Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Julius Caesar (1)
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The Imperial Capital was home to a great many newspaper companies.
...Way too many, in fact.
There were already seven major publishers alone, and when you added in all the mid-sized and small ones, the total easily surpassed twenty.
Newspapers operated on three core principles.
The first two were factual accuracy and public interest.
Major newspapers had risen to their positions by properly gathering information through connections to places like the Imperial Palace, the Mage Tower, the Hero Academy, or Demon Realm subjugation teams.
But in the end, facts had a way of making the rounds through word of mouth sooner or later.
The most crucial final principle was...
Literary merit.
Serial novels took up about half the pages in any daily edition, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that sales figures rose and fell based on their success.
In such a cutthroat environment...
"Why haven't we heard anything yet? The Pink-Haired Fighter of the Academy wraps up in one week! We've got to fill that slot!"
Gilford, head of the literature department at Truth Newspaper, was getting chewed out by the editor-in-chief again today.
"...We'll scout a good one soon..."
"Soon? When is 'soon'? Even if someone started writing right now, it'd take forever. You planning to settle for some scraps the other papers left behind?"
"...I'll have something solid in two days."
The editor-in-chief jabbed his cane into Gilford's chest.
"Shape up. Replacing trash like you is nothing."
It was utterly demeaning treatment.
But Gilford couldn't muster a single retort.
After all...
Truth Newspaper's sales had been plummeting by the day lately.
The flagship serial, The Pink-Haired Fighter of the Academy, was the only one performing well. Everything else was a flop.
BAM—!
The moment the enraged editor-in-chief slammed the door to his office shut...
"Whew, fucking hell."
A curse slipped unbidden from Gilford's lips.
But what could he do?
This was the job he'd chosen because he loved it.
"Um, Chief...?"
"Ah, yes. Something wrong?"
Gilford forced a smile for the subordinate who'd been hovering anxiously.
He'd vowed never to become the kind of rotten boss he worked under.
That was his mindset.
"Th-there's a guest here with your business card..."
"Ah, I'll go meet them myself."
Another one, huh.
In the past month alone, he'd scouted over a hundred writers, meeting eight in person.
But none had panned out yet. Starting now, it'd be tough to hit deadlines anyway...
Such thoughts crossed his mind, but a job was a job.
Gilford opened the door to the reception room.
"Ah."
And he recognized the visitor at a glance.
With black hair and black eyes, that striking impression was hard to forget in this country.
"Ex-excuse me, but your name...?"
"Ah, Kim Yul. It's an honor to meet you again."
Right, the name was unusual too.
Not quite demonic features, but a naming style reminiscent of demons.
Maybe a half-breed?
Pushing such musings aside, Gilford settled casually into the seat opposite Kim Yul.
If there was no manuscript, this meeting meant nothing anyway.
Gilford had planned to give a thorough explanation to leave a good impression since the man had come all this way.
"First, if you could take a look at this, I'd appreciate it."
"...?"
Kim Yul handed over an envelope.
Swallowing a flicker of hope, Gilford took it with a neutral expression and checked the contents.
Inside were several sheets of paper.
The first was a novel synopsis.
Pretty thorough prep, he thought, skimming it lightly.
But then...
"Oh..."
The moment he read the attached first chapter manuscript, his back straightened ramrod straight.
"Heh..."
He couldn't help but admire the masterful pacing—boldly skipping the childhood and diving straight into an gripping youth era.
"I won't divorce...?"
At the final line, he gulped involuntarily and turned the page.
And then chapters 2, 3, 4.
He devoured them without so much as a breath.
"Ah..."
When chapter 5 was nowhere to be found, undisguised regret settled plainly on Gilford's face.
Immediately after, a voice full of conviction rang through the reception room.
"Let's sign the contract officially today. Get the papers right now."
Gaius Julius Caesar.
The man who elevated the Roman Republic into a great empire, an ambitious figure who surpassed consulship to claim the unprecedented title of lifelong dictator with no term limits.
Montesquieu once remarked that he would have triumphed no matter which army he led, and become a leader regardless of his birthplace.
But when it came to crafting his life story in novel form...
Two seemingly trivial yet profoundly weighty issues tripped me up.
First off...
"Hmm..."
Where to begin and end the overview of his life.
Especially from a novelistic standpoint.
No matter how grand a hero's biography, every full life has its dull stretches.
Take Caesar: most of his popular achievements cluster in his later adulthood, right?
The First Triumvirate, the conquest of Gaul, crossing the Rubicon.
All the way to his end, epitomized by "Et tu, Brute?"
Without deep insight into the man and his backstory, those dazzling feats lose plausibility. Packaging the lead-up compellingly was the real challenge.
And moreover...
Historical accuracy, damn it all—historical fidelity.
When writing Greek and Roman myths, the source material itself allowed mythic exaggeration, so accuracy came prefixed with "(mythical) compliant."
But dealing with real historical figures? Fidelity turned into a hassle.
I hadn't possessed the man myself, so I could invent minor dialogue, actions, emotions without issue.
Twist documented historical facts for plot, though? Historical errors exploded everywhere.
That's why I'd pored over texts, hunted papers, and racked my brains with Historie countless times just to write the manuscript.
The selection and plotting of key branches from Caesar's life, as directed by Yul, has been completed. Based on this, The Fallen Noble Excels at Politics explores human desire, political intrigue──
"Stop. I'll read it myself."
TTS suspended.
For now, let's outline the early plot.
Caesar's early life could be summed up as the lucky man Felix's endless clashes with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. It wouldn't be an overstatement.
The novel's opening hooks on that rivalry from the start.
A dictator oppressing the masses with military boots.
And a righteous young man rising against him.
I'll cover up to defying the divorce order from his wife despite mortal peril, evading the proscription lists, and gradually building his power base.
In other words, a clear antagonist and the protagonist confronting him.
But.
I had to avoid the following parts feeling like tedious sweet potatoes.
Especially his military days.
Caesar was...
"One hell of a spirited guy."
I couldn't confirm if that's accurate since I didn't live the era, but Caesar had two very human flaws.
M-shaped baldness.
And... homosexuality.
During his time in Bithynia, rumors swirled about his "close" relationship with King Nicomedes IV, a tag that haunted him lifelong.
In modern terms, I could lampoon it as "spirited" and move on.
But this was a primitive medieval fantasy land.
...Homosexuality was naturally treated as a grave sin here.
Include that raw, and Roselin might pop up shaking me by the collar: "This isn't pure love!" So, censor... no, omit those parts.
After trial and error.
Skipping without describing doesn't impact historical fidelity.
"Roughly breeze through the military service, then pick up with his post-discharge career-building."
Yul. You've nailed the key point. It's such a wise and perfect development──
"Like I said last time, no more Markdown syntax in conversations from now on."
Understood. I will refrain from using Markdown syntax.
I put the brakes on Historie's LLM-habit of "hitting the core" phrasing that popped up now and then due to long-term memory quirks.
Then, refining my thoughts while eyeing her output, I focused on structuring the next part.
.
.
.
"This should do it..."
With the early serialization portions outlined alongside the content summary...
I stretched, loosening my stiff body.
Now, head out for another revoltingly bland fantasy meal, drop the manuscript at the newspaper, come home for a workout, watch some media piled up on the external drive.
And today's peaceful, ordinary day draws to a close.
Olympus Tales – Iliad sales have surpassed 5,000 copies! A bonus skill is granted!
"Already hit that milestone, huh."
For the first time in ages, a line of joy was added to my peaceful day.
A pleasant alert that sales of my most recent published book, Iliad, had reached its target.
This one had even earned a "masterpiece" completion rating and rave reviews to boot.
So the sales goal jumped from the usual 2,000 to over double at 5,000—but the reward matched.
A full B-rank skill.
Hector's Courage!
"Heh heh heh."
My mouth watered at the thought of sampling a B-rank's power for the first time.
"Uh...?"
But the messages didn't stop there.
The number of equippable skills has exceeded the limit (current: 3)!
Replace skills to equip what you need, or synthesize for a new skill!
A limit...?
Synthesis too... exists...?