How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

I looked bewildered as I stared at the middle-aged man who had appeared without a trace.

I hadn’t even dreamed that he had approached so close behind me, almost like an assassin.

It wasn’t just because Mari and I were too caught up in our conversation to notice, but mainly because the middle-aged man in front of us hadn’t made a single sound.

And he wasn’t alone.

Standing proudly beside him was a knight with a heavy and imposing presence.

Although he was dressed in plain clothes rather than armor, the sword strapped to his waist made it clear that he was a bodyguard.

“How is it?”

“Uh…”

I blankly stared at the middle-aged man who had just made what seemed like a joke but wasn’t quite a joke, all while wearing a gentle smile.

That didn’t mean he had an unkempt, hermit-like beard—on the contrary, it was neatly trimmed, enhancing his dignified and refined appearance.

In fact, he only looked older because of his beard; his face had almost no wrinkles, making him appear quite young.

‘And his outfit…’

Even his attire was unusual.

It wasn’t just ordinary formal wear but something closer to a uniform, and he even wore a red cape.

One glance was enough to tell that he was someone of high status. Moreover, his hair and beard shimmered like gold under the light.

After locking eyes with his blue gaze for a moment, I slowly turned my attention to Mari, my heart filled with a sinking suspicion.

The moment Mari saw my expression, she smiled playfully before softening her expression and bowing gracefully.

She lifted the edges of her dress in a quiet curtsy—the kind of courtesy one would show to someone of higher rank.

“It is an honor to stand before the Sky of the Empire.”

The moment I heard her words, I instinctively knew. The man before me was exactly who I had suspected.

When addressing Leort or Rina in official settings, people referred to them as the “Sun” of the Empire.

But Mari had just called him the “Sky.”

In other words, he held a rank higher than the Crown Prince and Princess.

And there was only one person in the entire empire who fit that description.

The Emperor of the Minerva Empire—Verit Urmi Jacquilis Minerva.

“Ah! Y-Your Majesty…!”

“No need for that. It is I who should be showing proper courtesy, not you. There’s no need for unnecessary formality, is there?”

Just as I was about to bow according to proper etiquette, overwhelmed by shock, the Emperor, Verit, waved his hand dismissively, stopping me immediately.

As I hesitated awkwardly, unsure of how to respond, Mari let out a quiet chuckle beside me.

The entire situation made no sense. Of all people, why was the Emperor here?

“So, what is your answer?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you would be able to bring them back to life if I knelt before you.”

Still struggling to process everything, I was caught off guard when Verit posed what sounded like a joke, yet wasn’t quite one.

The Emperor kneeling… That would be the ultimate disgrace, an event so humiliating that it would be recorded in history books.

And yet, he was willing to do so just to bring back a mere fictional character?

The absurdity of the situation was staggering.

I knew that the Jin-Lily couple had an unexpectedly large following, but I never imagined the Emperor himself would be among them.

‘No, wait. Even if he is, kneeling is going too far.’

There was only one way out of this difficult situation.

I quickly shifted my gaze away from the Emperor and toward his bodyguard.

I had heard that the Emperor’s bodyguards were bound to him by ties that spanned generations, forming a relationship built on deep trust.

As expected, the moment I cast him a desperate glance, the bodyguard cleared his throat and spoke in a solemn voice.

“Your Majesty, please refrain from speaking of kneeling. Even if the other party is Zenon, such an action is unthinkable for you.”

“One word from him could ignite a holy war. Do you think the Minerva Empire could withstand an alliance between Helium and Savior?”

“That is a different matter. I am simply advising against kneeling. There are other alternatives.”

“Tch. Tch.”

Verit merely clicked his tongue as the bodyguard calmly countered his argument with impeccable logic, but he didn’t reprimand him further.

Watching their exchange left me slightly stunned.

Their bond was undoubtedly strong, but their relationship seemed far from rigid formality.

Then, the Emperor turned to me, smiling, and spoke once more.

“Then, how about something other than kneeling?”

“Your Majesty.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll drop it.”

Verit chuckled heartily before clearing his throat, as if preparing for something.

Then, in a voice that was both calm and gentle yet carried undeniable weight, he introduced himself properly.

“As you likely already know, I am…”

“‘We.’”

Once again, his bodyguard corrected him, this time regarding his pronoun usage.

Verit clicked his tongue again before adjusting his speech.

“We are Verit Urmi Jacquilis Minerva, ruler of the Minerva Empire. It is an honor to meet you, Zenon.”

“I— I am Isaac Duker Michelle. It is an honor to stand before the Sky of the Empire.”

Flustered, I quickly returned his greeting with all the proper etiquette I could muster.

This was, in every way, an unforgettable meeting.

At the same time, a question lingered in my mind. What had brought Verit to the garden?

No one had been informed that we would be here, except for Adelia, who remained in the guest quarters.

Verit surely knew I was in the palace, but that alone didn’t explain this seemingly coincidental encounter.

“You have red hair and golden eyes, just like Michelle’s son should. You also suit Lady Requilis quite well.”

“I-I am honored.”

I expressed my gratitude with utmost respect. Compared to the leaders I had met before, Verit was by far the most difficult to handle.

Arwen and I had already built a friendship, and Descal treated me as a benefactor due to his demonic heritage.

But in Verit’s case, there was no prior relationship—this was our first meeting, which meant I had no choice but to maintain perfect decorum.

A potential political marriage with Rina?

That was merely speculation; nothing had been officially discussed.

In other words, at this moment, he was someone I needed to leave a good impression on.

“Have you been doing well? From the looks of it, you knew I would come here and brought him along.”

After acknowledging my greeting, Verit turned to Mari and asked casually.

At his words, I also turned to look at her.

Mari smiled mischievously, nodded, and answered Verit’s question.

“Yes. Your Majesty often visits the garden whenever you have free time, don’t you?”

“You don’t mean to say…”

“What’s wrong with a little serendipity?”

When I looked at her in disbelief, Mari playfully stuck out her tongue and smirked.

It seemed she had planned everything from the start.

As I let out a helpless chuckle at the absurdity of it all, Verit also burst into hearty laughter before speaking in a composed tone.

“You’ve become quite playful since I last saw you. I suppose that means you’ve grown more relaxed.”

“Yes. I met a really wonderful man.”

Mari said this as she firmly clung to my arm. A soft sensation traveled up my arm.

That aside, the fact that she was openly displaying affection while the Emperor stood right in front of us was quite baffling.

Yet, Verit merely chuckled without showing any sign of discomfort or disapproval.

It seemed that they had already built a close personal relationship, or perhaps Mari simply knew his personality well.

“I see. You’re at that age, after all. I don’t know about Rina, but Leort really needs to find his match soon.”

“Oh? Did Rina already tell you?”

“No, but if I lacked the insight to figure it out, I wouldn’t have been able to keep this position.”

Verit said this while looking directly at me. It seemed he had already more or less predicted that Rina was being set up for a political marriage with me.

I suddenly felt guilty and uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously asked,

“…Are you all right with this?”

“With what? You expected this yourself, didn’t you? If your face had been unsightly, I might have been genuinely concerned. But since it’s the opposite, it’s a relief.”

“… …”

I wanted to say something more, but his phrasing somehow left me speechless.

It carried an unmistakable nuance that he didn’t want to discuss the matter any further.

Just before heading to the palace, Rina had warned me to stay sharp because it was easy to get caught up in things.

Of course, the position of Emperor isn’t handed out freely, so I couldn’t afford to let my guard down when it came to his words.

The only relief was that he seemed to have a favorable impression of me.

Even his first words to me were about Zenon’s Biography.

“Rather than just standing around, let’s take a walk. Since it’s your first time here, I’ll show you a great spot.”

“You’re going fishing?”

“Oh, so you already knew, Mari.”

And so began an unusual journey involving Mari, myself, and Emperor Verit.

Given his eccentric behavior, it was hard to let my guard down.

If I got careless, I could easily be caught off guard by one of his unexpected questions.

Just like now. We had barely taken a few steps when he suddenly asked,

“So, is Jin’s death a confirmed event?”

I flinched for a moment but quickly regained my composure. I had already anticipated this question, so I was prepared to answer.

“If you overheard the conversation earlier, you can probably guess the answer.”

“So he does die.”

Even as he spoke with certainty, I refrained from reacting hastily.

If I added anything unnecessary, the conversation could take an unintended turn.

Seeing my quiet response, Verit gazed at me for a moment before looking ahead again.

For reference, Verit was leading the way, with Mari and me following behind him, while his bodyguard took up the rear.

“What a shame. He was my favorite character.”

“What did Your Majesty like most about him?”

“I admired his resilience in the face of despair. Though I’ve never been much of an adventurer myself, the story was so vivid that I felt completely immersed.”

“I am honored to hear that.”

I felt awkward using such formal expressions, but I couldn’t exactly speak casually to an emperor.

Besides, he might become my future father-in-law. Speaking carelessly could be disastrous.

I had to make the best possible impression.

Despite Verit’s eccentricity, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down for even a second.

“Have you ever been fishing?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“This would be a good opportunity to learn. It’s quite enjoyable.”

Fishing usually takes a long time, doesn’t it?

Given the current state of affairs, shouldn’t he be attending to his duties?

As I pondered this, the bodyguard behind us spoke in a low yet clear voice, as if he had similar concerns.

“Your Majesty, regrettably, your break is limited to fifteen minutes. The nation is in turmoil, so please exercise restraint.”

“Haha. Come now, I’m simply trying to bond with my potential son-in-law. Is that so unreasonable?”

“Yes.”

“… …”

The response was so firm and immediate that even Verit was left speechless. Instead, he merely clicked his tongue in frustration, seemingly a habit of his.

Despite his casual words, he was well aware of the empire’s fragile state.

With ongoing incidents involving demon worshippers, the empire’s prestige was rapidly declining.

If the Emperor were to be absent for too long, it would undoubtedly cause significant complications.

“I suppose there’s no helping it. Zenon… No, Isaac.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“You might get bored while we fish, so let’s chat in the meantime.”

“Understood.”

No matter how I looked at it, he seemed far from the image of a dignified emperor.

I felt bad saying this, but he resembled more of a carefree wanderer than a ruler.

Of course, that only applied to his words and actions—his appearance was undeniably that of an emperor.

‘Now that I think about it, does he have any siblings?’

This piqued my curiosity. Royal families are typically expected to produce multiple heirs to ensure the continuation of their lineage.

It was odd that Verit only had two children, and I had never heard any mention of siblings.

That said, I had to consider the possibility that he was an only child.

I wasn’t deeply involved in politics, so my knowledge was limited to what I had read in newspapers.

“Oh, by the way, how is Lord Michelle doing?”

Lost in thought, I was pulled back to reality when Verit turned slightly to ask about my father.

The fact that he spoke as if he knew my father took me by surprise, but I had to respond nonetheless.

To avoid saying anything inappropriate, I carefully filtered my words before answering in a positive tone.

“Yes, he is doing well without any issues.”

“Has he ever mentioned me?”

“…Not even once?”

Something about his question felt off, so I unintentionally responded with a question of my own.

Verit nodded slightly before looking straight ahead and speaking.

“I need to meet with Lord Michelle at some point, but it keeps getting delayed.”

“…Did something happen between you two?”

“Yes, something did. But I owe him a debt, so there’s no need for you to worry about it.”

Hearing that only made me more curious. What on earth had happened between them?

“If you’re curious, I’ll tell you while we fish. I’m sure Lord Michelle never told you anything about it himself, did he? What do you think?”

“I don’t really mi—”

“In exchange, bring Jin back to life.”

“… …”

This man.