How to Live as a Martial Arts Writer in a Fantasy World

58 – 58. Long live the Emperor!(3)

58.

“A pre-release! A pre-release of the sixth volume!”

Everyone was excited.

The Shuren Chronicles already had everyone’s attention; adding a pre-release of the sixth book made it even more attractive.

If there was one thing all the fans at the table could sense, it was this:

‘So much for pre-booking….’

Now that Alan, the original author himself, had made the announcement, word was sure to quickly spread outside the academy.

That meant competition was about to get fiercer.

A sense of crisis flashed in the eyes of the students looking around.

Alan then said,

“Since it’s a party today, please enjoy, relax and have a good time. Enjoy!”

At Alan’s words, the students screamed internally.

‘Really?!’

All, except the players in the actual play, had the same thought.

Enjoy the party.

Of course, they could enjoy, but it was preposterous to suggest enjoying a party after dropping a huge bomb like that.

People swarmed around Alan.

‘Just as I expected.’

Alan had a subtle laugh watching the people who rushed toward him.

Perhaps because Meia was blocking like a solid wall, people weren’t able to come any closer to Alan.

Such was the overpowering aura radiating from Meia.

Overwhelmed by the crowd, Leyla and Diabella were almost hiding behind Alan.

“Alan.”

“Master Alan, is this okay?”

“Well, I did suspect this would be the case. More than I thought.”

The questions flooding in all at once were like arrows.

There were too many questions pouring out all at once that the sounds became indistinguishable. The voices were overlapped so much that it made one’s head ring.

Allen frowned at the sound buzzing like a swarm of bees.

“Meia.”

“Please step back.”

At Allen’s call, Meia made a threat.

The fighting spirit that radiated from her pierced through the air like an arrow. In an instant, heat rose up to their brains, and the crowded people who got directly hit by the spirit Meia radiated felt chillingly sober, as if they had a cold water splashed on them.

Allen folded his arms and said,

“Sometimes I think you forget. I hope you don’t forget where our house is. You should always keep your wits about you.”

“Huh.”

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

The sounds were different, but the meaning was the same. A reaction as if recalling something forgotten.

The students had momentarily forgotten that this writer in front of them was none other than the youngest son of the Muller family.

“Now, it looks like everyone has caught their sanity, so let’s break up after we have some fun. Dismiss.”

As Allen clapped his hands, the students dispersed as if they were enchanted.

The earlier frenzy subsided as if it were a lie. It seemed like everyone had sobered up thanks to Meia’s all-around spirit.

In no time, the atmosphere got rowdy, and Allen smirked as he watched his classmates busy talking to each other.

“Let’s take a break.”

***

“The Schuren Electric drama….”

In the office of the imperial palace, the young emperor had just heard the story from his son, Hübert.

As he flipped through documents, the Emperor said,

“Clever. I wonder if such a gifted person, capable of such strategic thinking, could have come from the Muller family. He seems to have been born into the wrong bloodline.”

“The youngest son of the Muller family seems to have a bit of a peculiar personality. He is rather unusual, even if he is the son of Muller’s Duke.”

“Duke Bernhardt will love a story like that. They have one eccentricity, don’t they?”

The chief chamberlain gave a bitter smile at the Emperor’s words.

Excluding the Radios Dukes, it was because both the Bernhardt and the Muller family had one or two children with peculiar dispositions.

Of course, for the Muller Dukes family, it was Allen, and for the Bernhardt Dukes, it was Theia, a professor at the Academy.

“I’ve seen all the worthwhile plays lately, but a play based on the Chronicles of Schreien, huh. Seems intriguing. When can I book a ticket?”

“Her Highness the Princess has indicated that she will personally secure the tickets.”

“Hmm? Felicia?”

“Yes.”

It was Felicia who conveyed the news to Hubert, her brother.

She seemed to be greatly absorbed in the novel titled Chronicles of Schreien, but that does not mean her judgement is impaired. At least, not the Felicia that the Emperor knows.

“If it’s a play made by students, it might lack quality compared to ones produced by famous troupes. It might not meet the standards for His Majesty’s personal viewing.”

“The students represent the future of the Empire. If they’ve created it, it’s also my obligation as Emperor to watch it. It’s like observing which direction the future of the Empire is heading.”

“That is, well, true.”

“And, before being an Emperor, I too have an interest in Allan Ed von Muller.”

A young novelist who chose a subject no one had ever touched before, Kunlung.

It was inevitable to get curious.

Quite an interesting choice as an emperor.

Despite the difficulty in gaining popularity in the Western Empire, Tiranto, Allan’s novel broke the mold of imperial literature with its uniqueness, attracting popularity.

Among the countless works that the emperor has seen so far, Allan’s work is particularly notable for its originality.

“…A proposal for the establishment of a Utiya Clan has been received from the Duke of Belsta.”

“Utiya Clan, huh. One novel has a tremendous influence. Should a clan be considered just another category of guild?”

“In terms of training swordsmanship or skills of the same kind, I see it no different from a professional guild.”

Upon hearing the minister’s words, the emperor hummed, scratching his chin.

“Utiya Clan, huh. The one that greatly influenced the protagonist, Schreien?”

“Yes. It is said that Kunlung once sent warriors trained in similar clans into battle, right?”

“That’s a story over a hundred years old.”

A story prior to the current Emperor’s birth.

There were times when they joined forces with Ossian and fought fiercely only against Kunlung. While they have forgotten about the past and begun exchanging again, there are certainly those who are discontented.

Those who dislike peace. Those who only find a purpose on the battlefield.

“If the homeland manages these clans directly, it’s another story. I hear that Kunlung culture is trending at the academy.”

“The culture is spreading among the nobles as well, under the name ‘Kunlung Style’. According to the Treasurer’s report, a significant portion of the national wealth is being spent on buying Kunlung items.”

“Hmm, the impact of a novel is something you can’t ignore.”

“It’s astounding. What’s more surprising is that usable swordsmanship is written in that book.”

“It’s interesting that his swordsmanship is based on Kunryung’s techniques.”

The emperor paused for a moment, laying down his pen.

“Schedule the date, Head of the Secretariat. It seems we need to pay a visit to the academy.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

***

“The Emperor is coming to visit?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

At Felicia’s words, Allen made an expression as if he were speechless.

The idea that the Emperor himself would attend to watch an amateur play put on by academy students, even the thought of it made his mind go blank.

“No way…”

“I didn’t expect this either, but I think it’s a good thing.”

Allen grabbed hold of his sanity that had almost slipped away.

This might be an opportunity.

‘If the Emperor comes to watch personally, wouldn’t I be able to shut up those arrogant old masters, if I do well?’

That is a positive outlook.

Of course, in theory, there wouldn’t even be any idiots challenging the authority of the Imperial family no matter how insane they may be.

Even the southern scholarly-literary cartel and the literary cartel of the empire, no matter how powerful, would know better.

In a hierarchical society, challenging the Emperor is synonymous with a death wish.

‘I was pretty much ignored, wasn’t I?’

Allen thought that he had been disregarded more by the likes of nobles and commoners alike.

Despite being disregarded by the press, and even being ignored by Knight Academy students for not being a knight.

Ever since entering the academy, he felt as though he had not gone one moment without being ignored.

‘Is this really a hierarchical society?’

Allen pondered whether his inability to fully shed his modern mindset was affecting his current situation.

I might need to become a bit more old-fashioned.

“Well, it’s not a bad thing.”

From Felicia’s perspective, it appeared that she was delivering the glad tidings of dramatizing Shuren chronicles to Crown Prince Hubert at the Imperial Palace.

It must have been quite a surprise for her that the news reached the Emperor himself.

“So if the Emperor recognizes it personally, the perception might change.”

“Are you thinking that far?”

“Coincidences are opportunities.”

When coincidences happen in succession, they become inevitabilities, which in turn become opportunities, even if they are unintentional opportunities.

Allen said it.

“With midterms over, only the successful completion of the drama performance is left before we go on field practice.”

“We do, don’t we? Have you decided where you’re going, Allen?”

“I plan to go to the East.”

“To the East?”

At Felicia’s question, Allen nodded.

“I’ve never been anywhere other than the Duchy of Peacock where I was born. It’s also my mother’s hometown, and I want to see it.”

“Oh, you’ve never really been out of the Duchy of Peacock?”

“I’m not really the type to enjoy roaming around.”

“You do seem like that. You spend the most time in the dormitory even at the academy, right?”

“Ha ha.”

Allen laughed awkwardly.

It wasn’t necessarily incorrect. In both his previous and current lives, Allen has always been a stay-at-home type of person.

Felicia picked up her teacup.

“Anyway, I’m looking forward to it. I want to see it soon too. Should I look forward to it?”