Chapter 243: Invitation(2)
Chapter 243: Invitation(2)
Inviting Cherry to the exhibition went surprisingly, almost too easily. Given her oppressive family environment, I expected her to hesitate a few times, but she accepted the moment I made the offer.
She agreed so readily that I was the one left feeling bewildered. When I cautiously asked if she wasn't worried about her family, her answer left me stunned.
"Your invitation is far more important than my family, Senior."
Hearing that, a vague sense of unease washed over me, and I hurriedly asked what she would do if she got caught.
Her response was truly something else. Cherry slowly blinked her characteristically vacant eyes, tilted her head, and replied:
"Is there anything scarier than you turning your back on me?"
...It was a statement that felt off in several ways, but I was satisfied enough that she was coming to the exhibition. It seemed she had moved past her trauma regarding her family to some extent as well.
Aside from that, I asked about the progress of her next volume. Apparently, even if she slacks off in class, she’s been pouring her soul into her writing.
Like me, Cherry is the type to plan out the plot in advance before writing, so her pace never slowed down.
It’s been about a month since Volume 1 was released, and she said that if she just finishes the final touches, she can put out Volume 2.
Since I was just as curious about her new book as anyone else, I teased her to hurry up. However, Cherry didn't seem to take the joke as a joke and instead showed terrifying resolve.
How so?
"If I fail to keep my promise, I will cut off my own wrist."
"No. There’s really no need to go that far."
"No. It is your instruction, Senior. I must follow it no matter what."
"..."
With a firm mental note never to joke with Cherry again, I returned to my quarters. Classes were over, and since it was exam period, I had plenty of free time.
Naturally, I spent all that remaining time writing. Starting from Volume 17, and especially in Volume 19, the Seven Deadly Sins and other demons began to crawl out in earnest.
Since Satan had already died a grand death, he wouldn't appear, but the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins would show up one after another.
However, Pride and Gluttony were scheduled to be defeated by Xenon and Jin, respectively, so they would appear a bit later. Since they would serve as the driving force for the two characters' growth, I had to push them back.
In any case, humanity had managed to form an Alliance Army after much effort and hardship, but the demons were incredibly strong. More importantly, the most terrifying thing about demons was their sheer, inexhaustible numbers.
Even Albenheim couldn't overcome that quantity; they resisted, but were eventually pushed back. Furthermore, if not for the noble sacrifices of the heroes, Diabolus might have been resurrected.
Fortunately, the demons weren't launching a direct invasion while waiting for Diabolus's resurrection, but they couldn't be left alone either.
This was where the Elves, who had lost Albenheim, were gnashing their teeth. After the demons' surprise invasion, the Elves living in Albenheim had hurriedly fled to the regions inhabited by the Dark Elves.
However, the deep-seated conflict between the Elves and Dark Elves, built up over ages, was not easily bridged. Not only were they constantly arguing, but the Old Generation Elves and the New Generation Dark Elves were particularly prone to clashing.
This phenomenon was very similar to reality. While the Old Generation Dark Elves still viewed Albenheim as their spiritual home, the New Generation Dark Elves did not.
Conversely, the New Generation Elves had only heard stories about Dark Elves and were willing to let things slide, but the Old Generation Elves rejected them as heretics.
This is where the heroine and Elf woman, Mary, steps in. Having traveled the world with Xenon for a long time, Mary possessed an open-minded perspective.
Moreover, having witnessed Albenheim's fall due to the Council's incompetence, she was more than just frustrated by their bickering—she was about to explode.
On top of that, there were warriors ranting about reclaiming Albenheim without even properly assessing their own strength.
The reason things had come to this was simply because the Elves currently lacked a 'leader.' To be precise, there was no one with the caliber to unite them.
The Dark Elf elder was so frail he was practically on his deathbed, and the Elf Queen was still in a catatonic state.
It was a total mess, a perfect representation of the Elven trait of failing to unite at critical moments.
'To overcome this...'
In times of chaos, a 'hero' is always needed. A noble existence like the Elven heroes who sacrificed themselves to prevent Diabolus's resurrection.
If a hero does not appear where one is needed, it leads directly to ruin. Mary would become that heroic figure, and she would endure hardships just as tumultuous as Xenon's.
Not only would she suffer mentally, but she would even lose one of her ears—the symbol of an Elf—in a battle against Lilith, the demon of Lust.
'Well, Mary does use a rather boisterous fighting style for an Elf...'
Mary's personality was so spirited and fiery that the word 'gallant' suited her perfectly. She was the character who first introduced the legendary Hectopascal Kick.
Yet, strangely, she wasn't ignorant or reckless. On the contrary, she always maintained her composure in battle, and her intellect was sharp enough to turn the tide by weaving in appropriate magic.
Her weapon? Mary didn't have one. She simply beat her opponents to a pulp with her fists.
If Xenon was characterized by the precision of the swordsmanship he learned from his master, Kair, Mary primarily used martial arts she had mastered while traveling the world for decades.
Looking at Mary's battles so far, one could get a general idea of her style. She might just shatter the stereotype of a mage.
Of course, Mary's fighting style was only possible because she was an Elf; a human wouldn't even dream of it. Humans have to chant incantations for even simple magic.
In fact, Mary's combat style was closer to a demon's than an Elf's. She’d throw fire-fists like a certain pirate manga.
'On the other hand, Cecil... no, Lilith...'
I mentioned before that the member of the Seven Deadly Sins Mary faces is Lilith, the demon of Lust.
Lilith forms a rivalry with the heroine Mary, and they show contrasting traits in various ways.
First, their races are different. Although Lilith became a demon, she was originally of the Demon Clan, while Mary is, as everyone knows, an Elf.
Furthermore, Lilith had the experience of failing to save and eventually losing her beloved right before her eyes, whereas Mary, though clumsy, ended up with Xenon.
The fact that Mary taunts Lilith with this is a bonus. It causes the enraged Lilith to show an opening, leading to her receiving a fatal wound.
'Still, she does manage to cut off an ear.'
The battle between Mary and Lilith lasts for more than three days and nights. According to my father, a battle between the strong isn't about who is more powerful, but a contest of endurance and improvisation.
Assuming both sides have equal skill, the 'worst-case scenario' will inevitably occur. Therefore, one must always engage in battle with the worst, not the best, in mind—especially in a life-or-death struggle.
In this regard, Mary was superior to Lilith, which allowed her to claim victory. An injury like losing an ear, which is practically the symbol and identity of an Elf?
To Mary, an ear wasn't important; the future and the survival of the world were far more vital. Only by saving the world could she marry Xenon and have children.
This mindset would later become one of the decisive reasons Mary leads the Elf Union and establishes an Elven identity of 'us' rather than 'you and I.'
It sounds a bit like Elven Communism, but let's move past that. Any resemblance to Arwen must be my imagination.
'And Lilith...'
Lilith's end... could be described as pitiful in many ways. While Xenon rushed over to support Mary upon hearing the news, Lilith was betrayed by her own comrade.
The member of the Seven Deadly Sins who betrayed her was Lucifer, the demon of Pride, who was called a traitor among the Elves. Lucifer looked down coldly at the dying Lilith and killed her without a moment's hesitation.
Killing a comrade was bad enough, but the nonsense Lucifer spewed after killing Lilith was even worse. Something about how she should have become nourishment for Diabolus sooner.
Even in the midst of this, the tragic part was that Lilith cried out her former lover's name until the moment she died. She would be etched into people's minds as a character symbolizing the tragic nature of the Demon Clan.
The same would go for Lucifer, who symbolized Elven pride. He didn't even spare a glance for Xenon and Mary before leaving the scene, completely unaware that his choice would eventually threaten his own life.
'This is going to produce a lot of anti-fans.'
The cliché of a villain killing their own subordinates or comrades is countless. But despite being a cliché, it never fails to shock the audience.
If media in my past life was like that, imagine how it would be here. People might treat him as more than just a bastard—they might see him as the ultimate piece of trash.
'I'm glad people don't pay much attention to the names.'
If people thought of the names as a kind of prophecy... I don't even want to imagine it. The name Lucifer isn't exactly common, so it could have drawn suspicion.
Even if I shouted that it wasn't true, people might have started a witch hunt, calling it an insult to the Xenon Biography. This was also why I canceled the illustrations.
I continued my diligent writing for a while, but eventually, my hand began to ache, so I set down the magic pen. Everything else was fine, but this was a world where the lack of a typewriter was truly regrettable.
Since typewriters were invented at least after the Industrial Revolution, they were a long way off. I wondered if something could be done since there were even printing presses, but I hadn't heard any news.
'I'd like to release it before the exhibition if possible.'
There were about 20 days left until vacation, and exactly one month until the exhibition. At my current pace, it would be entirely possible, but my hand wouldn't be able to take it if I kept going like this.
I had been writing excessively just to survive, and having to balance it with my studies was no small hardship.
Writing machines or magic itself certainly existed, but they were closer to 'copying.' What I needed wasn't a printing press, but a typewriter.
If I had one, my work speed would be much faster. It was a shame. No lie, I was confident I could put out one volume every fifteen days.
'I guess I'm being greedy.'
Let's just write for now. My goal is to finish all of Volume 19 before the exhibition.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just as the tip of my pen touched the manuscript paper, the sound of someone knocking reached my ears. I looked up toward the door.
There shouldn't be anyone visiting at this hour. Thinking it might be someone from the Academy, I stood up.
"Yes, coming."
Click—
When I cautiously opened the door a moment later, look who it was.
It wasn't an Academy official, nor was it Adelia. Standing right there in front of the door was Gartz, Cecile's guard knight.
A demon characterized by horns that curved like a ram's, unlike Cecile's. Since visits to Helium had become frequent due to Mora's pouting, I had been in contact with Gartz often.
However, usually, I was the one calling for him; this was the first time Gartz had come to find me first. And he had even knocked quite politely.
"Mr. Gartz?"
As I tilted my head, wondering what could have brought him here, Gartz spoke in his characteristically cold voice.
"Have you been well?"
Though his voice was cold, his polite way of speaking to me was impressive. He was a man who seemed chilly on the outside but possessed a strangely warm sensibility.
As I accepted his greeting—he had bowed quite formally—I suddenly noticed something in his hands.
It was entirely black and rectangular, long horizontally and short vertically. At a glance, it looked like a keyboard from my previous life.
What on earth could that be? Since Gartz of all people was holding it, I was even more curious.
"What is that?"
"Ah. This. We manufactured it in Helium, thinking it might be of help to our benefactor."
"For me?"
I tilted my head again at the mention that it was made by Helium, not Gartz personally. It seemed he had come to deliver it on behalf of Cecile, who was busy preparing for exams.
Meanwhile, Gartz stepped into the dormitory, asking for a moment of my time. Normally, outsiders were prohibited from entering, but it was a prohibition in name only; at this point, it was meaningless.
He then caught a glimpse of the manuscript on the desk and flinched, beginning to look at me tentatively. As soon as I saw that, I immediately shoved the manuscript into the desk drawer.
Once I put the manuscript away, Gartz bowed his head and apologized as if he had committed a grave error.
"I am sorry. I didn't realize you were busy..."
"No, no. It's fine. Anyway, what is that object used for?"
Forget all that, I was dying to know what it was. Gartz let out a deep sigh as if he were nervous at my question, then placed it on the desk.
Once it was on the desk, it really did look like a keyboard. Not only were the characters used in this world arranged on it, but there were even special characters...
'...Huh?'
Wait. This really is a keyboard. What on earth did these people make?
While I stared at the keyboard-like object with a bewildered expression, Gartz cleared his throat and began his explanation.
The point of interest was his voice, which trembled slightly as if he were nervous, quite unlike his usual cold tone.
"As I said, this is an object invented in Helium to be of even the slightest help to our benefactor. The most renowned artisans in Helium poured their hearts and souls into it."
"..."
"First, this button is called 'Power.' As the name suggests, it can turn the device on or off. And if you turn the device on..."
Flash!
The moment he pressed a strangely familiar button, the keyboard(?) emitted a blue light. Honestly, anyone could see this was a keyboard.
Regardless, Gartz continued his explanation with a proud voice.
"The light appears like this. If you press these characters, a message will be output in the air. For example, if I type my name..."
Tap— tap— tap—
Our guard knight, Gartz, carefully typed his own name using the famous hunt-and-peck method. It was hard to believe this man was the Reaper who treated human lives like nothing.
But Gartz was always serious. He looked at his name output in the air and nodded once.
"Do you happen to have any spare paper?"
"...Here."
I pulled a sheet of paper from the drawer and handed it to him. Gartz then tucked the paper into a tiny slit at the bottom of the keyboard.
Next, he pressed another specific button, and with a whirring noise, the paper was drawn into the keyboard. Just like a 'photocopier' so common in my past life.
And then...
Whirrrrr—
The paper emerged from a slit at the top of the keyboard. At the very top of the paper, Gartz's name, which he had just typed, was clearly printed.
I couldn't help but wear a dazed expression as I watched. I thought it was just a keyboard, but it was a combination of a keyboard and a printing press.
A hybrid of a keyboard and a printer—truly a product of science and magic. Was this really possible?
"...Mr. Gartz."
"Yes. Please, speak."
"How did you make this?"
At that question, Gartz wore a proud smile and answered in a confident voice.
"It is magic. After you began your relationship with the Princess, the King devised this to assist you."
"..."
"If it should ever break, please let me know at any time. I will come immediately."
The moment I heard those words, I spoke to Gartz.
"Do you need any more autographs?"
Long live magic.