Episode 14: Theater and Media Mix
The new work Melissa wrote and I reviewed to completion, [The Villainess Does Not Fall],
created a far greater and more enthusiastic response than expected, shocking both Melissa and me.
Of course, it was written well enough to deserve that.
To the point that you’d never think it had been made by a novice author from another world and a hack editor.
‘Thanks to that, for the first time in ages, I got to feel dopamine surging from someone else’s work instead of my own self-supplied content.’
In particular, the development where Clarine improved her relationship with the original couple while also achieving her own love
felt incredibly heart-fluttering and warm.
Perhaps it hadn’t been a lie when she said Clarine’s personality was similar to hers.
Melissa constantly said things like, “If it were me, I think I’d feel this way,” and “Wouldn’t it have been better to do it like this?” running simulations based on herself as she completed Clarine’s character.
And thanks to that effort, not only did she perfectly cleanse the image of the villainess,
she succeeded in making readers naturally want to cheer Clarine on!
How successful was it?
People who had hated Clarine as a wicked woman all this time, after reading the new work,
“We knew far too little about Clarine all this time!
Thank you so much for letting us know, even now, Author!”
“From today onward, I declare my support for Clarine!
An attack on Clarine will be considered an attack on me!”
began regretting it as if engaging in self-criticism and converting to the side that supported Clarine.
“Clarine is not a villainess!
You there! You shout that Clarine is not a villainess too!”
“Let’s read away our misunderstandings and cheer her on!
[The Villainess Does Not Fall] now on sale to great acclaim at bookstores near you!”
They even went out into plazas in groups and launched a movement to restore Clarine’s reputation.
Nationwide, no less!
‘I had no idea so many groups like that would form.’
When I heard that dozens of organizations, which could easily be called fan clubs in terms of my previous life, had sprung up and were leading the movement to restore Clarine’s image,
“…Nweh? G-groups all over the kingdom are telling people to read my book?
Hieeek… A-Author! Is this really okay?”
“Uh, even I didn’t expect it to go this far?”
Even I, with memories of my past life, couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
People in this world really have incredible drive.
Anyway, since similar incidents were happening all over the kingdom as if they’d been coordinated,
“What are those people doing?”
“Who knows? They’re saying something about her not being a villainess?”
“Looks like it’s about that villainess story that came out before.
I hadn’t read it, but is there something to it? Should I try reading it?”
people who saw them became interested and started reading.
Then those new readers joined the movement too, expanding its influence, and apparently it fell into an infinite reading spiral.
It’s probably still growing even now, you know?
And it didn’t even end there!
This time too, it definitely wasn’t something Melissa or I had intended,
but a new lesson was being unearthed and spreading.
“Just as Clarine was able to change with only a small catalyst,
anyone can change if they have a little help and a little change!”
“No one is useless from the very beginning!
There are only those who have the will to change and those who do not!”
People began to appear who believed that if chances and help were offered to those they had ignored with prejudice until now,
those people too could change in a good direction.
It was a little different from the belief that human nature is inherently good.
It wasn’t exactly claiming that people’s true nature was kind, or that even those who had already committed crimes could be reformed.
It was closer to a belief that before someone took the wrong path, even a small bit of help or opportunity could prevent it.
In other words, let’s help others so we can give them such opportunities! That kind of thing.
Should I say it felt like a primitive form of a social safety net?
Perhaps because of that, donations to slums and orphanages had reportedly increased meaningfully of late.
The perception of people who had originally been targets of contempt and prejudice was beginning to improve, if only little by little.
I was bewildered as to how things had ended up connecting that far, but
‘Well, if it’s good, it’s good.’
It wasn’t anything bad, but something good.
There seemed to be no need to interfere.
Besides, wasn’t it also automatically becoming incredible publicity?
It was an absolute jackpot, in other words.
Honestly, it was to the point that I’d have to quietly make a donation through the Publishing Guild later too.
Of course, since we kept drawing attention from every direction like this,
the voices of people complaining were starting to be heard little by little.
They might simply be people who didn’t find my or Melissa’s writing interesting.
They might be people who disliked their existing way of life and order being disrupted.
Or perhaps they were simply jealous of our success.
Whichever it was, I didn’t particularly care.
If there are people who like something, then there are also people who dislike it. Isn’t that the way of the world?
‘And they say a superstar needs both fans and antis.’
Since there was no way this great self, who was turning the whole kingdom upside down in real time, wasn’t a superstar,
it was only natural for fans and antis to appear at the same time.
And there were far more people who liked me and my works than people who disliked them.
I was plenty busy just paying attention to those people.
To compare it to a restaurant, when you have tens or hundreds of five-star reviews piled up,
you don’t close down your business just because you got one or two one-star reviews.
“Uuuu… When people praise Clarine, it feels like they’re praising me, so it’s embarrassing…”
Well, Melissa seemed burdened by this nationwide popularity and had gone back into shrinking violet mode.
Since Clarine, the villainess she had half considered her own persona, was receiving more love than expected, it seemed she herself felt embarrassed too.
Who could look at her and think she was the author who wrote the hottest villainess story right now?
‘Well, Melissa will get used to it eventually.’
I did want to instill confidence back into Melissa, who had entered crumpled mode,
but before I could, something came up that I had to do.
Maybe because things had gotten this big,
Duke Lucid contacted me once again.
“Thanks to you, the entire kingdom has become noisy again.”
“Are you perhaps going to take my head this time…?”
“I have no intention of doing that, so do not worry.
Instead, I would like you to cooperate with me on one matter this time as well.”
Fortunately, Duke Lucid did not reprimand me for causing a disturbance again.
Instead, just like last time, he requested my cooperation.
“Public opinion toward the poor and orphans has been improving quite a bit recently.
So I am thinking of taking this opportunity to properly reform the slums of the capital.
Would you help with that?”
It was the unintended butterfly effect brought about by [The Villainess Does Not Fall].
It seemed he intended to use public opinion, which had become favorable toward the poor and orphans, as backing to attempt reform in the slums.
“A slum is not something that brings any good by existing.
If one can get rid of it, it is only natural to want to do so.
However, it costs a great deal of money, and there were also people’s perceptions to consider, so it was difficult to attempt carelessly…”
“But now the environment is just right to try it.”
“Precisely.
On that point, the royal family has also expressed their gratitude to you.
They said you made it possible to deal with a long-cherished project.
Thanks to that, the royal family’s perception of you is quite favorable as well.
Considering the previous matter too, if you cooperate this time, it may improve even further.”
“You’re not pressuring me right now, are you…?”
“Hohoho. Perhaps I am, and perhaps I am not.”
Subtly placing the pressure of, “The royal family is paying this much attention, are you really not going to do it?” on me,
Duke Lucid went on to explain the detailed plans.
In accordance with current public opinion, they would prioritize employing the poor and orphans, giving them the “opportunity” people were talking about, thereby minimizing backlash.
At the same time, they would gather and manage the donations currently being poured in indiscriminately.
On top of that, they apparently had plans to weed out the truly worthless ones and criminals who couldn’t seize an opportunity even when given one.
Well, since the purpose was good, there was no reason not to help.
“But what exactly am I supposed to do?”
“Mm. Right now, public opinion may look favorable.
But once we actually begin large-scale reform, people may start talking again then.
Your task is to ensure that such a thing does not happen.”
In other words.
“You want me to make public opinion in favor of slum reform grow larger and more solid than it is now.”
“Correct.”
And the fact that he was asking me to do that meant,
of course, he wanted me to use cultural power, just as I had done so far!
After thinking it over carefully, I came up with two methods.
One was, naturally, to write a new novel.
As it happened, the protagonist of the new work I had been preparing had a setup perfectly suited to the current situation.
That should be enough to strengthen public opinion.
And the other method was to strengthen the influence of [The Villainess Does Not Fall], the starting point of this public opinion.
So that more people could learn its contents.
So that more people could be moved by and sympathize with it.
In order to do that,
“First, shall we try turning [I Became the Ice Duke’s Maid] and [The Villainess Does Not Fall] into plays?”
It was time to attempt a media mix after all.