Ch.65Storm’s Eve (3)

# Biography of Xenon 10. One day until release.

The news that the publisher had set a release date for the Biography of Xenon appeared in the newspaper. There was no other notable news.

It seems the publisher intends to announce that I’ll be taking a hiatus on the day the Biography of Xenon is released. It doesn’t matter to me.

People naturally become more relaxed when they finish all their tasks. With exams over, I happily attended lectures each day or enjoyed pleasant dates with Marie afterward.

Well, that doesn’t mean I’m being reckless. There’s about a month left before vacation, and final exams remain within that period.

Fortunately, there aren’t many group assignments, and they’re not that important. I have absolutely no intention of earning a scholarship; I just need to avoid failing.

Above all, Halo Academy truly begins from the third year. Even if you barely miss the required scores, you can advance if a certain professor takes a liking to you.

“Come see me as soon as your first year ends. I’ll write you a recommendation letter.”

For example, like Professor Elena who has taken quite a shine to me.

As usual, while teaching writing to Cindy in the lab and taking a short break, Elena said this.

I was sipping tea that Cindy had brewed herself when I blinked in confusion.

“A recommendation letter?”

“Yes. A recommendation letter.”

The value of a recommendation letter handwritten by a professor at Halo Academy is truly immense.

With slight exaggeration, you could advance to third year even with terrible grades in second year.

However, there’s one condition: it must be for a major taught by the recommending professor, and your grades in that particular major must be good.

But since professors must take direct “responsibility” for their recommendations, they cannot be abused. Literally, professors must select only the most talented individuals by their judgment.

Professor Elena likely mentioned this to me for the above reason. It’s somewhat surprising to me.

“I’m still a freshman who hasn’t even started vacation yet. Isn’t this too rushed?”

“Others might think so. But recently, students as passionate about history as you are rare. And I’m not judging by human standards, but by my own.”

When an elf like Professor Elena says something like that, it carries a completely different weight. Just how few people are interested in history?

Anyway, it’s true that Professor Elena has taken a great interest in me. As someone who loves history, this makes me happy.

Having already set a firm path for myself, studying another major was killing me, but now I can lighten my burden a bit.

“That’s fine with me. It’s history, not some other major.”

“That’s fortunate. By the way, my recommendation letter will be quite different. I can take you to Alfheim under my accompaniment.”

“Alfheim?”

I opened my eyes wide at what Professor Elena mentioned.

As I mentioned before, Alfheim is the elven nation and where the first civilization was established.

The capital, “Yggdrasil,” contains the World Tree, a sacred site, and as the birthplace of the first civilization, it’s a place where living history breathes.

“Yes. The Alfheim you know. If you want, you could visit during vacation.”

“Isn’t the immigration process for Alfheim extremely difficult?”

Although Alfheim opened diplomatic relations after the Race War, it still boasts complicated entry procedures.

It’s so strict that even for ordinary people to visit once, they need direct certification at the national level.

From the elves’ perspective, it’s natural to be wary of humans who try to imitate everything from civilization down to the smallest details. Moreover, they fought bloody battles against humans during the Race War.

Professor Elena nodded at my question, then took a sip of the tea Cindy had brewed and spoke.

“That’s right. As you said, humans need troublesome procedures to enter Alfheim. But if you accompany me, it’s a different story. We elves are gracious to those we acknowledge. It’s like granting qualification as a sign that the person is noble enough to be recognized.”

“That’s a bit…”

“Yes. A truly elvish mindset. Despite taking a beating in the Race War, we haven’t changed.”

That’s Professor Elena, harshly criticizing elves despite being one herself. Not having much to say, I responded with a bitter smile.

“Anyway, just know that if you receive my recommendation, you can visit Alfheim. I plan to take you there later.”

“I’m not that exceptional of a student…”

“True. Maybe you’re not as exceptional as I think. But your love for history is genuine, right? And you have deep thoughts. Didn’t you say history repeats itself?”

Professor Elena verbalized exactly what I had written on my history exam answer sheet. I met her emerald eyes shining behind her glasses.

I felt guilty for simply copying a widely known saying from my previous life, but there was no point in mentioning that. Silence was the best answer in this situation.

Professor Elena seemed to interpret my silence differently and gave a subtle smile.

“That made me think quite a bit. As you wrote in your answer, history has repeated itself countless times. So why does history repeat itself? What do you think?”

“Well, honestly, I’m not sure either. When I look at history, similar patterns always emerge. For example, if you examine how wars break out, the processes are surprisingly similar. Countries have conflicts, try to resolve them, and when nothing works, it inevitably leads to war.”

Indeed, historically, the reasons for wars between countries are often similar. While there are various detailed causes, ultimately, war is an extension of politics.

Someone’s greed can attach ridiculous justifications, or a major incident that angers the entire nation can trigger a war.

Thus, while war cannot be easily decided upon, ironically, it’s the simplest method to solve complex problems. Even in my previous life with its advanced social civilization, wars broke out at the slightest provocation.

“And war doesn’t just involve military force. The cultural offensive between the Empire of Minerva and the Kingdom of Teres can also be considered a type of war. When that intensifies, it transforms into military conflict.”

“Hmm. That certainly makes sense. The Race War also originated from cultural differences between races.”

Professor Elena nodded in understanding at my explanation. While there were several major incidents that caused the Race War, fundamentally it occurred due to cultural differences.

Elves disliked humans who had much greed despite having little power, and humans disliked elves who pretended to be noble but looked down on them.

These ideological differences gradually escalated until the Race War erupted. After numerous casualties on each side, the war ended, but the aftereffects remain to this day.

“Then in your opinion, what war do you think is most likely to break out currently?”

“Hmm…”

I looked upward and pondered Professor Elena’s question. Currently, this world has various countries, each with its own unique culture and characteristics.

While they have various conflicts because of this, it’s relatively peaceful. There aren’t any particular problems or aspects to grab onto.

If I had to choose, perhaps the Empire of Minerva and the Kingdom of Teres? These two countries have been exchanging verbal disputes over culture until recently.

Of course, this won’t cause a war. If they were going to seriously invade culturally, they would create all sorts of ridiculous justifications.

“I’m not sure. What do you think, Professor Elena?”

“There is one possibility. I’m not sure if it should be called a war, but at its center would be the Biography of Xenon.”

“What?”

Why is the Biography of Xenon suddenly mentioned while discussing war?

While I was inwardly bewildered, Professor Elena took another sip of tea. Judging by her serious expression, she seemed sincere.

“As you know, the Biography of Xenon is booming worldwide, regardless of race, not just among humans. The problem is that it’s not just popular in specific countries, but across all nations.”

“You’re saying a war could break out over just one book?”

I know how valuable I am. Everyone around me has made that clear, so it would be strange not to know.

But war seems a bit extreme, I think.

“Not the book, but the person who wrote it—the author. The publishing house that has the copyright contract for the Biography of Xenon is in the Empire of Minerva, but it’s not completely subordinate to them. They can’t impose tariffs when the Biography of Xenon is distributed outside the Empire of Minerva. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Ah. If the author becomes subordinate to a specific country, that country could potentially drop tariff bombs on the Biography of Xenon?”

Among wars, trade wars don’t use military force but can inflict severe economic damage.

It might seem ridiculous to impose tariffs on mere books, but when a nation gets involved, the story changes.

Imposing tariffs on specific items can, depending on the circumstances, completely block distribution. The results of such actions are predictable.

“That’s right. The moment tariffs are imposed, that country will develop greatly economically. The diplomatic advantages go without saying.”

“Hmm…”

“Think about imposing tariffs on items that don’t even cost 3 silver coins each. Tariffs are quite complicated.”

Honestly, it’s not easy to grasp.

I heard from Marie too, but my value is so formidable that even the Empire can’t easily touch it. I heard that the Empire of Minerva and the Kingdom of Teres are currently engaged in underground struggles.

“This is just my opinion, so you don’t need to take it too seriously. While it’s true that the Biography of Xenon generates enormous commercial profits, it’s just one of many exports. Moreover, if the author continues to hide their identity as they do now, nothing will happen.”

“…”

“As you know, wars break out for all sorts of strange reasons. If both sides have similar power, it gets even worse.”

Well, in my previous life, wars broke out over something as simple as soccer, and conversely, wars stopped because of soccer too.

When Côte d’Ivoire secured their World Cup qualification, Drogba knelt before the camera and pleaded for the war to stop.

Surprisingly, the civil war that had been tormenting the country stopped. If even a soccer player can exert that kind of influence, there’s nothing I can’t do.

If a war really breaks out, I’ll say I’m too anxious to write. Of course, I’ll just observe if it’s only a trade war and make such a plea only if direct military conflict occurs.

Or I could publish a war-related novel to raise awareness about the horrors of war. Given my worldwide recognition, I should be able to resolve minor disputes between countries.

‘But I’m still taking a hiatus.’

I need some rest too. And travel around here and there while I’m at it.

After such a peaceful day had passed…

[Biography of Xenon Volume 10 Finally Appears. But…]

[Shock! Biography of Xenon on Hiatus for at Least 1.5 Years! Fans Unable to Contain Their Dismay.]

[Crowds Beginning to Gather in Front of the Publishing House… Urgently Demanding Explanation.]

[Meaningful Words Written in the Author’s Note. What Happened to Author ‘Xenon’? Could It Be the Work of Nobles?]

A fierce storm hit the world before even two days had passed.

“Wow.”

This is a bit beyond my expectations.