Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

< Chapter 19: The Sorrows of Young Werther (2) >

At a fan meeting for the author Homer, his opening speech titled “Let’s Read the Bible” prompted many to reflect on their faith.

In today’s era, where Magi-engineering and deistic Enlightenment are emerging, the Empire saw many believers indifferent to ‘religious activities.’

They hadn’t denied God or apostatized; rather, the current era’s priority on reason and rationality simply stole the time that could have been spent on passionate religious activities, especially among the progressively-minded intellectual class.

However, Homer, considered one of the greatest intellectuals of this era, extolled the greatness of the Bible. He praised the intellect and inspiration contained within that ancient book.

“The word of the Lord is eternal and the fountainhead of all intellect!”

“Our Lord wishes to save you all!”

Many people returned to church to study the Bible anew. The churches, in response, distributed free copies of the Bible and expanded their doctrinal teachings to engage actively in missionary work.

Under the name of the Lord, prayers resonated throughout the Empire.

“A new work by Homer has been released?”

“The Sorrows of Young Werther” was published.

It was as if a nuclear bomb had dropped on the capital.

* * *

“The Sorrows of Young Werther” became massively popular among young men dreaming of romance.

The youths were instantly captivated by Werther’s anguish and pain.

The violence of pure emotions. The rich sensibility and beautiful prose within it seized the hearts of the youth like a devil’s temptation.

“Ah, love! Even the most intelligent adults become childish fools under its influence, that’s love for you!”

“Love is like a fever…”

It was romance.

A sublime romance that couldn’t be controlled by laws or norms. A fierce emotion, a flame that burns reason.

It wasn’t strange, then, that free love became fashionable among the romantic nobility.

Those engaged to others eloped with their lovers, causing chaos and conflict among the capital’s nobility.

“Werther is truly a free man! He is honest and generous with his nature, and strict only with himself.”

“Who dares say Werther has sinned against the Lord? Werther was merely… human.”

Among the young socialites, dressing like Werther from the novel—in a blue tailcoat and yellow vest—became the trend.

Everyone dressed similarly, which at first glance might have seemed comical.

However, no one who had read “The Sorrows of Young Werther” could mock their appearance as ridiculous.

And then,

“You! Are you alright?! What on earth is this letter…?”

“I, I don’t know. Truly.”

Those who had contemplated s*****e,

those who had read “The Sorrows of Young Werther” and empathized with its pain,

indeed, some managed to rise from their sorrow.

“Werther’s fragility… it’s as if it’s telling me it’s okay to be fragile too.”

It was a catharsis through literature.

Facing sorrow, understanding, the attention of those around, and self-awareness… “The Sorrows of Young Werther” served as a sort of preventive education on the taboo subject of ‘s*****e’.

“It’s alright. Am I not by your side? I have no intention of blaming you. There are limits to human nature. I can’t understand the pain you’re enduring, but I know you’re suffering from a fever… Please, allow me to nurse you by your side.”

“…Thank you, my friend.”

And then,

there were those who quietly observed all these events.

“This book is… subversive.”

“S*****e is a sin against the Lord. That is clear, but…”

“But if it’s a book written by that author, Homer…”

The Vatican, preparing to beatify the author, Homer,

had also read the book.

“I will meet the author, Homer, myself.”

Eventually, they decided to meet the source of the issue.

* * *

“The Vatican, you say…?”

“Yes. My name is Cardinal Garnier. It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Homer.”

As Lady Es was unable to visit due to adoption procedures,

this time, the Cardinal had come to the publishing house.

“Ah, yes. It is an honor for me as well to meet a Cardinal of the Church.”

“An honor? We Cardinals are merely priests after all.”

Cardinal Garnier said this with a strange smile and then, appearing slightly troubled, coughed once, took a sip of water, and continued,

“We were preparing for the beatification of Mr. Homer.”

“…Yes?”

Beatification is the step before canonization.

It’s the process by which a person is formally recognized by the Church as a saint and is venerated.

“I’m not a priest, though…?”

“You don’t have to be a priest to be beatified. The miracles of the Lord can happen anywhere. For us priests who have only received blessings, it is an enviable thing indeed.”

Cardinal Garnier’s eyes shimmered with a white radiance.

It was a power called divine force, or blessing.

“The Vatican has concluded that the series of actions you’ve shown, Mr. Homer, including your artistic activities and speeches before people, are miracles bestowed by the Lord.”

“Miracles…? I am just a mere writer.”

“A mere writer who has written such brilliant works multiple times, and through them, has spread the word of the holy Lord to people, we call that a miracle.”

“…”

“I would like to ask.”

Cardinal Garnier took out a book from his robes and placed it on the table.

It was a familiar book.

[The Sorrows of Young Werther]

“When you wrote this book… what exactly were you thinking?”

“…”

He wasn’t scolding or expressing anger about the book’s theme of s*****e or its perceived advocacy.

He was merely asking.

As believers often do when confronted with miracles that are hard to understand.

The cardinal continued.

“At the handshake event, you, Mr. Homer, preached about the value of the Bible. You revered the word and praised the great inspiration contained within, urging people to read the Bible. Yet, in this work, ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther,’ you discuss s*****e as if it could be free of sin, as if those individuals are the lambs who should be comforted and are the weak. Interestingly, many priests have read this book and empathized with its content.”

“…”

“So, inspired by the holy Lord, I ask you, Mr. Writer, is some s*****e not a sin but a fever that should be comforted?”

I could not answer this question.

I was not Goethe, and certainly, unlike Goethe, I lacked any theological knowledge; I was merely a plagiarist.

Although I had studied the Bible in my previous life, it was not the Bible of this world.

So,n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Once again, I plagiarized.

“The law exists to suppress the strong, and the gospel exists to comfort the weak.”

These were the words of the religious reformer who founded Protestantism, Martin Luther.

“I only believe that the words of the Lord exist to comfort us,” he stated.

“…Is that what you think the Bible is, Mr. Homer?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

“……”

He wasn’t sure if this response was appropriate.

Despite all the preparations, the book ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ might still be banned as in his previous life’s history.

“…I will take my leave now. Thank you for your time.”

“Yes. It was an honor to have a discussion with the archbishop.”

From now on, it would be up to heaven to decide.

* * *

Ultimately, the beatification of writer Homer was canceled.

Instead, the Vatican awarded him the ‘Dawn Medal’ to honor his efforts in expounding the values of the Bible.

And as the medal recipient, I…

“Nice to meet you! Aspiring writers! My name is Homer, and I will be in charge of your training!”

“He, Heek─ The real Mr. Homer…? This isn’t a dream, right?”

“Yes, it is real.”

Finally, he was lecturing at the ‘Temporary Literary Academy.’

It was only temporary and was using a building borrowed from the Imperial Academy’s Department of Knighthood, but it was still a notable achievement.

Here, he planned to test his teaching methods and, if successful, to formally open an academy.

“I plan to teach you literature, with the goal of developing each of you into fine writers.”

Of course, he was not a writer.

He was merely a plagiarist who copied works from his past life.

“Teaching art is difficult, and perhaps due to my inadequacies, you might end up learning nothing and returning home.”

However, he was also a writer—a translator.

In his past life, he was a translator.

He had translated public domain classics into E-books and sold them at low prices.

“This is the textbook you all need to read for today.”

“Yes! …Today?”

What I had placed on the desk under the name ‘textbook’ was a mountain of papers.

Even at a glance, it was easily thousands of sheets—a mountain of paper.

“Yes. It shouldn’t be too hard. After all, you just need to ‘read.’”

When teaching new translators at the publishing house, the first thing they are asked to do is translate a short story.

It’s not because it’s difficult, but because it makes it easier for me to review.

Especially, translating short stories by unique authors like Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most effective ways to enhance a newbie’s skills.

(If I wanted to torture them a bit more, I’d have them translate works by the Marquis de Sade.)

“All you need to do is read all of this for today’s lesson.”

“Um, that textbook is…”

“Ah, these are all short stories I wrote myself.”

“…!!!”

In other words, my head was filled with thousands of short stories, well-understood enough that I could review them instantly.

Thanks to this, I could easily produce them in the language of this world.

This pile of paper was exactly the result of that output. Hundreds of carefully selected short stories to strengthen literary prowess.

“Then, please come up in order and receive the manuscript.”

I cannot create writers.

However, the works of great authors are the nourishment that creates great writers.

So, I hand over the works.

And the rest is up to the writers!