The true identity of the sauce Cherry gave me as a gift was the sap from the cherry blossom tree, which can be considered a specialty and symbol of the Roseberry family. While it’s common to extract sap from maple or oak trees, Cherry explained that in this world, cherry blossoms produce a different kind of sap.
(TL: I still have my suspicions, but I will believe it for my own sanity.)
Furthermore, Cherry mentioned that if you process the sap, you can make a sauce or perfume with a cherry blossom fragrance, and its flavor is unique but intense, making it suitable for bath products as well. The slightly sweet taste was because Cherry brought the raw sap as it is, but even she wasn’t sure why there was a subtle saltiness.
According to Cherry’s explanation, you can use the raw sap directly, but she recommended diluting it because its concentration is very strong. Especially since the period for extracting the sap was limited, it’s known to be quite expensive. Hence, she gave me a plain container, as the sap itself already carries the cherry blossom scent and can be pricey.
She also mentioned that the processing method is not difficult. You can use it in cooking or simply dilute it in water with a bit of mana, and you’re done.
Her promise to give me something better than a meal was by no means an empty one. Although I may not have an immediate use for it, I intend to keep it stored for now.
‘I can’t bring myself to give it to anyone else.’
Giving a gift filled with goodwill to someone else was not proper etiquette. Furthermore, this sap is something Cherry went to great lengths to obtain and gift to me.
Accordingly, I should show proper manners. Although there is no need for perfume as the scent of lilacs already emanates from my body, I should use it as a bath additive at least. With the intention of giving one to Cherry someday, I began to spend my days in this manner.
And a few days later, Volume 16 of Xenon’s Biography was revealed to the world. It was a substantial volume, equivalent to nearly two books, and it received enthusiastic applause from many readers.
[Xenon. Is he a golem who writes without even eating?]
[Readers are sending mixed looks of astonishment and concern at the unprecedented massive volume. He was injured by the elves, but with this pace…]
[Did he fail to control the volume? Frankly, it would be better if he continued to fail, but for the sake of his health…]
The original Xenon’s Biography had an average thickness of one joint of a finger. However, this time, due to volume control failure and a faster plot development, it ended up being as thick as an index finger.
By the way, the standard for the index finger was me. As mentioned before, my fingers are long and pretty enough to be called “lily fingers.” So you can roughly imagine how thick it is. I was a bit embarrassed because I never thought I would write so much. Perhaps it was thanks to the holy power from Luminous that my unique focus was unleashed.
It was a hypothesis with high credibility.
[In fact, if Xenon puts in the effort, achieving this volume is not that difficult. So, next time…]
Oh, no. It’s impossible.
There was a wish in the newspapers that Volume 17 would also come out like this, but unfortunately, it cannot happen.
The reason why Volume 16 came out very thick was fundamentally due to a failure in controlling the pacing. Moreover, the message I wanted didn’t even get in, and there’s hardly any focus on Cain’s tragic past with Satan.
Even though towards the end, Xenon confronts Satan and even engages in a duel, Cain intervenes midway and challenges him to a sacred duel. Due to writing it in a haphazard manner, it fell short in terms of completeness compared to other books. Still, it seems that people are mostly satisfied with the large volume.
Anyway, let’s move beyond praising the volume and evaluate the content of the work.
[Satan, symbolizing wrath, finally releases his anger in the end. A very impressive scene.]
[Is the one who turns someone into a devil more like a devil? Or is that devil the real devil?]
[As we see in the case of Satan, we can make someone into a devil. Even though there may be no sin, there is ‘responsibility.’]
[It’s easy to destroy one person. But it’s difficult to stop such a person.]
[When the anger that blinds one’s eyes and ears disappears, you will see what’s around you.]
The evaluations followed as I expected. It will be impressive as Satan, who lived consumed by anger, has his anger resolved thanks to Cain. Moreover, Satan was a victim turned perpetrator, a character of misfortune who turned to the sword due to the betrayal of the nation.
Historically, there were many such people of this type, especially those who seek revenge when betrayed by someone they trusted.
[Revenge is just a process, the moment it becomes the destination, one is no different from a devil.]
[The only way to resolve anger is through love, as shown by Cain. Only love for family, siblings, companions, and romantic love can quell anger.]
[The process was not pleasant, but Satan met his end as a beastmen hero.]
[To end it as family, not as a devil.]
As you may know, there is a scene where Cain challenges Satan to a sacred duel and in the process, they reveal their inner feelings to each other. It turns out that Satan also harbored feelings of remorse towards Cain, and Cain also carried the guilt of not being able to stop Satan.
As time goes on, Satan’s anger subsides, and he cannot bring himself to harm Cain anymore, despite the fact that he could have subdued Cain. This was because every time he attempted to do so, Cain expressed the determination to fight to the end.
Although he had slit the throat of his father, who had betrayed him, Satan could not do the same to his brother because Cain was a true family member.
[It reveals the aspect of beastmen that values family greatly. On the other hand, it also shows a merciless side to the betrayer.]
[The characters Satan and Cain represent the current state of beastmen and the ideal that they should aspire to.]
[Sometimes, it is necessary to show sincerity, not physical strength or intelligence, in order to inspire trust in others.]
It also shed light on the relationship between Satan and Cain. It seems that it dealt with the bond between siblings rather than the romantic love between individuals, as has been shown so far.
Despite their individual circumstances and tragedies, they almost came to harm each other with swords, but brothers are still brothers. If it weren’t for the greed of their father, they would have lived happily without parting.
Because of this, the assumption ‘what if?’ also occasionally surfaced. If the great chieftain had not been ambitious, Satan would have become a great Hikton warrior, and Cain would have governed the nation well.
[Unlike the battles so far, it was one-sided and fierce. But at the same time, it was poignant.]
[It showed that even if it wasn’t a flashy and intense battle, it could leave a deep impression.]
[There must have been many emotions in their fists and claws.]
Many people also viewed Cain and Satan’s confrontation in the sacred duel favorably. Unlike before, it wasn’t intense, and it was a situation where Cain was being defeated one-sidedly, but it portrayed the tragedy of brothers vividly, touching the hearts of many.
Some people praised it as one of the top battle scenes in the series, while others said it wasn’t as good as the showdown with Sakran, no matter what. Because it was nearly two volumes long and was tightly packed, the criticisms of people were also diverse. In fact, before it was officially published, I received a letter from the publishing company.
[Hello, Mr. Xenon. I am Musk Grid, the president of the Grik publishing company. The reason for my message is that the manuscript you sent us this time is too long… (omitted) … so I suggest dividing it into two volumes. Ah, of course, it’s just a suggestion, and if you wish, you can publish it as it is.]
From the publisher’s perspective, it would be much more profitable to split it into two. It was actually a reasonable length for that. However, I just requested that it be sold as one bundle. I’m sorry to the publisher, but there was no suitable point to cut it off, and if it sells out, there might be an empty space in the middle.
In the printing industry, there was almost no enthusiasm for introducing new technology, but that was before Volume 12 came out. Recently, there has been a frequent rush.
The reason, as everyone knows, is because of Xenon’s Biography. Starting from Volume 12, Xenon’s Biography began to spread widely, and people from all races started buying it.
Now, it sold like hotcakes not only to humans but also to other races, so the printing house was in a situation where they could only exclaim, ‘We can’t handle this!’ Because of this, the publishing company hastily signed contracts with several printing houses, but it was still an unbearable situation as it started selling worldwide.
‘Still, I can say they’re doing well in business.’
The CEO of the publishing company was a person of deep integrity, so he wouldn’t be foolish enough to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Despite the nobles and even the elves coming, he remained resolute to the extent of not revealing any clues about my identity. There may have been suspicions of embezzlement, but that level of corruption can be overlooked.
It can’t be helped that the president of the publishing company looked sullen, but considering the enthusiastic cheers from the readers, this might be just fine as it is.
[What will Cain, the new leader of the Hikton, do? Will he abolish the bad habits and traditions, or will he maintain them? Speculation is high.]
[Even on the devil side, one of the top officers, Satan, has fallen, so they should be on alert. The wrath has disappeared, but other sins are still thriving.]
[Who will be the next sin they encounter?]
It hasn’t been long since Volume 16 was released, but there were already many people eagerly anticipating Volume 17. Fortunately, the plot itself was well-structured, so once the writing is done, it’s over.
If the holy power I received from Luminous also affects concentration, it won’t be long until it’s released. It would be nice to just sleep until then…
However, there’s a problem that has arisen here.
However, a problem arose here.
“Hey! Help me out a bit!!”
“No. What are you doing here all of a sudden… By the way, when did you come back?”
“That’s not the issue!”
Leona, who had returned from Animers, grabbed my shoulder and shouted as soon as she saw me.
“It’s starting to look like I will become a Great Chieftain just like this!!”
“…?”
Translators note:
Thank you everyone for the well wishes!
