Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

There seemed to have been a minor misunderstanding, but when I explained the concept of a “theme park,” Lady Es nodded in understanding.

Then, with an expression of exhaustion, she leaned back against the chair and let out a sigh.

“Ha… I doubt there’s anyone else but you, Writer, who would remain so nonchalant after being dragged to the Empire under charges of treason.”

“Is that so? Perhaps it’s because the person sitting in front of me is someone I’m very accustomed to.”

“Hm? Well, true, the relationship between us is anything but ordinary.”

For some reason, Lady Es’s eyes softened, giving the impression she was in a good mood.

Even her voice seemed more relaxed.

“Still, someone like you, who has so much, shouldn’t act recklessly. When someone supported by all the people of the Empire behaves that way, the royal family gets quite startled.”

“My apologies.”

Lady Es playfully hummed a tune while tapping the table with her fingers.

I couldn’t quite tell what song it was—perhaps it was just a random melody.

“Anyone who knows you, Writer, could guess that you have no interest in power whatsoever.”

“It’s not that I dislike power. It’s just that my priorities lie with literature.”

“That’s exactly what makes you trustworthy.”

“Pardon?”

“If the Empire doesn’t suppress literature… it means that someone as immense and influential as you, supported by the people of the world, could always side with them. After all, if the Empire collapses and there’s no one left to enjoy ‘literature,’ wouldn’t that be unpleasant for you as well?”

“That’s… certainly true.”

After pondering for a moment, I nodded.

Lady Es’s words seemed to keenly grasp the essence of who I was.

The establishment of a children’s welfare foundation, the support for the lives of artists, and the operation of orphanages and vocational schools through the foundation—everything I had done was to create an environment where people could comfortably enjoy literature and cultural arts.

As a result, I had become significantly beneficial to the Empire’s order.

“Rather, I hope you, Writer, become even wealthier, stronger, and more celebrated and revered.”

“Hmm?”

No matter how I thought about it, those words were difficult to understand.

When I gave her a puzzled look, she alternated between pointing at herself and me with her slender fingers and spoke.

“After all, I’m your first sponsor.”

“……”

“Couldn’t you say I bought in at a pretty low point?”

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Thus, the construction of the “theme park” officially began with the Empire’s approval.

Leading numerous mages, merchants, beastfolk, and artists, I stood at the site where the theme park was to be built.

Given the scale of the estate being used, it was set to be larger than any amusement park I’d ever known in my previous life.

“Don’t worry about sparing money—let’s craft an entirely different world!”

“Yes!”

The biggest distinction between an amusement park and a theme park is that the latter has a “universe” or “worldbuilding.”

A theme park isn’t just a practical space composed of attractions. It must be an organic, immersive space that maintains its own concept and theme.

For that, the most important element is “immersive content.”

And.

I was the content behemoth that monopolized all intellectual properties in this world.

Not just the novels I plagiarized.

All the writers affiliated with the foundation, students studying literature at the academy, and countless artists supported by the foundation—all of them backed me.

“Lucia.”

“Yes-yes!”

Lucia Barton, the illustrator for The Little Prince, replied nervously.

I tried to ease her tension.

“I have particularly high expectations for your talent, Illustrator Lucia.

Your experience in creating countless character designs and illustrating numerous works will be of great help in the making of this ‘theme park.’”

“Th-thank you for the kind words! I appreciate the trust!”

Lucia bowed her head deeply.

I turned my gaze to the people around me and continued.

“I also have high expectations for all of you. I know that everyone here is incredibly talented. Thank you so much for coming here to help someone like me.

I may not be all that extraordinary myself, but I believe this ‘new world’ we’ll create together will become the greatest space in the Empire.”

It truly would be a remarkable space.

I intended to create a place far greater than any theme park I remembered from the future.

Even if new forms of literature, films, or entirely unprecedented content emerged in the future, it wouldn’t matter.

This theme park would be built as a space capable of infinite expansion.

A place that could forever function as the “most dreamlike destination.”

A place that could eternally embody the dreams and hopes of all children….

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[The New World Opens.]

[A land of dreams and fantasy─, the world’s first theme park, ‘Neverland,’ finally opens!]

[Gift your children their dreams!]

The news of the opening of the theme park ‘Neverland’ spread throughout the Empire.

In truth, since this world didn’t even have the concept of a “theme park,” people didn’t quite understand what it was.

They merely assumed it was an excellent and beautiful park built with the massive investment of ‘Homer.’

Perhaps something like a park adorned with sculptures of The Little Prince or Peter Pan.

“Oh, you there. You visited Neverland, didn’t you? How was it? Was it really as fantastical as the Neverland in the fairy tales?”

“…….”

“Hmm?”

“─Neverland is a miracle! Not going there means you’re missing out on life itself! I want to go again─!”

“…Is it really that amazing? In the end, isn’t it just a park─?”

“Just a park?! Neverland is the land of dreams and fantasy!”

And.

Such thoughts were completely shattered by the testimonies of those who had actually visited Neverland.

What’s more, those testimonies were wildly diverse.

“There was a house of ghosts, and I saw a person with the body of a fish! And there was an eerie melody playing from somewhere─it was so chilling that I ran straight out of the entrance.”

“There was a small train with no roof, and you could feel the wind brushing past as it moved. I held onto the safety bar so tightly, afraid I’d fall off, that my hands cramped up.”

“I saw the real Little Prince!”

“Have you tried the submarine? What? You still haven’t? Oh dear. Hahaha!”

“I was on a small boat going down a waterfall when Cheshire Cat was giggling beside me, and then─.”

“Have you heard of escape rooms? I became Holmes, solving riddles to escape. Gosh, you can’t understand the fun unless you experience it yourself.”

“There was an airship passing in the sky!”

“I rode a sled cutting through the snow, and oh, the cool breeze was incredible. How could there be skiing in this season, you ask? Dozens of mages created a snow-covered mountain indoors! You should’ve seen that massive dome─.”

“I saw a magnificent parade. Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, and various characters were passing through the heart of Neverland. Hehe. It was a truly fantastic sight.”

“Water park… I want to go again….”

Some claimed they sledded and skied on snowy mountains inside a massive dome.

Others described being swept along waves in a massive pool while hugging a marlin-shaped float.

Some swore they saw Cthulhu inside.

And others recounted drifting down strange waterfalls and valleys in a small boat.

All of these stories sounded utterly absurd.

So, some speculated that it must involve illusion magic.

This curiosity drove even more people to visit Neverland again.

“Homer is a god!”

“I-I want to go back to Neverland! I want to go again!”

Some people even exhibited severe symptoms of theme park addiction.

Thus.

People from all over the world began flocking to the theme park that Homer created.

And so.

At a park larger than the largest estate in the Empire, they bought food, souvenirs, and enjoyed the attractions, participating in countless economic activities.

They poured and poured endless amounts of gold into the theme park.

“To the land of dreams and fantasy, Neverland!”

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“…No, but why is the revenue so high?”

I remembered how amusement parks in my past life were often criticized for their exorbitant prices at on-site stores.

To avoid this, the prices in Neverland’s shops were set similar to regular retail stores….

Yet, the massive influx of funds into Neverland seemed endless.

Even accounting for the high attendance during the park’s opening phase, at this rate, it seemed likely that the initial construction costs would be fully recouped within a year.

“This is a bit of a problem….”

Too many people were visiting.

As a result, children had to wait in line for tens of minutes just to enjoy a single attraction.

The joy was turning into labor.

“I suppose we’ll have to expand the themes.”

Simply increasing the number of attractions wasn’t a good idea.

I wanted children to be fully immersed in the ‘world of literature’ within the theme park.

Thus.

The solution was, once again, straightforward.

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[Scheherazade prepared everything necessary to pass the night and spoke to her younger sister Dunyazad.]

[“Dear sister of mine, remember well what I tell you. When I am taken to the Sultan, I shall call for you.

When the Sultan learns of his final mercy granted to me, you must say this:”]

[“Dear sister, since you are not yet asleep, won’t you tell us a delightful story to help pass the night?”]

[“By doing this, we will live, and the Sultan will turn away from his bad habits and save himself.”]