Secret (1)

"Hmm-hmm~ Hm~"

The white-haired young beauty Marie was walking down the street, humming cheerfully. Her confident stride was a far cry from the dignified bearing expected of a noble.

She was also carefully cradling a book in her arms. It was the newly published ninth volume of The Life of Xenon.

'I was really lucky.'

Whenever a new volume of The Life of Xenon was released, it boasted the astonishing popularity of selling out in less than an hour. According to rumors circulating among the public, once the publisher announced that a new volume was coming, it was time for war.

People not only hired others to wait outside the bookstore all day, but scalping and fraud also occurred. One troublesome situation after another arose.

Fortunately, once each country recognized the seriousness of the situation and imposed severe punishments, such incidents disappeared. However, the people waiting outside bookstores remained. Since waiting in line was not illegal, there was no way to stop them.

Naturally, they also strictly prohibited anyone from buying more than one copy. To enforce that single rule, they had even invented magical technology for checking people's identities. If Isaac ever heard about it, he would be dumbfounded, but he currently had no idea it was happening.

Even so, The Life of Xenon frequently sold out. Even Marie, the daughter of the Lekilis family, found it nearly impossible to buy a copy herself unless she hired someone or asked her family for help.

'I won't have to ask Dad this time.'...