Ch.403The Die is Cast (2)

“Alright. I’ve decided.”

“What?”

“From now on, I won’t be surprised by anything you do.”

That’s what Rina said to me after inviting me over to create a temporary escape. Currently, she’s wearing a gentle smile as if she’s reached some state of enlightenment.

I couldn’t help but give a bitter smile at her reaction. For good reason—Clark is currently on the bed, deeply engrossed in reading the Biography of Xenon.

Originally, Rina had returned to the imperial palace because of Clark’s resurrection in the underground temple, but ironically, the man himself is now in my dormitory.

What’s more, this person is my grandfather and the one who stopped the summoning ritual? A powerhouse who single-handedly destroyed the real-life Seven Deadly Sins?

Rina’s head must already be aching from all the recent events, and she probably feels like throwing everything away and giving up.

That’s why she’s reacting this way. While I smiled bitterly, Rina maintained her smile and elegantly sipped her tea.

Rattle-rattle-rattle—

She seems to want to maintain her composure, but she can’t stop her hands from trembling.

Still, it’s enough that she’s not dramatically spilling her tea or spraying it on her face like in some drama.

“Sigh……”

“Are you feeling calmer now?”

I asked Rina in a somewhat cautious voice. The introductions with Clark had long since ended.

But regardless of that, the shock hadn’t subsided, and there was no sign of the situation improving.

With all sorts of incidents happening one after another recently, she must be under tremendous stress.

Rina is relatively less busy because she’s a princess, but Leort is working overtime almost every day, making it difficult to even see his face.

“If I said I was calm… that would be a lie. Honestly, would you be calm if you were in my position?”

“Hmm……”

At Rina’s somewhat aggrieved question, I turned my head to look at Clark.

He’s already reading volume 12 of the Biography of Xenon, which he started reading diligently yesterday.

I heard that since he was resurrected as a skeleton, he doesn’t need sleep. He said he turned on a lamp and read alone since no one was sleeping in the living room.

Flip—

Clark was so focused that he just turned the page even though I was staring at him. Moreover, he didn’t pay any attention to Rina and me talking.

Actually, reading only 12 volumes despite staying up all night is relatively slow. It probably means he’s reading very carefully.

After staring at Clark for a moment, I soon turned to Rina and spoke.

“It must be tough. You already have a lot to think about.”

“Sigh…… How am I supposed to deal with this…… My head is already starting to hurt.”

Rina pressed her delicate brow and groaned. Clark will soon return to dust, but his achievements are the issue.

If it weren’t for his sacrifice, the Second Demon War would have broken out. Moreover, he was the catalyst for my soul crossing over to this side.

Rina is the only one who knows all of this. She knows that I crossed over because of the summoning ritual, and she now knows that Clark was the one who interfered with that ritual.

By now, she probably feels like giving up and not wanting to do anything. All I can do is wait until she organizes her thoughts.

“I just want to throw it all away…… Princess or not, I want to live without thinking about anything……”

“……”

“No. That’s not right. The empire is in crisis, so I shouldn’t think like this…… But I really don’t want to do this……”

The dignity and majesty she usually carries as a princess have completely disappeared, leaving only a lone person in charge.

At times like these, a capable person should be by her side to assist, but ironically, none of them can be trusted. They could be demon worshippers.

But she can’t keep sycophants who only speak honeyed words by her side either. In other words, she has to solve most problems on her own.

“Sigh…… Issac.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to come to the imperial palace?”

It seems she’s decided to postpone dealing with it. I nodded as I looked at Rina, who had become tired in that short time.

I haven’t sent the manuscript for volume 29 yet. If I send it from here, my mother will read it right away, so I’m thinking of finding a way to send it directly to the publisher.

Or I could ask my father. He occasionally returns to the mansion.

There’s also an appropriate justification. As you know, my mother secretly reads my manuscripts whenever I send them, and I can say that this isn’t courteous to other readers.

Of course, mother will feel disappointed. But if I firmly state that tampering with the manuscript is not allowed, she’ll probably understand to some extent.

And then I’ll flee straight to the imperial palace. Helium had the variable of Gartz, but this time I plan to completely block it.

‘The content for volume 30 is almost complete too.’

The ending of volume 29 concludes with Jin, who has transformed into the final boss, confronting Xenon, and ends with Jin attacking first.

Volume 30 will continue with Jin’s journey, his changing psychology, and the battle between the two protagonists. The ending, of course, is Jin’s death.

The ending of volume 29 is shocking, but less so than volume 30. That’s why I wrote volume 30 while working on volume 29.

In other words, volume 30 is scheduled to be released within a week after volume 29 comes out. It’s dropping a proper bomb before the shock has even subsided.

While I was plotting this not-so-secret scheme, Rina, completely unaware of my inner thoughts, asked in a puzzled voice.

“I don’t mind you coming to the imperial palace. Even though I’m busy, I should welcome you since it’s you. But why so suddenly? Did something happen?”

“Nothing in particular. I’m just curious, and I have some personal matters. Can I also have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor?”

“If you want. Just so you know, you’re definitely in the position of power here. Remember that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being courteous, right?”

Even if I’m in a position of power, I wouldn’t dare be disrespectful to the Emperor. Moreover, I can’t be rude to someone who might become my father-in-law.

Rina nodded at my words, agreeing that I had a point, and then drank her tea. While drinking, her gaze shifted toward Clark behind me.

Clark’s existence must be fascinating to Rina in many ways. Unlike other skeletons, holy power doesn’t affect him at all, and he maintains his sanity from when he was alive.

“So while you’re at the imperial palace, will he continue to stay here?”

“Yes. We’ve agreed that he’ll return with me when the vacation comes.”

“I see. Marie will also be coming to the imperial palace, right? And Cardinal Kate.”

“Yes.”

“Alright. I’ll bring news as soon as possible. It should take a day.”

“Thank you. Oh, by the way, Rina.”

I have one more thing to ask. When I called her, Rina responded by raising one eyebrow.

Before answering, I carefully looked around. Currently, Adelia is receiving special training from my father, and Clark is focused on reading.

As for Ariel…

“Grandpa. Grandpa.”

[Why are you calling me, granddaughter?]

“Play with me. I’m bored.”

She’s pestering Clark to play with her. She knows I’m busy.

Clark, unable to refuse his adorable great-granddaughter’s request, put down the Biography of Xenon on the bed and started giving her an airplane ride.

My father said he had a very strict personality, but that’s not the case at all. He’s just a typical doting grandfather.

Perhaps he became strict back then because the situation was too difficult. I smiled at the two playing well despite Clark having only bones, then answered Rina.

Just in case, I made sure to speak in a quiet, low voice.

“Are you also a Jin-Lilly shipper?”

“Jin-Lilly?”

“Yes. Do you also support that couple?”

If that’s the case, I’m thinking of fleeing somewhere other than the imperial palace. Helium is difficult because Gartz is there, and the only place left is Alfheim.

Arwen said I could visit anytime and even asked me to show my face often.

Rina blinked at my question and then answered in a somewhat disgruntled voice.

“Ah, no. I prefer Xenon and Mary.”

“That’s a relief.”

Was my question quite suspicious? Rina quietly asked with a look of disbelief.

Being a woman with sharp intuition, she seems to have quickly realized why I asked such a question.

“You’re not… are you?”

“What?”

“You really shouldn’t. Even though I support the Xenon-Mary couple, that’s a bit…”

Rina gave me a look that said, “How can you even call yourself human?” But I didn’t back down and shrugged my shoulders, playing dumb.

“I didn’t say anything?”

“Don’t you feel sorry for them?”

“But the quality of the work improves in exchange.”

“That may be true, but… I don’t know. Do as you please.”

The die has been cast.

******

When the time for Issac to go to the imperial palace was just around the corner, the manuscript for volume 29 arrived at the publisher as he wished.

Normally, Annah would have intercepted the manuscript midway, but not this time. Since Issac had requested it, she had no choice but to send it to the publisher.

Thus, the manuscript for volume 29 arrived at the publisher. Before printing, checking for typos is essential, and usually, the editor does this.

But because it’s the Biography of Xenon, even the people checking for typos are numerous. This is to ensure not a single detail is missed, and they consider it a matter of respect for the work.

“…So. What do you want me to do about it?”

And when the employees in charge of checking for typos came to find him, Musk Grid, the publisher’s president, wore a bewildered expression.

The manuscript for volume 29 was placed neatly on the desk, and the typo check had been completed perfectly.

All that was left was to send it to the printing house, but for some reason, the employees had come to see him directly.

“The thing is… it’s because of the content.”

“The plot?”

“Yes. We may not be in a position to say this, but…”

One of the employees, representing the group, spoke hesitantly. In response, Musk looked at him with an expression filled more with curiosity than irritation.

What could possibly have happened for an employee to come to him, the president? Since the publication of the Biography of Xenon, except for Matthew who became his secretary, employees rarely came to see him.

The few times they did were for vacations or resignations, and even those resignations were mostly due to personal circumstances.

Musk’s personality isn’t bad, and above all, the salary is overwhelmingly good, so it’s unprecedented for ordinary employees to come to him.

“Can’t you ask Xenon to reconsider the story?”

“What?”

Musk frowned at the employee’s suggestion. Coming out of nowhere and asking for a story reconsideration.

Although Musk is essentially Xenon’s editor, he never touched the story. Because Xenon does well on his own.

So when an employee came and said such a thing, it was beyond bewildering and incomprehensible.

For a moment, the words “Who are you to say such a thing?” rose to his throat, but Musk exercised maximum patience and slowly opened his mouth.

“…Do you understand what you just said?”

“Y-yes. O-of course. But if you read it once, you’ll understand our feelings.”

“…Tsk. Fine. I’ll read it. But stay quiet until I finish.”

He’d like to throw them out, but he can’t. Their courage is admirable, and there must surely be a reason.

At this, the employee sighed in relief, and Musk slowly began to read the manuscript on the desk.

It starts with Xenon following Jin’s trail. Xenon tracking Jin by visiting each country the group had visited.

Eventually, he arrives at the desert area where the First Demon War broke out, and the hidden truths there are gradually revealed.

This alone would be enough to stir the entire world, but…

“…Huh?”

Soon after reading the ending, Musk opened his eyes wide and gave a foolish reaction.

He kept flipping the page back and forth, as if he couldn’t believe what he had read. As if checking if he had really read it correctly.

Then, he closed the manuscript and urgently asked his secretary, Matthew, who was standing beside him.

“Matthew, who brought this manuscript?”

“As always, it came from the mansion.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

As if the ending was hard to believe.

“It wasn’t tampered with by demon worshippers along the way?”

Musk asked in a bewildered voice.