How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World Chapter 64

Published at 28th of March 2023 07:09:57 AM

March 24th, 2023

It was about ten days after sending mail containing my manuscript and letter to my home when I received it.

Normally, it takes about a week for a reply to come back after sending a letter, but for some reason, it was a little delayed this time. Furthermore, the mail was thick.

'What could be inside?'

Unlike before, I looked at the thick package curiously, and then opened the top. After opening it, I could see that there were quite a few letters inside. 

They were neatly organized like a book, not messy or scattered like my mother usually sends it.

'Are all of these fan letters?'

There was a high probability that they were. I looked at the letters carefully and picked out the most noticeable one. 

Judging by the fact that only this letter caught my eye, it was likely my parents' letter. 

And when I checked the sender, I was certain that it was a letter from my parents. Without hesitation, I tore open the tightly sealed entrance and took out the contents.

[I picked out some of the fan letters you asked me to send. The publishing company says they can't send them all at once because there are too many. I'll send them gradually later.]

At first, it was a letter from my father. As expected, he only focused on the essentials and conveyed what he wanted to say to me.

[By the way, the publishing company didn't mention anything about your leave. Maybe they gave up communicating with us because it was difficult. Instead, there will be quite a bit of backlash. Be prepared.]

It had been a long time since my family had known about my break. Moreover, since I had included the author's note on the last page of the manuscript this time, the publishing company must have noticed as well.

I'm a bit worried about the advice to “be prepared”, but it's not like people gather in front of the publisher asking for the book,right?. Now I'll just focus on my studies and even if Rina or Leort asks me to publish a book, I'll refuse it all. I've been working hard until now, so I need a break to look around me and rest.

'Oh, here's the letter from my mother.'

As usual, my mother sent a long letter. Mostly asking about how my exams went, how my academy life is, and so on. Most of it was just asking about my well-being.

Still, it feels healing to know that my mother is worried about me. She takes the time to send these long letters every month, even though it must be a hassle for her. 

That makes me want to be more filial. I repeated reading my mother's letter a couple of times and then looked inside the package.

I saw that it was packed with fan letters.

'This is only a part of it?'

I heard that this was just a selection, so I wonder how many more letters there are. It would probably take me a few days just to read them all. 

I took the fan letters out and put them on my desk in a bunch. There were envelopes of all kinds of colors and patterns.

I hesitated about which one to choose, but I randomly picked one that caught my eye. It was a pink envelope with a gold-embossed flower pattern.

[Cherry Blossom Roseberry]

It seems like a noble name, with a strong scent of cherry blossoms. I recalled who the Roseberry family was while opening the envelope.

The envelope was also pink, and it seemed like the color was the exclusive color of the family.

[Hello! Writer! My name is Cherry Blossom Roseberry, the eldest daughter of the Roseberry Marquess!]

I felt a strong impression of liveliness from her first greeting. It was a different kind of energy than Marie's.

I carefully read the fan letter that filled the pages. Most of it was about how much she enjoyed Xenon's Biography and how she wanted to write a novel like that herself.

[In two years, I'll be admitted to the Halo Academy! If I have as much knowledge as you, Writer, maybe someday I can write a story like Xenon's Biography? If I get the chance, I want to meet you in person and learn how to write. But I know you don't like to show yourself in public, so I'll have to endure it. I'll work hard!]

“Hmm?”

I quickly checked the date of the letter upon hearing that she was going to be admitted to the Halo Academy. Surprisingly, the letter was sent a month ago. So if I become a third-year student, it means I might be able to meet this noble lady. Of course, even if we meet, I won't be able to reveal that I'm the writer.

'Still, it feels good.'

There's nothing more satisfying than hearing someone else say they want to write like you. Someone who admires me.

I smiled with pride that I couldn't hide and read through the letter to the end. Other than the fact that she was going to be admitted to the academy and that she wanted to write like me, there was nothing else that bothered me.

'I should keep this.'

I think it's a good idea to keep fan letters like this that praise or support my work. If I look at these fan letters whenever I feel down, it will give me energy.

I was thinking about how to store fan letters and decided to put them in envelopes. I'll sort them out separately later, so I've put them on my desk for now.

'Next…'

While checking the fan letters, I found one thing. If it was sent by a commoner, it was plain, but if it was sent by a noble, it had unique patterns in addition to colors. 

Furthermore, there were overwhelmingly more fan letters from commoners than from nobles. Originally, the novel was more popular among nobles than commoners, but Xenon's Biography is a novel that is easy to read regardless of social status.

Moreover, the number of nobles accounts for only about 1% of the total population. This is why there are likely more fan letters from commoners.

[Hello, my name is Guild Tes Hillert Jazak, and I was deeply impressed after reading your book. So I have a suggestion. Visit our family and…]

Especially among the nobles, there were many who tried to appeal their status and draw in their family. I just skimmed over those letters.

Still, I won't throw it away because they wrote a letter while bending their pride. Even if no one sees them, it's just basic courtesy.

Anyway, it's best to read the fan letters from commoners later. I definitely won't be able to read them all today because there are just too many.

[Marie Hausen Requilis]

“… …”

As I was reading through the fan letters, I was able to find the one that Marie had sent me. I blinked my eyes and looked at the white envelope before finally curling up my lips.

What kind of content did Marie include in the letter? I was excited to find out.

Finally, I unfolded the letter and started reading Marie's handwritten fan letter.

[Hello? Respected writer, my name is Marie from the Requilis family, and I am really enjoying reading your work.]

It was unexpectedly simple in style, and the content only praised my work.

Well, it doesn't matter. I had a different goal in mind.

“What if I just take this and recite it as is?”

What would happen?

“Don't read it! Didn't I tell you not to read it?!”

“Ah! Don't hit me! Okay! I won't read it!”

I got hit in the back.

*****

As I mentioned before, some nobles are giving bribes to publishers who have made contracts with Xenon's Biography. Most of the requests are to reveal who the author of Xenon's Biography is or to secretly provide the new book.

Of course, the publishers only provide the latest publication and never reveal the author's identity. From the publisher's point of view, it is better to give the golden eggs after getting the goose that lays them.

Even the high-ranking nobles did not complain about this because if the author of Xenon's Biography disappears due to unnecessary fuss, they will suffer a great loss. 

Therefore, finding the author of Xenon's Biography was put on hold, and they received the latest publication in advance. Thanks to this, they were able to read Xenon's Biography without having to compete fiercely, even before the news of its release was officially announced.

“Hmm~ HmmHmmmm~”

The princess of the Minerva Empire, Rina, was humming a song in her room while carefully opening a certain mail.

As you can tell by her singing, she was very happy. Unlike when she wore a mask, her smile was sincere.

The reason was in the mail that she was opening.

“Tada~”

Rina pulled out a book from the mail and held it up towards the ceiling with a flashy move. There was no one in her room, but it was a grand gesture.

It was evidence that she was in a good mood, and there was a good reason for that.

It was because the book she was holding up was the 10th volume of Xenon's Biography, which has not been officially announced by the publishers yet.

The Imperial Family lobbied the publishers to receive it faster than anyone else.

'That's the power of authority. Hehe.'

Even if someone were to criticize her for wasting her power in such a useless place, Rina wouldn't care. To her, using power has been ingrained as common sense since she entered the political world as a child.

She looked at the 10 th volume of the series of Xenon's Biography with loving eyes and slowly placed it on the desk.

'Isaac is truly a genius.'

Looking at Xenon's Biography, she naturally thought of Isaac. She still had the misunderstanding that Hawk was telling him the story while Isaac was writing it, but that didn't change the fact that Isaac's writing skills were exceptional.

Rina couldn't even imagine how she could acquire such writing skills. It was an ability that didn't suit his age at all, no matter how you looked at it. 

'I must capture him for the empire. But first…'

She smiled happily and opened the book.

She was very excited about what kind of story would unfold and what would make her happy this time.

'Wow. A love story between humans and elves? This won't be easy.'

This was also a topic that would cause a global sensation, especially among the elves.

Moreover, even without pictures, the amazing readability and descriptions that could be imagined in her mind were always surprising. The conflict and struggles between Xenon's mentor and the elf queen were so vividly portrayed that it felt real.

And that was not all. The story was so vast that she couldn't even imagine it. She couldn't help but be amazed as each hint was resolved one by one.

'Ah, I already finished reading it. It's too bad…'

Without realizing how time had flown by, she had read through to the end. Unfortunately, since Xenon's master had infiltrated the area managed on the devils side, it was all the more regretful.

'I wonder what the relationship between the teacher and the elven queen will be like? It's sure to turn out well, right?'

Although Xenon's master had left some uneasy remarks here and there, it would be better if they were connected for the sake of their dreams and hopes. There could be no tragedy worse than something happening to one of them.

Moreover, Xenon's master was a pure-hearted man who only had eyes for the elven queen. When he taught Xenon, he was just an eccentric person, but after today, her perception had changed.

Furthermore, the story about him wanting to become stronger to prolong his life was a tear-jerking one that could not be ignored. His effort to transcend the limits of his race and obtain love would be an inspiration to many people.

'It will turn out well. Um, it has to turn out well.'

But what was this anxiety lurking in her heart? She had a premonition that something bad would happen to Xenon's master.

Suppressing her feelings, Rina turned to the next page. It had become a habit of hers to check if there was anything left, even though the story had already ended.

“Hmm? The author's note?”

As she turned the final page, a new section titled “Author's Note” unfolded. With wide eyes, Rina expressed her confusion and began to read the words written by the author.

At first, it was just a simple introduction. However, the fact that Isaac had started using the pen name Xenon was unexpected to Rina. The author revealing his pen name meant that he had a desire to communicate with the world.

But…

'…Huh?'

It didn't take long for Rina to have a certain thought pop into her head.

'At least year-long.. break notice? Emotionally burdened?'

This was not good news.

'Up to two years at that…?'

A large storm was about to hit.

“…Huh?”

With a crestfallen expression, Rina stared blankly at the author's note.

Translators note:

Shits about to hit the fun

Bonus chapter for getting 5 reviews.

Chapter end