Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

“Ugh, I feel like I had a nightmare… Was my sleeping position that bad?”

When he woke up, his body felt quite stiff. He couldn’t quite remember, but it seemed like he had a bad dream.

It was probably due to motion sickness from the carriage.

He had chosen the carriage intentionally since the train would require several transfers, but he decided that next time, he would take the train back. Reading a book in a carriage was simply not something a person should do. Even though the Empire’s roads were said to be well-maintained, the unique bumpiness of the carriage was unbearable.

“…But, why did I come here again?”

Ah, right. He had come to the Duke Kapeter’s estate because they had an old library.

He had heard that the library existed even before the Empire was called the “Empire.” It was a historical library that had been renovated from the time of heroes and philosophers. He had been told that many books written in ancient and religious languages were resting there.

As a translator and a reader, he couldn’t just pass by without exploring it.

He boldly declared, like a boy who had discovered an old abandoned house in the forest.

…

…

…

“I will issue your library access card now. Please wait a moment.”

“Yes, yes.”

“There is a catalog and a floor plan at the entrance, so if you are looking for a specific book, you can check there first.”

“Thank you.”

Unfortunately, there was no grand “adventure exploring a forgotten library” kind of situation.

It seemed that the estate managed the ancient library quite carefully. The entrance was neat and clean, and there was no stuffy feeling from the dust of books, suggesting that the library was ventilated regularly. The floor plan was also well-organized so that even a first-timer could easily navigate it. ŔÄŊòBƐ𝘴

The fact that there was no musty smell of old books indicated that the condition of the books was likely very good.

In many ways, it was a book lover’s dream. It probably wasn’t equipped with an automatic ventilation system, so they must have had someone maintain it regularly. Or maybe some magic was at work. He wasn’t sure.

The important thing was that there were books right in front of him.

“You may borrow up to two books from the library. If the books are damaged, you must submit a manuscript copy as well.”

“Oh, yes. That’s fine. I’m planning to continue reading here.”

“Yes. Here’s your access card. When you leave, please show this card to the caretaker and sign the list.”

“Yes, yes.”

After receiving the access card, he stepped inside the library.

The entrance area had relatively recent books, and the older books were deeper inside. His goal, of course, was the ancient books that remained from past eras in this estate. Since he was already at the estate, he should read the books that could only be found here.

Of course, if there were any recent books that he hadn’t read yet, he planned to read those first.

There were plenty of books and plenty of time.

He went deeper into the library, picked out a book, and began reading at a table.

Several days passed.

…

…

…

When he closed the book, he suddenly realized that his eyes were stinging. His throat felt dry, and he was craving a glass of water.

If Sion had been there, he would have taken care of it before he even had to ask, but reading alone made it difficult to keep up with other tasks.

He decided to read just one more book and then get some water.

He stacked the books he had already read next to him, picked up a book from the opposite stack, and was about to open it when suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist.

He jumped in surprise and looked at the person who had grabbed his wrist. Was it time to leave the library already?

“Finally looking this way…”

“Hm? Who… are you?”

Contrary to his expectations, the person who had grabbed his wrist was not a librarian or a caretaker.

A woman in a neat white frilled dress was sighing as she looked at him.

“It’s me. Isolette Reinhardt. Your cousin.”

“Ah!”

He finally took a good look at her face.

There were definitely traces of her childhood appearance. She resembled his aunt when she was younger.

As he nodded in admiration, Isolette lazily opened her eyes and sighed again.

“Mother told me you were supposed to be coming here, and I’ve been waiting, but the date she gave me passed and there was no contact from you. Then, I heard rumors about a ghost in the library who doesn’t eat or drink and only reads books… It didn’t take much to guess it was you. Haven’t you changed at all since you were little?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, I forgot about meals.”

“That’s something you really shouldn’t forget… If you don’t eat, you’ll die….”

Isolette let out a faint laugh and pressed her fingers to her forehead, as if she couldn’t understand how one could forget to eat.

In truth, when you’re engrossed in reading, it’s easy to miss mealtimes.

At the Fríden estate, Sion would ensure meals were brought to me, and in the Harren Kingdom, the inn staff would deliver food when it was time.

So keeping track of mealtimes on my own was a bit challenging.

After all, when you’re absorbed in a book, you lose track of time completely.

“Well, for a few days, hmm, I won’t die.”

“Sometimes, I can’t tell if I’m talking to a book demon or my cousin….”

Isolette displayed impressive insight, as if she could see right through my identity.

Considering I’d died once before, being called a book demon wasn’t entirely off the mark.

“Anyway, it’s been a while, Isolette.”

“If you hadn’t left me hanging for days and if I hadn’t found you buried in the archives, that greeting might have actually felt pleasant….”

“Haha… Sorry.”

“Still, it’s good to see that you’re the same person I remember.”

Lady Isolette smiled warmly as she finally let go of my wrist.

Then she placed her hand over her chest, bowed her head slightly, and greeted me politely.

“I am Isolette, the daughter of Viscount Reinhardt. I look forward to spending the next few days with you, Lord Ed.”

“Uh, yeah?”

With a faint smile in her eyes, she added playfully,

“Mother is just so hopeless, isn’t she?”

“Ah, yeah. Um.”

“Don’t overthink it and just relax while you’re here. The Kapeter estate has been quite chaotic lately… but that means you can enjoy more freedom here.

Don’t spend all your time reading books. There are plenty of interesting sights around the Kapeter estate, you know?”

“…….”

The Isolette I met after so long was… a rather mature person.

Her tone was considerate, her jokes light enough for the listener to take them casually, and her conversational topics were refreshingly conventional and accessible.

Though not overly heavy or stiff, she exuded a distinct noble grace.

She must have learned this from social circles.

It wasn’t a personality that matched well with me.

But to someone like me, who knew the Isolette of childhood, her demeanor was quite intriguing.

“Isolette, you’ve grown to be so mature, haven’t you…?”

“Hehe, thanks for the compliment.”

It was because her personality had changed so much from what I remembered.

“I still remember when you used to sulk and cry because I wouldn’t play with you. It feels like it was just yesterday….”

“Well, I was a child back then.”

Of course, this was natural.

She was a child then, and now she’s an adult. Naturally, her personality and tone would change.

But the passage of time felt… overwhelmingly real.

To think that little kid had grown so much.

It stirred a slightly “old-man” sentiment in me.

I suppose reading books all day made it hard for me to feel the flow of time.

“Didn’t I even write you a fairy tale to cheer you up back then?”

“To cheer me up…?”

“Yeah?”

“Pfft, my memory of that is a little different. You weren’t exactly the affectionate type, Ed.

Would you really have cared about a child crying?”

And so, Isolette began recounting her own “memories” of me from the past.

.

.

.

“What book are you reading?”

“…….”

“Can I read the same book as you, Ed?”

“…Do as you like.”

“Hehe.”

As a child, Lady Isolette was… well, just a child.

She pretended to be grown-up, brimmed with curiosity, reached out for whatever she could grab, and quickly grew bored with things.

She would sulk and cry if I didn’t play with her, but then she’d wipe her tears away and come running back with a bright smile in no time.

And.

“Ed!”

“…….”

“That book you said was fun? It’s so boring!”

She was brutally honest.

Like all children, she had a knack for unintentionally saying things that got under your skin.

“…Well, that’s because you don’t understand it properly.”

“I can read all the words, though?!”

“For you, fairy tales might be more suitable than knightly literature.

Actually, wait, in this world, fairy tales are all gruesome, aren’t they….”

And.

I was the kind of ordinary reader who could endure torture but not the comment, “That book you recommended was totally lame.”

So the next day, I wrote a fairy tale she could enjoy, even as a child, and gave it to her as a gift.

“Ah. I remember now. Back then, Isolette, you didn’t know how to read cursive, so I taught you, right?”

“Hehe, you remember that well?”

“As I listen, memories are starting to come back…”

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…n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“I still don’t know how to read cursive…”

“…I’ll teach you.”

“Hehe. Thank you!”

I taught Isolette how to read cursive.

Like an ardent fan evangelizing about their idol, I preached literature.

That said, I didn’t really think that Isolette would fall in love with literature.

It was simply a duty. The duty of someone who loved literature.

It didn’t matter whether the person was a child or an elder.

And then.

“The little mermaid knew that it would be hard for her love to come true, but she chose to cut off her tongue and become human, and even though she had the chance to undo it all, instead of stabbing the prince with a knife, she chose to throw herself into the sea. So, wasn’t it the feeling itself that mattered, not the result…?”

Isolette had talent.

Without any prejudice, she pierced through the essence of the story. It was a very delightful thing…

For the first time in a long while.

“…Haha!”

I think I smiled.

Yes, that’s right.

“Huh?”

“You were quite something!”

“Eh?”