Chapter 38 - Book's Impact

The original "Nibelungenlied" is an epic poem of the German nation. It was written by an unknown knight in Austria around the year 1200.

It has a total of 9,516 lines and about 20,000 words.

Like most of the heroic stories in Orario, they are poems.

Link does not enjoy reading this type of poetry, and the article itself is based on the ancient Germanic legends produced during the nomadic invasion period, drawing from the historical fact that the Huns destroyed the Kingdom of Burgundy in 437.

Therefore, Link also needs to make a certain degree of adaptation to render it suitable for this era.

It involves a significant amount of magical modification, and some FATE plots are also incorporated into it.

It was also Link's first attempt, believing that he could leave some of his own mark in this world.

This way, even if he dies or departs in the future, he can still leave something behind to prove that he once existed in this world.

He thought that this novel approach would not be easily accepted, but judging from Hestia's reaction, it seemed to work well...

At that moment, Hestia was already captivated by the manuscript.

Even in some places, she couldn't help but mutter...

"I, who slew the evil dragon Fafnir and bathed in its gushing blood, am unrivaled."

"People are quick to rely on my power and make wishes upon me, so I continue to fulfill their requests."

'I want to marry that woman.'

'As ordered.' — "The king's wish is the same, and my demise is also the same."

"I continue to fulfill my wishes, and that is my entire life."

"I live like a hero and die like a hero."

Hestia looked at the story written in the manuscript and became lost in thought.

"Then why did the king order him to die? Was he really such a gentle hero?" 

Hestia couldn't help but feel doubt in her heart, but looking back... 

Nothing! 

There was a blank space behind it; obviously, Link hadn't written anything yet. 

"Link! Idiot! Why did you stop at such a crucial moment?" 

For the first time, Hestia experienced malice coming from the author. 

Naturally, she was not pleased and urged Link to write quickly. 

As a result, she fell for Link's trick... 

"Huhu, how about you kiss me, and I'll continue writing?" 

Link smiled and looked at Hestia. 

Hestia's face suddenly flushed red. She clearly wanted to see the plot unfold, but she was too embarrassed to take the initiative to kiss Link. 

Last time it was dark, so she had worked up the courage to give him a kiss, but this time there wasn't the same atmosphere as before. 

"Fine..." 

Hestia blushed and hesitated. 

Just when Hestia didn't know what to do, Link suddenly reached out his hand, took her into his arms, gently held the back of her neck, and hugged her. 

"Ugh!" 

This time, the feeling was extremely clear. 

Hestia's lips were fragrant and soft, with a sweet fruity taste. 

Just when Link wanted to go one step further and was about to stick his tongue out to pry open Hestia's lips for a French kiss, Hestia cooed and broke away from Link's arms, blushing with steam rising from her head as she ran out in a panic. 

"Link is stupid! You're so mean!" 

As she ran, she continued to curse. 

What a lovely goddess. 

Looking at Hestia's retreating figure, Link smiled slightly, picked up the pen, and began to write. 

... 

In the next few days, it was as before: risking in the dungeon, writing again, sleeping, and then risking again.

Olga naturally reached level 2, one step ahead of Asagi, but this time she chose not to inform the guild, while Link decided to temporarily hide the information.

It is quite surprising how quickly Link is progressing on his own. Now, if another member of Link's family appears, it could definitely cause unnecessary trouble, and people may doubt whether there is any special method to expedite promotion. 

As for the novel, it was also finished during this time. With Hestia's help, Link edited it into a book and released it for the first time in Orario.

In this world, publishing books, printing them, and selling them on a large scale is actually quite difficult.

After all, most people are illiterate, especially adventurers, many of whom cannot read. Therefore, the audience for Link's books is very small and is mainly recommended to literate nobles, elves, and gods and goddesses.

Link also held an indifferent attitude toward this. It would be better if it could generate some income. If it's not easy to sell, that's fine. At least he will leave something behind in this world.

…

One of the three leaders of the Loki Familia, the elf Riveria, visited the largest library in the Tower of Babel. Unlike other adventurers who enjoy drinking a lot during their breaks, Riveria likes to take some time to find interesting books to read. In fact, there is a library in the 'Twilight Mansion' that houses many books, but Riveria has already read most of them, so she came to the library in the Tower of Babel to explore its collection. 

As soon as she entered the library, she was captivated by a new book displayed in front of the counter. The cover depicted a black dragon and a swordsman facing off against it.

A story about fighting a dragon?

When she thought of those old stories and tedious heroic poems, Riveria immediately lost interest in this new book.

Just as she was about to return the book to the display case, Riveria caught a glimpse of the author's name on the cover: Link.

"Link? 

Is that newcomer the one Goddess Loki missed? Is it his job?" 

Thinking about this newcomer, who was quickly promoted in level, Riveria became even more curious. 

"So, will his job be as unique as his promotion speed?" 

She picked up the book again and turned to the first page. 

Riveria read the contents of the book and was quickly captivated by the literary genre of the novel, which focuses on portraying characters and reflects social life through complete stories and environmental descriptions.

After a while, half an hour passed. 

"Hey! Is that Riveria, the 'Nine Hells' of the Loki Family?" 

"It's her. She's been standing there for half an hour. What is she reading? She seems very serious." 

"It appears to be a new book called Nibelungenlied. It tells the story of a hero who slays dragons. I didn't want to read it when I saw the title." 

"Isn't that kind of story cliché? Why can 'Nine Hells' keep reading it for so long?" 

"How about we go take a look, too?" 

Under Riveria's invisible influence, more and more people around chose to read this book. 

Seeing the increasing number of people around, Riveria took out Valis, bought the book, and left the library. 

After returning to the Twilight Mansion, Riveria immediately went to the library and read the rest of the content. 

"Siegfried, this country is waiting for you to die." 

"I hope that with my death, this war will stop." 

He finally fell into the deserted forest. 

"So, what is my wish? What am I pursuing?" 

Looking at the end of the article and Siegfried's muttering before his death, Riveria fell silent. 

After reading many books, she quickly realized that this story was not simple. 

In addition to recounting heroic deeds and praising noble virtues, Siegfried, who had been helping others realize their wishes, resembled those adventurers who have forgotten their original intentions and live for profit or other purposes. 

Furthermore, there are many metaphors from other places, such as the king who called for Siegfried's death, which closely resembles some dark factions. 

"Hmm..." 

Riveria breathed a long sigh of relief, looked at the end of the article, and couldn't help but wonder… 

"What is my wish? What am I looking for?"