Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

< Chapter 14: The Little Prince (1) >

What I had asked President Dorling Kindersley for the new project was simple.

“I want to hire an illustrator.”

An illustrator.

The existence of a picture artist who could breathe life into fairy tales was necessary.

“Yes! I will invite the empire’s best picture artist!”

“Ah, I already have someone in mind for that.”

“Excuse me?”

“Could you bring me the list of participants from the last ‘competition’?”

The format of the contest was free. Epic poems, novels, scripts, any type of creative work was allowed.

And among them, there were pictures.

The artist I wanted to hire was one of the participants in that competition.

“Do you intend to ask one of the winners of the competition?”

“Not the winners, rather, one of the people who were immediately eliminated…”

“Excuse me…?”

‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is a work with a rough and bleak atmosphere.

The winning works of the competition naturally had to be selected in a style that matched this atmosphere.

I rummaged through the list, found the name I had noticed before, and showed it to the president.

“Please hire this person.”

“This artist… Ah! Certainly, this person would suit fairy tale illustrations as well. Then, I will contact them as soon as possible!”

A participant who had submitted a ‘deformed’ simplified depiction of Hyde.

With this person, I could perfectly recreate the fairy tales of my previous life.

“But Sir, how should I explain the new fairy tale you will write to the picture artist?”

“Please tell them it’s a fairy tale about a little prince from the night sky.”

“Understood!”

The Little Prince.

That was the title of the work I was going to plagiarize this time.

* * *

[“I am responsible for my rose……” The Little Prince repeated.]

The Little Prince is classified as a children’s literature fairy tale.

It also held the title of the book translated into the most languages worldwide, even existing in versions translated into Jeju dialect and Gyeongsang dialect.

It was exactly The Little Prince that had been consistently loved by many.

“The fact that it’s a fairy tale written by you, Sir… I am looking forward to it.”

Sion began to read The Little Prince with almost a reverent attitude.

The only sound in the quiet room was the rustling of paper turning.

It did not take long for Sion to finish reading the fairy tale. With moist eyes, he dabbed at them with the back of his hand, flinching slightly as if the manuscript might get wet, and handed it back to me.

Sion, unable to hide his choked-up expression despite wiping away his tears, opened his mouth with a slightly hoarse voice.

“…I think I’ve forgotten too much over time. This is the first time my chest has felt so tight… I’m not sure how to express it….”

Sion’s gaze wavered.

The manuscript in my hand, the sunlight leaking through the window, none of these could capture Sion’s focus.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Yet, he was clearly looking at something—perhaps something that could be called his inner self.

“There are times… when I ponder about myself. What I want to do, ah, of course, serving as your retainer is enjoyable but… sometimes, it feels empty. So, um, yes. In truth, I haven’t been very satisfied with myself.”

While I may not be well-versed in the magic and mysteries of this world, there is one thing I know about mysteries that have existed since my past life.

“…And then, this fairy tale book rebuked me.”

Books change people.

“My chest is tight… but it feels like my mind has been suddenly awakened. Like discovering a single rose among the stars…”

The Little Prince had delved deep into Sion’s heart, stirring his emotions.

“Lord Ed.”

“Yes, Sion.”

“I’ve found something I want to do.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I want to swear my loyalty to you.”

“…Hmm?”

Sion knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

He resembled a knight swearing allegiance to his lord.

“All the novels you’ve written… the books you’ve shown me… the writings you will craft… My soul has been tamed by your literature.”

“Uh, okay.”

“I may not understand the ‘progress of literature’ you envision because I am not very smart… but I want to follow your path. I’ll clear any obstacles, block any storms, and even become the ground for your footsteps. I want to see your dreams realized.”

“Uh huh.”

“So, I want to swear my loyalty to you.”

It was a bit unexpected.

And very sudden.

“Will you accept my loyalty?”

“…Alright. Sion.”

I nodded in agreement.

And Sion formed his oath of loyalty.

“Orhen Baronetcy’s third son, Sion, swears to serve Lord Ed, in body and soul, under the sacred name of the Celestial.”

“…Fríden Viscountcy’s second son, Ed, vows to uphold honor and faith as long as Sion serves loyally, under the Celestial’s name.”

In this world where gods exist, an oath made under the Celestial’s name is absolute.

It was not something to be taken lightly… but it will be alright.

If what Sion wishes for is the ‘progress of literature,’ my dream, then it must surely come to pass.

No.

It has, to some extent, already come to pass.

* * *

Dorling Kindersley’s publishing house.

I had brought a manuscript with a simple concept for illustrations to the President.

As she read the manuscript I handed her, Dorling nodded several times in admiration, even reading aloud some lines from ‘The Little Prince’.

If Sion had reflected on himself while reading ‘The Little Prince’, President Dorling was simply enjoying it as literature.

“Ah, this piece is really good too! But who is this Léon Werth mentioned in the dedication?”

“It’s a secret.”

‘The Little Prince’ is a work dedicated by its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, to his friend, Léon Werth.

When transferring the manuscript, the original dedication was also carried over.

It wasn’t just out of respect for the original author. The dedication to Léon Werth in ‘The Little Prince’ was already a part of the fairy tale itself.

[All grown-ups were once children… (although few of them remember it.)]

[So I rewrite my dedication like this.]

[To Léon Werth when he was a boy]

With this dedication, ‘The Little Prince’ becomes a completed ‘fairy tale for adults’.

Of course, I couldn’t explain this, so I simply passed it off as a secret.

President Dorling seemed sufficiently convinced.

“This book is so lovely. It has the feeling of a thrilling first love, right? But… wouldn’t it be difficult for children to understand? There’s a lot of satirical content…”

‘The Little Prince’ does mix satire of a complex and irrational society.

It was a challenging book, indeed.

“President, who is the audience of a fairy tale?”

“Eh? Oh, it’s children, isn’t it?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Fairy tales are sold to adults with children.”

“…Ah.”

Fairy tales are books that adults read to children.

And ‘The Little Prince’ is a fairy tale that feels very different to a child and as an adult.

“Children are much wiser than we think.”

“Indeed, sometimes it feels like children are far better than adults.”

Adults can’t look at the world as purely as children do.

When children listen to ‘The Little Prince’, they empathize with his voice, while adults reading his words feel ashamed.

There aren’t many adults who can stand confidently in front of a child’s perspective.

Such adults are outrageously shameless.

“I used to be smarter when I was younger too! These days, it feels like my brain doesn’t work as well. Hehe.”

Like Dorling, who alone kept an old publishing house running, only those outrageously honest with themselves remained.

“You are wise enough as it is.”

“Hehe, thank you. Thanks to you, writer, I feel fully energized! Looks like I’m pulling an all-nighter today!”

“Take care of your health while you work….”

* * *

“The Little Prince” became the most beloved book in the empire in less than a month.

The reputation of Homer as the author of this new work was enough to make everyone at least curious to check out the book.

Anyone who read “The Little Prince” fell in love with this wise and endearing piece of work.

“The Little Prince is an oasis that comforts the weary heart…”

“Perhaps the desert is beautiful because it is where the Little Prince is?”

People who were tired and struggling found comfort in reading “The Little Prince.”

Those who were blindly pursuing success reflected on themselves after reading it, just as the fox had tamed the Little Prince.

And as the Little Prince tamed the fox, he tamed the souls of people, making them think about what ‘really matters.’

“I wonder what kind of person author Homer is?”

“If someone can write such a story, they must surely be a cultured and kind person.”

Don Quixote made Homer a great writer, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde made him an intriguing writer.

However, “The Little Prince” did something those two works could not.

“The Little Prince” made Homer a ‘beloved’ author. Anyone who read the story could not help but respect the person who wrote it.

“Son, how about going to the park with dad today?”

“Sure! But don’t you have to go to work…?”

“Such things are not important. What truly matters cannot be seen…”

“The Little Prince” gifted its readers with peace.

But not everyone found only peace in this fairytale.

“The talking fox… Ahh… I want to be tamed too…”

“Homer is clearly a ‘gentleman.’”

“We must find the illustrator of ‘The Little Prince’! I need to commission a painting!”

Amongst suspiciously wealthy individuals, a peculiar taste began to spread.