Chapter 43

I had no choice but to bruise for a moment after reading the letter my father had sent me. From the characteristic short and thick style, it is certain that it was sent by his father.

However, if you look at the contents, it is not filming some kind of spy film, it is loaded with secrets. Because of this, it took me a while to understand, but soon I had no choice but to harden my expression.

'…the tail was stepped on?'

The reason I was able to submit my manuscript anonymously to the publishing house was because of my father's help. I'm not sure what kind of work my father goes through, but I can only guess that he is using his network.

Thanks to that, I was able to remain anonymous until the end, even after Xenon's biography was a huge hit and everyone was looking for me. Instead, his father said that he was looking for me from various places as well as from the imperial family and nobles, so he emphasized not to relax.

And it seems that the tail has been trampled on today. I patted my chin and glanced at the letter.

'Do you not know who it is?'

The subject was clearly omitted, so it was impossible to tell who stepped on the tail. Because of his father's personality, he would have written down all the important parts even if he wrote it briefly, but there is a high probability that he doesn't know who he is.

Haha, the person who stepped on the tail would have also ordered someone to do it, but if you knew who it was, that would be even weirder. In any case, it is a constant fact that I must be careful.

'…for now, I need to be alert.'

I don't even know who stepped on the tail, and the fact that the tail was stepped on doesn't mean my identity is completely revealed. Nevertheless, it is better to follow your father's warnings.

To be honest, there is nothing I can do about it. For now, I have no choice but to pray for my father to cut off the tail he was trampled on.

If you pay attention to it, you may have problems with your writing and may be suspicious of others. So, it's OK to act as usual but keep your tension.

'But there is only one letter?'

Usually, parents send letters together, so if your father wrote a letter, there will also be a letter from your mother. My father wrote it briefly to convey the news, but my mother must have written a long letter to ask for my regards and to check on my progress.

And, of course, it is. As I expected, another letter was neatly packed inside the envelope I tore before.

So I took out the letter and unfolded it straight, and the beautifully written handwriting caught my eye. Unlike her father, it is true that her mother's letter is characterized by a delicate style.

[Isaac. It seems like your father didn't say hello and only wrote things down, so my mom sent me a letter too. She reads your last letter and seems to be adjusting well to her academy life. This mom is reassuring. However, the weather seems to be getting hotter these days, but I'm worried that you, who are good in the heat, may be suffering. The image of you, who collapsed while training with your father long ago, still haunts in my head. Her mom playfully asks when the next book is coming out, but it's always health that counts. Life at the academy must be busy, so please think about your health…]

Reading sentences filled with A4 paper size makes my heart feel warm. It is clear that beings called mothers, whether in the past or present, are angels who only think of their children more than themselves.

Occasionally some aristocratic hostesses treat their children as political instruments, but not my mother. She was just a mother from an ordinary family.

I slowly read the letter my mother had written with a sincere smile. The flowing handwriting made my eyes naturally happy.

[Your father wrote to you to take care of yourself, but you don't have to worry too much. Even if you get caught, my family will protect you. In particular, you may not know, but your father was the leader of a famous Knights Templar in his old days. So don't worry, even if we get caught, even the imperial family won't be able to touch us easily. If you do, your father will go directly to the imperial family.]

He couldn't even predict what kind of person he was in the past, because even the imperial family couldn't touch him easily. Since Lina informed me that she refused the title of Count Hagiya and became a baron, it is certain that he is an unusual person.

It's a model of a hermit master that only appears in novels. However, seeing that he was given a low rank, it is clear that he has a dark past. Especially since he said he announced his retirement at a fairly early age.

[…that is why my family is always supporting you. Don't overdo it and keep doing what you want to do. dear mother.]

Even after reading all the letters, the aftertaste was submerged. Her mother said she was good at writing in the old days, but looking at her letters, you can see that those words were absolutely nonsense.

The cursive enough to be called beautiful, and even the words that give emotion. nothing was missing.

'…don't let me down.'

As a semi-playful joke, Jinn and Lily urged when they will continue, but to the end, it was only a joke. Rather, her mother hates her story twisting because of the pressure around her.

After reading my mother's letter again, I folded it neatly and put it in the desk drawer. The first drawer contains manuscript papers and extra notes, and the second drawer contains letters from parents.

'First…'

I guess I'm done with today's work, so I sat down and started writing a letter, not Xenon's biography. The letter was full of worries, so I should reassure him.

Of course, it would have been better to write that the next volume of Zeno's biography would come out at least two months later.

'The tail was stepped on… There's nothing I can do, so let's write something.'

I wrote a reply to my mother's letter with a more relaxed mind.

******

The Minerva Empire is one of the most powerful nations in human society. Not only does it have a large territory, but it is also powerful enough to be unmatched in military and economic power.

As a result, every word the Empire utters has a huge impact on the world, and other races cannot be ignored.

However, even the Minerva Empire had a country that was evaluated as an eternal enemy from ancient times, and that is the Kingdom of Teres.

Compared to the Minerva Empire, the Teres Kingdom has relatively low military power and relatively low economic power, but the other one is too overwhelming. That is soft power, that is, 'culture'.

Music, literature, education, science, technology, magic and even the cultures of different peoples. All the cultures of the world were proud of their vastness, even if they were included in the Kingdom of Teres.

However, there are many cases where the Minerva Empire did not just look at it with both eyes open, but also invaded the culture by oppressing the Kingdom of Terus. A prime example is Halo Academy, which is said to be the best academy in the world.

It was the result of recruiting professors and related artisans who belonged to the Kingdom of Teres when the Academy was established in the Minerva Empire. From the perspective of the Kingdom of Teres, they protested fiercely because they had their eyes open and a nose cut, and since then they have begun to strictly prevent it by law.

In any case, if the Minerva Empire had strong apparent power such as military or economic power, then the Kingdom of Teres had to be viewed as having a solid internal structure. Even the nickname was the country of culture, and even the elves recognized it.

Instead, there were no side effects. Because the cultural organization was so strong, major accidents such as the 'Zeros Revolution' occurred. However, it was not a bad result from the standpoint of the Teres Kingdom as it grew even more using it as a steppingstone.

"So, you've caught the tail, but it's hard to track it all the way up there."

An old-fashioned yet sophisticated atmosphere in an office space.

A middle-aged man with hair reminiscent of the blue sky in a braid said to a man standing opposite him. Contrary to his gentle face, he had sharp blue eyes, and his tone of voice was also unusual.

A man in a black uniform standing opposite him bowed deeply. He clearly expressed his feelings of apologetics.

"I'm sorry. Your Majesty. It's all because of my lack of ability."

"No. All right. Just grabbing the tail is enough. How much information can you dig out from the tail?"

"It's embarrassing to say this, but it has to be seen that there are practically none. He's just an errand man who takes only money to make a request, and it's difficult to track down the client."

"Umm…"

Frederick Ducar von Kutchers, the king who rules the kingdom of Terse, struggled with his fist on his chin.

I got a chance to step on the tail by chance, but unfortunately it was just a lizard tail. A tail that is cut off the moment it is caught.

Even when he stepped on his tail, he thought it would be a clue to finding the author of Zeno's biography, which was nothing more than an enigma, but he was nothing more than a useless messenger. As much as his expectations are high, his disappointment is bound to be great.

Friedrich sighed in regret and asked the man in front of him.

"What's going on in other countries? They must know that we've got a tail."

"I'm not going to stand up right now. They're probably well aware that grabbing the tail isn't the end."

"Okay. Anyway, we have to find it first."

All over the world, we are looking for the author of Xenon's biography, Isaac, but the most passionate among them is by far the Kingdom of Teres.

Even in the Minerva Empire, high-ranking aristocrats, including the imperial family, were looking for it by mobilizing manpower, but it was not as much as the Ter's Kingdom.

From the Minerva Empire's point of view, it's a big deal to run away even if it's provoked, so if you're taking a passive attitude, the Kingdom of Teres is gathering clues at random.

As such, it is simple if the Kingdom of Teres is looking for Isaac.

"I want to find it quickly and give the Minerva bastards a big shot."

"I agree. So many things have been stolen so far, so I'm upset."

As seen in the example of Halo Academy, it was because there were too many cultural assets stolen by the Minerva Empire. Although it is now prohibited by the law, it is not the first time that I have suffered losses by stealing the metallurgical culture from the past.

In the end, 'money' is the most important corporation to develop culture, and the Minerva Empire took a lot of craftsmen and artists as an excuse. For the Kingdom of Teres, it is not a strange situation even if the chant explodes.

"In addition, historically, there has never been a case in which the world was changed by a novel just like the writer of Zeno's biography. It must be said that it is unprecedented."

"Yes. It's surprising that a demon princess entered the Halo Academy, but to send an envoy to Korea soon… It's a really hard to believe reality."

"If that writer could write something critical of our country, just imagining it would be terrifying. It won't happen."

Above all, the value of Isaac itself is terrifying. Right now, Zeno's biography has changed his perception of demons 180 degrees, but here he writes criticizing a specific country?

On Earth, the Internet has become popular with the masses and can be passed on as a mere book, but this is not the world. Literally, there is ample room for abuse as a 'weapon' for brainwashing.

And from the point of view of the leaders who rule the country, they fear the most from being destroyed from within, not from foreign aggression. When the pillar collapses, there is nothing you can do.

In particular, the Kingdom of Teres, which suffered a great measles through the Zeroth Revolution, knows this fact better than anyone.

"First of all, I understand. I will provide all support for support, so make sure you find the author. Even if you find it instead, you can bring it with me 'respectfully'. Did you understand?"

"I'll keep that in mind. We'll bring you good news soon."

"Okay. Any other news?"

"The news about Princess Adele…"

Friedrich frowned at the mention of a specific person from the aide's mouth. He responded that he didn't want to even hear his name.

"Okay. He's already thrown away, so why do I need to know?"

"His Majesty Haona. Princess Adele…"

It was before the assistant had even finished speaking. Friedrich held out his hand as if to say no more.

"Stop it. If it were my child, I would have enrolled him at Teres Academy instead of Halo Academy. I only have four children. Keep this in mind."

"…all right."

Resolutely Hardy At Friedrich's decisive words, even the aide could no longer speak.

Do you still have any conscience? Frederick slapped his chin, pondered, and gave his aide an order.

"Well… it'd be nice to tell you the news. I think you'll find the author of the Zeno biography that you liked very soon."

"…why do you have to tell me?"

"That's the only way he won't take his life so easily. We should give him hope."

"… …"

It tastes bad. The aide barely endured the frown.