On weekends, as usual, I had a dinner appointment with my older sister, Nicole. Somehow, we ended up making a weekly commitment to have meals together, and it wasn't that bothersome, so I ate with her every week.
Also, Nicole is soon graduating from the academy and is expected to be assigned to the Order of Knights. It's not confirmed yet, but I anticipate that she will be assigned to a good place like Dave.
(TL: I am genuinely confused if Isaac has 2 brothers or if the author changes his name every now and again. Early in the novel there's Dave who welcomes Isaac to the academy with Nicole. before going to the Navy Knights, but Bryce returns from there for the exhibition... wtf.)
On the other hand, Adelia... It was a bit ambiguous due to her status. After graduation, it's uncertain whether she will return to the kingdom immediately or join a knights order.
Returning to the Ters Kingdom ment facing a terrible home environment, and if she joined a knights order, it was practically betraying her homeland.
Although she didn't show it due to her bright personality, as the graduation season approaches, Adelia's heart will become more complicated.
"You still don't know where you'll be assigned, right?"
"Yeah. Dave got assigned to the Navy Knights by marking his preference in advance, but I still don't know. I would like to follow Father and join the Navy Knights, but it's not easy. I heard that Dave was a special case, and they conduct internal tests. Maybe I'll have to do the same."
After the weekend training was over, we always visited this restaurant.
I asked Nicole about her plans after graduation while sitting across from her. She casually replied as if it was nothing, but her forehead seemed slightly narrowed, indicating her nervousness.
"If it's you, you can definitely join the Navy Knights. They say only those with exceptional skills and grades can become teaching assistants in the Department of Martial Arts, right?"
My fiancée, Marie, who was sitting next to me, interjected while elegantly cutting her steak. Her face was radiant, and her skin had a much healthier glow than yesterday. It was because she hadn't stopped smiling since last night until now, even as we were enjoying a meal with Nicole and engaging in a lively conversation.
By the way, Adelia tactfully excused herself. There was no place for a third party to intervene when families were talking. Nicole said it was okay for her to join us, but Adelia adamantly refused.
Before parting ways, I remembered the envious look in their eyes. Rather than being blocked, it seemed like she didn't have the courage to step in instead.
As I mentioned before, Adelia has certainly acted closer recently, but she still occasionally hesitates.
"Well, that may be true, but the reality will be different. I've heard about the requirements for joining the Navy Knights, and just hearing about them was exhausting."
"Oh, I've heard about it too. They say if you join, you won't get proper sleep for a whole month, only constant training."
"That's right. But that's not the end of it. Not only will you not get proper sleep for a month, but you'll also have to be self-sufficient even for food. And the instructors often launch attacks unexpectedly. If you mess up, you could actually die, so you have to endure all sorts of hardships."
Is that truly something a person, no, a human being can do? The answer was yes. If you were born and a human born in this world could do it.
Until now, humans have complained about being the weakest and whatnot, but that's only within the standards of this world. Compared to my past life, they are already monsters. In a world where humans could fight and win against monsters the size of elephants without any mana, there was nothing they couldn't do.
Even someone like me, who only received basic knight training and was close to being an ordinary person, could easily lift something like a 100 kg cannon. Nicole could probably even lift it with one hand, let alone play baseball with it.
Still, the entrance test Nicole mentioned was harsh even by the standards of this world. The Navy Knights were not responsible for border regions for no reason.
"Speaking of which, what's Dave up to these days? Haven't heard any news about him taking a vacation."
"I heard he's finally finished his apprenticeship and is taking a vacation. It'll probably take a few months."
It varies between knight orders, but to be promoted from a trainee knight to a junior knight, one must serve for one year. During that year, the order assesses whether the individual is suitable for it and determines their promotion.
So, our poor brother, Dave, has been an enlisted soldier throughout the year. Regardless of the circumstances, the military has always been plagued by unfairness, so he must still be enduring difficult days.
'The letter he sent last time was amazing.'
It was about two weeks ago. I still remember the contents of the letter Dave sent. He personally gathered the most rations for the march and merrily gave them away.
The reason was remarkable: as time passed, rations would naturally decrease and become lighter. Ironically, he completed the march without carrying a single ration and finished it in just three hours.
That impressed the order, making me realize that the knight order was indeed like the military.
"By the way, what about Adelia? Where did she go?"
"Um..."
While savoring a steak, Marie swallowed and asked about Adelia's whereabouts. Marie admired Adelia's optimistic nature, despite Adelia finding her difficult to handle.
From the beginning, even though she is a commoner, Marie refers to her as Unni. It's amusing that Adelia felt awkward about it.
And when Nicole heard that question, she just smirked without answering.
Does Nicole know that Adelia was a bastard child, moreover, a Ters royal family's illegitimate child? Or is it because of Adelia's peculiar behavior that Nicole was watching Marie's reaction?
Whichever it may be, Nicole was unable to answer easily.
"Well... I don't really know about Adeleia. She's such an unpredictable person, I can't even tell if she plans things or just goes with the flow. But her skills are similar to mine, so she'll adapt well anywhere."
"I see. But Unni is a commoner, right?"
"Why do you ask?"
Based on her usual behavior, she seemed like an ordinary commoner, but her appearance and manners had a noble quality to them.
Honestly, her beauty was enough to make her pass for a noble. Moreover, her sky-blue eyes reminiscent of a clear sky exuded a sense of mystery.
Although Marie hasn't had many encounters with Adeleia face-to-face, she possessed the ability to instinctively discern the truth about the other person. So, she might be aware that Adeleia's status wasn't ordinary.
"Well... for now, let's say that's right. Don't ask any further."
"Okay, I understand."
Upon Nicole's ambiguous response and firm request, Marie coolly accepted them. Since she wasn't particularly close to Adeleia, she decided there was no need to meddle.
Following that, while Marie skillfully cut into her steak, Nicole gazed at her with a complex expression. I could sense worry and concern hidden within Nicole's eyes, shining like gold.
What kind of concerns could make Nicole have such an expression? I hoped it wasn't a major worry.
"Anyway, you're graduating this year and taking the entrance test for the Navy Knights, right?"
"Yeah? Ah, right. I'm going to take the test before I graduate. In the Navy Knights, even as an apprentice, you're often immediately assigned to missions in the border zone. So you could say it's a slightly different case."
"So, there's not much time left for me to see your face, huh?"
I asked with a tinge of regret. With Dave leaving and now not much time was left to see Nicole. Nicole responded with a pleased smile, as if telling me not to worry.
"You're an adult now too. And it's been a while since I became an adult. It's natural that we can't meet often, so don't be too disappointed."
"But it's still regrettable. Dave suddenly left too. You wouldn't do that, right?"
"Of course not. Exactly one month from now, I'll leave for the entrance test. We just have to meet for the last time then."
"You attended the academy for five years, right?"
"Yeah."
"Did anything interesting happen during your time at the academy?"
As a martial arts assistant instructor, Nicole had to stay at the academy longer than others. So she must have enjoyed various events and activities.
Nicole was a dedicated martial artist, devoting herself to training every day. However, being human, she inevitably experienced stress. To relieve that stress, she enjoyed various recreational activities.
Furthermore, I heard from Adelia that Nicole has gained tremendous popularity among martial arts students. Even as her younger brother, I could attest to her beautiful appearance and strong physical abilities.
As a woman who fulfilled men's fantasies, it was undeniable that she is extremely popular. I could confidently state that without a doubt.
"I was curious about something now that I think about it. Haven't you had a significant other, Unnie?"
"Uh, huh? A, a significant other?"
Nicole visibly flustered, her eyes widened, clearly showing her bewilderment.
And Marie, not stopping there, delved even deeper as Nicole continued to be flustered.
"Unnie, you're incredibly beautiful, so it doesn't make sense for you not to have a significant other. Even if you say you don't, have you ever been confessed to?"
"Oh, no. I've never been confessed to. Seriously."
Nicole blushed, clasping her hands together. Even without relying on Marie's intuition, it was evident that she was lying.
Marie, thinking she had caught her, gave an ominous smile and pushed further.
"Lies. Who confessed to you? We're family now, so it's okay to tell me, right? I won't tell anyone."
"But... it's true..."
"Do you think lies like that would work on me? Just tell me any confession story, even one. I'm curious. You rarely talk about personal matters."
"No, why are you interested in someone else's personal life when you're about to get engaged yourself?"
Nicole asked, as if it was incredulous.
"Well, other people's stories are more interesting, aren't they? We shared our own stories, didn't we?"
"Huh. True..."
Marie's clear response immediately left her feeling dejected. After contemplating for a while, she sighed deeply and shook her head.
Unfortunately, her answer was that it couldn't be done.
"I'm sorry, but no. I've received confessions before, but it's a bit of an unpleasant story."
"An unpleasant story?"
"I was confessed to by not just one person, but by four people. And all at the same time."
"Wow..."
Marie and I inadvertently let out an astonished gasp. Since Nicole was someone who usually didn't lie, the chances are high that it was true that she was confessed to by four people simultaneously.
Just by listening, it seemed like there were hidden complexities. If someone were to use that as material, it could easily become a romance novel.
Nicole, as if reminded of that moment, muttered softly with her cheeks turning red.
"The grown-up guys... There's nothing as pitiful as seeing them fight over one girl. I got annoyed and said I'd date whoever wins through a duel. But even when four of them ganged up, they all lost. At least they should be stronger than me, right?"
"Oh, so your preference is for a man who's stronger than you, then?"
"What? No! I didn't mean it that way! I just meant that a man should be strong enough to protect a woman!"
Caught off guard, Nicole hurriedly shouted in defense, displaying a reaction far from her usual strict demeanor. It was evident that she was flustered. Not knowing what to do, I looked at Nicole, then joined in Marie's mischief.
"Noona, I'm really weak."
"Oh... Look at this. Xenon, the author? One word from you can change the world, and you call yourself weak? You should at least be mindful of your nonsense.."
"Well, what about our Hyung? He's from a noble family, and he's destined to inherit the title."
"Forget it. Don't even go there. Once he joins the knights, he'll have to give up on marriage anyway. Why bother with a lover? You two have more than enough love stories. Are you being responsible with contraception?"
Nicole tried to change the subject, so it's probably best to stop the teasing here. I had a feeling that if I continued to play around, Nicole would die of embarrassment.
"Of course, we're being very careful. We still have plenty of contraceptives, so no problem."
"Good. Make sure there are no situations where a mistake would happen, like becoming parents by accident."
"Well, from what I see, it won't happen as a mistake but rather intentionally."
"Well... Honestly, it does seem that way. But no matter what, I highly doubt you used up all the contraceptives."
Nicole, who had nodded in agreement with my words, suddenly asked me if she had remembered something.
"By the way, Isaac, when will Volume 13 be released?"
"Volume 13? I'll probably send it to the publisher in about three days. Why do you ask?"
"Didn't Alvenheim say they were going to censor it? Did you really write a story about Alvenheim being invaded?"
"Of course I did. I can't change the story just because that country threatened to censor it."
Even if Alvenheim censors it, it won't matter. It's their country that will suffer, not me. As for the profits, I've already earned more than enough, and Leort and Rina were helping little by little. I had no choice but to transfer the profits that were just sitting with the publisher to the mansion.
'Come to think of it, elves came to the publisher.'
I heard the news that elves had come to the publisher through a letter sent by my father. They wanted to see Xenon, since they asked for the letters I had been sending. Fortunately, the president handled it well, and the elves withdrew.
However, my father didn't know why elves from Alvenheim, especially from a prestigious family, had come. Although it's just speculation, it might be a situation caused by Arwen's mishandling of the speech. The news has been delivered through Siris, so I'll be contacted soon.
"I'm a little worried, that's all. Usually, when authors have their novels censored, they lose confidence. Isn't it the same for you?"
"Not really. After all, the Xenon series is a novel that more humans read than elves, and it's just a hobby for me. If they censor it, they'll be the ones at a loss."
"That's right. Sometimes elves can be so foolish. Trying to censor a beautiful culture, it's bound to cause backlash, don't you think? The Queen wouldn't do such a thing, so it must have been the Council or the prestigious families acting on their own."
Marie was coolly sympathetic. It seemed that, as expected of a duke's daughter, she had a keen understanding of the political situation in other countries. Nicole made a relieved expression when she noticed that I wasn't paying much attention to it, but she still cautiously asked if there was any way to alleviate my concerns.
"Even so, please be careful not to openly express negative opinions. Each sentence you write can have a significant impact on the world. You should know that by now, considering what you've seen so far."
"Of course, I know."
In response, I spoke as if it was no longer a matter of importance.
"I don't feel impressed by it anymore."
*****
A few days later.
[Shocking News! The contamination of the roots of Yggdrasil, the pride and symbol of Alvenheim, is actually taking place!]
[It was not a fiction-like devil's scheme, but the effect of the demon war that occurred 3,000 years ago that has been continuing until now. Although the contamination level of the roots is currently at 26%, it is gradually accelerating, and it is expected to be fully contaminated in the near future.]
[The clergy of Alvenheim have united to attempt purification efforts. Fortunately, the progress of contamination was not severe and was immediately healed.]
[Could it be that Xenon's Biography foresaw even this?]
"... ..."
Was this even possible?