Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Published Volume 2
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The moment I finished Volume 2, the first person I met was Arwen.
"You've arrived, author..."
"Yes. Long time no see."
"It doesn't feel like much time has passed for an elf..."
"Ah. Anyway, how's your condition today...?"
"I slept late and woke up early~. Had to go to a regular meeting for a bit. Ah... my eyes hurt..."
"...Want to sleep more?"
"No, I'm fine. What's up?"
"Oh... You've finally finished Volume 2... Could I read it first by any chance?"
"Of course. It'll be easier for you to draw the illustrations if you know the plot in advance."
"Oh... I feel my eyes lighting up right now...! Oh, by the way, did you get the finished cover?"
"I did. It was perfect, no need for long explanations."
"Hehe... Glad to hear that... Let me read this for a bit then..."
"Author?"
"Yes?"
"Seriously, wow... What do I even say about this?"
"What's wrong?"
Arwen's eyes trembled anxiously.
Is the plot too unsettling? That's the intention, though.
"First off, regardless of everything else, tell me this one thing. How does Volume 3 unfold? No, at least it's a happy ending, right?"
"Of course. As for how Volume 3 roughly unfolds—"
"Phew... So that's what it was... I thought you'd suddenly gotten some urge to insert philosophy or something."
"That'll never happen, really."
"Good. ...But did it have to unfold exactly like this? This is definitely going to get a huge reaction. You know that, right?"
"I do feel like I'm walking a tightrope a bit, but it's necessary."
"Why...?"
"It's something you actually went through...? Even so, turning it into a novel to snipe at them doesn't seem right..."
"Uh, um... They are definitely really bad people... But there could be some misunderstanding."
"Well, there might be circumstances I don't know about."
"On top of that, your novels have way too much impact! Depicting them maliciously like this is dangerous!"
"...It's not exaggerated; if anything, I held back?"
"A group kicking one kid..."
"Oh... They even tried to hit you in the back of the head? Physically?"
"Just kill them?"
"Calm down."
That's not in my realm. It's not even confirmed if they've committed a crime worth killing over yet.
"Let's pick the illustrations first."
"Sigh... Fine. That's all I can do anyway..."
"It's something only you can do, Arwen."
"Right? I'm not unhappy about that fact. Just leave it to me, author. I'll grind away at my lifespan if I have to and draw something amazing."
"No, please don't do that."
Elves shouldn't say things like that...
"One illustration of Senyora. The first scene where the protagonist appears, so please take care with it."
"Of course."
"One of Karen. This is important too. Depict her charming enough to turn dislike into like."
"I'll try."
"Next, Senyora and Karen interacting. Like the scene where Karen hugs Senyora to protect her. This is the highlight."
"Nice."
"Finally, Rika's illustration. Hollow eyes and injury marks. It's a scene that shifts the story's mood, so it's important."
"...Aren't they all important?"
"Please."
"Sigh... I'll do it."
Arwen's part is done for now.
[Don't look for me for a while...]
'...Fighting!'
It was a letter from Arwen, who had completed all my requests.
She probably sent all the illustrations and then collapsed again.
I should take good care of her later... Just paying money feels insufficient.
Anyway, what's next on my to-do list?
"Volume 2, Volume 2, Volume 2?"
"It's finished."
"Waaah! Come in quick!!"
What else? Time to submit the manuscript.
I met Warrenberg. From the start, he said something like a doctor.
"Phew... If you'd been even a little later, it would've been a disaster."
"Why?"
"The readers' protests about when Volume 2 is coming out would've gotten even fiercer."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No. You brought the manuscript right on the timeline I predicted."
"Then if it's late, will those protest letters come to me too?"
"No. We'd block them here. It's just tiring for us."
"Huh. So I could take it even more leisurely then."
"In that case, you'd have to deal with Chabi."
"Right! I'll camp out in front of the author's house!"
"Hm."
...Honestly, what could you even do lying there.
"I'll keep shouting 'Daddy! Open the door!' from outside!"
"Wait, miss, that's a bit much. You're older than me."
"It's just my strongest attack!"
She threatened to use her childlike appearance for a family attack (claiming she's family).
It's brutal... I could somehow handle the parents side...
-Aren, talk to me.
But there's one real danger left.
I resolved in my mind to just diligently serialize. I never planned to slack off anyway.
Anyway, I submitted the manuscript.
And surprisingly, Warrenberg didn't object to this plot.
Chabi was the one who got anxious.
"President? Say something! If we publish like this, it'll be a big problem!"
"Hm, at least the first half is fine..."
"That's fine! But later Senyora's mental state goes weird!"
She's right.
In the second half of Volume 2, Senyora's mind breaks down.
The first reason is that she couldn't help Rika when she was getting beaten by others.
The second is that when she heard Rika's circumstances from her, Senyora realized she'd unconsciously thought she wanted to distance herself from it all.
And the final reason: when she saw Rika's expression—utterly devoid of despair or resentment—
when Senyora asked if she didn't hate humans even a little,
Rika just tilted her head—not even silence—making Senyora think:
Maybe this child is too broken for me to help.
So broken she can't even hold the tiniest grudge against humans.
Senyora couldn't help Rika, and maybe she never would.
...Those reasons shook Senyora's mentality badly.
It was someone she met for the first time today, so she could ignore it, but...
Senyora's personality is kind, the other is a fellow Beastkin,
and above all, the recent memory of helping someone else—Karen—made it hard to turn away from Rika.
And being with the broken child in a state where she could neither ignore nor help soaked her in that influence deeply.
Though it's what I intended, readers' reactions will surely be intense. Maybe not even good ones.
So I waited for Warrenberg's judgment. Prepared to revise if needed.
"One question. You clearly know what kind of reaction this will get, right?"
"Yes."
"Even accounting for that, you think this plot is necessary?"
"...Yes."
"One more. Direction going forward?"
"This is the darkest point. It'll get better right from Volume 3."
"Then fine. As long as you don't screw it up."
"...You're just trusting me on this?"
"If it's not and people get furious to the max, they'll storm here. Then digging up your address is just a matter of time."
"Ah!"
I see? Warrenberg might lose money or fame, but I could lose my life?
"And let me guess: later someone helps Senyora? And Rika regains her lively self."
"Uh, yes. That's Karen. But how did you know?"
"With the board set up this deliciously, why skip that plot?"
"...Ah."
"Honestly, I've read so much that it feels blatant. Otherwise, it'd be incomprehensible."
Come to think of it, all the books he publishes are intense...
"Yeah, that's true. Reactions will be hot for sure. Letters will pour in again."
"You okay with that?"
"I'll endure. I can handle that much for a better plot."
"Ooh..."
"And if even that's tough..."
"If it's tough...?"
"Post a quick clarification notice later."
"Got it..."
"Just write Volume 3 fast, that'd be great."
"I'll try."
And so, Volume 2 was published.
[Must Read) Run to the bookstore right now.]
Senyora of the Back Alleys Volume 2 Released.
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Aaaah!! I should've checked the bookstore on the way home!!!
This is fake. Don't waste time going out.
Really?
Ah what, it was bait?
Hey?
Answer me.
I bought mine. Good luck.
Die die die die die
You fucking mannersless bastard
Senyora of the Back Alleys Volume 2 has been published.
The news spread the moment the books arrived at bookstores.
In an instant, crowds gathered in front of stores. Winners and losers were decided.
Unlike Volume 1, with its already massive popularity and fame, selling out was only a matter of time.
[Whoa, what's with the cover]
Our Senyora is drawn as an illustration??
And there are tons of illustrations inside too??
Whoa, this is driving me crazy
I was mad last night about Volume 2 being late, but this cools me off a bit
Who asked?
True... Anyone who bought Volume 2 would know... Guess I spilled useless info since you couldn't have missed it...
Shut up.
Why...? Did you fail to buy Volume 2...?
I said shut up!!!
What does Senyora look like...
Matches my imagination almost perfectly here, but her eyes are sharp?
Huh, unexpected. Doesn't suit her?
Was questionable at first, but imagining her flustered or pouting with this face... Wow, the author is insane
So jealous...
The biggest buzz first was the cover. And the illustrations.
People checked the illustrations before even the story content.
And the reactions were explosive, of course.
In a positive way.
No reason for negativity. High-quality illustrations galore to fuel readers' imaginations.
[Senyora is so cute I just wanna ruffle her hair]
[Yo, what's with that red hair? Her body's violently curvy?]
[Whoa, what's that in the middle with Senyora and redhead rolling around?]
...Until Rika's illustration was discovered.