Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World - Chapter 30: Sherlock Holmes

< Chapter 30: Sherlock Holmes – 1 >

It had been a while since he last saw Lady Es, and she looked somewhat more cheerful. She seemed free.

The kind of relaxed smile that appears when someone who has been carrying a heavy burden puts it down for a moment and sighs; such a smile gently lingered on Lady Es’s face.

“It’s been a while since I’ve come to visit. Can’t you welcome me a bit more? I’m starting to feel a little hurt….”

“…I am genuinely very pleased to see you.”

“You have to show it! A man who is cold is not popular, you know?”

“Haha….”

Cold sweat dripped down his back. He felt like a frog standing in front of a snake. Compared to the lazy king with dragon eyes, this ‘Lady Es’ felt even more like a snake.

“I will try….”

“Well, alright! These things should be adjusted to slowly. More importantly, it seems someone from the Harren royal family visited?”

“Yes. The lazy king came by.”

Since she knew someone from the Harren royal family had visited, there was no need to hide it.

“The lazy king himself…? What an unexpected event.”

“Are you acquainted with him?”

“No. Well, maybe? I only saw him once when I was a child, at the conference of all nations…. He’s famous for never coming out, so it’s quite surprising. Hmm~.”

“‥‥‥.”

A silence lingered between him and Lady Es. Just as his back started to get damp with cold sweat, Lady Es broke the silence.

“He’s a fan?”

“Pardon?”

“The lazy king. Didn’t he come because he’s a fan of Mr. Homeros?”

“Uh, well…. I think he is a fan.”

That didn’t seem to be the purpose of his visit, but hmm. Even thinking back, he was a difficult person to understand.

“Is that so? Then it makes sense.”

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t help being a fan. Haha. But remember, I am the first fan and patron of the author.”

“…Yes.”

Were all royals and nobles so unpredictable? Somehow, he felt relieved and leaned back against the chair.

“Oh, you’ve relaxed!”

“Yes…. Well….”

“It’s much better. Continue to be that comfortable. You can even lie down on the sofa if you want.”

“Doing that in front of royalty might be a bit… inappropriate, don’t you think?”

“Really? I don’t mind.”

It’s me who minds….

“Did you come here to ask about the visit of the Harren royal family?”

“No? That’s part of it, but, hmm~.”

Lady Es tapped her cheek with her fingers as she chose her words. Then she continued in a humming tone.

“About Hamlet, did you write it to criticize my father?”

“Pardon?”

“My father… I mean, the current emperor.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Sherlock Holmes – 1

It had been a while since he last saw Lady Es, and she looked somewhat more cheerful. She seemed free.

The kind of relaxed smile that appears when someone who has been carrying a heavy burden puts it down for a moment and sighs; such a smile gently lingered on Lady Es’s face.

“It’s been a while since I’ve come to visit. Can’t you welcome me a bit more? I’m starting to feel a little hurt….”

“…I am genuinely very pleased to see you.”

“You have to show it! A man who is cold is not popular, you know?”

“Haha….”

Cold sweat dripped down his back. He felt like a frog standing in front of a snake. Compared to the lazy king with dragon eyes, this ‘Lady Es’ felt even more like a snake.

“I will try….”

“Well, alright! These things should be adjusted to slowly. More importantly, it seems someone from the Harren royal family visited?”

“Yes. The lazy king came by.”

Since she knew someone from the Harren royal family had visited, there was no need to hide it.

“The lazy king himself…? What an unexpected event.”

“Are you acquainted with him?”

“No. Well, maybe? I only saw him once when I was a child, at the conference of all nations…. He’s famous for never coming out, so it’s quite surprising. Hmm~.”

“‥‥‥.”

A silence lingered between him and Lady Es. Just as his back started to get damp with cold sweat, Lady Es broke the silence.

“He’s a fan?”

“Pardon?”

“The lazy king. Didn’t he come because he’s a fan of Mr. Homeros?”

“Uh, well…. I think he is a fan.”

That didn’t seem to be the purpose of his visit, but hmm. Even thinking back, he was a difficult person to understand.

“Is that so? Then it makes sense.”

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t help being a fan. Haha. But remember, I am the first fan and patron of the author.”

“…Yes.”

Were all royals and nobles so unpredictable? Somehow, he felt relieved and leaned back against the chair.

“Oh, you’ve relaxed!”

“Yes…. Well….”

“It’s much better. Continue to be that comfortable. You can even lie down on the sofa if you want.”

“Doing that in front of royalty might be a bit… inappropriate, don’t you think?”

“Really? I don’t mind.”

It’s me who minds….

“Did you come here to ask about the visit of the Harren royal family?”

“No? That’s part of it, but, hmm~.”

Lady Es tapped her cheek with her fingers as she chose her words. Then she continued in a humming tone.

“About Hamlet, did you write it to criticize my father?”

“Pardon?”

“My father… I mean, the current emperor.”

“No, I didn’t.”

It was an immediate answer. I wasn’t a lunatic; there was no way I would write something that criticized the emperor. Even though the empire was a constitutional monarchy, the crime of insulting the royal family was still in effect. The law might be equal, but classes were not.

The reason I plagiarized the literature from my previous life was simple. The advancement of literature. To increase the amount of literature I could enjoy. There was no other reason beyond that.

“Is that so? Then that’s fine.”

“‥‥‥.”

“Well, I mean, it would be a bit awkward if a play I enjoyed was about insulting my father. Even though it’s just a rumor, it bothered me a bit….”

“Uh, what?”

“No matter how frustrating he is, he’s still my father….”

Lady Es looked away, her face flushing as if she were embarrassed.

So, she came here not to warn me about insulting the royal family, but simply because, as a daughter, she was worried that it might be about criticizing her father?

“…Pfft.”

“Hey, you just laughed at me, didn’t you!”

“No, I didn’t. It’s just that I realized, even royalty are still just children.”

“Mr. Homeros, you’re younger than me…? Ridiculous.”

Even though she was royalty, in my previous life, she would just be a young adult starting out in society. Realizing that, I felt somewhat more at ease.

“Anyway! What’s your next work going to be? Are you planning to write it with your disciples again?”

“Well, I’m still considering it.”

“Or are you planning to serialize it in a magazine like you did with the Count of Monte Cristo?”

“That’s also under consideration…. Hmm?”

Had I ever told Lady Es about my pen name ‘Herodotus’?

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Ah, it’s just… I didn’t expect you to know.”

“I know everything about you, Mr. Homeros.”

She smiled playfully.

Hmm. Maybe I should stay a bit cautious after all….

“Oh, and don’t worry about the dedication! As long as I can read your work, that’s enough for me.”

“Yes….”

“So, when is the next work coming out?”

“Actually, there is a work I’m considering.”

“A work you’re considering?”

“Yes.”

From the various events so far, I felt that this world was not yet fully matured in rationalism.

Thanks to the magical advancement of civilization, people seemed somewhat indifferent to religion… but magic itself was another mystery.

It could replace faith, but it was difficult to spark rationalism as a scientific philosophy like on Earth.

“I’m planning to write a novel that would encourage people to think more ‘rationally,’ based on ‘evidence’ and ‘logic.’”

“That sounds difficult….”

“It won’t be difficult. In fact, it will be very interesting and quite… a popular novel.”

* * *

“Aigo, Mr. Herodotus! Welcome!”

“Yes, President.”

“I’m so moved that you came to this humble place! Sniff….”

“It’s nothing….”

The president of Half and Half pretended to cry comically. The success of The Count of Monte Cristo had clearly made a strong impression. Given that it was a work remembered purely for its entertainment, it was understandable.

“I came because I plan to serialize a new novel this time.”

“Oh my! Of course, we must make space in our serial section for you!”

“Not right away. I need to do some research first.”

There are a few representative works of serialized novels. The pure entertainment of The Count of Monte Cristo. The endless lengthening of Les Misérables. The cosmic horror of Lovecraft…. But if we talk about the most famous work in modern times—

“This time, the novel I’m writing is a mystery novel.”

I couldn’t avoid mentioning that work.

“A mystery novel, you say?”

“Yes.”

It was Sherlock Holmes from Why Did You Kill Holmes.

“To be precise, it will be a detective novel. So, I need some expert advice.”

“Yes, yes! I will get the best detectives in the empire as consultants—”

“Oh, not that kind of advice.”

The episodes to be used in the novel were already decided. What I needed was someone who could adapt those episodes to fit the ‘worldview’ of this world. And I already knew such a person.

When I mentioned the person I wanted to invite, President Ryan nodded enthusiastically and exclaimed.

“You’re talking about the chief mage of the Grey Tower, Cléang! I’ll sell my publishing house to bring him here!”

“If you sell the publishing house, we can’t serialize anything….”

This person was quite similar to President Kindersling….

* * *

[Greetings. I am Cléang, the chief mage of the Grey Tower. I am writing because there are some inaccuracies in the descriptions of magic in your work. In the story…]

* * *

“Hello… I am Millie Cléang, the chief mage of the Grey Tower….”

“Oh, yes. Hello. You look quite different from your letter.”

Dark circles like a panda and tousled hair. The mage looked exactly like a graduate student.

She was none other than Millie Cléang.

She spoke in a slow and leisurely voice.

“Letters… have a format… And you, sir, look much younger than I imagined… so I was surprised….”

At the moment, I had not taken the ‘Hyde Potion.’ ‘Herodotus’ intended to act publicly in my original appearance.

Since I looked barely old enough to have just entered the academy, such reactions were inevitable.

“Ah, yes. The reason I invited you, Magician, is that I need your magical advice to complete my work.”

As I said this, I took out the ‘fan letter’ she had sent me.

Although it simply pointed out magical details, the content demonstrated a high level of understanding of ‘stories.’ It explained, one by one, how certain magics were used, following episodes of the ‘Conan Saga’ in an easy-to-understand manner.

In other words, it provided advice on how to keep the authenticity while maintaining the story as it was.

It was a difficult task unless one had a deep affection for the work.

“I was very impressed by this fan letter. As you can see, I am quite young and somewhat lacking in knowledge. So, I would like to get some advice from you to complete my work.”

“Head Mage….”

“Yes?”

“Call me Head Mage…. or Head Magician….”

She still spoke in a leisurely tone.

But somehow, her manner of correcting the title felt rather fussy.

“I am a Head Mage….”

“Ah, yes. Head Mage.”

“Being a Head Mage is a really big deal… It means I am the most outstanding in the Gray Tower…. Among my peers, there isn’t a single mage who can match even the tip of my toes… It’s true….”

“Yes. But about the magical advice─.”

“Are you curious how I became the Head Mage…?”

“No.”

“Since you are curious, I will tell you…. This goes back to the day I first entered the tower….”

…No, this person─.

“So…. the Tower Master immediately recognized my talent…. Honestly, I felt a bit pressured, but there was nothing I could do….”

─was an incredibly slow talker and a total chatterbox!