Chapter 318: Education(2)
Chapter 318: Education(2)
The fact that I was agonizing—or rather, contemplating—the scenes for the end of Volume 24 meant that Volume 23 had already been released.
The main content of Volume 23 featured the decisive battle between Envy and Xenon in a kingdom on the brink of destruction. Throughout the volume, a multitude of philosophies clashed.
Envy admitted his deeds were evil even as he justified his revenge, while Xenon looked upon Envy with pity rather than rage.
Though they were both taught by the same master under the same sky, the two were born with diametrically opposed fates.
One was destined to lead the world to ruin; the other was destined to save it.
It was a stark contrast, yet ironically, Xenon understood Envy.
Envy was his perfect archenemy, but Xenon knew he could have easily become just like him. However, while he understood the pain, he could not empathize with the actions.
To be precise, he chose not to. No matter how heart-wrenchingly tragic Envy’s circumstances were, the fact that he had committed atrocities remained unchanged.
And so, Envy and Xenon finally faced each other. The place where they met was none other than the audience chamber.
The chamber was drenched in blood from Envy’s massacre. Envy himself had slaughtered his own kin and taken the throne.
His father’s head sat to his right, and the head of the brother who had stolen his beloved sat to his left.
With his lover—who had taken her own life—seated beside him as queen, Envy calmly received Xenon.
I had poured an immense amount of effort into that single scene. I struggled to capture the feeling of an audience with a king while simultaneously conveying the sense of a raid on a dungeon boss.
In fact, Envy referred to himself as 'King.' It was a poignant detail, considering the kingdom was on the verge of turning to ash because of the demons.
Thus began a brief debate between the two. After the debate, realizing their words would never reach one another, they engaged in a full-scale battle.
In particular, the words Envy spoke to Xenon just before the fight would surely be seared into the readers' minds.
[I didn't ask to be born into this world. I didn't ask for such parents. I didn't ask to live this kind of life. I never wanted to be born into a world like this.]
These words represented Envy’s miserable life story and the feelings of illegitimate children who continue to suffer even now.
Public perception of illegitimate children is at rock bottom, to the point where it's considered natural for them to be abandoned at birth. They are seen as sources of domestic strife and potential catalysts for great chaos.
Of course, there are decent people who take responsibility for their children, but they are a tiny minority. Most view them as a 'stain' and discard them without mercy.
In extreme cases, some even send assassins to eliminate them cleanly. As Envy said, illegitimate children are forced into lives they never wanted.
He perfectly fit the case of a victim turned perpetrator. Had he been helped to live a decent life, he never would have turned out that way.
[Prince Consort Friedrich was praised by the world as a romantic, but in the end, even he had a stain. Other royals and nobles are likely no different.]
[If you couldn't keep it in your pants, shouldn't you at least take responsibility for the child?]
[Historically, there are many cases just like Envy’s.]
[If a demon invasion actually happened, the number of people who would become like Envy would be countless.]
As a result, interest in illegitimate children surged.
Combined with Envy’s tragic past and the reality of Friedrich’s true nature, it was impossible for people not to pay attention.
Consequently, the perception of these children, which had been scraping the bottom of the barrel, shifted. It became clear that they were 'victims' rather than 'potential perpetrators.'
[Following Prince Consort Friedrich’s shocking confession, the number of people identifying as noble bastards is increasing...]
[I won't ask you to take responsibility. I just want to be able to live like a human being.]
Since this was covered in the Xenon Biography of all things, the impact was felt in reality as well.
A massive number of people began confessing their long-hidden secrets of birth. It was a situation reminiscent of the Half-blood Incident in Albenheim.
The nobility makes up about 0.01% to 0.3% of the total population. That might seem small at first glance, but remember that the human population alone exceeds several hundred million.
[Nobles who insist to the end that the child isn't theirs versus those demanding verification at the Temple. What is the truth?]
[It's the same for commoners, not just nobles. Desire is equal regardless of age or gender.]
[Unlike human nations, Albenheim and Helium remain quiet... The same goes for Animus and Machina.]
Elves are naturally stoic and have less sexual desire than humans, and as everyone knows, demons have immense patience.
The same goes for dwarves. They are a peculiar race that would rather handle steel than engage in sexual intercourse.
As for the beastkin... let's move on. They are a race equipped with animal instincts, and culturally, the concept of an illegitimate child is foreign to them.
Thus, the issue of illegitimate children began to be addressed primarily in human nations. Let's call it the 'Illegitimate Child MeToo,' borrowing the name of a famous movement from my previous life.
In truth, the problem of illegitimate children had been spreading under the radar, and while the Xenon Biography poured oil on the fire, it didn't exactly explode into a giant conflagration.
Just like the MeToo movement in my previous life, as time passed, cases of false accusations began to surface.
People emerged who tried to use the Xenon Biography as a powerful backing to extort others, and as the number of people unfairly caught in the crossfire increased, the meaning of the movement gradually faded.
Fortunately, they could visit the Temple to determine the truth, but the mental damage already inflicted could not be undone.
The issue of illegitimate children is certainly a social problem that needs to be solved, but those who try to exploit it are no different from the perpetrators.
[An incident that fully revealed human vileness and cunning.]
[If we didn't have the gods, how would we have determined the truth?]
[If you can stand tall before the gods, then reveal your birth.]
As a bonus, the number of visitors to the Temple increased. No matter how much a mortal might plead, the gods never lie.
Therefore, this MeToo movement was destined to be remembered as a social movement where only the honest were recognized.
Incidentally, it was also a perfect event for studying human ugliness and psychology. It was expected that many scholars would publish papers on it.
As the storm passed over the world and a sense of calm approached, I, who was contemplating scenes at the mansion...
"To Jin, Lily is more than just a savior. So, how about treating her with the mindset of serving his savior?"
"That sounds good. Besides, Jin has acquired Demonization, so his strength must have increased. He should treat her as if he's handling delicate glassware."
"Would the anticipation be greater than the nervousness? I was nervous."
"I was excited. I should take that into consideration as well."
I was silently taking notes as I listened to Cecile and Adelia. Their opinions aligned so well that my hands were kept busy just keeping up.
How did this happen? I had Gartz bring Cecile here to get her input on the erotic scenes. Not only her, but Mari, who had been at the Academy, was also here.
I had originally planned to write it however I felt, but on second thought, psychological descriptions were important, so I called them in.
I know a man's heart well enough, but I don't know a woman's heart as well. Even if it's an act of love where only animal instincts remain, psychological descriptions are still necessary.
'I didn't expect them to agree so much.'
Adelia focused on Jin’s unfortunate childhood, while Cecile focused on the fact that Jin was a persecuted demon, and they were building their opinions one by one.
Thanks to them, I was able to write the scene between Jin and Lily, which had been a struggle, without much trouble. However, a major problem arose: the 'length.'
"The length has become much longer than the main characters' scenes, hasn't it?"
Mari, who had been watching quietly, spoke up with an exasperated expression. As you might know, I had consulted Mari for the scene between Xenon and Mary.
However, our first night was a bit... aggressive, so I had toned it down. There were too many scandalous parts to write openly, so I just couldn't do it.
Mari had strongly agreed with this. When it came time to actually put it on paper, she seemed to get embarrassed and asked me first. But the problem exploded with Jin and Lily.
It was too long. Because I was writing everything in such detail, it became much longer than originally intended.
It was a bit short to be its own volume, but too much to just tack on. This problem arose because I included detailed psychological elements as additional factors.
"Since it's come to this, why don't we add more to Xenon and Mary and put them together?"
Cecile, who had provided the cause, suggested tentatively with an awkward smile. Adelia beside her also gave a strained laugh but seemed to inwardly agree.
Mari let out a hollow laugh at them before turning her gaze toward me, the final decision-maker.
"What are you going to do, Isaac?"
"I wonder."
I looked at the pile of manuscript paper that had accumulated and pondered. It had been an ordeal trying to suppress my rising desires while writing that.
One might ask why I was putting so much effort into a single scene, but there are no erotic novels in this world. This was something I had mentioned before.
It would be sold for adults, but children and teenagers who are at the peak of their curiosity about sex might see it. I had to think deeply to prepare for that.
Could I just describe it as 'they shared a deep love' and move on? Would the readers, who had waited so long for this scene, really let it go so easily?
Absolutely not. Furthermore, this is the most important part of the relationship between characters, so it cannot be glossed over.
"I can handle the length... but to do that, I need to include psychological descriptions for Xenon and Mary as well. But Mary is an Elf, right? Even though it's during a war and there won't be any rituals or anything, I don't know anything about the sexual life of Elves..."
"Hmm... that's true."
There was another problem: the psychology of Mary (the Elf). I was fine with Jin because of Cecile’s advice, but I didn't know an Elf's heart.
Moreover, Elves naturally have a stoic temperament and consider sexual intercourse a kind of 'ritual.' This is also why the Elven birth rate is so low.
I couldn't exactly ask my acquaintances, either. Elena and Cindy are colleagues, but we aren't close enough to ask about such things.
'Arwen is...'
There was Arwen, but I was too embarrassed to ask her. Of course, I knew she harbored romantic feelings for me.
But regardless of that, I couldn't just abruptly ask her, "What do you think a first night would be like?"
Even if it was for reference for the Xenon Biography, it could make things awkward between us.
"Just ask her."
"Huh? Ask what?"
"Ask Queen Arwen. You're going to end up with her sooner or later anyway."
"..."
It seemed our Lady Mari didn't mind. Whether she had half-given up or simply accepted it, she no longer cared who I ended up with.
When I looked at her with a bewildered expression, she shrugged and spoke playfully.
"Why that face? There's no point in me being jealous now. So don't worry about me and just ask her straight out. I'm curious too."
"...Are you serious?"
"I'm serious. I'll do anything if it helps you."
Looking at her face, she seemed to mean it. I stared into Mari’s blue eyes before looking away.
The others also seemed to agree with Mari, either nodding or responding with silence.
For a moment, the words "Shouldn't I also ask for Arwen's opinion?" rose to my throat, but she would surely agree.
"...Then I'm really calling her?"
I pulled out a summoning paper from my desk drawer, checking their reactions. The summoning paper was, of course, for Siris.
When I received another affirmative response, I hesitated a few times before tearing the summoning paper. It had been a while since I called Siris; I wondered if she would answer the summons.
A short while later...
"Wh-wh-what did you say? Th-the first night? All of a sudden?"
Arwen asked back, her silver-grey eyes wide with shock.
Her face was as red as it could be, and her characteristically long Elven ears twitched restlessly up and down.
'...She's cute.'
She really was adorable.