestilence' in Korean, hurts like hell if you catch it, for starters.
'I need to check if that's really the case.'
While I was briefly organizing my thoughts, the conversation continued.
I'm not sure if it was worth listening to.
No, probably not.
If anyone could suspect this at this point in time, they wouldn't be human.
Isn't it remarkable that the Commissioner felt something was wrong in the first place?
"Hmm... No matter how many times I hear it, there really are no points of criminal suspicion... But this damn gut feeling of mine is just..."
"Ah... Gut feeling."
This is quite an unscientific topic, but I'm someone who believes gut feelings truly exist.
It's not just about diseases.
You know when you meet someone for the first time and they just seem... off?
Does that feeling come for no reason?
Could it be something imprinted in our bodies genetically?
People who are particularly strong in that become people with good intuition.
"I also don't think the Commissioner is saying this for no reason."
"Ahh... Pyeong. Thank you. Having your support gives me strength."
I sincerely supported the Commissioner.
However, the looks in Liston's eyes and those of the detectives guarding the area were strange.
Somehow... they seemed to think I was flattering him.
I feel wronged.
So, I decided to provide further explanation.
"Allow me to say a few words as the main figure who resolved the Paris cholera situation."
"Are you finally admitting it? That you caused it?"
"No, no. That's not it. I'm saying I was the one who solved it."
"Don't say such things. Isn't European peace only possible if a few of those baguette-eating bastards die? Think about it. The Hundred Years' War, Napoleon, the Revolution... Has there ever been anything good because of those baguette-eaters?"
"I admit that. They probably need to be reduced a bit. But this time, it wasn't me."
"Right, right. That probably helps your reputation as a doctor, anyway. Haha."
I feel wronged again.
How on earth could I have caused the cholera?
But since I'm not foolish enough to put effort into something that's impossible to clarify, I decided to just focus on what I wanted to say.
Frankly, even if I had killed a few...
At least in Britain, wouldn't there be no one to complain?
They'd probably praise me, if anything.
"Now, cholera is a disease that spreads through water. There are still people who deny this, but it's true. But looking at these victims..."
I pointed to the map the Commissioner had placed on his desk.
The map marked three different houses, each in a different location.
Apart from all being in areas where the wealthy lived, they were quite far apart.
"They don't seem to have drunk the same water, do they?"
"Right. Yes. It's strange. What you said earlier... that thing, yes. Serial murder? That possibility seems likely."
"The criminal..."
"Shh. You, be quiet and listen. Surely you're not going to say you've never heard of the reputation of the Saint."
"Ah, ahh."
The detective who had interrupted earlier, for some reason, turned pale and stepped back.
Not only him, but the two detectives on either side also looked paler than before.
It's a regret that I have a rough idea why they're acting like this.
- The one who enjoys opium, the one who brought the plague to Paris, the one who feeds shit, the Pancreas Snatcher, the Heart Snatcher, the one who feeds urine... the Saint.
Once, someone screamed too harshly at me and ran away, so I caught them to ask why they were doing that.
They started rambling incoherently like this, and all the guys listening nearby were just nodding their heads...
"Then it would be right to consider other possibilities. Something other than water... Isn't there one thing found commonly in all three households?"
"You mean that cook mentioned earlier?"
"Yes, that's right."
"But the cook... I looked at the materials too. He doesn't seem particularly like a criminal."
Right.
Calling him a criminal is a bit off.
Because he probably doesn't know himself.
No, maybe he does feel something is strange deep down.
Isn't there a saying in WoW?
A famous saying: if you've been in a party wipe more than three times in a row, it's time to look at yourself.
Well... WoW didn't exist in the 19th century, so he probably didn't get that lesson.
"He could be an unaware criminal."
"An unaware criminal...?"
"Meaning he's not killing them on purpose, but might be unknowingly putting poison in his cooking."
"Is that... plausible?"
"Doesn't all good intention necessarily lead to good results? There's even a saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
"The words are impressive, but..."
Come to think of it, 19th-century medicine is exactly like that.
Pouring boiling oil on someone who came in injured, applying rusty copper, letting it rot...
They're doing it to really save people, you know?
But does it save them?
They die.
'But this approach won't work.'
If only the Commissioner were lukewarm about it, it might be different.
We could just gloss over it, but Liston can't be like that either.
'Should I go with the Lord meta?'
No, that's not it.
My gut says no.
Thinking about it, I've used the 'possession meta' too much lately.
But that doesn't mean there's no way.
"In Joseon, you see..."
There's the Joseon meta...!
I myself think, 'Damn, does this even make sense?!'
But what can I do?
How can I introduce the concept of a 'carrier' in an era where even the existence of germs hasn't been revealed?
If it seems impossible, I'll just have to sell them on 'Joseon', no choice.
Fortunately, I've sold it so much so far, and the notoriety—no, the reputation I've built is no joke, so everyone was paying attention.
It's not that; they probably have to keep quiet out of fear of being cursed.
"There was an incident where people kept dying whenever banquets were held at kind-hearted wealthy households. It happened not at one wealthy household, but at several in rotation... and the person in charge of the cooking overlapped."
"Oh ho! It's exactly the same as our case!"
"Yes, yes. Coincidentally... I can't help but think it was an event prepared by the Lord for this case."
"Hahaha, that could be it."
Let's sell the Lord too.
Let's sell everything we can.
If it's to save people, it's a necessary evil, isn't it?
If it were the first time, I might feel a bit uneasy...
But come to think of it, I...
I've really fed people shit and urine, haven't I?
Compared to that, telling a few lies is nothing.
"Anyway, back then in Joseon, there was no one as sharp as the Commissioner... so a full ten households fell victim. They finally caught the cook... but they still don't know the reason. It was just that people who ate the food cooked by that cook would fall ill and eventually die."
"Ho! I see! Arrest the cook immediately!"
"Um..."
"Ho! Aren't you afraid of the Saint's curse?!"
"That's not it."
It's not for nothing they call me the Bullshit Master.
It worked again.
The Commissioner was on board for now.
Liston was also standing up, so he was on board too.
The one who objected was one of the detectives.
To be more precise, it was the one who had said earlier that he found the cook strange and investigated him a bit.
'Are you not the strange one?'
You're the one who said he was strange.
Should I just curse him for real?
"That cook is currently at a Member of Parliament's residence."
"Huh...? Whose? No, how did a cook from a house where people are dying end up at an MP's place?"
"There's a rumor that his skills are incredibly good..."
"Who is it? Which MP?"
"Paul Capel... the MP."
"Paul Capel? The one from the Earl's family?"
"Yes. Arresting a cook from there without a proper reason... is difficult."
Paul Capel...
It's a name I've heard before.
I'm also... not exactly an ordinary commoner anymore, right?
I'm a celebrity who opened a hospital in Kensington, someone who gets invited to Duke's parties for fun, you see.
So, I've come to know quite a few people through various channels, and one of them is Earl Paul Capel.
'That gentleman... wasn't he at that meeting about the war with Qing China?'
'Yes, that's right. He's the one who opposed my title, brother.'
'Should we just let him die then?'
'No... It's not even certain, is it?'
'Ah, that's true. But it's already been 2 months; if we wait just one more month, wouldn't we find out?'
'Ah... No, three months might be a coincidence. Anyway... He's a high-ranking person. That detective is right.'
The fact that he is conspiring with Sir Jamie for a great undertaking of the British Empire is proof enough that he's a big shot, isn't it?
What would happen if we went to such a person's house and tried to detain a cook?
It would cause trouble in many ways.
The Commissioner is also a high-ranking person, but even so, he is absolutely no match for the head of an Earl's family, of which there are less than 20 in the whole of Britain.
"Then what do we do?"
"If he commutes to work, we can grab him in the evening."
Of course...
The 19th-century police, called police, are practically thugs.
The solution proposed by the detective who opposed the Commissioner is like this.
"Good."
"I'll go too."
"Pyeong, what about you?"
"I should go too."
There's no disagreement that it's a good idea.
Do you know how many kidnapping cases happen in London in a single day?
Dozens occur, easily.
And that's just counting the reported ones.
Which means...
Our Earl would probably just go, 'Ah, he disappeared,' if one cook went missing.
"The sun has set..."
And so, we were stationed in an alley near the Earl's residence, having moved on foot without a carriage.
Thinking about it, both Liston and I are people who earn plenty of money, and even if we're officially off work, these police gentlemen aren't, so I wonder if it's okay for them to be lounging around like this.
"It's delicious."
"Are you sure you don't want any?"
Despite playing hooky, they had confiscated a green dessert from somewhere and were eating it.
"No, I'm fine..."
"I'll pass too. But didn't you see someone die from arsenic before?"
"Isn't it dangerous if you wear it as a dress? Or in wallpaper? Isn't it okay to eat?"
He said something absurd.
Then.
"Over there, isn't that him?"
We saw a man of good stature coming out of the Earl's residence.
Everyone's eyes turned to the detective who had investigated him, and the detective, who had just put an arsenic dessert in his mouth, nodded.
Kidnapping... no, the investigation begins.