The original speech calling for struggle and liberation was changed to one advocating reconciliation, love, and forgiveness.

 

“Senior Rosalyn? Are you alright?”

 

“Oh? Ah, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.”

 

Rosalyn Wenford, strolling through the academy grounds with Balthazar, suddenly snapped back to reality at her junior’s call.

 

“What were you so deep in thought about? Is something troubling you again?”

 

“No, not at all. Just something on my mind.”

 

Rosalyn replied with a bright, cheerful smile and clasped her hands behind her back.

 

Balthazar, who was always by her side, protecting her from scheming men, was a kind and thoughtful junior. Yet, even to him, there were worries she couldn’t share.

 

‘Could Diana be right?’

 

Was it possible that the playwright Phantom was a fellow Bronde student?

 

The speculation her best friend shared at Blanc Les Joies was stuck in her head.

 

The Crown Princess had presented two pieces of evidence.

 

Firstly, the unique vocabulary evident in Phantom’s scripts.

 

According to Diana’s observations, there was a distinct pattern in the words Phantom used.

 

They were advanced vocabulary words that Bronde Academy students learned to cultivate their refinement as gentlemen and ladies of high society; expressions that were rarely used in everyday life or social settings, but mandatory within the walls of Bronde, appeared in fragmented forms throughout his work.

 

And secondly, the fact that Phantom deliberately concealed their identity.

 

If Phantom wasn’t from the upper class, there would be no reason to hide their identity.

 

If wealth and fame were their sole objectives as an artist, it would be more advantageous to reveal themselves and bask in the spotlight.

 

The fact that they were so adamant about remaining anonymous suggested they were likely concerned about being seen associating with actors, who were considered to be of a lower social standing.

 

Combining these reasons, there was only one conclusion to draw.

 

‘She must be right. Diana’s always been sharp.’

 

But if that’s the case, who exactly could it be?

 

She had spent the past few days observing students with artistic talent, suspicion swirling in her mind.

 

However, not a single individual convinced her to be the one.

 

And as she struggled to reach a clear conclusion—

 

“Balthazar?”

 

“Yes, Senior?”

 

“Perhaps… Phantom has lost someone dear to them.”

 

“…What makes you say that?”

 

Rosalyn, unable to contain her thoughts, finally voiced her speculation.

 

“I just have a feeling. The sorrow of Admiral Lee, who lost his mother during the war, and the grief of Caesar, who lost his daughter during the Gallic Wars… there’s a depth of emotion in their writing that could only come from experiencing loss firsthand.”

 

Admiral Lee’s sorrow for his mother, who died of illness while coming to visit him while he was forced to serve as a common soldier, stripped of his rank.

 

Julius Caesar’s grief for his daughter, Julia Caesaris, who died in childbirth.

 

Both roles showcased an emotional depth that seemed impossible to create from nothing.

 

Rosalyn could empathize well with that sadness. After all, she was a daughter who had almost tragically lost her father, Sir William Wenford.

 

And so, Rosalyn arrived at a conclusion.

 

“Perhaps… Phantom has already lost their mother. That’s why they were able to capture the grief of losing a mother or a daughter so vividly. What do you think, Balthazar?”

 

“…..…”

 

“Balthazar? What’s wrong? You look pale.”

 

“No, it’s just… Saying someone’s mother has passed away… it feels a bit…”

 

“Hmm? Why?”

 

Without realizing it, Rosalyn had inadvertently pronounced the death of Balthazar’s very much alive mother. And not understanding the origin of his troubled expression, she looked at him with an innocent face.

 

At that moment,

 

“Urgent news! Urgent news!”

 

An academy student came running from the other side, out of breath.

 

He shouted loudly, his voice reaching every student nearby—

 

“News about Phantom’s new play! Premiering this coming Monday! Not at the Killgrewber Theater Company, but at the Geloroushina Public Theater!”

 

✧❅✦❅✧

 

<Chaplin’s Comedy>, the localized version of Charlie Chaplin, had an explosive impact on society.

 

However, this impact was neither grand nor revolutionary.

 

It didn’t inspire the courage of soldiers like <Admiral Lee>.

 

Nor did it reform the mindsets of politicians like <Julius Caesar>.

 

Instead, Charlie Chaplin’s brand of comedy brought a far more fundamental and concrete change—

 

It brought laughter.

 

“Pfft, hehe…!”

 

“Snort, heh!”

 

“We are in the middle of a lecture. Please be quiet.”

 

The professor, who was drawing elemental magic formulas on the blackboard, reprimanded the students.

 

The students immediately clamped their mouths shut, trying to contain their laughter.

 

Yet their efforts were in vain.

 

“Pfft!”

 

“Heh! Hehehe…!”

 

This time, it was a different part of the lecture hall that erupted in giggles.

 

And when everyone in the classroom instinctively realized what had caused the laughter—

 

“Bwahahaha!”

 

“Ahahahaha! Hahaha!”

 

“Heehee, huh, hah…”

 

The sacred hall of learning was instantly transformed into an arena of infectious mirth.

 

Seniors and juniors, male and female students, all joined in.

 

Even the professor, who was initially annoyed, found himself succumbing to the infectious laughter, recalling Chaplin’s antics.

 

This change was not limited to the academy.

 

People all across the empire were bursting into laughter.

 

Even sworn enemies who had been at each other’s throats until recently were now bursting into laughter at the sight of one another.

 

“Ha ha ha, I apologize for back then. I was too narrow-minded, wasn’t I?”

 

“Heh heh, no, I’m the one who behaved selfishly. I’m sorry too.”

 

“Mrs. Marx, please take some of these potatoes. It’s a token of my apology for what I said before.”

 

“Thank you. Mrs. Hans, please accept these turnips. I’m sorry for giving you the cold shoulder.”

 

Laughter transcended borders.

 

It had a power that went beyond age, gender, personality, and social status.

 

And at the heart of this laughter stood a mustachioed gentleman in a black bowler hat, cane in hand.

 

[Cheer up! Don’t talk about dying! We’ll get through this!]

 

‘Chaplin,’ the protagonist who appeared in all the <Chaplin’s Comedy> series, offered more than just cheap laughs. 

 

He offered much more than cheap laughs.

 

His delicate and warm depictions soothed the hard lives of the common people.

 

As a result, after a challenging day, people naturally began to find solace in bringing their ticket money to Geloroushina Theatre.

 

Watching <The Champion>, they cheered for the daring story of an ordinary man.

 

Watching <The Gold Rush>, they reveled in the protagonist’s hilarious success.

 

Watching <Modern Times>, they collectively imagined an uncertain but hopeful future.

 

But the work that exploded in popularity among people of all ages and social statuses was <The Great Mayor>.

 

[Those who spread hate enslave us while liberating themselves! Let us come together and fulfill the promises they made! Let us sing together to eradicate greed, hatred, and exclusion! Let us march forward together to create a world governed by common sense, a world where the advancements in magic and technology bring happiness to all!]

 

“Hahaha, well said!”

 

“Hey, young man! Don’t choke on your words like last time, hahaha!”

 

<The Great Mayor>, a reimagining of Charlie Chaplin’s timeless masterpiece, <The Great Dictator>, became a phenomenal success despite its liberal origins, thanks to Phantom’s clever adaptations.

 

[So, in the name of our benevolent Emperor, let us use that power! Let us achieve harmony!]

 

‘Hynkel’, the dictator, was now the Mayor Hynkel, governing the fictional city of ‘Tomania’.

 

The oppressed masses were now the citizens, suffering under the incompetent mayor.

 

The original speech calling for struggle and liberation was changed to one advocating reconciliation, love, and forgiveness.

 

And instead of advocating for democracy like the original, the play was tweaked to suggest that the citizens were suffering because they had elected a foolish, boastful leader through the democratic process of voting.

 

Hynkel’s real-life counterpart was Adolf Hitler, the dictator who had been elected by the democratic vote of the German people.

 

Phantom, knowing this, had cleverly reflected history and twisted the theme slightly.

 

This resulted in a sophisticated satire that maintained an acceptable level of propriety even by imperial standards. It was a performance that could be enjoyed without making anyone, commoners or nobles, excessively uncomfortable.

 

“Ha ha, that was fun today. See you tomorrow, my friend.”

 

“Indeed. You treated me today, so drinks are on me tomorrow.”

 

“Hey, how about we all go on a family picnic next time? It would be nice for the kids to have some fun.”

 

After watching a comedy, people surprisingly forgot all the day’s fatigue.

 

All those grudges and resentments, that pent-up frustration in their hearts, melted away.

 

The power to achieve unity, championed by the barber Chaplin, the protagonist of <The Great Mayor>.

 

That was the gift Phantom had bestowed upon the people of the Empire.

 

…Of course, this power also came with its fair share of side effects.

 

“S-So, pfft! The defense budget set by the Parliament for this year… snort!”

 

“The movements of barbarian tribes appearing at the border… ! gasp And the weapon systems of the Imperial Army … hahaha!”

 

“Hey! Get a hold of yourself! Do you think this council meeting is a joke?”

 

“I-I apologize, Your Excellency! I’m trying my best, but it’s Phantom’s new play— snort! That scene where the starving Big Jim mistakes Chaplin for a chicken and chases after him! Bwahahaha—!!”

 

“D-damn it! I was barely holding it in but now that you mentioned it ha-ha-snort!”

 

Laughter was breaking out not only in public administrative offices…,

 

…but even in council meetings discussing matters of state.

 

It was so severe that there were days when these meetings would adjourn with nothing but laughter achieved.

 

As the old saying goes, ‘Laughter is contagious.’

 

Phantom had unwittingly unleashed a laughter epidemic upon the empire.

 

And regrettably, there was no remedy to be found.

 

— End of Chapter —