How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

“Daddy!”

As soon as I returned to the dormitory, Ariel greeted me enthusiastically, as expected.

She must have known in advance that I was coming because she ran toward me with a bright smile.

The little sprout on top of her head, as if mirroring her emotions, was standing straight up. It didn’t seem like it had grown, though.

“My dear Ariel. Did you do well while Daddy was away?”

I lightly lifted Ariel into my arms, smiling happily.

It hadn’t even been a full week since I left for the Imperial Palace, yet she was reacting so passionately.

The unease in my heart, stirred by the news in the papers, felt a little soothed.

“Yeah! I played with Grandpa Clark!”

The sprout on her head swayed back and forth in sync with her movement.

Hearing her answer, I shifted my gaze from her to the bed.

[You’ve returned.]

Clark, having noticed my arrival, spoke in his usual blunt tone. As before, he was lying on the bed, reading The Chronicles of Zenon.

His posture, with one leg crossed over the other, looked comfortable.

The only difference from last time was the cigar in his mouth.

That cigar was something I had bought for him before heading to the Imperial Palace—a luxury item made from the leaves of the World Tree, something only the wealthiest of the wealthy could afford to smoke.

Since it was crafted from the World Tree’s leaves, it didn’t pose any risks of secondhand smoke, unlike regular tobacco.

In fact, it was the opposite.

Rather than a harsh, smoky scent, it emitted a fragrant aroma.

Normally, tobacco should give off a pungent smell, but right now, the dormitory was filled with a sweet fragrance.

‘It’s nice that I can get things like this directly from Arwen.’

The reason I could obtain it so easily, without going through any distribution channels, was none other than Arwen.

When I asked her for it, she gave me an entire carton instead of just one.

Since her residence in Elodia was connected to the mansion, this kind of convenience was possible.

And since I even received it as an official “gift” from her, the elves of Alvenheim could be directly involved.

Now, I wouldn’t have to trouble Sirius with this kind of errand.

Of course, Arwen was understandably puzzled when I specifically requested cigars, but I planned to explain it to her in due time.

“Have you been resting well?”

[More or less. It’s a bit awkward, actually, being this comfortable. Back when I was alive, every day was a struggle filled with tension.]

Whoo—

Clark exhaled a long breath, releasing a plume of smoke. Interestingly, rather than the usual gray, the smoke had a bluish hue.

As it spread through the room, it gradually dissipated into nothing. Instead of the usual acrid tobacco scent, the dormitory was filled with a refreshing minty fragrance.

Still holding Ariel in my arms, I slowly approached Clark. In the meantime, Adelia had gone to her room to unpack.

When I got closer, I noticed that Clark was reading the 28th volume of The Chronicles of Zenon.

“Have you been reading this whole time?”

[I sparred with that son of mine a few times and read the newspaper now and then. But yeah, most of my time was spent reading this.]

“You must be reading very carefully.”

I had been away at the Imperial Palace for nearly a week.

Since Clark was now an undead skeleton, he didn’t need sleep.

Considering the amount of time he had, his reading pace seemed relatively slow.

I had noticed it before, but he seemed like the type to meticulously read each word.

[It’s a habit. There was a time I overlooked a single key word and suffered for months. I usually take notes, but with this book, there’s no need.

Besides, I have plenty of time, so I can read it over and over.]

“Ah. So… is this your second read-through?”

[Second read-through? What’s that supposed to mean?]

Oops. I had accidentally used a phrase from my past life. While the term itself existed, it wasn’t commonly used as slang.

Realizing my slip-up, I quickly reworded my question.

“I misspoke. I meant, is this your second time reading it?”

[That’s right. With nearly 30 volumes, I tend to forget details from earlier ones, so I decided to go through it again.]

“Yeah, it’s surprisingly long. So, what do you think? Is it interesting?”

[Rather than interesting… every time I read it, I feel relieved that the world never actually turned out that way.]

Having lived a life closer to that of a true hero than anyone else, his words carried a striking sense of realism.

It wasn’t a joke—he genuinely meant it.

His remark left me feeling unexpectedly solemn, making it hard to come up with a response.

After rolling my eyes around, I carefully spoke again.

“…Other than that, nothing else stands out to you?”

[Not particularly. Oh, but have you read today’s newspaper? It seems like your followers are planning something rather amusing.]

It looked like Grandpa Clark had also read the news. I let out a wry smile, feeling a bit conflicted.

Right now, the world’s focus was solely on Jin’s death.

News about the Gray Desert—the site of the final battle and the first place where demons had been summoned—was almost completely overshadowed.

Thankfully, it wasn’t entirely buried, as reports of exploration teams heading to the Gray Desert were occasionally appearing.

The Gray Desert was an extremely perilous place where most who entered never returned, so the investigation would take quite some time.

The first news article about it had only come out today.

‘There’s no denying the existence of the Prophet, but…’

To the people, Jin’s death was the more pressing matter. Demon worshippers?

They could deal with that later.

What mattered most to them right now was whether Jin was truly dead or alive.

Fans of The Chronicles of Zenon had united with a singular purpose.

The downside of this was that the demon worshippers had momentarily caught a bit of breathing room.

“Well… what can I do? This is the path I chose. This must be a first for you too, right, Grandpa?”

[I’ve seen plenty of zealots possessed by demon worshippers. But this? This is quite tame by comparison.]

Yeah, it was on the milder side. If things had escalated further, they might have resorted to arson.

I chuckled silently and shifted my position, still holding Ariel.

After all, interrupting someone while they were engrossed in reading was one of the most annoying things one could do.

Tonight, I planned to spend time playing with Ariel before wrapping up my remaining work.

‘With the break coming up… this winter vacation should be peaceful, right?’

The Zenon Festival was held once a year during summer break. In other words, this winter break should be relatively uneventful.

Moreover, with the development of the territory in full swing, it wasn’t an appropriate time to hold a festival.

On top of that, I had my own matters to attend to, along with several scheduled commitments.

‘Leona… she’ll be living at the mansion.’

One of those commitments was my connection with Leona.

She needed to formally greet my family, and we had plans for an intimate night together.

Up until now, our relationship had progressed somewhat ambiguously, but this time, I intended to make it official.

However, what concerned me was the heat cycle I had consistently heard about.

I was both curious and a bit apprehensive about how exactly it would manifest.

‘Cecily will be coming too… if their cycles overlap, that would be a disaster.’

Cecily’s visit to the mansion during winter break was practically confirmed.

The purge operation was nearing completion, and she had sent a letter saying we would meet soon.

Hearing the term “purge operation” sounded a bit unsettling, but apparently, it was about rooting out those connected to demon worshippers.

Besides, it had already been several months since I last saw Cecily, and I personally wanted to meet her again.

The issue was that I also had plans with Leona, which complicated things. I would have to visit the temple as soon as possible.

‘By the way, when is Kate coming back?’

She had said she would be away for a few days, but I had no idea when exactly she would return.

It wasn’t a big deal since the temple was right in front of our mansion, but I was still curious about what was keeping her.

As I briefly anticipated what seemed to be a hectic winter break, I made a small request to Ariel.

“Daddy has to work for a little bit. Can you wait for me?”

“Uung… but I want to play with Daddy…”

Since it had been a while since we last saw each other, Ariel puffed up her cheeks in protest.

The sheer cuteness of it nearly made my heart stop.

“It’ll only take a moment. Why don’t you go play with Mom Adelia in the room?”

“Okay. But you have to promise to play with me later!”

“Of course. I’ll be done in thirty minutes.”

“Mommy~”

As soon as I set her down, Ariel ran off toward Adelia’s room, her wings fluttering behind her.

I watched her adorable retreating figure with a satisfied smile before sitting down to wrap up my remaining work.

‘It’s time to prepare the tactical nuke.’

The moment Isaac was finishing the final chapter of The Chronicles of Zenon…

Far from the Michelle Territory, in the heart of a distant city, an adventurer trudged through the streets.

With brown hair and a sturdy physique, he had the warm, rustic look of a country boy rather than that of a strikingly handsome man.

However, judging by his roughened features, he seemed to be engaged in a rather rugged line of work.

His unkempt beard, which he hadn’t bothered to trim, further added to that impression.

“Sigh…“

“Is there really a reason to be so down? If Zenon wrote it that way, then that’s just how it is.”

At Roy’s heavy sigh, his companion, Anne, offered a statement that was meant to be comforting—but wasn’t.

Back when the campaign to hunt demon worshippers was in full swing, Roy had been brimming with enthusiasm.

It seemed like just yesterday that he would charge at any demon worshipper with fire in his eyes, but now, all that remained was a listless drifter.

“I mean, come on. Does Jin really have to die?”

Roy’s response to Anne’s words was more of a frustrated protest.

His expression practically screamed that he was on the verge of losing his mind over it.

Indeed, he had been a devoted reader of The Chronicles of Zenon since the first volume.

Not only that, but he was also an ardent supporter of the Jin and Lily pairing.

Although he acknowledged that the Zenon and Mary couple was good too, he was far more invested in Jin and Lily’s relationship.

But now, with Jin’s death all but confirmed, everything had become dull and meaningless to him.

“It can’t be helped. The story needs to tie up all the loose ends, and it makes the plot stronger. Sacrifices are necessary—”

“You are completely heartless.”

“You’re the weird one here. No, wait. I guess you’re actually normal… hmm.”

Anne knew all too well how obsessed Jin and Lily’s fans had become.

That made it difficult to outright call Roy abnormal.

But since she read The Chronicles of Zenon in a more casual way, she couldn’t quite understand his distress.

Was it really worth getting so worked up over a character’s death?

Of course, she understood that it was sad.

She had even wiped away a few tears in secret when reading about Sakran’s sacrifice and other tragic moments.

Jin’s death had hit her as well, but not as hard.

Rather than being devastated, she simply admired how well the story was written while feeling a mix of sadness and acceptance.

“Anyway, let’s just focus on today’s request. If you get hurt because you were distracted, it’s on you.”

“Sigh… fine.“

With Anne’s encouragement, Roy let out another sigh and nodded. Just as she had said, he couldn’t stay lost in grief forever.

As the two of them made their way to the adventurers’ guild, they soon realized that the atmosphere was unusually chaotic.

A crowd had gathered in front of the request board, each person eagerly chattering about something.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“Not sure. Maybe some kind of official notice?”

Situations like this usually occurred when the lord issued a direct decree or when some other major news was announced.

Receiving some help from fellow adventurers, Roy and Anne managed to squeeze their way to the front of the board.

As expected, a new notice had been posted.

[Seeking adventurers to escort a funeral procession. No limit on the number of participants.

Identification required. Location: …………]

[Start date: Three days after the release of the new Chronicles of Zenon volume.]

[Destination: Marischal Territory of the Minerva Empire.]

[Condition: Only if Jin’s death is confirmed.]

“……?”

Roy and Anne blinked in confusion. At first, they thought it was a joke.

But then their eyes landed on the reward amount.

Despite it being a simple escort mission, the pay was extraordinarily high.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this was the kind of sum usually reserved for guarding the funeral of a highly honored individual.

Normally, nobles would use knights for such tasks, rendering adventurers unnecessary, but the person who had posted this request was known to be an incredibly wealthy individual.

“They’re really just throwing money around at this point. But honestly? I think I’d do the same if I were them.”

“How many people have signed up so far? I heard there’s already a huge number.”

“They’ve been recruiting in every city they pass through. The plan is to form a long procession, just like a real funeral, while we provide escort support.”

“Forget the reward—this sounds fun. I think I’ll give it a shot.”

“I have to go. More than an escort, I want to attend.”

Some scoffed at the absurdity of it all, but they were in the minority.

Among adventurers, there were almost none who hadn’t read The Chronicles of Zenon.

The story had played a significant role in the surge of new adventurers, so it was practically a given.

And since adventurers had all the free time in the world, The Chronicles of Zenon had naturally become a major part of their culture.

“You gonna do it?”

Anne turned her head and asked Roy, who was stroking his chin with a serious expression.

“I think I need to attend rather than just escort…”

“……”

“Whoever planned this sure thinks big. At this rate, even Zenon himself might acknowledge it.”

Yet another tactical nuke was in the making.