Ch.274Isaac’s Imagination (2)

One more Red Sunset

*****

There’s a saying that coincidence happens twice, but the third time is fate. But let’s be honest—the fourth and fifth times? That’s just destiny.

The various cultures I encountered in my previous life gave me boundless imagination, which I use to write novels.

The problem is that these things could happen in a fantasy world, and I’m currently living in a fantasy world.

That’s probably why “why is this real” incidents keep happening whenever I release a new book. Plus, I meticulously research the reality of this world, which amplifies the effect.

If I had written wuxia novels, people would just find them fascinating without these incidents happening. Though I couldn’t write wuxia anyway since I don’t know much about it.

If I were to release a wuxia novel in this situation? People would probably say things like, “A new continent? There’s another continent across the ocean?”

This puts me in a position where I can’t help but doubt myself. Though Luminus has already vouched for me, I sometimes wonder if the gods are lying with all these incidents.

Of course, gods don’t lie. They may be ambiguous, but they only reveal truths through oracles.

The same applies when talking to the faithful. If a believer can communicate directly with a god, they’re practically a Cardinal-level figure.

Such important figures rarely lie, as falling into corruption due to their own falsehoods could greatly harm their divinity.

Above all, gods possess the ability to glimpse the future. They know more precisely when to lie and when not to.

[You’re not a returnee. You’re a soul that crossed over from another dimension, okay? You keep doubting this.]

‘How could I not doubt in this situation, Lady Mora?’

[It’s a cultural difference. If you had written about wars that broke out on Earth, that would be one thing, but you’re writing what you consider fantasy novels. As I said before, if this were a lie, I’d give you my divinity.]

After an unexpected “why is this real” incident, I made time to visit Mora’s temple.

Mora was delighted by my surprise visit, but when I started questioning everything, she grumbled while still kindly explaining.

Staking her own divinity, she insisted that all the events from Biography of Xenon appearing in reality were mere coincidences. I am neither a returnee nor a prophet.

Above all, the reason my soul crossed dimensions to come here was due to a demon worshipper’s mistake, not divine intervention.

With her staking her divinity so firmly, I had nothing to say. I was just frustrated by the consecutive incidents happening lately.

[It might be hard to accept or understand. But as you know, Earth is centuries ahead of our world in terms of civilization development. Especially in science and cultural development, they’re at an incomparably higher level. Throw a lighter to a primitive human who hasn’t discovered fire. How much cultural shock would that be?]

‘Isn’t that explanation too extreme?’

[It’s a bit exaggerated, but that’s the scale we’re talking about. Especially since you added real-world research to Biography of Xenon, right? The so-called realism is the issue. The corruption of the World Tree’s roots was the catalyst. And reality is always stranger than fiction, isn’t it?]

‘Hearing that, I have nothing to say.’

As Mora said, reality is more like a movie, a novel, a series of incidents in itself. This applies even on Earth, where cultural media is abundant.

The problem is that all sorts of bizarre incidents happen with everything I write. I let out a deep sigh.

I’ve half given up on the “why is this real” incidents, but I still want to vent somewhere, which is why I’m confiding in Mora.

The gods understand my situation best. Come to think of it, they must be the most troubled by the current situation.

[Not at all. It’s actually great.]

‘Excuse me?’

[From our perspective, beyond turning misfortune into blessing, your existence is luck itself. We might have gotten some flak from Earth’s gods, but your existence alone has not only brought peace to our world but accelerated its development. In your world’s language, cost-effectiveness? Efficiency? Anyway, that’s what I’d call good!]

‘… …’

I always think this, but Mora’s speech and behavior are somewhat lighter compared to Luminus. Each of her light remarks carries dignity, which makes me feel strange.

Sometimes she’s like a thoughtless girl, yet also like a kind older sister to children. She’s clearly different from the proper Luminus.

‘I understand efficiency, but where did you learn the term “cost-effectiveness”?’

[I learned a bit about Earth when you crossed over here. That’s where I got the word.]

‘Cost-effectiveness…’

Not to brag, but I am the epitome of cost-effectiveness.

First, I’m just an ordinary human, not a demon or elf, and I have almost no desire for power. Plus, I don’t have any ideology that could threaten the gods.

With just my writing, I save demons and advance the world’s culture—it would be hard to find better cost-effectiveness than this.

[No desire for power, no threatening ideology, and no craving for fame. You’re like a pumpkin that rolled over with its vine intact! Can you see why we adore you?]

‘So to summarize…’

I pondered this compliment that wasn’t quite a compliment. The “pumpkin that rolled over with its vine intact” description fits perfectly, but I needed to organize my thoughts.

‘A demon worshipper who threatened this world messed up a summoning, causing an Earth soul to die, and that soul crossed over here to resolve the situation?’

[That’s right.]

‘And that soul, as you mentioned earlier, has no interest in power, ideology, or fame, and writes purely as a hobby? But that writing has brought peace and development to this world?’

[That’s also right.]

‘I’m sorry, but how many dimensions are there in this world? Specifically, planets like Earth where humans live?’

[It’s beyond what humans can count.]

‘This is why I can’t help but doubt!’

Looking at each detail, it’s not just implausible—it’s nearly impossible.

Even winning the lottery with odds of 1 in 8 million would be a drop in the bucket compared to these probabilities.

How incredibly unlucky must one be to break through all these odds and end up here?

It would be much more probable that I had regressed but lost all my memories and then wrote the stories.

[Don’t get too excited, child. The demon worshipper did something foolish, but your crossing over here was all coincidence. If you still can’t believe it, that’s unfortunate, but know that we haven’t told you a single lie.]

‘…I got too excited. I’m sorry.’

I just can’t get used to these “why is this real” incidents. Every time one happens, my acquaintances’ gazes toward me become increasingly strange.

Marie, with her surprisingly simple personality, takes it in stride, but Cecilly is the problem. Due to the recent incident, her gaze toward me has surpassed mere affection.

It’s like the level just below Kate. While she maintains her characteristically coquettish personality, when combined with near-worship level love, it’s quite burdensome.

To make matters worse, the incident is deeply connected to demons. Although the plan was scrapped, it was an evil, even atrocious plan that could have destroyed Helium in one go.

The situation has caused an uproar in Helium as well, with the news being made public. First, all citizens are united in searching for missing persons.

Beyond that, there’s talk of preparing gifts for Xenon, erecting statues for “him,” and so on. Just going outside, I hear embarrassing things.

[Since it’s come to this, why not enjoy it?]

‘I’d like to, but the pressure makes it difficult.’

If I were just ordinarily famous, it would be one thing, but being famous at almost a biblical level makes the pressure tremendous.

If I make even a slight misstep here, the backlash would be unimaginable.

I can’t even imagine what kind of reaction I’d get if it were revealed that all of this was just coincidence.

[You don’t need to worry about that either. You have the tremendous merit of being a “reincarnator.” After all, we did summon you here, right? If you use that well, everyone will understand.]

‘Wouldn’t that require lying? Some people might doubt my existence…’

[It’s true that we brought you here. So you don’t have to worry about a~nything and just keep writing. Got it?]

Mora’s encouragement lightens my burden somewhat. It’s reassuring to have the gods firmly supporting me.

I still find it hard to believe that all of this is coincidence, but since Mora staked her divinity on it, I suppose I should believe it now.

‘I understand. Thank you so much for listening to my complaints.’

[It’s okay. Listening to the whining of a lovable child is also our duty. Do you need anything else? Should I give you divine power?]

‘I’ll take the divine power, and may I ask one more thing?’

[Ask anything.]

I’m currently writing volume 21 in Helium. But with the sudden “why is this real” incident striking like a bolt from the blue, I immediately stopped and came to Mora’s temple.

While I wanted to vent and complain, I also wanted to know the future, like during the previous spoiler incident. It’s better to be struck by lightning under cloudy skies than from a clear sky. It’s a kind of preparation.

I have no intention of changing the content of volume 21. In fact, the plot of Biography of Xenon is so well-structured that it’s difficult to modify.

‘In volume 21 that I’m writing now, there’s something deeply connected to demons. It’s a setting where when one’s life is in danger, the inner evil emerges and fights instead…’

[Yes.]

‘I was wondering if something similar has happened in reality.’

The Pandeum overthrow plan in volume 20 was from 300 years ago, but it was an event that almost happened in reality. From the World Tree root corruption until now, I’ve lost count of how many consecutive incidents there have been.

During the spoiler incident—that is, the fallen Cardinal incident—I asked Luminus a similar question.

I asked if there was actually a Cardinal in Sabre who had joined hands with demons, as in Biography of Xenon. If there was a cleric who had joined hands with demon worshippers.

And the answer was Yes. I can’t describe how dumbfounded I was.

Moreover, when I informed Kate about this using a proverb, she handled it alone. I heard it was resolved in the form of “divine punishment”—a chandelier falling on the Cardinal’s head.

From a reader’s perspective, it was like being spoiled in reality, which is why I named it the “spoiler incident.”

So I’m asking if Jin’s demonization in volume 21 might be similar.

[Ah, that? There is something similar. Specifically, becoming a demon when one’s life is in danger.]

‘Are there no demons who maintain their rationality after becoming demons? I’ve heard that hardline demons are all demonized demons.’

[Does that include demons who rampage with revenge and anger but still think? If that’s what you mean, then yes, they’re included.]

‘Hmm…’

I pondered Mora’s words. It’s a bit ambiguous, but hardline demons are a group that opposes Helium.

They are beings who barely escaped the demon massacre perpetrated by Sabre long ago and harbor blades of revenge.

Currently, there’s evidence that some have allied with demon worshippers, and the Reaper is tracking this force to the end.

Though few in number, they are individually very powerful due to accepting demonic power.

Currently, they’re in hiding, so no one knows what they’re doing. Even Helium is having trouble finding clues, which is causing difficulties.

‘What about this case? Not suppressing the inner evil, but completely subjugating it and making it one’s own power?’

[There’s no such case. You can tell by the fact that until now, demons have only “suppressed” their inner evil, not “controlled” it.]

Then I can write with peace of mind. Even when Jin becomes demonized, Lilly’s existence is greater, so he barely returns to his original form.

As if reflecting his will not to become a demon, there’s even a scene where he breaks his own “horns,” the symbol of demons.

I know that in reality, the reason demons grow horns is because of dark mana. In literature, most demons have horns, which is why they became a symbol.

‘Then it should be fine. Since there’s no such person in reality. Even hardline demons are treated as demons.’

[Well… there isn’t. For now.]

‘…For now?’

Something seems off. I raised one eyebrow as soon as I heard Mora’s ambiguous follow-up.

It suggests that while it might not happen now, it could happen in the future.

But Mora seemed unwilling to explain and changed the subject.

[That’s not what’s important right now, is it? A great crisis will come in the near future.]

‘What? What do you mean?’

The subject change was alarming. A great crisis coming in the near future—this was shocking news to me.

Until now, any “crises” had been minor. But when Mora says it, it carries a different weight.

As I tensely waited for her next words, she spoke with a mischievous voice.

[There’s a really good way to overcome this crisis… but I’m afraid you’ll refuse.]

‘…It’s something strange again, isn’t it?’

[This is why I don’t like perceptive children. Anyway, if you want to escape, come to my temple exactly three days from now. Understand?]

Something feels fishy, but it’s a god’s word, so I should listen. I’d like to eavesdrop on Luminus about what this future holds.

‘Lady Mora?’

[Yes?]

‘I trust you.’

[Of course. Just trust me.]

That makes me even more suspicious.