London, Savile Row.
"Welcome, Mr. Edmund Earhart."
"It's been a while, Virgil."
The middle-aged man who greeted guests at the tailor's shop smiled warmly. He bowed politely and gestured with a graceful movement.
"Please, come inside."
"No more of those uncomfortable greetings from before?"
"Your left arm alone is evidence enough."
"Well, that's convenient."
Edmund handed over his bowler hat and coat to Virgil. Following him was a red-haired nun who exhaled thick cigar smoke with a smirk.
"Impressive, Edmundo. Do all the alleyways of London wear such masks?"
"Not all, Sister Carmen, just some."
Though Edmund had to agree, this tailor's mask was one of the thickest of them all. For good reason...
"So, what brings you here today? I trust the cat's-eye Carbuncle I lent you last time was useful?"
"Very useful. As expected of the Foundation's products."
"It is our pleasure."
The Foundation. A secret organization that supported and trained hunters of fantastical creatures, hidden in London's back alleys. It was an alliance of alchemical and magical societies, including Newton's and the Vatican's 8th Apostolic Circle.
It was also the place that had taken in Edmund when he lost his parents as a child, raising him to be an avenger.
"The esteemed exorcist sister behind you is also welcome to request any product. We will prepare it to the best of our ability."
"… As expected of the Foundation. You even know about our Sisterhood?"
"The Foundation knows everything."
"Not everything. Only what we need to know."
Edmund chuckled, and Virgil responded slyly. Carmen sighed, remarking that she now understood where Edmund had grown up.
"Tell me what you've prepared for today."
"Certainly. I know you typically prefer Northern European products, but how about a new German model that just came in? I'm sure it will satisfy you."
Virgil spoke in a deep voice and retrieved a long sword from the back. Edmund's eyes gleamed with interest, while Sister Carmen stared, bewildered.
"Is that… what I think it is?"
"Unfortunately, it's a replica, Sister."
"Even a replica of Paracelsus's Azoth sword is still an impressive treasure."
But it's not what I'm looking for.
Edmund shook his head.
"I'm after something a bit more discreet, Virgil."
"In that case, how about this?"
Virgil pulled out a small ring from a drawer and respectfully extended his hand toward Sister Carmen.
"Forgive me, Sister. May I borrow your hand for a moment?"
"You're going to put it on me? Sorry to disappoint, but I've pledged my purity to Him above."
Carmen's seductive manner as she extended her hand was anything but that of a pious nun. Amused by Virgil's flustered reaction, Edmund reminded himself that this nun was one of the most successful hunters of Ifrits and Djinns in Spain.
"Now, how does this look?"
"... Oh My God."
Virgil regained his composure and slid the ring onto Carmen's hand. As he touched it, a "transparent light" emanated from the ring, passing through Carmen's hand until only her bones were visible—everything else had vanished. No, to be precise, only the bones were visible.
"Remarkable. This is exactly what I was looking for. What kind of magic is this?"
"Haha, even for you, Baron, I can't reveal all the details."
Virgil, sounding like a magician, released Carmen's hand and put the item back.
"It's a 'transparent light' that allows you to see through flesh. It will aid in tracking down your targets discreetly, as you requested."
"Hmm, doppelgängers have different skeletal structures. And it'll help confirm the disguise of creatures like Dullahans."
"Exactly."
Edmund smiled, nodding in approval.
"I'll take it."
"Is this for personal use or official business?"
"Of course, it's for official use."
"Will you be using it during the day or at night?"
"Once during the day, once at night."
"Understood. I'll customize it accordingly. Anything else you need?"
"Something heavy."
But make it sleek.
Edmund grinned. Virgil returned the smile.
"The usual then. I'll prepare a robust Italian model, energetic and tactical."
Enjoy the party.
***
Germany, University of Würzburg, Department of Physics.
"What... what on earth is this?"
Physics professor Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen couldn't make sense of it.
He was just a scholar studying gas discharge phenomena using a Crookes tube. Then, during his research, he noticed a barium platinum cyanide-coated cardboard sheet glowing. To investigate, he had simply used a book as a shield...
Holding the book in his hand, with the key slipped between the pages as a bookmark, he saw it. His hand... the bones visible through the paper.
'What mistake did I make? Or... have I gone mad? Has the Lord shown me a vision of my skeletal future?'
Was he about to die? That was the only conclusion Wilhelm Röntgen could come to.
'If... if that's the case... what should I do?'
He didn't know. He was only fifty years old. While his physical prime was behind him, as a scientist, he still had at least another ten to twenty years of brilliance ahead.
It was tragic. The future glory he was meant to achieve, and the time he could still spend with his family.
'Family.'
What would he say to his beloved Anna? Ask her to take good care of Josephine?
"Ah, damn it...!"
He had always been known for his caution, even neurotic and obsessive tendencies, a reputation he could only agree with, despite offering a bitter smile. It was, after all, a compliment for a scientist, where being careful was essential.
But now, for some reason, he began to wonder if perhaps he needed a bit of daring too. If he hadn't had that precise nature, he wouldn't have shut himself in the lab for over a week, trembling as he continued the research alone, sending his assistants away.
He was meticulous, even as his mind remained clouded. And so, his days were filled with turmoil and study until one fateful moment.
"Wilhelm, are you in here? What on earth have you been doing for over a week...?"
"Ah, Anna."
His wife, Anna Bertha Ludwig Röntgen, appeared at the door, her face filled with concern. Wilhelm, seeing his beloved wife, smiled weakly at her, his face gaunt from the long ordeal.
"You've come at the right time. Could you do me a favor and come over here?"
"What is it?"
"Haha, I may have made the discovery of the century... or maybe not."
His words were strange and vague. Though she grumbled, Anna couldn't refuse her husband's request. This was the man who had defied her father's wishes and married her, despite their poverty. If she didn't trust him, who could she trust?
"Alright, place your hand on the photographic plate..."
"Wilhelm, this feels strange."
"It's okay. It's okay. Just... there, perfect."
And then, moments later...
"Ahhh!"
Wilhelm's heart leaped with joy as the image of his wife's hand, with the bones and her wedding ring starkly visible, appeared on the photographic plate.
"Look!! Anna!! It's real! It wasn't just me! I'm not crazy!!"
"My God..."
"Haha, you're shocked, right? I'm sorry. It's just..."
"It's amazing! This 'transparent light' is real!"
"... What?"
Transparent light? Wilhelm Röntgen looked at her, puzzled.
Seeing his confusion, Anna Röntgen nodded and handed him a lunch box.
"For now, eat this. I'll be right back."
"Huh? Um, alright."
Anna left after that, while Wilhelm, who hadn't eaten in a week, devoured the sandwiches from the lunch box. When he finished his meal, she returned with something in hand.
"Here, take this!"
"This is... a novel?"
It was a German edition of DawnBringer. Wilhelm, who spent all his reading time on research papers, couldn't understand why she'd brought this. He thought to himself, If it were something like The Sorrows of Young Werther, maybe... but this? Isn't this just a genre novel for kids or loafers?
Seeing his reluctance, Anna smiled brightly.
"Stop complaining and just read it."
"Hah... alright then..."
Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Wilhelm soon found himself engrossed in the book after reading just a few pages.
'The fusion of science and the occult is so well done here, and the scientific details are surprisingly accurate...'
Is this how novels are written nowadays? Or did this "Hanslow Jin" go to great lengths to research these topics?
As he mused on this, Wilhelm Röntgen turned the pages slowly, until he suddenly came across a passage that made his eyes gleam.
It was the scene where Carmen and Edmund receive a ring that emits 'transparent light.' With that ring, they reveal the true form of a doppelgänger who had been posing as someone's twin, stripping away its disguise.
The ring was explained as a form of magic, yet the phenomenon it caused was strikingly similar to what he had just discovered with the strange light.
"Could it be... did this author know about it in advance?"
"That's impossible, Wilhelm."
"Yes, of course... but..."
The detailed description of the light, specifically noting how it penetrated everything except metal and left only bones visible, and the accompanying Art Nouveau-style illustration that vividly depicted the effect... it was almost identical to the photograph he had just taken.
It seemed far too accurate and detailed to be mere imagination.
If Hanslow Jin had known... it could be seen as a prior research reference.
Considering when the book was published, there was no doubt—it had come out before Wilhelm had begun his experiments.
"The world is wide, and there are some truly brilliant minds out there."
If he hadn't known, it wouldn't have bothered him. But now that he did, he couldn't just ignore it.
"Thank you, Anna."
"Wilhelm?"
"You've always been the guiding light that shows me where my conscience should lead."
There was no hesitation. After all, even his previous inventions had been freely shared with the world. He had never sought to keep them to himself.
And this phenomenon wasn't something he had invented. It had always existed; he had merely discovered it.
And so, several days later...
Wilhelm Röntgen published his paper, On the Existence of 'Transparent Light', which contained the following acknowledgment:
─ I dedicate the honor of this discovery to the British novel DawnBringer and its author, Hanslow Jin. Through his incredible imagination, he foretold the existence of this light...