episode_0075

In the Bible, angels are described as beings with many eyes.

An angel is an immaterial image that whispers holiness and a heavenly beast that represents God. In fact, it is difficult to give a single explanation because the descriptions and images are different in each Bible, but the basic point is that they are ‘representatives of the universe’.

and.

─Do not be afraid.

The angel I saw was a huge and numerous gaze made up of swirling letters and quiet stars.

Countless stars in the night sky at dawn were shining brightly even under the blue sky, looking down on the world. The overwhelming being that used the entire night sky as its ‘eyes’ was so large that it was not even enough to describe it as a giant, and was only captured by the imagination of the writers.

The universe distorted into the shape of a person was looking down at me.

─The transcendent figure of literature with the names of Homer, Herodotus, and Sophocles.

The world became quiet with the angel’s voice. The extreme stillness that I had never experienced even in the womb cooled down the always undulating time and allowed the moment to stagnate in this place.

The falling leaves, the wind that brushed my cheek, and the delusion that tickled my heart stopped in place, not daring to move.

Time stopped.

─Climb to the sky.

In a world where everything stopped, only the cosmic characters that made up the angels swam slowly.

It slowly circulated, forming a gigantic ladder connecting heaven and earth—perhaps a staircase.

It looked quite familiar to me.

In fact, it wasn’t that different from the escalators I commonly saw in my past life.

I thought there was no point in resisting the orders of a universal being, so I climbed Jacob’s Ladder. Then the surrounding scenery slowly but quickly began to move backwards and gradually accelerate.

The Earth moved away, the stars moved away, the galaxies moved away, and everything in the universe passed by at the speed of light.

like that.

When you pass through the darkness of space and feel that everything becomes bright again.

I am.

“Ah! Welcome. Did you have any inconveniences on the way here?”

“… I think it was a little uncomfortable.”

“Oops, sorry.”

There was a huge library with countless bookshelves stretching all the way to the horizon.

In a scenery that reminded me of the central library of the imperial capital, I called the name of the person who greeted me warmly.

“It’s been a while. Mr. Galen Lanyon.”

alchemist.

Gigi, who participated in the contest with a recipe for the so-called ‘Hyde potion’ – a medicine that makes the body match its inner self.

He greeted me.

“So where is this?”

“Well! How does it look?”

“Hmm, it looks like a library.”

“Then this is a library! Do I need further explanation?”

After thinking for a moment, I answered.

“… No.”

“Haha! He is also wise.”

“So, let’s say this is a library… Why was I called here?”

“That is for the sake of transcendence.”

“Yes?”

“First, let’s take it slow and talk while taking a walk.”

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As I walked around the library with the alchemist, I picked out each book from the bookshelf and read them.

All the books there were books I had read. Not just books I had read in ‘this world’, but books I had read in my past life, prints I had seen through e-books or genre novel platforms, and even articles I had read in online newspapers were all bundled up in books.

“Can you wait a moment?”

“No. Well, I’ve read them all.”

“That’s right! I think this space is very vicious in that it is filled with topics that the person likes, but in reality, everything is already known and there is nothing interesting about it. Haha!”

I put the book back on the shelf and looked back at the alchemist.

“I am in some immaterial and spiritual… I thought that a being that was transcendent and far beyond human perception would greet me.”

“If a being truly transcends everything, wouldn’t kindness also be transcendent? Talking at eye level with the other person is truly God’s consideration!”

“So angels are depicted by the shape of their eyes?”

“It seems that there was no other word to express the gaze other than ‘eyes’.”

The alchemist was smiling cheerfully as always.

Thanks to that, I wasn’t that anxious or uncomfortable. If this is ‘God’s consideration,’ then God might be quite a pleasant being.

The alchemist walked through the library and spoke kindly.

“You probably have a lot of questions, but… You have a lot of time here. Please ask questions one by one.”

“Hmm. First of all, what is transcendence?”

“It is used to catch lions in the Scottish mountains.”

Macguffin… It’s Hitchcock.

There was no MacGuffin, Hitchcock, or Scotland in this world.

Still, format is important in this case, so I decided to match it.

“There are no lions in Scotland?”

“Ah, then transcendence is nothing!”

“… Um, did this joke have any meaning?”

“It seems plausible, but it is not practical, yes. That’s right. Transcendence is nothing. Just think of it as a process in which a being who has already acquired a certain authority receives confirmation of that authority from God.”

“What is Heaven?”

“That’s something to ask the theologians. I am an alchemist.”

“What changes if your authority is confirmed by God?”

“All the possibilities in this world… Oh, do you know a little about magic?”

“I don’t know.”

“Simply put, there are countless possibilities in this world. Well, it looks like someone was toying with that possibility a bit. I don’t know if it’s a god or a human, but at least it’s a prank that was planned in advance even before this ‘universe’ was born.”

“What kind of prank is this?”

“Among the infinite possibilities, only the infinite possibility of the birth of the race called ‘human’ through the birth of the universe, the formation of stars, the emergence of living things, and the evolution of apes is limited. Among the universes with infinite possibilities, only the universe with infinite possibilities where ‘humans were born’ survived.”

“… … .”

“Transcendence exists as an extension of such ‘play’. Among the universes of infinite possibility, only the universe of infinite possibility where ‘Homer exists as the transcendent of literature’ survives.”

“The scale is so large that I can’t really feel it. So what changes?”

“You will get a glimpse into the future.”

“Yes?”

“Now you have arrived.”

The library that seemed to reach the horizon seemed to have an end, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of a huge wall.

The number 9 and 3/4 was written on the brick wall.

The alchemist who saw this was a little embarrassed.

“There was supposed to be a door here… Huh?”

“If this is the ‘Harry Potter’ I know, I can just go in.”

“Is this the door? That’s fascinating. Anyway, this is the area of the future.”

As I climbed over the wall, a library appeared, identical to the one I had passed so far, but with a slightly more modern appearance.

Typefaces that I would have read in the ‘future’ were placed on the bookshelf, such as newspapers from the future, books published in the future, and books that probably existed in places I have passed through so far.

“This is the future of all possibilities that ‘Homer, the transcendent of literature’ can reach. There are literally infinite possibilities—or, in the case of Homer, infinite novels! Most transcendental people live here for eternity. If you are a person who has delved into one thing to the limit and finally ascended to the sky, isn’t this a place you can’t possibly pass by?”

“… … .”

“So, now is the real point!”

The alchemist smiled brightly.

As always, he asked in a light tone.

“Would you like to enjoy the infinite possibilities here? Or would you rather go back to this world and live out the only possibility?”

“… … .”

hmm.

Certainly, this was an ideal place for me.

A place where an infinite number of novels exist.

Isn’t it literally no different from heaven? If I had just been reincarnated in this world, I would have chosen to live here.

To put it another way.

“… Let’s go back to this world.”

It means that ‘me now’ does not choose this place.

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The alchemist and I got on the escalator together.

Not to go up, but to go back down.

“Anticipating a newly published novel in front of a bookstore is one of the fun aspects of literature. I can’t stand spoilers… .”

“Hehe, is that so?”

“Yes. Yes. But Mr. Alchemist, how did you come to transcend?”

“Well, I have completed the elixir of immortality, which is an alchemist’s long-cherished wish! At that time, I was greeted by a person called the ‘Transcendent of Dragon Slayer’, and the reason why he killed the dragon was really ridiculous.”

“What do you say is the reason?”

“I thought I could kill him, so I tried to kill him, but I was surprised that he actually died.”

“Huh.”

“Anyway, you’ll have a hard time when you get down to earth.”

“Yes?”

The alchemist took a potion from his chest and drank it.

He slowly turned transparent and smiled.

“You will probably suffer for hundreds of years.”

With those words, we returned to the present world.

and.

“Homer and Herodotus are the same person?! Sophocles?!”

“Long live the transcendent of literature! Long live the saint of literature!”

“Then Homer… Did he write a recommendation for his novel?! What great confidence!”

There was chaos on the ground.

It seemed that the angel’s voice was heard throughout the earth.

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“As expected, author Homer is amazing!”

“Ho, the author of Homer was Herodotus? Well, then… Oh, wasn’t the fact that you published ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ serialized at the same time as the student magazine serialized at the academy to harass us?”

“Don’t be stupid! The author of Homer deliberately forced us into competition for our growth!”

“Well, is that right?”

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“Hello… .”

“Uh, Chief Wizard?”

“The magic tower’s teleport gate is connected to this place… Is it okay to build a magic tower here? ?”

“This is my house.”

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“Homer Venerable Gyeongja. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Ah, yes. Cardinal Garnier.”

“Exactly, could you please leave a record of your eyewitness account of the angel? This is because the Vatican’s archives are so passionate about it.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

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“Chii, isn’t that too much?”

“Yes?”

“Sophocles! You published it in Haren, not the Empire, right? I also sponsored… .”

“… Sorry.”

“Hehe, just kidding! Still, the author is a person of the empire. That means he is also a person of mine.”

“Yes?”

“Please be careful in the future.”

“… Yes.”

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“The kingdom is in chaos now because of you.”

“Yes. Your Majesty the Eternal King.”

“Tsk, I’d rather just call him Sloth King. Anyway, it looks like the officials were quite shocked to learn that you were in fact Homer and Herodotus.”

“Is that so?”

“Ugh. There are a lot of your fans among them.”

“Yes?”

“So you ask me to get your autograph.”

“… … .”

“… Don’t look at me like that.”

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“… Was it fun?”

“Huh?”

“Was it fun to hide the fact that I was Homer from myself and listen to me praising Homer? .”

“Uh, no. I didn’t really mean to do that.”

“Aren’t you secretly enjoying yourself while watching me praising Homer?”

“That can’t be possible.”

“Then that’s enough. I’ll go back.”

“… Did you come all the way from the Duchy of Carpeter to ask that question?”

“… Yes.”

“Since you’re here, why don’t you stay at the mansion? My father would also be happy if his nephew came.”

“… I can’t do it because I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Huh?”

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Anyway, although there was a big uproar, the situation gradually calmed down.

In the first place, it was not unusual for a writer to use multiple pen names. Transcending was a bit of a big deal… It wasn’t the first time in history either. Rather, the perception that it was closer to faith that ‘Homer’ could do that had increased a little more.

And personally… .

“Hmm, this might be better.”

Since transcending, I have been able to get a glimpse of the future ‘influence’ of the novels I plagiarized.

In the case of an alchemist, it is said that a recipe can be found without trial and error, but in my case, since I am a ‘plagiarist writer’ who only pursues literary development and not a real writer, ‘possibility’ seemed to be revealed in this way.

For a while, the foundation was run in a way that coordinated possibilities and minimized side effects as much as possible.

Shion was extremely worried because he couldn’t read the novel for a few days because he was busy with foundation work. Is it really something to worry about because I don’t read novels? ?

– “Senior? Are you not reading a book today?”

– “Ugh. I feel like my eyes are a little tired these days.”

– “… are you okay? It’s not something like cataracts or glaucoma, right?”

– “No, of course not. What a fuss.”

– “I can’t imagine my senior not reading a book because his eyes are tired… .”

– “Don’t imagine, just look ahead. It’s right in front of your eyes.”

hmm.

When I think about it, I think it was similar in my past life.

anyway.

So I organized a few things and visited the academy.

“Oh! Homer is the transcendent master of literature!”

“Homer, Herodotus, and Sophocles are the saviors of literature!”

“… Hehehe.”

“The writer Homer laughed!”

“You were smiling at me!”

“No! You heard my voice and smiled!”

This is shit.

In order to somehow clear the mood, I got straight to the point.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been planning to hold a literary contest through reader voting.”

“Are you competing together under a different pen name this time? ?”

“No.”

“… … .”

“This time, all writers will participate anonymously. I will also participate anonymously.”

“Yes?”

The whole empire is filled with excitement over the fact that he has now become a ‘transcendant of literature’.

Using this, we plan to be more active in the ‘revitalization of libraries’ and ‘revitalization of writing culture’ that we were preparing last time.

“In addition, we plan to allow everyone in the empire, not just academy students, to participate in the contest. The publication of all participating works is also guaranteed by the foundation I run.”

“… Yes?”

“In addition, we plan to display all ‘contest entries’ at the library operated by the foundation so that readers can more easily participate in voting.”

“… … .”

“Let’s compete with only the work.”

Revitalization of libraries, promotion of the foundation’s ‘public lending right’ policy, and publication support for aspiring writers are all achieved at once.

Do you want to read the works of Homer, the transcendent figure of literature?

If so, read all the works that participated in the contest. One of them is Homer’s work.

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[Call me Ishmael.]