This world is garbage.
I’ll make it clear: this damned medieval fantasy world is a trashy place.
I’m not talking about modern genius theories, praises for civilization, or atrocious hygiene habits.
Instead, this world has developed a magic civilization, and under some sort of religious rationale, there’s at least a minimal awareness of hygiene. There’s also convenient stuff like clean magic, which doesn’t even compare to real hand sanitizers.
So what’s the problem?
“Really boring….”
It was boring.
There were flashy spectacles like monster circuses and magic shows, but those outdoor hobbies could only be enjoyed for a limited time.
There was a lack of more static hobbies… content that you could enjoy at home.
I’m not expecting anything like YouTube or internet shows. It’s a world without the internet, after all.
As someone who proudly claimed to have a reading hobby in my past life, I thought a few decent literary works would be enough.
“Is this kindling-like novel really the trendy work in the capital right now?”
“Yes, Young Master Ed.”
But this world couldn’t even fulfill that minimal desire properly.
Damn it, the only popular novels out there were either filled with bizarre descriptions or seemed like they were churned out by a factory.
And if you managed to find literature that wasn’t cliché, you would encounter strange lines that were hard to understand, making you wonder if it was a puzzle or a poem.
“Burn this trash novel immediately and bring me some crossword puzzles.”
“Understood.”
Yeah.
I was seriously suffering from novel numbness.
It had been way too long since I’d read anything interesting. When I first read knight literature, it was verbose but had its charm, but after reading dozens of knight tales with only the names changed in the same content, I was at a point where I could vomit just from seeing the first sentence.
“Ugh… life is really boring.”
Born into what could be called a renowned noble family, I had a trouble-free childhood. However, people can’t live on bread alone, and if readers don’t have novels to enjoy, their souls wither away.
But all I had were articles filled with repetitive content. If copyright laws existed in this world, all of those novels would have been pulled from shelves.
The contents were so predictable that I think I could write them myself if given the chance.
“Seriously, why not just try writing one?”
With that thought, I picked up the pen I had been using for crossword puzzles and began to scribble.
A noble knight who protects a lady and upholds religious duties. A hero destined for greatness. A wizard delivering prophecies to the hero, and the trials he must face to become that hero.
As I wrote, I felt a sense of emptiness creep in, so I put the pen down.
What’s the point of writing this? It would just add one more piece of kindling to the pile.
“…No, that’s not it.”
Leaning back in my comfy chair, I chewed on the feeling of emptiness until a thought struck me, and I leapt from my seat.
If this world only has copies of the same story…
Then I just need to broaden the range of references. I could be the one to evolve genre literature.
Of course, I don’t have that kind of ‘creativity’…
“References worth mentioning? They’re all in my head.”
I know hundreds of masterpieces that don’t exist in this world.
What if I were to ‘plagiarize’ those masterpieces and unleash them into this realm?
“This is a modern cheat code…!”
In this world, only I knew of Earth’s literature.
* * *
Even if I’m plagiarizing works from my original world, I can’t reproduce them exactly since I don’t have perfect memory. I mostly remember just the basic outlines of the novels.
But “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find.” Fortunately, this era is one where ‘chivalric literature’ is all the rage.
And I knew of a great masterpiece from the peak of chivalric literature’s popularity.
“…Young master, I’ve brought you the chivalric literature works you requested.”
“Ah, just put them there.”
“Aren’t you tired of chivalric literature?”
“I am indeed.”
Don Quixote is a novel that mocks chivalric literature. Its basic narrative is in line with chivalric tales — it’s just that the protagonist is a mad old coot, and his antics are portrayed in an utterly ridiculous manner.
Unlike traditional chivalric literature that idolizes noble knights…
This novel instead depicts a ridiculous and boastful knight.
“But you need to know something thoroughly to criticize it properly.”
“…That’s true.”
In the bizarre world of Don Quixote, he’s an honorable knight who knows chivalry.
So to write this novel, I needed to be well-versed in chivalric literature first. That’s why I had ordered all the renowned chivalric literature from the capital, even though the servant didn’t really get it.
Noticing my mood, the servant cautiously piped up.
“Because you bought so many popular novels this time, my lady is a bit upset. Your allowance may be cut for a few months.”
“So?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’ve already read all the worth-reading books anyway; what does it matter if they cut off my allowance?”
“…That’s a fair point.”
My allowance goes entirely towards buying books.
Other purchases would just be bookmarks and bookshelves. While books are certainly a bit pricey, they aren’t much more than what you’d find in a real medieval setting.
Thanks to the magic engineering that created printing technology.
If anything, it’s kind of like the fixed book price system battered by inflation in South Korea.
“And besides, selling those books could bring in a decent amount of money.”
“You mean to say you’re not satisfied with just reading, but you want to publish them too?”
“Once I’ve read it all, Sancho, I’ll show you as well.”
“My name isn’t Sancho, it’s Sion.”
“When you finish reading it, you might want to be called Sancho.”
Sancho is just as charming a character as Don Quixote.
If Don Quixote, brimming with idealism and courage, is fantasy, then Sancho, timid yet capable, is reality. Reality shines because of fantasy, and fantasy has weight because of reality.
Fantasy and reality complete each other.
“…Since Young Master Ed is so confident, I’m somewhat curious now.”
“Being the first to read that book will feel like a huge stroke of luck.”
“I look forward to it.”
Despite the words, he didn’t seem that hopeful.
Reading and writing are different, and just because one reads heaps of chivalric literature doesn’t mean one can write it well.
He probably thinks my work will be no different from those knight tales that I treat like kindling.
“…Well, even if it’s kindling, it’s still entertaining. It is.”
The reason mass-produced novels are mass-produced is due to the constant demand.
People like me who fall for chivalric literature are indeed those who have read a lot of it. One could say that it’s because we love chivalric tales so much that we critique them.
This was also the theme of Don Quixote.
At first glance, it seems to critique the absurdity of chivalric literature, but more than that, it’s a novel that overflows with affection for it. If someone can list a hundred flaws of chivalric literature with sincere attention, it shows just how deeply devoted they are to it.
So, Don Quixote shouldn’t just be a novel that criticizes chivalric literature.
Rather, it must appeal to people with the charm and dedication of chivalric tales like no other. Just as Don Quixote and Sancho complete each other, fantasy and reality should complete each other too.
Don Quixote must also be a novel that enriches chivalric literature.
“Let’s see, shall we read until our eyes drop out?”
There are plenty of books to read.
There’s also a ton I’ve already read.
Now, I have to read all those knight tales to the point where I can recite them from memory.
Only then can Don Quixote set fire to those books.
* * *
One day, a novel began to gain traction in the capital.
Don Quixote.
Among critics who usually harshly reviewed chivalric literature, this work found positive reception and started to trend among several die-hard fans.
Gradually, it became so famous that there wasn’t a single person in the capital who didn’t know the book’s name.
Thanks to this single book, the entrance standards for the Academy of Chivalry skyrocketed. Many people dreamed of knighthood, inspired by the old coot Don Quixote.
“That’s the true duty of a knight—no! Not a duty, a privilege!”
Naturally, the ones most influenced by this novel were the aristocrats who usually flaunted their refinement and wealth.
Even noblemen who dismissed chivalric literature as superficial and lacking depth couldn’t hold back their praise for Don Quixote.
In social circles, it became fashionable to mimic Don Quixote by wearing paper helmets and dressing up as wandering knights.
Among them, there were indeed some who genuinely went mad.
“Between those who dream and those who don’t, who’s truly the mad one?”
An old duke known as ‘Ironblood’ suddenly set off on a knightly adventure.
This resulted in the administration of his duchy coming to a standstill, and a farcical scene unfolded where his son was forced to hastily take over his father’s responsibilities.
Indeed, one novel had flipped the societal mood entirely.
And the author of that novel, Ed…
“Going crazy.”
“Knight Quixote de la Mancha.”
“Knight Don Quixote mistaking windmills for dragons.”
Ed was banging his forehead while staring at the blatant pirated versions of Don Quixote.
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