The global attention was drawn to the first contest hosted by Hor, the transcendent of literature, also known as the “Literature for All” contest.
The voice of the angel was not only heard near the Fréden mansion, in the capital of the Empire.
The Empire, the duchies and border marquisates belonging to it, the Seidel Republic, and the Harren Kingdom— anyone in this world could hear the “voice of the angel.”
I drank the “Invisibility Potion” that the alchemist had gifted to use when the gaze beca too overwhelming, and headed toward the library.
There, nurous people were already bustling about, picking up and reading books from the shelf marked “Contest Entries.”
“I heard Hor participated in this contest too. I wonder what kind of work it is?”
“Could it be the novel ‘The Light of the Dark Night’? It has a fairy-tale-like quality and pulls the story along in such a delightful way, kind of like A Christmas Carol!”
“Maybe he submitted a comrcially enjoyable novel, like Herodotus’ works?”
“Hehe, well, it’s definitely not this one. I don’t know who wrote it, but it’s just a diary. It’s funny because the everyday life is written so humorously, but still, it’s just a diary.”
The library’s policy of allowing people to read and vote on “contest submissions” was extrely effective.
Thanks to this, many people gathered at the library, reading books and exchanging opinions.
So people read a book together and discussed it, while others sat quietly in a corner, reading on their own. It was a scene that could not be seen in the study rooms of Korean libraries, where “books” beca the center of exchange.
Among them, there were surely several authors who had personally published books for the contest.
While sitting in a corner of the library and secretly reading a book, I heard a familiar title being discussed. A group of readers was gathered around a book titled The White Whale.
“This White Whale is definitely a book written by Hor! This… like a massive, heavy whale, it’s a masterpiece that devours the great waves of literature! It’s an epic of primordial myths, a pure archetype that can symbolize all modern conflicts!”
“If the human mind were to be expressed visually, it would surely be a deep and dark sea…”
People raised their voices in discussions about what Ishmael, Ahab, and Moby Dick symbolized.
There were so criticisms regarding its shortcomings, but most people were full of praise. Many predicted that this White Whale was, indeed, Hor’s novel.
They even discussed what Ishmael, Ahab, and Moby Dick symbolized.
“The epic tradition and the encyclopedic description of The White Whale may seem a bit verbose at tis, but the philosophy and reason within it contain a pure and strong spirit in themselves… It’s literally a literary monunt that bridges the tradition to the modern. Even if this work isn’t by Hor… I would still vote for this novel.”
“I think the sa. This… dare I say, this novel is worthy of standing alongside Don Quixote.”
“Heh, aren’t you all exaggerating a bit? We haven’t even confird yet that this novel is by Hor…”
“Then the person who wrote this novel would beco the second Hor. Didn’t I say it? This is a novel that could stand ‘in the sa position’ as Don Quixote.” R̃𝐀Ŋo͍ᛒĘs̈
But the most notable aspect was the “anonymity” of the contest, which led to unbiased evaluations.
Hor’s reputation as the transcendent of literature had no influence on this contest. Many readers even expected that The White Whale— not Moby Dick— might be a different author’s work.
There were so many works in the contest.
The variety of tastes was as vast as the number of people.
“Hehe, no, this ‘Fake Gardener Idalgo’ is so funny! It humorously imitates Don Quixote, but it’s not plagiarism. I think I’ll vote for this one.”
“I liked this fairy tale ‘A Hundred Cats’ the most. When I was a child, I had a cat… and when it suddenly stopped moving one day, I cried a lot. So, reading this fairy tale brought back those mories… it was sad, but, well, I think it moved my heart. I’ll vote for this one.”
Many people weren’t concerned about what counted as Hor’s work, and just enjoyed the pieces purely…
Indeed, this contest, aid at revitalizing the library culture, could be said to have been a great success.
After reading at the library and smiling contentedly, I was about to head ho when—
“What are you doing hiding so invisibly?”
I made eye contact with soone.
It was a person very familiar to .
“Oh, Lady Es. What brings you to the library?”
“I ca to read books, of course.”
“Oh, I see. That was a silly question of mine.”
She was Lady Es, once the Empire’s princess, now a mber of the imperial family’s lineage.
We had beco quite close to the point of joking around with each other. In fact, I would say we naturally beca friends after Lady Es randomly visited the publishing house to pass the ti reading books.
In any case, Lady Es could clearly see through my now-invisible form.
“Can you see ?”
“I can’t see you clearly, but it’s a little different from seeing you with my eyes… You know, there’s magic on people of the royal family to prevent assassins.”
“Ah.”
“Hehe, but what were you doing while invisible?”
“Well, I’m just like you, Lady Es. I ca to the library to read books.”
“While invisible?”
“Because my face has beco sowhat famous, there are a few people who recognize here and there. Especially in a library, there are likely people interested in the ‘transcendent of literature.’”
“Hmm? Well, that makes sense!”
Lady Es didn’t seem particularly interested in how I had beco invisible.
Perhaps it was because she already knew I had connections with various mages and alchemists.
With a mischievous smile, the lady joked playfully.
“But if only you stay invisible, won’t I look like a crazy woman talking to herself?”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
“At tis like this, you’re supposed to deny it, not agree!”
“You certainly don’t look like a crazy woman, Lady Es.”
“You’re not insulting indirectly, are you…?”
“Oh, I didn’t an it that way.”
“I’ll trust you! So, which one is the work you submitted?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Geez, you can’t even tell ? Aren’t we close enough for you to share at least that much?”
“Are you referring to the relationship between a patron and a writer?”
“No, as friends!”
“…….”
“Oh, wait, were you expecting sothing more than friendship? Hehe.”
“No.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking of you as more than a friend.”
“…What?”
Lady Es, holding my wrist—so transparent that even the sunset couldn’t color it—spoke.
With her cheeks slightly tinged by the crimson of the sunset, she continued.
“You’re my benefactor, Hor. Didn’t you know that?”
“Ah.”
“But… hmm… co to think of it, the title ‘Hor’ feels a bit odd. I an, your pen na is already public knowledge since you’re being called a Transcendent of Literature and all. And I’m greedy, you know. It doesn’t sit well with to call you the sa na everyone else does.”
“…….”
“Would it be alright if I called you ‘Ed’? Or maybe sothing even more familiar, like Eddie? What nickna do you like best?”
“…I’m not sure.”
As expected.
I couldn’t lie in front of those snake-like eyes.
“Personally, I think I preferred being called ‘Translator’ or ‘Senior.'”
“Oh, right! You worked as a translator in Harren, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I worked under the na Sophocles.”
“Hmm, not bad! I get the translator part, but… why ‘Senior’?”
“My ex-girlfriend used to call that.”
“…What?”
“Is that strange?”
“No, I an, huh? Ed… you had a girlfriend…?”
“It wasn’t for very long.”
“This is a little unexpected… I thought you weren’t interested in anything but books…?”
“Indeed.”
“So, how did that ‘ex-girlfriend’ manage to win you over? Did she say she’d buy you good books if you followed her? Or maybe she lured you in by saying she had out-of-print editions at ho?”
Those oddly specific examples did strangely align with my tastes.
But that wasn’t exactly how we ended up dating.
Scratching my cheek as if embarrassed, I replied.
“She was worried about how I only read books, neglected als, and didn’t take care of myself. She said she’d look after .”
“Ah, I kind of get that.”
“You do?”
Lady Es and I both chuckled softly at the sa ti.
With that, I left the library.
And Lady Es entered it.
The area near the library was noisy with the voices of readers engaged in debates on the benches.
That lively atmosphere was comforting.
Sohow, I had a feeling that the smile on my lips wouldn’t fade for the rest of the day.
.
.
.
The next day.
“Horos Foundation, stop lowering the quality of literature with your trashy books!”
“Stop blindly supporting artists! End the guaranteed publication and royalties for undeserving works!”
I witnessed so extrely creative complaints.
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