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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 37
Vanessa did not commit the prostitute murders.
This was a fact personally verified by Conan.
Yet, Vanessa kept appearing at the crime scenes.
Why?
There was only one plausible reason.
‘Vanessa is hunting the murderer.’
If that were the case, it explained why she was always present at the murder sites.
She had to catch the killer.
And the murderer Vanessa was chasing was likely someone connected to the British government.
After all, in the established history, Conan remained silent about Jack the Ripper.
If Conan hadn't failed, the only reason for his silence could have been that his opponent was the British government itself.
Though it was only just speculation, the possibility was strong.
A government that encouraged prostitution, The Plum Blossom Poison, Conan’s silence.
The authorities turning a blind eye to the gangs
Vanessa, who wasn't the culprit, everything pointed to the British government.
Most of all—
==
[Complete Jack the Ripper's executions.]
==
The target of this mission had to be the real Jack the Ripper, the one who murdered the prostitutes.
Which meant Vanessa was destined to fail in catching him.
This world wasn't the established history, it was a failed timeline. And in the system’s terms, failure usually meant death.
‘There must be a reason for Vanessa’s failure.’
I had to find out what caused it.
***
As I searched for the reason behind Vanessa's failure, the murders continued.
Emma Smith, Martha Tabram, Annie Chapman, The Double Event…
These were the murders that would later be known as the Whitechapel Murders, a string of killings that shook the East End.
A wave of fear spread through the district, and the police flooded the streets.
But Jack the Ripper mocked their incompetence, sending letters to the press.
[I can’t help but laugh every time the police say they’re close to catching me.
Now they’re calling me a doctor, ha!
I despise whores, and I won’t stop killing until I’m in chains.
My new knife is so sharp. I can’t wait to try it out!]
A blatant taunt aimed at the police's shoddy investigation.
His letters spread quickly through the newspapers.
The rumors took on a life of their own saying that Jack the Ripper wasn’t a doctor, but a madman intoxicated by bloodlust.
And the speed at which those rumors spread was unnatural, as if someone were deliberately fueling them.
But Jack the Ripper overlooked one crucial fact.
The police weren’t the only ones hunting him.
"This is nothing more than an attempt to mislead the investigation."
One of his pursuers was the father of Sherlock Holmes.
"Precise handiwork. The culprit has extensive anatomical knowledge, likely a surgeon."
It was Arthur Conan Doyle.
A man who could weave a hundred deductions from a single clue.
Even in the face of the killer’s taunting letters, Conan’s reasoning remained unwavering.
"Was this an experiment? Perhaps he was collecting samples of mutated tissue."
As the murders continued, Conan pieced together the puzzle, uncovering new truths.
A surgeon, Left-handed, a scalpel, experiments on the grotesque…
The more clues he gathered, the more the puzzle neared completion.
The list of suspects shrank from 100, to 80, to 60, to 30…
The names on Conan’s desk dwindled, one by one.
And when the list had finally narrowed to ten.
"This is the one."
Conan singled out a suspect.
[Ashley Cooper (48)]
The man Conan identified was a surgeon in his forties.
Not only was he a skilled anatomist, but he was also a renowned author of various detective novels.
And yet, his name had never once appeared on the London police’s list of suspects.
One would expect him to be considered at least once, yet there was an eerie silence surrounding Ashley Cooper.
Stranger still, no one seemed to find this odd.
After all, he was the personal physician of Prince Albert and the vice president of the Royal Society of London.
No one in London would dare suspect him of being Jack the Ripper.
No one except for Conan.
"If we want him investigated, we need solid evidence."
Ashley Cooper was too influential to be accused based on mere suspicion.
Of course, even if physical evidence were obtained, proving he was Jack the Ripper would be nearly impossible.
The British government would protect him.
Not that it mattered, I had no intention of exposing him as Jack the Ripper.
Because according to historical records, the eyewitness descriptions of Jack the Ripper’s appearance did not match Ashley Cooper.
They matched Vanessa instead.
==
[Complete Jack the Ripper’s executions.]
==
My goal was clear to ensure that Vanessa succeeded in her mission.
***
From that day on, I monitored Ashley Cooper’s every move alongside Conan.
I didn’t intend to act immediately.
I needed to uncover the reason behind Vanessa’s failure.
Until then, killing Ashley Cooper was out of the question.
Ashley Cooper’s daily routine was predictable.
By day, he lectured as a professor of anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons.
In the afternoon, he visited the royal palace to attend to Prince Albert.
At night, he returned home and wrote detective novels until late.
A distinguished professor, a respected physician and celebrated writer.
He was, by all appearances, an upstanding citizen, never entangled in any scandals.
Even if someone tried to dig up dirt on him, they wouldn’t find a speck.
For three days, I watched him carefully.
Not once did he show any behavior that linked him to the murders.
Had it not been for Conan’s unwavering certainty, I would have dismissed the idea entirely.
But then, on the fourth night...
The light in Ashley Cooper’s study flicked off.
Outside, a light drizzle pattered against the cobblestone streets.
"Mm-hmm-hmm~"
Wearing a bowler hat and a neatly pressed suit, Ashley Cooper stepped outside, opening a black umbrella.
His steps were lively, almost playful.
He even tapped his foot on a shallow puddle, breaking into a short tap dance.
Still humming, Ashley Cooper strode off not toward the Royal College of Surgeons, nor the Royal Palace, but toward the slums of East End.
"Let’s wait a little longer."
"Understood."
As Ashley Cooper entered the East End, Conan slipped away into the shadows.
He had gone to gather people.
—Mm-hmm-hmm~
Meanwhile, Ashley Cooper hummed cheerfully as he strolled through the pleasure district, moving like someone who had visited many times before.
It was almost unsettling.
He felt like an entirely different person from the man I had observed for the past three days.
I followed him from a distance, staying just out of sight.
I still didn’t know what would lead to Vanessa’s failure.
And then...
Srrrk.
Ashley Cooper was no longer alone.
A man appeared beside him, a knight, armed with a sword.
‘An Awakened One…!’
I knew it the moment I saw him.
This knight was an extraordinary master.
Before he revealed himself, I hadn’t sensed even the slightest trace of his presence.
A chill ran down my spine.
Had I acted recklessly against Ashley Cooper, I would have fallen to that knight’s blade.
And at that moment, I understood this knight was the reason Vanessa would fail.
The sheer presence radiating from him was as imposing as a towering mountain.
For a brief second, Yi Sunsin came to mind.
‘Not quite…’
Yi Sunsin was a hero who single-handedly saved a dying nation.
A legend who ended the Imjin War.
But I was certain this knight was close to reaching that level.
‘An S-rank Hunter.’
This was bad.
Really bad.
"Jeanne."
==
[The Saved Girl, Jeanne D' Arc]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Attribute: Holy]
—Summoning Joan of Arc.
==
With the sun having set, Jeanne, who had been dismissed earlier, reappeared at my side.
I signaled her to remain silent.
She, too, fell quiet the moment she spotted the knight.
But not everyone shared our caution.
"Oh my, gentlemen! What brings you to these parts at this hour?"
A prostitute strolling through the alley cast a sultry glance at the two men.
"Filthy creature."
Ashley Cooper grimaced as though he had seen something repulsive.
Step. Step.
"W-What are you…?"
Ashley Cooper began approaching the woman.
Something gleamed in his gloved hand.
A double-edged surgical knife.
A Liston knife.
Dark energy seeped from him like an ominous fog.
‘A host!’
I realized he was the one spreading the Plague of Plum Blossoms Poison in the East End.
And just as Ashley Cooper closed in on the woman.
Whoosh!
Something shot toward him at terrifying speed.
A gust of wind swept through the alley, stirring strands of crimson hair.
In the darkness, golden eyes gleamed.
The phantom of death.
The one history mistakenly recorded as Jack the Ripper.
Vanessa.
Her movements were silent and swift, as if she was gliding through the shadows themselves.
The knight responded immediately, swinging his sword at Vanessa.
Clang!
But his blade never reached her.
"……."
It was stopped by my twin dragon sword.
"Aaaaah!"
The prostitute shrieked and fled as the clash of steel echoed through the alley.
Meanwhile, Vanessa had already engaged Ashley Cooper.
Swish. Slash.
"Gah…!"
Darkness coiled and snapped like shears, leaving crimson roses blooming across Ashley Cooper’s body.
"Step aside."
The knight spoke.
—Screeech!
Even as Ashley Cooper was being slashed apart, his voice remained composed.
Like someone who could kill me at any moment.
He was, after all, an S-rank Awakened, one of Britain's finest.
Ssssshh…
Golden energy shimmered to life atop the knight’s sword, taking solid form.
The pinnacle of swordsmanship.
The symbol of a Swordmaster a domain that only those who had perfected their own world could manifest.
Sword Aura.
Whoosh—
The knight swung his sword, aiming to cut me down entirely, blade and all.
Yet, my Twin Dragon Sword bore no visible energy.
Claaang—!
His Sword Aura struck my blade and was deflected.
"!"
A flicker of surprise crossed the knight’s eyes.
At that moment, a voice echoed in my mind.
—Hide your energy.
—Revealing it is the foolish arrogance of Ming warriors.
The voice of Ahn Wi, the great commander of Joseon.
—In Joseon, we wield internal energy, not external energy.
"I am Alexander Cunningham."
The knight’s voice layered over Ahn Wi’s words.
The knight Alexander had discarded his earlier nonchalance.
Now, he took a formal dueling stance against me.
I glanced behind me.
Vanessa was overpowering Ashley Cooper.
I needed to keep this knight occupied until she finished him off.
I couldn’t hold him off for long.
Even with Jeanne at my side, she wasn’t at full power due to her limited holy energy.
Whoosh!
Alexander lunged at me.
His speed was terrifying and his body seemed to stretch forward like a drawn bowstring released.
I didn’t even consider drawing Napoleon’s Gun.
Clang!
I barely blocked his sword, then staggered backward.
My hands ached as if they were being torn apart, my wrists screaming in protest.
But the pain vanished instantly.
Flutter! Flutter!
Jeanne’s banner rippled, her divine light flooding into me, filling me with renewed strength.
Huaaaang!
Alexander’s golden Sword Aura flared as he charged again.
Blocking that head-on would shatter my wrists, even with divine energy reinforcing them.
I acted on instinct.
From my dimensional backpack, I grabbed something and threw it.
Claaang—!
The knight’s Sword Aura failed to cut through it.
Thud. Clatter.
It rolled on the ground, Yi Sunsin’s helmet.
For a moment, his sword had been stopped.
And in that instant, I unleashed the Twin Dragon Sword’s true power.
‘With a blade three feet long, I swear upon the heavens the mountains and rivers shall tremble.’
A pure white Sword Aura manifested upon my blade the energy of Yi Sunsin himself.
Then, Jeanne’s divine light layered atop it.
Holy Energy and Sword Aura double amplification.
I charged at the stunned knight and swung downward.
"!"
He hastily raised his sword to block.
Kwooooaaang—!
His golden Sword Aura shattered, and he was blasted backward.
Though he wasn’t gravely injured, he was forced to take slow, measured steps forward.
But it was enough.
By the time he was ready to strike again the entire area had erupted into chaos.
"There! Over there!"
"Jack the Ripper!"
"Oooooh!"
Journalists with cameras flooded into the alleyway.
"Take the shot!"
The one leading them is Conan.
"Tch."
Seeing the incoming crowd, the knight glanced at Ashley Cooper. Then, as if deciding it wasn't worth it, he abandoned him and fled alone.
And the next moment.
"Kraaaaagh!"
"Hrk!"
"M-Monster!"
Ashley Cooper’s blood-soaked body swelled grotesquely.
But instead of fleeing, the journalists frantically snapped their cameras.
Amidst the flashing lights Ashley Cooper burst like a ruptured balloon.
Kwaaaaaang—!
Dust billowed, debris flew, and a violent shockwave tore through the alley.
The explosion's aftermath should have engulfed the reporters.
But Jeanne’s divine power shielded them.
—You have completed 'Jack the Ripper’s Executions.'
A quest completion message flickered before my eyes.
The final execution was Ashley Cooper himself.
As the dust settled.
"A-A scoop!"
"This is huge!"
The journalists scrambled to capture every angle of Ashley Cooper’s remains.
But beyond them, in the shadowed alley.
A pair of golden eyes glowed.
Vanessa.
A bitter feeling stirred within me.
Even now, she had to remain in the darkness.
Because she was Jack the Ripper.
The suspect who was never caught.
The phantom of death.
If Vanessa stepped into the light, the British government would blame everything on her.
The royal family wouldn’t allow their secrets to be exposed.
So Jack the Ripper had to remain an eternal mystery.
Ashley Cooper's death as an esteemed Royal Society member would be recorded as an unrelated case.
Just as history had written it.
"!"
Jack the Ripper.
The phantom of death chose to abandon the shadows.
Stepping out from the abyss, she walked into the sunlight without hesitation.
"Who is that?!"
"Suspect spotted! Get the shot!"
Camera shutters flickered like lightning.
Vanessa turned to me with a bright smile.
"Is this enough?"
[Warning]
[A distortion in the flow of history has occurred.]
A warning flashed before my eyes.
By leaving the unknown behind, she ceased to be Jack the Ripper.
No longer an uncatchable suspect.
No longer a phantom of death.
She was Vanessa Walker.
A woman who loved children and enjoyed eating toast.
A woman who laughed easily.
[Distorted beings are expelled from the world.]
The world turned dark.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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