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Chapter 54 – Confession (1)
March 19th, 2023
The resolution was made, and the next day dawned. There was no major exam to take today, only assignments to submit, so there was plenty of time to talk with friends.
Originally, I had wished for nothing to happen, but after experiencing various incidents, I changed my mindset. Instead of wishing for nothing to happen, I decided to improve my ability to cope with any situation that may arise.
I decided to rely on my own abilities rather than my family. With this mindset, I couldn’t help but feel tense.
Anyway, asking Cecily about what happened yesterday is a priority. What was her intention in tempting me like that, without me providing any proper evidence? Her behavior was so surprising that it left me not only confused but also baffled.
‘And…’
After a long period of consideration, I could also change my decision regarding how to treat Marie. If I truly care for her, I should ensure that she doesn’t suffer from the revelation of my secret later on.
At the very least, I should prevent any harm coming to the girl who likes me because of my indecisiveness. Although Marie is unaware that I am the author of Xenon’s Biography, unlike others, if I make a mistake, she may feel betrayed.
She might think that I find someone else is more trustworthy than her. ‘Why couldn’t I have told her the secret?’, like that.
This is a relationship that was built with great effort due to an accidental encounter, and I am worried that it will crumble at once due to my careless judgment. Moreover, Marie is quite perceptive, so she might have already sensed something.
Most of all, I hurt her once yesterday. Even I would feel heartbroken if I saw a girl I liked alone with another guy.
‘Let’s just focus on the class for now.’
I made up my mind again and walked to the classroom. The first class is Philosophy, and Marie, Cecily, and Rina are all taking the class together.
Although Rina might not know, Marie and Cecily definitely had a conversation yesterday, just the two of them, so there must have been some big changes. I was unsure if I could handle the situation wisely, but now I have to trust myself.
Otherwise, there is a high possibility that such situations will repeat themselves, and the situation will become more complicated, making it difficult not only for me but also for others.
As I made this determination inwardly, I almost arrived at the classroom.
“Oh.”
“Huh?”
Coincidentally, I met Cecily in front of the classroom door. Cecily also seemed surprised, her eyes widening as if she didn’t expect to meet me.
As I was struggling to speak in this unexpected situation, Cecily smiled softly and greeted me in a gentle tone.
“Hello. Good morning.”
“Uh… Yes. Good morning.”
“Hehe.”
Cecily giggled as I awkwardly greeted her. Suddenly, I remembered yesterday’s incident and felt embarrassed for no reason when I saw her smile.
As I blushed slightly and touched the back of my neck, Cecily looked at me intently and then quietly spoke.
“I’m really sorry about what happened yesterday.”
“Huh?”
“I shouldn’t have done that to you… It was my fault. I apologize again.
I couldn’t hide my surprise at the sudden apology and formal language. What kind of change in attitude could have caused Cecily to act like this?
But the problem didn’t end there.
Cecily expressed her feelings while giving her characteristic mischievous smile and nodding her head politely. It was a clear sign of respect and a greeting.
I couldn’t help but question her behavior, which was completely incomprehensible to me.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“From now on, when it’s just the two of us, I will address you in this way. You are a benefactor of demons, so I should treat you accordingly.”
“… …”
“Then shall we go inside?”
I was still confused about what was happening. I laughed and watched Cecily’s back as she entered the classroom.
As she said, there are only the two of us in front of the classroom door now… but the honorifics were a bit too much.
Something felt off, though. The gap between us seemed to have widened subtly. Perhaps it was because Cecily was always playing pranks on me that I felt a sense of dissonance.
‘Benefactor…’
But then I remembered that Cecily had told me yesterday that the author of Xenon’s Biography was a benefactor of the demons who fulfilled their long-cherished wish.
Furthermore, she had expressed her willingness to offer herself if she ever met this benefactor. It was possible that her attitude towards me had changed because of this.
If it had been as usual, I would have told her not to play around like that and just speak in informal language like usual, but…
‘…What’s this?’
There was a strange tickle in my chest. A demon princess who knew my true identity, and yet she treated me so brazenly. How could I explain this to anyone?
If she hadn’t apologized for yesterday’s incident, I could have thought she was shameless, but she did apologize for that part as well, even bowing her head.
I stood in front of the classroom door for a while, as if frozen, before quickly regaining my composure. There were more pressing matters than Cecily right now.
‘Still, something feels…’
It’s a subtle feeling, like feeling good and bad at the same time. With such feelings in mind, I stepped into the classroom. And as soon as I entered, I caught sight of a familiar face sitting in the front row.
It was Marie, who was making a pouty face, with one hand on her chin, as if she had a complaint. It was clear at a glance that her mood was bad.
Maybe that’s why. The tickling feeling inside me disappeared, replaced by tension. Marie was probably upset because of what happened yesterday.
‘Act natural… Act natural…’
Suppressing my pounding heart, I approached Marie without any hesitation. Today, I was a little late, but Marie had come early, so the seat next to her was empty.
As I slowly approached Marie, she seemed to have sensed something and her gaze, fixed on the desk, turned to me. But I expected her to respond coldly because of what happened yesterday.
“…Isaac!”
Until she greeted me with a warm smile, with her blue eyes wide open. She even shook my hand vigorously, all the way up to my arm.
At first, I was taken aback when Marie, who I had assumed would be upset, greeted me so energetically, but soon I couldn’t help but smile. I thought she was really herself.
But I still had to apologize for my mistake, unable to figure out her feelings. Nevertheless, my heavy heart felt a little lighter.
“Hello.”
“Yeah. Hi.”
When I greeted her in my usual blunt manner, Marie greeted me with a bright smile. I thought her smiling face was really cute.
It was then that I sat down and took out my notebook.
“Did you get home safely yesterday?”
I couldn’t help but hesitate when I heard Marie’s question. Her voice was cheerful, but I couldn’t help feeling chilly.
When I looked at her, she was smiling as if nothing was wrong. If someone who didn’t know her saw her, they would think she had a beautiful smile, but not me.
Marie probably didn’t realize it, but her mouth was trembling slightly. It meant that the smile she put on was forced to hide her anxious heart.
She was pretending to be fine on the surface, but she definitely had something on her mind. After thinking about how to respond for a moment or two, I opened my mouth.
“I did. How about you?”
“Who do you think I am…”
She mumbled and glanced back. Marie’s gaze was directed towards Cecily, who was currently chatting with Rina.
“It went well. Nothing special happened.”
“Really?”
It was a lie. When she looked at Cecily, her eyes momentarily lowered.
It seemed like she was showing this behavior because she didn’t want our relationship to become awkward. The more she did so, the more guilty I felt towards Marie.
I was so grateful that I had made a decision. I wouldn’t hurt her anymore.
“Oh, by the way, Isaac, have you read the latest volume of Xenon’s Biography that came out this time?”
Marie asked to change the mood when she noticed my bitterness. As I had anticipated the question, I nodded my head without any surprise.
“Of course, I’ve read it. The publisher has been introducing new technology since the latest issue, so the volumes keep coming out. Have you read it?”
“I read it yesterday. I was so surprised when I saw the concept of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’. I wonder what’s inside this person’s head as I read more and more of Xenon’s Biography? And…”
That person is right in front of you. I looked at Marie, who was talking cheerfully while swallowing my inner thoughts
Watching her from the side made me feel like I was listening to a cute little bird chirping, which made me feel at ease mentally. I had caused so much trouble for this girl by hurting her in many ways.
I quietly opened my mouth as I watched Marie excitedly chatting away by herself.
“…Marie.”
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“How much do you think the author of Xenon’s Biography is worth?”
Marie heard my question and blinked her big eyes a couple of times before looking down, as if trying to gather her thoughts.
In the meantime, I waited patiently, stroking my chin until she spoke. If the opportunity arose, I also planned to ask Rina and Leort to see what they thought, but for now, Marie was the most convenient person to talk to.
It might seem sudden from her perspective, but that didn’t matter. After lunch or after all the classes were over, I planned to meet Marie alone.
Soon enough, Marie tapped her cheek with her index finger and began to express her thoughts.
“First of all, speaking as a member of the ‘Requilis Family’, our family, let alone the empire, cannot touch the author lightly. The influence the author has on the world is tremendous.”
“Is it really that powerful?”
“Of course. Especially since our empire and the Ters Kingdom are both anxious to find the author. They are fighting a cultural war to possess him. Nothing is as effective as culture in controlling a country’s diplomacy.”
“Culture…”
It’s easy to understand when you say culture. In my past life, there was China as an example.
China was once praised as a cultural powerhouse in the past, but they ruined their own culture through tremendous historical mistakes. As a result, even though China grew to compete with the United States, its culture held them back.
Of course, the biggest problem hindering cultural development was the Chinese government’s censorship and coercion. However, if the event that ruined their culture had not happened, China would have become an unstoppable superpower.
‘It’s a little scary.’
The mere existence of a culture can greatly advance a nation. This is an incredibly powerful force. Moreover, the world is currently in the midst of the Middle Ages, so culture will be even more important.
I was thinking about this when Marie stared at my face and offered a different opinion.
“And any book that the author wrote could become a weapon. Just like how it overturned the perception of demons, it could also change the perception of other species. Of course, the author probably doesn’t intend to do that, but it could be very dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Yes. It could spread bad ideas far and wide. That’s why the country has to pay close attention to it.”
Here, there wasn’t even internet access, let alone smartphones. As a result, there are limited ways to convey information, and newspapers are one of the most prominent methods.
As someone with limited connections, I have no choice but to rely on newspapers to learn about the outside world. Whether it’s true or fake, I have no idea.
So, listening to Marie’s story, it means that the book I wrote could be used to spread ideas. Naturally, my eyebrows furrowed.
‘I just wanted to write an interesting book…’
Even though I’m not someone who is usually deeply involved in politics, I was really far removed from it. In my past life, I was a young adult who only went to college, and even that was extremely short-lived. Entering the complicated world of politics made me feel uneasy.
But as I said before, avoiding it every time is not the right answer since it happened like this. At least I need to prepare countermeasures to write the book I want to write.
To do that, I need to develop my own abilities.
“But why are you asking me this?”
While I was making up my mind, Marie tilted her head curiously. I cautiously opened my mouth while gazing at her face.
“Marie.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have time today, by any chance?”
After hesitating a bit, I gathered my courage and asked her.
“I have something I want to talk to you about.”
It was a somewhat ambiguous statement that could be easily misunderstood.
“…What?”
Marie’s pure white face rapidly turned red.
Translators note:
The next few chapters are a sugar overload. You’ve been warned.