CH 90

Chapter 90 – Exhibition (2)

April 24th, 2023

As mentioned before, being an artist is a costly job. To create one’s own work, tools are necessary, and even the cost of those tools is not insignificant. Furthermore, artists often have strong convictions or philosophies of their own, which can lead them to discard completed works. As a result, money goes out while the quality of the artwork may suffer in a vicious cycle.

Due to this structure, art has come to be perceived as a culture enjoyed by nobility or the affluent, as long as they do not indulge excessively in gambling or luxury. Therefore, most famous artists are known to be from the upper class or the wealthy. As a result, art was once a luxury of the nobility and even theatrical and dramatic performances were similar.

However, after the Jayros Revolution in the Kingdom of Ters, culture spread to the entire nation and there was an increase in people from the common or lower class who pursued a career in the arts. Of course, unless they possessed exceptional talent, it was almost impossible to succeed, and most ended up abandoning art and moving on to other means to earn a living.

In order to sustain art, one needs money, but one also needs those who recognize their work in order to earn money, facing such an ironic situation. Nevertheless, there are artists who consistently create their own works in the midst of such circumstances.

In the first place, many artists have chosen honor over money. This is why artists from common or lower class backgrounds tend to have strong determination and unwavering convictions or philosophies of their own. In addition, they possess inexhaustible patience and stamina.

These artists fall into one of two categories. They either endure and eventually give up, or they succeed and make a name for themselves among the public.

People in this world may praise the latter case as the spirit of an artisan or something, but for someone like me with memories from a past life, it can be summed up in just one word.

‘pervert’

“…What is this?”

And as soon as I entered the village, I could clearly experience what kind of results these perverts can achieve with time, money, and inspiration.

As I stood at the entrance of the village, staring blankly at something that confidently occupied the space, Cecily, who was standing next to me, spoke up.

“It’s a statue.”

“I know it’s a statue. But why is it so… big?”

Marie responded on behalf of me to Cecily’s comment. But she too was mesmerized by the imposing statue, just like me, unable to take her eyes off it.

I stood there for a while, seemingly transfixed, observing the statue carefully.

To describe the appearance of the statue I am looking at now, it depicts a young man who seems to be hitting a middle-aged man with a club.

The young man seems to be trying to block the attack with a dodgy posture, as if telling the middle-aged man not to hit him, and the middle-aged man is swinging the club with an expression of excitement.

The most remarkable thing here is not just the well-detailed muscles, but the expression. Whether I should say it is overflowing with liveliness or it was sculpted based on a real person’s expression.

Above all, the quality is so astonishing that I doubt if it’s appropriate to call this a “statue”.

“There’s a plaque here too. It says… ‘Xenon, who is training under the master’?”

Cecily, who found a plaque while admiring the statue, explained to us.

Although I had already guessed it just by looking at the statue, I never thought that it would vividly depict a scene from the beginning of Book 1.

I scratched my head uneasily and muttered in a perplexed voice.

“Out of all the scenes, why this one…”

“It’s written here too. It was sculpted because it’s not everyday that you see someone learning by getting hit by their master.”

Thank you for the kind explanation, Cecily-noona.

However, I still couldn’t easily get away from the awkwardness of the situation.

The expression on the statue was truly one-of-a-kind, making it difficult to take my eyes off of it.

“So, how does it feel as the original author? Bringing the content from the beginning of the story as it is.”

“Heeuk!”

While I was unable to take my eyes off the artwork, Cecily whispered into my ear with a husky voice. Her sultry voice pierced into my inner ear.

Her voice was already irresistibly sexy, and now she was whispering right into my ear, making me jump in surprise. My ears tickled so much that my body trembled.

“G-Goodness, you scared me. You surprised me.”

“Hehe. So, what’s your answer?”

Cecily, whether I was surprised or not, smiled and asked me. I wrapped my ears in my hands and turned my head back toward the work.

As I mentioned before, I have a bit of a knack for drawing, so I tend to add illustrations.

Thanks to the detailed descriptions in the story, readers can roughly imagine what the characters look like.

Not only in the illustrations but also in the story, the physical descriptions are carefully crafted. Perhaps that’s why the appearances of Xenon and the master, as depicted in the statue, match what I had in mind.

‘I wonder how long it took to sculpt just this one…’

I feel like applauding the sculptor. It’s not just a matter of being a fan, but a level of admiration. Even though I’m not a sculptor, I can tell how much effort and dedication must have been poured into achieving this level of result.

Moreover, especially for a sculptor, growth is almost impossible without the guidance of a master, and even the innate talent affects the outcome.

“I feel so proud and respectful of the sculptor. I only had to write, but this person has made a sculpture.”

“Aren’t you belittling yourself too much? You changed the world with your writing.”

“It’s just a matter of perspective. Let’s look at other things too. Marie, let’s go.”

“Huh? Oh, okay. Let’s go.”

Calling Marie, who had been quiet while admiring the statue, they moved on to find other works. Soon after, they were able to find another statue, which seems to be displaying sculptures throughout this street.

“Is this Jin and Lily?”

“It’s for sure, considering the horns.”

“Beautiful.”

I was initially annoyed by the noise from the passersby and tourists on the street, but it didn’t bother me when I was enjoying the sculptures. Occasionally, there were people who glanced at Cecily and Marie, but they were also focused on appreciating the artwork.

“Isn’t that woman a demon?”

“Yeah, I heard there was a demon attending. But it looks like these are nobles, let’s not mess with them for no reason.”

But it was still the medieval era, and sometimes I could hear people whispering about Cecily and Marie. Even if I didn’t want to eavesdrop, I still could hear it, and my eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

Of course, both women had their own unique beauty, and they were wearing dresses that showed off their figures, naturally drawing attention. At times like this, I wished my ears weren’t so sensitive. I would rather not hear anything…

Snap!

As I was frowning and looking around, Cecily snapped her fingers without saying a word.

And something surprising happened.

The noise from the bustling town suddenly disappeared, and the surroundings became quiet. It was as if we were the only ones in this space, a surreal feeling of tranquility.

I blinked and looked at Cecily, who was smiling brightly as she opened her mouth.

“It’s a silence spell. I took care of the noise because I noticed you were uncomfortable, Isaac.”

“…Did it show on my face again this time?”

“Yeah. I don’t care because I hear that a lot, but I feel bad because you’re uncomfortable. And this is much better, right?”

I smiled at Cecily’s consideration. I had caused trouble by using magic for myself, but it was nothing compared to what the demons who used magic like breathing did. Still, I felt sorry about it.

‘But I also feel bad…’

Did she really need to add that last part? I paused for a moment, looking at Cecily’s kind face, before deciding that the important thing now was the exhibition, not her feelings.

Besides, it was rude to have such thoughts in front of my girlfriend, who was right next to me.

So I turned my head away from Cecily and towards Marie. Marie seemed to be completely absorbed in admiring the sculptures at the exhibition.

“Is Marie okay too?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Oh… it’s nothing.”

Her reaction was so cute that I pinched her cheek. Marie looked at me quizzically.

“Why did you pinch my cheek? Do you want a kiss or something?”

“Not yet. Should we look at other places first?”

“Sure. By the way, why did the surroundings suddenly become quiet?”

“It was a bit noisy, so Cecily used a spell.”

Afterwards, we went deep into the village and started to enjoy the festival in earnest through the exhibition. Thanks to the diverse support from the palace, there was plenty of food to eat and plenty to see.

Especially noteworthy was that not only humans but also various races were passing by among the pedestrians. Of course, humans were the most abundant, but elves, dwarves, beastmen, and even demons were all attending the exhibition.

The demons had jet-black hair like charcoal, red eyes, and horns, which were the symbols of a demon, making them even more noticeable.

“…There are demonic beings too.”

“Yeah… I wasn’t the only one attending. It feels like a dream…”

Cecily momentarily shocked at the sight of other demonic beings enjoying the exhibition, spoke about her feelings with a slightly hoarse voice.

Until the appearance of Xenon’s Biography, demonic beings were treated like ticking time bombs and it was impossible for them to openly roam the streets, but now they were enjoying the festival.

As someone who always worked hard to fulfill the wishes of the demons, Cecily couldn’t help but be moved.

I too was surprised like her, but soon I looked at the people who were enjoying the exhibition with a satisfied smile.

All races were gathered together to enjoy the festival with just one exhibition. If it had been before Xenon’s Biography, it would have been unimaginable, proving how much the world had changed.

‘I’m getting greedier.’

My father said that this exhibition itself had the potential to be politically abused, but once I watched the exhibition with my own two eyes, it was impossible not to feel greedy.

How wonderful it would be if there were festivals like the current exhibition where all races could enjoy themselves happily. Of course, there will still be conflicts between races, but we can gradually narrow them down.

While watching the demons mingling in the crowd and enjoying the exhibition, I turned my head to the side.

Cecily seemed unable to distinguish whether the sight she was seeing was a dream or reality, holding both hands tightly and closing her eyes.

“Thank you, Mora…for bestowing this blessing upon me and our demons…”

“… …”

Seeing the demons praying to their patron god, Mora, my heart became overwhelmed with emotion.

She entered the academy, and because she was a princess, she must have been more moved as a demon.

Feeling embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck and then turned to the side, meeting eyes with Marie. Marie chuckled and whispered to me.

“Our cute writer. Now you know how amazing you are, right?”

Playfully, I just pinched her cheek without saying anything. Every time I pinch her white and soft cheeks like snow, it’s addictive.

I really wanted to keep doing it, but it’s a shame I couldn’t because there were too many people watching. I waited quietly until Cecily finished her prayer, then suggested to her.

“Noona, how about going to see that person once?”

“Huh?”

When I recommended it, Cecily turned to me with a skeptical expression. For some reason, her red eyes seemed even darker.

“Well, I’m curious too. How did those people get here? It seems like there’s an interesting story behind them, since they’re mixing with humans and enjoying the artwork. Why don’t we ask them once?”

“Hmm…”

Cecily listened to my explanation and looked towards the demons who were mixed in with the human crowd to enjoy the artwork. If they were noble visitors from Helium, they would be wearing formal attire, but the demons who were currently mixed in with humans were wearing unique equipment.

Therefore, it is highly likely that they are wanderers or adventurers who have come out of Helium, and since Xenon’s Biography was launched just a year ago, it is natural to be curious about what they have been doing so far.

Eventually, Cecily watched a demon who was conversing properly with a human woman and nodded her head in agreement.

“Okay. Let’s go check it out.”

“Sure. Marie?”

“Hmph. I’ll let it slide this time.”

What does it mean to let it slide? I was briefly puzzled by Marie’s indifferent response.

Cecily also seemed to be excited, with a brighter expression than before, as she approached the demon who was enjoying the artwork.

“Hold on. Be patient… Don’t do it here…”

While approaching, Cecily lightly tapped her chest and muttered softly.

Translators note:

This arc is gonna be loooong.