Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World - Chapter 32: Sherlock Holmes

< Chapter 32: Sherlock Holmes – 3 >

“Young Master, the response to ‘Sherlock Holmes’ has been incredibly enthusiastic.”

“Isn’t it always?”

“This is beyond the usual. Some readers have even attempted to storm the publishing house to get the next installment of ‘Sherlock Holmes.’”

“That’s a bit extreme… but it’s Sherlock Holmes, after all.”

There are many ways to captivate readers in a work, but in ‘serial novels,’ the technique known as the ‘cliffhanger’ is often used. In simple terms, it’s a way to abruptly cut off the story.

Ending the story at a moment of conflict or with a new mystery emerging. And the ultimate form of cliffhanger is found in detective novels.

The structure of a mystery novel, consisting of a problem segment and a solution segment, heightens conflict to the extreme, making readers deeply immerse themselves in the story.

“It’s human nature to be curious about the next story of ‘Sherlock Holmes.’”

“Human nature… is it?”

“That’s right.”

And ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is the masterpiece of detective novels. No work could surpass ‘Sherlock Holmes’ in making readers eager for the next installment.

“The charm of the character Sherlock Holmes also likely drew readers into the work.”

“Come to think of it, was it you who suggested that the detectives at the Whiterack Detective Agency dress up as ‘Sherlock Holmes’ for security?”

“No, that was the President of Half and Half’s idea. That President has a good sense for these things.”

‘Sherlock Holmes’ is the most ‘excellent’ character in literary history. Sherlock Holmes is the most frequently filmed character from the previous world and one of the most successful characters in literary history.

In that sense, the strategy of the President of Half and Half, who focused on promoting the character, was quite effective.

“Well, once the solution segment comes out, things will calm down, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“Is that so?”

The first full-length novel, ‘A Study in Scarlet,’ devotes half its length to explaining ‘this guy was actually a pitiable character.’ It was fitting content for the ‘first button’ of a detective novel, explaining that the criminal wasn’t an absolute demon.

But honestly… it was a bit boring.

Personally, I preferred short stories over long novels.

And above all─.

“The moment when an excellent character becomes truly appealing… is when they are defeated by their own preconceptions.”

More than the notable first full-length novel ‘A Study in Scarlet.’

More than ‘The Sign of the Four,’ where the specifics of Holmes’ character were clearly revealed.

There was a particular work that made the character of Holmes truly captivating.

“Let’s look forward to the moment that woman makes her appearance.”

“That woman… it’s the third story. Hmm, it was indeed a very charming episode, but… I’m not sure if it’s as interesting as other episodes.”

Oh, right.

Sion had read ‘all’ of the Sherlock Holmes stories that I plagiarized.

Since he wasn’t following the serials in order, it would be hard for him to fully enjoy them.

“I’m sorry, Sion.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s something like that.”

* * *

[The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]

[A Scandal in Bohemia]

[To Sherlock Holmes, she is always the woman.]

[To Sherlock Holmes, ‘she’ was always ‘that woman.’]

[“She was a woman who might have been considered beautiful by any man who ever crossed her path, no matter the cost.”]

Irene Adler.

Although she only appeared in the short story ‘A Scandal in Bohemia,’ she had the most significant presence among all female characters in the entire series. She was also the female character most frequently reimagined by fans of Sherlock Holmes.

Thanks to her appearance in that short story, ‘Sherlock Holmes’ became the most ‘charming’ character in the Empire and in literary history.

* * *

The deerstalker hat and the coat with the cape, the pipe, and the magnifying glass. These were common sights in the Empire. Every detective in the Empire wore the attire symbolizing ‘Sherlock Holmes.’

In fact, even people who weren’t detectives often wore Sherlock Holmes outfits because they looked stylish.

“Thanks to Sherlock Holmes, it’s nice that we’ve got more work these days! People look at us more favorably too.”

“That’s right! Honestly, when you mentioned ‘detectives,’ didn’t people usually think we were just the scumbags cleaning up after the nobles? Or worse, just drunkards roughing up people in place of the guards?”

“To be fair, that was pretty much true. Haha!”

Before the appearance of Sherlock Holmes, the image of a ‘private detective’ wasn’t very good.

In fact, even in the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ stories, Holmes himself often referred to himself as a ‘consulting detective’ and made derogatory remarks about ‘detectives.’

But in the end, people saw Sherlock Holmes as a detective.

This led to an improved image for the ‘private detective’ profession itself.

“These days, it’s quite fulfilling. We get to bust bad guys, sometimes help the poor, and it feels like this is why I became a detective.”

“What’s with you? Has the money-obsessed man lost his mind?”

Private detectives also liked this improved image.

On the contrary, after ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ more detectives began to act like Holmes in the stories. The image created by the media actually influenced the real-life profession.

“Watson, once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

“Puhahat! It doesn’t suit you at all, so stop it. And besides─ if anyone’s Holmes, it’s me. Why am I Watson and you’re Holmes?”

“Shut up. Watson.”

“Puhuhat.”

There was also a rather strange phenomenon where merchants or nobles began to prefer hiring people named ‘Watson’ as secretaries or attendants.

Some people even started to lie about or change their names. It seemed that people who had read Sherlock Holmes had developed a hobby of calling the person next to them ‘Watson.’

“People say ‘Homer’ is a god or something, but for us detectives, ‘Herodotus’ is the real god!”

“Exactly! Herodotus is a god!”

“Actually, aren’t the novels written by Homer… not that interesting?”

“That’s a bit… If you don’t want to get beaten up by Homer’s followers, don’t say that carelessly anywhere.”

And so, the name value of ‘Herodotus’ began to skyrocket insanely thanks to Sherlock Holmes.

* * *

Regardless of the popular influence, the investigative rhetoric of ‘deductive reasoning’ presented in the Sherlock Holmes series began to affect police organizations, including the patrol and guard units.

Especially, the ‘Imperial Capital Police Force’, which managed the security of the capital, was one of the institutions directly influenced by Sherlock Holmes.

“Are we really this capable…?”

“Uh, we don’t even know how to detect fingerprints…”

“To begin with, the police force hasn’t been established in the countryside yet…”

“We do less than private detectives…”

This was because they did not understand most of the investigative techniques used by the police in Sherlock Holmes. It hadn’t even been ten years since the Empire’s General Police Law was passed.

The coexistence of patrol units, guard units, and police forces was due to this.

The pilot police force was still not properly organized. In this process, the novel ‘Sherlock Holmes’ itself served as a sort of guideline.

“Hey, don’t you think we should proceed like this…?”

“Seems like it, right…?”

The Empire’s police force quickly began to take shape. In this process, the ‘Imperial Capital Police Force’ and its higher organization, the ‘Special Administrative Agency for the Enforcement of the General Police Law of the Empire,’ even requested advice from ‘Half and Half.’

“Author!”

“Yes, President.”

“We’ve received a request from the Empire, what should we do?”

“Special administrative consultation for the enforcement of the General Police Law…? Oh, it’s a bit difficult to do face-to-face… I’ll organize it in writing and send it over.”

Soon, the ‘Imperial Metropolitan Police Agency’ was established based on the system proposed by ‘Herodotus’.

This modern police institution, set up to ensure citizens’ safety, apprehend criminals, and maintain public order, achieved remarkable results from its very first day of official operation, becoming a cornerstone of the Empire’s stability.

“You have the right to remain silent, but you may be subjected to torture. You have the right to an attorney, and anything you say can be used against you in court.”

“Why say all that just to arrest a criminal?”

“Don’t you know? They told us to.”

“It does have a certain feel to it. I’ll start doing it too.”

Thus, the Empire’s public order was improving, all thanks to a single novel.

* * *

“Lord Ed!”

“Yeah, Sion. What’s up?”

As usual, he was relaxing at home, reading a novel when Sion suddenly burst into the room, panting heavily as if he had been running hard.

“Something terrible has happened!”

“Something terrible?”

“Yes! Someone has used your character Sherlock Holmes, and─.”

“Is it another plagiarism issue?”

Sherlock Holmes was an incredibly captivating character, subject to countless reimaginings. It wouldn’t have been surprising if someone had created a work plagiarizing the character of ‘Sherlock Holmes’.

“It’s not plagiarism, but rather, you need to read this!”

“Hmm?”

Sion handed him a magazine. It was a serial novel magazine named ‘Mini and Life’, made from cheap pulp like ‘Half and Half’. He occasionally read it as well.

Taking the magazine from Sion, he skimmed through it lightly. Then, he couldn’t help but understand why Sion was so flustered and blushing.

[Arsène Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes]

“Wow….”

It seemed that Maurice Leblanc existed in this world too.