Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

If it’s surprising, then it’s surprising, but I used to go out quite frequently.

I visited publishers and the academy weekly, and every time a new batch of books was released, I would visit the bookstore to enjoy the thrill of picking out novels I’d never seen before.

Of course, when it came to translating plagiarized works, Sion handled most of the work, and since I wasn’t very knowledgeable about current events or social trends, Sion would summarize and inform me.

However, even when I was simply browsing books at the bookstore, I’d overhear things.

“The yellow wall has been broken down?”

“Yes, I heard Father Paolo smashed it with a hammer.”

Most of the time, these were shocking and absurd rumors that were enough to keep people talking all day.

The story about the Empire’s most respected priest suddenly demolishing a wall in the capital with a hammer was no exception.

Apparently, the priest was fined for property damage.

“Why on earth would he do that? That wall wasn’t exactly a defensive barrier, but there was no reason to destroy it, was there?”

“How could we possibly know what he’s thinking? This is someone who has dedicated his entire life to service and faith… Perhaps it was a dramatic way of expressing dissatisfaction with the Empire’s policies regarding the monastery.”

“Hmm.”

“If you’re curious, why don’t we go take a look at the broken wall?”

“That’s not a bad idea. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen what’s beyond that yellow wall. It’s only slightly taller than eye level, after all…”

“How many walls like that are there in the Empire? The only people who’d bother to look over them are kids who love climbing up high places.”

“Well, that’s true.”

I didn’t have much interest in such issues.

I would simply think, “Oh, that’s an unusual event,” and move on.

The difficulties and chaos of the world and human affairs rarely interfered with my reading.

However, just because I wasn’t interested in an issue didn’t mean it wouldn’t affect me.

I might not care about an issue.

But sometimes, the issue cared enough to come find me.

“Author! There’s a guest here from the church!”

“Oh, has Cardinal Garnier come? I hadn’t heard anything.”

“No! It’s Father Paolo from the monastery!”

“What?”

The very same Father Paolo, who had been fined for breaking the yellow wall, had come to visit the publishing house.

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[“As long as they remain free men, no science will be able to give them bread. In the end, they will lay their freedom at our feet, saying, ‘It’s better for you to make us slaves; just give us something to eat.’”] ꭆÄƝОΒËȘ

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“Author Homeros, thank you for agreeing to meet me. My name is Paolo, and I serve as a priest.”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Although I didn’t understand the reason behind the meeting request, I accepted it without hesitation since I already had a fairly deep relationship with the church.

I had also heard about him from Protestant priests and Cardinal Garnier.

A brilliant scholar, a humble monk, a devout priest, and a diligent servant.

Father Paolo was the most faithful figure representing the Empire’s monastic order.

If parish priests led the spiritual lives of ordinary believers, monastic priests embodied faith through their very lives.

So, there was no reason not to meet him.

“I hope it’s not an inconvenience that I’ve come to see you.”

“Oh, of course not—”

“Actually, I’m here to make a request that may be inconvenient for you.”

“Pardon?”

“I would like to borrow your name, Author.”

Not understanding what he meant, I stared blankly at the priest.

Father Paolo seemed to take my silence as a prompt to continue, so he elaborated further.

“Recently, I broke the yellow wall and was disciplined by the church. As a monk, the church had no choice but to handle the fine for me. But Author, do you know what’s beyond the ‘yellow wall’?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I know that such a wall exists, but…”

“Is that so? That’s surprising. I thought you might have seen it and written *The Brothers of the Karamazov Family* based on it.”

“Pardon?”

“Well, perhaps it was divine inspiration guiding you. The ‘yellow wall’ separates the poor from the citizens. Beyond it, those who ‘do not work’ gather to receive food distributions. In exchange, they do not step inside the yellow wall and live like shadows clinging to the ground.”

Father Paolo explained the role and history of the ‘yellow wall’ in great detail, even covering aspects that were not widely known to the public.

It was then that I finally understood the source of the “discomfort” I had felt during my previous visits to the capital.

The cheerful and vibrant image of the capital, where no disabled, impoverished, or despondent individuals were visible—how such a spectacle was maintained became clear to me.

“A segregation policy… for unproductive citizens…”

This world was operating in a far more intricate way than I had imagined.

It was a world where statistical methodology was chosen instead of scientific methods due to the existence of ‘magic.’

And ‘beyond the yellow wall’ was a means of governance meticulously fine-tuned based on such statistics.

In order to reduce crime rates in the capital and increase productivity, a place that was ‘in the capital but not part of the capital’ was created.

Such a policy of segregation was not designed to be problematic, and the poor were controlled through food distribution policies and the church.

Whether this could be called a problem, I wasn’t sure.

This was not a form of ‘racial discrimination’ like apartheid, nor was it simply a ‘showcase’ tactic like the wartime administration of a dictatorship.

In essence, it was close to dividing ‘social value’ based on ‘productivity.’

Thanks to this policy, the poor who were unable to work could still sustain themselves, while the citizens of the capital could work with pride and stability in a low-crime, secure city.

Of course, this was not an ideal policy.

Policies change with the times and trends, and neither the ‘Eternal King’ nor the ‘Great Empire’ could create an ideal policy.

In that sense, this policy was simply… a very rational one.

“I believe the yellow wall should be taken down.”

“Hmm, why do you think that?”

“Because the truth is needed. People must understand that blocking the view with a wall doesn’t make the people beyond it disappear.”

And the monk said that the ‘yellow wall’ should be taken down.

He said this for a very simple and clear reason, without considering the secular policies.

Because it was ‘the truth,’ and people needed to know it.

“Do you believe that uncomfortable truths should be revealed without reservation?”

“There is no discomfort in truth. Only stubborn and reliable lies make people uncomfortable.”

“Hmm…”

“Do you think I am wrong?”

“No. You are right.”

I somewhat agreed with that opinion.

Policies based on ignorance would eventually make people continuously ignorant because of those very policies.

At the moment, it was just a wall slightly higher than eye level that obstructed the view.

But then, should the wall be made higher when people grow taller?

Should barbed wire be installed just because people are climbing over the wall, or should filming beyond the wall be prohibited because video technology has advanced?

In the end, that wall would either become useless or turn into a barrier to more thoroughly isolate the unproductive citizens.

And the result would likely be a ‘wall.’

Just as discrimination creates separation, separation will also create discrimination.

The wall of ignorance is, in itself, discrimination and hatred towards each other.

“Then, I would like to borrow your name. With the infrastructure of the welfare foundation you operate, I want to dismantle the ‘yellow wall’ and expand the existing church’s poorhouse into separate roles of ‘poorhouse’ and ‘charitable house.’ Through this, I aim to create a society within the capital where everyone recognizes and supports one another.”

“That would be difficult.”

“Pardon?”

“Convicts, drug addicts, the poor, the disabled… They won’t be able to integrate with the atmosphere of the capital. The Empire, which fears societal chaos, will never accept this, and the citizens won’t either. The citizens of the capital are already used to this atmosphere.”

“…Still, it is necessary. If we have enough time, eventually—.”

“Yes, time is needed. But it should be time to accept the existence of ‘truth,’ not time to adapt to societal chaos and discomfort.”

Father Paolo lowered his head at my response.

In truth, he must have known this as well.

Society would not want to bring those who ‘don’t have to work to live’ into the light.

Simply existing and being seen together in the same place are different matters.

If people are envious of those who work diligently, there will also be people envious of those who don’t work.

And this would strike a fatal blow to the Empire’s productivity, potentially creating a society where no amount of charity could alleviate the poverty of the poor.

“So, what should I do?”

“There’s only one way to turn the truth into a scandal.”

“Pardon?”

And then.

All these political, social, moral, theological, economic, and ethical issues were not matters for me to worry about.

The only fact I cared about was one.

Father Paolo’s storytelling about the people ‘beyond the yellow wall’ was quite interesting.

“Let’s write a book. Everything you’ve seen, heard, and felt beyond the yellow wall.”

“…Do you think people will read it?”

“As for publishing, I would be more than happy to lend you my name. If you wish, I can make sure all the readers of the Empire will know about the book you’ve written. I’ll even write a recommendation for you.”

Literature turns ignorance into scandal.

Therefore, the most powerful literature is, in the end, ‘truth.’

“Let’s write a book.”

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