Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

Chapter 79: Transformation – 1

The mansion of the Fríden family.

In my room, which could be considered the mansion’s second library, there exists a hidden space.

In fact, since there were hardly any humans who would visit my room (except for the chief mage, who occasionally appears via the teleport gate), it wasn’t exactly hidden.

Rather, it was sitting conspicuously on one side, between bookshelves that filled the walls.

Anyway, when the entrance to the safe, fixed between the bookshelves, was opened by entering several codes,

the door of the safe opened, revealing quite a large space.

It was a magi-engineering safe, a gift I had received from President Kindersley some time ago.

Inside it, numerous manuscripts I had “translated” in advance were stacked neatly.

Sion, who had walked into the safe with me, suddenly spoke up.

“If the followers of the Homeros Sect were to see this safe, they would probably rush at it with their eyes blazing.”

“Oh, are they still doing that?”

“Recently, it seems they are trying to rename the sect to either the Fríden Sect or the Ed Sect.”

“Isn’t that heresy…?”

“Apparently, the church allows dual faith, considering it a rather unique case.”

“Heh.”

In this world, the term ‘Transcendent’ wasn’t exactly synonymous with ‘Saint.’

The savior who descended upon this land a thousand years ago was not a Transcendent either.

While the Transcendent could be considered a ‘witness’ due to having seen angels firsthand, the shape of the angels was a theological hypothesis, not something that should be considered doctrine.

The evidence of God was a secondary issue in faith, and in fact, there were quite a few clergymen who couldn’t even handle ‘blessings.’

Therefore, the fact that I was officially recognized as a ‘Transcendent’ did not give anyone reason to have faith in me.

However, the church simply allowed it.

In fact, the church was the funniest thing going on these days.

“The Vatican, the Imperial Anglican Church, the Harren Orthodox Church, and the Protestant Church— several churches are currently debating your position. I heard that a unified council is going to be held at the ‘Holy Land.’”

“What’s going on?”

“As for the Vatican, they claim that ‘Transcendence’ is a secular position, not a spiritual one, so they won’t recognize it as a miracle, and they will continue the canonization process as it is. On the other hand, the Harren Orthodox Church wants to canonize you as a ‘Saint of Literature,’ and the Protestant priests believe that your words should be recorded and made into a second scripture.”

“What about the Imperial Anglican Church?”

“The Anglican Church… is a church for secular bishops, so I suppose they will follow the Empire’s political stance.”

“Ah.”

I could understand the church’s position of not recognizing Transcendence as a ‘spiritual status.’

After all, it wouldn’t be right to canonize all the wizards and alchemists who achieved Transcendence without any interaction with the church as saints, right? R???Ô?ÊS?

But they couldn’t deny Homeros’ sanctity either, so rather than recognizing it, they chose to allow it in the form of ‘dual faith,’ like a folk religion.

As for the Harren Orthodox Church, it was a group that followed the Lazy King, so it could be considered his opinion.

The Protestant priests… well, did they like the consultation based on my past-life knowledge? I wasn’t sure.

Anyway, it wasn’t something I needed to worry too much about.

The church would figure it out on their own.

“Well, as long as they don’t directly ask me to attend the council, I don’t mind.”

“If a request to be a witness comes in, shall we just decline?”

“The Vatican is fine, but traveling all the way to the Holy Land is a bit much, don’t you think? I’m not a pilgrim.”

“Then, if you get an invitation from the Holy Land, we’ll decline it.”

“Anyway, I think I put the manuscripts somewhere around here… It’s hard to find them since there are so many piled up. Sion, could you help me look? They should have the label ‘Kafka’ attached.”

“Understood.”

More important than any argument about canonization or beatification was something else.

That was ‘Franz Kafka.’

To put it more grandly, it was existence and absurdity. It was a gigantic symbol that could broaden the scope of literature.

Within the massive and contextless absurdity that Kafka created, both his stories and protagonists exist universally, transcending any historical background.

In a way, this is more of a myth than a novel.

The writer who created myths akin to Greek tragedies was ‘Franz Kafka.’

And then.

“Ah, I found them. Are these the manuscripts: ‘The Metamorphosis,’ ‘The Trial,’ ‘The Castle,’ and ‘The Burrow’?”

“Uh-huh.”

“May I ask what kind of content these manuscripts contain?”

“Well… perhaps something pleasant and humorous?”

“Contrary to the titles, it seems like quite a light-hearted novel.”

“It depends on the perspective of the reader.”

“Eh?”

Kafka’s works, (to borrow Pulitzer Prize-winning Philip Roth’s words) were ‘a grotesquely funny collection of humor by a comedian named Kafka.’

Exaggerated symbolism and structured absurdity were techniques that seemed to symbolize modern comedy.

Due to Kafka’s characteristic eerie atmosphere, it often got overlooked, but Kafka’s works actively used ‘Jewish-style humor’ with fables.

So, if one viewed Kafka’s works from Philip Roth’s perspective, it would become a very innovative humor collection.

Of course, there was no need to elaborate on such explanations.

I just chuckled and shook the manuscript.

“Kafka is… just Kafka.”

“Uh. I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

“There is such a thing.”

An infinitely diverse interpretation and absurdly powerful symbolism.

Kafka’s works could only ultimately be described as “Kafkaesque.”

No matter how eloquently one elaborated on the absurdity of The Metamorphosis or the irrationality of The Trial, they fell short compared to the single phrase, “Kafkaesque.”

So, what could I possibly say about it?

In the end, the interpretation of a work is left to the reader.

“If it suits your taste, there are probably quite a few people who’d call The Metamorphosis the greatest novel ever written.”

“Among your novels, my lord?”

“Yeah.”

“…Would it be alright if I read it first?”

“Pff, sure.”

.

.

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[One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.]

.

.

.

One day, without any prior notice, a new work by “Homeros” appeared in every bookstore across the Empire.

The Metamorphosis.

Despite no advertising whatsoever, the news that “Homeros has released a new work” spread instantly throughout the Empire.

Anyone who loved literature went to bookstores to read The Metamorphosis.

Some borrowed the book from the Homeros Foundation’s library.

And.

Countless people witnessed a new world of literature.

They vividly saw a protagonist trapped in the absurd snare of the world, struggling within it.

“What in the world is this story about…?”

“Why does a person turn into an insect? What could this story possibly mean?”

A nightmare where the boundary with reality was unclear.

A protagonist trapped in an absurd dream only to wake and find themselves still confined in a nightmare-like reality, growing ever more miserable.

A Kafkaesque atmosphere.

An absurdly powerful use of language.

It was a dream expressed in prose.

Not merely a fantastical, beautiful dream, but a chilling and sharp nightmare, as piercing as reality itself.

Countless people were instantly captivated by the story.

“I’m not sure what it means, but… it’s fascinating!”

“Sniff… it’s so miserable…. Why does such a novel exist…?”

“Pfft! Oh, this is too funny…!”

“What.”

Shortly after The Metamorphosis was published, it naturally became the subject of countless critical reviews.

Critics, who were unflinching even before transcendents, began to deliver sharp analyses and interpretations.

“Kafka,” brimming with room for diverse interpretations, became a perfect toy for critics to play with.

“What Gregor Samsa’s transformation symbolizes is our life. Just as we are abruptly born, laboring and dying in bodies incapable of escaping their confines, so too does Gregor Samsa transform from the pillar of his family to a burdensome being, ultimately meeting his end?.”

“Doesn’t it symbolically depict the process of society imposing uniform standards, denying personal identity, and crushing an individual’s humanity, reducing them to helpless entities?”

Day by day, new reviews of The Metamorphosis poured out.

Countless readers quoted such reviews and praised The Metamorphosis.

Literary critics were invited to events all over the Empire, and they entered a second heyday of their careers.

The literary impact of The Metamorphosis was immense.

Naturally, it exerted a powerful influence beyond literature, affecting other artistic fields.

“Even a small person can grow just as weary as a great one.”

“Though I’ve become an insect, if my strength is needed, I’ll fight in this grotesque form. Transformation!”

A realist play reinterpreting the alienation and isolation in The Metamorphosis in a more grounded direction was produced.

Additionally, some readers, saddened by Gregor Samsa’s death, created a bizarre play in which Gregor used his insect powers to protect people.

The strange play, where an insect protected humans, gained peculiar popularity among some children and a surprising number of adult men.

At any rate.

Homeros’ new work had an enormous impact across various cultural and artistic spheres.

As for Homeros himself, the author of the novel?

“I’ve recently created a potion that transforms you into an insect. Would you like to try it?”

“No.”

“That’s a pity!”

“Why on earth did you make such a thing?”

Looking at the bizarre concoction made by an alchemist in the Library of Transcendence, he was appalled.

“Well, because I was inspired!”

“…How about creating a potion that’s a little more useful to the world?”

“If someone told Homeros the author to only write ‘useful books,’ would he comply?”

“Hmm.”

I pondered briefly before answering.

“No.”

“Haha!”

Literature comes before the world.