CH 160

Chapter 160 – Winter Break (4)

July 30th, 2023

“Hello! Our cutie! Good morning!”

“Hello, Adelia noona. It’s a good morning.”

After a day passed, Adelia began her activities as the escort knight of our family. Since it wasn’t an official situation, we continued to speak informally as usual.

I quickly glanced at Adelia’s simple attire, consisting of a shirt and leather pants, and then shifted my gaze towards her face. I wasn’t sure what conversation she had with my mother, but her expression had become much brighter than before.

Feeling slightly relieved by her appearance, I asked about her well-being.

“Did you sleep well last night? Was the bed comfortable?”

“Oh, it was really good! I fell asleep as soon as I laid down.”

“That’s good to hear. So now you’ll be receiving training from Father, right?”

“Yes. As an escort knight, I need to be sensitive to my surroundings, so I’ll be focusing on that aspect. It shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Watching Adelia’s self-assured demeanor, I recalled Father’s training methods. Not only me and my siblings, but occasionally even the young men of the estate had received training under Father.

And there was one commonality. Every time we received training, the sound of agony always resonated throughout the mansion. I also begged Father to spare me initially, but he didn’t pay any heed and continued with the training.

Well, at that time, unlike Dave and Nicole, I had a weak body, so my father quickly discontinued it. In fact, I know that he was shocked by the fact that I collapsed once and suffered for several days.

‘But still, Adelia completed all the assistant duties, so it should be fine.’

To be honest, someone like Adelia probably had a high chance of easily passing the Navy Knights entrance test. I found out by observing the sparring matches held every weekend, but Nicole and Adelia had incredible stamina.

Even though they sparred with non-stop training students from morning until dinner, they were perfectly fine, just sweating. Although there were occasional breaks, their stamina remained unchanging, like steel.

“Alright. So, during the vacation, the daily routine is to receive training from Father, right?”

“That’s right, but… When did you say you’re going to Helium?”

“Probably after lunch tomorrow, Mr. Gartz will personally come to pick us up. Have you seen Mr. Gartz, too, Noona?”

“The demon with horns shaped like a sheep, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

After hearing my response, Adelia pondered for a moment and then spoke with a slightly hesitant voice.

“Um… Why are you going there? Just a simple visit?”

“Yeah.”

How would I explain that I’m going to see Cecily’s parents and spend the first night with her? For now, it’s better to smoothly pass over it.

However, I needed a more definite excuse. It was a moment when I was about to add an explanation after my response.

“Are you going on a date or something?”

“Huh?”

“Well, actually, I heard from the Baroness yesterday. You’re dating the Demon Princess, right? It’s not official, though.”

Adelia spoke to me with her characteristic bright smile. Momentarily taken aback, I could only respond with a bewildered voice upon hearing that my mother had informed her.

“…My mother told you?”

“Yeah. Just in case I misunderstood, she told me. You’re engaged to that white-haired noblewoman, not the Demon Princess, right? I should’ve realized it earlier.”

Adelia confidently spoke, placing her hand on her waist. I silently observed her face, adorned with a cheerful smile.

I couldn’t tell if she genuinely didn’t care or if she was suppressing her feelings with patience. There was no reaction whatsoever, only her distinctively self-assured smile.

‘…Is it really okay?’

Adelia’s behavior towards me had always been confusing in various ways, but it was yesterday when I became certain as she came to be my escort knight.

Adelia, she has a romantic crush on me. The human heart isn’t something that can be hidden by pretending. After realizing it, those aspects came to me more strongly.

So, I thought there would be some reaction when she found out about the romantic relationship between Cecily and me, but there was none at all. What on earth did she discuss with my mother yesterday?

‘I guess I can’t ask right now.’

Asking without reason could make things awkward. Moreover, Adelia was starving for “affection” due to her miserable home environment. Even if it’s not me, she can continue a happy life by meeting a warm-hearted man. Not someone like me with complicated relationships with women.

Above all, I must eventually reveal that I am Xenon. The scope of the investigation was narrowing, and it won’t be long before my true identity is revealed by the Holy Kingdom Xavier.

If that happens, there is a high possibility that Adelia will be used by the Kingdom of Ters as well. I can almost guarantee that it will happen.

“Well… I’m not sure if I should be relieved…”

“Oh, don’t worry. Even though it may seem like that, my lips are heavy.”

“Is it really okay?”

It was a somewhat ambiguous question. Adelia might have noticed that, she flinched at first and then answered forcefully.

“Don’t worry. If it’s true, let me go to Helium with you. I’m your knight, so this much is fine, right?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that. I’ll ask Mr. Gartz tomorrow.”

“Alright. I hope a positive answer comes back. I’ll be going now.”

“Okay. Take care. Don’t push yourself and get hurt unnecessarily.”

“Sure. Sure. Don’t worry, noona, I’m tough.”

Before Adelia left, she lightly pinched my cheek and took a step. Her actions seemed like those of an adorable older sister, but for some reason, there was a sense of nostalgia.

It seemed like she was drawing a line, saying that she will only come this far. She cannot turn back the moment she crosses the line she has drawn himself. Only going forward, without crossing it.

Will Adelia also reach a day where she moves on? But before she can go straight, she must resolve the conflict with the Kingdom of Ters.

I watched Adelia walking away in the distance and then turned my back.

First, I need to go back to my bedroom and finish the remaining manuscript.

‘My mother told me not to reveal to her that I am Xenon.’

My mother said that a person’s true nature is revealed in decisive moments, and she told me not to reveal the information that I am Xenon.

I don’t know when it will be, but someday when I reveal that I am Xenon, I will observe Adelia’s reaction. As I mentioned earlier, if Ters Kingdom recognizes Adelia as royalty, there is a high possibility that they will offer her for a strategic marriage.

What decision will Adelia make then? I hope she makes a wise judgment. That way, our relationship won’t be jeopardized.

After organizing the manuscript in my bedroom, I headed to my father’s office where he was working. Adelia’s training will begin later, so he must be busy with his work right now.

Knock- knock-

“It’s me, Father.”

“Come in.”

When I knocked on the office door, my father’s deep voice flowed out from the other side. As I received permission, I slowly opened the door and entered the office.

As I stepped inside, I noticed my father sitting at the desk, surrounded by stacks of documents piled up like a mountain. Due to the rapid development of our territory, the paperwork has been increasing day by day.

My father even had glasses on, as if his eyes were tired. The thought of eventually being responsible for all those documents makes me feel overwhelmed.

‘Can’t I just pass on the family duty to my older brother?’

Usually, the eldest son takes over the family duty, but there are exceptions. One of them is joining the military. Once someone enters the military, they tend to stay there for a long time unless there are special reasons. Of course, if Dave changes his mind and decides to return to the family, the family duty should be transferred to him.

However, Dave doesn’t seem to have any intention of becoming the head of the family. Even if he were to suffer a major injury, he would choose a job that requires physical movement. Dave takes after our father and is ill suited for administrative work.

“Alright. What brings you here?”

Father temporarily set aside the pen he was playfully twirling and asked me. In response, I showed him the package containing the manuscript and replied.

“I’m sending out the 14th volume of manuscripts.”

“Have you finished writing all of them already? Your writing speed has gotten faster lately.”

“I was appointed as a recommended student, so I have plenty of time now.”

“That’s impressive. So, all the stories are already in your head, huh?”

My father looked at me with an expression of fascination as he received the manuscript. It was one of the phrases I often heard in my past life. When my friends found out that I was writing fantasy novels, they reacted with the same fascination as my father.

I often received questions like how I could remember all the details or whether I could write down everything. Many people enjoy reading novels, but it’s rare to find someone who actually writes them. Because of that, I received a lot of questions of that nature.

“Well, I just roughly outline the plot and write it. Thanks to the gift from Duke Requilis, the progress has been much faster.”

“You mean the Remover? It does seem like it would be convenient when dealing with tasks.”

“Yes. That’s one of the benefits, and most importantly, it gives me more time.”

“Hmm… I see. I’ll take care of sending this.”

My father placed the package containing the manuscript on the desk. As I was about to leave, my father called me over.

“Isaac, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“What is it?”

“Your handwritten signature.”

My father pointed to my handwritten signature on the package. The signature was written in “Hangul,” the Korean alphabet, and it spelled out “Isaac.”

It’s a different world, so it’s natural for the characters to have a completely different system from Hangul. The grammar itself was similar to Korean, so it’s relatively easy to grasp the characters. Moreover, since all the races use the same script, there were no communication problems. However, long-lived races like elves and demons occasionally use old words.

“Can you tell me what this means? I’ve been curious about it every time I see it.”

“It’s just my name. Isaac.”

“Your name?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

My father stared at the handwritten signature that read “Isaac” in Korean and pursed his lips. I patiently waited for him to speak, observing his contemplative expression.

I don’t have any plans to promote the Korean language in this world, and moreover, I believe it wouldn’t have much influence even if I did. If Korean was truly superior, foreigners in my past life would have used it left and right.

Language, at its core, is a cultural aspect that cannot be ranked. In fact, grading languages itself can be seen as a form of superiority and ethnocentrism.

Sometimes in fantasy media, you come across unique languages for each race. Even if Korean were to appear like the language in “The Lord of the Rings,” it would receive similar treatment.

“Did you create this script by any chance?”

My father, who had been staring intensely at the handwritten signature, suddenly asked me a question. In my heart, I wanted to respond by saying it was created by King Sejong, or that it was a script developed by a great sage. But if I were to answer that way, I would seem like a mad person.

I rolled my eyes, contemplating how to respond. If I simply said it was a script I had known from the beginning, it would sound odd. However, claiming that I had created the script weighed heavily on my conscience.

But sometimes in life, there are moments when you have to compromise your conscience. After much contemplation, I mustered the strength to speak.

If I were to respond with “I know the characters for no reason,” my father might even think of me as a prophet or a regressort. I want to avoid that as much as possible.

“I just made it because I was bored. It doesn’t have any special meaning.”

“If you say you created a unique script just because you were bored… Doesn’t that mean you created a writing system?”

Oh, damn. Can it really turn out like this?

I was taken aback by my father’s sharp observation. As the former head of the Navy Knight Order, he had exceptional powers of observation and judgment. However, I had also sharpened my wits more than once in the past. I calmed myself down and spoke in a nonchalant tone.

“You could say that. As I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t have a significant meaning, though.”

“Can you write down my name for me?”

“Yes.”

According to my father’s request, I wrote down his name using the magic pen and notebook that I always carried with me. Soon enough, the name ‘Hawk Ducker Michelle’ was written in the notebook, and I tore out the page and handed it to my father.

As soon as my father received the paper, he put on his glasses and stared intently. I felt my heart pounding inexplicably due to the tension.

“It feels like… some kind of shape. Why are there so many lines… Is this really a letter?”

“Yes.”

“Will you put it in the Xenon Chronicles?”

“Um… I’m not sure. There isn’t really a suitable place to use it.”

It wasn’t a lie, it’s sincere. I don’t feel the need to include Korean in Xenon’s Biography at all, and it doesn’t fit in terms of plausibility either. But if I was to include it, I might say that 99% of it was made up to make it easier when using magic.

Humans would create characters for more accessible and efficient magic, in preparation for a full-fledged war against devils.

The difficulty of magic lies not only in complex calculations but also in the fact that magic itself is not standardized, as it was not developed by humans but passed down from demons. This is because demons, like elves, can use magic effortlessly.

‘It’s amusing from my perspective.’

It would be funny to hear people in this world shouting “Fireball” or “Ice Arrow” in Korean. While I was silently chuckling to myself, my father glanced at his name written on the paper and placed it on the desk. Fortunately, he seemed to let it pass without saying anything.

“Alright, I understand. Send the manuscript to the publisher soon.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Well, I will be going now.”

Father also seemed to be getting up from his seat, probably to go train Adelia. As he stretched my body, a loud cracking sound reverberated throughout, presumably due to sitting at the desk for so long.

“Would you like to give training a try while you’re at it?”

“I’ll pass, thank you.”

“Sigh… I see.”

I have to give it my all tomorrow, so is there any need to do something that will drain my energy? My father will only feel disappointed if I firmly refuse, and he won’t insist any further.

‘By the way, should I try it?’

I thought to myself, having such unnecessary thoughts.

I planned to visit Helium and seek direct advice about using Hangul for magic from Lady Mora. It could have been risky, as it might make magic even more difficult. Being a complete outsider to magic, I might even face criticism.

And so, a peaceful day of vacation passed.

“Hello, Mr. Gartz. Long time no see.”

“It’s been a while, Mr. Isaac.”

The next day, Gartz teleported directly to our mansion.

“By the way, what’s that in your hand?”

“It’s eye drops. Do you sometimes experience dry or blurry eyes?”

“How did you know?”

“As Mr. Isaac enjoys reading and even writes novels, I could easily anticipate it. That’s why I brought the eye drops. They were personally made by the pharmacist of Helium Palace, so they are highly effective.”

“…”

While bringing me a very useful gift, it was indeed an appropriate present as my vision had been gradually declining recently.

“Thank you. I’m sorry for just receiving it.”

“No, it’s fine. Instead…”

“Instead?”

“Cough-“

Gartz coughed awkwardly, then spoke in a timid voice.

“Regarding… Xenon’s Biography…”

“Xenon’s Biography?”

“…It’s nothing. Let’s go to Helium first.”

“?”

What did he want to say?