Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

One day, while handling busy administrative duties, Duke Anthony Kapeter felt a pain as though his heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand.

As usual, he received blessings from a priest and drank a potion from the alchemy workshop, but the relief was only temporary, and his chest soon felt heavy again.

“Could it be… lack of sleep?”

His body had reached its limit.

With a deep sigh, Anthony pulled out a potion from his bag.

“If I happen to meet Duke Kapeter, I’ll be sure to deliver your message.”

“Thank you!”

“In return, please accept this. It’s a potion made by an alchemist I know… It’s best to drink it when you feel absolutely overwhelmed and in need of rest.”

It was a translucent potion that shimmered with a blue light.

Anthony believed that a great writer like Homer wouldn’t lie about such things.

After a brief hesitation, Anthony downed the potion in one gulp.

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[“Do you have a brain?” the Scarecrow asked.]

[“Perhaps. But I’ve never seen my brain before,” the Lion replied.]

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One chaotic and noisy morning, Duke Anthony Kapeter suddenly realized that his body was invisible to others.

It was an odd phenomenon, as everything seemed intact in his own eyes—his clothes, his trembling fingers, and even his reflection staring back at him in the mirror. He could see it all. ŔΆΝ𝐨ᛒËş

“…Is this the ‘gift to help with rest’ that Writer Homer mentioned?”

To test it out, he passed in front of the servants.

Normally, they would bow their heads in greeting, but they continued their tasks, acting as if no one was there.

Anthony was now invisible to others.

Even when he tried to go about his work, the coachman, attendants, and no one else could see him, making it impossible to accomplish anything.

When he tried speaking, the others would act as if they heard something, but they merely tilted their heads in confusion and muttered things like, “Was it the wind?”

“…Your Grace! Where are you?!”

The attendants ran frantically around the mansion in search of Anthony.

After some contemplation, Anthony pulled out a sheet of stationery from a drawer and wrote a letter.

It was a message stating that he would be absent for the day.

Even while writing, he considered whether he should explain the situation and try to continue working, but since no one could hear him, it seemed pointless.

Communication was impossible after all.

In the end, the letter only contained a feeble excuse: “I will be visiting my father in Harren for a day.”

“Huh? Was this letter here before?”

Fortunately, the letter seemed visible, as the attendant read its contents and nodded before informing the other staff.

And so.

Anthony’s vacation as an invisible man began.

“…First, I need to get some sleep. My head feels like it’s about to split.”

He decided to take a nap first.

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Anthony awoke from his light sleep when a servant entered to tidy up the bedding.

To be precise, the servant, while organizing the beddings, unintentionally shoved (what to them was an invisible) Anthony so much that he nearly fell off the bed, jolting him awake.

Only then could he think a bit more clearly.

As the throbbing headache subsided and his mind cleared, a wave of worry washed over him.

“What about all the piled-up work?! No, I have to inform the officials first—!”

If Viscount Isolette Reinhardt learned that even the acting Duke had suddenly disappeared from the territory, who knew what could happen in the meantime?

Viscount Reinhardt was not part of the duchy but an official of the Empire.

The most critical point was that when the lord was absent, the deputy lord had almost the same level of authority as the lord.

Even though it was just for a day, a capable official like Viscount Reinhardt would have plenty of time to review all the confidential documents of the duchy.

Who knew what an imperial official, intent on swallowing up the duchy, might do with that authority?

Good grief.

What on earth have I done?!

“Hey, I need to get to the administration building right now—damn it! No one can hear me.”

Anthony quickly grabbed the family seal and a few other items, then rushed toward the administrative office.

Since he couldn’t use a carriage, he considered using the magic tower’s automobile but realized that an unmanned car driving on the roads might draw too much attention.

Ultimately, he decided to run there.

As a result, he ended up sprinting hard enough to break into a sweat, something he hadn’t done in a long time.

After a long run, when he finally arrived at the administration office, Viscount Reinhardt was already giving orders to the other officials.

However, the content of those orders was somewhat different from what Anthony had anticipated.

“Today, Acting Duke Kapeter has informed us that he will not be able to come to the administrative office due to personal matters. In accordance with the Imperial Constitution, from this moment onward, I, as the deputy lord, hold the duty to manage and the authority to control you all. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Then, first, we need to check how each task is divided and how the work previously handled by His Grace is progressing… Remière Chief Administrator?”

“Yes!”

“I will delegate all practical matters to you. Is that manageable?”

“It is!”

“Let’s handle everything perfectly so that when His Grace returns, there will be no deficiencies. He has already worked hard enough until now.”

“Yes!”

William Reinhardt, the deputy lord…

It was as if he were not an imperial servant but rather a vassal of the “Kapeter” family, controlling the situation accordingly.

At that moment.

Anthony’s mind froze.

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William Reinhardt, Viscount.

The deputy lord of Kapeter and Isolette’s father.

Currently, he had taken on a troublesome task at the request of his niece.

“It seems the Acting Duke of Kapeter is not in good condition, so I would like to grant him a day off.”

“Oh really? Well, I wouldn’t mind having less work myself, but…”

“Ah, I was hoping Viscount Reinhardt could handle the affairs of Kapeter during the Acting Duke’s absence. After all, you are the deputy lord of Kapeter.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes.”

“…I’ve been swamped ever since the sudden disappearance of Duke Kapeter, you know?”

“Is that so? But according to Isolette, she said that one hug from her can make all your exhaustion disappear.”

“Hah-hah, well, my daughter is indeed my lifeblood.”

After seeing his daughter’s rare display of affection, he simply couldn’t refuse.

Isolette, that child… always tried to act too mature. Although she was fully grown now, to a father, a daughter would always appear as a child.

That’s why he couldn’t turn down her request for affection.

Ed Fríden… what a frightening child…

To make matters worse, this nephew, Ed Fríden, was none other than the famed author “Homer.” Refusing such a request was nearly impossible in many ways.

‘Well, now that I’ve promised, I’ll do my best.’

In any case, the deputy lord was both an imperial envoy and a bureaucrat of the territory.

If the territory wasn’t properly managed, he would end up suffering just the same.

On top of that, he personally held some affection for the Acting Duke of Kapeter. Watching someone so young fight tooth and nail to protect their domain was rather… moving.

It was also a bit pitiful, seeing him struggle to handle everything alone without relying on others.

It was clear that he was conscious of “Iron-Blooded” Duke Kapeter, who had once been famous for working tirelessly without sleep or food, keeping everything flawlessly in order.

Although being the successor to such a figure carried an inevitable weight, it wasn’t necessary to push oneself to the brink with overwhelming responsibilities.

Since he lacked any close camaraderie with Duke Kapeter’s son, he didn’t go so far as to offer advice out of pity…

Hmm.

But this small favor wasn’t a problem.

“Everyone, let’s do our best! Let’s aim to finish all the work completely before His Grace returns!”

“Yes, sir─!”

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Everything felt like a dream.

It was almost as though the potion Homer had given him wasn’t for rest but instead offered a sweet day-long daydream. After all, Homer did mention it was good for relieving sleep deprivation.

Anthony spent the entire day wandering around the administration office.

Even in his absence, all the work was proceeding smoothly. At the very least, his worries that the administration might fall into chaos were alleviated.

“…Well, I guess this is the reality. I’ll never be like my father.”

As one anxiety subsided, another negative emotion began to cloud his mind.

If everything was running smoothly even without him… it essentially meant he had never been necessary in the first place. He didn’t have the capacity to lead this domain like his father.

When his father had declared his departure for a knightly journey and disappeared, everyone had been flustered, and the domain was in chaos for months.

He thought he had managed to restore order and fulfill his duties, but… it turned out not to be due to his own abilities.

It was entirely thanks to the competence of the staff and officials.

“Huuh… If Father were here…”

“Your Grace, Duke Kapeter─.”

“Hm?”

At that moment, Anthony heard a voice searching for his father from somewhere.

As if drawn by something, he walked in the direction of the voice.

There, he saw administrative officers in charge of managing the territory’s taxes conversing with one another.

“Hey, you’re supposed to say ‘Acting Duke,’ not ‘Duke.’ Don’t you remember how badly Rehen got scolded for saying it wrong in the meeting room?”

“What does it matter? It’s just us here.”

Ah.

The administrators seemed to be talking about him.

Perhaps they were gossiping about his sudden disappearance.

It hurt, but he couldn’t turn away, so he quietly listened in.

“Anyway, thanks to His Grace, working has become much easier. He struggled a lot at first, but… because of that, the forms became simpler, and it’s easier to cooperate with people from other departments. Back then, we used to have to deal with dozens of extra pages on customary laws and contractual formalities.”

Hm?

“That’s right. Thanks to Acting Duke Kapeter going around to different departments, discussing with staff, and organizing manuals, it’s been easier to handle new hires and transfers.”

Ah.

Now that he thought about it, he did indeed do such work shortly after taking on the role of Acting Duke.

It was solely because he couldn’t adapt to his duties.

The language used by the staff and the senior officials was different, and each department had its own formats.

Sometimes, a single document would include dozens of pages of exceptions permitted or prohibited under customary law.

To adapt to his work, he had repeatedly held meetings to unify the formats and terminology used.

He also compiled everything into a manual, so anyone could find the necessary terms and formats instantly.

If his father had been there, he could have handled all types of documents alone, but Anthony couldn’t.

So, he came up with a temporary solution.

“Honestly, when His Grace, the Duke, was here, the atmosphere was a bit… stiff. But since Acting Duke Kapeter took over, the mood has improved a lot, hasn’t it?”

“True. His Grace, the Duke, was honestly a bit… authoritarian. I always felt so small standing before him. But Acting Duke Kapeter listens to and reflects on any opinion without hesitation.”

This too happened because Anthony didn’t know his work well enough and had no choice but to ask others for their opinions.

It wasn’t because he was kinder than his father or better at listening to subordinates.

It was because he was too incompetent to lead his subordinates and left everything to them instead.

This wasn’t something worthy of praise.

“Come on, enough chatter. Let’s finish our work quickly. We can’t show any shortcomings when His Grace returns, can we?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Let’s get to work!”

The administrators’ conversation ended.

Quietly leaving the room, Anthony wandered through the administration office like a ghost.

Here and there, he overheard people talking.

Many spoke about “Anthony, the Acting Duke.”

About the incompetent, weak-willed, mistake-prone lord.

But the content was vastly different from what Anthony had expected.

People weren’t criticizing him.

They weren’t blaming him.

They didn’t hate him.

Rather, they respected him.

Him, who fell so far short compared to his father.

“…….”

Could it be that he was dreaming after all?

Was Homer showing him a fantasy?

Was this all just a daydream created by the potion?

But it felt too vivid to be a dream.

The faces, voices, and scents of the people working in the administration office… everything felt clear and real.

“…I think I’ll take a nap.”

All his anxieties, headaches, neuroses, and paranoia—all the things that tormented him—had vanished like bubbles.

He just wanted to go home and collapse into bed.

For some reason, it felt like he could sleep deeply tonight.

Without worrying about anything, without feeling the pressure of having to wake up tomorrow, just free of anxiety and self-reproach…

“…….”

And so.

Acting Duke Anthony Kapeter fell onto his bed and slept deeply.

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[“Can you give me courage?” the Lion asked nervously.]

[“You already have enough courage,” Oz replied. “All you need is confidence. No living creature faces danger without fear. True courage is facing danger despite being afraid. And you already have that courage.”]

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At the same time Anthony Kapeter, the Acting Duke, collapsed into bed…

In the library of the Kapeter Ducal Residence, a woman was sighing as she watched a “Transcendent of Literature” reading a book.

“Finally, you’re paying attention to me.”

“Ah.”

“You come all the way to our house, and instead of greeting me, you just read books in the library?”

“Well, uh, it just sort of happened?”

“Sigh…”

Isolette Reinhardt lived in the Kapeter Duchy with her father.