How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

Isaac’s older brother, Dave, and his older sister, Nicole.

Unlike Isaac, these two siblings were naturally gifted in martial arts.

Dave not only resembled Hawk in appearance but also had a physique identical to his.

Meanwhile, Nicole, though she didn’t share Hawk’s looks, had inherited his physical talents.

Because of this, they stood out from the moment they entered Halo Academy.

After passing through the martial arts department and serving as instructors, they eventually joined the Navy Knights.

When they were first admitted, they were met with high expectations solely because they were Hawk’s children.

The Navy Knights were a strict meritocracy—admission couldn’t be bought with bribes or secured through noble political connections.

From the very start, the entrance exams were designed to push human limits.

Even this was after Hawk himself had significantly reduced the intensity of the tests.

As everyone knew, the Navy Knights were responsible for guarding the borderlands—a region once called hell itself.

It was a place where even the strongest warriors, those who had surpassed human limits, would collapse without a fight.

Naturally, many candidates died during the entrance exams.

Hawk, the former Knight Commander, knew this well.

Only after stabilizing the borderlands could he finally reduce the difficulty of the tests.

The workload in the borderlands had eased, but that didn’t mean the Navy Knights’ combat power had declined.

In fact, the opposite was true.

A military force, no matter how well-supplied, needed personnel to function properly.

Previously, the Navy Knights had suffered constant personnel losses, draining them like water leaking from a broken dam.

But with the situation now stabilized, those losses had been largely plugged.

With manpower secured, even if people left, replacements were readily available, making the unit’s situation much more manageable.

Moreover, the Navy Knights had always been one of the most heavily funded orders.

Since their budget remained the same but their expenses had drastically decreased, they could now enjoy much better living conditions than before.

“Hey, Dave.”

“Yes?”

“Could you get me Zenon’s autograph while you’re on leave?”

“… …”

That said, the military’s customs hadn’t changed.

The Navy Knights undertook various special missions, including guarding the borderlands.

Naturally, this meant they lived in shared barracks, and although meritocracy was the norm, a hierarchical culture still existed.

The knight making the request to Dave was no exception.

As Isaac’s older brother, Dave could only offer a vague smile at the request.

The knight had a much higher rank and seniority both in terms of skill and time served, making such requests a given.

Besides, he was a close senior on a personal level, so refusing outright felt awkward.

“Hey, isn’t that a bit much?”

Just as Dave hesitated to respond, a female knight who was changing clothes in the room spoke up.

Both Dave and the knight who had made the request turned toward her.

Since she had her back turned while changing, they had an unobstructed view of her broad shoulders and powerful latissimus dorsi muscles.

Rather than provoking impure thoughts, the sight would more likely inspire admiration.

“You should be more reasonable with your requests. Think about how awkward it’d be for Dave to ask Zenon for something like that.”

After finishing dressing, the female knight turned around as she spoke.

She had golden hair, blue eyes, and an attractive face, but her well-trained physique left no doubt about her strength.

The fact that she was changing in front of men indicated something else—these three were living together in the same room.

Before Hawk took command, the Navy Knights’ conditions were so poor that they couldn’t afford separate quarters.

Originally, ten people had to share a single room, rather than just three.

Worried something improper might happen?

Nonsense.

The fact that they had made it into the Navy Knights at all meant they were highly skilled.

If anyone tried anything, they’d likely find themselves on the receiving end instead.

There was also no concern about hazing or bullying.

Every single day was a living hell, and everyone was too busy trying to survive.

As a result, camaraderie was naturally strong.

Any spare budget was spent on manpower and supplies—there was no room to build new barracks.

“Come on, it’s just an autograph. I heard Zenon is hard to approach, but if you manage to get close, he’s happy to sign things.”

“Where did you even hear that?”

“You haven’t heard? Some adventurer snuck past the guards and met Zenon, and he immediately gave them an autograph.”

“Hmm…”

Perhaps intrigued by the story, the female knight looked at Dave with a curious expression.

Dave, feeling the weight of her gaze, could only give a bitter smile.

In the end, it all depended on Zenon—Isaac.

And knowing his kind-hearted younger brother, he would probably just laugh and agree without hesitation.

But as an older brother, Dave couldn’t help but feel guilty about it.

Maybe the female knight sensed that, because she spoke again, her tone now more serious.

“Still, no. It’s your vacation, you should relax without thinking about anything else.”

“Tch, fine.”

“You’re not planning to ask Nicole instead, are you?”

“I do have some self-respect, you know.”

For the record, Nicole was receiving similar requests.

Unlike Dave, however, she had firmly rejected them.

While Dave had fully adapted to military life, Nicole was much more straightforward and resolute in her refusals.

“Anyway, have a good vacation. How long has it been since your last one?”

“I don’t even remember anymore. I think I went with Nicole once last year, though.”

During Hawk’s tenure, the Navy Knights hardly had the concept of vacations.

Too many soldiers deserted or committed suicide after taking leave.

The only reason they endured such a hellish environment was because of overwhelming financial support.

Even nobles were shocked by the amount of funding they received.

Without it, the Navy Knights would have likely turned into a penal battalion filled with criminals and death-row inmates longing for freedom.

And in truth, that wasn’t far from reality—even Hawk himself had been forcibly assigned there after falling out of favor with the higher-ups.

“Well, the barbarians have been acting up again lately. How long has it been since Commander Hawk left?”

“Ten years now, I think. The kids who were small back then must be all grown up by now.”

“The former commander should’ve wiped them all out back then.”

“Hey, come on. Even then, he made sure to spare the children.”

One of the key reasons Dave couldn’t act recklessly around these people—they were military veterans with decades of experience.

Moreover, they had survived from the hellish days of the borderlands to the relative peace of the present.

For those who had reached the pinnacle of strength, maintaining their power was possible as long as they kept training and fighting.

And these two before him were exactly such veterans—people Dave still had to look up to.

“Anyway, the scouts say the barbarians are split into moderates and hardliners. We’ll have to keep an eye on things. If the hardliners win out—”

“Forget it. No point talking about it now. Dave, just go on your vacation. Your brother must be waiting for you.”

“Yes, understood—”

“Oh, wait a second.”

Just as Dave was about to gather his belongings and leave, the female knight suddenly called out to him.

He awkwardly paused and turned to her with a questioning look.

The knight cleared her throat, her face slightly flushed.

Then, in a quiet voice, she hesitantly spoke.

“It’s about Zenon’s biography…”

“Oh, come on. You gave me a hard time earlier, and now you’re asking for the same thing? You’re hopeless. Do you really think it’ll recover after being so badly damaged?”

Unlike before, this time, her fellow knight looked at her with genuine exasperation.

At this, the knight here, who had been pricked in the heart, flared up and shouted with a bright red face.

“Shut up! This is a very serious matter!”

“Serious, my ass. You might as well ask for an autograph.

Do you really think the death of a mere character is more important than a signature? You’re missing the forest for the trees.”

“Hah. That’s funny. You were the one who lost sleep over Zenon’s possible death and ended up dozing off during a mission the next day.”

“That’s still better than sobbing in the middle of the night.

For someone built like an ogre, your emotions are really delicate. If Jin actually dies, are you going to break down in tears?”

“You little—”

“I’ll be taking my leave now! Enjoy your time together!”

As the two knights seemed on the verge of a fight, Dave quickly gathered his things and stepped outside.

Just as he was leaving, he heard one of them shout, “Just don’t kill Jin!” but he ignored it without a second thought.

“Sigh…”

“You look like you’ve had a rough time.”

A woman approached Dave as he stepped out of the barracks.

He wiped his face dry with his hand and glanced sideways at her.

Dark blue hair, golden eyes, broad shoulders that even her neat uniform couldn’t hide, and a toned physique beneath it all.

It was Nicole, his younger sister and fellow knight. Like Dave, she was also just about to leave for her break.

“…Yeah. I can understand them wanting an autograph, but telling me not to kill Jin? As if I have that kind of authority.”

“Same here. Some even clung to me, begging me to do something. Saying it would be too tragic to let them go like this.”

“Who?”

“Sir Veil.”

“That man, honestly… There are just so many sentimental people here.”

Though he spoke dismissively, he could understand it.

Despite being the empire’s strongest knight order, they had very little entertainment.

Unlike other knight orders, who lived in individual quarters, the Navy Knight Order resided in barracks, making them more isolated. Regular soldiers were only conscripted during wartime or special occasions, so they didn’t count.

Other knights lived in their own lodgings, which meant their lifestyle was more like a typical job with regular hours.

Why, then, did the strongest knight order still live in barracks instead of their own quarters?

Well, in the past, they did try moving into private housing—until one by one, knights started getting assassinated, causing major losses.

Ever since Hawk took over as commander, living in barracks had been an unavoidable measure.

As a result, the knights desperately needed a form of entertainment, and right now, The Chronicles of Zenon filled that void completely.

It was so important that the latest volume was even included in their supply shipments—showing just how significant it was.

With so few distractions during their downtime, it was inevitable that many knights would get deeply immersed in it.

“No knight order loves The Chronicles of Zenon as much as ours does.”

“I completely agree. Our entertainment boils down to training, working out, and The Chronicles of Zenon. That’s it.”

As Dave and Nicole made their way back to their territory, they discussed various topics.

First on the list was Isaac.

Even before Isaac revealed his true identity, the knights had already taken an interest in him.

After all, he was the younger brother of both Dave and Nicole, who had joined the order together.

Naturally, people speculated that Isaac would also join the knight order someday, leading to endless inquiries from various members.

Even when they clarified that Isaac wasn’t a warrior but an aspiring scholar, most refused to believe it.

That was how strongly the Michelle family was branded as a warrior bloodline.

“At least things are better now. Back when Isaac revealed his identity, we got caught up in the fallout.”

“More like we got an overwhelming amount of attention.”

But after Isaac’s revelation, he received attention for a different reason.

Nicole shuddered at the memory.

The entire knight order was obsessed with The Chronicles of Zenon—and then they found out that the main character’s brother was one of their fellow knights?

Naturally, they couldn’t hold themselves back.

Requests flooded in—ranging from simple autograph requests to demands for them to bring Isaac to the barracks.

The siblings managed to reject all of them, and thanks to the commander’s firm intervention, the situation eventually died down.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—barbarian activity had been detected around the same time, forcing everyone to refocus on their duties.

“Still, it’d be nice if Isaac could visit once. He’d make for an interesting conversation topic.”

“No way. I’m not bringing Isaac to this madhouse. These people are all lunatics.”

While Dave had a bit of an older-brother-who-doesn’t-take-things-seriously vibe, Nicole firmly rejected the idea as a responsible sister.

Even in the strongest knight order, people were still people—and the world was full of eccentrics.

Initially, she had been on edge, but with so few distractions aside from The Chronicles of Zenon, knights had started causing bizarre incidents out of sheer boredom.

One of the most memorable ones was when they had a competition to see who could dig a hole the fastest—only to accidentally strike a well of “black water” that shot up like a geyser.

That “black water” was highly flammable and could be used as fuel, but because it was gushing out too violently, they had no choice but to seal it back up.

“By the way, it’s been a while since we last went on break. Do you think Isaac is doing okay? I heard he was attacked by demon worshippers at the academy.”

“He should be fine. He has Adele with him, plus Cardinal Kate. I’m more worried about whether he’s attracted yet another girl.”

“Speaking of girls… I should probably start looking for a partner soon. How did Father even meet Mother in a place like this?”

At the mention of relationships, Dave crossed his arms and seriously pondered.

He was already slightly past the ideal age for marriage.

If the family arranged a match for him, he was open to it—but things had become complicated.

After all, once people realized that his younger brother was Zenon, multiple noble families would undoubtedly try to get close to them.

“What about that woman you met at the academy? You could marry her.”

“She’s already married.”

“Really? But you, on the other hand, had three women confess to you at the same time and still rejected them?”

“Shut up. And it wasn’t three, it was four.”

“Same difference.”

“Do you want to die?”

Inside the carriage, the siblings bickered playfully.

Nicole sighed at her mischievous older brother before gazing out the window.

It had been so long since she last returned home.

She wondered how the territory had changed, especially since the imperial family had promised financial support.

She was also excited to see how much Isaac had grown—and to dote on their youngest sister, Lily.

And lastly…

‘I hope Volume 30 comes out during my break.’

She had nearly a month of vacation ahead of her. Nicole sincerely wished that Volume 30 would be released within that time.

Otherwise, the knight order was bound to descend into chaos.

The timing of her break was fortunate.

At that very moment, the latest volume of The Chronicles of Zenon was being distributed.

“Where the hell are the Michelle siblings right now?! Where?! Where are they?!”

“Calm down and wipe your tears first. Either be angry or cry, don’t do both.”

“I—I’m not crying! I’m not crying, you bastard!”

“Here, have a handkerchief—”

“Get lost!!”

At first, signs of madness began to appear.

Then…

“Commander, I’d like to take leave.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes. I have urgent business.”

“Hmm… Destination?”

“The Michelle estate.”

“Denied. Get lost.”

Then came the flood of leave requests.

And finally…

“Oh, f***… No, this can’t be… This can’t be happening… Sniff… Sniff…”

“Tch. Just let it all out, man.”

And so, the chaos spread like a tactical nuke.