Chapter 11
[Title: A Fallen Noble Does Politics Well] [Currently serializing Chapter 12]
[Historical Accuracy: Consistent] [Completion Rating: -]
[Public Reception: Very Positive] [Daily Readers: 591]
409 more daily readers until the next skill acquisition.
[It must be maintained for at least one week. (Currently 0 days)]
[Expected skill gain: [B-rank] Ka■■■'s ■sa■]
Molgwijung... Caesar's biography was sailing along nicely.
And, as expected, once I started daily serialization, the way the status window recognized the novel changed subtly as well.
I had secretly hoped it would be linked to newspaper sales, so it was a little disappointing when a PTSD-triggering metric called daily readers popped up instead.
Still, the 60-day time limit disappearing was a very encouraging thing.
Mr. Guildford grinned at me with an almost monkey-like smile, saying, "Let's keep it going like this."
For an author of an obscure debut work, I was already having a pretty meaningful effect on newspaper sales.
I guess I'm doing well.
Besides, once I got past the first week of serialization, reader reactions started trickling in little by little.
[Es-jjang: Writer, write four installments a day! Are you seriously insane?!]
[(●'◡'●): I enjoyed it! But for a story that starts with divorce, I was a little disappointed by the lack of chemistry with the wife!]
[Anonymous Reader: When's the politics part?]
Since it was being printed in the newspaper, I couldn't help comparing it to the other serialized works.
The volume was... a little lacking.
Still, even if I spent all day parked in this city's salons, compared to the vast scale of the newspaper serialization market, my novel was still a drop in the bucket.
It was fortunate that, besides the editor's opinion, there was also a channel through which I could gather readers' opinions.
......But that Es-jjang guy, though.
He was the kind of guy who'd slap a so-called 'more chapters, more chapters' meme on other novels, or chew an author up like he was trying to drive them into retirement.
That's a little scary.
What if he goes dark later?
"Well, that's something to worry about when the time comes."
After finishing my self-justification.
I mixed water into today's espresso, flaunted the ice dispenser's majesty to make a pseudo-Americano, and gulped it down.
While basking in the satisfying fullness of caffeine coursing through my body, I let my thoughts drift to other worries.
I still hadn't decided what to use the skill I'd recently acquired, 'Pygmalion's Tenacity,' for.
The ability to grant life to whatever I wanted.
In the original myth, Pygmalion loved Galatea so much that he even slept hugging her, the real doll, and turned her into a human.
As soon as I thought of the original myth, I couldn't help but think of Historie.
Our dumb AI.
An appearance so stunning it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a cyber doll.
But, um, how should I put this.
For some reason, the monkey's paw just wouldn't leave my mind.
If Historie really turned into a human, could her current LLM performance be transplanted intact?
If the skill caused any problems with her performance, I'd lose the only outlet I had for discussing history.
That was exactly the point.
I was still undecided.
Besides, even if it succeeded, it would mean one more mouth to feed.
I could probably handle it for now, but there was no telling what would happen down the line.
Honestly, unless the newspaper serialization became a hit, things were still pretty tight right now, so I'd been making do with the cheapest food possible.
If my livelihood were already taken care of, I'd have gone for it without a second thought.
"I wish some miracle would fall out of the sky."
A windfall of money would be nice, and a windfall of skills would be nice too.
* * *
"Hah... It's been a while since I was here."
Hero Seraphin set foot in the human city of Camellia after nearly a year.
Of course, he hadn't headed straight here right after leaving the demon lands.
The last time he returned from the demon lands.
- Hero! An interview! Even just for a moment is fine!
- There's a rumor you'll soon be promoted to an A-rank hero party. Is that true?!
- Hey! The hero's running! Catch him! Get that interview no matter what!
How much trouble had he gone through after being caught by the reporters?
But today was different.
He had stowed all the equipment that gleamed brilliantly with blessings inside his inventory, and dressed as naturally as possible so he would look like a commoner.
He had come out without even notifying the Hero Guild.
There was only one reason.
"It was definitely the Sprout and Branch Publishing House."
He was on his way to find the author Kim Yul, who had saved their lives at least three times.
To thank him, too.
And...
And maybe get even the slightest clue about the unknown monsters that had blocked their path once again.
So after requesting a one-month leave from the guild and the empire, and while even keeping his route hidden from the porter, he came to this city first.
The rest of the hero party was probably being bombarded with questions by now.
"Heh-heh."
Thinking of his comrades having trouble made Seraphin laugh to himself, and soon he began asking around and headed for the Sprout and Branch Publishing House.
And.
"...They've left?"
When the editor, with a bruise under one eye and deep dark circles under the other, briefly explained what had happened.
He strongly resolved to atone for the very wicked thought he had briefly entertained of rejoicing in his comrades' misfortune.
"Um... but how did you get here?"
A sidelong glance.
Seraphin, without realizing it, turned his gaze toward the window.
There, a banner had been hung as if for the publishing-house staff to see.
[Bring Kim Yul back! Release Olympus!]
[We want the next work! Publishing house, wake up!]
Even without looking, it was obvious what had happened.
Because the publishing-house employee in front of him was also constantly shooting wary looks his way.
Can't be helped.
Seraphin opened his inventory and took out his holy sword.
Then he released the hero's power just a little.
"...Hero? You are the hero?"
"Haha..."
Seraphin didn't particularly like showing off, but in this situation, he needed at least this much credibility.
"I've received a lot of help from the Heracles story written by author Kim Yul. I came because I had a few more things I wanted to ask about it... but I've arrived one step too late."
At Seraphin's words, the publishing-house employee, who had been stiff with tension, relaxed noticeably.
"Since you're the hero... I think I can tell you. You're also a benefactor to our publishing house, after all..."
"Pardon?"
Naturally, Seraphin had no idea that his interview had had a tremendous effect on the sales of Heracles' Heroic Tales and the Iliad.
"No. Author Kim Yul has gone to the imperial capital."
"Ah..."
Seraphin regretted it once again.
Because the place his comrades had gone was the imperial capital.
Still, while talking with the publishing-house employee,
"He probably went to Truth Daily... I read the work myself, and it was still interesting. The pen name Ulysses is probably author Kim Yul."
"Thank you for telling me."
Seraphin was able to find out Kim Yul's whereabouts.
Of course, there was a price.
"Excuse me, but could I trouble you for a signature here?"
"...Yes."
That price was.
To write his own signature beside Kim Yul's, which had been written in a beautifully elegant hand.
* * *
- Oh my! What a coincidence, writer! I just happened to have business in this city, so I stopped by! You're working on a new work, right? But, um, politics, politics is such a great subject... there'll be romance in it too, right? Ahaha! What a silly thing to ask!
"...Hah."
Last time, when we'd brushed past each other from a distance, I had thought it was a coincidence.
But the fact that Roseline had followed me all the way to this city again weighed heavily on my mind.
Of course...
She's quite cheerful and bright.
If anything, she gave off such a positive aura that it felt like good energy was pouring out of her very being.
But.
Heavy.
The obsession with romance is heavy...!
After mentally tripling the amount I had originally allotted to Cleopatra.
I shoved today's ration into my mouth.
I want a hamburger...
I want pizza too...
If I keep growing like this, someday I'll probably get a cooking skill too.
Then I'd become an isekai restaurateur and go around spreading modern food throughout the world.
As I struggled to hold back my sadness, I stuffed a spoonful of bland soup and a hard piece of bread into my mouth.
Ding──
Along with the sound of the shop door opening.
"Huff, huff, W-writer...!"
"Oh? Mr. Guildford?"
Somehow knowing I was here, Mr. Guildford burst into the restaurant, gasping for breath.
"Please, I need you to come with me to the publishing house for a moment...!"
What's this about.
Why are you suddenly doing this.
.
.
.
The moment I was dragged by Mr. Guildford and stepped into the reception room of Truth Daily, where I'd delivered my manuscript that very morning.
Rattle─!
At once, the sound of chairs scraping back rang out.
"Could you be Kim Yul, the author?"
The burly man who brought up my former pen name—the one I'd used under my real name—smiled broadly as if reuniting with an old friend.
"Are you the man they call Ulysses?"
And there was also a blonde, soft-looking girl who mentioned the pen name I'd laundered clean once I started newspaper serialization.
Right after that.
The two of them came up to me, neither willing to be first, and shouted their business all at once.
"Writer, do you perhaps have any more stories related to monsters?"
"You lowly writer. Become the servant of this noble body!"