chapter-3

 Don Quixote was becoming more and more popular, and so were the pirated versions that plagiarized it. It was no longer just a matter of stealing the plot; now, there were even bizarre stories being written with Don Quixote as the main character, labeled as "Don Quixote Part 2."

The lack of respect for the original work was worse than any hate mail I had received in my previous life. The market was flooded with these shameless imitations, and I had no choice but to abandon my plans to release Don Quixote Part 2. If I didn't, the name of Don Quixote would be tarnished beyond repair.

I visited the publishing company, Kindersley, with the manuscript for Don Quixote Part 2. They had published the first part, and thanks to its success, they had grown significantly.

"Author!"

"Ah, yes. Ms. Kindersley. The company has grown quite a bit, hasn't it?"

"All thanks to you, author! Please, come inside─."

Dorling Kindersley, the young CEO of Kindersley, was waiting for me. She was not only a successful businesswoman but also a talented editor. She had even proofread the first part of Don Quixote, which I had written based on the original work.

"The work of Homeros is divine! It's a masterpiece that will go down in history!"

She spoke with the same enthusiasm as my brother Eric.

"Even the borderlands of Variag have sent fan letters! But don't worry, we've stored them all in our top-of-the-line magic vault!"

I couldn't help but wonder if it was really necessary for the publisher to be so immersed in the work. But then again, Don Quixote was no ordinary work. It had the power to captivate people on its own.

"Well, I'm here to give you something to put in that vault."

"...What?"

I handed her a thick envelope.

"It's the manuscript for Don Quixote Part 2."

"Huh?!"

Dorling took the envelope with trembling hands and fainted. I thought she was just shocked, but she had actually passed out from the excitement. Even as she fainted, she had a smile on her face.

"Ms. Kindersley, please wake up. It's not a dream."

"Huh? Did I faint? I must have had a dream about the manuscript for Don Quixote Part 2 being released already..."

I pointed to the envelope in her arms.

"No, it's not a dream."

"Huh?!"

Dorling let out a scream of joy.

"I'll lock up all the employees in the company until it's released!"

"That won't be necessary..."

She was a scary CEO.

"You really love your job, don't you?"

"I thought about giving up the business and moving to the countryside a few months ago, but when I met 'Don Quixote,' I realized that I had been running this publishing company to bring this great work to the world. Don Quixote is my Bible, and you are my savior."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration..."

"Is it?"

Dorling opened the safe in her office and placed the envelope inside. The safe was filled with fan letters for me.

"These are all fan letters for you."

"There are quite a few..."

"In a week, there will be twice as many. Is that still an exaggeration?"

"It's a bit scary..."

"Your book is treated like a Bible."

"No..."

I couldn't help but laugh at the envelope in Dorling's hand. If Don Quixote Part 1 had this much impact, what would happen when Part 2 was released? I couldn't even begin to imagine.

"That's really scary..."

Dorling's face turned red with excitement.

"Can I get excited? Can I be thrilled? My heart is pounding just thinking about it... I want to tear open this envelope right now and see what's inside..."

"Please wait until I leave."

"When are you leaving? Do you have other business to attend to?"

She was a peculiar person.

As I left the office, I could hear Dorling's rough breathing from the other side of the thick wooden door.

A nuclear bomb had been dropped on the capital.

It was called Don Quixote Part 2.

"Give me a copy of Don Quixote Part 2!"

"Hey, no cutting in line! Don't push me!"

People flocked to buy the "real" Don Quixote Part 2, published by Don Quixote's publishing company, not the shoddy pirated versions that had been circulating.

Among them were even nobles who had sent their servants or disguised themselves to buy the book as soon as possible. It was a testament to the immense power of Don Quixote that even the nobles, who were like gods of materialism, were willing to move their own feet for a few hours to read the book earlier.

But the truly bizarre events happened afterwards.

People who had bought the book started giggling, and by the time they closed it, they were sobbing.

"I'll shit on the publishing company if the ending is crap!"

But no one did. Instead, they laughed and cried, and the city became even more chaotic.

"Let's mourn Don Quixote! Let's all go crazy like he did, who lived like a madman and died in his right mind! Let's all dream!"

Don Quixote had poisoned the empire with the ultimate poison: immersion.

And there was no antidote.