How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World[part1]

Chapter 21: Steam Locomotive (3)

After hearing Marie's information, I couldn't help but raise my brows. Why did she bring up such a story when I was the author of Xenon's Saga? I thought she was bluffing or lying for a moment.

But, if I think about it, it's less likely to be a bluff, and if she truly intended to lie, she wouldn't have discussed it privately with me as she did now. Marie thought it was vital information and asked me to hear her out.

'...Huh?'

In my previous life, there was a popular meme called 'The Hongchul team without Hongchul.' It referred to a situation in which everything was perfect except for the most essential piece. In other words, a red bean bread without red beans.

And that was exactly the situation right now. The author was right in front of her, and I'm still perplexed that she told a total stranger.

'...Did her father make a mistake in telling her, even though he's wrong about who the author is?' I took a moment to collect my thoughts before facing Marie. She had a confident expression on her face, smirking as if I'll never be able to deny her claim.

Putting aside other concerns, the first priority was confirmation. I kept my cool as much as I could and asked quietly, "...Really?"

"Yes."

"Is he the real author of Xenon's Saga?"

"That's right. Don't you believe me?"

I can't help but not believe it. You left the real author behind and invited the wrong person. Well, your father did. However, since I couldn't tell the truth as it is, I thought it would be best to find out what happened as best I could.

"Of course. As you know, it's been a year since Xenon's Saga was first released as a serial novel. In that year, there were only rumors about who wrote Xenon's Saga, with no concrete evidence. Even the Imperial Family is looking for the author, but they have no leads."

"Yeah. That's right."

"But apparently your father found one. How?"

"I, too, am unaware of the details. His letter only stated that they had found the author and would be inviting him to our mansion. Maybe Father accidentally stepped on his tail?"

Hearing that story, I was reminded of the process of how I started getting my manuscript published. I am not sure about the specifics, but my father said he had someone deliver the manuscript directly to the publisher.

My father is the former captain of the Navy Knights, so he must have many connections that I was unaware of. Perhaps it was one of these that had their tail stepped on. Also, before coming to the academy, my father stated that he had been able to hide things well up until now, but that the truth would be discovered one day.

As I rubbed the pen-hook in my hand, another question came to mind. I asked rather bluntly, "Is there any possibility of impersonation?"

"Ah. What kind of madman would impersonate his identity in front of a nobleman, especially a high-ranking duke who is just below the rank of the emperor?"

"Um... that's right."

Did her father really make such an embarrassing mistake? It's not like there's no possibility at all, so I'm a little worried. However, the world was vast and full of insane people. As Marie said, no one would dare to cheat a powerful duke, but many people risk their lives to gamble from time to time in order to make a fortune. 'It's almost certainly an impersonation...'

I wouldn't know if she just says they found the author, but since she said they were inviting the author to the mansion, the odds were on the impersonation side. As a result, the first step was to write a letter home, explaining the situation. It's good to be mindful of the worst-case scenario.