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

14 – 14. Dining with Stella

14.

As Lyn’s royal guard, Shen was displeased with the current situation.

He couldn’t fathom why they had to interact with the princess of the Western Empire, and the mere fact that Lyn was staying by the side of someone who wasn’t a warrior irked him.

Certainly, the female knight who served as the princess’s escort seemed strong enough to stir his competitive spirit, but that was all.

What troubled him most was the white-haired maid following Alain.

‘…She’s strong.’

As Lyn’s guardian, Shen had accumulated practical experience from countless battles since his youth.

‘…Is she a handmaiden from the Sword King family?’

Of course, being skilled in martial arts was expected for those working in the Kung Lung martial arts house, but the vibe emanating from Meia was different.

Those lacking proper training emitted a raw and untamed energy.

The more unrefined the energy, the shallower the level of one’s training. However, with the white-haired maid, he only felt the tranquility of a deep and still lake.

‘Her training is exceptional. She wasn’t with him before.’

Though Alain himself wasn’t entirely disconnected from the martial world.

Being a child of the Sword King family, he would naturally possess enough sword skills to protect himself, and indeed, Shen had sensed that he had undergone some level of training.

But with Meia, Shen felt uncertain of his own chances.

‘On par with the Sword King’s Sword Dragon, or perhaps even beyond?’

Shen thought it made no sense for a mere maid to possess skill comparable to Albert, a direct descendant of the Sword King.

“It’s not good to probe others excessively. It could become a matter of gossip.”

It was after Lyn, Felicia, and Alain had all entered the drawing room.

Meia turned to look at Shen, who continued to scrutinize her.

Her eyes, deep-set behind her glasses, were as cold and profound as the ocean depths.

“…If I have been rude, I must apologize.”

“If you have something to say, say it now.”

“I would like to spar, if you have the time.”

“I refuse.”

Her response was sharp.

Meia spoke.

“I am here to serve my lord. I have no time to indulge in private sparring. Unless you have another matter, please refrain from speaking to me.”

With that definitive boundary set, Meia shifted her gaze away from Shen.

Her eyes now rested on Stella, who bit her lip in apparent anxiety.

“Miss Evans.”

“Why, why, why, why, why, why are you acting like this?”

How tense must she be?

Stella reacts overly sensitively to Meia’s call.

Is it because she is a servant of the Muller family that she reacts so sensitively, or is she concerned about Allen?

Meia said,

“I heard that you committed a faux pas before the young master.”

“That, th-th-th-that’s not!”

“Rest assured. The young master has said nothing about that matter. As you can see with Professor McKillan’s case, if he truly feels insulted, he won’t hold back.”

“Ah…”

“But please don’t forget.”

Meia’s deep blue eyes were fixed on Stella.

“That doesn’t mean the action you took towards the young master will be forgotten.”

“…Hic.”

“I am watching.”

It was a warning.

Stella’s face turned deathly pale.

***

“It’s noisy outside…”

Rin slightly furrowed her brow at the conversation seeping in through her keen hearing from outside the reception room.

The voices of two guards and a maid, three people in total, drifted to Rin’s ears.

“Shen, seems we’ll have to have a talk when we return.”

Her guard, Shen, has a tendency to disdain the weak.

It’s that very nature that had led him to be rebuked when he was about to speak out of turn to Allen. Growing up fighting countless people as Rin’s guard since childhood, he never learned to respect anyone who wasn’t strong.

The only one who could control Shen was Rin herself.

And it was because of this disposition that she had preferred not to bring him on this study trip if possible.

“…Sigh.”

Rin’s sigh made Carl, sitting seriously across from her, flinch.

“Your Highness, is there something bothering you…?”

“No. It’s just a bit noisy outside.”

“Really? I don’t hear anything.”

Karl genuinely looked as though he had no idea what was being talked about.

Alan’s voice was heard.

“I’ll ask you to review the draft as soon as possible, Mr. Karl. Just like last time, if you please.”

“Understood, Lord Alan. I’ll take care of the second volume of ‘The Schrödinger Chronicles’ just as you request.”

Felicia spoke up.

“You won’t be using cheap paper, would you, Mr. Adonel?”

“Absolutely not! You can rest assured about the quality of the paper. We are supplied with the best quality paper from the factory contracted with our publishing house!”

With two thumps on his chest, Karl boastfully assured her.

Alan said,

“There’s no need to worry about the quality of the paper, Princess. I made sure to check the paper personally when we signed the contract. Mr. Karl is someone I trust.”

“I shall surely live up to Lord Alan’s trust.”

“Once again, I’m relying on you, Mr. Karl.”

“I stake my life on it! I will secure the maximum quantity just like before. And, about a special event for the first edition…?”

“No plans yet.”

“That’s a shame. If you do change your mind, please make sure to contact our publishing house…”

“Will do.”

With the thought crossing his mind that it was fortunate to be born into a family without financial worries, Alan rose from his seat.

“Please take care of it.”

“It is us who should be saying please. We’ll send you a sample as soon as the draft is ready.”

“Alright then…”

After Alan left, Karl wiped away his sweat with a handkerchief.

Looking with a sickened gaze at the place where Felicia and Lynn, the two princesses, had been, Karl slumped into the sofa as if collapsing.

“Please, don’t bring the princesses next time, Lord Alan…”

***

– Countdown to the Publication of ‘The Schrödinger Chronicles’ Volume 2

– It has been revealed that the author Alan Edgar von Mueller and Princess Felicia visited Adonel Publishing House, which handles the publishing and distribution of ‘The Schrödinger Chronicles’

– Adonel Publishing House announced they received the manuscript from author Alan Edgar von Mueller and will do their utmost to secure the initial print run.

“Do I have a stalker?”

Alan clicked his tongue upon seeing the headline in the Imperial Newspaper, which even detailed the fact that he had recently delivered the manuscript.

Of course, since he was accompanied by Lyn and Felicia, it was natural for it to be reported by the newspaper, but it was unexpected that it would come out so soon.

“Do these people have nothing better to do?”

“Should we intervene?”

“No need. It’s not like those newspaper hacks will back off. If we harass them for no good reason, they’ll cry oppression by the media.”

“You know more than I thought.”

Allen shrugged his shoulders.

Then Meia said,

“Princess Felicia has sent a message.”

“Huh? The princess?”

“Yes. She said she will be waiting for you at ‘Le Carnua’ for lunch today.”

“What?”

Le Carnua is a high-class restaurant in the academy.

Commoners would find it burdensome to even approach the area. Le Carnua, known for its lavish interior, was a place for the super-rich who wouldn’t blink twice about spending at least 1 gold for a meal.

It was perfectly understandable for Allen to be flabbergasted.

“A meal there costs more than 1 gold!”

“Yes.”

“But I have to go there? No other options?”

“None.”

Being asked in person by Felicia herself, Allen had no excuse to decline.

Allen wore a dumbfounded face.

“Why all of a sudden…”

“She didn’t tell me anything else. She just said she would be waiting at Le Carnua.”

“I’m going crazy.”

At a cost of 1 gold per meal, by the standard of four people, it’s an amount a common family could live on for a year. If it’s 1 silver, it would be enough to afford 100 pieces of bread, enough to cover meals for 30 days.

It’s overspending, just to blow such money on a single meal.

Allen was uncomfortable just thinking about it.

“I… don’t want to go.”

“You have to.”

“I guess so…”

With a sigh, Allen rose to his feet.

“Let’s go, Meia.”

“I will guide you.”

“…Stella. Just stay still, okay?”

“B-but…”

“Situation won’t change just because you’re fidgeting around like a dog that needs to poop.”

Stella clenched her eyes shut.

She was wearing the academy uniform as usual, but it wasn’t a fitting attire for a high-end restaurant.

“D-Did we really need to have our meeting here…”

“Didn’t I say I’ll arrange the place? Besides, I’m aware that Alan’s maid gave you a warning. My thought is, if we want to forget everything cleanly, this kind of gathering is appropriate.”

Felicia took a sip of an expensive western imperial tea, which cost more than two silvers a glass.

Her gaze turned towards the restaurant door.

“Seems like they just arrived.”

The door of the restaurant opened and in came Alan in his uniform and Meia dressed as a maid.

Alan, who was observing his surroundings, noticed Felicia and Stella and approached their table.

“Princess.”

“Welcome, Alan.”

“What brings…”

“I heard that Stella has something to say, so I called for a meal together.”

Upon hearing Felicia’s nonchalant words, Stella internally screamed.

‘Princess?!’

At Felicia’s words, Alan’s gaze turned to Stella.

A look filled with confusion.

His facial expression seemed to convey that he didn’t have much to say, but Stella did.

“I don’t exactly have…”

“Sit down.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

With that firm command from Felicia, Alan obediently sat down without any objections.

As though it had been waiting, the food appeared.

Felicia lifted her utensils first and spoke.

“Let’s eat first. We will talk slowly.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“…Yes.”

The uncomfortably awkward mealtime with Allen, Stella, and Felicia began.