Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Olympus Tales (5)
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"That bastard. I hear he's been raking in cash lately?"
"That bastard? Who?"
Placing his cards down one by one on the floor, Rankin tossed out the question indifferently.
"That annoying black-haired prick."
"Ah."
Rankin dimly recalled Kim Yul's face from his memory.
Black hair and black eyes that once symbolized ill fortune. A somewhat cowering posture unbefitting a man. And that annoyingly handsome face to top it off.
"What's he got to do with anything?"
"I heard he struck it rich writing some novel or whatever."
"So?"
"What the hell, boss? What's with that half-assed reaction? Obviously, we shake him down. And collect our tribute."
"Hmm..."
For some reason, Rankin didn't feel right about the proposal.
It might have been prejudice against black hair.
They said getting tangled up with it always led to bad ends.
.
.
.
And then.
"Where do you get off trying to shake me down, you fucks!"
Crack!
Rankin's instincts were spot on.
At first, Kim Yul had hesitated, trying to slip away.
He clearly looked terrified.
But the moment he picked up a rolling wooden plank from the ground.
The man transformed.
The movements were admittedly clumsy, but the trajectory of that plank whipping through the air was impeccably clean and artistic.
- Crack!
"Gah—"
One of the underlings' heads let out another resounding thud.
Already four down.
Even so.
"Huff, huff."
Rankin's skill with blunt weapons rivaled the knights he'd seen on the battlefield.
But.
Kim Yul's stamina was clearly reaching its limit.
Meanwhile, they still had three left.
"Rankin! Time to get serious!"
At Thomas's shout, Rankin realized it was time to make a decision.
With the mess they'd made, there was no turning back.
Didn't those foaming-at-the-mouth bastards deserve a beer in their mouths at least?
Rankin drew the dagger hidden in his bosom.
Kim Yul's eyes wavered for a moment at the sight.
"Yeah, come at me, you fucks! This bat ain't backing down!"
He raised his voice as if refusing to lose, igniting his fighting spirit.
Rankin smirked.
"How long do you think you can hold that plank? I bet you drop it in 30 seconds."
As he said, Kim Yul's hands were already slick with blood.
Gripping and swinging an unpolished plank at full force was bound to shred his palms.
"I was gonna just take some pocket change lightly at first... but I've changed my mind."
Whoosh!
He tossed the dagger into the air once and caught it fluidly.
"Hand over everything you got, or—"
"Fuck off, asshole."
Kim Yul spat blood from his mouth onto the ground, muttering curses.
* * *
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Whoa, shit.
I really thought I was done for.
Combat event right after learning Heracles' Staff Technique? What is this, no tutorial or anything.
When that dagger grazed my throat, I nearly pissed myself for real.
However.
"Grrgh..."
"Ugh, ahh, my arm..."
Seeing Kim "More Heracles Than Heracles" Yul's exploits scattered throughout the alley, the adrenaline I'd shot into the sky looped back, wrapping around my brain entirely.
Of course.
"Ow."
The insane muscle pain hit me belatedly.
The aftermath of wielding Lu Bu's strength in Zhuge Liang's body.
...Vowing to work out harder from now on, I leaned on the club practically glued to my palm and stood up from the ground.
"My, how ferocious."
"...?"
A familiar voice came from the alley entrance.
There stood...
The mark of holy light running from her neck downward.
A cross cut low to bare her chest.
Silver-white hair neatly covered by a coif.
"Roselin...?"
"Waaah, calling me by name? I'm touched!"
As if blind to the bloody scene before her, the Saintess made a fuss.
"Are these your friends?"
"...Do friends usually fight this hard?"
"Oh! You're right!"
Is she nuts?
"Gasp."
The moment that irreverent thought crossed my mind, white light poured from Roselin's hand, enveloping me.
Am I dying for blasphemy right here?
"Love all and give without sparing."
"Uh...?"
The moment she murmured those words.
The blood that had drained from my wounds filled back up.
Fresh flesh sprouted on my torn palms, knitting together.
The heavy fatigue permeating my body vanished like it was washed away, and my blurry vision from burst capillaries cleared.
"Hehe. The Goddess's power? Nothing like some lecherous minor god like Zeus."
Check that attitude.
Still, this must be the majesty of the Lord's... no, the Saintess.
"Thank you."
I bowed deeply in gratitude.
I probably could've scraped by with grit alone somehow, but one hole in my body and my life would've been over.
"Psh, it's all the Goddess's will and guidance."
Smiling contentedly at the Saintess's gracious words, I took a moment to admire the holy cross.
"Lady Roselin!"
Two female knights, presumably holy knights, entered the alley.
"Make sure to rehabilitate them properly."
"Yes!"
Roselin's cold voice echoed through the alley.
I don't know what kind of monstrous strength she had, but one dragged seven thugs tied in a line like it was nothing.
And the other one.
The slightly fierce-looking female knight shot me a sharp glare.
"What about that suspicious element?"
Suspicious element?
Me?
"This one's the victim. Help Elaine get him back."
"Yes."
Did she sense my crude thoughts and uneasy gaze?
"Oh, 'suspicious element' usually refers to those suspected of heresy. You were cleared last time, but... hmm, if something similar comes up again... you might be in a bit of danger? You're under observation, after all."
Roselin smiled brightly as she explained.
For a moment, she overlapped with the angels from scripture.
"H-ha... No chance of that."
I'm still under surveillance, huh.
I bid farewell in my mind to the story ideas I'd been mulling over.
Farewell, Gate of Babylon.
I'll visit someday.
Ra, Odin, Trimurti, and Jesus Christ...
Though we part, our bond endures...
.
.
.
After that.
Under the pretext of escorting me safely, I chattered nonstop to cater to Roselin tagging along.
"Love story... haha. Yes, the next work's theme is love."
"Wooow! Really?!"
Lady Roselin bounced around, shaking my shoulders wildly.
...Love is love, right?
The ending's a bit... yeah.
"Yes. And by the time that novel's published, I might not be in this city anymore... whoa!"
Roselin stopped abruptly, nearly yanking my arm off.
What kind of strength is this?
Heracles is right here.
"Not in this city? What do you mean?"
Faced with Roselin's suddenly dead-serious expression laced with killing intent, I had no choice but to confess I'd been scouted by the newspaper.
"Ah, uh, w-well, that's good! Ugh... I just moved here, do I have to move again...?"
"Pardon?"
"Nothing!"
Her quiet mutter to herself sounded suspicious, but I didn't dare ask.
...She's not gonna follow me wherever I go, is she?
* * *
"So it came to this in the end."
"Haha..."
At Kim Yul's declaration, the editor squeezed his eyes shut as if he'd expected it.
Of course...
When the newspaper's literary director came calling, he just had to not spill Kim Yul's material.
But.
He couldn't do that.
Of course, Kim Yul's works weren't perfect.
Too many characters, sex scenes that felt like they'd never been done before, an excessive love for tormenting the protagonist.
If nitpicking, there were this and that...
But still.
Beyond War of the Gods.
Zeus' Love Affairs, Heracles' Heroic Saga.
He was an editor, but also a reader.
And.
Kim Yul's fan.
What fan in the world could block their favorite author from advancing to bigger waters?
"We'll settle the third royalty payment soon. And if you give me your account—"
Kim Yul placed a paper envelope on the desk.
The editor opened it with slightly trembling hands.
"Since it's a series, I feel like I should put a period on the story I want to tell... Here's the new volume."
Half-listening to Kim Yul, the editor rudely pulled out the manuscript and began reading.
.
.
.
The editor closed the final page and shut his eyes.
The novel's ending played vividly in his mind.
The Trojans, convinced it was spoils of war, hauling the massive wooden horse into the city.
Greek soldiers pouring out the moment night fell. Odysseus and Neoptolemus charging ahead.
The final duel over Helen, Deiphobus seemingly gaining the upper hand, only for Helen to stab his back with a dagger at the very last moment...
And the final line.
"With the age of gods ended, the age of heroes ended in Troy. Now, the age of true mortals, the Iron Age, dawns..."
"I hope it meets your approval."
At Kim Yul's calm words.
The editor suppressed the urge to lock him in the publisher's basement right then.
"...Haa. Such a shame. There must've been so many stories you could've covered in between..."
"If I ever feel like writing Olympus Tales again, I'll send the manuscript."
"Really?!"
Color returned to the editor's face.
"Ah, so what's this one's title?"
"Hmm..."
Kim Yul pondered for a moment.
"I was thinking Trojan War originally, but..."
"Huh? That's fine, isn't it?"
"No. Iliad. Make it Iliad."