Ch.232Spoiler(4)

When the world spoils what isn’t meant to be spoiled, who suffers the most?

Is it the author who has been robbed of the story they were yet to write? Or perhaps the devil worshippers who were suddenly struck by lightning? Or maybe the Papal Kingdom of Sabre that had to weather this storm?

None of the above. Among those who experienced this real-life spoiler, the ones who suffered the most were the “readers.”

Ordinary readers who had considerable interest in world affairs but didn’t actively participate in them.

Just when they were dying to know what would happen after the ending of Volume 17, they got spoiled by reality itself.

Moreover, in this world, even without the internet, printing technology is advanced enough that people can access news through newspapers. Almost every household subscribes to at least one newspaper, making it easy to keep up with world events.

The Biography of Xenon, in particular, is a book that almost everyone reads. Once rumors spread, it becomes impossible to avoid hearing about them even if you want to.

[It’s good that evil was purified, but the anticipation for what comes next is gone.]

[Readers feel both anger and emptiness. Given the circumstances, it’s understandable, but still disappointing.]

[Will Volume 18 truly unfold just like reality?]

The fact that devil worshippers—and high-ranking officials at that—had been hiding in the Papal Kingdom of Sabre of all places was enough to shock the entire world.

So readers had no choice but to take a somewhat ambivalent stance. No matter how important the Biography of Xenon was, nothing was more important than reality.

Above all, since the Biography of Xenon was being treated as a book of prophecy, it wasn’t strange that something might happen in reality based on it.

Only those who were exclusively enthusiastic about the Biography of Xenon shed tears of blood; everyone else moved on without much fuss.

However, expectations for Volume 18 didn’t decline…

[Readers are frustrated and hoping Volume 18 comes out quickly…]

[Since we already know the story, it would be nice if Volume 19 came out at the same time.]

…but rather increased dramatically. Everyone wanted to confirm the contents of Volume 18 and the events that unfolded in Sabre as soon as possible.

If the contents of Volume 18 matched the events in reality with surprising accuracy, the value of the Biography of Xenon would skyrocket. If not, people would become suspicious.

No, they wouldn’t even be suspicious. The world was already making absurd speculations about “restrictions” placed on me.

They were saying I might modify Volume 18’s content to avoid these restrictions, so people shouldn’t be suspicious even if the content diverged from reality.

Some priests were even saying that doubting me was equivalent to doubting God. Kate really did something interesting.

So what am I, the author, supposed to do? Well, I’ll just write according to my original plan without any modifications.

Although I haven’t released Volume 18 yet, I somewhat predicted this situation through Luminus’s confirmation, and there were no adverse effects on me.

Should I issue a statement of explanation through a letter?

If letters worked, I would have sent over 100 a day. According to my father, the publishing house is in complete chaos right now.

Originally, nobles and high-ranking officials came looking to establish connections with me, but now even priests are visiting.

They’re even threatening to reveal information about me, saying they desperately need Xenon’s help now that a “holy war” has begun. Fortunately, such individuals were soon dragged away by other priests and severely punished.

Anyway, it’s an awkward situation to send letters. They wouldn’t listen to me anyway, so it’s better to just keep quiet.

The first thing I need to do now is…

“Prophet, is the content of Volume 18 really the same as what’s happening now?”

“I’m curious too. Can’t you tell just us a little? We have a deep relationship with you, Prophet~”

“… …”

Deal with these mischievous lovers of mine first.

Whether they’re joking or serious, they’ve been teasing me by calling me a prophet since the incident broke out.

They’ve teased me before, calling me a prophet or a time traveler whenever something happened. But this time, it’s a bit more intense.

“Will our child be a boy or a girl?”

“Me too, me too. Since you’re a prophet, you can predict that much, right?”

They tease me with questions like that. I’m not really a prophet, how am I supposed to answer such things?

Besides, we haven’t even had a wedding yet, and they’re already making childcare plans, which is absurd.

With all these questions that a prophet might hear, I feel dizzy and can’t help but laugh wryly.

“Both of you, stop it. You’re making Issac uncomfortable.”

Fortunately, Rina, who was a third party, intervened and stopped their teasing. At her sharp words, Marie and Cecilly, who had each been holding one of my arms, let go.

I felt like I could breathe again and expressed my gratitude to Rina with my expression. Rina shrugged elegantly as if it was nothing and sipped her tea gracefully.

We’re currently at the café we often visit. It’s normally class time, but since the professor went on a short business trip, we had a free period.

So they came to my research lab to call me. Elena also gave permission, so I could spare a little time.

“Come on, Rina, you should ask him something too. Maybe you can find out who your future husband will be?”

Cecilly, who had always been playful, asked Rina with a mischievous smile. It seemed she had no intention of stopping her teasing.

Rina, caught off guard by the unexpected attack, flinched and looked bewildered. Her blue eyes blinked, showing a mix of astonishment and embarrassment.

“…What? My husband? Suddenly?”

“Yes. Honestly, aren’t you curious? What your future self will be like.”

“Hmm… I’m a little curious, but not particularly drawn to it. It’s a distant future anyway, so there’s no point in thinking about it now.”

As expected of Rina. She didn’t get caught up in Cecilly’s teasing at all. She even shrugged her shoulders, showing her composure.

No matter how close we’ve become, Rina is still the Imperial Princess. Every movement of hers exudes dignity.

…Though her sexual preferences seem somewhat unique. It’s surprising that such secretiveness is hidden beneath such elegant dignity.

“Well. Maybe it’s not such a distant future. When you graduate from the academy, you’ll be of marriageable age, so shouldn’t you find a groom soon?”

But there was someone who could crack Rina’s attitude, and that was none other than Marie. She had a slight curl at the corner of her mouth and a confident expression.

As Marie said, when we graduate from the academy, our age (except for Cecilly) will be exactly 21. That’s the prime age for marriage.

In this world, once you reach your mid to late twenties, you’re labeled as an old bachelor or spinster. While commoners might be too busy making ends meet to worry about it, for nobles, especially women, the longer they delay marriage, the more their “value” decreases.

Unless they have abilities that transcend that value, like Nicole, typical nobles tend to find fiancés and marry early. Whether it’s a love marriage or a political one.

Of course, since Rina holds the position of “Imperial Princess,” her value won’t decrease. The only thing she might have to endure is the gaze from those around her.

“Marie and I have already found our grooms~ But the Imperial Princess doesn’t even have a suitable groom?”

“…Are you looking for a fight?”

Surprisingly, it seemed to be a sensitive topic, as Rina narrowed her fine brows and asked in a low voice in response to Marie’s teasing. It was a clear sign that she was angry.

Marie giggled and spoke in a tone that was half-joking, half-serious.

“That’s why I’m saying you should find a fiancé as soon as possible. A whole year has already passed, hasn’t it? So you need to find one early to avoid problems.”

“Hmm…”

Rina seemed to be contemplating after hearing those words, and she glanced slightly in my direction. It seems she’s looking at me since I’m the only man here.

But the girls wouldn’t miss that. Cecilly looked back and forth between Rina and me, then started teasing with her characteristic mischievous smile.

“Don’t tell me Rina is also after Issac?”

“Wh-what?”

Rina was so startled that she flinched not once, but twice. Her eyes were wide open, showing how flustered she was.

And Cecilly wouldn’t miss that. She leaned forward and spoke in a gentle voice.

“Honestly, there’s no suitable husband for you other than Issac, right? Your brother will be connected to the Kingdom of Teres, and the queen of the Dutchy of Bellua is the first princess of the Kingdom of Teres. Don’t you lack a suitable groom?”

“… …”

Although it started as a joke, unexpectedly, Rina was listening very seriously. She put her fist to her mouth and seemed to be contemplating deeply.

This made Cecilly a bit flustered in return. She probably wanted to see Rina squirming, but the atmosphere had turned serious.

Just before a quiet silence fell, Rina raised her gaze that had been lowered. That gaze was looking directly at me.

“You’re right?”

“Huh?”

“Now that I think about it, there’s no suitable groom for me other than Issac?”

It would be fine if she had spoken jokingly like Marie or Cecilly, but the problem is that she’s serious. Rina is looking at me directly with her clear blue eyes.

Because of this, it was Cecilly, Marie, and I who were rather embarrassed. There wasn’t even 1% of playfulness in her seriousness.

But Rina didn’t stop there. She seemed to have finished her thoughts and nodded, then opened her mouth in her characteristically elegant manner.

“It would certainly not be bad to marry to bind Issac more firmly to the Empire of Minerva, and to protect him. The position of Imperial Princess would be modest compared to Xenon. I am the Imperial Princess of the Empire of Minerva, not a great writer who saved the world like Issac. Since I would be the one going to Issac, not Issac coming to me, it would also resolve Marie’s issue with the legal wife.”

“Ah, wait. Are you serious?”

Marie was quite flustered and even stuttered as she asked. I also felt similar to her and waited for Rina’s answer.

Rina, regardless of our gazes, picked up her teacup. Her characteristic calmness and elegance suggested she was serious.

“I’m always serious, aren’t I? If it were before Volume 17 came out, it might have been different, but now the situation has changed. Thanks to the Biography of Xenon, one of the high-ranking officials of the devil worshippers has been eliminated, and Issac’s fame has skyrocketed. If Issac reveals his identity in the future, I’ll have to go to him whether I want to or not.”

“Um… what about my choice? Don’t I have a say in this?”

“If you dislike it, that’s fine.”

That’s a relief…

“But I’ll make it so you can’t refuse. Not as a threat, but by providing full support to the Mayshall territory you’ll govern in the future, or by bestowing authority, and so on. The Empire is thirsty for culture. Although our military and economic power are certainly strong, we lack the culture to bind the people together. So we’ll invest all available budgets to somehow keep you.”

“… …”

“Just give up cleanly and marry me. I don’t even ask to be the legal wife, so let’s just get along well. Understand? And let’s do the night activities… moderately.”

Whether it was because of her splendid yet restrained eloquence, or because everything she said was spot on, I felt dizzy.

Even Marie and Cecilly, who had been teasing, were now keeping their mouths shut. They looked at each other as if wondering how things had turned out this way.

It was too serious to casually touch upon. In fact, every word Rina had spoken was accurate and cold.

When no one dared to speak up, Rina, who had taken a sip of tea and put down her cup, looked around at us.

She had an expression of confusion, as if she couldn’t understand why we were acting this way. A face full of questions.

Then, she opened her mouth as if she was the one who was bewildered.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you took it seriously?”

“Huh?”

“What did you say?”

Rina checked our reactions and then snorted before speaking.

“Can’t I joke too? You two were teasing so much, so I thought I’d try it once.”

“Ah… so it was all…”

“A joke?”

“Yes. It was all a joke.”

So it was all a joke. It was so serious that I almost couldn’t take it as a joke.

As I was feeling relieved, Rina provided a further explanation to ease the atmosphere a bit.

“Well, what I said earlier is half-serious. Our Empire will try to keep you somehow from the moment you reveal your identity, Issac. It won’t be through threats or anything like that, so don’t worry. I just want you to keep this in mind.”

“I understand. That’s what I expected.”

“I’m glad you expected it. And also consider that you might really marry me.”

“… …”

So it wasn’t a joke after all. I looked at Rina, who had casually brought up marriage, with an expression of disbelief.

Meanwhile, Rina was enjoying her drink as usual, lifting her teacup with composure.

However, there was an unexpected ambush…

“Then will you also spend the first night with Issac in advance, Rina?”

“Pffft!!”

It was a surprise attack from Marie, who had been quietly watching. This was completely unexpected, and Rina sprayed her tea mid-drink in an unseemly manner.

Fortunately, it didn’t splash on anyone’s face or anything like that. Rina just coughed violently.

“Cough! Cough! Cough! Wh-what are you saying?”

Rina was so flustered that she didn’t even think to wipe around her mouth and urgently asked. She looked at Marie with a face mixed with various questions.

Marie spoke in a truly calm voice, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Both Cecilly and I spent the first night with Issac even before we got engaged, you know? As you said, you should spend the first night with him to make it definite.”

For a moment, I wanted to ask, “What about my opinion?” but I held back after seeing Marie’s mouth.

Very subtly, the corners of her mouth were trembling. She’s definitely joking.

As soon as I confirmed that, I could relax and watch the situation. Having landed one hit, she seemed to be planning to land an even bigger one.

Meanwhile, Rina was wiping the liquid around her mouth with a handkerchief and started to burst out.

“Wh-what…! That’s just you two being unusual! The first night is supposed to be after a man and woman get married! Doing it before marriage like you two is a very rare case…!”

“Not really? There were plenty of people doing it at inns. What outdated notion is that?”

“No…! I mean…! Ugh…”

Rina started to speak but stopped, perhaps because she thought the conversation might turn obscene. Her face was as red as it could be, in stark contrast to her usual cool demeanor.

This alone was enough to deal a fatal blow, but Marie wasn’t the only one here. Cecilly, seeing an opportunity, chimed in from the side.

“If you’re that embarrassed, how about watching us do it? It might help you later?”

Whoa. This is a bit too much. It’s a statement that directly targets Rina’s secret preferences.

Cecilly probably said that because she knows about Rina’s sexual preferences. Someone as perceptive as Cecilly wouldn’t miss it.

To such a targeted statement, Rina’s response was…

“…Should I?”

“Huh?”

Momentarily swayed by desire.

“Ah, no. This isn’t right. Rather…”

She quickly regained her reason, once again leaving us dumbfounded.