Ch.0Prologue

I have many things I want to say, but I’ll get straight to the point. I was a writer. Not famous, but I wrote fantasy novels with a dedicated fan base.

Of course, not anymore after my reincarnation.

I still wonder why I suddenly reincarnated, but my memory of death is clear.

While writing a novel as usual, my chest suddenly started aching, and soon I couldn’t breathe.

It was probably a heart attack. Since I lived alone after becoming independent, no one could have helped me.

Well, I don’t particularly regret it.

Originally, right after entering university, my family died in a car accident, leaving me alone. You could call it a solitary death.

If anything bothers me, it’s that I couldn’t finish the work I was writing. My death would be known, but I only feel sorry for my readers.

So as soon as I realized I had reincarnated, I planned to write a new work based on my past life memories, partly to alleviate boredom.

Until I realized this was what people commonly call a “fantasy” world.

“…what can I do.”

I’ll just have to give up on that idea.

Fortunately, in this medieval-based world, I was born as a noble.

Although my territory is just a quiet countryside, it has everything I need and is hundreds of times better than being born a commoner.

Commoners are just commoners in name; they’re lower class who can’t dare defy nobles.

Also, I was born as the youngest son, not the firstborn heir, so I’m living a relaxed life without getting caught up in unnecessary power struggles.

“Hmm…”

And now, back to the present, when I’ve turned 16.

I was lying on a soft bed reading a thick book.

Reading was one of my hobbies in my past life, so I naturally took to it here as well.

The problem is…

“Damn it. What the hell does this mean.”

Every single book is a literary collection. Just a poetry anthology filled with poems.

Even popular romance novels are so difficult to understand due to their expression and readability.

If I had to compare, they’re like SAT English questions filled with unnecessary words. The legendary English SAT that even native English speakers can’t solve.

“Damn it. No wonder only nobles read these.”

I threw the book aside in frustration. My head hurts from having to solve a puzzle with each sentence I read.

How nice would it be if they just wrote so images would pop into your head! What’s even funnier is that reading is considered basic education among nobles.

The format goes like this…

“Have you read this work? What do you think of this part?”

“I think this and that because of such and such. What about you, Count?”

“I think differently. You see…”

They have a 100-minute debate after reading a book.

When I asked my parents, they said it’s a way to test how deep one’s education is. It’s ridiculous.

Above all, I heard that nobles often get into fights when opinions don’t match because they’re so strong-willed.

When I heard that, I inwardly mocked them, thinking “what a bunch of nonsense.”

‘To these people, my past life would be fantasy?’

I looked up at the ceiling and muttered to myself.

This world has monsters, elves, dwarves, beastkin, and demon folk, among various races.

Their racial characteristics were somewhat different from what I knew, but there were similarities.

Elves are nature-friendly, dwarves are good with their hands, beastkin resemble animals.

However, the “demon folk” were somewhat unique, as they are ostracized and despised as “cursed ones” by the people of this world.

Demon folk are descendants of “demons” who nearly brought this world to ruin in the distant past.

This might sound like a trivial story, but the problem lies in the demon folk’s racial characteristics.

Perhaps because they inherited demon blood, if they can’t overcome their “desires,” they completely turn into “demons.”

Once they become demons, they’re nothing more than monsters that destroy everything in their path.

Because of these racial characteristics, people associated with demon folk have all met tragic fates, and the demon folk themselves curse their destiny and wish to live as “humans.”

In exchange, or perhaps despite this, their inherent power is formidable even without turning into demons, so they’ve established their own country and exert various influences on their surroundings.

“Hmm…”

I feel like an interesting work is coming to mind.

Gods exist in this world, and there are clergy who borrow divine power. So what if I connect the contrasting demon folk and clergy?

It might be more interesting than I thought.

‘Originally, tragedy is what sticks deeply in people’s minds.’

An impossible love, you could say. Including a love story between clergy and demon folk could attract significant attention.

And then deliver a spectacular betrayal. For example, becoming a demon to protect a loved one, or sacrificing oneself to stop the other.

By the way, in my past life, I was known to readers as a Professor of Satan University. Some also called me a sadist.

“Oh. Not bad.”

After reading nothing but SAT English-like books, I need something simple to read.

But rather than waiting for such a book to be published in this era, I might as well write it myself.

With nothing else to do, I jumped up from the bed and headed to the desk.

‘Damn. If I mess this up once, I have to rewrite it.’

Given the era, not even pencils, let alone proper ballpoint pens, have been invented.

So I had to use ink and a nib, though fortunately, paper is quite well developed.

Eventually, after preparing everything, I pondered how to write the introduction.

Language isn’t an issue. When I input Korean in my head, it’s automatically interpreted into this world’s language, and the grammar is identical to Korean.

“First, the background should be simple…”

Writing a fantasy novel in a fantasy world felt somewhat strange.

I’m writing this purely as a hobby out of boredom, with the mindset that if it works out, great, and if not, that’s fine too.

The family wealth is abundant enough that I don’t need to make a living as a writer.

“Good. This will work.”

I moved the nib with a light heart.

Even though this is a fantasy world, to reincarnated me, it felt like writing an ordinary fantasy novel.

‘They won’t criticize this, right?’

I wasn’t worried since I could always show it to my family to decide whether to publish it or not.

“Ah. Just in case, I should include a disclaimer that this is all fiction, regardless of the setting.”

This is just fantasy, after all. Hmm.

*******

‘Demon folk’ are descendants of demons. This is an unchanging truth and a curse placed upon them.

Horns symbolizing demons, blood-red eyes, and ominous dark Mana.

Each trait resembles demons, and if they lose their reason, they become real demons, making them objects of avoidance for people.

Because of this, even when they established a country, other nations didn’t recognize it, and they shudder at the thought that they would have dealt with them long ago if not for their incredible power.

The demon folk silently accepted this miserable discrimination and are working hard to live as humans.

However, these efforts were in vain as demon folk who turned into demons caused harm at every opportunity, making their wish seem distant.

Until a book appeared in the world.

-An author who created a new paradigm in novels. Who could it be?

-A heroic epic that will be talked about forever. But it contains tragedy and sadness.

-Expressiveness and readability that allows immediate imagination. A book easily read regardless of social status.

Biography of Xenon.

A novel published one day without warning.

At first, it was thought to be just another literary novel, but after rumors spread that a noble read it day and night, it gradually became known.

The overall story is about a great demon who nearly brought the world to ruin in the past, a group trying to resurrect that demon, and a hero who prevents it.

On the surface, it seemed like an ordinary heroic epic, but its deep connection to ‘demon folk’ caught attention.

-A book that represents the sad fate and loneliness of demon folk.

-It expresses the wishes of demon folk who live lonely lives, accepted by neither humans nor demons.

-The end of ‘Sacran’ that moved countless readers. He sacrificed himself as a human, not a demon.

Especially after the part about a demon folk’s sacrifice, newspapers were filled with nothing but that story. It was so moving that even people who usually show no emotional changes reportedly wept after reading this part.

Above all, even those who normally despised demon folk couldn’t help but feel sadness and regret.

-Is the unfair and discriminatory treatment toward demon folk really right?

-They are not demons but beings who wish to live as humans. We made them into demons.

What’s more surprising is how the view toward demon folk changed dramatically.

Originally, most people treated demon folk as demons, but after the publication of Biography of Xenon, it changed 180 degrees.

From time bombs that could explode at any moment to pitiful races yearning to be human.

From demons to beings who have carried a miserable fate from birth.

In response to this unbelievable change, the demon folk’s country, ‘Helium,’ also commented on Biography of Xenon.

-Whoever you are, I sincerely want to express gratitude. This person understands the sad fate of demon folk better than anyone.

-The phrase “True sincerity is overcoming desire and caring for others” has taught restraint to all demon folk.

Even the king of Helium, feared as the “Demon King,” conveyed his gratitude to the author.

As the story progresses, the author who makes so many people anxious is currently…

“W-what is happening.”

I was dumbfounded while reading the newspaper.

“There’s still more to go before the conclusion…?”

What should I do about this.