Chapter 76

■ Chapter 75. Vacation (1) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

A month had quickly passed since the theft of the manuscript. During that time, I tried my best to focus on my studies, but I couldn't help but be preoccupied with the incident.

The rough draft of the first volume of "The Chronicles of Zeyon" is my first record after reincarnating in this world, and I have a deep affection for it. Since I wrote it by hand rather than on a computer, I always felt a sense of pride whenever I looked at it.

However, I was more bewildered than angry when the absurd incident occurred. Honestly, I never imagined that the manuscript would be stolen just a day after its initial public release, and I certainly didn't expect the safe to be completely torn open.

Of course, the publisher's responsibility for not hiring adventurers and dealing with the situation too casually, as well as my own for handing over the manuscript so easily, cannot be ignored. Still, I feel wronged.

Since then, a month has passed, and I have been thinking about who might have taken the manuscript at least once a day while focusing on my studies. If it ended up in someone's hands, I hope it wasn't burned or lost.

"I'm sorry. We investigated thoroughly, but... we found nothing."

"Nothing at all?"

"Yes. The only things we know are that the thief was skilled at handling mana and had strong physical strength. Apart from these two points, we have no idea who stole it. This is the result of an investigation conducted by the empire's top mage."

A secret room in a cafe, suitable for confidential conversations.

Rina, sitting across from me, apologized sincerely. I sipped the coffee I had ordered and examined her face.

She looked worn out, with a worried expression, and her beauty had faded due to poor condition management. Rina hadn't returned to the royal family like Leort, but she had clearly been through a lot.

'From the royal family's perspective, this must have been a maddening situation.'

I had already submitted a statement. Please find my treasure.

The manuscript was stolen just a day after the exhibition ended, so the royal family must have been in a panic. Especially the royal siblings, who had been severely reprimanded, must have felt an unbearable pressure to find it.

Therefore, Rina, who was only attending lectures and not leading the investigation team, must have felt a significant amount of pressure.

"...We will definitely find it. So don't worry too much."

Perhaps she felt uneasy because I was silent and didn't say anything. Rina spoke in a subdued voice.

She must have thought I was angry and not saying anything. Given my past, it's understandable.

However, contrary to her thoughts, I wasn't really thinking about anything. While I was a bit disappointed that they couldn't find the culprit, what could I do? I just felt disappointed.

Pressuring Rina further wouldn't make the culprit confess, and it would be better for my mental health to let the manuscript issue go. I was angry when the manuscript was stolen, but as time passed, I gradually calmed down.

"Understood. But how is the publisher doing now? Will they be punished?"

"It's not enough to punish them just for that. Although they only used their staff instead of hiring adventurers, the safe's performance was excellent. Moreover, they couldn't have expected it to happen in just one day, so they were given some leniency. Instead, they were caught for something else."

"Something else?"

"Tax evasion. The safe contained not only the manuscript but also confidential ledgers. The CEO must have been in shock and didn't manage to remove them in time."

"What will happen then? Will the publisher go bankrupt?"

In response to my question, Rina shook her head.

"No. I wish it would, but 'The Chronicles of Zeyon' is under contract with that publisher, so it's difficult. Instead, they will have to pay a hefty fine."

"How much of a fine?"

"Tax evasion is usually fined 200% to 300% of the amount, so it will be a lot. The minimum would be around 1 million gold, I think."

"Wow."

1 million gold is equivalent to at least 100 billion won. Given the high sales of 'The Chronicles of Zeyon,' the tax evasion amount is enormous.

If I hadn't taken a break, I would have shed tears of blood paying the fine, but unfortunately, I am currently on hiatus. Paying the fine could easily bankrupt the publisher.

Rina, who seemed to have similar thoughts, spoke about the publisher's future.

"Still, they won't go bankrupt. 'The Chronicles of Zeyon' is still selling steadily. And when you start serializing again in two years, they will earn a huge profit."

"It seems you made a lot of money."

"Actually, considering the popularity of 'The Chronicles of Zeyon,' this amount is quite low. It's fortunate that we investigated now; if we had waited, it could have grown to the point where they could have bribed us."

Come to think of it, before coming to the academy, my parents told me that 'The Chronicles of Zeyon' was selling very well and that I had made a lot of money.

At the time, I didn't care much about money, so I just let it go, but now I'm a bit greedy.

'Maybe I should buy better manuscript paper? Ask my parents to send more living expenses?'

A small and cute desire.

I plan to start serializing in about two years, but I should look into things that can help with writing in the meantime.

Of course, I will continue to use the magic pen my father gave me. It's a precious treasure to me, second only to the manuscript.

After thinking for a while, I glanced at Rina. She was still drinking her coffee with a gloomy expression.

'I should ask Mari about this later.'

What I want is a kind of "eraser." It's too wasteful to have to rewrite the entire page every time I make a mistake while writing.

So, I had an idea.

If there are magic items like the magic pen, there might be an item that can erase ink like an eraser. Even if it doesn't exist, something like whiteout would be sufficient.

It would be a good idea to ask my parents or someone else during the vacation to check if such an eraser exists.

'Thinking about it, the vacation is almost here.'

It's already been over four months since I enrolled in the academy. With the assignments and exams almost over, it's only about two weeks until the vacation.

Although the vacation is only a month long, it will be a sweet break for me. I'm looking forward to seeing my parents again after a long time.

'I'll also visit Mari's house...'

The most anticipated and worrying part is visiting Mari's house. From her parents' perspective, it's like bringing a stranger to their precious daughter.

Although the Duke of Rekilis family is not authoritarian, parents raising a daughter are different. I can only hope they will look favorably upon me.

I was thinking about my vacation plans when I looked at Rina. She was still sitting there, not saying a word, with a troubled look on her face.

"Rina."

"…Huh, what?"

She was startled and answered when I called her. I asked her, curious about what she was thinking.

"Why do you look so troubled? Are you still worried about the theft?"

"…Yes."

As I expected. After all, even talking to me must be stressful for her.

I felt a bit strange in this reversed situation, but I decided to try to reassure Rina. It's unnecessary for the empire's princess to be so humble, and it makes me uncomfortable.

"Don't worry too much. It's something that couldn't be helped."

"Even so… sigh…"

Rina sighed in frustration, glanced at me, and then opened up.

"It's embarrassing. Our royal family formed an investigation team, but we couldn't find any clues… It's clear that the thief planned it. Otherwise, there would have been some clues."

"Hmm… If you think so, then that's probably the case. What will you do if you find the culprit?"

"First, I'll make them kneel before you and apologize. Then, I need to find the mastermind. If it's a country, we'll handle it diplomatically…"

Rina hesitated and looked at me. When I tilted my head in confusion, she shook her head.

"…No. Since 'The Chronicles of Zeyon' isn't under the empire's control, it's meaningless. Sorry. I've been stressed lately and got excited."

"Hmm… What if I were to be under the empire's control?"

"What?"

When I asked, Rina's eyes widened, and her mouth opened in surprise.

I smiled faintly and spoke. To be clear, I have no intention of being under the empire's control right now. It's just a probe.

"Exactly what I said. I'm curious about what would happen if I were under the empire's control. As a writer, not me personally."

"Wh-Well, of course, we would welcome you! If you want, we can even give you a title! We can, and we will!"

Rina must have been very tired over the past month. Normally, she would have noticed that I was probing, but she was so excited that she even shouted.

Fortunately, the room we're in is well-insulated, or the noise would have leaked out. It shows how valuable I am.

I looked at Rina's excited face and smiled subtly.

"I already told you, I'm not interested in titles. It just makes me more tired."

"Th-Then what do you want? I can ask the emperor to give you a gift."

"No, that's not necessary."

I was startled and immediately declined.

Even though I can speak freely with the princess, the emperor is a different story. As the author of 'The Chronicles of Zeyon,' I still have to bow before the emperor's words.

Moreover, if Rina asks, the emperor might become suspicious. I don't want to be summoned to the palace for no reason.

I extended my hand to calm Rina down. She seemed to calm down and sighed, sitting back in her chair.

"…Sorry. I got excited again. You were just probing, right?"

"Yes. If it made you uncomfortable, I apologize."

"No need to apologize. I've wronged you and your family, so I can overlook this."

Indeed, speaking freely makes the conversation easier. I shrugged and lifted my coffee cup.

"… …"

When Rina lifted her coffee cup, she stared at my hand. It seemed she was looking at the callus on my middle finger.

"…Good. That will do."

Is she planning something? She must have thought she was speaking softly, but her voice leaked out due to her fatigue, and I heard it clearly.

I raised an eyebrow at her muttering. I considered whether to pretend I didn't hear it but decided to let it go.

Still, I made up my mind.

'If you do anything strange…'

I'll show you the power of serialization again. Now that you know how powerful serialization is, I can use it whenever the higher-ups do something strange.

In any case, it seemed the manuscript theft case was coming to a close.

"Thank you all for your hard work. Although it's only a short month, I hope you have a pleasant break."

"Yay!!"

A sweet break followed the storm.