NOVEL NEXT chapter 30
30 – Chapter 30. Complications (2)
30.
“You really stirred things up, Allen.”
“You don’t seem concerned at all, Albert. Weren’t you the one who was up in arms about the knight’s honor being tarnished?”
At Allen’s words, Albert chuckled.
“A fiction is a fiction; reality is reality. Of course, the impact of ‘The Battle of Schuren’ is significant, I won’t deny.”
“I wish you wouldn’t invest so much into it, like you.”
“It’s only natural to lash out when the moment is right. There’s no shortage of people who despise our lineage.”
“Makes sense when you put it that way.”
Indeed, the military power held by the Mueller Duchy is not to be taken lightly.
Due to the absolute loyalty of the Duke Mueller, the father of the emperor, his military power was like a sword ready to strike against any noble who would oppose the emperor.
Allen himself had heard such stories countless times as he grew up.
“But do you think our father would even react to such provocations?”
“He’d probably be laughing with delight in his office. He might even say it reminds him of his youth.”
“His youth?”
“Yes. Did you learn about Osrian?”
“Yes, I did.”
Upon noting Allen’s curiosity, Albert, beaming with a smile, continued his story.
“There’s a tale from before our father gained the nickname, ‘Sword King’. He was frequenting the eastern borders where skirmishes with Osrian regularly occurred.”
“How many years ago was that?”
“About 25 years ago Imperial Standard Time? It was even before we were born. He was said to wander the eastern borderlands as part of his training, assisting those in need.”
“Did you hear this from father himself?”
“Yes, I did. Hasn’t he ever told you, Allen?”
“Our relationship was never that good, you know that. It’s my fault for not paying attention when father talked.”
Albert sneered at what Allen had to say.
Their father, Duke Muller, used to scold his youngest son for not fulfilling his duty, while Allen would voice his yearning to leave everything, even the family name, and go out on his own if he could.
The one who managed to rein them in was their mother, Sharna Blanc, who was now back in her hometown for a little rest.
Allen used to scold him for saying such things, even yelling at their father that it only made Allen more rebellious when he heard comments like that.
“Hmm, I miss mom. I wonder if the news of Shuren’s electricity has reached the East.”
“Brother?”
“Well, anyway. It seems that father fought an orc directly at the eastern border. I believe he said he was now the great lord of Osrian.”
“A great lord? Isn’t it an emperor if it’s an empire?”
“Right. He mentioned that he fought the orc and won. If only he had killed him then, he wouldn’t have become the great lord of Osrian.”
“Father is too warlike.”
At Allen’s words, Albert shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know what dad will think, but don’t get too upset if he responds unfavorably.”
“Well, this time I expected resistance right from the start.”
That was a device to directly show what the world looks like to Shuren, a foreigner.
The protagonist is not from the empire to start with.
So it’s about showing a concept that’s different from what the people of the West know.
Allen said,
“Ah, don’t you gamble anymore?”
“Not right now. It seems the guy who draws disappeared. Did you said you asked the guys at the Morrison Detective Agency to look into it?”
“That’s right. They must be on it fervently as we speak.”
“Thanks to them, it seems that drawings of swordsmanship have stopped being distributed after the first volume. It doesn’t seem like they’ve got to the root of the problem yet.”
“You mean they didn’t get to the root?”
“Yes. There seems to be some secret dealers. You have the originals, don’t you?”
Allen walked over to a drawer, and took out a book titled Dohee in Kunlung script.
Looking down at Dohee, Allen said grimly,
“There might be people who are after this.”
“Most of them would know that you have it.”
“They probably don’t try to steal it because of you, right?”
Albert shrugged his shoulder again, laughing.
Probably because Albert spectacularly defeated the guys who picked a fight with Allen last time, there aren’t any guys who dare to mess with Allen.
“Anyway, take care of yourself. You never know what those crazies could do.”
“Alright.”
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Take care, brother.”
***
“All three volumes sold out?”
“That’s what they say. Everyone’s talking about the story, so it’s common knowledge by now. But I want to read it for myself. How could there be not even one copy left?”
“I know, right? Maybe everyone bought it because the story is so shocking?”
“Nah, I doubt it. There’s no reason to buy a novel that everyone’s criticizing.”
“The real issue is we can’t find a copy.”
“The knights-in-training are insisting it should be burned.”
“Yet, they could be secretly reading it in the back.”
“Look over there, it’s Allen.”
“He doesn’t seem worried about what could happen.”
“Leave him be. He’s the son of the Muller Duchy. Don’t you remember when Duke Muller came and turned the academy upside down the last time? It would be terrible if anyone messed with him.”
Today again, gossip filled the walkway to the lecture hall.
Allen, the center of this gossip, barely listened as he opened the lecture hall door. As he opened the door, a wave of golden hair, light as a feather, distracted him.
It was Felicia.
“Allen! What on earth happened in volume three!”
“Good morning, your highness. It’s a lovely morning.”
“Good morning… Ah! This is not the time for greetings!”
“Allen Muller!! Are you out of your mind! What kind of twist is this…!”
From behind Felicia, an excited Stella charged towards him like a bull.
“Uh oh,” muttered Allen, placing a hand on his forehead.
‘The day is starting off heated, as usual.’
Allen, now surrounded by Felicia and Stella, scratched his cheek.
“That idea, what kind of thought is it! It’s unbelievable! The most shocking among all the novels I’ve ever read!”
“The princess is right! An ogre handling magic…!!”
The princess and her escort were both appalled, albeit from different perspectives.
Of course, it was blatant where their focus was.
“There’s nothing particularly surprising about it.”
“Well, that may be so but…”
“It’s about an orc dealing with horror; there hasn’t been a single instance where orcs have been portrayed as intellectual beings. How far do you think the knights in the academy are going to go, Allen Muller?”
At Stella’s reaction, Allen chuckled quietly.
“It doesn’t matter what the academy’s knights think. It ain’t my business.”
“They’re going to increase their attacks on the Muller family because of the novel you wrote. Aren’t you aware of this?”
“That’s our family’s problem. And if my father considered it a humiliation, he would have already come to Huangdao to criticize me.”
At Allen’s words, Stella was at a loss for words.
He wasn’t wrong.
Muller, the duke, must have read all three volumes. If he regarded it as an insult to the Empire, he would have certainly sought out Allen.
“Well, everyone’s entitled to their own thoughts. No matter what they think, just don’t forget that I’m the youngest son of the Muller family.”
That’s a bit of a cheap shot, but that’s the way it is, Allen added.
Stella sighed, seemingly at a loss for words.
“Do you know that there has never been any representation of orcs as intelligent beings, Allen?”
“I do know that in the books I’ve read, neither orcs nor trolls, or any races hailing from Osrian, have ever been portrayed as intelligent.”
“Then why did you have to make the orcs confront Shulen?”
“Well, the Orks in Shulen’s chronicles, more than anything, are a race that values revenge. It was a necessary encounter for Shulen.”
Allen got up and moved naturally.
Following him, Felicia and Stella took their seats on either side of where he had been.
Felicia asked:
“Why did it have to be orcs?”
“If the human race represents the Tyrant Empire and the Eastern Empire, what race should represent the other races? A race that is similar to humans, but not human.”
“…Undoubtedly, the race that has had the most conflicts with humans would be the orcs.”
At Stella’s reply, Allen nodded in agreement.
“The orcs in the novel are purely fictional of course. Their courageousness and the sanctity they see in revenge were the only points that coincide with Shulen.”
“I never knew you were interested in Osrian language, Allen. Most people only look at Kunrung language. I didn’t expect to see Osrian in your novel.”
“Osrian… such as Aganshtar, there are various other words as well.”
Allen rubbed his cheek.
While writing a novel, it’s often the case that you borrow words that look somewhat like from all kinds of languages. Like how the German language, which is often referred to as “Chuunibyou language”, is loved in the otaku industry.
Whether it’s English, Spanish, or German, it’s not unusual to borrow words that look cool.
Alan thought that it would be appropriate to use Osrian language now that an orc had appeared.
“There’s a lot you need to know when writing a novel.”
Felicia frowned in thought, making an agreeable sound.
“For the time being, you’ll be at the center of the issue, Alan. Is that okay?”
“I was prepared for this when I began writing.”
Alan was stoic.
Voices from all around could be heard chattering.
“I don’t know why he made such a choice. If he had just kept it ordinary, its success would have been guaranteed.”
“But, about that Mr. Schubert. Isn’t he really cool?”
“Ah, I agree. Sir Schubert. Even the nickname, Wolf Knight, it’s so cool. He is the one who first realized the emptiness of revenge.”
“I regret that Schuren couldn’t connect with the narrative.”
“If a human had appeared instead of an orc, the development could have been better. It’s such a shame.”
“Sadly, but surely, I think Schuren’s revelation through his dialogue with the orc was groundbreaking and definitely necessary.”
“But still, it was a shocking development.”
“Did you get the third volume? I’m so jealous. I haven’t even had a chance to read it yet.”
“Same here. Everyone’s talking about it, and it’s driving me crazy with curiosity.”
Alan chuckled quietly as he overheard the conversations.
Professor Taia entered the lecture room.