Chasing Time

“Next, we have the most noble recipient of the Order of the Garter, the Grand Cross of Saint Michael and Saint George, the Grand Cross of the Bath, the Victoria Cross and the lower grades of Knighthood, the leader of the anti-colonial movement, the bell-ringer of the East India Company, the hero of the Crimean War, a Fellow of the Royal Society, a lifelong dear friend of literary giants such as Dickens and Great Dumas, a steadfast supporter of scientific luminaries like Faraday and Darwin, having served as assistant under-secretary, deputy under-secretary, and permanent under-secretary in departments of the Home Office and the Navy Department of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the inaugural Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service, the first graduate and most distinguished alumnus of our school. Please welcome Sir Arthur Hastings to deliver a speech on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the University of London.”
Arthur's gaze swept across the crowd before him, looking at the young faces and murmured, “Agares, what do you think I should say?”
The Red Devil's wraith hovered behind him, saliva almost dribbling from the corner of his mouth, “Look at these ignorant souls; they still worship you as a hero. Why not say something they'd like to hear?”
Arthur took a deep breath and let out a deafening roar, “Oxford is a bunch of whores' bastards!”
“Oh!!!!”
The audience erupted into thunderous applause.
“Cambridge is the same!” he added immediately.
The applause grew even more fervent...
(The protagonist, possessed by a devil, travels through 19th-century Britain in a world without magic)

The Shadow of Great Britain

The rain outside the window trickled down incessantly.


It had rained all night in London, and by dawn, it showed no sign of stopping.


On the window glass of Arthur's residence, traces where the rain had clung were everywhere.


Agares sat by the window, looking at the sun struggling to rise through the gaps in the dark clouds, and he simply took a deep breath.


In his hand, he held a small piece of paper, which was the address of the gas research institute that Faraday had given to Arthur yesterday.


Faraday's words seemed to echo in the Red Devil's ears.


"The Gas Research Institute was originally established in Clifton. After the establishment of King's College in 1828, it was merged into the affiliated teaching hospital of King's College, St. Thomas Hospital. Its address is located at 10 Bessimer Road in the Southwark District, on the south bank of the Thames River."


Chapter 28: Darkness and Light