Chapter 43: Jules Verne

After the awards ceremony ended.The two people who had been briefly kicked out for trying to duel were called back in. The reason for this was the curiosity as to why the two finalists, who had won the Excellence Award, suddenly started fighting.

“Why on earth did you start fighting at the awards ceremony?”

“Oh, Mr. Herodotus! Listen to me! This guy refuses to accept a clear and decisive outcome!”

“Aren’t you the one being unreasonable?!”

“A man should accept things like a man!”

“You should behave like an intellectual!”

“Ha! Is it intellectual to deny reality and act stubbornly?”

“It’s better than distorting facts to suit your whims!”

“You brat! Let’s duel!”

“Who do you think will run away? Duel it is!”

What was this?

The two men, raising their voices in argument, started challenging each other to a duel again.

In the end, I and the publishing staff had to step in to stop them.

After the two finally calmed down, we decided to call one of them separately to hear his story to prevent another fight.

“Calm down. So, what exactly is the problem that makes you two act like mortal enemies?”

“We had a contest.”

“A contest?”

“Yes! It was a contest to see who would score higher in this competition. And so we both received the Excellence Award.”

“Then isn’t it a tie?”

“How can there be a tie in a sacred duel? ‘Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius’—the outcome of a duel is determined by the Lord, and the fact that my name was called first at the awards ceremony is clear evidence that the Lord has chosen me.”

“Pardon?”

Uh, what was he talking about…? Well, maybe this was the average mindset of people in this world, but still.

It was often hard to understand the concepts in a world where God was an actual entity.

“So, um, what did you say your name was?”

“Hans.”

“Yes, Mr. Hans, your opinion is that since your name was called first at the awards ceremony, you won the contest?”

“That’s right.”

“But from the perspective of those who judged the works and hosted the competition, the order in which names were called has nothing to do with the scores of the works. Specifically, among those who received the same rank, that is, the Excellence Award. So, isn’t that a bit unreasonable…?”

“There are no ties in duels.”

“Hmm….”

“Him and I have had quite a few duels before, and there has never been a time when it ended in a tie.”

“What?”

Hans’ stance was firm.

Listening to him, it seemed that this wasn’t the first time they had engaged in such duels or contests. Each time, they somehow determined a winner, so there had never been a draw.

This time, their disagreement was due to the nature of the contest.

“Hmm… In that case, how about extending the competition a bit longer?”

“A competition?”

“Yes. The problem arose because both of you received the Excellence Award, which means it ended in a tie. So, wouldn’t it be best to have another contest in a way that both of you can accept?”

“Hmm….”

“As Hans suggested, if it is indeed his victory, wouldn’t the Lord reveal it this time as well?”

“Though I don’t particularly like it, if Mr. Herodotus sets up the stage, I will accept it.”

Perhaps this was a good outcome.

Since the means of competition was ‘literature’, it was ultimately beneficial for me to see new ‘literature’. If talented writers competed through their writing, it would only be advantageous from a reader’s perspective. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Then let’s call the other person as well.”

* * *

“Hans and…”

“Johann.”

“Yes, Mr. Johann. I heard the situation from Hans. You decided to compete through the results of the contest, correct?”

“Then you must have heard the background of how this competition came about.”

“Background?”

“Yes. I stated that Mr. Herodotus’ ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is superior as a detective novel, while Hans claimed that Mr. Homer’s ‘Father Brown’ is better than Sherlock Holmes. So, we decided to compete to see who had a better understanding of literature.”

“You scoundrel! If you say that, of course, Mr. Herodotus will give you more points! How cowardly!”

“Huh, did I say anything untrue? Your actions, spouting words that suit your taste without explaining the background, are more cowardly!”

The two of them started raising their voices and arguing again.

Fearing they would start fighting again, I hurriedly intervened.

“Come on, calm down, both of you. I also think Mr. Homer’s ‘Father Brown’ is an excellent work. I understand that Hans didn’t mention this to me to maintain fairness in evaluation. But since it has come to this, it will be difficult for me to guarantee fairness…”

Pretending to ponder with my eyes closed for a moment, I nodded as if I had a good idea and continued.

“How about asking Mr. Homer to help evaluate the works as well?”

“Mr. Homer?”

“Yes, I have a bit of personal acquaintance with him.”

“Good! If it’s him, he will evaluate the works fairly and objectively!”

“Hans, are you implying that Mr. Herodotus did not evaluate the works fairly?”

“You scoundrel! That’s not what I meant! Mr. Herodotus, please don’t listen to that snake’s words!”

“Yes, yes. It’s okay, please calm down…”

After all, both Homer and Herodotus are me.

So, those two originally had no reason to fight. Both Father Brown and Sherlock Holmes were masterpieces, after all.

Of course, I had no intention of telling them that.

If this misunderstanding and conflict drove them to immerse themselves in writing, it was something to be encouraged. Since the two seemed to frequently engage in duels, perhaps if they were to compete in literary endeavors periodically, it would ensure a steady supply of quality works.

“In ‘Sherlock Holmes X Arsène Lupin,’ both of you wrote detective novels… This time, I think it would be good to write something slightly different, yet related to the two works.”

“Fine! Whatever the novel is, I won’t lose to this fellow!”

“Ha! Who are you kidding?! I will perfectly write any novel!”

“I’m glad to see you both so enthusiastic. The theme of your competing novels will be— ‘adventure.’”

Arsène Lupin was a detective novel and an ‘adventure’ novel. Sherlock Holmes also gained popularity with the ‘Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ series.

In truth, the theme of adventure itself wasn’t new since it was commonly found in ‘chivalric literature,’ which dealt with the journeys of heroes.

“Good! I will show you that I am a far superior writer than this Hans fellow!”

“I will present a much more interesting work than this Johann guy!”

“Oh, and since the contestants for this competition are also myself and the author Homer, we will also write ‘adventure novels.’”

“Pardon?”

“You two can judge our novels.”

“…Pardon?”

However, the adventure genre I intended to spread in this world was a bit different.

The ‘Conan Saga’ could be considered an ‘adventure novel’ due to its nature as a ‘heroic fantasy,’ but the core of heroic fantasy was ultimately the ‘hero,’ not the ‘adventure.’

The ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ was also a grand revenge drama set against the backdrop of the world, so it could be called an ‘adventure novel,’ but its core was ‘revenge,’ not ‘adventure.’

The same applied to chivalric literature and detective novels.

“I plan to attempt a serialized publication. An adventure novel series by Homer and Herodotus— doesn’t that sound interesting?”

I intended to propagate the ‘adventure’ genre in this world.

* * *

To discuss the history of adventure literature, we must go back to myths and chivalric literature represented by the ‘Hero’s Journey.’ However, in terms of adventure as a genre, we can refer to survival stories like ‘Robinson Crusoe’ and exploration tales like ‘Gulliver’s Travels.’

Exotic worlds far removed from everyday spaces. Secrets and mysteries hidden in various places. Such adventure stories blossomed in the late 19th century and have been consistently loved through various eras.

“Young master, I’ve brought the world map you mentioned. I’ve also gathered as many merchant memoirs and sailor testimonies as I could, along with relevant materials.”

“Oh, thank you.”

There was one author who represented such adventure literature. It was Jules Verne, who wrote ‘Two Years’ Vacation’ and ‘Around the World in 80 Days.’ I planned to borrow his works.

“This will take quite a bit of time to review and translate….”

In fact, I had already translated the original texts. ‘Two Years’ Vacation,’ ‘Around the World in 80 Days,’ ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,’ ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth,’ ‘From the Earth to the Moon’… I had translated them all.

The problem was that for adventure stories, historical accuracy couldn’t be ignored. While ‘Two Years’ Vacation,’ being a survival story, could somehow be managed, localizing ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ to fit this world’s culture and geography required too much time.

“…Besides, isn’t ‘teleportation’ possible in this world?”

Let’s put ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ on hold for now. So what’s left?

“Alright. The exploration story will be ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.’”

‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.’

I’ve decided on you.