Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World - Chapter 55: Les Misérables

< Chapter 55: Les Misérables – 2 >

If one were to divide the officials of the Harren Kingdom into two groups, they could be classified as ‘Royalists’ and ‘Republicans.’

However, there was one important thing to note: Republicans did not deny the sanctity of the king. They too believed that the king’s rights were inviolable, and that the only way to maintain peace was by obeying the order under the king’s rule. They simply argued that, despite such order, revolution was necessary.

The reason why Republicans could form a faction was simple.

“It’s been a while, Naharen.”

“The people of Harren greet our great King, Your Majesty!”

“Yes, cut the unnecessary formalities.”

“Understood!”

The majority of the royal family, which made up the ‘inviolable’ royal court—and particularly the ‘Lazy King’—were Republicans themselves.

Since the era of the Benevolent King, the royal family of Harren had wished to return all rights to the people.

The Republicans were inspired by such ideals.

In essence, the ideology shared by the Republicans could be summarized without all the political rhetoric:

– “Our king wishes to return all authority to the people! Therefore, it shall be done!”

In the Kingdom of Harren, where everyone pleaded with the dragon to rule forever,

Only the one-eyed loyalists who followed the king’s will as their sole guiding light existed.

That was the essence of ‘Republicanism.’

“Your Majesty─! You are the rightful lord of all Harren’s people! Our bodies and souls belong to you, so may you live forever in health and strength!”

“Your bodies and souls belong only to the Lord of Heaven, not to any earthly ruler.”

“Your Majesty, you are both the bishop of the East and the ruler of Harren! Who would dare question your authority?”

“Sigh….”

That did not mean the Royalists opposed the Lazy King.

On the contrary, they loved the Lazy King so much that there existed a ‘line’ they could not cross, no matter how much the king desired it.

All authority in Harren had to come solely from the king.

Anyone who attempted to share, steal, plunder, or trample upon that authority would be judged in the name of ancient law—even if it was the Lazy King himself.

“Don’t you ever get tired of this?”

“If Your Majesty wishes for tomorrow’s freedom, then even if it means leaping into the flames today, we shall see it through!”

“It is said that if something is truly right, repeating it every day won’t tire you out. If the words spoken yesterday differ from those of tomorrow, how can that be called order?”

“Annoying fools….”

Thus, for the Lazy King, it was maddening.

The bureaucrats of this country, each and every one of them, were insane enough to jump into fire if the Lazy King commanded it. It was no wonder he distanced himself from work out of sheer exhaustion.

Yet despite such tiresome matters, he descended at this very moment.

“…Bring me the tasks I’ve set aside. I can’t neglect work just because I’ve been fighting.”

“Understood!”

The same applied to the sky of Harren.

It was because he loved Harren, a nation that gazed up at the sky.

[“If suffering comes from love, then love even more. Dying from love is the same as living through love.”]

[“Dying from a lack of love is truly a dreadful thing.”]

.

.

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After grumbling his way through all his tasks, the Lazy King soon made his way to a publishing house.

“The people of Harren greet His Majesty, the great king!”

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard there’s a writer here named Sophocles….”

It was the publisher of *Les Misérables*, ‘Ivan Publishing.’

The head of the publishing house hurriedly rushed out to greet his sovereign.

“Yes! He’s one of our translators!”

“I’d like to have a little chat with him alone for a moment. I found that book quite impressive.”

“Understood!”

Thus, Sophocles, who had been diligently translating as usual, was brought out, practically dragged by the head of the publishing house.

Sophocles, too, knelt on one knee and greeted the Lazy King.

“The people of Harren greet His Majesty, the great king.”

“Huh, aren’t you not one of Harren’s people?”

“Pardon?”

“Take a seat. There are no bothersome children here, after all.”

As Sophocles looked puzzled, the Lazy King simply chuckled lightly and replied.

“What kind of parent wouldn’t recognize the face of their own child?”

.

.

.

The Lazy King still appeared as an unassuming figure. His clothes were so worn that they were scarcely different from rags, and he seemed to have no connection to concepts like authority or power.

“Homer, I never expected you to come all the way to our kingdom. Are you on a journey? Harren has some rather splendid natural parks, you know, yet you’ve chosen to stay holed up in a publishing house—how peculiar.”

“Uh, how did you know that I’m Homer?”

“Didn’t I say? The royal family of Harren are descendants of dragons.”

“Pardon?”

The Lazy King’s eyes transformed, the pupils splitting vertically into a shape resembling that of a snake’s.

A sign that the blood of dragons flowed within him.

The great blue blood.

And the king who had inherited this blood most strongly was none other than the Lazy King himself.

“These damn bothersome dragon eyes show me the truth.”

“Aha….”

“Tsk, if you’ve come because of the favor I asked of you last time, I apologize. It seems that republicanism has failed. The Seidel Republic may have had some utility as a nation that replaced its king whenever the country fell into decline, but this cursed Harren, with its dragon blood, seems utterly unsuited for it.”

“I see….”

The Lazy King leaned back into the sofa, furrowing his brow as if plagued by a headache.

“But you know, my thoughts remain unchanged.”

“Pardon?”

“A king’s position is truly useless. It’s nothing but a nuisance, a burden.”

“…….”

The Lazy King grumbled like a child for a long while.

Then, suddenly, he sighed deeply and muttered in a weary, powerless voice.

“From the start, those children need to learn how to live without relying on a king.”

“Excuse me?”

“What does an ancient covenant matter? It’s absurd that a fool with no motivation, simply because he has the blood of a flying lizard, should be called the master of the noble people of Harren. That’s the real horror. Every Harrenite is the master of their own soul…. That’s the duty and privilege of the noble.”

“…….”

“They can go further. The descendants of lizards can’t hold them back….”

It was then that I began to understand a little about this figure known as the Lazy King.

He wasn’t just an irresponsible person.

This ‘lazy’ king, wearing clothes that were little more than rags, speaking in a light manner devoid of dignity, and having no intention of wielding authority.

He was simply like a parent.

For that is what the sky is.

Having been born as the father of all Harrenites, he had no need for any authority or ceremony.

“…Why not transition to a constitutional monarchy, like the Empire?”

“Hah, do you think I haven’t tried? From the time of the Benevolent King, Harren has been a constitutional monarchy.”

“Pardon?”

“The previous king, the Benevolent King, was a thoughtful man. He feared that a tyrant might emerge later, so he sought to divide the kingdom’s power with the parliament.”

“Strange, the Empire knows Harren as an absolute monarchy.”

“That’s because the Benevolent King was too competent. Though he was thoughtful… he was far too diligent.”

Unable to grasp the meaning behind his words, I remained silent.

The Lazy King chuckled softly and began to elaborate.

“The Benevolent King was a man of many talents. Perhaps he had inherited the dragon’s blood even more strongly than I have. If I were to list all his achievements, an entire day wouldn’t be enough. He was the one who established the current parliament, created the Ministry of Administration to provide a basic social safety net, restructured the Royal Guard, which was once the royal family’s private army, into the Imperial Police Agency to maintain public order, imported the Empire’s technology to establish the first printing press and newspaper in the kingdom─all of it, all of it was the work of the Benevolent King.”

“He was an incredibly capable person.”

“Yes. The very parliament he created to distribute power among the people ended up becoming a helpless puppet, entirely dependent on the king, all because the Benevolent King was too competent and diligent.”

“Ah.”

“He probably foresaw this outcome. Even knowing it, his excessive sense of responsibility didn’t allow him to leave his people alone, so one could say he was gravely at fault.”

“…Then, the reason Your Majesty refers to yourself as the ‘Lazy King’ is to avoid making the same mistake─”

“No, that’s just because I’m naturally lazy.”

The Lazy King laughed heartily, as if he’d just heard a very amusing story.

He then continued in a more relaxed tone.

“In any case, I understand the sentiments of the people. The dragon’s blood that flows through our veins… it teaches us quite a lot. We never forget what we’ve seen, we grasp even the most complex matters quickly, we instill fear and reverence in those who stand before us, we can discern truth from lies, and we are gifted with remarkable talents in various fields.”

“…….”

“But not everyone born with these rights can be like the Benevolent King. If one is simply lazy like me, it’s not so bad─but how can we be certain that the future descendants of dragons won’t use these talents for violence? If they were to strip the Harrenites of their freedom and love, and treat people merely as tools or parts, how could the children of Harren resist?”

“…….”

“So, I’d like to ask you, who is known as the greatest intellectual of the Empire.”

At that moment, the question the Lazy King posed to me was one that I, merely a ‘plagiarist,’ could not answer.

“What should I do moving forward?”