Chapter 36

Thoughts of Fangirling That Arise Because You're Sick

Gepper Clark.

The great writer the Empire boasts of.

A genius literary figure who is said to have advanced the continent's literary level by a step.

A figure to the extent that the Emperor of the time gave such extreme praise when he was alive.

A great literary figure who left his name in history, whom no one could deny.

The descendant of such a great writer, Gepper, was precisely Geppetto Clark, the head of the Imperial Arts Academy, who was currently striving for the cultural promotion of the Empire.

Just like Gepper, who, despite being a commoner, couldn't receive a territory but received a Barony title passed down from generation to generation purely by writing well, his descendants also showed quite excellent results in literature and arts.

So to speak, one could call it a prestigious family of literature and arts.

If the Empire had the Miller family, Rosalyn's paternal family, famous for swords, one could say there was also the Clark family famous for literature.

In the case of Baron Geppetto, his own creative ability wasn't that excellent, but his eye for beauty or his discerning eye for evaluating works was incredibly outstanding.

Having that ability recognized, he was currently serving as the Director of the Arts Academy, which was tasked with the great undertaking of developing the Empire's culture.

It wasn't that strange for him to meet Author Homer, that is, Noel Grace, the hottest literary figure and artist in the Empire recently.

Rather, it was to the point where it was stranger that they hadn't met until now.

Personally, he had wanted to meet her earlier to talk about her works and have an in-depth discussion about the direction the Empire's culture should take, but the circumstances simply weren't favorable so he couldn't.

However, such a good opportunity had finally arisen, and Geppetto had no intention of missing it.

Although he felt a bit like a bug dirtying the flower garden where ladies were blooming flowers of chatter, he boldly approached.

Noel Grace.

Geppetto Clark.

Since she was around the age of his granddaughter, and it was a meeting between an artist and the Director of the Imperial Arts Academy, unlike other men who approached with ulterior motives, the meeting was accomplished without Clara's interference.

Rather,

"This is a pity. It would have been good if the Vence Lady had also been present at this place discussing the new culture called comics!"

Fearing she might get swept up in Geppetto's 'conversation', she had fled, disregarding loyalty to her friend or anything else.

Actually, those who know know well, but Geppetto... is a tremendous chatterbox.

Should one say that his tremendous heart and drive loving culture and art are expressed intact through chatter.

It was to the point where he could converse about works all day long sitting in one spot.

Because getting wrongly swept up in that 'conversation' could lead to an experience where one's energy is completely drained mentally, anyone who knew anything about Geppetto was busy avoiding conversations with him.

Noel, who didn't know this fact, was helplessly swept up in Geppetto's chatter.

Since he had made up his mind and come to meet her in the first place, it would have been hard to avoid even if she had known.

And Noel...

"In my thoughts, your debut work, The Bridges of Imperium Town, gives off a feeling of seemingly indicting the dirty male-female relationships of nobles. There were probably quite a few who felt uncomfortable because it hit the nail on the head..."

"After encountering your work like that, I was brought to tears thinking of my wife who left my side a few years ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago. Getting older makes one shed more tears..."

"The moment I read the fairy tales, I felt as if I had found my forgotten childhood innocence. They were truly perfect stories to read to children at their bedside before they fall asleep. Furthermore, the lesson contained in those stories..."

"I am paying great attention to my health these days. This is all because of the comics you created. Now that I know of such things, it's too unfair to go to my wife's side already without even enjoying them properly..."

"The novels you wrote, the comics you created are to the point of changing our daily lives..."

She was at the point of thinking she would rather have the young ladies come back and chatter away.

Noel genuinely felt like screaming.

In her heart, she wanted to ask for help, but...

The Imperial Princess or Clara, who normally stuck around her like shadows, like leeches, were nowhere to be seen right now.

Clinging to The Saintess then?

The Saintess was busy going around collecting donations in her own way, so it was impossible.

In the end, Noel ended up helplessly going along with Geppetto's one-sided discourse.

If she had to find a consolation, it was just the fact that thanks to Geppetto, no one else came near?

"Personally, I would like to see even one more of the amazing accomplishments you will present before I die── Is it alright if I look forward to it?"

"Uh, umm... I will try my best?"

"Hohoho, yes, you will certainly be able to do it. Phew, the Empire's culture is safe since you are here."

Geppetto nodding his head while letting out a satisfied breath as if he genuinely had no worries.

Hearing an old man who had strived for the cultural development of the Empire his entire life say such things, Noel felt like a hole was going to form in her stomach from the pressure.

The aftereffects of sleeping face down + corset + stress-induced stomachache.

At that holy trinity, Noel genuinely felt her condition worsening.

It was difficult to the point where she wanted to ask The Saintess right away to go, "May all the pain fly away~ blow~."

Whether he knew Noel's heart or not, it was only after more than 2 hours had passed from then that Noel was finally released.

And because of this incident, Noel ended up getting knocked down on the first day of the Viscountcy's party that lasted for 3 days.

"38 degrees... It's a severe cold."

"You will be fine if you just get plenty of rest. Because relying on divine power for something like this unnecessarily will only make your health worse."

"If you take your medicine and get a good night's sleep, you will be able to shake it off and get up quickly."

"Ah, you might be sad, but the party is a no-go. You could pass the cold to others, and above all, overexerting yourself unnecessarily could worsen the illness."

Get some rest.

At the healer's prescription after finishing the examination, Noel felt like tap-dancing in joy.

If it had been any other normal young lady, she would have been sad.

The party was just beginning, but to end up lying down due to poor condition on the first day.

To have to spend the second and third days just lying in a sickbed, a normal young lady would shed tears of blood.

However, because Noel wasn't a normal young ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lady.

She felt a sense of happiness at the fact that she was liberated from the unappealing ball as well as from the chatter demon named Geppetto.

"...You aren't faking it, are you?"

Seeing such a daughter, Natalie, noticing signs as if saying blood couldn't be fooled, asked the healer suspiciously.

"Pardon? No. The Miss is truly in poor condition."

Of course, one could tell just by looking at that.

Goodness, as a mother, wouldn't she know when her child was truly sick?

However, it was also true that Noel was internally jumping for joy right now.

It was hard to withdraw the gaze of suspicion.

"Phew, really..."

Natalie, letting out a small sigh while clutching her forehead, spoke as if there was nothing she could do.

"Get plenty of rest. I will tell Anna to make the chicken risotto you like."

Natalie stroked her daughter's feverish cheek once and left the seat.

As the hostess of the Grace family who hosted the party, she was busy because she had to preside over the ball which still had two days left.

It was a situation with so many honored guests that one wondered if there had ever been this many in the history of the Grace Viscountcy.

She had the heart of a mother wanting to personally nurse her sick daughter, but realistically, she couldn't do that.

After instructing a subordinate to feed her daughter the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠food she liked and such, she hurriedly left to receive guests.

She could get better with a single shot of healing using divine power, but curing something like this with divine power or magic was like drinking seawater.

Just like the healer said, looking far ahead, it actually ruined one's health.

It was like developing a tolerance similar to medicine, and also losing the opportunity to become healthier as the body fought off the disease.

So Noel, who was taking medicine and resting well despite having the highest-tier healing priest, The Saintess.

Clara, Lydia, and Irina, who were worried about such Noel, wanted to come visit her, but since those three were also in a busy situation, it seemed they would only be able to visit after the party ended in the evening.

Noel, who got to have time for herself for the first time in a while thanks to that.

Noel, who closed her eyes quietly and tried to sleep, found the suddenly acquired leisure time a bit unfamiliar as she had been frantically busy normally.

As she did so, various random thoughts came to mind, and among those thoughts was this kind of desire.

In her past life, she had a routine she did whenever she was sick from overworking or catching a cold.

After filling her stomach with a hot soup dish, taking medicine, and taking a bath in warm water, she would then put on her favorite movie or anime like background music and sleep deeply while toasting her body in a bed with an electric blanket turned on.

However, right now, she could have soup, medicine, and a bath, but an anime or a movie alone was a situation where she could do nothing no matter how much of a noble she was.

No matter how great her power was, she couldn't order something that didn't exist in the world to be brought to her, could she.

It was obvious it would be like this.

Noel, who didn't want to cause trouble for the people around her by making strange stubbornness or unreasonable demands, decided to just endure it.

However... the human heart is cunning.

Don't they say if you run you want to walk, if you walk you want to stand, if you stand you want to sit, and if you sit you want to lie down.

Before, even if her condition was bad or whatever, she just roughly moved on, but was it because the matter of recreating 'comics' here was already a success?

The desire to watch an anime or a movie kept coagulating.

She had already succeeded in making comics too.

There was no rule saying she couldn't make an anime or a movie too and recreate the small but certain happiness of her past life by putting it on at times like this, was there?

Although creating video content wasn't something to be thought of lightly, shouldn't she also not think of it as too difficult?

Even just comics──.

Because she was just lying down sick, Noel had random thoughts springing up like this continuously.

What started as 'I want to watch it~' at first, was already becoming a stage of devising how it would be good to make it.

Noel, who had been lying quietly with her eyes closed trying to sleep, was now busy drawing a blueprint in her head like a lie.

It couldn't be helped.

She had tried not to bring this out, at least.

It was the moment when 'TCG' being released into the world was decided.