How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

While Isaac was bewildered by the sight of a funeral instead of a festival, in the guest room, two beautiful women sat facing each other.

Princess Rina of the Minerva Empire and Princess Cecily of Helium—both widely recognized beauties and close to Isaac.

“So? What happened then?”

“What happened was…”

At first glance, the two women seemed to be engaged in a friendly conversation.

However, a closer look would reveal that things were not as harmonious as they appeared.

Their connection through Isaac was strong, yet their relationship was undeniably complex.

Had it not been for Isaac—or more precisely, had Rina not been destined for a political marriage with him—they would have been nothing more than ordinary friends.

Despite attending the academy together and helping each other adapt to human society, diplomatic matters required strict formality.

Both Rina and Cecily were well aware of this fact, which inevitably created a strange atmosphere between them.

To Cecily, Rina was a dear friend, the first to speak to her at the academy.

But as time passed, she realized Rina was not someone to be underestimated.

Rina felt the same way.

If the international situation were stable, things might have been different, but in reality, everything was moving at a rapid pace.

Of course, neither of them had any intention of causing harm.

This was a belief they both shared.

However, while they wouldn’t inflict damage, they certainly couldn’t afford to suffer losses either.

If they could gain something in the process, all the better.

“So, how did Helium react when the truth about the demons’ origins being human spread?”

Rina quietly set down her teacup and asked Cecily.

Her slightly upturned lips and sharp, cat-like eyes stood out even more in that moment.

Cecily responded with a soft smile and shifted her gaze to her tea—coffee, rich and slightly bitter, a specialty brought directly from Helium.

She maintained her smile as she lifted her head to meet Rina’s gaze.

“It was chaos. As you know, demons were believed to be invaders from an entirely different dimension.

Our race, the demonkind, suffered directly from them, so even our fundamental beliefs were shaken.”

Cecily shook her head as if recalling the uproar, causing her ample chest to subtly move.

Rina almost let her eyes wander, but she managed to restrain herself.

She had no reason to feel inferior, yet compared to Cecily, she was clearly lacking in that department.

Meanwhile, Cecily recalled the time when Zenon’s Chronicles, Volume 29 was released—when Zenon pursued the truth behind Jin and uncovered the origins of the demons.

The shocking revelation that demons had originated from humans caused not only Helium but the entire demonkind to tremble.

Demons had suffered at the hands of these beings, transforming into their current forms in exchange for great power—power that came with the risk of self-destruction, like a ticking time bomb.

And beyond that, the endless discrimination they endured after the Demon War…

They had always believed that it was all due to a curse cast by the demons.

But Zenon’s Chronicles shattered that belief, exposing a truth that plunged them into unprecedented turmoil.

“Fortunately, we managed to contain the situation.

The fact remains that demons were the aggressors and we, the demonkind, were the cursed victims.

If anything, this revelation only reinforced our identity as humans—people.”

“That makes sense.”

The newly revealed truth cemented the demonkind’s identity.

Until now, they had firmly believed that their origins lay in humanity.

Zenon’s Chronicles may have altered perspectives, but it did not change the fact that their lineage traced back to demons.

This was something even the demonkind themselves accepted.

They lived with a ticking time bomb inside them, yet they still carried on as humans—upholding a noble belief.

And now, as they moved forward with that belief, another truth had emerged, fulfilling their long-standing wish in a true sense.

It was only natural that Cecily’s love and admiration for Isaac deepened even further.

Now, she no longer had to hide her identity—she could live proudly as a person, without fearing anyone’s judgment.

“But that truth hasn’t been fully verified yet, has it?

Isn’t Helium forming a separate investigation team?”

“We were planning to.

But three days ago, Savior sent a delegation.

A cardinal and three archbishops, no less.”

“………They sent a delegation with that many high-ranking figures?

From their homeland?”

“Yeah.”

Hearing this, Rina’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was only natural.

If she compared it to the Minerva Empire, it would be equivalent to sending Duke Requilis and several high-ranking ministers.

Moreover, just as Savior recognized the Luminous Order as its state religion, Helium followed Mora.

Both nations were deeply rooted in religion.

This meant that a delegation carried significant weight, especially for Helium—it must have been shocking.

“…Wasn’t it dangerous?

Savior and Helium aren’t exactly on good terms.”

“You’re right.

One of our nobles even openly asked why the descendants of our ancestors’ murderers had come.”

“… …”

Rina gave a wry smile at Cecily’s words.

A statement like that to a delegation was essentially saying, We have no intention of getting along with you.

It was understandable.

Savior had once labeled demonkind as mere demons and committed mass slaughter.

A fanatical genocide, carried out blindly and indiscriminately.

It was only thanks to Luminous’s intervention that it was finally halted, but the demonkind still carried the wounds of that era.

Given their long lifespans, comparable to elves, it was as if their grandparents had lived through that massacre.

“Fortunately, my father stepped in immediately and prevented the situation from escalating.

Savior has also been seeking to atone for their past actions.”

“So, what was discussed?”

“Pretty much the same as with you.

Savior wanted to take charge of the exploration.”

“…The same?”

That meant Cecily had already noticed that a similar proposal had been made to Minerva.

Normally, that kind of information would have been a closely guarded secret, but Rina simply nodded without hesitation.

After all, Savior’s delegation had already visited the Empire, and they had informed the Empire beforehand.

This also meant Cecily knew what Savior truly wanted.

They sought to explore the Gray Desert, a land of demonic energy where the truth lay buried.

“Did you allow it?”

“We had no choice.

Helium has almost no history of participating in international cooperation.

Even if we don’t hold command, this will be a great opportunity.”

“Was there a lot of opposition?”

“Of course.

We don’t fully trust Savior either, so we sent a few of our own as scouts.”

“…Is it okay to say that?”

Rina was slightly taken aback by how casually Cecily revealed such a confidential detail.

Anyone with a sharp mind understood the importance of information, especially when it came to the unknown.

The fact that Helium had sent scouts alone was a significant piece of intelligence, yet Cecily spoke without hesitation.

“Does it matter?

Honestly, in Helium, all that matters is uncovering the truth.

Besides, wasn’t it Isaac who wrote Zenon’s Chronicles?

How could we not believe it?”

Cecily’s unwavering trust in Isaac bordered on fanaticism.

She believed his words were the truth—everything.

It was almost like watching a religious devotee.

Rina observed this in real-time, momentarily bewildered, but quickly composed herself.

She had already known that Cecily’s feelings for Isaac were far from ordinary.

“I wanted to rush to Isaac the moment that truth was revealed in the book.

But then I realized… it would be meaningless.

After all, it was his words.

How could they be false?

That’s impossible, isn’t it?”

“Uh… yeah. That’s true.”

Somehow, Cecily’s obsession seemed even stronger than before.

Maybe it was just her imagination.

Rina took a sip of tea, trying to regain her composure.

Yet for some reason, she felt a strange sense of unease twisting inside her.

‘Well… it’s only natural, isn’t it?’

As Cecily basked in her devotion, Rina quietly organized her thoughts.

At this rate, the demonkind might finally be accepted as humanity.

For over a thousand years, Helium had been semi-forcibly isolated.

In terms of culture, it might have been fine, but in academia, it was undoubtedly lagging behind—especially in mathematics, where its greatest weakness lay.

I realized this while attending classes at the academy with Cecily.

She excelled in everything else but struggled particularly with mathematics.

If even a princess of the country faced such difficulties, what could be said of the common people beneath her?

Of course, that was only in the early days.

Now, she has improved tremendously and even secured the top spot in her class.

To reiterate, the issue was never a lack of intelligence, only a lack of knowledge.

After all, knowledge isn’t something that suddenly appears.

It accumulates, layer upon layer, eventually merging to create new knowledge.

Right now, Helium lacks that foundation, and it needs deeper, more advanced academic studies.

‘A demon scholar heading to Yggdrasil would be difficult…!’

Yggdrasil—the sacred ground of knowledge where scholars from around the world gather to exchange ideas and publish critiques.

Among all civilizations, Alvenheim was the cradle of academic advancement.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all fundamental knowledge originated from Alvenheim.

The foundation of all studies came from Alvenheim, and humans, with their unique aptitude for learning, solidified that foundation.

‘Our empire will provide the framework.’

In return for constructing that framework, Helium would provide various forms of support—starting with agricultural techniques and the systematic study of alchemy, as Isaac had mentioned.

Helium had an exceptionally well-developed agricultural system.

The cultivation of crops like soybeans was one example, and despite its harsh environment, its population continued to grow steadily.

This was in stark contrast to Alvenheim, where crops thrived even if seeds were scattered carelessly.

Their land was so fertile that it had to be considered an exception.

“Come to think of it, Cecily. Helium has pretty advanced agricultural techniques, doesn’t it?”

“Hm? Agriculture?”

“Yeah. You might not have heard, but recently, our empire has been suffering from a severe famine.

And yet, despite being in a harsh environment, Helium’s population has been steadily increasing.

Can you share your secret?”

At that question, Cecily blinked her red eyes a few times before answering honestly.

“There’s no secret. We just use lightning magic when it rains.”

“……What?”

“Do you know the spell Storm? It’s a bit difficult to use, but whenever it rains, we cast it, and the crops grow well on their own.

Unlike Lightning, it requires immense magical output, so unless you’re a demon, it’s quite difficult.”

“… …”

Hearing this, Rina couldn’t hide her shock.

Now that she thought about it, demons were just as skilled in magic as elves.

Magic truly was an overpowered force.

To think they had to use magic with the same output as actual lightning.

She let out a sigh at the absurdity of the situation.

Of course, if enough manpower was gathered, it wouldn’t be impossible.

There were plenty of skilled mages in the empire.

It would probably be more efficient to use Animers’ shamanistic techniques to summon lightning instead.

Otherwise, the whole process was terribly inefficient.

‘…Humans really have no choice but to develop technology.’

Forget magic.

It would be better to invest everything into science and engineering, like the world Isaac came from.

For that, they would need to collaborate with Machina, not Helium.

‘Until then, we might as well rely on Helium’s help to summon lightning.’

Rina briefly felt disheartened by the sheer difference between their races but quickly pulled herself together.

Reality was reality. Humans had to forge their own path.

“Alright. I guess we’ll have to find another method. Oh, by the way, I heard you also grow soybeans? I heard they’re good for the soil.”

“Yeah. There’s a limit to how much lightning we can use, so we also plant soybeans. But how do you know that soybeans are good for the soil?”

Cecily couldn’t hide her curiosity.

Soybeans were a unique crop grown only in Helium and were not widely known.

Up until now, interactions with Helium had focused primarily on magic, not agriculture—certainly not to the extent of Rina’s interest.

So how did she know? Did she research it separately, or…?

“Isaac taught me. He said soybeans leave certain nutrients in the soil that slow down soil depletion.”

“I knew it…”

As expected, Cecily smiled and nodded.

And yet, people still refused to call him a prophet?

She had spent days in Helium, and there had been almost no knowledge exchange.

Meanwhile, Rina mistakenly believed Isaac had learned about soybeans simply by staying in Helium for a few days.

She never even considered that he came from a completely different world.

As their mutual misconceptions deepened, Cecily continued smiling before quietly opening her mouth.

“Rina.”

“Hm?”

“Do you really think Isaac is a prophet?”

An unexpected question. Rina took a sip of tea to organize her thoughts.

Cecily had a reason for asking this—most likely personal feelings were involved.

Eventually, Rina set down her teacup and met Cecily’s gaze. Cecily was still wearing her usual alluring smile.

For a while, the two beauties stared at each other. In the peculiar atmosphere, Rina was the first to speak.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then…”

“Instead, I think he’s something even more advanced.”

Hearing Rina’s response, Cecily looked puzzled.

…Something even more advanced?

Did that mean…?

“Do you think Isaac is a hidden angel or something?”

“No. I don’t know how to put it, but I’m certain he’s a higher-dimensional being.”

He came from a world that was several stages more advanced than this one—a place where science replaced magic, a world beyond their current imagination.

Rina swallowed the rest of her words, but to her, Isaac was exactly that.

His knowledge alone could influence the entire world, whether in small or large ways.

She smirked slightly, resting her chin on her hands before speaking in a hushed tone.

“I don’t want to let him go. I want to stay by his side and learn what knowledge he holds, what solutions he can come up with.”

“…Are you saying you’ve fallen for him?”

“Not yet. I’m just interested in him as a person. But if we go through with this political marriage and spend time together, I’ll probably develop romantic feelings for him.

He’s handsome enough, and judging from how you all act around him… I’m guessing he’s pretty good in bed too. Right?”

Rina’s voice wavered at the last part, and her face reddened slightly in embarrassment.

But Cecily wasn’t too concerned.

What mattered was that another strong rival had appeared.

Did Mari know about this?

“Does Mari know?”

“Probably not yet. Just remember—what I want is Isaac’s knowledge. That’s all.”

“Hmm…”

Cecily murmured doubtfully, staring at Rina. Then, with a smirk, she chuckled and said sarcastically.

“I wonder if that’s really true. You still don’t understand what kind of man Isaac is.”

“I know he’s a womanizer.”

“Then why do women keep falling for him? Think about it.”

“Because he’s handsome, well-built, and he’s Zenon?”

“That’s just a bonus. His real charm is…”

“Stop. Don’t say it. We’ll be here all day.”

Rina waved her hand dismissively. If Cecily started talking about Isaac, time would fly by.

And despite what she said, Rina already felt a bit of attraction toward him.

There was just something about him—being near him made her heart race.

With him, she didn’t have to wear a political mask. She could just be herself.

‘That’s probably why Mari was drawn to him first.’

Rina smirked bitterly. Born a princess, she had always worn a mask.

Because of that fate, she had lost her closest friend. But thanks to Isaac, they had reconciled.

Despite the ups and downs, he was undeniably a blessing to both her and the empire.

‘Maybe… I can be a little selfish too?’

Feeling conflicted, Rina quietly sipped her tea, masking her emotions.

Knock, knock, knock—

[Hey, are you guys in there? It’s me, Mari.]

A familiar voice interrupted the silence.

And with it, the arrival of the woman most recognized as Isaac’s main wife.

At this, Rina and Cecily exchanged glances before shifting their gaze toward the door.

It was Rina who gave permission.

“Come in.”

[Then, I’ll come in.]

Clunk—

As the door opened, Mari came into view, dressed in a simple white dress.

“Huh? You… Aren’t you…”

“H-hey? Hehe.”

And along with her—Leona.

It seemed that she had coincidentally run into Mari while moving in.

Despite this unexpected meeting, there was no time for proper greetings, as Marie immediately shouted toward them.

“By the way, did you guys see what’s happening outside? It looks like something interesting is about to start.”

“Something interesting?”

“Yeah. Something interesting.”

“What is it?”

At Rina’s question, Mari thought for a moment before shrugging and giving an ambiguous answer.

“A festival… that’s kind of like a funeral?”

“…Ah.”

“Pfft.”

Rina let out a small exclamation as if she had realized something, while Cecily burst into laughter.

Unlike Isaac, they could roughly grasp what was happening.

“But where did Isaac go?”

Where else would he be?

“As of this moment, we shall now hold a funeral for Jin. First up…”

“……”

He was watching the funeral-like festival unfold in real-time.

‘If I go back to the mansion now, I’m screwed.’

The timing was absolutely terrible.