Chapter 48: The Strange Adventure of Duke Kapeter
To write an adventure story capturing Duke Kapeter’s experiences, I gathered the necessary people. First, I called upon the two authors who would be in charge of the upcoming ‘adventure story.’
“Homer! Has the result come out?!”
“Haha! Of course, I won, didn’t I?”
I was referring to Johann and Hans, who decided to compete with their adventure stories. Their works, thanks to the ‘planned publishing’ marketing strategy, were flying off the shelves alongside ‘Fifteen Boys Adrift’ and ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.’
While they didn’t get the same buzz as the classics, the results were impressive enough to get a nod of approval.
“Yes. First, let me announce the results.”
“Yes!”
“Mr. Johann.”
“Yes!”
“Congratulations! You received an average score of 3.8, which is the highest!”
“Haha! Is that so?”
“Ugh—really? What was my score?”
“Hans, you really are pitiful! But I suppose it was obvious from the start!”
“Mr. Hans, your average score is 3.1.”
“That can’t be….”
Truth be told, this was a rough matchup for Hans. The overwhelming popularity of ‘Fifteen Boys Adrift’ and ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ overshadowed his work.
Hans tried to win with a revenge plot to attract a wider audience, but that backfired spectacularly. Sure, revenge stories are still exciting and all, but they don’t quite stack up against this world’s first-ever ‘SF’ adventure set in a submarine. Johann’s choice to focus on historical stories with a loyal readership turned out to be the smart move.
But hey, a competition is a competition, and since both agreed to the rules, they had no choice but to accept the outcome.
“By the way, what was the theme you two were trying to decide with this competition?”
“Well, that’s obvious─ ah.”
“Huh, Johann, why can’t you speak confidently? That’s so unmanly.”
“…Um, well.”
This time, Johann, drenched in cold sweat, avoided eye contact while Hans puffed up with confidence. Hans claimed that Homer’s ‘Father Brown’ was superior, while Johann insisted that Herodotus’ ‘Sherlock Holmes’ was the better choice.
“Mr. Johann, do you think Herodotus is a better mystery writer than I am?”
“Ah, um—that’s only considering ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ so the grammar of mystery novels and all that, it, um, has some influence, right?”
“Huh, Johann, didn’t you say last time that Herodotus was the god of mystery novels?”
“Hans, if you lost, just stay out of it!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle watching the two of them squabble again. And then…
“What if the premise of that competition was wrong from the start?”
“Uh?”
I pulled out a potion I had prepared in advance and chugged it down in one go. This was the antidote to the Hyde potion I got from an alchemist. In the case of the lady, even if she drank the antidote, it wouldn’t work because the ‘Fixing Potion’ turned her ‘female state’ into her ‘normal state.’
To be precise, it was called a state-determining potion. Anyway, after I drank the antidote, I flipped from ‘Homer’ back to my original self—
“It’s great to see you again, Mr. Johann. Mr. Hans.”
“Herodotus…?”
I transformed back into Herodotus. The two stared at me like I was a ghost. Hmm. Was the explanation too vague?
“I’m both Homer and Herodotus. So, the premise of that debate was flawed from the beginning.”
In reality, it was about ‘Conan Doyle’ and ‘Chesterton’s’ works, but…
Since it was a fact no one else could possibly know, it wasn’t really relevant.
“So, shall we say it’s a draw this time?”
I liked both of them anyway.
* * *
It took the two of them about 30 minutes to snap out of it.
“I never would’ve guessed that Homer was also Herodotus…”
“Keep this secret, or it’ll cause quite a stir.”
“Of course! Hans, be careful not to blab in the tavern and land Homer in trouble!”
“Huh? You be careful, Johann! Don’t go parading around at social gatherings saying things you shouldn’t!”
“You little brat?! Did you say everything you wanted to say?!”
“Think I won’t say more?!”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure why they were at each other’s throats.
Probably because they were close. Most likely.
They shared a love of reading, both had writing talent, and it was a treasure to find friends who could chat about their preferences.
I had a few friends like that too.
Sion was one, President Kindersley was another, and Lady Es fit the bill. And… hmm. There was someone else I used to chat about books with when I was younger. Who was it again?
Well, the two of them must have been fighting because they were so darn close.
“Alright, you two, cool it. The reason I revealed my identity is that I’d like to ask you both to write an ‘adventure story.’”
“An adventure story… you say?”
“Yes. You’re both exceptional writers.”
“Thank you, but… aren’t we a bit lacking compared to you, Homer?”
“No.”
This wasn’t something I could do by myself.
What I wanted to do was… ‘expand the worldview’ to develop this world’s culture from a more fundamental level. And that had to come from the people of this world.
I was just a plain plagiarist. Honestly, that part was a bigger deal.
“You two are the only ones who can do this.”
Johann was skilled at capturing fine details and mood, and Hans had the knack for weaving engaging narratives centered around the protagonist.
If the two of them teamed up to craft an adventure, it’d definitely be a captivating piece.
* * *
To ensure their writing process went smoothly, I promised to provide the ‘maximum support’ I could give.
I was offering a sort of research support.
Under Herodotus’ name, I sought advice from the chief wizard of the Gray Tower and allowed them to investigate the ‘forbidden’ areas that were off-limits except to priests, thanks to the authority of the Venerable.
But the core of the matter was the handwritten testimony of Duke Kapeter.
“Is this… really a World Tree? I’m not doubting you, but this is just too… ridiculously massive. The chief wizard of the tower also confirmed it was impossible.”
“Well, Duke Kapeter might have lied.”
“Hmm, I’m still having a hard time with this concept of a communal extreme point.”
“They say there’s no Nazism.”
“What?”
After a bunch of efforts, the adventure story slowly started to take shape.
“Homer, what should we call the title of the novel?”
“You two should decide that. It’s your novel, after all.”
“Oh, um, Hans, what title do you think would be good?”
“Of course, it should be *The World Chronicle*.”
“That sounds pretty bland… In my opinion, you lack flair.”
“What?”
“So let’s brainstorm a bit more. Hmm, how about *The Adventures of Duke Kapeter*?”
“You think the Duke’s family would allow their territory’s name to be used in a book title?”
“Ugh—well, that’s true.”
During the book completion process, the two bumped heads and squabbled multiple times.
But now, they were starting to compromise a little.
After some more back-and-forth, they finally settled on the book’s title.
“Homer! Here’s the finished manuscript!”
“Yes. I was thinking of publishing it with Kindersley Publishing. Is that alright with you?”
“Yes! Please take care of it!”
“Thank you, I will.”
*The Adventures of the Blowhard Duke*
*Authors: Johannes Merchant Guild (Johann, Hans)*
The Adventures of the Blowhard Duke.
Filled with unbelievable tales, this adventure book was published in the empire.
* * *
The joint work of Johann and Hans, *The Adventures of the Blowhard Duke*, didn’t initially grab much attention.
A few readers, who had read their previous works during the ‘Adventure Planning Publication’, picked up the book.
“Haha, a tree that’s 30,000 kilometers tall? There’s no way something like that exists.”
“Johann’s earlier works were quite faithful to actual history, but this one is way too far-fetched.”
“The title itself invokes a blowhard, so maybe they were shooting for something like Don Quixote.”
“Maybe. Hmm, but it’s still fun. Since I’ve got it, I might as well give it a shot today.”
But it didn’t get rave reviews.
At best, it was seen as a watered-down version of Don Quixote.
[This adventure is based on the true experiences of ‘Duke Kapeter.’ All regions, cultures, and species in the book are real.]
[This fact is guaranteed by ‘Homer’ and ‘Herodotus.’]
“What?”
That was before it was revealed that the entire tale was based on real experiences. Of course, just because a writer claims it’s true doesn’t mean it is. In adventure tales, exaggeration and tall tales are often mixed in like a cocktail.
But if it was guaranteed by ‘Homer’ and ‘Herodotus,’ then that changed the narrative entirely.
“Is this… for real?”
“This can’t be true!”
Doubt. Suspicion. Distrust. Denial.
Even those reluctant to believe eventually had to accept the truth when they made an inquiry with Kindersley Publishing.
And then…
“Build a ship! A colossal vessel that can reach the center of the world! Request help from the Gray Tower and the Blue Tower! Spare no expense!”
“Bring in merchants and sailors skilled in ocean voyages! We’re setting sail for the open seas!”
And thus the adventure began.
An adventure into a broader world.
“Father… what on earth have you been up to?”
And in the Kapeter estate, Anthony, the Duke’s proxy and son, was pulling at his hair as he read the book. He’d much rather join in on the adventure bandwagon; that’d be a lot less of a headache…
“Lord Proxy! Here are the documents you need to review today! I’ve separated the ones needing just your signature, but just in case, please double-check these personally and sign! And these are documents from Ohenny, Proshell, Provia, Cahen, and L’Puye!”
“Can I just quit being the Duke’s proxy?”
“No, you can’t!”
“Yes, ma’am…”
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