Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

< Chapter 1: Don Quixote >

This world is a mess.

I declare it. This damned medieval fantasy world is a trash-like world.

I’m not talking about the genius theory of modern people, the praise of civilization, or the terrible notion of hygiene.

Rather, this world was one that had developed a magic civilization, and there was at least a minimal awareness of hygiene under some kind of religious rationalization. There also existed conveniences like clean magic, which couldn’t even be compared to real-life hand sanitizers.

So, what’s the problem?

“Really boring….”

It was not fun.

Although there were some glamorous sights to see like monster circuses and magic shows, such outdoor hobbies were ultimately entertainments that could only be enjoyed for a limited time.

A bit more static hobby… There was a lack of content that could be enjoyed at home in this world.

I’m not expecting something like YouTube or internet broadcasting. It’s a world without the internet to begin with.

As someone who prided himself on reading as a hobby in his previous life, I thought a few decent literary works would be enough.

“Is this kindling-like novel really the trendy work in the capital now?”

“Yes, Mr. Ed.”

But this world couldn’t even properly fulfill that minimal expectation.

Damn it, the only existing popular novels were either filled with bizarre descriptions or seemed like they were churned out by a factory.

And if you looked for literature that wasn’t cliché, you’d encounter strange lines of text that were hard to understand, wondering if it was a puzzle or poetry.

“Burn this trash novel immediately, and bring some crossword puzzles.”

“Understood.”

Yes.

I was seriously suffering from novel insensitivity.

It had been too long since I read an interesting novel. When I first read knight literature, it was verbose but somewhat fun, but after reading dozens of knight literatures that only changed the names in the same content, now just looking at the first sentence made me want to vomit.

“Ah… Life is really boring.”

He had an untroubled childhood thanks to being born in what could be called a noble family of some renown. However, man does not live on bread alone, and without novels to read, a reader’s soul dies.

But all I had were articles of literature that were the same in content. If copyright law existed in this world, these novels would all have been suspended from sale.

I could probably write them myself, the contents were so predictable.

“Really, why not try writing one?”

Spurred by the thought, I picked up the pen I had been using for crossword puzzles and began to scribble down.

A noble knight who protects the lady and upholds religious duties. A hero of special birth and destiny. A wizard who delivers prophecies to this hero, and the trials he must overcome to become that hero.

Writing this, I felt so hollow that I put down the pen.

What’s the point of writing this? It would just add another kindling to the heaps already there.

“…No, that’s not it.”

Leaning back in my armchair, I mulled over the emptiness, then suddenly had a realization and jumped out of the chair.

If this world only has copied versions of the same novel.

Then all I need to do is increase the references available. I could be the one to advance genre literature here.

Of course, I don’t have such ‘creativity’…

“References worth mentioning, they’re all in my head.”

I knew hundreds of masterpieces that didn’t exist in this world.

If I were to ‘plagiarize’ these masterpieces and release them in this world?

“This is a modern person’s cheat code…!”

In this world, I alone knew Earth’s literature.

* * *

Even though I was plagiarizing works from my original world, I wasn’t able to replicate them exactly due to not having a perfect memory. In fact, I mostly remembered just the rough outlines of the novels.

However, “knock, and it shall be opened unto you; seek, and you shall find.” Fortunately, this era was one in which ‘chivalric literature’ was popular.

And I knew of a great masterpiece from the era when chivalric literature was in vogue.

“…Young master, I’ve brought the chivalric literature works you asked for.”

“Ah, just put them there.”

“Weren’t you tired of chivalric literature?”

“I was indeed.”

Don Quixote was a novel that critiqued chivalric literature. Its basic narrative structure follows that of chivalric literature, except the protagonist is a mad old man, and his actions, as perceived by those around him, are depicted in a ludicrous manner.

Unlike the traditional chivalric literature that venerates noble and chivalrous knights.

This novel instead portrays a ridiculous and blustery knight.

“But, you need to know something properly to criticize it properly.”

“…Indeed.”

In the mad world of Don Quixote, he is a knight of honor who knows chivalry.

So, to write this novel, I first needed to be well-versed in chivalric literature. That’s why I had ordered all the renowned chivalric literature from the capital, although the servant didn’t quite understand why.

The servant, noticing my mood, cautiously spoke.

“Due to the large amount of popular novels you purchased this time, madam was a bit upset. Your allowance might be cut off for a few months.”

“So?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’ve read all the books worth reading anyway. What difference does it make if they cut off my allowance?”

“…That’s true.”

My allowance went entirely to buying books.

Other than that, it was just bookmarks and bookshelves. Although books were somewhat expensive, they weren’t outrageously so, like in the real Middle Ages.

Thanks to the magi-engineering that produced printing technology.

If anything, it was somewhat akin to the fixed book price policy and inflation-hit hardcover prices in South Korea.

“And besides, the books could bring in a good amount of money.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“You mean to say, not satisfied with just reading, you plan to publish them as well?”

“Once you’ve read it all, Sancho, I’ll show you too.”

“My name is not Sancho; it is Sion.”

“When you’ve finished reading, you might also want to be called Sancho.”

Sancho was just as charismatic as Don Quixote.

If Don Quixote, filled with chivalry and courage, is fantasy, then Sancho, fearful yet capable, is reality. Reality shines because of fantasy, and fantasy gains weight because of reality.

Fantasy and reality complete each other.

“…Since Lord Ed is so confident, it does arouse my curiosity.”

“Being the first to read that book would feel like a great fortune.”

“I look forward to it.”

Despite his words, he did not seem very expectant.

Reading and writing are different, and just because one reads a lot of chivalric literature doesn’t mean one can write it well.

He probably thinks that my work will be no different from those chivalric writings that I treat as kindling.

“…Well, kindling or not, it is entertaining. It is.”

The reason factory novels are mass-produced is because of the constant demand.

People like me who are bitten by chivalric literature are indeed those who read a lot of it. In a way, perhaps it is because we love chivalric literature so much that we criticize it.

This theme of Don Quixote was similar.

At first glance, it may seem to criticize the extravagance of chivalric literature, but more so, it is a novel filled with affection for chivalric literature. Someone who can meticulously list a hundred flaws of chivalric literature is, in fact, someone deeply devoted to it.

Therefore, Don Quixote should not merely be a novel that criticizes chivalric literature.

Rather, it must appeal to people with the dedication and charm of chivalric literature in a way that no other piece can. Just as Don Quixote and Sancho complete each other, so do fantasy and reality.

Don Quixote must also be a novel that completes chivalric literature.

“Let’s see, let’s read until our eyes fall out…”

There are many books to read.

There are also many that have been read.

Now, I must read all these pieces of chivalric literature until I can recite them without looking.

Only then can Don Quixote burn those books.

* * *

One day, a novel began to gain popularity in the capital.

“Don Quixote.”

Among the critics who harshly reviewed chivalric literature, this work of knightly fiction earned a positive reputation and started a trend among a few avid readers of the genre.

Gradually, it became so well-known that there was not a single person in the capital who did not know the name of the book.

Because of this one book, the entrance standards for the Academy of Chivalry skyrocketed. Many people, inspired by the mad old man Don Quixote, dreamed of knighthood.

“That is the true duty of a knight—no! Not a duty, but a privilege!”

And naturally, the most influenced by this novel were the aristocrats who usually boasted of their culture and wealth.

Even the nobles who dismissed chivalric literature as vulgar and shallow did not hold back their praise for Don Quixote.

In social circles, it became fashionable to imitate Don Quixote by wearing paper helmets and adventuring knight costumes.

Among them, there were indeed some who truly went mad.

“Between the dreamer and the non-dreamer, who really is mad?”

An aged duke known as ‘Ironblood’ suddenly embarked on a knightly journey.

This caused the administration of his duchy to be paralyzed, and a farcical situation arose where his son had to hurriedly assume authority in his father’s stead.

Indeed, one novel had changed the very atmosphere of society.

And the author of that novel, Ed,

“Going crazy.”

“Knight Quixote de la Mancha”

“Knight Don Quixote who mistook windmills for dragons”

Ed was hitting his forehead as he looked at the blatant pirated versions of Don Quixote.