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

7 – 07. Filled with Expectations

07.

Positioned in the heart of the Western Tiranate, the Imperial Academy boasted a size that would rival most cities.

Most education institutes on the continent could not compare in size to the Imperial Academy at Versa – a place that not only attracted students from the Eastern Kunlun Empire, but also many others from all around the continent.

Most of these were members of royalty or influential nobles from various kingdoms.

They were sensitive to trends, and the Tiranate Empire had a significant cultural influence throughout the continent.

If something was deemed trendy within the Empire, it was accepted as a trend all over the continent as well.

“The Shuran Chronicles? What kind of novel is this?”

“I’ve heard that it’s been shaking up the Imperial literary scene. Its writing style is completely different from previous Imperial works.”

“Is that so?”

“I suggest you give it a read. A new volume has just been released, but it’s been wildly popular and entirely sold out.”

“I’ll give it a read, then.”

Despite being written by an Imperial, this was a novel with a unique twist – a Kunlun person was the protagonist.

It naturally drew interest whether the reader was in the Empire to study or on vacation.

“It appears that within the Empire, it’s considered too radical and is being rejected.”

“The content does seem to justify that reaction. A novel laced with such strong vengeance… it’s unbelievable. It could even shock the Imperial literature, which has always been filled with uniform heroic epics and narrative based novels.”

“You should be careful expressing such thoughts, we are in the Empire.”

“I know. But it’s truly shocking. Was it really written by someone from the House of Muller?”

People amazed by the Shuran Chronicles were naturally curious about exploring the background of the author.

Allen Edgar von Muller.

In the Empire, only one family could bear the surname of Muller – that was the House of Muller, the Sword of the Empire.

“Goodness gracious. Muller? I must have heard it wrong.”

“The lineage of the Sword King, it appears to be the Muller Ducal House indeed. Rumor has it that the youngest son of the Sword King wrote it.”

“My goodness.”

“But since he’s enrolled in the Academy this year, there’s a chance you could meet him.”

“Though it might be challenging to approach him.”

With that, a fancy frilled fan was opened with a flip.

From behind her fan, a girl with blue hair smirked.

“Only those who overcome such adversities can call themselves nobility of the Palos Kingdom!”

***

Every year, the influx of freshmen at Versa Imperial Academy is tremendous.

It is due to the school’s founding principle of not discriminating between nobles and commoners. Consequently, there is no way the enrollment will ever be small.

This year alone, over 600 students have enrolled, emphasizing this fact.

Despite rigorous pre-screening and testing ensuring only 600 qualify, the diversity of people gathering is significant.

However, despite this, there remains a vast disparity in the admission rates between the Knight’s Department, the Magical Sciences Department, and other departments.

The Knight’s Department symbolizes martial arts.

The Magic Department represents arts.

The Technical Department embodies skill.

The Liberal Arts Department stands for education.

The Arts Department signifies art.

Of the five departments, the most popular by far are the magical and the knight’s departments while the admission rates of the other three are relatively even.

In this world, it’s a natural ratio.

In a world where real monsters attack humans, commoners aiming to protect themselves would choose the knight’s department or magic department if they are talented in sword fighting or magic. Those targeting a chance for a social climb in the empire would become bureaucracy students in the liberal arts department.

600 freshmen.

Among those 600, how high is the probability of sharing a class with the two most noble princesses?

The answer is almost ‘none.’

Piercing through these slim odds was Alren’s biggest problem.

‘Oh no, I’m really screwed!!

Having the two princesses on either side of him was problematic from the start. Torrents of onlookers focused their mad gazes on him, but the two princesses didn’t pay mind, leaving Alren twisting in the wind.

The princess of the Western Empire Tyranto, Felicia Alsir von Tyranto.

The princess of the Eastern Empire Kunlun, Lin Xiao Mei.

Sandwiched between the blonde and black-haired princesses, Alren is glaringly conspicuous, a pitiful figure who looks ready to collapse at any moment.

‘Poor thing.’

‘How unfortunate to be stuck between the two princesses.’

‘I would have run away if I were in that spot.’

However, sadly for Alren, it’s impossible for him to do so.

It was because two princesses were sitting on either side of him. They were sitting so close on both sides that there was not a moment for him to escape. It felt like he was literally drying up and dying in real-time.

Of course, there was no one to rescue him.

Allen felt like his soul was slipping away.

‘How did I end up in this situation?’

There are five departments in the Academy of Martial and Magical Arts.

The probability of crossing paths with the two princesses would be relatively low if he only had to divide it into the Knight’s Department and the Magic Department. But there are three more departments.

Naturally, Allen, who had no interest in either the Knight’s Department or the Magic Department, chose what seemed to be the most harmless, the Humanities Department.

‘Why did they both pick humanities as their minor?’

He had heard.

The frequency of academy students choosing humanities as their minor had been unusually high this year.

But he never thought that the two princesses would be among them.

Should he call it a crisis brought on by his careless thought that since they were members of the royal family, they wouldn’t delve into humanities?

Originally, in the continent of Roselia, education was divided into the arts and the martial, the commonly popular sword, and magic.

Naturally, the outlying humanities department would have few entrants.

The reason the Emperor’s novel world is so popular could be attributed to this. Most authors who enter the Emperor’s novel world are from the Empire’s Royal Academy’s Humanities Department, so much so that Cartel has a strong grip because of this.

Oddly, the Humanities Department’s curriculum also includes literary lectures, which should belong to the Arts.

‘Is this right?’

Allen swallowed down the swear words that were flying around in his mind, saying that even the probability of excessive randomness in gacha games wouldn’t cause such a commotion.

‘There are also the Science Department and the Art Department, but why are so many people flocking to the Humanities Department!’

Not one, but two princesses.

No blockhead, no matter how crazy about women they were, would approach a seat where the princesses from the East and West Empires were sitting side by side.

Needlessly meddling could see a head flying.

If it was just Rin sitting there, it wouldn’t be an issue, but since Felicia was with her, it’s best not to approach recklessly.

“Paragon Allen, is there something that annoys you?”

“I feel a little unwell. Don’t worry, it’s not because I’m uncomfortable.”

Maintaining a careful distance with a polite attitude.

Rin sensed discomfort in Allen’s demeanor.

Felicia said.

“Do you feel unwell? Then you should go to the health center immediately…”

“There is no need to go to the health center.”

“…Quiet. You’ve been noisy since class started.”

His voice is firm and stern.

Allen’s gaze swerved. The noisy sounds from the classroom ceased abruptly.

The professor, with his odd-looking skinny face, her head slightly balding.

His face seemed to show traces of experience and an undeniable stubbornness.

His gaze seemed to float above the students’ faces, then pointed at Allen like an arrow.

“…Albert Ed von Mueller, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Interesting. I am facing a student who might become a luminary in the realm of Imperial literature.”

Allen barely managed to stop his face from crumpling.

I’d prefer it if he’d just ignore me, just ignore me!

‘This is driving me nuts.’

He had been prepared, but if even Professor Lin and Felicia weren’t helping, he felt like he was going to lose it.

Even when he was sitting still, his head was throbbing. He felt as if he might pass out.

“I’m in charge of literature lectures in the Humanities department; call me Qweros.”

No last name.

That meant he was a commoner.

Not just Allen but most of the students looked surprised. Old professor Qweros, who met their gaze, smiled slightly.

“I sincerely welcome you to Versa Academy, ladies and gentlemen.”

***

“There’s nothing much to teach in literature class. There’s merely teaching the right way to approach books.”

Unlike his rigorous voice, Qweros was a man of considerable thought.

“The pretentious aristocrats laud literature as the greatest of all disciplines, but it’s not. Do you know what the greatest criticism imperial literature faces is?”

There was no answer.

There were certainly a few individuals in this room aiming to dive into imperial novel writing.

Professor Qweros looked around the academy students, including Allen, with a smile.

“It’s that only monotonous novels are being churned out, and that too in the name of ‘cultured literature’. There’s far too much grandiose rhetoric.”

With one strike, the chalk drew a long white line on the blackboard.

The word ‘literature’ took up a huge space on it.

“What is literature?”

“Art that truthfully portrays humans and society by using language as a medium for artistic expression.”

The one who answered was Felicia.

Professor Quiros looked at her with a smile.

“You have accurately defined literature, Your Highness. Indeed, it is just as you’ve expressed. But what about literature in our current empire?”

“… It’s rigid. Excessively so.”

“An abundance of novels from the same genre is being produced. Even more, many novels are hard to empathize with from the perspective of the common people. Novels that are difficult to understand due to excessive misrepresentation. Should we call such things literature?”

With a bang, a large ‘X’ is marked over the copper plate.

It was over the word ‘literature’.

Professor Quiros said,

“To speak frankly, it would be more accurate to see these as forced endeavors to survive rather than call them literature.”

‘Quite a radical statement.’

It was a statement coming from the professor of literature in the department of humanities, equivalent to the cartel of the Imperial novel world.

There was no way that it wouldn’t make waves.

Alan found Professor Quiros’s remark to be radical, yet amusing.

He didn’t think there would be anyone else who’d share his feeling of distaste. Oddly enough, he felt a sense of identity with the literature professor.

“Literature is a culture that aristocrats enjoy. Is it not right to create it for the sake of cultivation?”

“They do not fully understand about novels.”

Professor Quiros looked over at his students.

“What is a novel, what is literature. Is art really a tool for debating cultivation and knowledge?”

Professor Quiros looked over his students again and said,

“That will be your first assignment. Next time, we will have a discussion about this issue. That’s it for today’s lecture.”

Ah, my head.

It seemed like a peaceful academy life was about a million light years away.