How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

Chapter 416: Tactical nukes (3)

I’ve mentioned this several times before, but I’ve already taken out insurance.

If 30 volumes are published and the situation becomes serious, I was planning to release a side story immediately.

However, there is a condition for this insurance to take effect: it only applies if the arrows of rage are directed at innocent people rather than at me.

As can be seen from past trends, the fanbase of the Jin-Lily couple is not only vast but also incredibly cohesive.

Most of the demons support them, and due to their tragic past and compelling story, they have gained worldwide popularity.

It has even reached the point where the main protagonist, Zenon, and the heroine, Mary, sometimes fade into the background.

In fact, this was somewhat intentional.

While Zenon is the one driving the overall narrative, if you look closely, you’ll realize that the true protagonist is Jin.

The love story between a demon and a priest provides a unique, unconventional thrill—something akin to a “spicy” flavor that people of this world have never experienced before.

On top of that, it’s also an irresistibly romantic love story that keeps the reader’s eyes glued to the pages.

But now that I’m planning to destroy all of this, the fanbase will never let it slide.

Their hearts already bear deep wounds, and before those wounds have even had a chance to heal, I’m essentially rubbing salt directly into them.

‘I’m not a demon worshipper, but at this rate, I might get killed by my own readers.’

That’s not even an exaggeration.

Do you remember the adventurer who nearly broke through security when I first stepped into the academy?

That adventurer was a fan of Zenon’s Chronicle—and there might be someone even stronger who is a fan.

The world is vast, and there are plenty of eccentric people out there.

To prevent such incidents, I plan to make sure my insurance is rock solid.

‘As for the epilogue’s ending, of course…’

The epilogue takes place a few years after the end of the Second Demon War.

Years later, Zenon, Mary, and Lily meet again after a long time.

However, there is a major change—children.

Their children will be introduced.

Zenon and Mary have two children, while Lily has one.

Originally, Lily was completely devastated by Jin’s death and was unable to function for a while.

However, upon realizing that she was carrying Jin’s child, she found new hope.

‘In my heart, I want to resurrect Jin as an angel…’

Resurrecting Jin as an angel is actually a feasible setting.

First of all, let’s talk about Jin’s soul.

According to what Luminous and Mora have revealed, while it is extremely rare for a mortal to ascend to a transcendent being, it is possible.

Particularly, those who are powerful enough to be called “heroes” wait for resurrection in Valhalla.

Leona once shared this information.

Moreover, Jin was strong enough to absorb Diabolos’ soul and maintain his sanity, even with outside assistance.

He saved the world from a crisis and even went so far as to claim the soul of a great demon as his own—resurrecting as an angel should be an easy feat.

‘Then why is it not possible?’

While organizing the setting, a question suddenly arose.

Ariel is a special case, so she can be considered an exception.

But why can’t other angels be resurrected?

Even when I asked Luminous and Mora, they brushed off the question without giving a clear answer.

Why is it that angels do not appear?

There are plenty of souls worthy of resurrection, so why don’t they return?

‘Meanwhile, demons keep showing up in hordes.’

Demons and demonkin are unprecedented species.

Their origins are human, and although they are said to have been born from failed rituals, many aspects remain ambiguous.

For such a transformation to occur, there must have been some external intervention strong enough to change an entire species.

Moreover, the origins of humans themselves are unclear.

Why is it that only humans can turn into demons or demonkin, while other species do not?

The deeper I dig, the more questions emerge.

If I ask Luminous or Mora, will they give me a proper answer?

‘Hmm… No, I should let this go.’

This is something I should investigate on my own, step by step.

There is still a vast amount of knowledge in the world that I don’t know.

First, I need to decide how to resurrect Jin in the side story—so that it heals the emotional wounds of the Jin-Lily couple completely.

Since the gods have outright declared that resurrection as an angel is impossible, I should pass on that idea…

No, actually, I’m seriously reconsidering it.

Lily lives every day with longing for Jin, finding hope in their child as she moves forward with life.

Then, one day, Jin appears before their child as an angel—just like that!

He then asks, “Where is your mother?”

Honestly, there couldn’t be a more perfect happy ending.

It would fit well with the classic “I’m back” cliché.

The problem is that there is virtually no feasible way for Jin and Lily to reunite.

‘Reincarnation is difficult too.’

Jin’s soul is already fused with Diabolos’ soul.

Separating them is impossible, and even if he were to be reincarnated as a mortal, his vessel wouldn’t be able to handle it.

That’s why I made Jin’s death canon.

Unlike Kair, who vaguely retains past memories, Jin has no possible way to be revived.

Of course, some might find this frustrating and ask, “Does it really matter if a bit of the setting collapses?”

…Wait a minute.

A good idea just came to me.

Thinking about it carefully, Zenon’s Chronicle is a novel that, while thoroughly researched, is still a work of fiction.

In other words, I can resurrect Jin as an angel but make it clear that it was originally impossible.

Moreover, this is a side story, not part of the main canon.

Jin’s death remains official, while the side story serves as a sort of emotional healing.

‘Just in case, I should make it explicit in the introduction that this isn’t canon.’

That way, no one will argue about it in the future.

Since this seems like a solid idea, I jotted it down in my notebook.

If anyone asks why Jin could be resurrected as an angel, well—how should I know?

It might seem a little shameless, but if I don’t know, I don’t know.

Even the gods refuse to explain it properly.

‘I wonder if Grandpa Clark knows?’

Clark suddenly came to mind—the one who knows at least part of the truth about the world.

As I thought about that, I turned my head toward the bed.

I was in the middle of packing my belongings to head back to the mansion, but Clark was happily playing with Ariel.

“Grandpa, can you see if I do this?”

[Yes, I can see it. Though it feels quite strange.]

“Then how about this?”

[Hahaha.]

…The way they were playing was a bit bizarre.

Ariel was repeatedly sticking her fingers in and out of Clark’s empty eye sockets.

Since he had been resurrected as a skeleton, it didn’t really affect him, but I had no idea how to react to this scene.

Still, rude behavior is rude behavior.

I sighed and firmly spoke up.

“Ariel, don’t do that to Grandpa. Take your hands out.”

[It doesn’t bother me.]

“But Grandpa said he’s fine!”

“Even so, it’s not polite. Come here.”

“Humph!”

Ariel puffed up her cheeks in frustration, looking like a pufferfish.

It was cute, but the fact that she was already showing signs of rebellion was a bit concerning.

I debated whether to scold her but ended up chuckling instead.

Even when she rebels, she’s just too adorable.

Wiping away my stern expression, I gave her a warm smile and spread my arms, beckoning her over.

“Instead of that, do you want to come to Daddy?”

“Yes!”

Did she somehow read my mind?

Ariel, who had just been rebellious, suddenly beamed and ran toward me as if nothing had happened.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but she seems to be growing day by day.

She even feels heavier than before.

I hugged Ariel tightly and played with her for a while before carefully approaching Clark.

Clark also seemed to be aware that we would soon be returning to the mansion, as he had already changed his clothes.

“Grandpa, I have something to ask you.”

[Ask me anything.]

“You also know that no new angels can be born, right?”

At my question, Clark’s expression turned thoughtful.

The golden light in his hollow eyes showed his curiosity.

He then stared straight at me before asking how I knew.

[I do know that. But how do you know?]

“I asked the gods once. They told me that a powerful divine energy serves as the seed from which angels are born. Isn’t that correct?”

[That’s right. You can find that fact in ancient texts. And as you said, currently, no new angels can be born, but…]

Clark trailed off and shifted his gaze from me to Ariel.

Ariel widened her eyes and met his gaze.

Right now, her mind must be racing with thoughts.

Clark also knew that Ariel could read thoughts.

Yet, seeing Ariel just blink at him meant that either he had taken measures to prevent her from reading his mind, or his thoughts were too fast for her to grasp.

[Hmm… You said she was born from the seed given by Hirt, right? The World Tree’s seed.]

After a long contemplation, Clark finally asked the question.

I nodded.

“Yes.”

[Let’s set this child aside as an exception. Anyway, the reason why angels can’t be reborn is simple. It’s because there is no ‘water.’]

“Water?”

[Yes. Water. The source of the world and the element that gives birth to all things.]

His answer only left me more confused.

There is water in nature, and Hirt is the mother of nature.

Maybe sensing my thoughts, Clark crossed his arms and looked straight at me.

[I can guess what you’re thinking. You’re probably wondering, ‘Isn’t there water in nature?’]

“Yes, that’s right.”

[You’re half right and half wrong. Why do you think nature is called nature? Would you consider barren wastelands and cracked, dry earth as nature?]

His explanation made perfect sense, and I found myself nodding.

When people think of nature, they usually imagine lush forests and places full of life.

Just as Clark said, they don’t think of deserts or parched, drought-stricken land.

[Even Hirt, the goddess of nature, cannot remain as such without water.

Oh, but before that—do you understand why water is so closely tied to life?]

“Um… I’m not sure? I do know that if you don’t drink water for three days, you die.”

The human body is about 70% water.

But bringing up scientific facts like that probably wouldn’t mean much here, so I kept my answer simple.

Clark seemed to have expected that response, nodding before giving a surprisingly scientific explanation.

[There are forbidden spells that drain life force.

These spells are powerful enough to turn a person into a mummy.

And what does it mean when someone becomes a mummy? It means all the moisture has been drained from their body.

In other words, water is life itself. Do you understand now?]

“…Yes.”

The mix of fantasy and science made me feel a bit uneasy.

But at the same time, there was something I still couldn’t understand.

“Hmm… Then what about the ocean?”

[The ocean?]

“Yes. The ocean is part of nature, isn’t it?”

The ocean is the source of all things and the birthplace of life.

Because of the ocean, life was able to emerge, and humanity was able to evolve.

At the same time, the ocean is known to be an incredibly dangerous place.

One of the most perilous occupations throughout history has been that of a sailor.

Yet despite its dangers, the ocean is an indispensable part of the world.

Think about how history changed with the development of navigation, or how crucial sea trade routes became.

The ocean is vast, full of potential, and truly the origin of all things.

[What are you talking about? Why would the ocean be part of nature?]

“What?”

[Didn’t you say you liked history? Don’t you know how the ocean was created and why dangerous sea creatures exist?]

I had no idea what he was talking about.

Isn’t it common knowledge that the ocean has always existed?

At least, that was my understanding.

Of course, there are legends that the ocean was formed during the Demon War.

It is said that demons tried to flood the world by making it rain for months.

However, this plan ultimately failed due to the intervention of the World Tree.

Nevertheless, as a result, continents were submerged, and the ocean was born.

Moreover, the blood of demons seeped into these waters, giving rise to sea monsters like the Kraken.

From that perspective, it could be seen as a myth unique to this world.

But I had always assumed that was just a story.

“Wasn’t the ocean always there?”

[Of course not. That’s basic common sense. How do you not know that?]

“…”

[Well, even you can’t know everything.

Anyway, the ocean is not part of nature.

Even though modern navigation has advanced, the sea is still a den of demons.]

The ocean is not natural.

It is an artificial creation made by demons.

That was what Clark was telling me.

The idea was so inconsistent with my understanding that I couldn’t accept it.

To check whether Clark was the only one with this belief, I asked other people…

“The ocean? That’s where demons live. Sailors are in danger because of all the powerful sea monsters lurking there.”

“You think the ocean is natural? Well, maybe now it can be considered natural, but it was created by demons, so I’m not sure if it really counts.”

“That could be considered blasphemy, you know? I’m surprised to hear you say something like that.”

Everyone else said the same thing.

The ocean is not a natural phenomenon, but a demonic creation.

‘…Something’s not right.’

Even in a world where gods clearly exist, this idea seemed too disconnected from what I knew of science.

‘Looks like I’ll be spending this break researching the ocean.’

I have a feeling I’ll uncover some interesting material.