Crisis (2)

I could only stare blankly for a moment after reading the letter my father had sent. Judging by its characteristically terse, forceful style, it was definitely from him.

But judging from the contents alone, you'd think he was in some kind of spy film; they were charged with solemnity. It took me a moment to grasp the meaning, but before long, my expression had hardened.

'...They've picked up my trail?'

The only reason I had been able to submit my manuscript to the publisher anonymously was my father's help. I didn't know exactly what process he had gone through, but I could roughly guess that he was using his connections.

Thanks to that, I had been able to remain anonymous even after The Life of Xenon became a huge hit and everyone began searching for me. However, my father had also said that people ranging from the imperial family and nobles to all sorts of other groups were looking for me, so he had stressed that I must not let down my guard.

And it seemed that someone had finally picked up my trail today. I rubbed my chin and stared at the letter.

'Does he not know who it was?'

The subject had been neatly omitted, so there was no way to know who had picked up my trail. Given my father's personality, even if he wrote briefly, he would have included every important detail. Since he hadn't, there was a good chance that he didn't know who it was either.

Then again, whoever had picked up my trail must have sent someone else to do it. It would be stranger if my father knew who was behind it. In any case, I still had to be careful.

'...I should stay alert for now.'

I didn't know who had picked up my trail, and it wasn't as though my identity had been completely exposed just because someone had found it. Even so, just in case, I should follow my father's warning.

To be perfectly honest, there was nothing I could do. For now, I could only hope that Father would sever the trail he had uncovered.

If I became needlessly distracted, it could cause problems with my writing or make other people suspicious. So I had to act as usual while remaining vigilant.

'But is there only one letter?'

My parents usually sent letters together, so if Father had written one, there should have been a letter from Mother as well. Father might have written briefly to deliver the news, but Mother would surely have written a long letter to ask how I was doing and check on my progress.

And sure enough, just as I had expected, another letter was neatly tucked inside the envelope I had torn open earlier.

I took out the letter and unfolded it flat, and beautifully written words immediately caught my eye. It was unmistakably Mother's letter, marked by her delicate prose, so different from Father's.

[Isaac. Your father seems to have written only what he had to say without asking how you were, so your mother is writing too. After reading the letter you sent last time, I was relieved to see that you seem to be adjusting well to academy life. However, the weather seems to have grown considerably hotter lately, and I'm worried that you must be having a hard time since you've always struggled with the heat. I can still vividly remember you collapsing while training with your father long ago. Your mother keeps jokingly asking when the next volume will be released, but your health is always the most important thing. Academy life must be busy, but please think of your health and...]

Reading the sentences filling an entire sheet of A4 paper made my heart grow warm. In both my past and present lives, mothers were clearly angels who thought of nothing but their children, never themselves.

Occasionally, the mistresses of certain noble houses treated their children as political tools, but my mother wasn't like that. She was simply an ordinary mother in an ordinary household.

I smiled with genuine warmth as I slowly read through Mother's letter. The graceful cursive was a pleasure to behold.

[Your father did write to tell you to be careful, but you don't need to worry too much. Even if you are discovered, our family will protect you. In particular, you may not know this, but your father was once the commander of a famous order of knights. So even if you are discovered, not even the imperial family will be able to lay a hand on us easily, so don't worry. If necessary, your father will confront the imperial family himself.]

The fact that not even the imperial family could easily lay a hand on us made it impossible even to guess what sort of person Father had been in the past. Then again, Rina had told me that he had turned down a count's title and become a baron instead, so he was clearly no ordinary man.

He was practically the archetype of the reclusive master from a novel. The fact that he had chosen to take a lower title suggested that he definitely had a dark past. It was even more suspicious considering that he had retired at a fairly young age.

[...which is why our family will always be cheering you on. Don't overdo it, and keep doing what you want to do. Love, Mom.]

Even after I finished reading the entire letter, its warmth lingered. Mother had once told me that she used to be good at writing, and the letter proved that she hadn't been exaggerating in the slightest.

Her cursive was elegant enough to be called beautiful, and even the phrases she used were deeply moving. There was nothing lacking.

'...I mustn't disappoint her.'

Although she sometimes jokingly asked when Jin and Lily would finally get together, it was nothing more than a joke. In fact, Mother disliked it when the story took a strange turn because of pressure from those around her.

I read through Mother's letter one more time, folded it neatly, and placed it in my desk drawer. The first drawer held manuscript paper and spare notebooks, while the second contained the letters my parents had sent me.

'For now...'

Now that I had finished everything I needed to do today, I sat down and began writing a letter instead of The Life of Xenon. The letter had been filled with worry, so I had to reassure her, didn't I?

Of course, I thought it would be best to mention that, due to the circumstances, the next volume of The Life of Xenon would not be released for at least two months.

'As for my trail being picked up... there's nothing I can do, so I should just write.'

With my heart considerably lighter after reading Mother's letter, I wrote my reply.

******

The Minerva Empire was one of the strongest nations in human society. Not only was its territory vast, but its military and economic power were so formidable that no other country could compare.

As a result, every statement made by the empire had a major impact across the world, to the point that even other races could not afford to ignore it.

However, even the Minerva Empire had a country that had been regarded as its eternal archenemy since ancient times: the Kingdom of Ters.

Compared to the Minerva Empire, the Kingdom of Ters had weaker military and relatively weaker economic power, but it was overwhelmingly superior in one other area. That area was soft power—in other words, 'culture.'

Music, literature, education, science, technology, magic, and even the cultures of other races. Its cultural breadth was so vast that it would not be an exaggeration to say that all the cultures in the world were represented within the Kingdom of Ters.

However, the Minerva Empire had not simply stood by and watched. It had pressured the Kingdom of Ters and plundered its culture on numerous occasions. The most prominent example was Halo Academy, which was called the greatest academy in the world.

When the Minerva Empire established the academy, it enticed away all the professors and associated artisans who belonged to the Kingdom of Ters. From Ters's perspective, it had been robbed in broad daylight, so it protested fiercely and began strictly preventing such things through legislation afterward.

In any case, if the Minerva Empire possessed powerful outwardly visible strength, such as military and economic power, the Kingdom of Ters had to be considered strong in its inner strength. Its nickname was even the Nation of Culture, something that even the elves acknowledged.

That did not mean there were no side effects. Its cultural organizations were so firmly established that large-scale disasters such as the Jeyros Revolution had occurred. However, since it had grown even stronger by using that as a stepping stone, the result had not been entirely bad from Ters's perspective either.

"So, you caught the tail, but tracing it farther up the chain will be difficult."

Inside a certain office with an atmosphere that was both old-fashioned and refined,

a middle-aged man with sky-blue hair tied tightly behind his head spoke to the man standing across from him. His gentle-looking face contrasted with the sharpness in his sky-blue eyes, and even his tone was unusual.

The man standing opposite him, dressed in a black uniform, bowed deeply. His posture plainly expressed his remorse.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. It's all due to my lack of ability."

"No. That's enough. Catching the tail is sufficient. How much information can we extract from it?"

"I'm ashamed to say this, but practically none. The tail is nothing more than a hired courier who takes jobs in exchange for money, and the client is difficult to trace as well."

"Hmm..."

Friedrich Duckard von Kurchers, the king who ruled the Kingdom of Ters, rested a fist against his chin and pondered.

The opportunity to pick up the trail had arisen purely by chance, but unfortunately, it had been nothing more than a lizard's tail—a tail that would sever itself the moment it was caught.

When the trail was first picked up, it seemed it might lead to a clue for finding the author of The Life of Xenon, whose identity had been a complete mystery. But the tail was nothing more than a useless courier. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment was bound to be.

Friedrich sighed in disappointment, then asked the man in front of him.

"What is the situation in the other countries? They must know that we've caught the trail as well."

"They will not step forward right away. They surely know that catching the trail is not the end of the matter."

"I see. In any case, we need to find the author first."

Countries all over the world were searching for the author of The Life of Xenon—in other words, Isaac—but the Kingdom of Ters was unquestionably the most enthusiastic of them all.

In the Minerva Empire, high-ranking nobles, including the imperial family, had mobilized personnel to search as well, but they were not as eager as the Kingdom of Ters.

From the Minerva Empire's perspective, provoking him would be dangerous if he fled, so it was taking a passive approach. The Kingdom of Ters, on the other hand, was gathering clues indiscriminately without any such concern.

The reason the Kingdom of Ters was searching for Isaac was simple.

"I want to find him quickly and land a devastating blow on those Minerva bastards."

"I agree. We've lost so much to them that it makes my blood boil."

As the example of Halo Academy demonstrated, there were simply too many cultural assets that the Minerva Empire had taken from them. Although such actions were now prohibited by law, the empire had been stealing their culture bit by bit for generations, and Ters had suffered losses more times than they could count.

After all, money was ultimately the most important thing when it came to developing culture, and the Minerva Empire had taken countless artisans and artists away by dangling enormous sums of money before them. It was a situation that gave the Kingdom of Ters every right to be furious.

"Besides, historically speaking, there has never been anyone like the author of The Life of Xenon, who changed the world through nothing but a novel. It must be unprecedented."

"Yes. It was astonishing enough that the demon princess enrolled at Halo Academy, but now we're told that she will soon be sending a delegation to our country... It's difficult to believe this is real."

"If that author were to write something criticizing our country, it would be horrifying even to imagine. Though that won't happen, of course."

More than anything, Isaac himself possessed terrifying value. He had already changed people's perception of demons by 180 degrees through The Life of Xenon, and now what if he wrote something criticizing a specific country?

On Earth, where the internet had become widespread among the public, people might dismiss it as just another book. But this world was different. It had ample potential to be exploited as a 'weapon' for brainwashing.

And from the perspective of rulers, what they feared most was not invasion by a foreign power but collapse from within. Once the pillars fell, there was nothing they could do.

The Kingdom of Ters, which had suffered greatly through the Jeyros Revolution, understood this better than anyone.

"For now, I understand. I will provide every bit of support available, so be sure to find the author. But even when you find him, bring him here 'politely.' Do you understand?"

"I will keep that in mind. I will return with good news as soon as possible."

"Very well. Is there any other news?"

"There is news concerning Princess Adel..."

Friedrich's brow furrowed sharply the moment his aide mentioned a certain person. He looked as though he did not even want to hear her name.

"Enough. She's someone I've already discarded. Is there any reason I need to know about her?"

"But, Your Highness, Princess Adel..."

Before the aide could finish speaking, Friedrich held out a hand as if telling the aide not to say another word.

"Enough. If she had been my child, I would have enrolled her at Ters Academy, not Halo Academy. I have only four children. Remember that."

"...Understood."

Faced with Friedrich's utterly resolute words, the aide could not continue.

Perhaps he still possessed a shred of conscience after all. Friedrich rubbed his chin and thought deeply for a moment before giving the aide an order.

"Well... It would be best to let her know. Tell her that we're likely to find the author of The Life of Xenon, which she loves so much, soon."

"...Why bother telling her?"

"So that she won't take her own life so easily. We have to give her hope, don't we?"

"... ..."

What a vile hobby. The aide barely managed not to frown.