Chapter 243: Invitation (2)

Inviting Cherry to the exhibition surprisingly proceeded very smoothly, much more easily than expected. Despite hesitating a few times due to the oppressive home environment, she readily accepted the proposal.

The ease of acceptance left me rather dumbfounded. When I cautiously inquired if her family was not concerned, a bewildering response came back, leaving me perplexed.

"Senior's proposal is much more important than my family."

Upon hearing that, a sense of unease prompted me to hastily ask further questions, fearing potential consequences if discovered.

The subsequent response was truly bewildering. Cherry, with her distinct hazy gaze, blinked slowly and responded with a playful tilt of her head.

"Is there anything scarier than senior's indifference?"

It was a statement that seemed to diverge in various meanings, but she seemed satisfied with just attending the exhibition. It appeared that she had somewhat dealt with the trauma related to her family.

I then asked about the progress of the next volume. Apparently, despite loosely attending classes, she diligently wrote as much as she did in the first volume.

Cherry, like me, had a style of planning the plot in advance and didn't experience delays in her writing pace.

According to her, now that a month had passed since the release of the first volume, if she completed the finishing touches, releasing the second volume was feasible.

Curious about her new work, I playfully urged her. However, Cherry seemed to take my jests quite seriously.

How serious was it?

"If I can't keep the promise, I'll cut my wrist."

"No. There's no need for that."

"No, it's your order, Senior. I must absolutely keep it."

"... ..."

With a resolution not to joke with Cherry in the future, I returned to the accommodation. All classes were over, and with the exam period, time was relatively relaxed.

The remaining time was naturally being poured into writing. From volume 17 onwards, especially in volume 19, devils from the Seven Deadly Sins, slowly start to emerge.

The Wrath, Satan has already been defeated magnificently, so naturally, he won't appear, and the remaining Seven Deadly Sins will gradually make their appearance. However, Pride and Gluttony will be dealt with by Xenon and Jin, respectively, a little later. They will serve as driving forces for growth for these two characters, so their appearance is inevitable.

Nevertheless, due humanity's utmost efforts and hardships, they've established a coalition force. However, the devils are incredibly powerful. What's even more terrifying about devils are their seemingly endless numbers.

Even Elvenheim couldn't overcome this quantity and, despite resistance, ended up being pushed back. Moreover, if it hadn't been for the heroic sacrifices of the heroes, Diablo might have resurrected.

Fortunately, there haven't been instances where devils directly attacked while awaiting Diablo's resurrection, but it's not something that can be left unattended. Here, the Elves who were lost Elvenheim were sharpening their swords. The Elves who lost their home hurriedly fled to the area inhabited by the Dark Elves after the sudden demonic invasion.

However, the deep-seated conflict between the Elves and Dark Elves, built up over a long time, hasn't diminished. They not only argue among themselves but, particularly, the older generation of Elves clashed with the younger generation of Dark Elves.

This situation was very similar to reality. The older generation of Dark Elves perceive Elvenheim as their ancestral homeland, whereas the younger generation of Dark Elves does not. Conversely, the younger generation of Elves simply heard about the Dark Elves and let it slide, but the older generation of Elves rejected them as heretics.

Here, the heroine and Elven woman, Mary, steps forward. Mary, having traveled the world with Xenon for a long time, has an open-minded way of thinking.

In the midst of the parliamentary fumbling, Elvenheim faced destruction right before their eyes. Despite the simmering conflicts exploding and lingering, warriors continued to rampage, insisting on restoring Elvenheim without a proper understanding of the power dynamics.

The reason for this chaos lies in the absence of a 'leader' among the elves, or more precisely, a cause that can unite them. The elder of the Dark Elves is too feeble, functioning at a day-to-day level, and the Elven Queen remained in a state close to being a pauper. It vividly illustrated the characteristic disunity of the elves at a critical moment, turning it into a complete catastrophe.

'To overcome this...'

In times of crisis, a 'hero' is always needed. A sublime existence like the Elven heroes who sacrificed themselves to prevent the resurrection of Diablo. If heroes do not appear where they are needed, it could lead directly to doom. Mary will become such a heroic figure, facing challenges as diverse and tumultuous as those of Xenon.

Not only will she endure mental anguish, but she will also lose a symbol of the elves— one of her 'ears,' in the battle against Lilith.

'Mary is known for her bold combat style for an elf...'

Mary's personality is vibrant and fiery to the extent that the word 'lass' suits her perfectly. The character who first showcased the legendary Hexopascal Kick is none other than Mary. Strangely, she is not ignorant or reckless. On the contrary, she always maintains composure during battles, showcasing exceptional intelligence by strategically using magic to turn the tide.

As for weapons? Mary doesn't need them. She simply pummels her opponents with her fists.

If Xenon's finesse in swordsmanship learned from the master Kyir defines sophistication, then Mary primarily employs techniques acquired over decades of traversing the world.

Observing Mary's battles so far gives a glimpse of her style. Perhaps she might even shatter the fixed notion of a magician.

Of course, Mary's combat style is only possible due to her being an elf, if she were human, she wouldn't even dare attempt it. Humans have to recite even simple spells.

In fact, Mary's combat resembles more that of demons than elves. She knocks foes away like in that pirate manga, using sheer brute force.

'On the other hand, Cecily... No, Lillith...'

Mary has faced Lillith, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, before.

Lillith serves as the protagonist Mary's rival in various aspects, contrasting in many ways. Firstly, their races differ: Lillith turned into a devil but originally belonged to the demonkind, while, as everyone knows, Mary is an elf.

Moreover, Lillith has faced a loss of a loved one right before her eyes in the past, while Mary, though inexperienced, continued her path with Xenon.

Mary's discovery of this fact provokes Lillith, leading to Lillith exposing a vulnerability in her rage, resulting in a fatal wound.

'Yet she managed to cut off one of her ears.'

The battle between Mary and Lillith lasts for more than three days and nights. As my father said, battles between the mighty aren't about who's stronger but a test of endurance and adaptability.

Assuming equal prowess, the 'worst' case inevitably will happen. Therefore, one must always consider the worst, not the best, and approach battles with that in mind, especially in a fight where one's life is at stake.

In this aspect, Mary triumphs over Lillith due to her superiority. A significant injury to an elf, symbolizing their identity, is the severing of their ear?

For Mary, something like an ear is not important; what matters more is the future ahead and the existence of the world. Must she not save the world before marrying Xenon and having a child?

This mindset becomes one of the decisive reasons why Mary later leads the Elven Union, establishing the Elven identity as 'us,' not 'you' or 'me'.

It might seem somewhat like Elvish communism, but let's overlook that. Associating Arwen with this would be a mistake.

'And Lillith...'

Lillith's end... In many ways, it can be considered regrettable. Hearing the news, Xenon rushes to support Mary, whereas Lillith is betrayed by her own comrade.

The Seven Sins, the betrayer among the elves, known as Pride, Lucifer. Without a hint of hesitation, Lucifer coldly looks down at the dying Lillith and mercilessly ends her life.

It's absurd enough to kill a comrade, but what Lucifer utters after killing Lillith is even more absurd. 'She should have been a nourishment for the devils long ago.'

Amidst all this, what's lamentable is that, just before dying, Lillith called out the name of her former lover. She will be etched into people's minds as a symbol of tragedy within the demon realm.

That would be the same for Lucifer, symbolizing Elven arrogance. He doesn't even spare a glance at Xenon and Mary as he departs. Unaware that his choice threatens himself.

'Looks like there will be plenty of anti-fans.'

There are countless clichés where villains kill their subordinates or colleagues. Yet despite being a cliché, it still shocks the viewers considerably. Even my past life was like this.

Why did it have to be this way? Perhaps it's a situation where he might even be treated worse than a bastard, maybe as a son of a bitch.

'It's fortunate people don't pay attention to names.'

If people considered names as a kind of prophecy... I don't even want to imagine. The name Lucifer isn't common, but that very uniqueness might invite suspicion.

Even if they were to deny it, it could be seen as an insult to Xenon's Biography and lead to a witch hunt. That's why I canceled the illustration. Temporarily setting aside my diligent writing, my hands gradually became numb, forcing me to put down the magic pen. Everything's fine, but it's a pity this world lacks typewriters.

Considering typewriters were invented at least after the Industrial Revolution, they were far from being available. Yet, with printing presses around, I wondered why it wasn't feasible, but there's no news about it.

'Ideally, I'd like to release it before the exhibition.'

There's about 20 days left until the vacation and precisely one month until the exhibition. At the current pace, it might be possible, but if it continues like this, my hands won't endure. I've forced myself to write for a living and had to juggle academics; the hardships were not few.

Although machines for writing or the magic itself certainly exist, it's akin to 'copying' at best. What I need isn't a printer but a typewriter. Then the work speed would be much faster than now. I'm confident I could release one volume every fortnight.

'I'm just being greedy.'

Let's start by writing something. My goal is to finish writing the 19th volume before the exhibition.

Knock knock knock

Just as the tip of my pen touched the manuscript, the sound of someone knocking reached my ears. I lifted my head and glanced toward the door.

There shouldn't be anyone coming at this hour. I thought it might be someone from the academy, so I got up from my seat.

"Yes. Come in."

Creak...

After a moment, as the door was cautiously opened, I wondered who it could be.

It wasn't an academy official or Adelia, but Gartz, the guard of Cecily, was standing solemnly at the door.

A demon with horns curved like sheep's horns, unlike Cecily's. Due to Morra's tantrums, Gartz has been visiting Helium more frequently, and I've been in touch with him often.

However, it was usually me who called him first, so it was the first time Gartz had come on his own. And he even knocked very politely.

"Mr. Gartz?"

As I wondered if there was any reason for him to come, Gartz, in his characteristic cold voice, spoke.

"Have you been well?"

Despite his cold tone, his manner of politeness towards me was striking. He appeared aloof on the surface, yet somehow possessed a peculiarly warm sentiment.

While receiving his polite greeting with a nod, I suddenly noticed something in his hands. Entirely black and rectangular, longer horizontally than vertically. At a glance, it resembled a keyboard from my past life. Just what could it be? Seeing it held by no one else but Gartz only fueled my curiosity.

"What's that?"

"Oh, this? It's a device. I had it made in Helium, thinking it might be helpful for the benefactor."

"For me?"

I raised my head again at the mention that it was made not by Gartz personally but by Helium. It seemed like he had come to deliver it on behalf of Cecily, who was likely busy with exam preparations.

During that time, Gartz excused himself for a moment and entered the dormitory. Originally, it was forbidden for outsiders, but at this point, it was merely a nominal restriction.

Afterwards, he looked at the manuscript on the desk and seemed surprised, then began to glance at me. As soon as I confirmed that, I quickly put the manuscript into the desk drawer.

Upon seeing me put the manuscript in the drawer, Gartz bowed his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were busy..."

"No, no, it's okay. By the way, what is that item used for?"

I was not interested in anything else; I was just curious about the nature of the item. Gartz, seeming tense at my question, let out a sigh and placed it on the desk.

Placed on the desk, it really looks like a keyboard. Characters arranged as they are in this world, including special characters...

'Hmm?'

What's this? It's a real keyboard. What in the world have these people created?

As I stared bewildered at the object resembling a keyboard, Gartz cleared his throat and offered an explanation, his usually cold tone now tinged with an unexpected hint of tension, his voice trembling slightly.

"Like I mentioned earlier, it's an invention from Helium, designed to assist benefactors in any way possible. Artisans hailed in Helium dedicated themselves to this creation."

"··· ···"

"Firstly, this button is the power switch, which, as the name suggests, turns the device on and off. And if the device is turned on..."

Click!

As soon as I pressed a familiar button, the keyboard(?) emitted a blue light. Honestly, to anyone, this looked like a keyboard.

Regardless, Gartz, proud in tone, continued his explanation.

"This is how the light appears. Pressing these characters here would display a message in the air. For instance, if you type my name..."

Tap tap tap

Our guardian knight, Gartz, cautiously typed his name using the famous "eagle claw" technique. It's unbelievable that this same person is referred to as a reaper who deals with people's lives as if they were nothing.

However, Gartz was always serious. He glanced at his name displayed in the air and nodded once.

"Is there any spare paper?"

"Here."

A sheet of paper was taken out from the drawer and handed over. Gartz then inserted the paper into a small gap beneath the keyboard.

He pressed a specific button again, and with a whirring noise, the paper wound its way into the keyboard, much like a common copier from a past life.

And...

Whirrr

The paper emerged from a gap at the top of the keyboard. Gartz's name, just typed moments ago, was clearly imprinted on it.

I couldn't help but look bewildered. What I thought was just a simple keyboard turned out to be a combination of a keyboard and a printer.

A fusion of keyboard and printer, truly a product of science and magic. Is this really possible?

"Mr. Gartz."

"Yes, please speak."

"How did you make this?"

To that question, Gartz smiled proudly and answered confidently.

"It's magic. After the benefactor started associating with the princess, the king devised this to assist the benefactor."

"..."

"If it ever malfunctions, please let me know anytime. I'll come immediately."

As soon as I heard that, I immediately said to Gartz,

"Do you need any more signatures?"

Hail to the magic.

Translators note: