Chapter 274: Isaac's Imagination(2)
Chapter 274: Isaac's Imagination(2)
I've uploaded the illustrations for Adelia the Maid and Night Service Adelia! Please check them out!
I also added a development in the "Run Away (1)" section where Isaac reveals to Adelia that he is Xenon!
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They say a coincidence twice is a fluke, and three times is a necessity. But if there's a word for it, four or five times is simply destiny.
The various cultures I encountered in my past life granted me infinite imagination, and I use that imagination to write novels.
The problem is that I write about things that could actually happen in a fantasy world, and I am currently living in a fantasy world.
This is likely why "Why Is This Real?" moments erupt every time I release a new volume. Moreover, because I strictly adhere to "historical accuracy" based on this world's standards, the severity of these occurrences has increased drastically.
If I had written Wuxia, people would have just found it fascinating, and none of this would have happened. Then again, I don't know enough about Wuxia to write it in the first place.
If I were to release a Wuxia novel in this situation? People would probably start talking about a "New Continent" or another landmass across the sea.
Because of this, I can't help but doubt myself. Even though I already received a guarantee from Luminous, it happens so often that I wonder if the God is lying to me.
Of course, Gods do not lie. Though they may be vague, they only reveal the truth through oracles.
The same applies when they speak to a believer. If a believer can converse directly with a God, they are a figure on the level of a Cardinal.
If such a high-ranking figure were to fall into corruption because of a God's lie, it could cause great harm to the God's own divinity, so they almost never do it.
Above all, Gods possess the ability to glimpse the future. They know exactly when they should and shouldn't speak the truth.
[You aren't a regressor. I told you, you're a soul from another dimension. Why do you keep doubting me?]
'Lady Mora, how can I not doubt it in this situation?'
[It's just a cultural difference. It would be one thing if you wrote about wars that happened on Earth, but you're writing fantasy novels based on your own standards. As I said before, if this is a lie, I'll give you my divinity.]
After the latest, completely unexpected "Why Is This Real?" incident, I squeezed some time out of my schedule to visit the Temple of Mora.
Mora was delighted by my surprise visit, but when I started questioning her about this and that, she grumbled while still offering a kind explanation.
She even staked her divinity on it: every incident in the Xenon Biography that manifested in reality was pure coincidence. I am absolutely not a regressor or a prophet.
Most importantly, the reason my soul crossed dimensions to get here was due to a mistake by a demon worshipper, not the intervention of the Gods.
Since she drew such a firm line, even staking her divinity, I had nothing left to say. I was just frustrated by the continuous string of events happening lately.
[It might be hard to accept or understand. But as you know, Earth is centuries ahead of our world in terms of civilization. Especially in science and culture, the level is astronomically higher. Imagine throwing a lighter to a primitive human who hasn't even discovered fire. Think of the cultural shock.]
'Isn't that a bit of an extreme analogy?'
[It's an exaggeration, but that's the gist of it. Especially since you included "historical accuracy" in the Xenon Biography, right? The problem is that the level of realism is too high. The pollution of the World Tree's roots acted as a catalyst. And besides, isn't reality often stranger than fiction?]
'I have no rebuttal for that.'
As Mora said, reality is often more like a movie, a novel, or an incident in itself. This was a common saying even on Earth, where cultural media was overflowing.
The problem was that every single thing I wrote triggered some bizarre event. I let out a long sigh.
I had practically given up on stopping the "Why Is This Real?" phenomenon; I was essentially just venting to Mora because I wanted someone to listen to my grievances.
The Gods were the ones who understood my situation best. Come to think of it, shouldn't they be the ones most bothered by the current situation?
[Not at all. We love it.]
'Excuse me?'
[From our perspective, your existence is more than just a blessing in disguise—it's pure luck. We took some heat from the Gods of Earth, but your presence alone has brought peace to our world and accelerated its development. What was that word from your world? Cost-effective? Efficient? Anyway, you're a great value!]
"..."
I always thought this, but unlike Luminous, Mora's speech and behavior were rather light. The fact that dignity still seeped through that light behavior made it feel even stranger.
At times she seemed like an immature girl, and at others, like an infinitely kind older sister to children. She was a stark contrast to the dignified Luminous.
'Efficiency aside, where on earth did you learn the term "cost-effective"?'
[I learned a bit about Earth when you crossed over. That's one of the words I picked up.]
'Cost-effective, huh...'
Not to toot my own horn, but as a person, I really was top-tier in terms of cost-effectiveness.
First of all, I was a normal human, not a Demon or an Elf, and I had almost no desire for power. Furthermore, I didn't hold any ideologies that could threaten the Gods.
With just my writing, I was saving the Demon clan and advancing the world's culture, so it would be hard to find a better "bang for your buck" than me.
[No desire for power, no ideologies that threaten us, and no greed for fame. You're a total windfall! Do you see why we adore you?]
'So, to summarize...'
I pondered the praise that didn't quite feel like praise. While the term "windfall" fit perfectly, I needed to organize my thoughts.
'A demon worshipper who threatened this world messed up a summoning, causing a soul from Earth to die, and to clean up the mess, that soul was brought here?'
[Right.]
'But that soul, as you said, has no interest in power, ideology, or fame, and is just someone who writes as a pure hobby? And that writing accelerated peace and development in this world?'
[That's also right.]
'I'm sorry, but how many dimensions are there in this world? Specifically, planets where humanity lives, like Earth.'
[It's beyond a number humans can count.]
'This is why I can't help but be suspicious!'
When you break it down piece by piece, it's not just nonsensical. it's practically in the realm of impossibility.
Even winning the lottery, with odds of 1 in 8 million, would be a drop in the bucket compared to those odds.
Just how unlucky would one have to be to pierce through all those probabilities and end up here?
It would be much more probable that I had regressed but was under a restriction that wiped my memories, leading me to write.
[Don't get so worked up, child. It's only because the demon worshipper did something stupid, but your coming here was entirely a coincidence. If you still can't believe it, there's nothing I can do, but please know that we haven't told you a single lie.]
'...I got too excited. I'm sorry.'
The "Why Is This Real?" situation was something I could never get used to. Every time it happened, the way my acquaintances looked at me became increasingly strange.
Mari, who was surprisingly simple-minded, just accepted it and moved on, but Cecile was the problem. Because of this recent incident, the way she looked at me had surpassed mere affection.
It was almost at the level just below Kate's. While she kept her characteristic seductive personality, it was now mixed with a love bordering on worship, which was incredibly burdensome.
To make matters worse, this incident was deeply connected to the Demon clan. Even though it had been scrapped, it was a plan so wicked it was monstrous—one that could have destroyed Helium in an instant.
Helium was currently in an uproar after this fact was made public. For starters, the entire citizenry was united in searching for the missing persons.
Beyond that, people were saying they needed to give Xenon a gift, or build a statue for him, and so on. Even just stepping outside, I could hear embarrassing things being said.
[Since things have turned out this way, why not just enjoy it?]
'I want to enjoy it, but the pressure makes it hard.'
It would be one thing if I were just normally famous, but since I've become famous on a level almost equal to holy scripture, the pressure is terrifying.
If I slip up even a little bit, the backlash will be immense.
I couldn't even imagine how people would look at me if it were revealed that all of this was just a coincidence.
[You don't need to worry about that either. You have the massive advantage of being a "reincarnated soul." Regardless, it's true that we brought you here, isn't it? If you use that well, everyone will understand.]
'Then wouldn't lying be necessary? There might be people who doubt my existence...'
[It's the truth that we brought you here. So don't worry about a~nything and just keep writing like this. Got it?]
Mora's encouragement made me feel like the weight on my heart had lightened, if only a little. It was reassuring to know that the Gods themselves had my back.
The fact that all of this was a coincidence was still hard to believe, but since Mora had staked her divinity on it, I felt I had to believe her now.
'I understand. Thank you so much for listening to my complaints.'
[It's fine. It's our duty to listen to the grumbling of a lovely child. Is there anything else you need? Should I give you some divine power?]
'I'll take the divine power, but can I ask one more thing?'
[Ask anything.]
I am currently writing Volume 21 in Helium. However, because the "Why Is This Real?" incident struck like a bolt from the blue, I had immediately stopped and come to the Temple of Mora.
Part of it was to vent and complain, but it was also to learn about the future, like during the previous spoiler incident.
It would be much better to face a lightning strike with storm clouds already in the sky than to be hit by one from a clear blue sky. It was a form of preparation.
In any case, I had no intention of changing the content of Volume 21. In fact, the plot of the Xenon Biography was so tightly constructed that it was difficult to revise.
'In Volume 21, which I'm writing now, there's something closely related to the Demon clan. It's a setting where, when one's life is in danger, their inner evil emerges to fight in their place...'
[Mm-hmm.]
'I was wondering if anything similar to this has actually happened.'
The plan to subvert Pandemonium in Volume 20 was from 300 years ago, but it was an event that had almost been carried out in reality. Starting from the pollution of the World Tree's roots, I couldn't even count how many consecutive hits there had been.
During the spoiler incident—that is, the case of the fallen Cardinal—I had asked Luminous a similar question.
I asked if there really was a Cardinal within Savior who had joined hands with demons, just like in the Xenon Biography. If there was a clergyman who had allied with demon worshippers.
And the answer that came back was "Yes." I can't describe how absurd I felt then.
I even informed Kate of this fact using a proverb, and she handled it herself. I heard it was resolved in the form of "divine punishment," where a chandelier fell on the Cardinal's head.
From the readers' perspective, they had suddenly been spoiled by reality, so I personally named it the "spoiler incident."
So, I asked the question thinking that Jin's demonization in Volume 21 might be similar.
[Ah. That? Something similar has happened. Specifically, becoming a demon when your life is in danger.]
'Are there no Demons who maintained their reason even after becoming a demon? I heard that the radical faction of the Demon tribe consists entirely of those who have undergone demonization.'
[Does that include Demons who are driven mad by revenge and rage but can still think? If so, I'll say yes, it includes them.]
'Hmm...'
I pondered Mora's words. There were many ambiguous points, but the radical faction of the Demon tribe was a group that opposed Helium.
They were beings who had narrowly escaped the massacre of the Demon clan committed by Savior long ago and were now harboring blades of revenge.
Currently, there were several signs that they were colluding with demon worshippers, so they were a force that the Reaper was tracking to the end.
In particular, although their numbers were very small, each individual was said to be extremely powerful because they had accepted the power of a demon.
Currently, no one knows what they are doing because they are in hiding. Even Helium is struggling because it's hard to find any clues.
'Then what about this case? Instead of restraining the inner evil, they completely subdue it and make it their own power.'
[There are no such cases. You can tell by the fact that so far, there have been no Demons who tried to "control" their inner evil, only those who "restrained" it.]
Then I could write it with a clear conscience. Even though Jin undergoes demonization, Lily's presence is greater, so he barely manages to return to his original form.
As if reflecting his will not to become a demon, I even added a scene where he breaks his own "horns," the symbol of a demon.
I knew that in reality, the reason horns grow on Demons is because of black mana. In literature, most demons have horns, which is why they became a symbol.
'Then it should be fine. Since there's no one like that in reality. Even the radical faction of the Demon tribe is treated as demons.'
[Hmm... there isn't. For now.]
'...For now?'
Something felt off. As soon as I heard Mora's ambiguous trailing words, I narrowed one eye.
She was saying that even if it hasn't happened yet, it might happen in the future.
But Mora seemed to have no intention of explaining further and changed the subject.
[That's not what's important right now, is it? A great crisis will arrive in the near future.]
'What? What do you mean by that?'
She changed the subject, but the new topic was ominous. A great crisis arriving in the near future was shocking news to me.
Up until now, the "crises" had been relatively minor. But coming from Mora, the weight of the words was different.
As I waited tensely for Mora's next words, she spoke in a voice full of mischief.
[There's a really good way to get through this crisis... but I'm afraid you'll refuse.]
'...It's something weird again, isn't it?'
[This is why I hate quick-witted kids. Anyway, if you want to escape it, come to my temple exactly three days from now. Got it?]
Something felt suspicious, but since it was the word of a God, I had to listen. Part of me wanted to eavesdrop on Luminous to find out what kind of future it was.
'Lady Mora?'
[Yes?]
'I trust you.'
[Of course. Just trust me.]
Now I was even more suspicious.