"Sniffle. To be honest, I’ve always been uncomfortable with how you students were so captivated by that playwright, Phantom,” Professor Frunel said, wiping away what seemed like tears.

"I used to think he was a jester, corrupting the souls of young people and leading them away from a life of purity. I thought he distracted students from what they should truly be learning and lured them into shallow and dangerous pleasures.”

He then raised The Dialogues high, ensuring everyone could see it, and declared solemnly, “But this book—this very book he wrote—has elevated my soul to a higher level. Oh, I have been enlightened. Phantom is not just a renowned writer, but a great sage, a true intellectual of our time."

Frunel, his voice filled with emotion, began enumerating all the perspectives that established Socrates as a great philosopher—an awareness of one’s own ignorance, the pursuit of true wisdom, and the exploration of objective truth and essence that could be universally agreed upon. He spoke of how Socrates’ focus on virtue, more important than wealth, status, or honor, and how such pursuits were undeterred even by death.

"And so," he continued, his tone shifting into a firm instruction, “I’m replacing this month’s assignments and quizzes with a reflection on The Dialogues. As proud students of Bronde Academy, I expect you to thoroughly interpret the profound intellect of both Socrates and the genius who brought him to life—Phantom.”

“What? Phantom wrote a book?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! I’m running to the bookstore as soon as this lecture is over.”

“Wait, no! I’ve got back-to-back classes today. Will it be sold out by the time I get there?”

The moment they heard about Phantom's new book, students immediately began planning how to get their hands on it, eyeing one another warily as if it were the fierce competition of course registration day. Seeing the atmosphere around him, Professor Frunel made an even more surprising declaration.

"You know what? Class dismissed! No lecture today. Go to the bookstore and buy The Dialogues. It’ll be more valuable than studying political history a hundred times over.”

...Is that something a political history professor should be saying?

Despite my disbelief, the students wasted no time. As soon as Frunel called for a break, they rushed out of the lecture hall.

"Move! I was here first!"

"Don’t push me, jerk!"

“Ah! Are you pulling my hair?!”

With chaos erupting all around, I found myself swept up in the crowd, accidentally dragged out of the classroom alongside Maurice.

Thus, The Dialogues spread throughout the entire student body of Bronde Academy, and the day came when we submitted our reflective essays to Professor Frunel.

“What the hell?!”

I was given a C- for supposedly failing to fully grasp the genius of the author of The Dialogues.

Meanwhile, Maurice smugly received an A+.

How can I, the actual author, be told I don’t understand my own genius?!

"Ahhh! Socrates, why?!"
First the cosplay competition, and now this! What’s wrong with the world?!

<><><><><><>

Phantom's The Dialogues, a Lesedrama written by the renowned playwright himself, became a massive hit, selling out in every bookstore across the capital.

Thanks to Plato’s literary flair, the text was easier to read than most other philosophical works, and with Phantom’s meticulous editing and adaptation, its readability and entertainment value skyrocketed.

Of course, not everyone immediately appreciated the value of The Dialogues. At first, readers found themselves scratching their heads at the inherent philosophical complexity.

...But the beauty of a Lesedrama is that it's both a book and a performance.

[Oh, great oracle of Delphi, is there anyone in Athens wiser than Socrates?]

[No. There is no one wiser than Socrates in all of Athens.]

Soon, readers naturally began taking on roles, performing scenes from The Dialogues.

Some did it while sitting on their couches at home, others while facing one another, and some even gathered at cafes. It became something akin to a psychodrama, with people rotating roles and experiencing the life of the philosopher firsthand.

And through this process, people’s thoughts began to deepen.

Socrates, traveling through Athens and challenging those who claimed to be wise, initially seemed like an old man nitpicking at every word. But people found themselves increasingly drawn to him.

"There's no one wiser than Socrates in all of Athens?"

“At first, I laughed it off, but what does that actually mean?”

"Isn’t it strange? How can simply knowing that you don’t know be considered such great wisdom?”

The concept of Socratic ignorance was slowly beginning to resonate.

Socrates’ teachings weren’t about claiming that people were ignorant or foolish. Instead, they encouraged meta-cognition, urging individuals to recognize and question their own understanding.

Through repeated dialogues and self-contradiction, people would eventually fall into aporia, a state of perplexity, which was an essential step toward true understanding.

[Dear citizens of Athens, the unexamined life is not worth living.]

Socrates likened himself to a gadfly stinging the great beast of Athens, and his probing questions were referred to as "maieutics"—the art of midwifery in birthing new ideas.

He believed it was his mission to provoke and annoy people, to awaken their rational faculties and encourage the exploration of truth.

And somehow, his mission was finding new life in this medieval fantasy world, far removed from the ancient Greece he had once called home.

[After my execution, a punishment far heavier than mine will soon await you.]

[Killing me will not rid you of criticism. True virtue lies not in oppressing others, but in perfecting oneself.]

Socrates, the old, bald philosopher, who embraced death to perfect his philosophy, had a profound impact on the people of this world.

The pursuit of virtue and a well-cultivated soul moved many, and by the end of his life, they were left with an indescribable sense of awe.

[Care for your soul. Commune with it. That is the beginning of rational selfhood.]

This emotional response quickly transformed into a wave of intellectual awakening, with people now eager to embody Socratic teachings.

In this fantasy world, where theology had stunted the development of philosophy, the gears of thought, rusted and frozen, slowly began turning again, lubricated by Socrates’ wisdom.

At last, a discipline long overshadowed by religion was beginning to make its mark.

"What is the true source of virtue? Does it come from our nature or from learning?"

"Is genuine goodness inherent in humans, or is it granted by the gods?"

"What is the universally valid value that all people should strive for?"

As these seeds of thought gathered and blossomed into intellectual discourse, the world began to take its first steps toward broader intellectual growth.

In a very real sense, Phantom had unleashed a wave of philosophical thinking in this world.

...But with this wave came some unexpected "side effects."

"Oh, Phantom’s The Dialogues is incredible. The more you reflect on it, the more profound it becomes. It’s as if Socratic wisdom is cleansing my very soul."

"Exactly! There’s a reason he was recommended as the Hero of the Pen. His reputation as a master playwright is well deserved."

Two students in a dorm room were praising Phantom’s Lesedrama after acting out scenes together.

As one closed the book, his friend nodded in agreement, giving a thumbs-up.

After savoring the lingering thoughts, one of the students suddenly spoke.

"But if we go by the logic in The Dialogues, Phantom must be someone who demonstrates unparalleled ‘excellence’ in the field of playwriting, right?"

"Of course. Who could possibly claim to be superior to Phantom in that field? Honestly, calling him the god of creation wouldn’t even be sacrilege."

"Right. But if we believe there’s an objective, universal value to things, wouldn’t that mean that there’s also an objectively superior or inferior work among all of Phantom’s plays?"

"Well... yeah, I guess so. But why are you asking?"

"Doesn’t that make you curious?"

The student stood up and slung an arm over his friend’s shoulder, grinning mischievously.

"What would be Phantom’s objectively greatest play, in terms of value?"

Philosophy often leads to subjective interpretations by its students.

In trying to pursue an objective truth, these students’ logic was beginning to twist in strange ways, and now, driven by a bizarre need to rank things, their conversation was veering into a competitive argument.

And, of course, this student wasn’t alone in his thoughts.

"The objectively greatest play? Come on, it’s obviously Julius Caesar. Right, my wise and brilliant friend?"

“Hehe, yeah, we’re on the same wavelength. You know what I’m thinking, don’t you?”

“Of course! We’re best friends! Let’s say it at the same time. One, two, three!”

"Julius Caesar!"

"Admiral Lee!"

"...Huh?"

"...What?"

The two friends stared blankly at each other, their answers completely mismatched.

They quickly moved away from one another and started glaring, launching into a heated debate.

“Hey! Julius Caesar is clearly Phantom’s magnum opus! No other play tackles the rise and fall of a single human being so precisely.”

"What are you talking about? Admiral Lee is way better! It’s a masterpiece that portrays unwavering loyalty and honor, even in the face of fire!”

“Admiral Lee? Please. The protagonist is way too idealistic! Julius Caesar is a much more realistic, human character! Don’t you see how Phantom’s observations of human psychology are reflected in that?”

“Sometimes you need a bit of idealism to convey a message effectively! The poetic expression in Admiral Lee makes the message hit home much harder!”

Just then...

Bam!

"What’s all the noise about? What are you two fighting over now?"

Their roommate, just back from a lecture, opened the door to find them red-faced and fuming.

Seeing the tension between them, he raised an eyebrow and asked, prompting the two to quickly rope him into their argument.

“Hey! Johannes! You’ve read The Dialogues, right? If you had to objectively pick Phantom’s best work, which one would it be?”

"Why even ask? Obviously, it's Admiral Lee! In terms of both artistic and entertainment value, it's unbeatable!"

"What? You’re crazy! It’s Julius Caesar! From a humanities perspective, it offers a far deeper and more profound experience!"

"Admiral Lee!"

"Julius Caesar!"

"…What the hell are you two even talking about?"

The roommate barely had time to respond before they started shouting again, ignoring his question entirely.

Rolling his eyes, the roommate adjusted his glasses and finally chimed in.

"Honestly, the objectively best work has to be Exodus. Phantom wrote that and got nominated for Hero of the Pen, didn’t he? How can anything else compare to that?”

“Wha?!”

“Huh?!”

...And thus, what had been a fierce two-sided debate over superiority quickly escalated into a full-blown three-way war.

As they say, people have a special talent for twisting a sage’s teachings to suit their own whims.

The ideologies of the world's greatest sages—Jesus, Buddha, and Confucius—had all suffered similar fates.

Just as Jesus’ agape had been distorted to give birth to fundamentalist Christianity, Buddha’s teachings on emptiness had been twisted to fuel materialism, and Confucius’ principles of benevolence and etiquette had been misunderstood by extremist Confucians...

In this other world, Socratic ideals had spawned a new wave of philosophical zealots obsessed with ranking Phantom's plays.

<><><><><><>

Meanwhile, at the same time...

In an old, dusty research laboratory...

"I know that I know nothing!"

An elderly alchemist, surrounded by bubbling flasks and piles of research papers, muttered to himself as he closed his copy of The Dialogues.

The man was a seasoned alchemist, a veteran of the Alchemists’ Guild who had trained many apprentices and accomplished a great deal in his long career.