Chapter 93
Originally, even for propaganda's sake, the birth of a new hero should have been widely known throughout the Empire.
But diplomatic issues between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom were also tied up in it.
And since both the hero in question and the saint strongly requested that it not be announced, the emperor—unusually—accepted.
As a result, except for the people who were there and a few close aides, the birth of the new hero was kept secret.
Of course, rumors were impossible to completely stop.
"...You’re the hero? I can’t believe it."
"You?"
"You’re the hero, sir? I can’t believe it."
And even the third son of Duke Vertus, whose relationship with the Grand Duke of the North had recently soured, came trotting over to offer bribes in search of backing.
"Ohoho! I had no doubt that Kim Yul possessed excellent qualities!"
"Perfect timing. Sign here."
"What is this, desuwa? ...Eeeeek!"
There was even a foolish elf who had come only to congratulate him, and ended up being forced to stamp a slave contract—an idiot who couldn’t hit even an enemy a hundred paces away.
.
.
.
Thus, the conniving would-be hero, Kim Yul, was slowly expanding his influence.
"I don't see the mutt?"
"Last time, he did say he wanted to unearth a musician buried in obscurity, like Beethoven."
"I see."
Unfortunately, he had failed to seize control of a nation-level asymmetric weapon.
But.
Given Esthea's personality—when she gets hooked on something and focuses, she doesn't even notice her tail popping out and swishing.
"If he starts serializing a new work, she'll probably show up right away."
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Let's take a break..."
Kim Yul muttered with his eyes closed, sprawled out on his back.
If it were the usual Historie, she would have scolded him.
But she didn't.
Kim Yul’s condition was plainly bad even from an AI-like objective perspective.
Of course, on the surface, there was nothing wrong.
After finishing intense training with Seraphine, Roseline healed all his injuries with healing magic, so physically he was perfectly fine.
But no matter how excellent healing magic was, it couldn't relieve accumulated stress.
Between hero training, the cleanup after the concert, the petty sparring with the High Priest, and all the aftercare for everything he had done so far.
"Duu..."
Kim Yul wanted a break.
* * *
Like the legendary saying that if you pray earnestly, the universe steps in to grant your wish, the wish of Kim Yul, the young man who wanted a break, was granted sooner than expected.
"So, what should I do? We've run into a slight problem. I already put together the training schedule in advance, so please take care of things on your own."
Because the monster eruptions inside the demon realm had become a little more intense, training instructor Seraphine, who had been putting Kim Yul—Owl No. 18—through the wringer, had left the training site.
"I'll be attending a high elf noble gathering with Father. Even if you miss me, you'll have to endure it for a while—kya-kya-kya──!"
The elf, who had always dropped by the house whenever he was bored to sing about the next work, the next work, had also announced that he would be away to handle outside engagements.
"Kim Yul, make sure you stay healthy and don't get sick, okay?"
Swallowing her curses inwardly, Roseline, who couldn't avoid being dragged into the big event of the High Priest leaving the imperial capital, departed while tenderly worrying about his health.
Even.
"Today, I probably won't be able to come home."
"Huh? Why?"
"I have to go get my paper reviewed at the Fantasy Magic Society. I expect to be back around lunchtime tomorrow."
"I see. Have a good trip."
Even the tin can, the one who was practically in perfect sync with him, was gone.
Of course, those gaps would be filled back in, one by one.
For the first time in a very long while,
Kim Yul was left alone in Fantasy Land.
And.
"This is sex."
About an hour after seeing Historie off in tears.
Kim Yul came into the lab carrying all kinds of liquor and snacks and started enjoying a party while lying in a recliner.
While watching the video files on his secret hard drive, containing his hidden tastes that he absolutely did not want anyone else to see.
Crunch!
One bite of snack.
Gulp!
One sip of alcohol.
"Ah, damn, that's good!"
With all worries and concerns cast aside.
With all work-related stress thrown away.
Kim Yul finally savored the joy of being a young man on break.
- Miss Renko. It's a contest to see which suits us better, lover or friend.
- Th-there's no way something like that could be possible! Impossible, impossible!
"Agh, agh."
He even snorted while watching a documentary about slugs melting as global warming accelerated.
- Ultimate Suri Bird Strike!
- Nice! So cool!
"Duu...!"
He spent ages melting his brain while watching a documentary about the Ship of Theseus, pondering how far a person's existence and reason remain once the body becomes mechanized.
And while wasting time like that.
Kim Yul blankly waited for midnight to arrive.
Although the newly acquired skill, 'Beethoven's Deep Tone,' was almost more of a musician-only skill, it wasn't particularly practical in actual combat.
Today was the day the novel 'Beethoven,' including the epilogue, would finally be brought to a complete close.
He wasn't all that curious about any other metrics.
But Kim Yul, both within the novel and outside it.
In fact, he had put quite a lot of effort into writing 'Beethoven,' to the point where it almost made him wonder if he had originally liked music himself.
Especially near the end, he had even gone so far as to cover his ears on purpose, wanting to empathize with the feeling of not being able to hear, and had added Historie's illusion magic to immerse himself in perfect silence.
Suddenly.
- Has your devotion been repaid?
A devil whispered into his head and passed by.
But Kim Yul quickly brushed those thoughts away.
Being acknowledged was, of course, nice.
But even if he wasn't acknowledged, that would be due to his own shortcomings—how could he blame the readers?
And.
- Share is rising, and traffic is rising—
The alarm music set for midnight began cheerfully filling the lab at the exact moment it struck 00:00.
"Status window."
Kim Yul's voice echoed through the lab.
Up until now, every time he called out the status window.
Kim Yul could only see numbers.
He could see whether reader trends were going up, whether the skill he would obtain would be upgraded, whether the metrics were on an upswing, or whether the number of readers was slowly falling.
Originally, it had been the kind of indicator that could determine how long he would continue serialization.
Or how quickly he would bring serialization to a close.
But today.
Numbers didn't appear in Kim Yul's eyes.
What he saw was simply.
[Title: Beethoven]
[Completion Evaluation: Masterpiece]
[Public Evaluation: Very Positive]
Two words. Masterpiece.
"Heh."
Kim Yul couldn't contain the thrill surging up all at once.
Of course, the novels he had written before had also been praised more highly than they deserved as fine works, but this was the first time one had been judged a masterpiece.
He didn't know by what criteria the status window judged it, but in any case it was his first good result, so he couldn't help feeling happy.
Also.
When Kim Yul thought about it himself, the novels he had written up to now were closer to a 'recreation' of history.
Greek and Roman mythology, Caesar, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The material he handled in his magical stage productions was the same.
But while writing Beethoven.
Kim Yul had, for the first time, 'reinterpreted' a character's psychology and historical facts.
Based on sparse source material, and while mulling over the emotions the person must have felt along with things that had remained only in the realm of conjecture.
So although the serialization length alone was a little shorter than his other novels.
It was also writing that had become a new turning point for him.
Kim Yul, with his eyes closed, gulped down the glass he'd already poured.
The booze was very sweet.
And when he opened his eyes again.
"..."
Instead of the familiar research lab he had just been sitting in,
Kim Yul pinched his cheek as he looked at the unfamiliar, white space.
"Ugh."
The pain was sharp and clear.
The moment he briefly wondered if the alcohol had been laced with drugs, or if he had somehow died of acute alcohol poisoning and respawned in the afterlife.
: : Fear not. : :
"Aaaah!"
Even without lifting his head to check the form of what had whispered to him, Kim Yul had no choice but to let out a pathetic scream.
But burying his head and turning away wouldn't change anything.
Kim Yul, trembling all over, had no choice but to face the angel with the cliché lines.
Fortunately.
Instead of an angel with the otherworldly appearance described in the Bible.
[You who are the only one who remembers.]
A familiar status window shimmered before his eyes.
Kim Yul stared blankly at that miracle.
[Continue to carry out the destiny you have finally realized, from now on as well.]
[Humbly carry out the newly bestowed duty as well.]
[The two destinies granted to you shall coexist and contribute to reshaping the order of this world.]
Though it was clearly a kind of sentence he had never seen before, an odd sense of déjà vu started making Kim Yul's head throb.
: : I am with you. : :
Along with the sound that resonated around him once more.
Kim Yul's body was, before he knew it, returned to his very familiar research lab.
Though that was all the information he had heard and seen.
In that instant, Kim Yul could instinctively tell that some change had occurred in the ability granted to him.
He rose as if possessed, left the research lab, and sat down in front of the piano Historie always played.
And he quietly murmured.
"Divine Descent."
Immediately afterward.
The soul of Beethoven briefly possessed his body.
His fingers, which had barely been able to manage even the Chopsticks March, let alone Czerny,
began to weave a soft yet majestic melody as if they had spent decades with the piano.