Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

He had plagiarized numerous classics in this world. The Sorrows of Young Werther, The Little Prince, Pride and Prejudice, 1984….

However, the best-selling work among them was undoubtedly Don Quixote.

The work that belonged to the category of “fairy tales,” The Little Prince, did slightly better in total sales than the second part of Don Quixote, but it could not surpass the sales of the first part of Don Quixote.

And then.

The book that showed the most overwhelming performance in initial sales was, of course, Don Quixote Part 2, which benefited from the popularity of the first part of Don Quixote. Back then, the only “readable” work was Don Quixote. In other words, at that time, the single work Don Quixote had completely monopolized the “publishing market.”@@novelbin@@

Of course, the size of the publishing market was much larger now, but there were many books worth reading even if they were not works by “Homer.” Light readers had no reason to rush to buy books as soon as they were published.

So when he heard that The Great Gatsby had surpassed the initial sales of Don Quixote Part 2, he couldn’t help but wonder if there had been a mistake in the count.

But after checking several times, the results were the same.

“Is this even possible…?”

“Right. I just thought it would be a good gift for a banquet… The marketing effect is truly remarkable.”

Thinking about it, no matter how much the publishing market was popularized, books were still quite close to being “luxury items.” The price of a book might be equivalent to a slightly expensive meal, but traditional views about culture were still deeply rooted in people’s minds.

The illusion of a book that could only be read by a few people invited by Homer.

Not just because of its literary value, but because of that sense of “specialness,” people competed to buy the book.

“This is the complete opposite of what happens on Earth, isn’t it…?”

“Pardon?”

“There’s something like that.”

In literary history from his past life, The Great Gatsby had been an unfortunate book that sold very few copies during Fitzgerald’s lifetime.

The unsold books piled up in warehouses, and the movie adaptation of this novel also disastrously failed.

Ironically, considering the syndrome the novel caused after Fitzgerald’s death, it’s quite a strange story. The Great Gatsby came to be known as the great American novel, becoming the bible for all American writers, symbolizing the American Dream that has not been forgotten to this day. The original manuscript of The Great Gatsby even sold for a record price at auction….

What can one say?

Seeing how the same work can have such different results because of marketing made him feel somewhat strange.

“Is this the power of literature…?”

“…Who is visiting?”

“It’s my brother. I told him not to come, but….”

He had come to the publishing house after hearing that Lady Es was visiting, as usual.

But there was one more person waiting for him.

“It is an honor to meet you. The transcendent of literature, the miracle embodier recognized by the universal church, the helper of the seven towers, and the creator of Don Quixote, Mr. Homer.” ŔаŊọ₿Ɛ𝘴

“…Yes. The honor is mine, Your Highness, Second Prince.”

“Please feel free to call me Abel.”

“Yes, Prince Abel.”

The second prince of the empire. Lady Es’s… in the past, he had been her older brother, but now, according to the family register, he was her uncle.

The second heir to the throne of the empire.

He was visiting the publishing house. He began to feel quite nervous after a long time….

“I’ve heard a lot about you from my sister. You’ve made my clumsy sister into a woman, and you’ve listened to her complaints many times. My sister has caused much trouble.”

“No, well… I’m just getting along with Lady Es like a friend. Haha….”

“I know.”

“Pardon?”

“Since my sister has talked so much about you, I feel strangely familiar with you, as though I’ve known you for a long time.”

“…Pardon?”

The second prince of the empire, Abel, was quite… a “my own pace” kind of person.

“Thanks to you, Mr. Homer, my father has been quite happy lately.”

“Ah, His Majesty…?”

“He seems to be incredibly pleased with reconciling with my sister. Especially people of that age… tend to prefer daughters over sons, don’t they?”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, Idris, the child who adopted Enoch, would be more accurately called a granddaughter rather than a daughter.”

“Ah, Brother! I told you not to call him Idris!”

“Es or Idris, it doesn’t matter. It’s funny to insist that it’s a girl’s name just because you’ve removed two characters….”

“Brother!”

“You don’t need to shout. I can hear you well. Don’t raise your voice.”

For a moment, he felt dizzy from the banter of the imperial heirs unfolding before his eyes.

This… is this the imperial family?

Even though they were royalty in a constitutional monarchy, is this really how they behave…?

“So, Your Highness Abel, what brings you here today?”

“Oh, I’ve made a fool of myself in front of such an esteemed person. To get to the point, I would like to ask if Mr. Homer could direct the upcoming royal banquet.”

“Pardon?”

“Me?”

What kind of absurd request was this?

“I learned from the Great Gatsby you recently published. I’ve come to realize that you have quite an expertise in luxury.”

“…….”

“We want to make this royal millennium celebration more magnificent and extravagant than any banquet in history. Thanks to your contributions to the empire’s revival in many ways, the empire’s economy is constantly growing, and… because of that, the royal treasury has reached an all-time high. Doesn’t it deserve a grand celebration to mark the new era?”

“I see….”

“That’s why I’ve come to request that you direct the royal banquet.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to leave that kind of thing to a professional…?”

“There’s no one better than Mr. Homer to symbolize the new era.”

Hmm.

He understood the intention, but he thought it would still be better to decline.

After all, he had spent his childhood never leaving his room to read books, not even attending social gatherings. Directing a royal banquet seemed a bit….

“As a token of gratitude, though it may not be much, I’ll arrange for the imperial central library and the archives of the imperial council to be fully opened to the public.”

“I will accept.”

Ah.

A sound escaped without passing through his brain.

“Thank you, Lord Homer.”

“And if possible, the old archives of the imperial family…”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

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“You don’t have to worry about finance and mining. Us beastmen have everything under control. Even if you asked for a diamond as big as a man’s head, we’d somehow get it for you.”

“I don’t need a gem that big. Just something small for decoration or crafting purposes.”

“Haha, understood. I’ll make sure it’s ready for you.”

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“Aerial acrobatics using airplanes… It sounds entertaining… Fufu…”

“Can you make the preparations?”

“Of course, it’s entirely possible… After all, I’m the Chief Mage…”

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“Haha! Lord Homer, this will be the first request the Black Magic Tower has received from you. I’ll make sure we complete it perfectly!”

“I just need you to make some fireworks…”

“We’ll turn the night sky into a masterpiece of fireworks!”

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“Clearing the weather is no trouble at all. However, since it’s a banquet, wouldn’t it be better to make it a bit more extravagant?”

“Oh, but the Black Magic Tower is already preparing fireworks for the evening.”

“Hmm? The Black Magic Tower, you say? I see. In that case, the White Magic Tower will handle the daytime.”

“Excuse me?”

“Something like a shimmering mist of ice crystals, sparkling like diamonds, should liven up the atmosphere nicely.”

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“A banquet to celebrate the new millennium… Would it be all right if I attended as well?”

“Your Majesty, the Eternal King? Haven’t you been busy with matters in Harren lately?”

“Those folks… They’re running things quite smoothly without me now. And a banquet isn’t just about extravagance—it’s the participants that truly determine its value.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

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“A banquet, you say? It just so happens the Johannes Merchant Guild’s expedition to the equator brought back some plants from the Great Forest. They should work perfectly for landscaping!”

“Ah, that sounds wonderful. Plants are indeed important.”

“Of course, a banquet should have flowering trees─.”

“Of course, a banquet should have evergreens─.”

“”What? A duel it is!””

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Despite various twists and turns, the banquet preparations were coming along smoothly. The advice of the Eternal King, who had attended many such events, proved to be immensely helpful.

A banquet in Harren, where the Descendant of the Dragon ruled as king, was incomparable to the constitutional monarchy of the Empire.

Thus, the preparations for the banquet seemed to be nearing completion—

“Hmm, something feels off.”

Yet, there was this nagging sense that something was missing.

“Does it?”

“Yeah. It feels like something’s slightly out of place…”

After a moment of contemplation, I finally realized what that “something” was.

“Ah!”

Right. For an American-style party, that has to be there.

“Sion, let’s head to the ‘Vault.’”

“Are you planning to write another new novel?”

“No. I’m just going to fetch some old ‘manuscripts’ I wrote, along with a few trinkets.”

“What?”

The original manuscript of The Great Gatsby once sold at Sotheby’s for 3.4 million dollars, earning it the title of the most expensive manuscript in history.

What I was preparing for the “Imperial New Millennium Banquet” wasn’t much different from that.

“We’re going to hold a charity auction.”

“A charity auction… you say?”