Of course, there was no use doing that.
“Did you quit again, Edward?”
“Why, as a member of the Langham family, would I need to bow down to a bunch of bad guys?”
No matter what Graham did, Edward quit in a few days. One day, he was unemployed and spending the Langham family’s money like it was water.
“Brother-in-law, I heard you’re building a new hotel…”
Edward showed a passion to follow the employees on the construction site and learn the fieldwork. For some reason, Graham put him to work, thinking he was going to do something commendable, but in the end, it was a mistake.
I didn’t expect there to be a secret space in Room 333. According to Emily Carter, inside it was a copy of a magic book that belonged to a cult Edward was part of.
A few years after the hotel was completed, Edward died in a mysterious accident. Graham reached out his hand to his nephew, who was saddened by his death, even if his father was nothing more than a fool.
“Henry, think of me as your father from now on.”
Those weren’t just words.
Graham made Henry Langham his own official successor. Graham, who started with nothing and achieved the myth that was Langham Hotel.
It wasn’t enough. He gave him the last name of Langham. Henry Langham grew up under the care of heartfelt affection. He was a good man who was sound, upright, and knew how to take care of the people around him.
Only one thing was unusual.
“Uncle, this may sound strange, but I feel like I’m not myself… you know?”
Since he was young, he sometimes looked like he was drunk. Then when he came to his senses, didn’t he say something like that?
“Someone is controlling my body from the inside. I watched helplessly.”
Graham vaguely thought his nephew was weak. So, Henry exercised to build stamina. He even called a priest who performed an exorcism, but it was to no avail.
The frequency of being possessed by evil spirits increased, and it became worse after the death of his father, Edward Hyde.
But the actual reason was…
“It wasn’t an evil spirit trying to take over Henry’s body. It was Hyde’s consciousness.”
According to Emily’s research, Edward Hyde was a member of a cult, the Church of Starry Wisdom.
“Do you remember that magic book I mentioned earlier? …With that power, he was able to use evil sorcery and tried to take control of Mr. Henry’s body.”
Emily said that the greater the similarity between the user and host, the greater the probability of success of such a magic spell.
“Why would he do that?”
“He guessed that after you died, you’d have made Mr. Henry your successor.”
After all, he had only one goal: become Henry Jekyll Langham and inherit all of Graham’s wealth.
“How infuriating!”
Even at this moment, a month later, Graham’s hands trembled. It was hard to control his resentment and anger toward the dead. He thought the reason Edward approached his sister was also for this reason.
“I have Henry.”
Henry was like his own son to him who never had children. It was also Mr. Graham who heard of Emily Carter’s reputation and asked for ways to contact her.
“She likes to investigate evil spirits and where they come from?”
As soon as he heard the rumor, Graham contacted Mrs. Blavatsky, a socialite, and asked for an opportunity for the two to meet. Graham got on his knees and thanked Emily Carter for successfully destroying Hyde’s spirit.
“Get up, Mr. Graham. It’s only natural for me to get rid of evil spirits. Oh, right.”
Just before she left the hotel, she sent a message to look into the barrels of wine in the cellar. As Emily said, when he did, there was a barrel that smelled very disgusting.
“You can’t just open it. If you do, you’ll become obsessed with what’s inside. So, instead…”
As Mrs. Carter instructed, a prestigious exorcist was called in to open it. And inside was…
“Aah!”
“I-It’s a s-skeleton!”
A human skeleton appeared in a wooden barrel filled with a dark red liquid. The letter placed on Mr. Graham’s desk was an explanation from Emily when he told her the news.
[Kodoku is a derivative of evil sorcery that originated in ancient China.]
It was magic that maximized grievances in exchange for the life and body of the caster. Edward Hyde chose Langham Hotel as his altar and used himself as a sacrifice.
[Edward, who died after using the spell, was consumed by the Book of Eibon and became a demon.]
As a demon, Edward performed a ceremony to take over the body of his son, Henry Jekyll.
Sally Melbourne, chosen as a sacrifice for the ceremony, didn’t become one at the last minute because she came to her senses.
Edward had his reasons for choosing Sally Melbourne.
“She’s a vessel that can hold a lot of magic.”
These vessels, when properly awakened, had a strong resistance to magic. So before that, Edward was going to feed her as a “sacrifice” in an unawakened state.
Emily, the apostle of the King in Yellow, then appeared, and all those plans went awry.
[About what you asked me to do last time… Is it a request? I’ll pick the location.]
Graham was grateful that Emily Carter wasn’t intimidated one bit even in front of his sharp eyes.
“I’m a shameless, nasty old man to ask for something else.”
He could be a selfish human for his nephew who was like a son to him. That was what every parent in the world should do.
Graham was lost in thought when he saw Emily’s latest telegram.
[Mr. Graham, this is Emily Carter. I’m going to take the train at 9 A.M. tomorrow.]
Before Emily Carter left the Langham Hotel, Graham talked to her privately for a while.
“I’ll tell my nephew everything soon.”
“It will be tough.”
“If you don’t mind, why don’t you spend some time with Henry?”
Since it involved a relationship between a man and woman, his earnest request might be a burden to her. Graham was nervous and he knew it.
Emily replied with a grin. “When I have the time.”
Graham smiled at her nonchalant answer.
***
A month after the case of Room 333 had concluded.
Helena, Sally Melbourne, and I were on our way to the suburbs, riding in first-class seats on a train.
“I can’t believe I’m in the first class that I’ve only heard of… The seats are so fluffy!”
“Look! London is so far away!”
“The Thames is shining beautifully from here. It looks like a gutter up close. What about the stench that stings your nose?”
After getting on the train, Helena and I looked at her with a smile as she chattered nonstop. Sally said she was born the eldest child of a poor family and had a hard time.
It was her first time going out of London, so I understood why she was making such a fuss. Now we were heading to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.
“Sally, you know we’re not going to be sightseeing, right?”
“Of course, ma’am! We’re going to do some research on your material with the help of Mr. Graham.”
Helena grinned at Sally’s enthusiastic answer.
“It’s good to have a loyal assistant, Emily.”
I smirked. Researching was a superficial reason. The real reason was Mr. Graham’s request.
“Thank you, Mrs. Emily. I will never forget this kindness.”
The blunt, middle-aged businessman and I had a strong relationship. It was because not only did I defeat the spirit of Henry’s biological father, Edward Hyde, but also identified him.
Why wasn’t Rule 10 of The Employee’s Handbook to Langham Hotel there before?
[Even if the guest does not possess a membership, please reserve Room 333 if he or she says the following: “I know the wisdom of the stars.”]
That was where I got the idea that Edward Hyde was part of a cult known as the Church of Starry Wisdom. This was how I gained Mr. Graham’s trust.
Even after the case wrapped up, he still sent letters.
[I finally told the truth to Henry. But he’s still in low spirits…]
[If it’s all right with you, why not go on a vacation with him?]
[I’ll take care of everything from the location to the expenses, so please tell me what’s the best choice!]
That said, I told him I wanted to go to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. This led to Mr. Graham’s purchasing a country house. What a generous man.
There was a reason why I chose Edinburgh.
The boy I met while staying at the Langham Hotel.
When I saw his full name Jimmy Barry on the business card he gave me, I recalled the memories of my past life. I asked Helena, who had a wide range of connections from all walks of life, to investigate him.
Based on the results…
[Jimmy Barry, real name James Miranda Barry.]
That was the real name of Jimmy, the boy at the Langham Hotel. He was a real-life doctor who graduated from the University of Edinburgh Medical School. No wonder he was good at first aid. When he was in school, his brain was exceptionally extraordinary, so he caught the eye of many professors. He also had the Earl of Buchan, a famous political figure, as a supporter.
I wonder why he worked part-time at a hotel…
“You’ll meet him when you get to Edinburgh, right?”
When Helena asked me, I nodded without answering.
He was a witty and talented doctor.
James Miranda Barry.
A new person who might be my strong helper.
I was on my way to recruit him.
