Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

“Have you calmed down a little?”

“Uh, yeah. I must have looked pretty foolish. Sorry.”

“It was cute, so it’s fine.”

“Huh?”

Isolette giggled playfully.

Feeling awkward, I turned my gaze away, but Isolette shifted her chair slightly to make sure I couldn’t avoid her eyes. Our distance grew a little closer.

“I thought you were always so consistent, Ed… but now that I see you, you’ve changed a lot. Both you and I… we’re different from when we were young.”

“Yeah, I guess. A lot of time has passed.”

“When you were younger, you felt like someone from a different world… But now that you’ve become a great writer and even a transcendent being, you feel strangely familiar.”

When I first met her, I was still in the period when I hadn’t properly adapted to ‘this world.’

No, even now, I wouldn’t say I’ve fully adapted… But, anyway, I was in a mentally unstable period back then.

Compared to that time, I definitely think I’ve become more socially capable now.

Maybe I’ve developed a kind of affection for this world.

“You still have no sense, do you?”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking, Ed, you view your works not as a writer but from the perspective of a reader.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

When translating, I usually try to guess the author’s intent, but in the end, I’m not a true author—I’m just a plagiarist.

For someone like me to talk about things like ‘the writer’s perspective’ would only be disrespectful to the original author.

Of course, I couldn’t explain such things to Isolette, so I just nodded and agreed with her.

“……”

“……”

Then, a brief silence passed. The sound of the night fog brushing against the moonlight gently settled in.

There was an awkward atmosphere for some reason.

In the end, I turned my attention back to the book. I should finish reading the book I was reading.

This time, Isolette also stayed quiet without calling my name. I wondered if she had brought a book to read, so I looked back at her, only to meet her eyes.

“…Do you have something to say?”

“Nothing. I was just watching.”

“Okay.”

I’m not sure what was so fun about watching me read, but…

Thinking about it, I realized.

I never really understood much about other people. I turned the page again.

And so, the long night passed.

When I turned the last page and closed the book, Isolette was lying on the tea table, fast asleep. She was breathing softly, her shallow breaths looking slightly uncomfortable. ȐãꞐÒＢЁȘ

“Hmm. Is it really okay to just leave her like this?”

“Is it something you need to think that hard about…?”

“Huh? Are you awake?”

“Ugh…”

Isolette sighed, got up, and staggered back to her room.

Then, she turned around and waved.

“Good night, Ed.”

“Uh, you too, Isolette.”

As I walked through the streets of the Empire, I often came across strange sights. More precisely, I frequently witnessed scenes that resembled “cosplay events.”

Detectives dressed in hunting hats and cape coats like Sherlock Holmes, knights dressed in medieval knight armor like Don Quixote, nobles dressed in blue tailcoats and yellow vests like Werther, children pretending to be barbarians with tree branches, girls in blue aprons, and people sitting on benches reading books while either sniffling or giggling…

And this year, there was one more change.

“Finally, Christmas is here!”

“I was so excited for Christmas! The Christmas card preparations are all finished.”

“Ugh, I can’t even tell you how much I spent just to get the licensing rights for ‘The Little Prince’ characters for this Christmas card.”

“But you’ll make even more than that, right?”

“That’s the key!”

It was Christmas, adorned with countless lights and decorations. Carols echoed from all directions, and merchants began eagerly promoting their stores, decorating them with green and red Christmas ornaments.

In the park at the center of the city, minstrels sang praises of Christmas joy, and children laughed, eagerly awaiting gifts and feasts.

“The beastmen are said to be coming to this Christmas Eve Mass.”

“What? Those cursed creatures? How dare those bloodthirsty beasts set foot in the church….”

“Why does it matter? It’s a joyful day, so we should just enjoy it together. I even bought my Poppy a Christmas fur coat.”

“Hah. You’re sick, you know that? Dressing up a dog?”

The beastmen, who were rarely seen on the streets, decided to show themselves in select locations this Christmas.

Though they had endured all kinds of discrimination and contempt because of their nature….

The magic of Christmas buried everything beneath the pure white snow. That was the spirit of Christmas.

“Are the magicians of the White Magic Tower here yet?!”

“They’re on their way, bringing the clouds!”

“Christmas Eve is almost upon us! Hurry! The snow must start falling before the Mass begins!”

From the sky, magicians of the White Magic Tower, riding weather observation devices, were bringing snow clouds with them.

For it to truly be a White Christmas, snow needed to fall on Christmas Eve. Magicians from the Gray Magic Tower also cooperated using airplanes.

“Father Paolo, there’s quite a commotion outside.”

“Yes, Brother. It seems everyone is rejoicing at the birth of the Savior. But have all the fabrics and candles for the Mass been prepared?”

“Yes! The assistants are preparing them now!”

“Then I should join them instead of just standing here. Let us work together.”

The monastery and the church were also bustling as they prepared for the Christmas Eve Mass.

It was, along with Easter, the most important holiday in the church.

Particularly for this Christmas Mass, as an unusually large number of people were expected to attend, they had to prepare a vast quantity of candles and fabrics.

“Hey, be careful over there!”

“The Christmas decorations are falling! Everyone, get out of the way─ Huh?”

“Phew, that was close. Good thing it didn’t cause any harm. Is everyone alright?”

“Whoaahhh! A m-monster─.”

“It’s the Beetle Hero!”

“Sir! Can you let me ride on your back just once?”

“Hmm, just for a moment….”

In their excitement, accidents almost occurred, but the hero in the form of a “beetle” wandered the streets, preventing mishaps.

Sometimes, he even played with the mischievous children.

“Chief, ticket scalping has become rampant. Due to a shortage of manpower, complaints are constantly coming from the field.”

“Tsk, don’t they ever get tired of this?”

“Oh, and I set aside one of the confiscated tickets from the scalpers. I heard your daughter really wanted to see this performance─ Ack!”

“Ugh, put it back immediately. What do you take me for? If we misuse confiscated items like that, do you think we’d have any face to meet His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Sorry, sir! I’ll correct it immediately!”

“Anyway, leaving those seats hoarded by scalpers empty would be wasteful…. Let’s collaborate with the theater companies and find a way to resolve this. Send a cooperation request to the Homer Foundation.”

“The Homer Foundation, sir?”

“Yes. If the foundation makes a decision, most of the theater companies will follow suit. We’re already short-staffed as it is, so there’s no need to waste administrative resources unnecessarily.”

The empire’s theaters were also crowded as Christmas approached, with couples gathering to enjoy plays together.

Many ticket scalpers trying to exploit this opportunity were arrested. Tickets confiscated from these scalpers were transformed into charitable tickets for children in orphanages through collaboration with the Homer Foundation.

The system involved auctioning off the high-demand holiday tickets and donating an equivalent amount in less expensive off-season tickets to orphanages.

Thanks to this, children aspiring to the arts could enjoy expensive performances without burden.

“It’s His Eternal Majesty’s airship!”

“His Majesty is looking at me!”

“But what’s falling from the airship? Tiny parachutes…? Something’s attached to them.”

“Gasp! It’s Christmas cards written by His Majesty!”

“And there’s candy too!”

In the Harren Kingdom, the Eternal King’s airship decorated the sky with massive Christmas ornaments.

Everywhere the airship passed, little parachutes with wrapped candies and gum attached fluttered down. Children scurried around excitedly, gathering the treats that fell from the sky.

Carols echoed across the world.

The spirit of Christmas. The magic of the holiday created miracles, even in the most extreme war zones.

This Christmas spirit took root in the grandest and most brilliant way in this world. For those who experienced this first Christmas, it would be an unforgettable day, and for future children who hadn’t yet experienced it, “Christmas” would be a day they anticipated all year long, trying not to cry in the meantime.

“The Christmas Eve Mass is about to begin!”

Under the falling white snow of Christmas Eve.

With children’s laughter, bards singing carols, merchants calling out to customers, and lovers whispering to each other, the streets were alive with noise.

And then, the church bells rang.

.

.

.

“Hmm. What is this?”

“Isn’t it a Christmas present?”

“What I’m asking is, who left a present by my bedside….”

On Christmas morning, upon waking, there was a gift box by the bedside.

Could Santa Claus possibly exist in this world? Curious, the box was unwrapped, revealing an antique book cover and a Christmas card inside.

[Merry Christmas.]

[To my clueless cousin, Ed Fríden.]

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