Because this author never died

Was there an irreversible hierarchy between a finished story and an unwritten world? Was there a relationship between a human born on Earth and a character in a narrative? Were characters less than human

When these questions arose between Kim Jungjin / Kleio Asel, the answer didn’t come easily. Looking between his two lives, he couldn’t find any reason to choose the former.

‘The author must have felt the same here as well. He wouldn’t have tried to make this world if there was anything he liked about the real one.’

The author had arranged a place in this world for Jungjin. The hospitality was sweet, even if it came with conditions. Editor’s Authority wasn’t an easy-to-use skill, but it was capable of changing the world within the author’s limits.

‘The original author has taken care of what mattered, though I’ve gotten angry at him. Well… it’s not like I could sit and write hundreds of thousands of characters myself.’

Jungjin had never accomplished much of his own free will, even when his opinions diverged with the authors before. It seemed like pointless stubbornness to come all this way just to keep ignoring Arthur. Moreover, Kleio was sure that Arthur would become king. The future has been decided.

‘The others are gambling on Arthur, but this isn’t a gamble for me. If I stick to him now, it will be like buying stock in Samsung Electronics in the 90s.’

He thought it would be better to follow the flow from an advantageous position rather than try to endure and eventually be broken down by it. More than anything…

‘If I don’t want Arthur to die, I’ll have to stick with him anyway. I have to take care of things like what happened before. But what the hell am I asking for?’

Isiel, Cel, and the Angellium twins… No, all Arthur’s future colleagues had something to bet on him. Arthur was the only one who could make their hopes come true. Thus, they sent such strong support. When Arthur ascended to the throne, he would keep the oaths he made with his colleagues who helped him.

‘But I don’t need power. Other people can get excited about marvelous things, so how about I ask for a seat as a royal magic adviser so that I don’t have to work and still receive a nice pension?’

It didn’t seem like a bad idea. If Kleio couldn’t go against the political route, he could at least choose something easy.

‘If the development is clear, he could be crowned faster as well. If I do well, we won’t need to wait a few years.’

The manuscript Kleio saw was only the end of the first part, but after Arthur was crowned, there were no more threats against him.

‘The second part must be about his predecessor. Once he becomes the king, I won’t have to worry about protecting his life anymore.’

He imagined his life as a royal magic adviser and landowner who retired at a young age, receiving a pension and rent payments. It was a rather attractive plan.

.

.

.

After Kleio woke up a bit, he went downstairs and sat at his desk, wearing a proper set of clothing instead of his pajamas.

‘First, let’s sort out what we have so far.’

First was the property.

1.2 million dinars given by father: I should plan on giving this back someday. Keep the cash ready. When the time comes, I will throw it in his face.

‘Gideon said he was sending valuable gifts to the first and second princes. There’s no way he’ll welcome his child who is attached to the third prince who had no power.’

The lira sold for 5.5 million dinars, which Dione will use to buy land. She has said that more than two-thirds of the landlords have agreed.

‘The mine is being investigated at the same pace as the previous manuscript. There’s not much time left. If the train station plan is announced, it will triple at once. Soon, it will be worth more than 15 million dinars.’

Then, the second was magic.

My current ether level is three, and I have three magic slots available. I also have a hundred magic formulas memorized.

‘Starting with the second semester, I have to maintain third place in the rankings and try to raise my level faster. I need to memorize the 2nd and 3rd magic books quickly.’

The third was the functions of the item Promise.

‘Looking at it, there are four.’

Basic function: Infinite ether sensitivity.

「Remember」: You can remember all the texts you have read.

「Understanding」: It is possible to check the identity of other people’s unique skills, ether levels, and magic tools.

「Perception」: My five senses are sharpened, so you can easily detect danger.

After writing that much, he bit into the butter cookie Mrs. Canton had brought him. Kleio frowned at the excessive sweetness. For the past week, he hadn’t been able to eat properly. At first, he thought she made the wrong food…

‘I have to solve this first.’

He handed the cookie over to Behemoth.

“How does it taste?”

“Today’s is the best. You have to pay the dessert chef more.”

That confirmed it. There was no problem with the taste of the food itself.

“I’ll tell them that.”

‘The labor cost will come out of father’s pocket anyway.’

“By the way, I’m thinking of asking about something from before…”

“Even if I don’t say anything, you’ll just ask. But yes, go ahead.”

Behemoth, who drank a bottle of wine every two days during the vacation, grew generous in both body and mind.

“It seems that the day I used too much ether, my senses became ten times sharper. I can’t stand it. People are too loud, and the food tastes too sweet or salty.”

“Wow.”

“It’s not like cats suffer from having sharper senses than humans, right? How do you eat people’s food and sleep comfortably at night? Is there any way to adjust it?”

“There is.”

“Please explain in detail so that even this foolish man can understand.”

“There are wizards who suddenly become sensitive to the five senses depending on their training or what items they use. Adjusting their ether can alleviate this feeling. You can set the signal yourself, so it’s like turning off a tap or closing a door.”

“A signal?! How do you do that?”

“You even ask that?! Something as simple as tapping your fingers or blinking, think about reducing the expanded senses in your heart!”

Kleio quickly did what Behemoth told him to do while blinking and tapping his fingers.

“Nothing’s happened. Is it the same?”

“…Ah, right. It’s a skill that one can only achieve after reaching ether level 4. I forgot about your level; it’s still limited.”

“Ugh. So, there’s no way right now?”

“At level 4, you can precisely control the movement of ether. What easy way is there? Training is the only answer.”

“I practice ether cycling every day, but is it easier to level up?”

“It’s not easy, but I can guide you. Ahem, just…”

He knew what the cat wanted already.

“What sort of kind do you want?”

“It’s summer, so I’d like champagne. Two bottles of 1888 Sunset Golden Cup made with black grapes in the northern part of Chalon. With a roasted foie gras and fig compote.”

“Anything else? Brioche toasted in butter, right?”

“You’re a quick learner. I’m pleased.”

Kleio quickly summoned someone to run those errands, and thus, Behemoth’s Special Hell Lecture began.

***

Even in midsummer, it wasn’t very hot. But after midway through August, a chilly wind began to blow day and night. The king’s birthday came a week later. Once the birthday festival was over, school season soon arrived. He didn’t see much of Dione, who was busy trying to buy land in the Orails district. They had decided upon Saturday afternoon as their weekly report day, but she had made extraordinary progress every time they met. Since he promised her a fee of 8% of the total transaction amount, she worked hard. Dione hadn’t yet inherited any property despite being the successor, so he figured the 400,000 dinars would be a healthy amount of payment.

“How is it going?”

“Very smoothly. Now, if only two people change their minds, all twelve will be in our hands! The value of the buildings has been going down since the Orails fire.”

“The quick work is good, but you’re careful not to reveal my identity?”

“Of course. They think that you’re a businessman who made money abroad but is originally from Orails.”

“Well, if I buy that much land, it will become my hometown.”

“That’s right. There are twelve plots of land and small private houses, but the others were originally huge apartments. Combined, it is a large area… Do you need that much land for your hotel site?”

“No.”

“Then you have other uses for it?”

“For the time being, I will leave it be. If the city starts paying attention, install a fountain and plant cheap landscaping trees.”

“Why?”

“When the time comes, I will tell you why.”

“My partner is a man with a lot of secrets.”

“Do you not like it?”

“Oh, this fierce master! That’s okay. Anything else?”

“I wasn’t going to ask, but are there any stocks of hemp ore and cast iron in Grayer?”

Gemstones and precious metals that could hold ether outside a circle were extremely rare and expensive, with only a tiny amount found in ruins or in relics in a form that had already been processed. On the other hand, hemp ore, which could hold ether in a circle, was cheaper than that. Also, common metals that didn’t contain ether unless in direct contact with an ether user were even cheaper.

“We have hemp ore in stock, but it’s rusted and unrefined, so it will take some time.”

“How much is there?”

“About 15kg for the hemp ore and 8kg of cast iron. Why?”

“I will process it, so please sell me all of it. It’s necessary for magic practice.”

“Ah! You’ve been working hard to avoid it so far, but now you want to practice? Let’s see… both could be used as a medium of attack magic? It’ll be a difficult road.”

“Think of it the other way around. Wouldn’t it be easy?”

“Well, if you practice magic, it’s good news for me as your guardian. I’ll hand them over at wholesale prices!”

“Thank you, Lady Dione.”

“You’re welcome! If it goes well, show me sometime soon.”

“Okay, I’ll demonstrate it soon.”

“Aren’t you confident?”

Kleio laughed in response.

***

Hssssss-

Hot black dust slowly settled down.

After days of hard work, Kleio had successfully controlled it.