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

56 – 56. Your Majesty, the Emperor!

56.

Stella felt the wall.

She had never considered herself lacking in talent. She believed she was relatively exceptional among the first-year students, and therefore, she was able to be selected as the sole escort of Princess Felicia.

However, the opponent she faced, Alice, was in a different league.

She knew.

Not from another family, but the second daughter of the Mueller ducal family.

The ‘Sword Dragon’, also known as Albert Eling von Mueller, formed a counterpart with Mueller’s ducal family jewel. Of course, she had no chance of winning.

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Yet still, she gave her all.

Midterms?

No. She just wanted to give her best. Against her senior whom she admired. But all Stella got in return was completely destructive swordsmanship.

‘I lost…’

Only twice.

Called the Red Lion, Alice, although it was an exam, allowed two attacks.

Just by that, there was no reason for Stella to be downgraded.

Why? Because among the first and second-year students, no one had ever successfully attacked Alice even twice.

The owner of monstrous swordsmanship, who can only be matched by someone like Albert in the third year.

“Why are you so wretched and slumped down?”

A voice that only sounded twisted.

Allen, with his hand rakishly slipped into his pocket, came into view as Stella lifted her head. At that moment, she realized that she was not in the Knight Academy’s practice hall where she had taken her exam, but in the temple infirmary.

“Here…”

“Can’t you see? It’s the Temple Infirmary.”

His voice was dismissively as always.

Duke’s son Allen, who found it hard to believe, stood in front of the bed where she lay in twisted posture. His eyes were fascinating.

Eyes that were black, yet held a strange hint of blue.

The jet-black hair, like night sky transferred directly onto one’s hair, amplified Allen’s such aura.

Of course, such an atmosphere would typically be shattered as soon as he spoke.

“How was it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What else? My sister. How was she?”

He remembered.

The boy standing in front of him, Aellen Edd von Mueller, despite having a name that sounded like it came from a literary novel, was a member of the most powerful imperial family, which had produced the best prosecutors and knights.

He carried the blood of “Sword Dragon” Albert Elding von Mueller and “Red Lion” Alice Scarlet von Mueller.

However, he himself did not have any talent and seemed to be pursuing the path of literature.

Maya, who was by his side, was strong enough to make Stella feel like she was facing a wall.

“… She was strong.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“I don’t know what kind of answer you want.”

Stella unconsciously clenched her blanket.

“I have lost. That is the end of the story.”

“You were broken.”

“… What?”

Aellen looks at her.

“You were broken. You. Do I need to say it twice?”

“What about it? I lost. There is nothing to say to a loser.”

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

At Stella’s words, Aellen tapped his forehead with his index finger.

“You can’t protect the princess with that kind of mentality. Are you kneeling because you couldn’t win? Is this all the ‘Shuren Strategy’ reader can do?”

“The ‘Shuren Strategy’ has nothing to do with it! Why bring up a novel!”

“Oh, I thought you said you were deeply moved when you read it. It seems that was not the case in real life.”

As Aellen teased, Stella frowned.

“A novel is just a novel.”

“You did a good job of imitating the Transposition Step, though. Are you going to dismiss it as just a novel?”

“That’s…”

“It’s interesting. You are the first to successfully attack my sister twice in the test, right?”

At Aellen‘s words, Stella frowned, as if she didn’t understand what he meant.

You consider yourself the first?

“Do you forget who you’re dealing with? It’s Alice, our sister, on par with my brother. By the way, among those who took the exam before you, no one succeeded in attacking her.”

This was something that even Allen came to know after he entered the academy. It seems to mean that only someone who is a third year student, even among the second years, could compare their skills with Alice.

And that assessment places him on par with Albert.

Even if Stella was outstanding in swordsmanship, it means she couldn’t win.

“You were able to attack her twice. There’s no need to be downbeat about losing. Could you escort the princess with such a fragile mentality in the first place?”

“I…!”

“Tsk. I’ve said my part. Figure out the rest on your own.”

“Listen to me till the end…!”

Allen left the temple’s duty room before he could finish his sentence.

Stella, whose gaze focused on the empty spot Allen had left, then punched down hard on the armrest of the bed.

“Why did he come in the first place?!”

***

“It’s finally over…”

Burying his face into his desk, Allen half-moaned.

Thanks to Meia swiftly placing a small cushion in front of his head, his forehead managed to avoid direct contact with the hard table surface.

Allen mumbled, his face buried in the fluffy cushion.

“…Thanks for the cushion, Meia.”

“You sound like a zombie.”

“I’m not.”

“I was joking.”

Meia adjusts the thin gold-rimmed glasses on her face.

The week of hellish midterm exams had finally ended. Even Allen hadn’t been able to touch his novel for a long time, having to concentrate solely on his studies.

Allen was somewhat in better condition than the others.

Many students had fainted from overwork, stress, or the shock of receiving grades lower than expected, and had to be carried off to the temple infirmary.

Of course, most of these students were freshmen like Allen who had enrolled this year.

“It might be good to have some apples.”

“Feed me.”

“…You seem to have gone back to being a child.”

Sighing slightly, Meia opened Allen’s mouth only to place an apple in it.

Luckily, it seemed that Allen had the strength to chew the apple, as he chewed it thoroughly.

“These apples are good. Can I have more?”

Without a word, Meia placed another piece of apple in his mouth.

Such familiar touch.

Like a baby bird, Allen quietly chewed on the crunchy apple that she offered to him.

“Meia. Any special news?”

“Nothing much really. I heard from the drama department that the art and music departments are actively helping with theater production.”

“That must be a good opportunity for the art department.”

“Agreed.”

“What a surprise.”

Entering abruptly and startling Allen was Leila, who opened the door of the clubroom.

Leila’s pale face looked as if she was being chased, slightly reddened. Her breath was heavy, as if she had just run straight here.

Seeing her, Allen had a confused look on his face.

“What happened?”

“…I was chased.”

“By whom?”

“By a newspaper staff.”

“It’s not from the Glinghears Newspaper. Where then?”

“From Halo.”

“The Big 3 newspaper. They were blunt when it came to serializing the Surun comics and now they come to you?”

Allen laughed as though it was absurd.

Leila caught her breath.

She was taken aback that a staff from the Halo Newspaper would suddenly look for her, something she hadn’t expected.

She thought only Allen would experience such a thing, so it was a surprise that she became the target of such a situation.

“Anyway, Leila, it seems you are becoming quite famous. Must be bothersome.”

“Bothersome…?”

“Yeah. Like in Meia’s case, she said she could feel strange looks when delivering manuscripts.”

“Is that true?”

At Leila’s gaze, Meia nodded in confirmation.

“It’s true, Your Honor, Princeton.”

“Judging by who’s been tailing us, it might be those irksome bastards. Could be minions of those Dark Mages.”

It was a chilling remark that felt like a stab in Leyla’s heart, yet her expression didn’t change.

Meiya spoke up, “I have a feeling that the price on your head, Lord, has been skyrocketing lately.”

“It makes sense, given that the Shuren chronicles have reached the point of being exported.”

“Exported?”

“It seems that somehow, away from my notice, a market has been opened up. I heard it started out in the Huxmerl Empire.”

This was the information that Allen had learned after receiving a recent report from his family home.

There was also a postscript in that report cautioning him that he might be scouted by nobles from the Palos kingdom and other countries.

Since Allen was a writer operating under his real name, it turned out that there were few who wanted to poach him.

Of course, Allen would never think of leaving the Tiranto Empire.

“A scouting offer…”

“You should also be wary. They’re not just after me.”

The United Western Kingdoms, particularly the Palos kingdom, were once considered the epitome of integrated cultures in the continent, even before the Empire was regarded as a cultural hub.

The Tiranto Empire, along with the Kunrung Empire, boasts the most powerful influence in the continent.

In terms of territory, military power, economic scale, human resources, culture…they are second to none.

That’s why any statement made by the Tiranto Empire held tremendous authority in the international community.

Meiya added, “The real concern would be if they are from the Palos kingdom.”

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“Palos… It wouldn’t be surprising if they harbored resentment against the Empire, to be honest.”

Allen grabbed an apple and took a big bite.

The Tiranto Empire is currently maintaining status quo and has abandoned expansionism, but it used to be a belligerent nation that didn’t hesitate to wage wars with Kunrung.

They have always been at bloody wars with Osrian, but it has been peaceful for the last ten years.

The current Osrian Warlord is avoiding a war with the Empire.

Regardless, Palos kingdom was the one that resisted the Tiranto Empire the most persistently.

As the hub of the United Western Kingdoms, the kingdom thrived as the center of culture, until the cultural center shifted to the Empire.

“The empire has stolen more than a few things from the Palos kingdom.”

“Yeah. Judging by how well these facts are recorded, our ancestors must have been more thoughtful than we thought. Of course, that’s all in the past now.”

“It’s quite possible, Allen.”

“The possibility that they’re after me?”

Leila nodded at his counter-question.

Alan let out a soft chuckle.

“No matter how much money is offered, I’m not going to another country. I don’t even think about it.”

Having said that, Alan bit into an apple again.

“Life is hard once you leave your hometown.”

Today, Alan said a lot of things that somehow pricked at Leila’s heart.

“…The Emperor? Why?”

The day the play was completed.

Alan heard the news he didn’t want to hear.

“Why is the emperor coming to watch the play?!”