After reading the letter my father had sent me, I couldn’t help but space out for a moment. It was definitely from my father, as I could tell from his unique short and bold writing style.
However, if you only looked at the content, it didn’t contain any spy-like information or anything extraordinary. Because of this, it took me some time to understand, but soon I had no choice but to harden my expression.
‘…the tail was stepped on?’
The reason I was able to submit my manuscript anonymously to the publishing company was because of my father’s help. I’m not sure what kind of work my father is involved in, but I can roughly guess that he is using his connections.
Thanks to that, I was able to remain anonymous until the end even when Xenon’s biography became a huge hit and everyone looked for me. However, my father said that I was also being searched for in various places, not only by the royalty and nobility, so he emphasized that I shouldn’t let my guard down.
And it’s only today that it seems its tail has been stepped on. I rubbed my chin and stared at the letter.
‘Don’t you know who it is?’
The subject was neatly omitted, so I couldn’t tell who stepped on the tail. Considering my father’s personality, he would have written all the important parts even in a short letter, so the probability of him not knowing who it is, is high.
That’s true, the one who stepped on my tail would have probably hired someone to do it, so it would be even stranger if I knew who it was. Anyway, the fact that I need to be careful remains unchanged.
‘…I need to be alert for now.’
I don’t know who stepped on my tail, and just because my tail was stepped on doesn’t mean my identity has been completely exposed. Still, it will be good to follow my father’s warning.
To be honest, there’s nothing I can do about it. For now, all I can do is to hope that my father can cut off the tail that has been stepped on.
If I become overly self-conscious, it could lead to problems with my writing or make other people suspicious of me. Therefore, it’s best to act as usual but maintain my composure.
‘But there is only one letter?’
Usually, my parents send letters together, so if my father wrote a letter, there should be one from my mother as well. My father wrote a short letter to convey the news, but my mother must have written a long letter to bury me and check my progress.
And sure enough, as if to prove me right, another letter was neatly tucked inside the torn envelope from earlier.
As I took out the letter and unfolded it neatly, I noticed the beautiful, well-written handwriting. Unlike my father’s, my mother’s letters were characterized by a delicate style.
[Isaac, it seems that your father only wrote what he needed to say without asking about your well-being, so your mother has also sent a letter. After reading your last letter, your mother feels relieved that you seem to be adjusting well to academy life. However, I am worried that you might be struggling with the recent increase in temperature since you tend to be sensitive to the heat. Mother still remembers when you collapsed during training with your father, and that image still lingers in my mind. While I jokingly ask when the next book will be released, I always emphasize the importance of your health. Your academy life may be busy, but please remember to take care of your health…]
As I read the sentences filling up the A4-sized paper, my heart automatically warmed up. Whether in this life or the past, it’s clear that mothers are angelic beings who think only of their children.
Occasionally, some noble families treat their children as political tools, but our mother was not like that. She was just a normal mother of an ordinary family.
With a sincere smile on my face, I slowly read through the letter my mother had written, and the graceful handwriting made my eyes naturally happy.
[Your father did write a letter telling you to take care of yourself, but you don’t have to worry too much. Even if you were caught, our family will protect you. Especially, you may not know, but your father was the leader of a famous knight order in his heyday. So even if you were caught, they wouldn’t easily harm us even in the palace. Don’t worry. If anything happens, your father will personally go to the palace.]
I couldn’t even guess what kind of person he was in the past when they say that they wouldn’t easily harm us even in the palace. After all, he gave up his count status and became a baron, and according to what Rina told me, it is certain that he is an unusual person.
He seems like a stereotype of a hidden master that you would see in a novel. However, it is certain that he has a dark past, considering that he himself has chosen to receive a lower rank. Especially since he declared retirement at a fairly young age.
[…Therefore, our family is always supporting you. Don’t overdo it and keep doing what you want to do. Love, Mom.]
Even after reading all of the letter, the aftertaste lingered. Although my mother had said that she was good at writing in the past, I could tell from the letter that it was definitely not an empty boast.
Her handwriting was so fluent and beautiful, almost to the point of being described as exquisite. The words she wrote were also very moving. There was nothing missing.
‘…I shouldn’t disappoint her.’
Although she teasingly urged to know when Jin and Lily would get together, it was only a joke. On the contrary, my mother didn’t like the story being forced to go in a strange direction due to external pressures.
After rereading my mother’s letter once again, I neatly folded it and put it in the desk drawer. The first drawer contained manuscript paper and spare notebooks, while the second drawer stored letters my parents had sent me.
‘First of all…’
Having finished everything I needed to do today, I sat down in a chair and began writing a letter instead of reading about Xenon’s Biography. The letter was full of worries, so I felt that I needed to ease those concerns.
Of course, it seemed best to mention that due to circumstances, the next volume of Xenon’s Biography would not be released for at least another two months.
‘The tail was stepped on… since there’s nothing I can do about it, I’ll just write’
I wrote a reply with a much more relaxed mind through my mother’s letter.
*****
The Minerva Empire is one of the strongest nations in human society. Not only is its territory vast, but its military and economic power are also unrivaled.
As a result, every single statement uttered by the Empire carries significant influence throughout the world, to the extent that other races cannot ignore them.
However, even the Minerva Empire has a country that has been evaluated as an eternal enemy since ancient times, and that is the Ters Kingdom.
Compared to the Minerva Empire, the Ters Kingdom has relatively weak military and economic power, but one thing that stands out overwhelmingly is its soft power, namely, ‘culture’.
Ters Kingdom boasts an immense cultural diversity, encompassing music, literature, education, science, technology, magic, and even the cultures of other races. It is so vast that it would not be an exaggeration to say that all cultures in the world are included in the Ters Kingdom.
However, the Minerva Empire has not just stood idly by and has oppressed the Ters Kingdom and its culture. One striking example is the Halo Academy, which is known as the world’s top academy.
At the time when the Minerva Empire established the academy, they recruited all the professors and related craftsmen who belonged to the Ters Kingdom. From the perspective of the Ters Kingdom, it was an act of aggression, and they strongly protested against it. After that, they began to strictly prohibit it by law.
Anyway, while the Minerva Empire had a strong external power such as military and economic power, the Ters Kingdom was considered to have a strong internal power. It was known as the country of culture, even recognized by the elves.
However, it was not without side effects. The cultural organization was so strong that even major incidents like the ‘Jayros Revolution’ occurred. But they used it as a stepping stone to grow even more, so it wasn’t all bad from the perspective of the Ters Kingdom.
“So, it means that even though we caught the tail, it’s difficult to trace it all the way up.”
Inside an office with an old-fashioned yet sophisticated atmosphere.
The middle-aged person with hair tied tightly together, resembling the blue sky, spoke to the man standing opposite to him. Despite having a gentle-looking face, his sharp sky-blue eyes gave off a sense of alertness, and his tone of voice was also unsettling.
The man in a black suit standing opposite him deeply bowed his waist, expressing his heartfelt apology.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. It’s all due to my lack of ability.”
“No, it’s fine. Just catching the tail is enough. How much information can you get from the tail?”
“I’m embarrassed to say this, but there’s practically very little information we can get. It was just an errand boys who receive money for the job, and his clients are also difficult to track.”
“Well…”
Friedrich Duke von Kurchers, the king of the Kingdom of Ters, pondered with his fist against his chin.
He had stumbled upon an opportunity to catch the tail by chance, but unfortunately, it turned out to be nothing more than a lizard’s tail. A tail that will be cut off on its own the moment it is caught.
He had hoped that catching the tail would lead to a clue in finding the mysterious author of the Xenon’s Biography. However, it turned out to be a useless errand boy. The disappointment was inevitable, as his expectations were high.
With a sigh of regret, Friedrich turned to the man in front of him and asked.
“What are the trends in other countries? I’m sure they know we’ve caught the tail.”
“They probably won’t make a move right away. They know that catching the tail isn’t the end, so we’ll be fine for now.”
“I see. Regardless, we must be the first to find out who it is.”
People from all over the world are searching for the author of Xenon’s Biography, Isaac, but the most passionate among them are undoubtedly the Kingdom of Ters.
The situation is such that even high-ranking nobles, including the imperial family of the Minerva Empire are mobilizing their resources to search for Isaac, but not to the extent of the Ters Kingdom.
That being said, while the Minerva Empire is taking a passive approach, knowing that provoking the author may lead to trouble if they run away, Ters Kingdom is gathering clues recklessly without such concerns.
If you’re wondering why the Ters Kingdom is looking for Isaac like this, it’s simple.
“I want to find them quickly and give Minerva a big blow.”
“I agree. I’m angry that they have stolen so many things until now.”
As shown by the example of the Halo Academy, so much cultural property has been taken away by the Minerva Empire. Although it has now been legally blocked, there have been many times in the past when they stole their culture bit by bit, causing them great damage.
In the end, ‘money’ is the most important thing for developing culture, but the Minerva Empire took numerous artisans and artists with huge sums of money as bait. For the Ters Kingdom, it’s not surprising that a recession has occurred.
“Moreover, there has never been a case where someone changed the world simply by writing a novel, like the author of Xenon’s Biography did, in history. It should be considered unprecedented.”
“Yes. It’s surprising enough that the demons princess enrolled in the Halo Academy, and soon they will send an envoy to our country… It’s really an unbelievable reality.”
“If that writer were to write something critical of our country, it would be terrifying to even imagine. It’s unlikely to happen, though.”
Above all, the value of Isaac alone is terrifying. Just with Xenon’s Biography, he completely changed the perception of demons, but if he was to write a critical article about a specific country? It would be unbelievable.
On Earth, the internet was widespread among the general public to the extent that it could be taken for granted, but it’s not the same in this world. Quite literally, there is ample potential for it to be abused as a ‘weapon’ for brainwashing.
And from the perspective of leaders who govern the country, they fear the collapse from within more than foreign invasion. If the pillar collapses, there is nothing they can do.
Especially the Ters Kingdom, which had suffered greatly from a devastating Jayros Revolution, knows this fact better than anyone else.
“I understand for now. We will provide all the support needed, so be sure to find the author. However, even if you find them, make sure to treat them with respect. Do you understand?”
“I will keep that in mind. I will try to bring good news as soon as possible.”
“I see. Any other news?”
“The news about Princess Adele…”
Friedrich frowned when the aide mentioned a specific person. He didn’t even want to hear her name.
“Nevermind. She’s already been cast aside. Is there a reason why I need to know about her?”
“Your Majesty, Princess Adele…”
The advisor was interrupted before they could finish their sentence. Friedrich held out his hand as if to say no more.
“That’s enough. If she were my own child, I would have enrolled her in the Ters Academy, not the Halo Academy. I only have four children. Remember that.”
“…I understand.”
The advisor could no longer say anything in the face of Friedrich’s resolute words.
However, perhaps he had some sense of conscience. Friedrich rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then gave an order to his advisor.
“Well… I’d better let her know the news. I think you’ll soon find the author of Xenon’s Biography, which she liked.”
“…Why do you feel the need to tell her this?”
“So that he won’t easily end her life. We have to give her hope.”
“… …”
That’s sadistic. The advisor barely held back from frowning.
Translators note:
Damn his mom is amazingly wholesome.
Also the foreshadowing can’t be THIS obvious right? ‘Adele’…
I’m too invested and caffeinated right now so more chapters coming.
Today’s chapter 3/2
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