Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: 5th Volume: A World Where Heads Are Flower Fields (1)
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Phew, it's harder than I thought to do this on the sly."
Rozaria had glued herself to my villa the moment vacation started.
In truth, that was nothing new, so it wasn't surprising at all. But the problem was that we'd decided not to tell her I was "Siu."
Every time I worked on a new piece, I had to sneak around so she wouldn't see.
Honestly, at this point, wouldn't it just be easier to tell her...?
But then she read my new work, The Elf Dreaming of an Affair with an Orc Feels Frustrated Again Today, and started parroting lines from it, so I gave up on that idea.
Shit, the moment she finds out I drew it, she'll pounce on me.
"Kali?"
"You're awake?"
"Yeah... Hehe, being in your arms makes my womb throb..."
"I told you not to say that."
"Isn't this super romantic? Not my heart, but my womb throbbing!"
It was a perverted elf line I'd thrown in as some sex joke, but surprisingly, she was using it like it was romantic, which was messing with my head in all sorts of ways.
How the hell does "my womb is throbbing" sound romantic?
Am I the weird one?
"Or should I shove my dick in there and stir it around until it really throbs?"
"Please stop..."
Seeing her playful expression this time, it was obvious she was just teasing me on purpose.
I was starting to worry that I'd raised the bar too high for sex jokes in this world.
Of course, it was a good thing my work was popular and selling well, but the trends here were way different from what I'd imagined.
Especially with people getting way too immersed.
I was tempted to put a "this is all fiction" disclaimer at the front.
And amid all that, I kept hearing that it was getting even better reviews than my previous work, Descent of the Avatar.
I'd find out the real results for sure when I went today.
Rozaria had some business to attend to for once, so I was planning to head to the gallery alone.
"Oh, right. Take a look at this drawing I did."
"Sure."
Rozaria was deep into researching SD art styles right now.
It started as just sketches, but now she was cleanly inking lines.
She was gradually getting the hang of adding details like I'd shown her and using screentones.
"But is it really okay learning from me? I'm just a beginner who doesn't know much myself..."
"No, Kali. Learning from you has made it way more fun."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and you're really good at teaching!"
I wasn't sure about that, but she was definitely a genius who picked it up fast.
But what did she mean by it being more fun because I was teaching her?
Was it like, she could even enjoy studying if it was from me? Some kind of affection?
"Whoa, you've improved a ton."
A bit more practice, and she'd nail SD characters done in flat colors.
Of course, practicing coloring wouldn't hurt.
But she seemed more focused on researching how to make fun comics rather than coloring.
Her storytelling and storyboarding skills were pretty solid.
It wouldn't be true to say there were no rough edges, but it was hard to believe this was her first try—she'd crafted a surprisingly believable story.
A little more refinement, and she could really make some solid SD comics.
The issue was she absolutely refused to do color...
Should I ditch color covers?
I'd ask about that at distribution and exhibitions today—whether it was okay.
Rozaria seemed to be aiming for cute slice-of-life vibes anyway.
If so, I could lower the paper quality, do monochrome covers, and cut costs to the bone.
That way, no coloring needed on covers, and it'd still be competitive...
"You're heading home today, right?"
"Yeah, I threw a fit and got permission to stay here all vacation, but I still need to check in."
"Fair enough."
Rozaria headed off to her family home soon after, and I made for the capital.
The gallery felt noticeably different when I walked in after so long.
More stabilized overall, I guess?
"Oh, hello!"
"It's been a while. How's the gallery vibe lately?"
"Besides Artist Siu's works, we've started selling other comics, so it's drawing crowds subtly."
"Really?"
"Yeah, even people who didn't come for paintings are trickling in. Great atmosphere."
The place that used to be crawling with nothing but mages was shifting thanks to regular folks coming for comics.
Comics really were more accessible than traditional art—bigger market for sure.
Hearing that made me feel great right away.
"Though mages are still the top buyers, of course."
"Yeah?"
"Every mage group is buzzing about Siu's comics these days. Trends and catchphrases are exploding."
"...I see."
I was starting to not even want to know what catchphrases were spreading.
Of course, I was grateful since I'd written them to be fun, but...
Rozaria kept using them to mess with me lately—giving me PTSD.
"Wow, but new releases this fast?"
"Probably the thickness. Price difference is there, but tiny compared to the page count."
"So beginners grab the best value ones."
I'd assumed mages were the main hobbyists, so no big deal.
But not all mages were rich, obviously.
Average ones earned average money.
"That's why it's getting noisy lately."
"Noisy?"
"Everyone's asking if there are orc guys like in the new one."
"Ah..."
It was definitely an appealing character.
I figured they meant the personality, but my jaw dropped when I heard demand for orcs in general had spiked.
My one comic had boosted orcs—who were practically shunned—into husband material?
"Not just the personality, but those burly bodies and massive... Ahem, sorry. And it's not that orcs are the best, but more like 'orcs could work too' vibes."
"Could be."
Even though it was old history, orcs still carried the stigma of "rapist race" from the racial wars.
They'd been living peacefully since, but the image lingered.
Now, at least among mages, that was changing.
"...From just this one comic?"
"Yeah, you probably planned it all out, right, Siu?"
As if.
I just wanted to draw an elf and orc banging—that was the whole start.
How the hell did it blow up like this? I couldn't wrap my head around it.
Were their heads seriously flower fields in this world?
"But does it resonate that much...?"
"Of course. Seeing the elf and orc clash against opposition, struggling... I legit teared up a bit."
"Ah..."
Shit, it was all just from insane over-immersion?
It was blowing up like "No more slandering orcs or half-orcs. Any hostility will be seen as against me."
Well, yeah, readers immersing in protagonists leads to stuff like this.
"Oh, and that half-orc at the end! So cute... Those little fangs peeking out—adorable, right?"
"Totally."
Thinking about it, the world's "children are a blessing" mainstream sentiment probably helped.
Half-orcs were infamous for abusing that blessing with trash behavior, but still—attacking innocent kids over old crap triggered resistance.
Made sense now, but the ripple was bigger than expected—still throwing me off.
And weirdly quiet on the lewd scenes.
I'd been terrified it'd spark controversy for straight-up showing too much smut.
No age restrictions here, yet zero backlash.
Why wasn't lewd comics getting slammed as obscenity?
Something's off.
"Ah, I'll grab your payment. Wait here a sec."
"Sure."
The staffer who went for the money came back with a girl clinging to her.
Wondering what was up, I looked at the girl: elf ears, pink ponytail.
Then her huge boobs bouncing wildly as she walked, and finally, her green eyes staring intently at me.
"Um, excuse me. Are you Artist Siu's disciple by any chance?"
"Huh?"
I whipped around to the staffer in shock, but she shook her head like it couldn't be helped.
She apologized profusely, saying the girl had made a huge scene, and seeing her torn-up clothes, I forgave it.
No way I'd bully her more after that.
"And if I am? Who are you?"
"H-Here!"
"Huh...?"
The elf girl bowed deeply and handed me a letter that looked suspiciously like a love note.
Utterly lost, I stared blankly as she pleaded desperately.
"P-Please! Give this to Artist Siu!"
I took the letter in a daze, and she beamed ear-to-ear, thrilled.
That instant, light hit her tiny fangs and scattered.
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