Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

Sometimes, the “Alchemist” visits the Transcendental Library in my dreams.

It doesn’t feel like an unwelcome visit. Even though it was my first time meeting him in the dream, he felt like a familiar friend, without any awkwardness or discomfort.

“My friend wants to meet the author. Would that be alright?”

“Hm? A friend…?”

“Haha! Yes! He’s someone I befriended even before I became a Transcendental. He was deeply impressed by ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and wants to meet you.”

“What? Before you became a Transcendental… a thousand years ago?”

“That’s right. He might even be older than me.”

“…Did he also take the Elixir of Immortality?”

“No. That friend… doesn’t age naturally.”

“Because he’s a witch.”

At times, the Alchemist introduces me to other people like this.

Just as he introduced me to the Transcendental Slayer.

“That friend isn’t a Transcendental, so I can’t invite him to the Library. You’ll have to meet him in the real world!”

“Alright. Where should I go?”

“Let’s see….”

The Alchemist pondered for a moment, then smiled brightly.

“Why not visit his workshop this time? It’s in a small country called the Seidel Republic!”

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The Seidel Republic.

I had heard the name a few times but had never visited before. It was a small country occupying a narrow passage between the Mediterranean and the Western Sea.

The Seidel Republic’s constitution begins with the following sentence:

[“Seidel is an indivisible, secular, democratic, and social republic.”]@@novelbin@@

In short, the nation is radically secular from its constitutional foundation.

How extreme? It’s not just “you don’t need to be religious” but rather “you must not be religious,” a principle emphasized in every sphere. Religious symbols like rosaries or crosses are prohibited in official settings. Government officials participating in religious activities outside “the Church” could be punished for violating the dignity of public office. R̃ÄNỒＢÊṧ

Of course, this applies strictly to “official” domains. Most people in the private sector still held religious beliefs.

In fact, the more indifferent the state was, the more devout some private individuals became.

It was in this country that the Alchemist’s so-called “witch” friend resided.

The witch’s residence was a small cabin in the forest. It looked like a house a witch from a fairy tale might live in. It had the innocent charm of a fairy tale rather than the ruggedness of a hunter’s cabin, with its rounded and smooth design.

“Ah! Welcome…. Thank you for accepting the invitation. It’s a humble place, but I hope you feel at ease while you’re here….”

“Ah, yes. How do you know the Alchemist?”

“Gallen is one of the few friends I’ve had for a long time… and continue to maintain ties with to this day…. Human life is fleeting, and existence is finite…. Even those who are promised an immortal life must eventually face an irreversible farewell…. In that sense, the fact that my friendship with Gallen has lasted a thousand years is an immeasurable joy and fortune….”

“Hm.”

The time span was so immense that I didn’t know how to react.

A thousand years might not seem that long, but it’s enough time for an empire to fall and rise again. In my previous life, Don Quixote was published at the end of the Renaissance in the early 17th century, and the Renaissance itself is generally dated to the 14th century.

The Renaissance rose and fell, and the modern era of interconnected internet emerged.

Twice that span of time is just shy of a thousand years. For a bond between two individuals to persist over such “civilizational” stretches of time was beyond my comprehension.

So, I simply listened quietly.

Fortunately, the witch, who was the Alchemist’s friend, was a kind storyteller.

“Before we begin the story, I realize I haven’t properly introduced myself…. I am the witch, Mary Jane.”

“…Do you happen to have spiders living nearby?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Ah… not spiders, but it seems my Alchemist friend has arrived….”

“What?”

At the witch’s words, I turned around to see the familiar grin of the Alchemist, who was looking at me.

“Haha! I’m here too!”

“Oh, I see….”

Thus.

With the Alchemist’s hearty laughter as the starting signal.

The story of Mary Jane, the witch, began.

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[The Tin Man was very careful not to be cruel or unkind to anything because he knew he lacked a heart.]

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Mary Jane was a witch. Wicked, unable to feel love, and a talented girl possessing eternal youth and enchanting beauty.

Her talents were extraordinary, even among witches.

Witches possess various abilities, but their most defining skill is the “Witch’s Cauldron,” also known as witchcraft.

Mary Jane was a witch with an innate talent for witchcraft.

“Do you happen to know the difference between alchemy and witchcraft, author?”

“Hmm, not really.”

“I’ll summarize the key points for you! The alchemy that led me to transcendence is the study of transforming ‘one’ thing into ‘another.’ Changing properties, states, appearances, and substances—like turning lead into gold! Its ultimate goal is the Philosopher’s Stone—’the Elixir of Immortality.’”

“Hm, I see….”

“But witchcraft, the technique of witches, is different. Perhaps it’s better if she explains it herself!”

“Ah… yes. We witches live with the ultimate goal of creating a ‘Potion of Love.’”

“A Potion of Love…?”

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[“Can you give me a heart?” asked the Tin Man.]

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A witch is an eternal being. They do not age with time, do not stop breathing even when submerged in water, and live near-eternal lives without divine blessings or magical order.

However.

Because they are immortal beings, witches are also unchanging beings. To be specific, witches are incapable of experiencing the transformative force called ’emotion.’ Witches do not smile in joy, cry in sorrow, sigh in regret, or grieve in despair.

Rusting away and unable to move, like the Tin Man.

A broken machine unable to replicate humanity’s most vital function.

That is the essence of what it means to be a witch.

Thus, witchcraft exists as a discipline to fill what witches lack.

“For instance… this is called the ‘Potion of Kindness.’ When you drink it, you’ll feel relaxed, your tone will soften, you’ll be kind to others, and you’ll start worrying about vulnerabilities….”

To demonstrate, Mary Jane opened the potion in her hand and drank it in one gulp.

Immediately, her eyes softened like a puppy’s, and her lips curled into a gentle smile that put people at ease.

With a voice tinged with kindness, she continued.

“Without such potions, witches cannot feel emotions…. Because of this, we sometimes make irreversible mistakes….”

Without kindness, they do not worry about others even when they are out of sight.

Without gentleness, they do not help others, even when they see someone struggling.

Knowing she lacked emotions, the witch always had to act more cautiously than others. Unable to distinguish between stepping on an ant and stepping on a person, she had to be careful not to carelessly crush even a single ant.

That is the true nature of witches from fairy tales.

The Alchemist, listening nearby, added his thoughts.

“In truth, the very potions witches make would have been enough to warrant persecution! Controlling human emotions with potions—it’s certainly blasphemous, isn’t it? Haha! Anyone who seeks to control others’ hearts would covet such potions, and those who couldn’t possess them would naturally seek to destroy them!”

“…….”

“Well, it was probably better for the world that witches were burned instead of their potions falling into the hands of greedy people! If you could feel any desired emotion with a potion, how would that be different from a drug? Organized witch hunts were inevitable!”

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[“Oz answered, ‘Wanting a heart might be a mistake. Hearts make most people unhappy. If you knew that, you’d think it was lucky not to have one.’”]

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Witch hunts.

The main driver was the king of a small nation called the “King of the Wasteland.”

To expand his territory, he allied with many powers, including the people’s religion of the time, known as the “Church.”

To him, witches were highly efficient prey.

Hunting witches who lived in resource-rich forests allowed him to claim both the forest and the people who followed the witches.

Of course, witches were powerful beings, but… their numbers were far too few.

Those who once begged witches for potions became addicted to the new narcotic of “religious fanaticism” and eagerly led the witch hunts.

“The witches scattered and fled… but the forests where they could stay continued to dwindle. The small domain of the King of the Wasteland eventually grew into the vast ‘Empire,’ annexing all surrounding lands and territories as its power expanded.”

And.

It was during this flight that they encountered the “Alchemist.”

“Oh? You carry some fine ingredients! Are you a student of pharmacology? Since this is a chance encounter, let’s exchange names!”

“…….”

“I am Gallen Rennion! I run a small alchemy workshop.”

“…….”

“If you don’t wish to talk, that’s fine! But could I procure a few ingredients? I’m working on an important project, and it’s been hard to find good herbs!”

“…….”

“In exchange, how about a small villa? I have a privately-owned property for herb gathering operated by my alchemy workshop! Even the Empire’s soldiers can’t enter, so it’s the perfect hiding place!”

“…….”

The Alchemist provided many conveniences for the witches.

Occasionally, he would bring strange concoctions under the guise of new medicines.

“This is a potion that turns you into a beast! Well, partially. When you transform into a beast, your primal instincts are amplified, making it difficult for a person to control the beast’s impulses. So I thought, wouldn’t it be fine if a witch, who lacks emotions, used it?”

In the process of this experiment, a new race called the “Beastmen” was born.

“Wait a moment. Excuse me?”

“What’s the matter?”

“Beastmen… what did you just say?”

“Ah! Beastmen are descendants of witches who drank the ‘Beast Transformation Potion.’ Didn’t you know?”

“…No.”

“Well, it’s not that important! That potion was a failure anyway. It had a side effect: while in the transformed state, fertility increased, and if pregnancy occurred, it became impossible to return to a human form. Still, the witches were quite satisfied. When they turned into animals, they could feel primal instincts that were closer to emotions.”

At any rate.

The Alchemist, who explored various things with the help of the witches.

─ “Gallen Rennion, the Transcendental Alchemist, ascend to the heavens.”

Finally engraved his name in the heavens.

He succeeded in developing the “Elixir of Immortality” and attained transcendence.

As an Alchemist who had ascended to the heavens, secular powers could no longer hold him back.

Thanks to this, the witches who had survived under the Alchemist’s protection could live a bit more freely.

“What is this?”

“It’s a Potion of Cheerfulness. Since the Alchemist is always smiling… I thought I’d be happy too if I could smile like you, so I made this.”

“Haha! Can I drink it too?”

“Of course.”

“Just kidding! I’m already cheerful enough!”

The witches, supported by the Alchemist, created numerous potions.

But they couldn’t make the one potion they longed for above all.

“How about this time?”

“It failed…. I should call this… the Potion of Generosity….”

“Oh, what a shame.”

“Excitement Potion, Elation Potion, Kindness Potion, Courtesy Potion… none of them become love. Perhaps we witches can never experience love….”

“But is love really that important? Even these potions, which I, the so-called Transcendental Alchemist, cannot create, are incredible! Haha!”

“If I could love… there is someone I’d want to love.”

“Who is it?”

“…A great person. Someone always cheerful, someone who helps others without hesitation, someone who extended their hand to us when we were at our lowest… that kind of person.”

“Haha! They certainly sound like an extraordinary individual!”

“…….”

Thus, a thousand years passed.

The witch, Mary Jane, still.

Could not create the Potion of Love.