< Chapter 37: Side: “So, why did Hols die?” >
If moving a person’s heart was a miracle,
Then literature was the most powerful miracle of all.
“…Oh, co to think of it, it’s about ti for ‘that’ episode of Sherlock Hols to be serialized.”
“If you an that episode… ah.”
Sion sighed, as if he had an inkling.
“The Empire will get noisy.”
“The President of Half and Half will have a hard ti….”
Literature had the power to move people’s hearts.
And ‘Sherlock Hols’ was one of the most powerful pieces of literature. To respect the original author from my previous life, I had decided to play a little prank on the ‘Sherlock Hols’ being serialized in this world.
“Isn’t it better to reveal in advance that ‘he’s not actually dead’?”
“That would be no fun.”
“…Sotis it’s hard to understand what you’re thinking, Lord.”
“Honestly, I don’t understand what I was thinking when I wrote it either.”
It was hard to understand the psychology of an author who, after writing such an entertaining work, abruptly concluded it because he wasn’t satisfied with it himself.
But that also demonstrated the power of literature to ‘move people’s hearts.’
Conan Doyle had faced a lot of trouble for killing Sherlock Hols. Even the Prince of Wales, who later beca Edward VII, sent a threat opposing Hols’s death.
Conan Doyle had even said,
[“I wouldn’t have been criticized this much if I had actually killed a person.”]
That was how much trouble Conan Doyle had gone through for killing Sherlock Hols.
Therefore, as a thief who plagiarized his work, I felt an obligation to respectfully gift people the sa episode.
“But don’t you think it will be fun?”
“Are you saying, Lord, that the fun lies in plunging the Empire into chaos?”
“Well, that could be fun in its own way….”
“…….”
I couldn’t deny that it was amusing to see people overindulge in literature.
Of course, I wished they would treat the novel as just a novel….
Seeing people genuinely imrse themselves in literature and share that experience was a scene I couldn’t witness in the 21st century of my previous life.
“Isn’t it kind of cute to see people get so caught up in literature?”
“Cute…?”
If it was a ‘miracle’ that could only be enjoyed in this world, then it should be enjoyed to the fullest.
From the perspective of soone who had dedicated their life to literature and even died from overwork because of it, it would be unfair if people didn’t get fully imrsed.
Literature was everything to .
So, it was a sowhat childish notion that he wished literature would be everything in their lives too.
“Sion, don’t try to understand it, just feel it. With your heart. Isn’t it good when people beco deeply engrossed in literature?”
“Indeed. It would also bring us one step closer to your goal, my lord.”
“Right?”
And he had prepared an interesting event for those who longed for Hols’ revival. It would truly be entertaining.
* * *
Hols died.
Everyone in the empire was in shock.
“What, is this the end? No, right? There must be another episode… Thank you for loving Hols until now?”
“Can it end so abruptly? Surely, there must be so trick! How many tis have we been fooled by Hols?”
The Arican psychiatrist Kübler-Ross categorized the acceptance of death into five stages. The reactions of readers accepting Hols’ death were no different.
“Hols… is dead…?”
The first stage. Denial.
“Haha, how many tis have we been fooled while reading Sherlock Hols? This ti too, he’s probably just teasing the readers to surprise us!”
“Right? Hols couldn’t have died so aninglessly! Haha!”
The second stage. Anger.
“No, does it make sense to end the story so suddenly? Does this make any sense?”
“To kill Hols! Damn it, now what will I look forward to every week?”
The third stage. Bargaining.
“Well, co to think of it, doesn’t Herodotus run a foundation? If the readers gather money and sponsor a donation, won’t Herodotus bring Hols back to life?”
“That’s a good idea! But how are we going to collect the money?”
The fourth stage. Depression.
“Thinking about spending the week without Hols makes lose my appetite….”
“A world without Hols is not worth living in…!”
And although it should have led to the fifth stage, acceptance—
It wasn’t the readers who were dying, but Hols. The readers had no intention of accepting such a sudden death.
“In that case, let’s storm Half and Half!”
“Right! Let’s storm Half and Half, capture Herodotus, and lock him in a basent to make him write all day!”
Thus, the people kept cycling through the ‘anger’ stage, boiling with rage.
But fortunately, the angry readers did not turn into mobs and attack Herodotus. This was because Herodotus, who had anticipated all this, had strengthened the security of ‘Half and Half.’
“Um, writer! Is this really okay?”
“Hang in there just a little longer. Instead, I’ll definitely contract my next work with Half and Half.”
“…Yes! Even if I get kidnapped by mobs, I will keep the ‘secret’!”
“If you get kidnapped, it’s okay to release the manuscript early….”
* * *
“Brother.”
“Oh, brother.”
“Why did you kill Hols?”
* * *
“Writer?”
“…Yes, Lady.”
“Why did you kill Hols?”
* * *
“Son.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Why did you kill Hols?”
* * *
“Writer! The response to this ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is also very positive!”
“Yes, President.”
“But why did you kill Hols?”
* * *
“Mother, did you co to ask why I killed Hols, too?”
“No, I ca to share so snacks I received from the rchant guild.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“So, why did you kill Hols?”
* * *
Everyone who knew my true identity asked , ‘Why did you kill Hols?’
Was this how Conan Doyle felt?
“This is a bit amusing….”
“People are mourning Hols’ death by wearing black armbands on their left arms.”
“Is no one carrying a coffin and holding a funeral?”
“It seems there are plans. So people are gathering funds.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not publishing under my real na.”
It was truly fortunate.
I didn’t want to suffer threats and terror like Conan Doyle.
“Well, this will all calm down by tomorrow.”
Imagine there was soone who held all the copyrights and trademarks for Sherlock Hols and Arsène Lupin.
Moreover, this person could ‘alter’ parts of the stories of Sherlock Hols and Arsène Lupin.
No one knew the original stories, and only this person knew the originals. In that case, wouldn’t it be natural for that person to try such a ‘prank’?
* * *
As soon as dawn broke, Arthur Taylor hurried to the bookstore.
Today was the release day for ‘Half and Half.’ Fortunately, he managed to get a copy before they were all sold out.
He quickly flipped through the pages to check if ‘Sherlock Hols’ was included.
“Sigh, as expected, there’s no ‘Sherlock Hols.’ I’ll have to be content with just Arsène Lupin today.”
The serialization of his favorite work had ended.
As a reader, it was a disappointing event, but fortunately, there was ‘Arsène Lupin’ as a substitute to soothe his mind.
Thinking so, he began to read Arsène Lupin.
“…Oh. Oh, oh, oh?! Ha, haha! I knew it!”
Soon, he started laughing and shouting like a madman.
And for good reason.
“I knew Sherlock Hols couldn’t have died so aninglessly!”
The supposedly dead Sherlock Hols suddenly appeared in the ‘Arsène Lupin’ series.
Sherlock Hols, who was falling from the waterfall, noticed sothing large and pigeon-like grabbing hold of him. It was a person flying around, wearing triangular wings made of white cloth and bamboo like clothing.
The person introduced himself.
[“Are you curious why I am helping you? It’s simple. Because I am Lupin. The gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin.”]
He called himself the gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin.
Of course, the white hang glider was plagiarized from a detective comic in his previous life, but—naturally, there was no one who could point that out.
Thus, Sherlock Hols made a grand return.
On the next page, there was a notice with the following content:
[‘Sherlock Hols X Arsène Lupin’ Fan Fiction Contest.]
[We are looking for writers to create stories about the world where both characters exist.]
Following Hor’s ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ Fan Fiction Contest.
It was the opening of Herodotus’ ‘Sherlock Hols X Arsène Lupin’ Fan Fiction Contest.
* * *
“You did sothing interesting, didn’t you?”
“Haha….”
“By reviving Sherlock Hols in such a grand way… it makes seem impatient for reproaching you about why you killed Sherlock, doesn’t it? Jeez, that was an. Really.”
“I’m sorry, Lady.”
“I’ll forgive you just this once.”
“Thank you.”
Now, even when eting Lady Es, he no longer felt as nervous as before.
It seed they had beco closer. Probably.
“Receiving beatification from the church, raising disciples, you must be really enjoying life?”
“Yes. I am spending my ti joyfully.”
“But isn’t it a bit unfair?”
“Yes?”
“I an—I was the one who won the grand prize in the first contest, right? But the students invited to the Literature Academy are other students. That’s unfair!”
“…Well, Lady Es, it must be difficult for you to find ti—.”
“I have plenty of ti now.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve finished the handover. From now on, Idris will handle all the royal duties.”
“‥‥‥.”
“So—please take care of from now on, Teacher.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)