Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World - Chapter 38: Side: ’’God of Detective Novels and Prolific Writing.’’

Lady Es seemed to be planning to stay for quite a while, as she brought up a new topic.

“Oh, I also enjoyed reading the novels written by the students you taught, Author. It seems you have a talent not just for writing but for teaching as well. You’re such a perfect person, it makes me jealous”

“It’s not because I taught them well. The students learned on their own.”

This was the truth. I wasn’t even a real author, nor did I have any genuine ability to guide and teach anyone. At most, I could provide a guideline called ‘work.’ So, the students learned everything on their own.

“You’re humble, too. How can a person be so perfect?”

“You flatter me.”

Although she spoke as if she was complimenting me, her playful expression indicated she was just teasing. Still, it didn’t feel bad.

“That doesn’t mean I only read novels written by you or your students. Thanks to you, the literary world has also improved, and there are more interesting works to read! Although I haven’t been able to read much lately because I’ve been so busy….”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Exactly! I have a pile of books waiting in my study. Author, have you read ‘Valley of Jealousy’ by ‘Ryanne’?”

“Of course. The delicate psychological descriptions contrasted with the intense. Escalating events made it a very enjoyable novel.”

“That’s what I think! I don’t understand why it’s not more popular!”

We had similar tastes. We could talk endlessly about literature. The fact that she knew my true identity made the conversation flow even better.

“So, I’m thinking about providing some support, but even though I’m not a prince anymore, I’m still of royal blood! It feels a bit strange to support someone just to test the waters.”

“I see.”

“What do you think, Author Homer?”

“I think it’s a good thing for talented literary artists to receive support.”

“Doesn’t it make you jealous?”

“Pardon?”

“I was your first patron, Author Homer. If someone who confessed to me confessed to someone else, I’d feel jealous.”

Lady Es tilted her head slightly forward and looked at me with a bashful smile. It was a fresh reminder of how noble she looked. Her noble demeanor couldn’t be hidden by her somewhat mischievous behavior.

It was a sort of charisma, something innate perhaps.

“Sponsorship and love confessions are different matters. I believe the more support an artist receives, the better.”

“You don’t seem to have a sense of monopoly, do you, Author?”

“If I tried to monopolize art, the market would be flooded with thousands of works written by me by now.”

This, too, was the truth.

From the day I first began to plagiarize “Don Quixote” until now, I have only strived to release works that would advance the literature of ‘this era’ one step further.

If I had simply wanted fame, I would have released more works.

Most of them would have been overshadowed by ‘Homer’s’ works, receiving no attention, and the paradigm of literature itself would have been thrown into confusion, leaving writers uncertain about what kind of novels to write.

This was the reason I divided the names of ‘Homer’ and ‘Herodotus’. The directions that Homer and Herodotus pursued had to be distinctly different.

“That’s quite… an exciting yet terrifying story.”

“You could have filled bookstores with only Homer’s works.”

“Hehe, I thought you were just humble, but now I see you’re terrifyingly arrogant, aren’t you, author?”

“It’s not a matter of humility. This is just… a matter of possibility.”

In my study, there was a Magi-engineering safe similar to those used by the ‘Kindersley Publishing House’.

The papers inside were all manuscripts that had plagiarized novels from my ‘previous life’ as they came to mind… If I hadn’t set aside my pride as a translation author and localized the novels, it was a sufficiently feasible task.

Though I had no intention of actually doing so.

I didn’t want to mess up the literary world.

“So? Our great author who could fill bookstores with ‘Homer’s Special Collection’, are you preparing your next work?”

“Yes. Actually, I am working on a new novel.”

“Oh, really? What kind of novel is it?!”

The lady’s eyes sparkled as she leaned forward. Her expression was full of anticipation.

“I’m planning to write a mystery novel.”

“A mystery novel? You already─, oh, in the name of Homer?”

“Yes. This time, I’m thinking of writing a mystery novel related to religion.”

The decision to publish that novel was made after the ‘Why Did You Kill Holmes?’ incident occurred─ in other words, a few days ago.

* * *

The simultaneous serialization of the two masterpieces, ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and ‘Arsène Lupin’, along with the [‘Sherlock Holmes X Arsène Lupin’ Fan Fiction Contest], had recently ignited an interest in ‘mystery novels’ across the Empire.

This trend did not discriminate between magazine serializations and published novels.

For me, it was both enjoyable and slightly regrettable, as the two mystery novels I had brought were overly ‘genre-specific’. To put it simply, there was a lack of diversity. It was an unavoidable issue, as I had brought the paradigm of almost perfect mystery novels beforehand.

Of course, there was not entirely no solution.

“If I could borrow the power of the gods, it could be solved… but that would be difficult, I suppose.”

If the problem was that clichés were excessively standardized, the solution was to release more clichés. The simplest method was to borrow the power of the ‘god of mystery novels’.

That was none other than Agatha Christie, the queen of mystery novels, who had sold over two billion books and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

However, there was a problem with this approach.

“I don’t know Agatha Christie’s novels very well….”

It was simply impossible for me to plagiarize her novels. In my previous life, I was a translation author.

But I never had the chance to translate any of Agatha Christie’s novels professionally.

This was because her works were not released into the public domain.

“Well, I’ve read them in the original language and in translation, so I could imitate them, but it’s still uncertain.”

The reason I could plagiarize novels from my previous life was not just because I had read them several times.

More importantly, it was because I had experience translating those novels.

In other words, if you ask me to rewrite a story I’ve translated before, I could somehow recall that memory and write it similarly.

To translate a novel, you have to research materials, study the cultural background, read papers, and rewrite sentences repeatedly until the work becomes familiar to you.

If you don’t study a work to the point where it feels second nature, you can’t become a ‘translation author’.

And Agatha Christie’s novels were ones I couldn’t formally translate, so plagiarism was impossible.

I had tried several times, but I couldn’t get the ‘feel’ right. In fact, the most important thing in translation work was this ‘feel’.

That sharp intuition that allows the story to flow smoothly from your fingertips.

“I need a novel that will expand the realm of mystery novels─.”

So, I pondered for a long time. Titles of numerous works flashed through my mind and then disappeared. Short stories, microfiction, science fiction, crime, special-setting mysteries─.

Then, the title of one work suddenly stuck. It sprang up in my mind and rolled off my tongue.

“Father Brown….”

* * *

“So, I plan to seek Cardinal Garnier’s advice for writing a new novel.”

“I see. A detective novel with a clergyman as the protagonist…”

Perhaps because he was a clergyman, even in his thoughtful state, Cardinal Garnier looked as if he were praying. His hands were clasped, and his serene smile appeared devout.

Soon, Cardinal Garnier nodded and responded to my proposal.

“Yes, I will help you. I am not sure how much assistance I can provide, but if I can aid Venerable Homer, that too would be in service to the Lord.”

“Thank you, Cardinal.”

“And, these days, most detective novels have protagonists with peculiar traits.”

“Pardon?”

“Drug addicts, thieves… children at the orphanage admire and emulate these ‘righteous’ characters, which has been a concern of mine. The Savior said that forgiving sinners is akin to saving oneself, but such detective novels often have a strong element of vengeance. It’s not exactly ideal for children’s education.”

“Hate the sin, love the sinner, is it?”

“That’s a good saying. Who said it?”

“…I think I read it in a letter.”

“You seem to know many good connections.”

“Yes, well…”

It was a saying that didn’t exist in this world. Did I write it in a novel? I wasn’t sure.

“In that sense, I am willing to help with anything I can. If a detective novel with a clergyman as the protagonist becomes popular, perhaps our children will take more interest in the clergy.”

“Yes, thank you. Then first—”

There were many things I wanted to consult the Cardinal about. But, naturally, the first question had to be this:

“—Could you tell me about your experience hearing confessions?”

“Oh, I am sorry. Under no circumstances can the seal of confession be broken. Not even if the Savior Himself were to ask, so I ask for your understanding.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean the contents of the confessions. It would be easier to understand if you read the manuscript first.”

I took out a manuscript titled [Father Brown] from my bag and handed it to Cardinal Garnier. Thus began the interview with the Cardinal.