Chapter 467: A Bite(4)
Chapter 467: A Bite(4)
The rumors regarding Isaac’s "monoball" spread like wildfire the moment Blood and Iron Vol. 3 was released.
The incident, sparked by the strangely high(?) credibility of the theory that Hitler was Isaac, was somehow brought to a close.
It wasn't Isaac himself who clarified the situation, but his fiancée—Mary—who stepped forward. The effect was truly magnificent.
[Xenon, who appears so gentle on the outside. But he, too, was a man after all.]
[Just how virile is he that his fiancée would personally tell him to take a mistress?]
[News surfaces that he has had secret rendezvous not only with his fiancée and mistress but with other women as well...]
[According to Academy sources, rumors suggest he had secret trysts with various women, not just his fiancée, during his time as a student...]
The news reports multiplied like mushrooms after a rain, completely burying the rumors of a physical defect.
The sheer level of public interest was evident, with the stories taking up entire pages of the newspapers.
Isaac, citing the threat of Demon Worshippers, rarely left his house unless it was for a specific occasion. This had cultivated a mysterious aura around him, and since he also held the image of a 'Saint,' the revelation was bound to be shocking.
[How many women are involved with Xenon? Rumors link him to the Princess of Helium and the Queen of Albenheim...]
[The manliness hidden beneath a mysterious image. Better to reveal it openly than to keep it tightly under wraps.]
[I'm jealous.]
The last comment was a bit strange, but the general atmosphere was one of generous acceptance.
In this world, polygamy is permitted. As long as a man has sufficient capability, it isn't considered odd for him to have multiple wives.
Wasn't the King himself like that? To them, increasing one's descendants was a 'duty,' so having many wives was only natural.
This was also why Prince Consort Friedrich was once called a "pure-hearted man." Despite being pressured to take concubines as a matter of duty, he had adamantly refused.
Furthermore, since Isaac was currently revered as a 'Hero' by many, the fact that he had many women was considered a trivial matter.
[Could it be that Xenon has illegitimate children as well?]
Occasionally, some people would mindlessly spit out clickbait tabloids to draw attention, but...
[I swear to God, I may live as a ruffian, but I will never live as a piece of trash.]
Thanks to Isaac’s past statement that he would rather live proudly as a ruffian than as a shady piece of trash, those rumors were met with nothing but backlash.
Of course, because he had unintentionally adopted a persona of mystery, all sorts of bizarre rumors continued to circulate. Most of them withered away before long, however.
In any case, Isaac’s philandering was laid bare, but given his track record, everyone accepted it.
Moreover, in a classic case of "a better interpretation than the dream," Mary’s personal testimony regarding Isaac’s superior masculinity led to comments like these:
[Xenon is indeed a Saint brought here by the Gods themselves. Otherwise, he wouldn't be living such a blessed life.]
[Looks, wealth, fame, and finally, the ability to embrace many women. Isn't this the epic of a happy hero?]
[He saved the world with a novel, but he himself was living a life straight out of one.]
These weren't instances of "unwarranted hate," but rather "blind adoration." However, when broken down point by point, every word was true, so even Isaac had nothing to say in his defense.
He wasn't a Saint, but he was a soul brought by the Gods, and he was living a happy life under their protection.
Even Isaac himself occasionally wondered, Is this all a dream?
So, since things had turned out this way, Isaac left a comment to express his gratitude to the Gods.
[The reason I can embrace many women is thanks to Divine Power. You can see it in how Paladins possess greater stamina than regular knights.]
Those words acted as a massive catalyst, causing the number of believers to skyrocket. As a side effect, the popularity of Paladins also surged.
As the "Human Isaac," who had been shrouded in mystery, was revealed, many people began to wonder:
How does he spend his day? Does he have hobbies or a favorite artist? Is he truly like a beast at night, as his fiancée Mary claimed?
When almost nothing was known, people watched from a distance, but not anymore. Now that his human side had been exposed, people couldn't help but become even more curious.
However, that didn't mean they could follow him around like stalkers. Above all, Isaac rarely had a reason to go outside.
In other words, unless he acted personally, there was almost no way to know about him. Even trying to tail him was a task where one had to risk their life.
[The only way to meet Xenon is at the Xenon Festival. That is the only way to catch his eye.]
[The Xenon Festival is slowly approaching. What kind of art will be displayed this time?]
[The Maishal Territory is currently expanding its buildings to accommodate tourists...]
In truth, Isaac also wanted to meet many people if he could. It was just that the situation didn't allow for it.
It wasn't just the Demon Worshippers who were a threat; malicious stalkers couldn't be ruled out either. His introverted personality also played a part.
Of course, both nobles and commoners believed the reason Isaac couldn't come out was solely due to the existence of Demon Worshippers.
The Demon Worshippers also hated Isaac for ruining their long-term plans and had actually attempted ambushes.
However, after the Xenon Biography was completed and Blood and Iron appeared, their activities had subtly subsided.
This was the reason the vitality of the "events" was slowly draining. The Demon Worshippers were hardly active.
Some said the Demon Worshippers had been almost entirely wiped out, while others claimed they were hiding to build up their strength.
"Why? Why aren't we killing that guy?"
In a dark, secret space where one could barely see ahead, a young man with his hood pulled down spoke in a frustrated tone.
At that, the old man sitting across from him raised his head and stared blankly at the man.
Like the young man, his hood was pulled low, making his features indistinguishable, but his exposed hands were withered and wrinkled.
"It is the Lord's command."
His voice was aged and unpleasant, sounding like metal scraping against metal. Yet, it carried a subtle pressure.
The Lord's command. As soon as the young man heard those words, he scowled deeply.
Though his hood was pulled down to his nose, the distortion around his mouth made it clear how displeased he was.
"The Lord's command? That's absurd. How long has it been since we cursed him as someone who wouldn't be enough even if we tore him to death? Why the sudden change?"
"..."
"I helped you all hide in deeper places. Surely you can at least tell me the reason."
The man appealed in frustration. In response, the old man stared at him in silence for a while.
The young man stared back, refusing to back down. The old man's mouth remained tightly shut, like a priest observing a vow of silence.
After some time had passed in their silent battle of wills, the old man was the first to speak.
"Do you know what our goal is?"
"Isn't it to set this false world right?"
"Of course, that wouldn't matter to you. What you want is revenge against him."
"..."
At the sharp point, it was the young man's turn to fall silent. It was a reaction as if he had been hit where it hurt.
In the meantime, the old man continued in his characteristic grating voice.
"The books that fellow released made this world, already covered in lies, even more rigid. Instead of breaking the cage, he made it sturdier. At this rate, no one would have ever known the truth of the world."
"..."
"We thought the book he's releasing this time would be the same. That is why we planned to eliminate him this coming summer. Originally, that is."
"...What was the plan?"
"The Lord intended to sacrifice himself to execute him personally. Even if it is an area protected by the Gods, the Lord's power would have allowed him to endure for a while."
It was a truly simple yet efficient method. The young man barely suppressed a hollow laugh.
He didn't know just how strong this "Lord" was, but seeing such absolute confidence, it must have been a viable plan.
However, there was currently only one Lord among the Demon Worshippers. The other Lords had all been eliminated by Clark Maishal, Isaac’s grandfather.
They had tried to fill the vacant Lord positions afterward, but unfortunately, the popularity of the Xenon Biography had blocked all their efforts.
"A truly magnificent plan. So, what on earth is the reason you scrapped that magnificent plan and started watching him instead?"
"Have you read the book that fellow published this time?"
"You mean Blood and Iron? It's disgusting, but I read it."
The man even added the adjective "disgusting," showing just how much he hated Isaac. He had read it with the mindset of "know your enemy and know yourself."
Of course, it didn't matter to the old man. The old man nodded and then said something the young man couldn't understand.
"We expected him to naturally write a book that would make the false world even more rigid. But that wasn't it. Instead, he wrote of an ideal world we longed for—one that causes cracks to appear in the cage."
"What do you mean by that?"
"A world not managed by false gods, but cultivated solely by the hands of humanity."
The man frowned again, finding the old man's explanation difficult to grasp. At the same time, he recalled their ideology.
This world is trapped inside a cage set by false gods, and they must break that cage and reveal the truth.
Naturally, it sounded like the ravings of a madman, and the young man felt the same. He had only joined for the sake of revenge.
But for the group he was following to suddenly say such things was baffling.
"You're saying Blood and Iron is your ideal world? What kind of bullshit is that now?"
"It is exactly as I said. The fact that there are only humans is questionable, but this is the world we dreamed of. It shows everything that can be shown under perfect freedom. Freedom to believe in the gods or not, freedom to curse them or not. And the freedom to deify oneself."
"Only three volumes have been released; can you really tell all that?"
"We'll need more volumes to be certain. But a question arose here."
Stopping for a moment, the old man looked at the books placed on the desk. They were the volumes of Blood and Iron released so far.
"Why did the false gods leave this book alone and allow it to be published?"
"...What?"
"Those beings have done everything to maintain the cage. They immediately executed anyone who cried out the truth, using 'Divine Punishment' as an excuse. If not for that, there would be no reason for us to hide in these shadows."
"..."
He had heard it a few times. Stories of foolish people who barked at the Gods and were struck by lightning.
At the time, he had thought, What kind of idiots are they? but hearing the old man's words, it seemed there was a hidden secret.
"In other words, the truth is the secret the false gods want to hide most. And that secret is closely related to this book. A world where the cage does not exist, where humanity develops on its own, and where all sorts of destruction and lessons are contained in that process."
"..."
"Why didn't the false gods stop this book from coming out? They could have just erased the memories of it, so why did they leave it be? Why did those who can read the future, and even more, coordinate it, do nothing? This is the hypothesis the Lord has proposed."
The reason the Gods couldn't stop the publication of Blood and Iron.
"For whatever reason, even if the false gods can read Xenon's future, they cannot directly interfere with him."
"...Isn't that obvious? The Gods respect mortals and—"
"Does such a God strike someone with lightning just for denying their existence?"
"..."
And finally, one more thing.
"Perhaps they have no idea what kind of impact his actions will have. Given that the Xenon Biography was belatedly revered as a book of prophecy, the possibility is high."
"Isn't that simply because Xenon's influence is too strong?"
"Do you think the false gods wouldn't have seen this future? If they had, they would have destroyed his very soul. To stabilize the cage."
Looking at it piece by piece, there were more than one or two questionable parts. Certainly, if they had predicted such a future, they would have prepared in advance.
However, there were many instances where even the Gods were flustered. Starting from the liberation of the Demon Clan to the existence of the Demon Worshippers.
Above all, before Xenon's birth, there wasn't a single 'Oracle' related to him given to the Holy Nation of Savior.
As the man began to harbor doubts one by one, the old man, having finished his explanation, spoke in a calmer voice than before.
"That is why we intend to watch for the time being. The Lord has also become curious."
"...What if even this book turns out to be something that strengthens the cage you mentioned?"
"Then we must carry out the plan we made. Still, one thing is for certain."
The summoning ritual the Demon Worshippers had performed.
"With the appearance of Xenon, the false gods are very flustered."
Perhaps, in the truest sense, they had 'succeeded.'
The man remained silent at the old man's words before quietly opening his mouth.
"...Understood. So you're saying we should wait until Blood and Iron is completed?"
"For now, yes."
"What will you do if this book also describes Demon Worshippers in a bad light?"
Ah. There was no need to worry about that.
"I want to release the book quickly."
"Then write it quickly."
"After I play a little more."
Because someone far worse than a demon was scheduled to appear.