Chapter: 114
“Doe Jane…?”
“Yup. She chose that name herself. Was it rude in any way?”
“No… It’s customary for witches to select their own names. I’m quite pleased she used my surname…”
Well, I hadn’t specifically borrowed Mary Jane’s surname, but I nodded anyway.
Better to keep the peace, right?
Mary Jane also nodded sagely and gazed at Doe Jane.
“Then, we won’t need to take her to the witch’s village anymore. I can teach her some basic witchcraft… Of course, I’d take her if she really wanted to go…”
“Doe, how about it? Want to go to the witch’s village?”
Doe Jane seemed to ponder for a moment, letting out a soft groan as if caught in distress.
Then, she vigorously shook her head and shouted,
“No! I want to stay here and keep learning how to act!”
Doe Jane was indeed beaming while expressing her desire to learn acting, like someone who couldn’t live a single day without it.
It must have been a lesson from Howlen.
But at this very moment, the choice to wear that expression was hers and hers alone.
Mary Jane and I could only nod and agree.
.
.
.
There are numerous stories to tell about the success of “Peter Pan.”
For instance, just like “The Little Prince,” goods featuring Peter Pan and Captain Hook were produced and sold remarkably well among all ages, while Howlen and Doe Jane’s fantastic performances caused theaters across the empire to be packed to the brim.
And then there’s one more thing.
“That was a good story. ‘Peter Pan’. It made my heart tingle while reading, quite a struggle. Seriously, how can one come up with such a lovely story…?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Don’t you think it’s just a tad unfair?”
“Absolutely.”
Recently, my cousin Isollet had started visiting our place more frequently.
Given that we hadn’t seen each other for several years since childhood, her visits had really ramped up.
“So, what about that Doe Jane girl?”
“In acting classes with Howlen.”
“Is that so? What a bummer.”
It seemed like Doe Jane had caught Isollet’s fancy. Looking back, Isollet had mentioned her fondness for fairy tales and children more than once.
What would she think if she found out Doe Jane might actually be older than her?
I briefly wondered about that but decided against sharing it.
“Aren’t you overworking the talented kid?”
“Well, she wants to do it, so…”
“Then again, you don’t seem like the type to poke your nose into such things. Unless you just ignore her entirely…”
“…I do run a child welfare foundation, you know?”
Sure, I might be a tad neglectful, but I wasn’t the type to completely abandon a child.
Probably.
Well, I wasn’t entirely confident about that.
“Can you really say taking care of her is enough just by feeding and tucking her in? It could feel pretty desolate for a child without warmth and concern in their life. Ed, I think if you were to raise a child, you wouldn’t be a very good dad.”
“…But I’ll definitely read them fairy tales!”
“Well, that’s something, I guess.”
Isollet snickered and nodded at my feeble protest.
Then, in a gentle tone, she muttered something to herself.
“Sometimes, adults and children need different things, and it makes this world feel stark. At those times, I think it’d be nice if a world just for children—one they could see—could exist in reality. A fairy tale-like place… which doesn’t exist in this world, like Neverland. It’d be okay if children never had to grow up… though they shouldn’t end up losing their heads just because they become adults. Haven’t you ever thought that?”
“Uh?”
“I figure one day I’ll be taking care of a child myself… though I worry it might be a bit late already. Right, Ed? Since we’re both getting on in age, if we keep—”
“That’s it!”
I jumped from my seat and strode confidently over to Isollet.
She flinched as I approached, clearly startled.
“Isollet, I—”
“Y-yeah…?”
As I drew near, she instinctively recoiled, pressing back against the guest sofa.
But the sofa’s backrest only hugged Isollet a bit tighter, while I grabbed her shoulder and shouted with bright realization.
“W-Wait! What I was about to say is… of course, if it’s you, Ed, it’s fine—”
“—Let’s build a theme park!”
“…Huh?”
.
.
.
Previously, I had pondered the direction of literature’s development.
As media and culture evolved, literature, which was merely ‘text,’ gradually yielded its place to other forms of culture, leading to the possibility that a time might come, much like in past South Korea, when no one ever read literature.
I had proposed a few solutions to this issue.
A publishing-centered society where everyone becomes a writer, revitalizing library culture using capital, and expanding content like theater or film that originates from ‘literature.’
But I had forgotten the most important thing.
Ultimately, the ones who would drive future generations’ culture are ‘children,’ and literature should become a space where those children can unleash their imagination.
Children must love literature if it is to survive.
That’s why numerous fairy tales had been published in this world. “The Little Prince,” “Alice in Wonderland,” Andersen’s fairy tales, “The Wizard of Oz,” “Peter Pan”—all fairy tales. But if you have to read fairy tales to love them, isn’t that contradictory? Some kids don’t particularly like fairy tales, and I had no way to grab those kids’ interest.
I thought that was just a fact of life.
Given that I was merely a ‘plagiarizing writer,’ I deemed it impossible to do anything outside of literature.
How foolish of me.
“Honestly, I was such a fool.”
“Master?”
“I was sitting on my biggest asset all this time.”
Experiences, knowledge, lifestyle, information from the 21st century—
Since I had only focused on ‘literature,’ I hadn’t considered much else important outside of it. Yet, that was actually one of my greatest weapons.
I know what culture holds immense power.
I remember what makes children fall in love and what lures them into dreams and fantasies.
So I had to use it.
“With content power stronger than any Disney of previous lives, and yet I hadn’t considered using it…”
“…”
“Shion.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Contact those who helped with the last ‘Imperial Millennium Banquet.’ Then check on all the funds I can mobilize, as well as the personnel from the foundations, and organize them all for immediate use.”
“Understood.”
“And… look into any estates I could buy under my current status. If necessary, I’ll talk to my father and buy it under Count Frieden’s name.”
“Yes.”
I was thinking of building a massive theme park.
A wonderland where every child dreams every single night. A paradise they’ll try to visit during birthdays, Christmas, weekends, and holidays, begging their parents to take them.
A colossal city pouring forth all the content power I had as ‘Homeros.’
If such a theme park could come to exist, literature could transform into something more universal. No child dislikes amusement parks, and once deeply immersed in the world of the theme park, they’d likely grow curious about the literary universe as well. They’d be pestering their parents nightly to read them fairy tales as they dream of visiting the theme park.
“Ahh, heh heh… hee hee—!”
“…”
It was a perfect plan.
.
.
.
A few days later, I was summoned to the imperial palace.
To interrogate me about the reasons for purchasing the estate and gathering resources and personnel.
Hmm.
Why is that?
Lost in thought, I sat in the study, waiting in a daze until Princess Is came in, guarded by the royal guards.
“It’s been a while, Princess Is.”
“Huu…”
After sending the palace guards outside, Princess Is sat down in front of me, picking up the documents laid on the table and reading through them one by one.
“Let’s see… First, you’ve bought metals like iron, copper, and precious metals in bulk?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve also purchased explosives in large quantities…”
“Yup.”
“You evicted the tenants after supporting their moving costs? Then, hired people through the foundation to fill their spots?”
“Yep.”
“You’ve had meetings with bishops from the church ministers and sought support from demi-humans and merchants?”
“Sure did.”
“You’ve bought a large number of power devices from the Gray Mage Tower, and you’re also supporting the development of new aviation and transport devices.”
“Correct.”
“You’ve registered requests related to climate manipulation at the White Mage Tower…”
“Right.”
“You’ve also met with personnel from various towers like the Purple Tower, Blue Tower, and Black Tower, securing contracts for hundreds of mages.”
“Right on point.”
“You’ve arranged to produce leaflets stating ‘A New World is Opening’ at various printing houses and distributed them to numerous institutions connected to the foundation, including orphanages and schools?”
“Yes.”
The level of information the empire had was truly astonishing. How on earth did they figure all that out?
As I answered nonchalantly, Princess Is set the documents down, clearly overwhelmed.
“Are you planning a rebellion or something?”
“Nope.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Planning to create a theme park, actually.”
“…What’s a theme park?”