Ch.80Reckless (4)

The pen is mightier than the sword. It’s a famous saying you’ve probably heard before, and it contains various meanings.

What Dmitri told me about “those who hold the pen” is similar. Though metaphorical, it could literally refer to literary authors who write works with their pens, or perhaps journalists who write for newspapers.

However, we need to reconsider Dmitri’s position here. Dmitri is a duke with the second highest position in the Empire of Minerva after the emperor, and is naturally deeply connected to “politics.”

In other words, the pen-holders Dmitri mentioned are likely “politicians.” But since he used a metaphorical expression, it would be correct to say it applies to all of them.

Above all, I could roughly guess what intention Dmitri had behind his question. He must be referring to the Biography of Xenon, a book that has not only greatly influenced the cultural sphere but has gradually begun to permeate everyday life.

A book that can shake the world has never existed before, so it’s clearly something that must be guarded against by those who hold pens.

‘I can’t help but be cautious.’

If you want to feel the power of the pen, you don’t need to look far. There’s Hitler, a name no Earth person could possibly be unaware of, the protagonist of World War II.

Hitler maximized the power of the pen to brainwash all of Germany and use it as he pleased, and further triggered World War II. That single war engulfed all of Europe in flames and later contributed to awakening the two giants, America and the Soviet Union.

If such devastation can occur with just one country, what if the influence extends to the entire world? Naturally, one must be wary.

Above all, this world is a fantasy world. It has mana, magic, monsters, and non-human races, with a civilization that hasn’t progressed beyond the medieval era.

Even Earth, which is several stages more advanced socially, has had terrible history carved by mere instigation—this place would be even worse, not better. Moreover, the Biography of Xenon has long since obtained the sharp sword of “demon race” under its control.

If the author of the Biography of Xenon—that is, me—were so inclined, I could wreak havoc with the well-honed sword of the demon race. Of course, I would never do such a thing unless I went mad.

However, this is only from my perspective; for others like Dmitri, it’s a different story. The Biography of Xenon is a time bomb that could explode at any moment, a risk factor that could lead to mutual destruction if mishandled.

Moreover, Dmitri belongs to the Reckyless family. As he says himself, they communicate with the past and glimpse the future—a family that boasts the broadest knowledge of history.

Having gained much from history, he must clearly recognize what power those who hold the pen possess. And he asked me this question considering all these aspects.

“A natural phenomenon… and history proves it?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Do you know what I meant by my question?”

When Dmitri asked with interest and expectation rather than reproach, I silently nodded.

Even if one person affects the entire world, looking at history as a whole, it’s not a destabilizing factor but merely one flow of the era. Hitler from my past life had an enormous impact on the world, and his influence persisted even after 50 years.

Moreover, similar history exists in this world too. The “Racial War” that sits on the table right now.

In terms of my past life, it’s a great war comparable to World War II, and its influence remains even 500 years later in the present.

“What the duke mentioned about those who hold the pen probably has several meanings. It could literally mean a novelist, or it could be a politician. Both share the commonality of strongly expressing their will without directly using ‘force.’ Whether directly or indirectly.”

“You understand well.”

“And the pen that’s changing the world now… with my shallow knowledge, I can only think of the Biography of Xenon. A novel that’s not just leaving footprints in the cultural sphere but creating an entirely new culture.”

It’s embarrassing to evaluate it directly from my own mouth, but the newspaper critics have given it such praise. I’m merely borrowing their words.

Dmitri just stared at me blankly after hearing my explanation. Due to his nearly expressionless face, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it seemed best to continue my explanation.

“The influence the Biography of Xenon has on the world is too powerful for pen-holders to ignore. Not only has it changed perceptions of the demon race, but it has also presented the new concept of the Seven Deadly Sins, redefining theology. Depending on what stories appear in the Biography of Xenon in the future, changing its target would be no difficult task.”

“Last time, it also wrote a story criticizing the nobility. Fortunately, since it wrote about both the dark and bright sides of nobility, there wasn’t much of an impact.”

“Yes. In this way, the Biography of Xenon is slowly changing the world. As perceptions of the demon race change, more countries welcome them, naturally leading to exchanges and diplomatic benefits for many nations.”

“And recently, the Princess of Helium enrolled at Halo Academy. Things that were unimaginable even five years ago are gradually becoming reality.”

Following this, Dmitri slowly leaned his upper body forward and continued in a solemn voice.

“I too am one of the readers who loves the Biography of Xenon, but I can pride myself on knowing history better than anyone. So I absolutely cannot ignore it.”

“…”

“Don’t you know well what catastrophe occurs when the world changes in an instant?”

Dmitri pointed to the book about the Racial War on the table and asked me. As he said, a rapidly changing world is synonymous with a process that is chaos itself.

It doesn’t have to be a large-scale war like World War II. The biggest example is the “Industrial Revolution,” which literally transformed the world rapidly.

“Machines” appeared in earnest, “time” increased, and simultaneously, the world’s population exploded. But as a counterbalance, “imperialism” emerged in the world, causing many countries to be plundered and suffer great damage.

Like this, if the world changes rapidly, countless people will bleed, and pens and swords will break without making a sound. Change accompanies that much pain.

Duke Reckyless is judging that the ongoing Biography of Xenon will be the same.

As someone who loves and understands history better than anyone, he’s treating the Biography of Xenon not as a simple cultural artifact but as a powerful pen.

“The world changing doesn’t simply mean progress. It inevitably has a great impact on society, whether good or bad. In the past, there were no concepts of king, nobility, and commoners. We initially only had the council imitating the elves, ministers under them, and the people who served as roots.”

“…”

“But as time passed and the Racial War broke out, we began to take the current form. The three classes of king, nobility, and commoners. But even this has many problems. The conflict between nobility and commoners intensifies, and the Jeiros Revolution even occurred in the Kingdom of Teres. Recently, when the Biography of Xenon went on hiatus, protest groups even formed. Do you really think all of this is a natural phenomenon with no significant meaning?”

To that, I answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Then if the author of the Biography of Xenon presses the pen wrongly and a terrible tragedy occurs, would you also dismiss that as natural? I think that’s too optimistic.”

For some reason, I had the illusion that Dmitri was giving me a direct warning. As if saying, if you press the pen wrongly, I’ll deal with you myself.

But contrary to his concerns and worries, I’m writing the Biography of Xenon purely as a hobby. I can guarantee there will never be any intention to change the world.

However, since the Biography of Xenon is already changing the world, there’s no denying the “responsibility.” Dmitri reminded me of that once again.

‘Is he vaguely suspecting that I’m the author?’

For now, it seems best to answer without thinking about that. I looked at Dmitri, who was waiting for my answer with a serious face, and gave my response.

“It’s not optimistic, but historically, this phenomenon has occurred several times. When society changes, ‘people’ naturally change too. Of course, there will be a lot of noise at first. They have to fully accept knowledge that couldn’t be accepted as common sense, and it’s no different from exploring the unknown. People fear change, but ironically, they are intellectual beings who can only develop by embracing change.”

“Hmm.”

“As you love history, you know well how we humans fought against the elves during the Racial War. And through what process the Empire of Minerva was founded. For people of that era, it was truly a radical change, but that’s clearly a thing of the ‘past.’ For us living in the ‘present,’ it’s already gone by and is naturally accepted.”

The reason I became interested in history is simple. It’s just because I was born in South Korea.

To explain precisely, as everyone knows, South Korea experienced the tragedy of the Korean War just 50 years ago. Not long after liberation, everything crumbled like a sand castle due to one person’s greed, resulting in terrible casualties.

But now? South Korea has developed into a powerful nation to the point where one wonders if such a war really happened. Although traces of war remain here and there, looking at Seoul, one would never think so.

That’s why I became very interested in history. To understand, even a little, how people back then felt about the ‘past’ that we naturally accept.

I looked directly at Dmitri, who was listening to my story, and continued.

“People of the future will think of this moment as just something that happened in the past. As a past they take for granted.”

“…”

“From our perspective living in the present, it may be very confusing, but in the end, we’re just immersed in the flow of long history. For people of the future, it’s just history they’ll naturally pass over with a simple ‘I see.'”

“So what you’re saying is, from a historical perspective, everything that happens within great change is all natural. So whether you stand by or resist, it’s all meaningless. Because change is natural.”

“Yes. That’s right. But this is strictly from a historical perspective, and realistically, it’s good to prepare. To receive better evaluation from future generations.”

“Hmm.”

When all my talk was finished, Dmitri began to think deeply while stroking his chin. Meanwhile, I picked up my teacup to moisten my parched lips.

Having squeezed out the conversation somehow, I feel like I’m lacking sugar. The tea had an exquisite sweet fragrance.

“I understand your thoughts. You tell quite interesting stories.”

Dmitri, who had been lost in thought while stroking his chin, smiled gently and spoke to me. I answered after completely setting down my teacup.

“Thank you for finding it interesting. This is the limit of my shallow knowledge.”

“Not at all. Thanks to you, I feel like one of my concerns has been resolved. Then I’ll ask another question. Actually, this is the main point and the most important part.”

Perhaps because he mentioned it was the most important part, I tensed up even more than before, waiting for his words.

Then Dmitri looked at me intently with his hands clasped to his face and opened his mouth in a low voice.

“What do you like about our daughter that made you date her?”

“…”

“I’d like an honest answer to this. Although she’s the man our daughter chose, it’s not an issue I can easily overlook.”

His demeanor as a duke had completely disappeared, leaving only a doting father. I barely suppressed a laugh that almost escaped and gave a bitter smile.

Just in case, I glanced at Marie sitting beside me, and she was hanging her head low as if embarrassed. Seeing her bury her face in her hands, she must have been quite mortified.

At this, I couldn’t hold back a chuckle and answered straightforwardly.

“Because she’s pretty.”

“Hey! Don’t answer that!”

As soon as I answered, Marie shrieked from beside me. This alone would be enough to cause her shame, but Dmitri added fuel to the fire.

“Hmm… an honest answer. Our daughter is pretty, taking after her mother.”

“Dad! Please! Stop!”

Marie was almost at the point of wailing.