Chapter 48: Seven Deadly Sins (1)

After the storm, the sky is always clear. As if nothing happened after a storm that seemed to sweep away everything, only a peaceful atmosphere remains at the scene.

However, the storm is powerful enough to sweep away everything in its place. The trunk of a giant tree deeply rooted in the ground was weakly broken in half, and the civilization that people have built was relentlessly destroyed by the power of nature.

So people endure the storm to see the endlessly clear blue sky. Whether the storm is a literal storm or another kind of storm.

I too almost collapsed like a tree trunk in the storm, but I was barely able to withstand it thanks to Nicole's sincere comfort. After that, only a clear sky without a single cloud shone on me, giving me a refreshing feeling.

Currently, Xenon's Biography is in the process of writing its 9th volume, and if writing continues up to the 10th volume, it will take about a year to complete. And since I decided to take a break until my 3rd year of high school, my period of rest is guaranteed for at least a year.

For some reason, perhaps because of that thought, I was able to write my manuscript smoothly. Although I have a terrifying concentration that once I grab something, and I see it through to the end, there is another reason why I have become more resilient.

[Ah Isaac, I heard news from your sister. The prince and princess are looking for you. Fortunately, they mistook me for you as the author, so that's a relief. However, I also heard that you're feeling down. I would love to visit the academy, but I don't have the time. (Omitted). Our family supports you completely. Even if your writing isn't going well, we don't mind. All we want is for you to not forget to smile. Don't be too upset by using me as a shield. I'll gladly be your shield. A father is someone who his children can rely on.]

It was a letter that arrived from home a few days later, a letter that contained my father's sincere words.

He usually writes simple letters that are easy to understand, but this time my father sent me a long letter that was almost as long as my mothers's, and I couldn't help but shed a tear as I read it.

I am both happy and sorry to know that I have such reliable people in my life. I wonder what these simple words mean to them. "Xenon's Biography", a new work, or my studies. I am my parents' proud son.

Thanks to this determination, I achieved the feat of writing the ninth volume in just one month, which was originally expected to take two months. I checked carefully for any mistakes due to writing too quickly and sent it home.

As an extra precaution, I included an explanation for the coffee stains on the manuscript, so that my parents, who love their children so much, would not misunderstand.

But as a month passed, things had also changed. Just like how a daunting task of assignments and exams awaited college students during that one month, it was the same for academy students.

"How was the exam?"

"Well... it was a bit difficult. I guess there are limits to just memorizing things. The topics were something I couldn't even imagine."

It was the day of the history exam that everyone had been so nervous about.

Cecily and I were discussing the exam outside the classroom after we had both finished.

Cecily had a slightly disappointed expression, indicating that the exam had been more difficult than she had anticipated. As she said, the history exam was not just about memorizing historical facts.

Professor Elena had laid a foundation of historical knowledge during her lectures and explained what could be learned from history and what should be learned. It was like a lecture that focused on the subject of history itself rather than just historical knowledge.

And the topic of this history exam was as follows:

[Describe your own interpretation of history.]

It may seem simple on the surface, but it is a cruelly difficult essay question that requires careful consideration of whether to write in a simple and concise manner or to provide a detailed explanation.

Cecily, who had grumbled for a moment, turned to me and asked with a curious voice.

"Isaac, wasn't it difficult? You wrote it down quickly and handed in the test paper."

"You saw that?"

"Of course I did, you were the first one to finish. What did you write?"

There is a famous saying related to history that is mentioned without fail in every lifetime. Although it is not clear who said it first, it is a phrase that is firmly engraved in people's minds.

Upon hearing her question, I replied in my characteristic blunt voice, "History always repeats itself. That's all I wrote down and came out. What about Cecily?"

"Of course..."

"You're not going to tell me, are you? I already know."

Before Cecily could play her prank, I spoke up first. She was momentarily taken aback, then looked at me with a puzzled expression.

From my observations of Cecily so far, she had a habit of raising the corners of her mouth before playing a prank on me. Seeing that, I had a hunch that she was going to play a prank, so I preempted her.

"How did you know?"

Cecily asked me, clearly surprised and half-confused.

As expected, people often fail to recognize their own habits, I thought to myself.

I stared at Cecily's rare look of confusion for a moment before quietly opening my mouth.

"I'm not going to teach you, okay?"

"...Fine."

"I can't be the only one getting pranked."

"Hmph."

Cecily stuck out her tongue and turned her head with a huff. She was expressing her annoyance with me, but I didn't need to pay much attention to it.

It was only a matter of time before she played another prank on me. Despite being mischievous, Cecily's behavior was becoming increasingly tiresome.

"Noona."

"What is it?"

"Is it just me that you play pranks on, or do you play them on other people too?"

So, I asked. While Cecily was usually talkative and cheerful when with Rina, she tended to play pranks a lot when alone with me.

However, I was starting to get tired of it because it seemed like the pranks needed to be reciprocated to be considered as such, and I had been feeling a bit uncomfortable with them for some time.

I was starting to get confused as to whether she was treating me like a toy or as a person.

After hearing my question, Cecily blinked her red eyes and then answered with a tilted head.

"What? I play pranks on other people besides Rina too. I never play pranks on people who are not close to me."

"Um... really?"

"...Why do you ask? Are you feeling upset?"

As Cecily noticed my hesitant reaction, she seemed to realize that the atmosphere had become awkward and spoke cautiously.

I stared at Cecily, who looked anxious, and remembered her age. She was a demon who had lived for over 100 years.

Having lived through those years and having seen and experienced many things, it was difficult to determine whether her unfamiliarity with certain aspects was due to her first stepping into human society or due to her upbringing.

"It's not that I feel bad, but I wish you could tone it down a bit. Instead of playing pranks like earlier, I'd like to share interesting stories with each other."

"...I see. Sorry. I must have gone too far."

Cecily apologized with a remorseful expression at my request. As I saw a sign that the mood was getting dark, I quickly changed the subject.

"I have a question, though. Did you never have someone play pranks on you when you lived in the kingdom?"

Cecily is a princess of Helium. In terms of status, she is similar to Rina.

So, she would have met various people to build up her network, and some of those connections may have developed into friendships.

However, contrary to my expectations, Cecily gave a slightly bitter smile and shook her head. She meant no.

"There were hardly any besides my father. There were no siblings or anyone who could be called a friend, and everyone who approached me only did so because of my power. I suppose it's because I'm scheduled to be the next Demon King."

"What about the maids? As a princess, wouldn't you have maids?"

"That was the case in the past. But there were some...unpleasant incidents. At least in Helium, it's safe to say that there is no one who would dare to play pranks on me, except for my father."

It seems that she has some unpleasant memories. Moreover, Cecily has an excellent memory, so she probably vividly remembers what happened back then.

As I looked at Cecily, who was awkwardly smiling, I quickly apologized. I had asked to change the mood, but it only made the situation more awkward.

"I'm sorry. It seems like I touched upon some unpleasant memories."

"No, no. Thanks to that, I realized how precious this moment is. Anyway, I'll try to refrain from playing too many pranks from now on. Got it?"

"Yes."

"By the way, who is Isaac waiting for?"

Just like I did earlier, Cecily changed the subject to dispel the awkwardness.

I responded to her question.

"Marie. I'm curious if she did well on her test."

"Is that all?"

Cecily looked at me with a subtle gaze. It seemed like she thought there was something going on between me and Mary, but unfortunately, that was not the case at all.

I am not completely clueless, and I do know that Marie has more than friendly feelings towards me. However, due to my busy schedule, I don't have the capacity to receive her affections.

'I'll have to gradually reveal my secret...'

If, and it's highly unlikely, but if Mary and I were to officially start dating, it would probably be after I disclose that I am the author of Xenon's Biography.

Before, even if someone was my close friend, I had a mindset of keeping secrets, excluding my family. However, my thoughts have changed after receiving my family's sincere comfort.

I still keep secrets, but I leave clues for people I trust in secret. So that even if people learn that I am the author of Xenon's Biography, I expect nothing more than just a simple "Oh, really?" response.

Marie is one of the people who meet those conditions. I'm not sure about her family background, but I'm confident that Marie is not someone who would take advantage of me. It would be a surprise to reveal my secret, but that's okay.

Of course, I have already left several clues, but let's overlook that. That was entirely my mistake.

"That's really it. There's nothing else."

"Hmm, okay."

Cecily looked at me with a skeptical expression. Seeing her lips twitch, it seemed like she wanted to play a joke.

I chuckled and then looked towards the classroom door. Although a few students had come out, I couldn't see familiar white hair.

Maybe it's taking longer than expected because she hated history so much. Or maybe Cecily and I came out too early.

"Come to think of it, it seems like it's about time for the 9th volume of Xenon's Biography to come out..."

Just as I wondered if waiting would be boring. Suddenly, Cecily brought up the topic of the 9th volume of Xenon's Biography, and gave me a sly smile.

As for me, it was a somewhat surprising topic, but since it was Cecily and no one else, it was alright. If Rina had brought it up, she would have been so shocked that my face would have turned red.

Taking a deep breath, I spoke in the most composed voice I could muster. I had sent the manuscript home a few days ago, so the 9th volume would be out soon.

"It should come out, right? Only the author knows when it will come out though."

"Is that so? Since they released one volume per month, maybe it will be completed around the end of the first year?"

Why are you asking me that while looking at me? I couldn't help feeling uneasy as I gazed at Cecily, whose face was full of expectation.

Since the gathering, Cecily has been looking at me every time she mentions Xenon's Biography, which makes me extremely uncomfortable.

'...Did I make any mistakes back then?'

This even led me to question myself. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Cecily to act like that. She is suspicious of me as the author of Xenon's Biography.

I gazed blankly at Cecily, who was smiling brightly, then turned my head slightly towards the classroom door. If she really doubts me, I need to be careful with every word I say.

There may already be spilled water, but I can prevent any further damage from now on.

"Well, that's up to the author's discretion."

"I hope it comes out soon too. I thought one month was a short time, but it turned out to be surprisingly long."

It had a subtle nuance of subtly urging. I tried to endure wanting to give a bitter smile as much as possible.

'I'm sorry, but I plan to submit only up to the 10th volume and take a hiatus for more than a year.'

In fact, submitting the ninth volume in just a month is a remarkable feat for me who currently has no time.

However, I was able to submit the ninth volume in just a month thanks to the support of my family, and it will take at least two months to submit the 10th volume, followed by a hiatus of more than a year.

If Cecily doubts me as the author, I expect there may be some changes after the hiatus notice. Perhaps she may even ask me directly if I'm the author of Xenon's Biography.

I will be ready for that. For now...

'I should take a break until the end of the exams...'

I'm planning to loosen up my body, which is accumulating fatigue from consecutive assignments and test bombs. I pressed my nose and temples tightly due to the overwhelming exhaustion.

It's like feeling overheated from running the engine too hard. I have been exercising steadily every weekend, but it's still physically challenging to juggle writing and studying.

Moreover, didn't I even spill coffee on my manuscript last time? I tend to spill my coffee easily when tired, so it's better to be careful in many ways.

"You look very tired. Are you okay?"

Cecily seemed to have noticed that I was tired and asked me with a worried voice. I nodded and replied.

"Yes, I'm just a little tired. You don't have to worry."

"...Still, don't push yourself too hard. No matter how important your grades are, your health is the most important thing."

"I know already. But don't you still have to do what you have to do?"

Even though I tried to smile, Cecily couldn't hide her worried expression. For Cecily, I was one of her few friends, so this was a natural reaction.

But really, I was just a little tired, nothing more. So I extended my hand as if to say, "Don't worry."

"Are you sure you're okay? It's no problem if you just take a good nap."

"...Alright. I guess I should just rest instead of doing something else for no reason?"

"Of course."

Until then, I thought that my ordinary life would continue as usual.

[Xenon's Biography, which divides human sins into seven categories. How will the religious community react?]

[The Luminous Order. The seven deadly sins are enough to reaffirm the foundation of theology. Numerous scholars are already studying and comparing each subject, and it's surprisingly consistent.]

[Each race is responsible for a particular sin...especially the elves, who are in charge of 'pride,' it's really shocking...]

[What is the strongest sin among the seven deadly sins? We will find out as the story progresses, but most readers expect it to be 'pride'...]

Until the seven deadly sins, which were useful in the previous life, had unexpected consequences.

In response to the reaction that was on a completely different level than the previous eight volumes, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"...I hope this doesn't end up being blasphemy and get me arrested?"

Translators note:

Our boi gon did it again...