Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

< Chapter 6: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde >

Patronage for artists means ‘encouragement to continue creating’.

It might simply be a tribute due to fandom, but more often, it’s akin to a threat demanding to see the next work soon.

‘Financial difficulties are hindering your creative activities? Here’s some money. Use it.’

‘Income unstable due to fluctuation? Here’s some money. Use it.’

‘Feeling your work isn’t getting the recognition it deserves? Here’s some money. Use it.’

While somewhat oversimplified, this fundamentally wasn’t different. Artists might call their creations ‘works’ rather than ‘commodities’, but those with real power genuinely ‘consume’ art.

Thus, having received the prince’s patronage, I had to continue my writing activities.

Even without the financial incentive, I planned to release more ‘reincarnated’ works to advance literature in this world. In this regard, the prince and I shared similar objectives.

* * *

Sitting in front of blank sheets of paper, rolling a fountain pen for 30 minutes.

Inspiration does not come.

It wasn’t that I suddenly woke up to a desire to create an original work.

“What kind of work should I write…?”

“Any work from you, Lord Ed, would surely be a masterpiece!”

“Ah, thank you.”

A masterpiece would indeed emerge. Because I intended to plagiarize masterpieces of a previous life.

But I wasn’t sure which work to plagiarize.

“Sion. If you were a reader, what kind of novel would you like to see?”

“Me? Oh, something humorous yet moving, like Don Quixote.”

“Well, that’s a typical response.”

“Really?”

Many works came to mind. Anna Karenina, The Little Prince, Les Misérables… It could even be fun to delve into science fiction.

However, simply plagiarizing literature from a past life was insufficient.

My goal was ‘to increase the number of enjoyable novels’. To achieve this, genre-specific novels that could serve as references were necessary. Pure literature could blossom later.

“I wish I could write a mystery novel…”

“A mystery novel… with a detective as the protagonist? That might be a bit complex.”

“No, um, in a genre sense, a mystery or thriller would be fine too.”

“Really?”

Every genre-specific novel utilizes three plots: ‘mystery’, ‘fantasy’, ‘romance’.

For example, chivalric literature combines the fantasy plot of the ‘hero’s journey’ with the romantic plot of ‘the knight guarding the noble lady’. These fundamental plots form the backbone of all novels.

And in this era, the most lacking plot was undoubtedly the ‘mystery’.

Foreshadowing and twists, suspense and mystery, questions and answers, tracking and analysis. Such plots of mystery novels were heavily influenced by modern rationalist thought.

“But writing that is no ordinary task…”

The problem is that in this world, magic and mystique exist.

Applying mystery novels like ‘Sherlock Holmes’ or ‘And Then There Were None’ to this world would require a fundamental overhaul of the stories.

“Do you feel burdened?”

“If you call it a burden, then it is a burden.”

“Is it because of the patronage?”

“That’s part of it…”

Thinking of the prince again made my head throb.

The Empire’s third prince, who considers himself a ‘woman’. I had noticed from minor clues that he was in fact a man, but outwardly, he was undeniably a woman. There was no Adam’s apple, and his voice was thin.

And he had quite advanced perceptions about the ‘soul’.

So advanced that if the church found out, he would be denounced as a heretic.

“Sion, what do you think a soul is?”

“A soul? Um, an immortal spirit and life… I believe.”

“And the relationship between the soul and the body?”

“A spirit with personality that combines with the body to form a complete entity… Is that correct?”

Sion’s answer was religious.

Most people in this world probably think similarly, except for the prince who had not achieved a perfect union of soul and body from birth.

That didn’t mean the prince was an unbeliever or indifferent.

Rather, the prince had reached his own religious conclusions based on his experiences. The idea that the imperfect union of soul and body made it more beautiful was a Romantic answer.

“From my point of view, neither side is entirely correct…”

The mind and body influence each other.

This interaction occurs at complex levels such as hormones, dispositions, and socialization. Thus, it can sometimes go awry in serious ways.

On some levels, a person might define themselves as ‘male’, and on others, as ‘female’.

“What we lump together as mind or instinct is actually not just one thing… Hmm?”

I’m sure I’ve read a novel on this subject.

That novel was definitely.

“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde…”

At that moment, a peculiar certainty took hold of me.

This was it.

“…Sion.”

“Yes, Lord Ed.”

“Prepare to research.”

* * *

[I have come closer to the conclusion that ‘the human soul is not one, but two’ in terms of ethics and intellect.]

‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is a mystery novel.

Atterson, a friend of Dr. Jekyll, tracked down a bizarre figure connected with Jekyll named ‘Hyde,’ which constituted the plot of the novel. Knowing the ‘answer’ to this novel, my writing approach shifted from the ‘answer’ to the ‘question,’ tracing the clues and mysteries backward.

I began by writing the part where Jekyll and Hyde’s identity is revealed, then gradually added the clues later.

The scenes depicting Hyde’s unforgivable crimes and the chilling accounts from those around him showcased the buildup of clues and questions, eventually shaping it into a proper detective novel.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“This is quite interesting.”

The first to read the completed puzzle was again my faithful servant, ‘Sion.’

With a pounding heart, Sion took the stack of manuscripts I handed him.

“This novel is quite short.”

“There’s no need to include as many episodes as in Don Quixote.”

If one had to categorize the style of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ it would be close to hardboiled.

Hyde’s crimes are described in a dry and rough manner, a contrast to the spine-chilling reactions of those around him, invoking a strange fear in the reader.

Sion sat down on the floor and continued to read the manuscript.

It would have been fine to sit in a chair, but he seemed too excited to even pay attention to his surroundings.

“…”

His eyes, moving frantically left and right, indicated he was deeply engrossed in the novel.

He occasionally shuddered.

His reaction was quite amusing, and I found myself watching him intently.

About an hour might have passed.

“Ah…?”

A sigh escaped Sion’s lips.

It was the kind of sigh one might emit upon hearing an unexpected truth, slightly shocked.

Finally taking his eyes off the manuscript, Sion briefly looked at me before returning his gaze to finish the novel. There wasn’t much left, so it didn’t take long for Sion to finish reading.

Closing the manuscript, Sion sighed with a voice still not free from shock.

“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were the same person…”

“That was quite a shocking twist, wasn’t it?”

“Really, I didn’t expect it at all. Now that I think about it, there were clues enough to guess it, but why did I firmly believe they were different people? It’s as if I was bewitched by a demon…”

“That’s the charm of a detective novel.”

“…Throughout the novel, I felt like I was committing a sin.”

Sion confessed as if he was making a confession in a church.

“It was uncomfortable, frightening, and there was an unsettling feeling in my heart… but I was captivated by a strange mystery… It felt like reading a forbidden book. I had to turn the next page, curious about that ominous secret.”

“Have you read a forbidden book before?”

“Ah, no! I mean, it would feel like this if I did read one!”

Though vigorously denying it with his arms flailing might seem slightly suspicious, it wasn’t really important.

“So, did you enjoy it?”

“Yes! I think I’ll be thinking about the ending of this novel all night.”

“So, you shouldn’t go around telling the ending, right?”

“Of course! I will take the secret to my grave!”

Good.

Now, all that was left was to publish it.

* * *

News of the publication of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ spread quickly throughout the empire.

Thanks to the renown of being the author of Don Quixote, the first editions sold out much faster than when the first part of Don Quixote was published.

“Hey, have you read ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ by author Homer this time?”

“Ah, I haven’t had the time yet. But I heard it’s another masterpiece, especially the last twist is said to be astonishing.”

And then, the inevitable problem that arises as soon as a mystery novel becomes famous.

“That’s right! In the end, it turns out that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are actually the same person, and it gave me the chills—”

“This guy?!”

It was a spoiler.

“It’s a duel!”