Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World - Chapter 26: Alice in Wonderland

< Chapter 26: Alice in Wonderland – 4 >

The Harren Royal Family never claimed that the author Homer was from the Harren Kingdom.

They merely stated, from a traditional perspective, that they felt the cultural spirit of the Harren Kingdom in Homer’s great works.

It was their way of paying a certain respect to a great author.

They ignored questions about the rumor of Homer’s royal lineage, considering them not worth answering.

However, this response was distorted when it met the press.

[Harren Royal Spokesperson: ‘The works of Homer embody the tradition and cultural spirit of the Harren Kingdom. As for the rumors about Homer’s royal lineage, no comment.’]

In fact, such ‘reinterpretation’ was a common occurrence in the process of conveying any statement through the media.

The problem was that this was the hottest topic in the Empire.

Although the Kindersley Publishing House later issued a correction about the false rumors, people reinterpreted even this explanation to suit their tastes.

“They are strongly denying that he is from the Harren Kingdom, so isn’t there some reason they need to hide his origins?”

“Exactly! Could the rumors that he inherited the blood of the Harren Kingdom’s royalty be true?”

Regarding these types of rumors about ‘royalty,’ the Harren Royal Family’s spokesperson couldn’t do much except ignore them.

This was because they truly knew nothing about it.

From the start, the Harren Kingdom itself was very closed off about matters involving the ‘royal family.’

Unlike the Empire, which was a constitutional monarchy with a parliament, the Harren Kingdom had a king who was also the bishop of the Eastern Church, serving as both the religious leader and the secular ruler of the state.

However, the current king of this ‘royal family’ was neglecting the kingdom so much that he was nicknamed the Lazy King.

Due to such internal and external circumstances, the Harren Royal Family lacked any capability to respond to external rumors. Regardless of the nation’s stature, their diplomatic capacity was woefully insufficient. This was the cause of this catastrophe.

President Kindersley, looking deeply ashamed, bowed his head low and finally spoke in a trembling voice.

“…W-What should we do about this, author?”

“What do you mean, what should we do? Just leave it be….”

In the end, I decided to abandon the matter itself instead of responding to this rumor. Of course, if I revealed my ‘true’ identity—as Ed, the second son of the House of Fríden—I could put an end to this rumor entirely.

‘…But Father would be appalled.’

While I didn’t particularly mind the hassle, my father would likely abandon the family and flee the moment attention focused on us. Since I had no desire to become an unfilial son, I intended to keep my true identity hidden as much as possible.

Maybe this was actually a good thing. The more absurd the rumors grew, the less likely my ‘true’ identity would be revealed.

“Then, President, let’s finish the discussion about the Harren Kingdom here. Didn’t you have something else to talk about?”

“Oh! Yes! We received a message from the ‘Heiden Magic Troupe’ saying they want to turn your work into a performance!”

“A performance?”

“Yes! Actually, we’ve had several proposals from other troupes, but the Heiden Troupe is the largest and their proposal was the best. So, I thought I should tell you first.”

I had seen a few performances by the Heiden Troupe. They were the largest troupe in the Empire’s capital. I remembered their spectacular magic-enhanced productions. The content of their plays… well, I couldn’t give them high marks.

“As usual, please handle that part, President. I trust you.”

“Understood!”

* * *

Aside from the rumors about me—specifically, the various rumors about the author ‘Homer’—novels influenced by the works I plagiarized started to be published in the world.

Several novels, especially those inspired by ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ with their dreamlike and fairy-tale atmospheres, began to be published.

Signs of modernist literature, which pursued symbolic and intrinsic art beyond the rationality of reality, were beginning to bloom.

Of course, since there wasn’t a simultaneous societal paradigm shift or civilizational progress, it was merely a structural change.

Some novels, obsessed with poetic language, felt like a return to classic ‘epics.’ This had its own charm as a reader. And among these, the most interesting was:

“Oh, you’ve written a new novel yourself?”

“Y-yes! It’s a story I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I used to tell it as a fairy tale to children, and now I’ve written it down… Hehe…”

It was a fascinating fairy tale written by Rolls Camel.

“It’s quite long, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is… I wrote down all the stories I used to tell the children… Although I haven’t been able to meet the kids lately…”

Rolls Camel’s fairy tale shone with intelligence and the unique purity of children.

It was somewhat different from Alice in Wonderland. Her novel had a distinct narrative direction.

Like protagonist-centered stories, the child in Rolls Camel’s tale traveled through many worlds, experiencing numerous adventures and conflicts.

Though it felt somewhat verbose, the writing didn’t come off as heavy or pedantic.

“Feels like an epic novel for children…,” he remarked.

“R-Really? Hehe…,” she responded, somewhat flustered.

“I think it’s good. Really good.”

He wasn’t sure if this novel would achieve the same success as the classics he had plagiarized. However, as someone who studied literature, he couldn’t help but be impressed by the greatness of the inspiration contained in this work.

Therefore, what he had to say to the author ‘Rolls Camel’ was clear.

“Let’s publish this.”

“Y-Yes, absolutely!”

This book needed to be evaluated by more people. No matter how great the inspiration contained in the writing, if it only existed in the author’s drawer, it could never become a true work of art.

‘President Kindersley will be pleased.’

President Kindersley loved reading as much as he did. He couldn’t predict what kind of evaluation she would give this fairy tale, but he could vividly imagine her reaction.

She would like it. A lot.

* * *

“Feels like an epic novel for children…,” he remarked.

“R-Really? Hehe…,” she responded, somewhat flustered.

“I think it’s good. Really good.”

He wasn’t sure if this novel would achieve the same success as the classics he had plagiarized. However, as someone who studied literature, he couldn’t help but be impressed by the greatness of the inspiration contained in this work.

Therefore, what he had to say to the author ‘Rolls Camel’ was clear.

“Let’s publish this.”

“Y-Yes, absolutely!”

This book needed to be evaluated by more people. No matter how great the inspiration contained in the writing, if it only existed in the author’s drawer, it could never become a true work of art.

‘President Kindersley will be pleased.’

President Kindersley loved reading as much as he did. He couldn’t predict what kind of evaluation she would give this fairy tale, but he could vividly imagine her reaction.

She would like it. A lot.

“Go see a play?”

At the Fríden estate, his brother suddenly made an unexpected suggestion during dinner.

“Yeah. All your novels are being turned into plays and performances, but you never show any interest and just keep writing. Sometimes, you need to take a break.”

“Hmm, I’m not really interested in plays…”

“But wouldn’t it be nice to see a performance based on one of your novels? Especially these days, the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ performance by the Heiden Magic Troupe is reputed to be really spectacular.”

“Hmm…”

Indeed, it might be quite meaningful to see how the novels he plagiarized were influencing other fields of culture and the arts. It could also be a good way to refresh himself.

Come to think of it, he had been pushing forward without looking back. His desire to advance literature was so strong that he had neglected other things.

Enjoyment wasn’t limited to literature. It might be a good idea to find another hobby at this opportunity.

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

“I’ve already reserved the tickets. Do you know how long it’s been since we went out together?”

“…Really?”

Ah.

No, well…

Before talking about literature and art, he realized that he had hardly spent any time with his family…

Apart from dinner, the last time he spent time alone with his family was…

Uh…

That…

Never?

“…Would you like to join us, Father and Mother?”

“I’m fine. At my age, what need do I have for plays? You two go and enjoy.”

“Hoho, I’m fine too. Spend some quality time with your brother.”

“Ah, alright.”

…He needed to reflect.

Literature wasn’t everything in life. From now on, he would try to spend a bit more time with his family.

The magic play was undeniably fascinating. It felt as if he had truly fallen into a wonderland. The scenery, the scents, and everything created by illusion magic were dreamlike and ethereal yet vividly real. Some scenes couldn’t be described in words and remained only as impressions—like a smile without a cat.

He had never felt so intensely aware that this world was one where ‘magic’ existed as he did today.

When the play ended, and the curtain call followed, the actors stood on stage. Behind them, the magical effects used throughout the performance were displayed in a distorted panorama.

“The play was fun, wasn’t it?” his brother asked.

“Uh… it was almost like a movie.”

“A movie?”

“Ah, it’s something like that.”

“But who was that old man who interrupted the play? He was dressed like Don Quixote.”

“Not sure…”

“It was kind of funny. He was cutting through the illusions with a staff. Was that part of the performance? Anyway, it was really entertaining.”

“Yeah…”

His brother Eric continued to share his thoughts, but they didn’t register. A certain impulse kept swirling in his mind.

The decision came quickly.

“Brother, I…”

“Hmm?”

“I need to write a play…!”

“Huh?”

Just a few hours ago, he had reflected that literature wasn’t everything in life. But still, seeing something like that made him think.

He couldn’t help but recall the great plays that had dominated half of literary history in his previous life… those magnificent works.