“Bwahahahaha!”

 

“Ahahahaha!”

 

“Kyahahaha!”

 

…You crazy lunatics—!!

 

It had been roughly three days since I unleashed the Charlie Chaplin-style farce upon the world through the Geloruscina Theater.

 

With laughter echoing from all directions, it felt like I was genuinely losing my mind.

 

Was this what it felt like to be locked up in Arkham Asylum, in a cell next to Joker and Harley Quinn?

 

The incessant giggling, as if they were all infected with Joker venom, was giving me a headache.

 

But the real problem wasn’t the fellow students I encountered on campus.

 

“Ahahahaha! My stomach hurts! I’m dying! This is too funny!”

 

“Just die already then, from laughing!”

 

Maurice, after his trip to the theater, had been rolling around in bed all day, howling with laughter.

 

Even when I kicked him in frustration, he showed no signs of stopping.

 

With my own roommate acting like this, I was starting to hear things.

 

Auditory hallucinations of someone laughing so hard they choked to death…

 

“Huff, huff, cough, cough…”

 

…Not hallucinations, apparently.

 

“Breathe, you idiot! If the heir to the House of Lavalle dies from laughter, think of the disgrace it would bring upon your family!”

 

Of course I understood. Charlie Chaplin was a comedic god.

 

Especially <The Gold Rush>, my favorite. I could watch it dozens of times and never get bored. Just imagining Big Jim, driven mad by hunger, trying to eat Charlie Chaplin was enough to send me into fits of laughter.

 

But there had to be a limit, didn’t there?

 

To make matters worse, Maurice wasn’t the only one severely affected.

 

“Um, Senior Rosalyn?”

 

“S-Sorry, Balthazar, heh! Focus… I need to focus… heeheehee!”

 

“…Maybe we should call it a day? The rest of our team members are also skipping today to go to the Geloroushina.”

 

Senior Rosalyn was trying so hard to stifle her laughter that she was practically sobbing.

 

Seeing her struggle was so pitiful that I decided to end our meeting for the day.

 

This was a group project for a liberal arts class that I was leading as team leader.

 

With even Senior Rosalyn, my best hope and partner, in this state, there was no hope for this project.

 

Rosalyn, having reached her limit, bowed her head apologetically and fled.

 

“Sorry, Balthazar—hic! I’ll… I’ll organize my part, heeheee! I’ll… I’ll send it to you by tomorrow—hahaha!”

 

“S-Sure. Take your time.”

 

I had experienced my fair share of group projects being ruined by freeloaders in my past life.

 

But a group project being derailed by uncontrollable laughter – that was a first.

 

And I couldn’t even scold my team members because I, the team leader, was the one responsible for the laughter in the first place.

 

As a result, I found myself sitting alone at a table, sipping freshly brewed coffee, while helplessly listening to the laughter of students echoing like background music.

 

‘…Should I cancel the contract for the sequels?’

 

<City Lights>, a heartwarming romance between a blind girl and a wandering protagonist.

 

And <The Circus>, a bittersweet masterpiece, despite its melancholic ending.

 

I had promised to deliver them one after another, but the thought of their potential impact sent shivers down my spine. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the capital might come to a standstill because of excessive laughter.

 

‘This won’t do.’

 

I had to find a way out of this situation.

 

As the old saying goes, ‘He who tied the knot must untie it.’

 

It was Balthazar Arture who unleashed this laughter hell upon the Empire.

 

Therefore, I had to be the one to put an end to it.

 

‘Should I write a devastatingly sad story? Something so heart-wrenching it would make people sob uncontrollably?’

 

There were plenty of historical figures who led tragic lives.

 

Vincent van Gogh, who struggled with mental illness throughout his life. Frida Kahlo, an icon of misfortune. Ivan the Terrible, driven to madness by childhood abuse.

 

But I quickly abandoned that idea. It felt like trying to chase away wolves only to invite tigers in.

 

‘What if, instead of a laughter bomb, I set off a tear gas bomb? Could I handle that?’

 

Any emotion, taken to the extreme, could be harmful.

 

Suppressing laughter with another emotion wasn’t a fundamental solution.

 

I needed a more ingenious approach to calm this chaotic situation.

 

‘Besides, I couldn’t break my contract with the Geloroushina to write the Charlie Chaplin series.’

 

Racking my brain for a solution,

 

“……….…!”

 

An idea struck me.

 

An idea sparked by an anecdote about Charlie Chaplin himself, the protagonist and creator of these plays.

 

✧❅✦❅✧

 

“…A Phantom impersonation contest?”

 

“To be precise, it’s a contest where people impersonate characters from Phantom’s plays. We’ll rank them and give a prize to the best impersonator.”

 

Mr. Renoir and Isabella had gathered to hear my proposal for a ‘big event’.

 

Looking at them, I explained my idea for a fan contest with sincere enthusiasm.

 

“Hmm? Impersonating characters from plays? That’s a rather interesting idea.”

 

“I’m in favor. Strike while the iron is hot. There’s no harm in holding such an event when Phantom’s works are so popular.”

 

“But who decides the winner? Should the actors be the judges?”

 

“The ranking will be determined by a vote after the contest. We’ll allow those who simply want to watch, in addition to the participants, to vote as well.”

 

“Ooh, letting the audience act as judges?”

 

“You’re good, Phantom. You could make a successful career as an event planner.”

 

Fortunately, both theater managers seemed receptive to my suggestion.

 

I finally felt a wave of relief wash over me.

 

‘The best way to combat hype is with even bigger hype.’

 

The laughter bomb had already exploded.

 

If I couldn’t defuse it, I had to cover it up with an event that would excite all of Phantom’s fans.

 

An event where fans would cosplay as characters from Phantom’s plays,

 

and the winner, the most impressive cosplayer, would be awarded a one-on-one meeting with Phantom.

 

‘There’s a similar anecdote about Charlie Chaplin, if I recall correctly.’

 

One day, sometime between 1915 and 1920,

 

Charlie Chaplin stumbled upon a ‘Charlie Chaplin impersonation contest’ in the suburbs.

 

On a whim, he decided to participate incognito.

 

After all, he was Charlie Chaplin himself. Who could possibly impersonate him better than he could?

 

And, ironically, Charlie Chaplin didn’t win the contest.

 

A nameless fan had, surprisingly, captured his character essence better than he could.

 

‘Of course, I don’t know if the story is actually true.’

 

The exact year of the contest was unknown.

 

The specific location of the contest was unknown.

 

And even the actual ranking Chaplin achieved was inconsistent across various sources.

 

Some say he came in third, while others claim he placed twentieth.

 

Whether the tale about Chaplin’s impersonation contest is true or not, does that really matter? What’s important was that I could apply this story to turn a crisis into an opportunity.

 

‘Because I will be among the participants as well!’

 

A one-on-one fan meeting? Why would I put myself through that ordeal?

 

It would be a disaster if some crazed fan tried to rip off my mask.

 

The advertised fan meeting was nothing but bait.

 

Winning the contest under the guise of Balthazar Arture and preventing the meeting from taking place is my real ploy.

 

Even though Charlie Chaplin himself had failed, I was confident in my own success.

 

I was a reincarnator from a world where Yi Sun-sin, Caesar, and Charlie Chaplin were all historical figures.

 

My accumulated experience alone put me leagues ahead of these ordinary people in this world.

 

✧❅✦❅✧

 

“A character impersonation contest?”

 

“So we just have to imitate a character from Phantom’s plays?”

 

The news of the contest spread through the academy as quickly as news about Phantom’s new plays.

 

The eyes of the students lit up with excitement.

 

Not only was this a golden opportunity to cosplay as characters from the plays of their beloved playwright…,

 

…but the winner would be granted a one-on-one fan meeting with Phantom!

 

Phantom, who had remained hidden in the shadows since their grand debut with <Admiral Lee>, was a figure shrouded in mystery.

 

They were known to have ignored even a request for a meeting from a Duke.

 

And so, the Bronde Academy, which had been consumed by laughter for a while, was now under the sway of a new obsession — Cosplay.

 

“I’m going to be Admiral Lee! I called it first, so no one else can have him!”

 

“You wish! I’ll be Admiral Lee!”

 

“Heh heh, will I finally get to be Caesar?”

 

“I’m the best at impersonating Chaplin! The victory is mine, you pathetic amateurs!”

 

The students were buzzing with excitement, choosing their cosplay characters.

 

As I had intended, the capital was finally able to take a break from the laughter hell as everyone focused on preparing for the competition.

 

And the one who was most excited about this news was none other than Rosalyn Wenford.

 

“A… a one-on-one meeting… with Phantom…!”

 

The Duchess of Wenford muttered these words, her hands trembling.

 

Seeing her friend’s severe case of fan-girl fever, Crown Princess Diana sighed.

 

“Take a deep breath, Rosalyn. You’re going to spill your drink.”

 

“A meeting… a meeting… one-on-one with Phantom…!”

 

…She had truly gone off the deep end.

 

Diana chuckled softly, watching her friend, whose passion for Phantom was unmatched in the entire academy.

 

 Of course, the Crown Princess understood.

 

She knew how desperately Rosalyn longed to meet Phantom.

 

How eager she was to convey her heartfelt feelings to the playwright.

 

Under normal circumstances, Diana would have gladly cheered Rosalyn on.

 

She would have even offered support behind the scenes to help her friend win.

 

But this time, Diana herself found it hard to willingly concede the victory.

 

“Let’s participate together, Rosalyn.”

 

“Huh?!”

 

“You and me. Let’s have a friendly competition. To see who understands Phantom’s world better, who can portray their character more convincingly.”

 

That cheeky, elusive playwright who had blatantly ignored her fan letter.

 

Diana pouted slightly, picturing their appearance, which was still a mystery to her.

 

Even if there’s a winner, that person won’t reveal their face.’

 

Someone who had been so meticulous in concealing their identity wouldn’t suddenly decide to show their face now.

 

That person would surely attend the fan meeting in disguise.

 

Wearing a mask or a hood to hide their features.

 

‘But that’s enough.’

 

She had been trying to deduce Phantom’s true identity for a long time, but there was always a lack of decisive information.

 

To truly unveil who that person was, she needed to observe their impressions up close.

 

And this contest would be the perfect stepping stone for that.

 

“Are you disappointed, Rosalyn? That I’m competing and not giving you the opportunity?”

 

She asked tentatively, worried she might have hurt Rosalyn’s feelings.

 

However, Rosalyn’s reaction was the complete opposite of what she had expected.

 

“No, not at all. In fact, it’s the opposite.”

 

Rosalyn shook her head side to side, smiling.

 

But it was different from her usual gentle, elegant smile.

 

It was a determined smile, blazing with pure competitiveness and a strong will to win.

 

“I’m actually thrilled. It means that my best friend, Diana, adores Phantom’s plays just as much as I do. You have no idea how wonderful it feels to share the same taste with someone as amazing as you, Your Highness.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“So, I’m not going easy on you. Be prepared, Diana. I’m going to win this.”

 

“Heh heh, alright. Good luck, Rosalyn.”

 

Diana gracefully rested her chin on her hand, accepting the Duchess’s challenge with a knowing smile.

 

Her gesture was filled with the poise befitting a princess, truly dignified like someone who would someday become an empress.

 

In fact, Diana had already picked a character for the contest the moment she heard about it.

 

The beloved of Caesar, the protagonist of <Julius Caesar>.

 

Just like the princess herself, she was a woman of grace, charm, and wisdom – the Queen of Egypt.

 

— End of Chapter —

 

Author’s Note :-

 

As with most anecdotes from times when communication media were not well-developed, it is difficult to verify the truth behind Charlie Chaplin’s contest participation story.

 

Often, non-existent events were fabricated into rumors and spread, and newspapers frequently circulated such rumors without verification.

 

Due to this, the exact rank Charlie Chaplin achieved in the contest varies across different sources.

 

In South Korea, information that he finished 3rd is widely circulated on the internet.

 

However, a 1920s article from Singapore’s The Straits Times reported that he placed 20th.

 

Furthermore, articles from the same year from New Zealand’s Poverty Bay Herald and the following year from Australia’s Albany Advertiser indicated that he finished 27th.

 

So, was there really a Charlie Chaplin impersonation contest?

 

Whether it is merely an urban legend or a slightly distorted truth remains a matter for the imagination.