Chapter 414: Tactical Nuke(1)
Chapter 414: Tactical Nuke(1)
I didn't stay at the Imperial Palace for long. There wasn't much for me to do there anyway, and given the current state of affairs, my mere presence was more of a distraction than a help.
So, after the formal family introduction was over, I stayed for about three days before returning straight to the dormitory. Originally, I had planned to stay at the palace until I finished the final volume, but I changed my mind.
I couldn't just leave Ariel alone in the dorm, and since I couldn't keep running away forever, especially with vacation approaching, I decided it was time.
It seemed better to finish the story right before the break and then watch the reaction during the upcoming festival.
Even though my mother is a bit scary... I can't run away every single day. Besides, surprisingly, she didn't react as violently as she did last time.
I'm guessing she's starting to just accept things as they are.
Between all the plot hooks I've dropped and the foreshadowing I've mostly wrapped up, it's about time everyone comes to terms with it.
"Daddy!"
As soon as I returned to the dorm, Ariel naturally welcomed me. Having sensed my arrival beforehand, she came pitter-pattering toward me with a bright expression.
As if reflecting her emotions, the sprout on top of her head was standing straight up. It didn't look like it had grown any further, though.
"My little Ariel. Have you been good while Daddy was away?"
I lightly picked up the lunging Ariel and gave her a happy smile. It hadn't even been a week since I left for the palace, yet she gave me such a passionate welcome.
My heart, which had been feeling restless because of the news in the papers, felt a little better.
"Yeah! I played with Grandfather Clark!"
Ariel nodded vigorously at my question. The sprout on her head swayed back and forth along with her movements.
Hearing that, I shifted my gaze from her toward the bed.
[You've returned.]
As if he knew I was there, Clark spoke in a blunt voice. Just like before, he was lying on the bed reading Xenon Biography.
Aside from his relaxed posture with one leg crossed over the other, there was one difference: his mouth. He had a cigar clamped between his teeth.
That cigar was something I had bought for him before heading to the palace. It was a luxury item made from World Tree leaves, something only the wealthiest of the wealthy could afford to smoke.
Because it was made from World Tree leaves, unlike other tobacco products, there was no danger of secondhand smoke. In fact, it was the opposite.
It gave off a fragrant taste and aroma. Normally, the room should have smelled of acrid tobacco, but the dormitory was currently filled with a sweet scent.
It’s nice being able to get stuff like this directly from Arwen.
The reason I could get it without any special distribution channels was none other than Arwen. When I asked her for some, she didn't just give me one—she gave me several cartons.
It was possible because the mansion was connected to Elodia, where Arwen resided.
Since I had received an official 'gift' from her, Albenheim could step in directly. I didn't have to trouble Siris anymore.
Of course, she couldn't help but look puzzled when I asked for cigars of all things. I planned to explain that to her slowly.
"Have you been comfortable while I was gone?"
[More or less. It was so comfortable it felt a bit awkward. When I was alive, every day was a day of tension.]
Puff—
As Clark took a long drag and exhaled, a cloud of smoke billowed out. Uniquely, the smoke wasn't gray, but closer to blue.
The spreading smoke soon scattered and vanished completely. Instead of a foul tobacco stench, a refreshing scent with hints of peppermint filled the dormitory.
I slowly approached Clark while holding Ariel. Meanwhile, Adelia headed to the room to unpack.
As I got closer to Clark, I noticed he was reading Volume 28 of Xenon Biography.
"Have you been reading that the whole time?"
[I occasionally sparred with my son or read the newspaper. But I spent most of my time reading this.]
"You seem to be reading it very thoroughly."
I had been at the palace for nearly a week. And since Clark had been resurrected as a skeleton, he didn't need sleep.
Compared to the time he had, his progress was quite slow. I had noticed it before, but he seemed to be the type who read every single word with great care.
[It's a habit. I once suffered for months because I missed a word that could have been a key. I usually take notes too, but there's no need for that with this. Besides, I have nothing but time, so it's fine to read it multiple times.]
"Ah. Is this your second binge-read?"
[Binge-read? What does that mean?]
I accidentally let slip a slang term from my past life. While the words existed, they weren't used as slang here.
Realizing my mistake, I quickly changed my wording.
"My mistake. Is this your second time reading it?"
[Indeed. It's not just ten volumes; there are nearly thirty, so I find myself occasionally forgetting what I read before. That's why I'm reading it again.]
"True, it is quite long. So, what do you think? Is it interesting?"
[Rather than 'interesting,' every time I read it, I feel a sense of relief that such a world never came to be.]
Perhaps because he had lived a life closer to a hero's than anyone else, his words were quite realistic. He wasn't joking; he was being sincere.
It made me feel a bit solemn, so I couldn't find the words to respond. I rolled my eyes around before speaking in a cautious voice.
"...Nothing else bothers you?"
[Not particularly. Ah, by the way, did you see today's newspaper? It seems your followers are planning to do something quite interesting.]
It looked like Grandfather Clark had read the paper as well. I gave a bitter smile, showing my embarrassment.
Currently, the world's focus was solely on Jin's death. News about the Grey Desert—the site of the final battle and where demons were first summoned—was almost entirely buried.
Fortunately, it wasn't completely ignored; there were occasional reports of a few expedition teams heading toward the Grey Desert.
The Grey Desert was a perilous place where one would most likely die if they went in recklessly, so it would take quite a while. The article about it had only just come out today.
I can't deny being a prophet anymore, but...
More important to people than that was Jin's death. Demon worshippers?
Let them be. To the readers, whether Jin lived or died was more important. Currently, people who loved Xenon Biography were uniting with one heart and mind.
If there was a downside, it was that the demon worshippers had gained a little bit of breathing room because of this.
"Yeah, well... what can I do? I'm the one who decided it. This is a first for you too, isn't it, Grandfather?"
[I've seen many fanatics possessed by demon worshippers. But this level is actually quite cute.]
They were on the milder side. If they were any more radical, they might have started setting things on fire.
I chuckled silently and moved away while still holding Ariel. There was nothing more disruptive to reading than someone talking to you.
Today, I planned to play with Ariel to her heart's content and then finish up the final work.
Vacation is coming up... I wonder if this winter break will pass normally?
The Xenon Festival is held once a year during the summer break. In other words, this winter break could be spent somewhat leisurely.
Besides, the development of the territory was in full swing, so it wasn't a suitable time to hold a festival.
Furthermore, I had my own things to do and several appointments lined up.
Leona... will be living at the mansion.
One of those things was my relationship with Leona. Not only did I have to formally introduce her to my family, but we also had a night together scheduled.
Until now, our relationship had progressed somewhat vaguely, but now I intended to make it official.
The only concern was the estrus I had mentioned repeatedly. I was both looking forward to and worried about what form that estrus would take.
Cecile will be coming too... It'll be a disaster if her demonic cycle overlaps with it.
It was almost certain that Cecile would visit the mansion this winter break. The purge was nearly complete, and she had sent a letter saying we would meet soon.
The word 'purge' sounded a bit chilling, but apparently, it involved rooting out those connected to demon worshippers.
Besides, it had been months since I last saw Cecile, so I personally wanted to see her as well.
The problem was that I also had an appointment with Leona. It seemed I would need to visit the temple as soon as possible.
By the way, when is Kate coming back?
She said she'd be away for a few days, but I didn't know exactly when she'd return.
Since there was a temple right in front of our mansion anyway, it didn't really matter, but I was curious about what she was up to.
After briefly looking forward to a winter break that seemed like it would be busier than expected, I made a request to Ariel.
"Daddy has to do a little bit of work. Just wait a little bit, okay?"
"Mmm... I want to play with Daddy..."
Perhaps because it had been a while since we met, Ariel pouted her cheeks and grumbled. Her cuteness was a literal heart attack.
"It'll only take a moment. Why don't you go to the room and play with Mommy Adelia?"
"Okay. But you have to play with Ariel afterward, okay?"
"Of course. It'll only take thirty minutes."
"Mommy~!"
As soon as I set her down, Ariel ran toward the room where Adelia was. The wings on her back fluttered.
I watched her lovely retreating figure with a warm smile before sitting down to finish my work.
It's about time...
Time to prepare the tactical nuclear.
*
Around the time Isaac was finishing the final chapter of Xenon Biography.
In a city quite far from the Maishal Territory. In the middle of that city, an adventurer was trudging down the street.
He had brown hair and a sturdy build. Rather than being handsome, he had a warm, wholesome look, like a young man from the countryside.
However, perhaps because he did rough work, he had a somewhat fierce impression, and his beard was overgrown and unkempt.
"Sigh..."
"Is there really a need to be that depressed? If Xenon said so, then that's just how it is."
As the adventurer, Roy, let out a deep sigh, his companion Anne offered some consolation—or at least, her version of it.
Back when the event to hunt down demon worshippers first broke out, Roy had been overflowing with motivation, but recently, his drive had plummeted.
It felt like only yesterday he would charge at demon worshippers with fire in his eyes, but now, only a dejected drifter remained.
"No. But still... it's just too much. Does Jin really have to die?"
Roy replied to Anne in a tone that was almost a protest. He looked like he was about to go crazy from the perceived injustice.
That's right. He was a reader who had avidly followed Xenon Biography since Volume 1, and he was a fervent supporter of the Jin-Lily couple.
While the Xenon-Mary couple was good, Roy was much more invested in Jin and Lily.
But now that Jin's death was almost certain, everything felt like a chore, and his motivation had vanished.
"It can't be helped. He has to wrap up all the plot points he's dropped. And the literary quality goes up, so the sacrifice is..."
"You're so cold-hearted."
"You're the one who's weird. No, not weird, you're actually normal, but, um..."
Anne knew very well how the Jin-Lily supporters were feeling right now. Because of that, it was hard to call him abnormal.
But as someone who read Xenon Biography somewhat casually, it was difficult for her to understand. She wondered if there was really a need to be this sad over a character's death.
Of course, sad was sad. She herself had secretly wiped away tears while reading tragic stories like Sacran's sacrifice.
She had felt a similar shock at Jin's death, but it wasn't as intense. It was just a mix of admiration for the convincing story and sadness.
"Whatever, let's just focus on today's request. If you get hurt because of this, it's on you."
"Sigh... fine."
At Anne's encouragement, Roy sighed and nodded. As she said, he couldn't stay submerged in sadness forever.
When the two of them headed to the Adventurer's Guild, they realized the guild was in an uproar.
People were swarming in front of the bulletin board, talking amongst themselves.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know. Did an official notice come down?"
Usually, cases like this only happened when the Lord issued an official notice or when there was news of comparable magnitude.
Roy and Anne pushed through the other adventurers and made their way to the front of the board. As expected, a new official notice was posted.
[Seeking adventurers to escort a funeral procession and hearse. Number of participants is unlimited, ID required. Location is...]
[Start Date: Three days after the release of the new volume of Xenon Biography.]
[Destination: Maishal Territory, Minerva Empire.]
[Condition: Only if Jin's death is confirmed.]
"...?"
Roy and Anne blinked. At first, they thought it was a joke.
But then they saw the reward listed below. Despite being a simple escort mission, the amount was staggering.
It wasn't a lie; it was the kind of amount that would only be offered when a person of great honor passed away.
Since nobles were escorted by knights, they didn't need the help of adventurers, but the person who set this condition was famously wealthy.
"They're just throwing money around. But honestly, I'd probably do the same."
"How many people have gathered now? I heard it's quite a lot."
"I heard they're recruiting people in every city they pass through. They'll move in a line like a real funeral procession, and we'll escort them."
"It sounds more interesting than the reward itself. I should give it a try."
"I'm definitely doing it. I think I'll participate rather than just escorting."
A few people reacted as if it were nonsense, but they were a small minority. There wasn't an adventurer alive who hadn't read Xenon Biography.
Xenon Biography was a major reason why the number of adventurers had exploded, so how could they not have read it?
Furthermore, as free-spirited adventurers, they had time to kill, and Xenon Biography occupied a massive place in the culture that filled that time.
"...Are you going to do it?"
Anne turned her head and asked Roy. Roy stroked his chin with a serious expression and muttered.
"I think I should participate, not just escort..."
"..."
"I don't know who's behind this, but the scale is massive. Surely even Xenon would take notice of this, right?"
Another tactical nuclear was being prepared.