Ch.308Isaac (2)

Unlike its scale, my introduction was neither flashy nor elegant. In good terms, it could be considered frugal; in bad terms, it could be called plain.

Not only commoners but distinguished guests from around the world had gathered in one place. In terms of my previous life, it was like having presidents and key ministers assembled together.

Moreover, these were people with greater authority and power than presidents. Unlike presidents, they could control entire nations with a single word and even influence the world at large.

Though Kate’s declaration of sanctuary had announced a splendid beginning, my introduction that followed was utterly ordinary.

Honestly, they could have put anyone with decent speaking skills in my place, and the proceedings would have gone just as smoothly. That’s how monotonous it was.

So should I consider it a failure? That’s somewhat ambiguous.

After the self-introduction, there was still the question time, which could be considered the most important part.

It wouldn’t be right to gather people and dismiss them after barely ten minutes.

So I held a question session to both kill time and take questions.

There was no worry about incidents since Kate kept extending the sanctuary throughout.

However, during the question time, the nobles were moved to a waiting room.

I would have preferred to hold the question session with the commoners and nobles together, but this was to maintain their dignity.

During my introduction, I said I wished everyone could enjoy it together, but reality and ideals are clearly different. I’m not stupid enough to fail to distinguish between the two.

No one could disagree with what I said, but there might be some who were secretly dissatisfied.

Besides, I had expressed my wish for people of all ages, genders, races, and classes to read the Biography of Xenon, but I hadn’t mentioned anything about interpersonal relationships.

Above all, the nobles gathered here weren’t just ordinary nobles but kings of their countries or those of equivalent status.

Even if I were Xenon himself, I should maintain basic courtesy. When in Rome, do as the Romans do—it’s better to treat nobles as nobles.

The waiting room was already fully prepared and just as spacious as the social gathering area. That’s why they moved there.

So my current task was to answer the commoners’ questions one by one. Without the nobles present, the commoners felt less burdened and fired questions in succession.

Incidentally, there was no need for a voice amplification spell. Kate had already set it up when declaring the sanctuary.

While magic uses complex formulas like programming to achieve desired results, divine power needs only prayer to work.

Of course, that doesn’t mean magic is inferior to prayer. It’s just that Kate’s divine power is abnormally strong.

“How did you come up with the steam locomotive? Did that also come from your mind?”

“I just thought it would be convenient to have something like that. But I never dreamed I would actually invent it.”

“Are you really not from the future?”

“Of course not. I just have a somewhat rich imagination; I’m not what you think I am.”

From the start, I faced difficult questions that put me in an awkward position. Even after I answered, the person who asked didn’t seem entirely convinced.

Still, since a sanctuary had been declared, it would be difficult to call it a lie. Besides, before being Xenon, I am a noble. That means they can’t treat me carelessly.

I smoothly moved on to the next question. Since each person was allowed only one question, the session proceeded without issues.

Particularly, I noticed several non-human races among the crowd, each with their unique questions for me. For instance, an elf who looked like a scholar…

“Lord Xenon, you seem well-versed in magic. Could I ask for your advice?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know the first thing about magic, sir.”

“But in your book, it’s described in great detail. Especially the motion recognition magic that Merry demonstrated was a big topic even in Alfheim. How would you explain that?”

“Motion… what?”

“Motion recognition magic. The theory that magic can be activated by simple movements. Isn’t this also a theory that you first conceived? Magic that is immediately manifested when you perform certain movements after recognizing spells you use frequently or efficiently. If this came from your mind, you must know the basic principles, right?”

How would I know that, sir? I really don’t know anything. I responded with an awkward smile.

I had forgotten but was vividly reminded thanks to the elf’s question: this is a fantasy world.

Stories that could only exist in fantasy worlds have a high possibility of actually happening here, including combat and magic.

Especially if someone has a high level of curiosity, like this elf scholar questioning me, they will try their best to find out.

“Hmm. I understand. It seems this is a difficult question to answer.”

But for some reason, the elf scholar nodded as if he had reached his own conclusion.

Worried that my lack of knowledge might have been exposed, I quickly moved on to the next question.

While the elf scholar’s question was particularly complex, other people’s questions were ordinary.

“May I ask why you chose a human as the protagonist? Is it because you, Lord Xenon, are human?”

“That’s part of it, but in my view, humans are the most peculiar race. Whether it’s their tenacity or their refusal to surrender even when forced to kneel—I admire that spirit, which is why I made a human the protagonist. Next person?”

“Why did you kill Kayre?”

“… …”

There were occasionally unusual questions, but I could handle them smoothly. Still, crises always find a way to appear.

Just as the elf scholar had asked me about magic, this time a demon woman threw a difficult question at me.

“How did you know that inner evil could be subdued? For hundreds of years, we demons never even thought of that.”

“It’s only impossible because you think it’s impossible. And since the Biography of Xenon is just a novel, I can make the impossible possible. I didn’t expect Princess Cecilly to actually do it.”

“May I ask what your relationship is with Princess Cecilly? I heard you attend the academy together…”

“I’m sorry, but each person is limited to one question.”

Fortunately, I could cut it off cleanly. The demon woman looked disappointed at my firm response, but it was of no use.

The question time continued smoothly after that, and I was starting to feel relieved.

Just as we were nearing the end, the next questioner was a beastman. His face looked generally like a dog’s.

Unlike Leona, he appeared to be a purebred rather than mixed blood, judging by his more animal-like features. Slightly intrigued, I extended my hand to him.

“Please go ahead.”

“Thank you. Lord Xenon, you clearly described the strengths and weaknesses of each race in the Biography of Xenon, but—this is a very personal question—what do you think about us beastmen?”

“About beastmen?”

“Yes. I’d like you to answer without pretense.”

“Hmm…”

An interesting question that points out a gap in the Biography of Xenon.

Indeed, while elves and demons were well-described in the Biography of Xenon, the portrayal of beastmen was somewhat lacking.

The characters themselves are certainly appealing, but the description of “beastmen” as a race was insufficient in many ways.

Elves are arrogant, but they have the pride and skill to back up that arrogance. Demons carry the self-respect of confronting their inner evil.

Dwarves appear to have good craftsmanship at first glance, but lack creativity. This is sufficiently described in the steam engine episode.

Finally, humans. Perhaps because Xenon is the protagonist, humans are shown with far more strengths and weaknesses than other races.

They are a bundle of contradictions—seemingly having clear distinctions between good and evil, yet those distinctions become blurred depending on interests.

The protagonist of the Biography of Xenon, Xenon himself, is clearly good in everyone’s eyes, but this is thoroughly explained throughout the story.

On the other hand, beastmen… while they don’t lack in content, they are only described as a race that is spirited yet clings to tradition.

The Seven Deadly Sins, Satan, showed an impressive end, but that suits the character of “Wrath” rather than representing beastmen.

Can this really be said to fully explain the appeal of beastmen? Like the person asking, I don’t think so at all.

“The beastmen I think of are… ah, before that, what’s your profession?”

“I’m a warrior.”

Warrior, meaning a soldier. Indeed, one shouldn’t judge people by appearances—despite his gentle, puppy-like face, he possesses great strength.

I organized my thoughts for a while before sharing my view of beastmen.

“The beastmen, as I see them, are a race whose instincts have been suppressed for survival.”

“… …”

“King Hick, the founding king, somehow established civilization amid human oppression and massacre. But the moment a nation and civilization are established, barbarism must be abandoned. And for beastmen, barbarism directly leads to struggle. The reason each beastman is called a warrior is because of this fighting spirit, I think. Through struggle, they prove their worth and freely express their instincts.”

Conversely, as civilization and society develop, the position of beastmen will diminish further. However, no one, including myself, knows how long that will take.

Look at my previous life. Even in the modern era when the Industrial Revolution occurred, military might was supreme. Imperialism spread throughout the world, and the number of countries suffering as colonies increased.

Of course, this resulted in the birth of Nazis and Hitler, and the outbreak of World War II, but thanks to that, imperialism completely faded away.

“I’d like to say more… but it seems like unpleasant stories might emerge, so I’ll stop here. Was my answer sufficient?”

“It was.”

Though I didn’t say it, it won’t be long before beastmen bare their teeth.

The beastman population is growing, and humans no longer show the same unity as before.

Especially for the sake of food, which is most urgent for beastmen, they will have no choice but to wage wars of conquest. History proves this, so it’s an event that will happen someday.

And I plan to write this as another novel. It will be a sequel to the Biography of Xenon and an effort to expand the world.

“Next person?”

I took the last questioner.

“When will Jin and Lilly get together?”

“… …”

I received the most difficult question to answer.

After the unexpectedly challenging question time ended, I returned to the waiting room where the royalty and nobility were gathered.

“L-Lord Xenon!!”

“Huh?”

A familiar voice pierced my ears. A desperate cry filled with tears.

When I turned my head, I saw a very familiar woman rushing toward me from afar.

The woman running with an already gaunt face was none other than Hyria.

Her former beauty had somewhat faded, but she exuded a decadent charm. With tears welling up at the corners of her eyes, she even gave the impression of a tragic heroine.

Of course, none of that mattered as she charged like a bull, which was quite disconcerting. Even the people around were too startled to react.

She would have reached me if…

“Not allowed.”

It wasn’t Kate who was by my side, but Adelia, who appeared from somewhere and boldly blocked my path.

As my personal maid, it wasn’t strange for her to protect me, but her silent appearance was somewhat surprising.

Could her skills have improved in such a short time? During the question time, she had been hiding herself, guarding me from a slight distance.

“S-Sister?”

When Adelia blocked her way, Hyria’s eyes widened in shock. She glanced at me behind Adelia.

Meanwhile, Adelia instructed Hyria in a businesslike voice. I could only see her back, so I couldn’t see her expression, but she was probably expressionless.

“Please do not approach Lord Issac any further.”

“Please just once…! Just once! Otherwise, I’ll really…!”

A princess pleading with her guard, calling her “sister,” and the guard calmly rebuffing her—a situation that anyone would see as involving complicated circumstances attracted various gazes to us.

I was slightly annoyed at Hyria for creating such a strange atmosphere from the start, but fortunately, there was someone to restrain her.

“That’s enough, Hyria.”

Hyria’s brother and the crown prince of the Kingdom of Teres, Laos. He placed his hand on her shoulder with a stiff face.

When Laos put his hand on her shoulder, Hyria looked at him with a bewildered expression.

After briefly looking at her with a pathetic expression, Laos shifted his gaze and met my eyes standing behind Adelia.

“… …”

“… …”

For a while, we exchanged glances without speaking. Laos moved his lips slightly, then quietly and politely spoke.

“…My sister has caused you trouble. I’m truly sorry. Hyria.”

“No! No! Lord Xenon! I’ll do anything, so please show mercy…!”

Hyria struggled, but Laos was quicker in dragging her away. I stared blankly at the two of them moving away, then looked around.

Looking around, everyone was staring at me with strange expressions. That’s a natural reaction since there would be more people who don’t know the situation than those who do.

I gave an awkward smile, then bowed my head to them. The situation had become awkward, but I had to do what needed to be done.

“Hello, everyone.”

Now there’s only one thing left.

“I am Issac Dukar Mayshall, the author of the Biography of Xenon.”

Networking.

“I look forward to working with you all.”

…Honestly, it probably won’t mean much.