At the same time the 19th volume was released, rumors spread about a new temple being erected on Michelle territory. Even those who didn’t subscribe to the newspaper would have caught wind of it through the grapevine. In other words, acquaintances who know my true identity are aware that I’ve received the gift from the demons.
Cecily knows the nature of the gift, so she overlooked it. The rest of the people, however, were left wondering what kind of gift I received that drastically improved my work speed, considering they were used to me releasing a new volume once a month, but now I could manage one every two weeks or even ten days.
Therefore, I arranged a meeting to show them the typewriter. Since I had finished all my exams, having a gathering after such a long time wasn’t an issue. Oh, of course, I couldn’t openly carry the typewriter around, so I enlisted Cecily’s help. Cecily had become closer to me since the reincarnation remark from Arwen the last time, but after the release of the 19th volume, it felt like we had grown even closer.
It seemed different from mere misunderstanding; even the gaze had changed. It felt like the expression of her affection had intensified, perhaps as the evil cycle approached.
Anyway, with Cecily’s assistance, I arrived at the café where my acquaintances were waiting. Since the exams were almost over, I could afford to take a little breather.
“Is this it?”
“Yeah.”
“It looks fascinating.”
Let me show you the typewriter first. Marie opened her eyes wide, scanning here and there with a sense of wonder and curiosity in her blue eyes, like a child discovering a toy. As I smiled at the unknown delight of witnessing her, Marie, who had been examining the typewriter, pressed the keys firmly with her index finger.
Coincidentally, the typewriter was already powered on, and holographic characters began to line up on the display. Marie, watching the scene, exclaimed in awe and removed her index finger. At the same time, the characters that had been appearing stopped.
Looking at the holographic characters suspended in the air, she turned to me and asked.
“How do you use this?”
“Do you see the gap here at the bottom? If you insert paper here, the characters will be copied onto it.”
“Amazing. How does it work, though?”
“I have no idea.”
I am ignorant not only in magic but also in engineering. Even in my past life, I was a liberal arts student; does that count for anything? Anyway, explaining the principle wouldn’t make sense to anyone except Cecily, who understands these things.
“Can I write anything?”
“Of course. Feel free to write.”
At Marie’s request, I gently pushed the typewriter toward her. She carefully examined the typewriter once again, then began pressing each letter with her index finger.
The way she typed using the eagle method was truly cute and endearing. She seemed completely absorbed, alternating between focusing on the typewriter and the hologram, occasionally biting her lip in concentration.
Curious about what she might type, I shifted my gaze to the hologram displaying the sequence of characters. As expected, she was in the midst of typing her own name.
Just like the Gartz explained before, people’s thoughts seem to be quite similar in appearance.
Wiiing—
Finally, just in case, I had prepared an extra sheet of paper for copying, and as I did, Marie’s blue eyes sparkled endlessly.
Written with a clean font, she exclaimed upon seeing her name printed on the paper.
“Wow! This is amazing. Is this the gift from Helium?”
“It’s a masterpiece crafted by the artisans of Helium, filled with dedication.”
Cecily shrugged, crossing her arms. Due to the crossed arms, her chest was emphasized even more
Seemingly, she wanted to emanate as much confidence and poise as her ample chest displayed. Undoubtedly, the typewriter was an incredible invention, bordering on innovation.
It even featured a backspace function unlike regular typewriters. It was a masterpiece beyond its time, combining magic and engineering.
“Well then, let Isaac try writing once. I’m curious about how it’s done.”
In front of me, Rina, elegantly sipping her tea, made a suggestion with an enthusiastic gaze. Despite her lineage from the royal family, the existence of a typewriter seemed mysterious to her as well.
In response, I willingly obliged her request, placing the typewriter in front of me. At first, I pondered what to write, but I began typing whatever came to mind.
Taptaptap taptap
Characters appeared skillfully rather than in the eagle-pecking style. Characters amalgamated into words, words flowed into sentences.
[Hello. I am Isaac Ducker Michelle, Xenon’s Biography author.]
The completion of this sentence took no more than ten seconds.
If I had written it by hand, it would have taken several times longer. Working with just a typewriter made the process smooth, drastically reducing writing time by more than double.
“How was it?”
“It’s incredibly fast. You’re using all your fingers.”
Rina looked at my formidable typing skill with admiration, as did Marie, who was observing from the side. However, Cecily wore a somewhat subtle expression. She glanced between the produced sentences and me before coyly asking,
“Are you already proficient at this?”
“Yeah, it’s getting easier after a few tries.”
“Is that so?”
For some reason, Cecily still looked at me with a mysterious gaze. After staring at me for a while, she grinned and spoke up.
“As expected, huh.”
“What do you mean?”
“Is Isaac quick to adapt to these kinds of things?”
“··· ···”
I can vaguely grasp the meaning behind her words. As I mentioned earlier, after Arwen’s reincarnation remark, Cecily has been speculating that I might be a reincarnator.
In that situation, by quickly adapting to this new invention, it’s as though I’ve stamped my identity completely.
Maybe Cecily aimed for this. In my eagerness to show off, my habits from a past life inadvertently surfaced.
If I flinch here, others will probably be suspicious too. I answered evasively, avoiding Cecily’s gaze.
“I, I just got used to it quickly while practicing. I initially tapped with my index finger. Anyway, thanks to you, my work speed has significantly increased. I’m really grateful.”
“If you’re grateful, you know what to do, right?”
While gently caressing her lower abdomen, Cecily subtly rested her hand on my thigh. Is it just an illusion that Kate’s image was reflected in Cecily?
But Kate genuinely lacks common sense in some areas, while Cecily is filled with her own desires; that’s the difference.
When I couldn’t say anything and was awkwardly smiling, the relief pitcher came to the rescue appropriately.
“Hah! Where are you getting greedy? The first one has always been mine, hasn’t it? You sly fox.”
“Tsk.”
My lovely girlfriend, Marie, spoke firmly, pushing away Cecily’s hand on her thigh.
Cecily, aware that she might have been too greedy, showed regret but didn’t offer any other retort. However, she just stepped back, but she probably had a lot to say. Cecily glanced briefly at Marie and grumbled under her breath.
“Can’t you consider the wait? Even though I’m a demon and have a long lifespan, waiting is tough.”
“Don’t demons consider moderation a virtue? Surely, Princess, you don’t lack such virtue.”
“··· ···”
As Marie touched upon the virtue similar to the demon’s belief, Cecily awkwardly chuckled.
In reality, despite being a demon with strong self-control, Cecily doesn’t hesitate to express her desires towards me. This became even stronger, especially after meeting Arwen.
Marie was no different. Using her unique intuition, she felt something off in Cecily’s attitude, and her vigilance intensified.
But it’s nothing more than a small, white cat hissing. I gently stroked Marie’s head to ease her displeased expression.
The wary expression on Marie’s face, filled with caution, gradually softened as I pet her head. Then she firmly grabbed my arm and pushed her head against it as if asking for more.
Marie is always adorable. It seems like an undeniable law.
“…Anyway, Isaac. Did you hear the news? There’s talk of a temple being erected in your territory.”
To dispel the subtle tension, Rina mentioned the situation in our territory. While I was petting Marie’s head against my arm, I glanced at Rina. Cecily, with a discontented expression, suggested we move on momentarily.
“Of course, I heard. I couldn’t believe it when I did. Has there been no word from the royal side?”
“As you said, a temple cannot be built just because the clergy strongly advocates it. It should ideally be done under the agreement of leaders from each nation. The same goes for Helium.”
Rina spoke while glancing at Cecily, indicating for an explanation. In response, Cecily, seeming to prepare for a serious conversation, shrugged before speaking in a calm, deliberate tone.
“Rina’s right. Temples are supposed to be built under the agreement of leaders from each side. But this time, it’s different. Even the Minerva Empire readily agreed.”
“They agreed immediately?”
“Yeah. It seems to me they’re planning to turn the Michelle territory into a Xenon district entirely… Or am I mistaken?”
Cecily chuckled and threw a question at Rina. Her smile might have seemed beautiful at first glance, but it held various political implications.
Rina noticed the meaning behind that smile and faintly smiled before raising her teacup. Gracefully sipping her tea, she then spoke in a calm voice.
“Yeah. Isaac mentioned writing a side story for the demons, and things escalated quickly. Plus, with the Luminous Temple under construction, it’ll truly become Xenon’s territory.”
“Helium is one thing, but was there an agreement beforehand for the Luminous Temple?”
“No. That was something Kate, the Grand Inquisitor, pushed for almost forcefully.”
“What?”
There’s a rumor that the Luminous Temple will be completed just before the exhibition. That means construction began not long ago.
It usually takes several months for leaders of each country to meet and reach an agreement, but all that was skipped.
As more Luminous Temples are erected, the power of the Xavier’s nation naturally grows stronger. So, having many temples isn’t necessarily a good thing.
That’s why there’s usually strict consensus before constructing temples, but Michelle territory progressed without any of that.
In a serious view, it’s clearly ignoring the Minerva Empire, but for some reason, there’s no word about it.
“Then there will be a lot of talk about this?”
“At first, yes. But Cardinal Kate declared she’d build a sanctuary for Xenon.”
“Sanctuary?”
“Yes. Like Alvenheim itself, declaring Xenon’s birthplace a sanctuary. I suppose they see you as a divine envoy.”
Envoy? That term was also used in theology. People chosen by gods to save the world from crises, like saints.
Though Kate possesses formidable divine power, bestowed by the grace of Luminous, enough to be called an incarnation, she seems to consider me a saint. However, I obtained my divine power purely by chance and coincidence. I am definitely not the saint she envisions.
Feeling perplexed and utterly dumbfounded, I couldn’t utter a word. Rina gently explained.
“Moreover, at present, Cardinal Kate is exerting significant influence within Xavier after purging the corrupted cardinal. Having a figure with such influence declare you as a saint, there is no choice but to permit it unless there is a reasonable justification. It’s also advantageous from our empire’s perspective.”
“Um… There won’t be any harm coming to the Michelle territory, right?”
I find getting involved in politics troublesome, especially since my father detests the conflicts among nobles and was assigned the Michelle territory. I want to avoid causing trouble for my family as much as possible.
“It’s hard to say. Can anyone really trouble you politically? The Michelle territory, which can receive the protection of Luminous, Mora, and perhaps even Harte’s in the future? If you inherit the position of the lord and someone slights you, you might even declare a holy war, not just in Xavier but possibly extending to Helium.”
However, Rina responded with an answer that belittled my concerns. Ironically, her reaction seemed more absurd than my worries.
Thanks to her, I’ve become acutely aware of the current situation of our territory. It means even touching it comes with considerable risk.
But if it goes that way, my family should be able to live comfortably. I nodded contentedly, reassured.
“Well, that’s fortunate. It’s a bit burdensome, though.”
“Even that burden will become familiar over time. Our husband is truly amazing.”
The cat, who had been rubbing against me until now, playfully looked up at me, gently brushing against my face while subtly stroking my thigh.
Marie doesn’t seem to pay much attention to who I am, whether Xenon or whatever. She’s just happy that I’m advancing to higher places, and that, in turn, makes her happy. I adore her for this.
‘Should I just have a child?’
I had such a naughty thought for a moment. However, even for her future, contraception needs to be consistently maintained.
As she made a discreet gesture, I cautiously held her as if understanding her intention. Her smile then deepened even more.
Perhaps our affectionate behavior made Rina uncomfortable, as she blushed and coughed lightly.
“Uh, um. Anyway, Cecily. When is Mora’s temple expected to be completed?”
“Probably before the exhibition, right?”
“What? That fast? Is that possible?”
“If there’s magic, the construction itself is rather quick. Instead, it takes a bit of time to call Mora to a temple.”
Now it’s not particularly surprising. Without such magic, inventing a typewriter would be impossible.
After saying that, Cecily clapped her hands and then spoke to me as if she had just remembered something.
“Oh, by the way, Isaac. Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah?”
“You said last time that the model for Lilith was me. You also said illustrations would be included accordingly.”
“That’s right.”
However, the sudden focus on Xenon’s Biography as prophecy began to disrupt the original plan.
How many unique and beautiful women are there in the world like Cecily? If her drawings were attached, there might have been some damage to Cecily as well.
That’s why it was put on hold, and Cecily agreed. But it seems that the perspective has changed with the release of Volume 19.
“Can we include it now? Volume 19 didn’t justify Lilith’s misdeeds, but the perspective has greatly improved. You know that too, Marie, right? Lilith called out the lover’s name at the end and died.”
“Oh, that? I know about it too. That scene was really sad. I wished Pride would just die.”
“What about Rina?”
“She seems no different from demons in reality.”
“You heard, right?”
Cecily, having heard the opinions of Marie and Rina, finally asked me. I faced Cecily with a subtle expression.
What could she be thinking to bring up the topic of illustrations? Perhaps, does she really think of herself as Lilith? Honestly, that’s the direction my thoughts leaned toward.
Still, I can’t refuse her request like that. I reluctantly nodded, granting her request.
“Okay. But as for the drawings…”
“We can support you from the helium’s side with the illustrations. If you only depict the characters, we can draw others as well.”
I was about to suggest finding an illustrator, but Cecily interrupted. She said she could support not only Lilith’s illustration but also other characters if needed.
Once again, I faced Cecily directly. She still smiled, looking at me with her reddish eyes.
In those eyes, there was a deep trust and an indescribable emotion towards me.
It wasn’t scary or intimidating at all. On the contrary, it was the opposite, raising questions.
“Noona?”
“Yeah, Isaac?”
“Do you really think of me as a prophet?”
I asked, and Cecily answered with a grin.
“Yes, of course.”
The reincarnation statement of Arwen last time and the depiction of Lilith’s end in Volume 19.
“I don’t want to face such an ending.”
Those two seemed to create a suitable synergy and caused confusion for Cecily.
“So, as soon as possible, I want to give birth to Isaac’s child.”
“… …”
I was left speechless.
Translators note:
