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Chapter 33 – What Bullshit Is This (2)
As far as discussing the relationships goes, we can laugh it off. Some may find Jackson’s topic of logical debate strange, but here’s a comparison.
Xenon’s Saga follows a similar format to analyze the relationships between characters in a literary novel in a Korean language class. Furthermore, Xenon’s Saga is written in a way that makes it easy to recognize the characters without having to explain them, so the relationship between the characters is fairly obvious.
Right now, many people are aware of the relationship between the main character, Xenon, and the heroine, Mary, as well as the relationship between Jin and Lily. If Xenon’s colleagues are included here, it becomes quite complicated.
“Fuck. What?” However, Jackson’s words were so ridiculous that I, the original author, couldn’t understand them. Usually, I tend to refrain from swearing, even subconsciously, but the words just came out of my mouth.
Maybe Jackson didn’t know I was going to curse at him, so he looked a bit surprised, but it was only for a moment. He stretched out his index finger as if to say ‘Look’, and explained with his characteristic arrogant expression.
“Hearing you cursing like that, you must be impressed too. Of course, none of us expected Lily to go to Xenon. Don’t you all think so?”
“Well…after hearing it, I suppose you’re right.”
“It can’t be helped because their nature is different from each other.” When Jackson asked the audience for their opinions, there was a general feeling of acceptance. Reading the atmosphere, I could see him waving his hand and running away.
I don’t know if they were being incited to agree or if they had something to say that they hadn’t said yet, but I’m guessing the latter since not one, not two, but most of them agreed. These people aren’t stupid enough to be easily persuaded by that.
Even though I wanted to scream, I held off. Instead, while barely calming my simmering heart, I asked Jackson, “…Is that all? Just because Lily has a crush on Xenon?”
“Of course not. I’m not talking about the world we live in now, but the world in Xenon’s Saga where discrimination against demons still exists. Even more so, Lily is a priestess with a promising future within the Church of Light. That is enough, but I’m more concerned about Jin’s birth.”
“Birth?”
The heat that was simmering inside of me quickly dissipated, as if I’d been doused with cold water. I was listening to this as if it were a bunch of bullshit a moment ago, but now that Jackson had ‘mentioned’ birth, the story changed.
He was right, because Jin’s birth was one of the most important plot points in the story.
Jackson smiled, as if he had read my expression, and continued triumphantly, “Yeah. Most people probably didn’t notice because it was mentioned in passing, but Sakran, the leader of Demon Hunters, told Jin, ‘A demon with horns as large as yours and a concentration of black mana as dense as yours are extremely rare.’ In addition, demons in Xenon’s Saga are notable for the fact that their devil blood becomes a little thinner with each generation.”
“………..”
“To summarize, Jin is a demon born to a true demon and a human, rather than a demon born to demons. As a result, the demon’s features are bound to stand out even more.”
“Wow…”
Clap- Clap- Clap- Clap. I clapped my hands in genuine admiration. The start was odd, but the entire process fits the story I wanted to tell.
In fact, unlike other demons, Jin was a demon who was far closer to the Devil than a human. His mother was raped by a true demon and forced to give birth to him, and this unfortunate demon grew up under severe abuse from childhood.
Even the true demon who raped Jin’s mother was no ordinary demon. He was one of the Seven Deadly Sins that would appear in the future, in charge of ‘gluttony’, and had the ability to steal the power of others.
Jin inherited this ability as well, and in the distant future, he will use it to absorb the power of Diablo, the fake final boss, and the arch-demon. Of course, after that, he will be consumed by power and tragically defeated by Xenon.
‘At least he’s not stupid.’ He may be a jerk and an asshole, but he’s not stupid. Rather, he is more like an avid reader who has read the Xenon’s Saga more diligently than anyone else.
However, even if he is an avid reader, there’s no excuse for being an asshole. Moreover, Jackson is currently in a situation that is both fortunate and unfortunate. The fortunate part is that I am the original author of Xenon’s Saga, while the unfortunate part is that I am the original author of Xenon’s Saga.
In the meantime, when I applauded and showed my admiration of Jackson, he put on a proud expression. He exuded confidence that told me to look up to him.
“How is it? If you have something to say, you better do it now.”
“So what you’re saying is that Jin’s birth issue and Lily’s position overlap and they don’t end up together, right?”
“Yeah. I hear you…”
“But it doesn’t make sense for Lily to turn a blind eye and go to Xenon over something like that, does it?”
I cut Jackson off mid-sentence, voicing my own opinion. Confusion flashed across his face as if he hadn’t expected me to flatly deny it.
Jackson’s reasoning was really good, but unfortunately, as the original author, I have to deny what I have to deny. In fact, Jackson’s explanation was so plausible that many people may interpret it differently than I intended.
The last thing I want is for my characters to be judged in a strange way.
“…What doesn’t make sense?” Jackson said, his voice low with displeasure as I retorted. It seems that he was not in a good mood because his reasoning, which he poured his passion into, was denied.
Of course, Jackson’s reasoning does have some merit, so it’s worth mentioning.
“As you said, there is something suspicious about Jin’s birth. Maybe it’ll be a big stumbling block later. No, I’m sure it’s a stumbling block. The fact that his demon’s features are thicker than others means that it is closer to the Devil than to humans.”
“……”
“But do you really believe Lily is unaware of this? If he had been with her since childhood, would she be by his side even knowing that?”
There are many reasons why Jin and Lily’s love route is tragic, but one of them is that they are childhood friends. Jin was abused as a demon even by his own mother, and even more so for being a demon.
If he had grown up like this, he would have really become a true ‘demon’, or devil, but his life completely changed after his accidental encounter with Lily. In the story itself, it’s often said that he was saved because of her.
Lily also falls in love with Jin, who demonstrates her steadfast devotion, but she is unable to approach him willingly due to their respective positions and circumstances.
“And Lily’s kindness to Xenon was more like human-to-human kindness than reasoned kindness. Xenon, in particular, prevented Jin from becoming a true demon a few times, correct? Lily couldn’t help but be grateful. Plus, they know each other’s minds very well. There are quite a few depictions of them laughing while occasionally looking at each other, or holding hands in secret.”
“………”
“On top of all that, Lily gave Jin flowers a few times. Do you know what kind of flowers they were?”
Jackson listened to my question and frowned as if pondering. To answer the question ahead of time, the flower that Lily gave to Jin was a Lily.
Lilies have many meanings, but the most representative of them is definitely ‘pure love.’ Lily, as the name implies, was openly expressing her feelings for Jin.
“…It’s a white flower, a lily. And a Lily represents unchanging love or innocence.”
After a few moments, the answer came. But it wasn’t from Jackson, it was from one of the people who had been watching our discussion closely.
I turned my head toward the person who spoke. The person who answered was a pretty young man with neatly pulled-back brown hair. Because he was tall and had a sturdy physique exposed despite formal dress, I assume he wasn’t a academic student. He also had sharp eyes and a chiseled jaw. Overall, he looked like a cool, handsome man.
Anyway, I have to say what I have to say. I shifted my gaze from the brown-haired man back to Jackson. Jackson kept his mouth shut after hearing what a lily represented, as if he didn’t have anything to say.
“Lily is emphasizing to Jin that her feelings for him will never change. Jin is well aware of this, which is why he devotes himself more than anyone else. So even if they don’t end up together, it’s impossible for her to go to Xenon at this point. It’s completely out of character for her. The fact that she was named Lily in the first place is proof of that.”
“………..”
“Still, my admiration earlier was genuine. You said that Jin’s birth was unusual because you caught the foreshadowing that others would easily overlook. To be honest, that surprised me a bit too.”
“Keugh…!”
It sounded like I offered a compliment, but apparently not to Jackson. I wondered for a moment if I’d said something wrong as Jackson pursed his lips and started blushing, but I soon figured out why.
The remark I just said, ‘That surprised me too’ was said from the point of view of the original author, but Jackson has no idea that I am the original author. So there’s room for him to take that statement to mean that I’m above him. But what can I do? Words once spoken cannot be taken back.
Besides, given Jackson’s usual tirades against me, I didn’t feel the need to correct him. Let him have another tirade.
“So you don’t think Jin and Lily can be together, either?”
While Jackson’s face was turning red, someone asked me this question. It was the same brown-haired man who had just given an answer about lily flower language.
I took a moment to consider the man’s pleasant, mid-range voice and the fact that, unlike Jackson, he was actually polite. My conscience pricked as I realized that telling him what was going to happen would be a spoiler.
Worse, I might get my tail stepped on over this. I’m the kind of person you can’t forget once you’ve met me. In that case, I cannot ignore it.
After mulling it over in my head, I opened my mouth with the nuance that this was just my hypothesis, “Well, only the author knows that, but I’m leaning towards the side that it can’t continue.”
“Why?”
“Jin is a knight, devoted to Lily. It means that he is willing to give up his life if Lily is in danger. In fact, there’s actually some portrayal of that.”
“Oh, is that it? Jin’s monologue about how he’s willing to become a true demon for Lily’s sake.”
This man knows that far. I flinched at the sight of the brown-haired man who answered with a bright expression. I’d thought he’d be cold and emotionless, but looking at him now, what can I say…? Now that I see the twinkle in his eye, there is a certain amount of enthusiasm there.
“Uh… maybe that’s part of it? Anyway, Jin is willing to give his life for Lily, even if it means becoming a true demon.”
“Poor thing… Is that really going to happen?”
“Only the author would be aware of that. Still, I hope the two of them end up together.”
“I’ll have to look them up when I get back to my dorm. I didn’t realize it when I read it, but hearing it now is fascinating.”
As soon as I finished, the onlookers began exchanging opinions. As the situation seemed to calm down, I looked at Jackson.
He had a look of frustration on his face that things weren’t going the way he thought they would. It was unsettling to see him staring at me.
‘Why would you say such an absurd thing?’
His misfortune, once again, is that I am the original author of Xenon’s Saga. If it had been someone else he was debating, that person would almost certainly have been persuaded by his logic.
The certainty that Jin and Lily would not end up together was good to see, but I couldn’t let go of the thought that Lily, the epitome of purity, would go to Xenon.
I glanced over at Jackson, who was struggling to speak, and quietly opened my mouth, “So, is there anything else you want to say? I’m fine with anything.”
“…Ugh!” I could clearly hear his teeth grinding and he walked away, not wanting to face me anymore. As he walked away, no one looked at him.
Seeing that, I was about to walk away too.
“Excuse me, red-haired gentleman? What’s your name?” The cool-looking man with brown hair called me.
I looked at him, slightly confused. Then, a face filled with anticipation and interest caught my eye and I knew I was caught up in something troublesome.
“…My name is Isaac. Isaac Ducker Michelle.”
“Ducker… Micelle?”
“If it’s Michelle, isn’t it the last name of the Red Lion?”
“Come to think of it, Assistant Professor Nicole is also named Michelle.”
As soon as they heard my father’s last name, who was famously known for being the Red Lion, each of them started whispering. Nicole’s name was also mentioned occasionally, and apparently, she is also famous among the new students. Hey, with a face and skills like that, it would be weird if she wasn’t famous.
“So that’s why … you looked familiar with your red hair and golden eyes…you must be the son of the Red Lion. It’s a pleasure to meet you; I’m Edin Mavi Signer, eldest son of Count Signer.”
“Nice to meet you, Edin. By the way, may I ask why you called me?”
The brown-haired man, Edin, answered my question as if it were no big deal. “I wanted to talk to you, Isaac. As Jackson said earlier, everyone here is a huge fan of Xenon’s Saga. I think Isaac is similar so I thought it would be fun to hang out with you.”
“……….”
I’m not a fan, I’m the author. I smiled vaguely at Edin’s invitation. But, unlike Jackson, he probably won’t fight with me, and he also had a few questions. I have no intention of rejecting such a friendly overture. Besides, it would be nice to get to know him better and increase my network of acquaintances.
” Sure, sure. Do you mind if I have a glass of wine first? I’m a little thirsty.”
“Oh, certainly. The wine is on the table over there.”
I walked over to the table Edin pointed to. Then, as I approached, the waiter who was serving in advance poured me a glass of wine himself so I didn’t have to choose it myself.
The wine in my glass had a deep purple color, and when I sniffed it, the aroma of grapes stimulated my sense of smell. ‘Should I take a sip?’ It wouldn’t hurt to take a sip before going back. I took a sip of the wine while looking at my surroundings.
“…Oh.” The wine wasn’t bitter at all, but a subtle sweetness lingered in the mouth. It was perfect for my child-like palate.
Satisfied with the taste of the wine, I returned to the seat. Judging by the fact that the group did not disband even after Jackson left, it seemed that only fans of Xenon’s Saga were gathered.
As evidence of this, most of the comments that came out of the group were remarks about Xenon’s Saga. There were so many different opinions that I was embarrassed to hear them all.
“Ah, there you are. Just in time, we were talking about something interesting.”
“Something interesting?” Something must have happened while I went to get the wine. When I asked, Edin nodded and opened his mouth.
“Yes. We were all discussing Mary’s origins. As Isaac knows, Mary is a wizard, right? But magic is a very difficult skill for commoners to learn, so most of the speculation is centered around her being a noble, a marquise, or higher.”
“Hmm… Is that so? What do you think, Edin?”
“I’m guessing that Mary might be related to the elves. The story of Xenon’s Saga tends to describe her appearance consistently, and it’s always mentioned that her ears are covered by her thick hair. Not to mention, elves, like demons, are masters of magic. It should be easy to assume she’s hiding it.”
“……”
“What do you think, Isaac?”
What the… How do you know all that?
I could only blurt out a stupid answer to Edin’s explanation, who had it all figured out. “…I wouldn’t know that far, would I?”
My conscience was pricked when I said this in front of my faithful readers.