Chapter: 57
If Sion were here, he would have helped me out quite a bit.
In the Kingdom of Harren, I was all alone, so I had no choice but to solve most things by myself. The clock chimed once, signaling that meal time had passed.
It was only then that I realized I hadn’t even packed a lunch.
Well, it’s pretty common in this world to have only two meals a day, so it’s not a huge problem. What mattered more was that at this very moment, I had finished a new manuscript.
I gathered my scattered manuscript pieces and put them together. The title of the novel was written on the front page.
[1984]
“1984…, hmm, should I call it 1084?”
After pondering for a moment, I decided to keep the original title “1984.” After all, the names of the places like ‘Oceania’ and ‘Eurasia’ would remain unchanged as they are part of the world I’m building.
The novel I’m publishing under the name of Sophocles seems to set itself in a “fictional world” and will likely be a historical fiction piece.
There will probably be a bit of sci-fi in there too.
Considering that the essence of the sci-fi genre we call “punk” stems from alternate history novels, it’s not that surprising.
“Oh, I should send a copy to Sion.”
I wrapped up the manuscript of “1984,” written in the imperial language, not Harren, in a paper bag.
Sending it by express delivery should get it there quickly.
I was about to call a staff member at the lodging to buy stamps when I suddenly remembered a few were in my bag.
“Oh, I’ve still got some Little Prince stamps!”
With that, I sent 1984 home and casually said they should send me any important mail at this address.
Sion will figure it out.
.
.
.
[On a clear and chilly day in April, the clocks chimed thirteen times.]
1984 starts with this opening line. It describes April, which symbolizes spring, as cold, and mentions a clock that, instead of striking twelve times, struck thirteen.
The moment a reader encounters this bizarre sentence, they are hit with an instinctual realization.
Something is off with this world. Thus begins the story of a dystopia filled with lies, where ‘everything must be questioned.’
“This is interesting… very interesting. It’s like you’re describing a real existing world, yet it’s so filled with fiction that nothing feels true…”
The editor-in-chief seemed to be giving pretty positive feedback on the novel.
His ability to read through the manuscript in a flash and summarize the main points was nothing short of veteran-level in the publishing industry.
The editor who returned my manuscript leaned his head in one hand and started fidgeting with his ear.
It looked like a habit he had when deep in thought.
“But, because it’s convoluted, I’m not sure it’ll sell. Plus, isn’t it a bit early to publish this? Les Misérables is still flying off the shelves.”
“Is that so?”
“I think it would be better to space them out a bit… If this novel gets a bad review and Les Misérables stops selling, I’d be in a pickle. Literature is one of those fields where it’s hard to predict the outcome, right?”
Indeed, the story of 1984 had its complexities.
Of course, George Orwell was regarded as having depicted dystopian social aspects very clearly, but that’s only a perspective shaped by a modern individual who lived through the dark times of world wars.
In this world, the very concept of “dystopia” might feel quite foreign.
However, I had a feeling that this novel would actually sell quite well.
“Right, I understand. Even though it’s the book the King himself recommended, I should postpone publishing it-”
“But! Your novel is incredible! Even if it doesn’t sell, it absolutely has to be published! Wouldn’t it be a terrible thing if art got held back by commerce?!”
“Thank you.”
Because, the “future” depicted in 1984 is ultimately not unlike the future King Nathaniel was worried about.
A future where those with the power to distinguish truth from falsehood deny the truth, wield lies, and treat truth merely as a convenient tool for themselves.
A future where a figure of authority, revered and admired by all citizens, aims to establish eternal authority, subjugating all people to it.
A future where a person with the power to marshal all the nation’s resources exploits that power, annihilating individual humanity and snatching away their freedom.
And all of this rests on a person wielding unadulterated power that surpasses all rights.
The most dreadful future possible, arising when power is exercised solely for the sake of power itself.
[Tutto nello Stato, niente al di fuori dello Stato, nulla contro lo Stato.]
[Everything is in the State, nothing exists outside the State, nothing opposes the State.]
Dictatorship through totalitarianism.
Totalitarianism through dictatorship.
The end of humanity and the totality of darkness, shrouded in the illusions of ‘iron rule’ and ‘system efficiency,’ is this very totalitarian dystopia.
And this is a concept that the people of this ‘Harren’ could easily accept.
– “How can we be sure that the dragon descendants born later won’t use this talent for violence? If they strip freedom and love from the souls of Harren’s children and treat people as mere tools or parts, how can Harren’s kids resist?”
For all the Harrenites’ skies were already filled with such worries.
A parent’s concerns are not lost on their child.
They just pretend not to know while looking away. There are many things in the world that are more comfortable to ignore.
And.
The power of literature is to turn ignorance into shame.
The Harrenites had to confront this fact.
– “What should I do moving forward?”
For every Harrenite parent expected an answer from their child.
But I, being the plagiarist, was not the one to answer that question.
Only the Harrenites had the right to respond to that question.
“If it’s the book His Majesty desired, why not use the entire printing line? We should print tens of thousands!”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll just rent every print shop around.”
I nodded to the editor’s enthusiasm, pulled my wallet out, and rummaged through it.
Then I took out various high-value notes.
A “blank check” with my account number and signature, but the amount was empty.
I placed it on the desk and asked my editor,
“How much should I write down if I want to use all the nearby print shops for a few days?”
How much should that be?
.
.
.
On a clear and chilly day in Harren.
A strange occurrence took place.
People first noticed the oddity through the newspapers.
“Get your newspapers here! Today’s edition includes the latest news!”
“Hey, can I get a newspaper?”
“Yes! Which one would you like? Harren Daily News, Article Newspaper, A Day in Harren, Ivan Daily-”
“Give me one of each!”
“Sure!”
“Let’s see what’s going on today… hmm?”
[‘1984’ by Sophocles, who wrote ‘Les Misérables’.]
[Big Brother is Watching You.]
The front page of every major newspaper in Harren was filled with an advertisement for a ‘book’.
Having ads in newspapers isn’t a shocker, but all newspapers sharing the same front-page ad? Now that’s odd!
Even the ad contained no content about the novel.
It simply displayed a man’s face along with the phrase “Big Brother is watching you.”
People went about their day, amused by the ‘oddity’, but slowly, this ‘strangeness’ began escalating.
“No way, is there an ad here too?”
Magazines, posters, bulletin boards in restaurants and offices, theaters—nearly every spot had an ad for this book ‘1984’ hanging around.
Coupled with the message that Big Brother is watching, mind you.
Curious about the book, I dropped by a bookstore, and the front row was entirely packed with copies of ‘1984’. As if they had zero intention of selling anything else.
It was genuinely bizarre.
It felt as if some crazy mage had magically rigged things so that every publication in Harren led to this ‘1984’.
“What on earth is this book about…?”
Thus, most people encountered the book ‘1984’ for the first time.
Soon, the streets buzzed with talk about 1984.
“Hey, buddy. Have you read ‘1984’?”
“Hmm? I’ve seen the ads, but I haven’t read it.”
“Wow, man, you’re seriously missing out on half your life…! How can you even claim to read if you haven’t picked up ‘1984’?”
“Is that so?”
“Let’s hit up the bookstore right now! I’ll buy you a copy!”
“Ah, never mind. I’m buying it with my own money; you just buy me a drink!”
If you hadn’t read ‘1984’, you might as well have missed the whole conversation.
This unprecedented city-wide “media monopoly” had a power that could absorb all the gossip in town.
“What, this novel is real….”
“This is just horrifying…”
“But there’s truth! It wouldn’t be shocking if this really happens!”
The urban dwellers shivered as they put the book down.
An advertising poster featuring a man’s face watched over them.
[Big Brother is Watching You].
.
.
.
“I present myself before His Majesty the King.”
“Ah, you’ve done something interesting, my friend. Now all Harren talks about is that damn Big Brother.”
“Isn’t this what you were worried about, Your Majesty?”
“…Hmm. Yes! You’ve laid my concerns bare for all to see! So, your answer is that there’s no solution and that all Harrenites will eventually ‘love’ me?”
“Not at all.”
“Then what is this mischief about?”
“Let the Harrenites think and choose for themselves. If they argue and bicker, make mistakes, they might just reach a reasonable compromise.”
“…”
“Isn’t that what you meant by ‘choosing your own fate’? It’s both the duty and the privilege of the noble Harrenites.”
“…Huh.”
“At the very least, we now know the worst-case scenario exists, so we can avoid that. Isn’t it already a decent attempt to cut down on trial and error?”
“…What kind of future are you seeing?”
“I wouldn’t mind any future where literature isn’t censored. Other folks will handle the rest; I’m just a tad lazy when it comes to anything besides literature.”
“Haha….”
Because I monopolized the bookstore shelves, several new books were buried underneath.
Starting today, I plan to promote those new releases again.
That was pretty much the extent of my worry. Just helping literature progress a tad more.
As for the rest?
Well, I just didn’t care.
[“Mankind’s choice is between freedom and happiness, and the vast majority choose happiness.”]
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