The genre of hardboiled fiction starts from a contradiction.

A life of weariness and hardship, contrary to the bright future blaring in propaganda, breeds distrust and skepticism toward humanity. As these contradictions deepen, people tend to stop thinking deeply.

When that happens, novels that smash through with refreshing vigor become all the rage.

“At least they’re refreshingly straightforward!”

“I never expected hardboiled to become fashionable all of a sudden.”

“Lord Ed, what’s hardboiled?”

“It’s a genre where problems are solved through violence.”

“I’ve never heard of that.”

“Yeah, I just made it up.”

Calling this hardboiled was a stretch; it was closer to mere violence. It was just a matter of smashing things without thinking about solving anything.

He shelved the book he was holding.

Mad Hammer

Hammett’s Revenge

The Swordsmen of Ariant

The bookshelf was filled with violent narratives similar to what he had just read. Most were cheap, poorly printed short stories. For the price of one  Don Quixote, you could buy two hundred of these.

It seemed the surprisingly advanced printing technology in this world had popularized these violent tales, reminiscent of trends from the early 20th century.

That was another unexpected twist.

“Looks like you don’t like something about them.”

“No, well, I guess trends like this aren’t all bad…”

These low-quality short stories could be breezily read and consumed. Given that pulp fiction helped establish the foundation for genre fiction fandom, being popular was never really a downside.

The problem was…

“They’re just not fun.”

“Definitely, compared to the novels you’ve written, they seem lacking.”

“No, they’re even less entertaining than knightly literature.”

It was just crass and sensational.

Robbery, murder, rape, violence—you name it, it was all crammed in there. I questioned whether there was even a thought to craft a “story.”

It was like someone translated gore porn into text.

With content that only provoked discomfort, this trend couldn’t last long. To truly flourish, it needed a “standardized plot.”

“From now on, don’t bring back such cheap shorts.”

“Got it.”

“Oh, but if you find something you think is ‘fun,’ bring it anytime. I might write a novel suitable for pulp fiction later…”

“Do you have a new project in mind?”

“I have a few ideas, but it’s still too early.”

More importantly, the results of the ‘fanfiction contest’ he was preparing for had to be announced first.

The outcome of this contest was crucial for his plans to unfold.

“Sion. Pack up. Oh, and be sure to grab the ‘medications’ stored separately.”

“Understood.”

Sion began placing the medications into the bag one by one.

Thanks to the impact protection magic on the bag, he didn’t have to worry about glass bottles breaking. The bottles were tough, being made through alchemy in the first place.

“Ah, Sion, could you hand me one of those medications?”

“Yes?”

After a moment of hesitation, he opened the lid of a glass bottle and swallowed the medication in a gulp.

“Ugh, damn, that’s painful… Doesn’t it get any easier after the second time?”

“Lord Ed?”

“I thought it might be better than what’s coming my way.”

For now, things might be alright, but later on, there could be trouble connected to his novels.

The last thing he needed was a “Why did you kill Holmes?” kind of mess.

It might be best to keep ‘Homer’ and ‘Ed’ separate. A few already knew his face, but with no social media in this world, it was manageable.

“Alright. Let’s go, Sion.”

It was time to meet the contest winners.

* * *

“Kyaa! Is it really ‘Homer,’ the author, coming to present the awards?”

“How should I act? I’m so nervous…”

“I’ll ask him for an autograph on my book… Oh, maybe a handshake too…?”

The auditorium where the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fanfiction contest awards ceremony was underway buzzed with excitement.

Everyone there was a fan who participated in the contest, driven by the single-minded wish to meet the author ‘Homer.’

“Is it really okay for me to follow you? There won’t be any magical attacks, right?”

“It’s fine! Winners are allowed to bring up to two companions.”

“Oh… Thank you. Seriously. Having you as my friend is the biggest luck in my life…”

Among literary enthusiasts, the name ‘Homer’ was virtually divine.

A prodigy who had dominated the high society of nobles with his debut work ‘Don Quixote’, and a creator who gave life to the charming characters of ‘Jekyll’ and ‘Hyde’ with his work ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.’

“I absolutely adore Hyde…”

“I prefer Jekyll. He seems a bit vulnerable, which makes me want to protect him? Plus, he’s quite gentlemanly.”

“Ah, I know what you mean!”

Especially ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ was a hit among women.

The cultured and kind yet precarious Dr. Jekyll alongside the bad boy Hyde, who didn’t care about societal norms—these character traits resonated directly with female readers. Particularly, the ‘dual personality’ trait was irresistibly captivating to them since they weren’t immune to it.

Among the fans, there were noble daughters and heirs from prestigious families.

“Hehe, do you recognize what this is?”

“Is that… could it be the first edition of Part One of  Don Quixote? The one that’s no longer available for sale… how did you get that?”

“I intend to get an autograph from author Homer right here. Can you imagine how thrilling that would be?”

“…You’re not planning to sell it, are you?”

“Who’d be foolish enough to sell an invaluable treasure for money?”

“If you promised the development rights to the Prinen mines, then…”

“…Really? Are you serious?”

As if it were a social gathering, there were even under-the-table negotiations about rights happening.

Some of them were keeping each other in check.

“Could it be that you hired a ghostwriter?”

“Hardly. It’s a tremendous honor to even have my humble writings read by author Homer himself… Who’d commit such a disgraceful act?”

“That’s true.”

However, such scrutiny didn’t persist.

Unless there were irreconcilable differences in interpretation, fans of the same work tended to bond.

“Homer is like a god to me. I could never disrespect him like that.”

“Ah! I get it!”

So, Homer was a god-like figure.

With the advancements in mage engineering leading to a rise in apathetic individuals, Homer might even be more influential than a god these days.

“The award ceremony is about to begin! All awardees, please take your designated seats, and companions, please step back!”

“Ah, it’s about to start. What do I do?”

“Do I look okay? Do I look too pale? I should’ve gone to bed earlier last night!”

And so it was.

“Homer is entering for the award presentation!!!”

The ceremony, filled with worship and chaos, kicked off.

* * *

In the auditorium where the award ceremony was happening.

I was sitting in a small waiting room attached to the auditorium, waiting for my turn.

“Author, are you ready?”

“Oh, yes. Wasn’t there anything special I needed to prepare?”

“You might want to prepare mentally…”

“I’m just an award presenter, though.”

I wasn’t sure why any mental preparation was needed since I was just giving away an award, not receiving one.

For some reason, Ms. Dorling seemed a bit anxious.

“Lord Ed!”

“Yes, boss.”

“You shouldn’t be so relaxed right now…”

“Yes.”

“Ugh, you need to be more aware of your own influence.”

“And that’s why I changed my face, right?”

After drinking the potion, my appearance was a mix of my past and present lives, but it was hard to guess I was ‘Ed’ just by looking at me.

As I touched my face saying that, Dorling suddenly raised her voice in annoyance.

“That face is a problem too!”

“Really?”

“It’s too handsome!”

“Is that so…?”

Hmm.

Honestly, I think I might have become slightly more charming.

Doesn’t it give off the vibe of a handsome mixed-race actor you might think of? That’s exactly how I looked.

A blend of the best features from both my past and current life?

“If that’s the case, maybe it would’ve been better if you had shown up with your original face!”

“Are you implying my original face was ugly?”

“Your original face wasn’t ugly… It just had a harmless look.”

What does it mean to have a ‘harmless’ look?

I’m not even sure if it’s a compliment or an insult. Since it’s unclear, let’s consider it a compliment.

“Ah, it’s already my turn… Lord Ed! You know you’re next after me, right? You need to come out as soon as they call you!”

“Yes, yes.”

As Dorling went out to give her speech, the waiting room went dead silent in an instant.

Perhaps it was due to her stern warning, but I felt a bit anxious. I leaned back in my chair, waiting to be called.

Not my name, though.

– Author Homer is entering for the award presentation!!!

As the name of one of the greatest authors in history was announced, I opened the door to the dark waiting room.

Beyond the door, bright lights were shining.

“Kyaaaaaaaah─!!!”

“Waaaaaaaah!!!”

There were people cheering.

In that moment, overwhelmed by the applause, I went dazed. Everyone in that room was looking only at me.

Ah.

So this is why the boss told me to mentally prepare.