Chapter 84

■ Chapter 83. Rest (2) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

Although the announcement of a hiatus for the Xeon Biography disappointed many, the appearance of the "Kairu Side Story" seemed to mock this disappointment.

The Kairu Side Story, as its name suggests, depicted the life of a character named Kairu, and many readers bought the book with a mix of anticipation and curiosity.

If it had been someone else's work, they might have quickly lost interest, but this was the creation of the author of the Xeon Biography. Thus, even as a side story, it was bound to be highly anticipated.

Though not the main story, if it could alleviate the emptiness during the long hiatus, the side story was more than enough.

The readers' reactions after thoroughly reading the side story were intense. It was far more than just a simple side story; it transformed into a book that was essential to understanding the main story.

This was because Kairu's identity was none other than Xeon's teacher, and the side story contained narratives about the teacher's past.

It detailed the background of Kairu's birth and growth, the hardships and adversities he overcame, and the connections he formed along the way.

It also revealed how he met the woman who would become the Elven Queen and the reasons behind their encounter, and ultimately, how they fell in love.

It sweetly portrayed the impossible love between a human and an elf, and Kairu's silent monologues were enough to touch the hearts of the readers.

- "How wonderful it would be to see her sunny smile just one more time."

As previously explained, if one can handle mana at a high level, regardless of race, aging slows down. This is why elves and demons live long lives, and conversely, why humans and merfolk have short lifespans.

Kairu, well aware of this, trained himself rigorously, hammering himself like a heated piece of iron to extend his life, which was much shorter than that of an elf, in order to see the smile of his beloved, Elisha.

In this process, he met the person who would later be responsible for "Jealousy" and imparted his teachings, and the side story concluded neatly with his encounter with "Xeon."

Until then, many readers had criticized the love story between an elf and a human as too far-fetched, but the revelation of Kairu's sincerity in the side story completely changed their opinions. The story transformed from an impossible tale to one that could happen in reality.

Despite the lifespan difference, striving to improve oneself to see the smile of a loved one was a story that seemed impossible without a strong resolve, and thus, it felt all the more poignant.

When Kairu and Elisha's relationship was revealed in the main story, it seemed somewhat out of the blue, but the side story clarified everything.

However, the appearance of the side story made readers even more anxious. They feared that the poignant story of Kairu and Elisha would end in tragedy.

The words Kairu left for Elisha before he left, as mentioned in the main story, were enough to instill a sense of unease in the readers. This was further exacerbated by his encounter with his student, "Jealousy," at the end of the main story.

The next main story would have to resolve this anxiety, but unfortunately, it would be at least a year before it was released. The readers knew that no amount of pleading would make it come out any sooner, so they waited silently.

Until the publisher announced a surprising piece of news.

A masterpiece, the Xeon Biography, was to be expressed through another form of art. This news alone excited the readers who were involved in the art world.

The reaction in the Ters Kingdom was particularly intense, as art holds a significant place in this cultural powerhouse.

Although the Minerva Empire had used various tactics to steal much of its culture, the Ters Kingdom still had many famous artists.

Moreover, after the Jeros Revolution, art became a culture that everyone could enjoy, not just the nobility. For this reason, the Ters Kingdom could not afford to miss this golden opportunity.

While the nobles of the Ters Kingdom were more open-minded about culture compared to those of the Minerva Empire, the latter still viewed art as a privilege of the nobility, leading most artists to focus on the Ters Kingdom.

Even with substantial funding from the empire, it held little meaning for artists, as this was a medieval world where "honor" was more important than life.

For artists, honor was as important as life itself. Most people in the art world entered it for the sake of honor rather than money, which is why artists were often seen as a starving profession.

Thus, rather than being a privilege of the nobility, they aspired to be artists whose names were known to all. This "event" became a crucial turning point for artists.

Their evaluations would be starkly divided based on how well they expressed scenes from the Xeon Biography and how well they did it.

The most popular scene was undoubtedly the final moments of Sarkan. It played a decisive role in changing the tragic perception of demons and was so famous that no reader of the Xeon Biography would be unaware of it.

Given its fame, many people had high expectations, and Helium's attention was inevitably drawn to it.

Princess Cecil of Helium also expressed her excitement and mentioned that she would visit the exhibition when the time came.

Of course, there were other memorable scenes that stuck in people's minds. Readers waited patiently for the results, and artists expressed them in their own unique ways.

However, this process was not without issues, particularly in terms of "revenue generation."

Isaac said that artists were free to generate revenue through secondary creations. While it was true that artists were often poor, this was generally the case for newcomers. Once they gained a reputation, the situation changed.

Artists do value "honor" over "money," but ironically, what clearly demonstrated their value was money, or their worth.

This led people to believe that they had to pay a high price to see the works of masters, but an unexpected situation unfolded.

Not only newcomers but even established artists declared that they would not seek profit and would instead donate their earnings.

The reason was simple: they viewed the Xeon Biography not just as a novel but as a "culture" that could be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of class.

The decisive factor in the Xeon Biography's global fame was this very reason. They believed that generating substantial revenue would tarnish its reputation.

If this were Earth, everyone would rush to generate revenue once the original author gave permission, but here, in a world where honor was more important than life, things took a different turn.

The butterfly effect of the secondary creation permission grew uncontrollably. Artists decided to hold a joint exhibition, as they were all fans of the Xeon Biography and put aside their egos.

They started collaborating, saying that fighting among themselves would only disappoint Isaac.

Isaac had merely allowed secondary creations with the concept of "fan art," but the impact far exceeded his expectations.

A culture that "anyone could enjoy" began to emerge, accelerating its development.

Of course, where there are those who enjoy, there are also those who cannot.

"Seriously, I'm the author, and I can't even enjoy it."

That person was none other than Isaac, the original author of the Xeon Biography, who had caused such a stir.

* * *

I couldn't help but be astonished as I read the news in the newspaper. I had only allowed secondary creations with the concept of "fan art," but it had grown to the scale of an exhibition.

Even more surprising, the Minerva Empire and the Ters Kingdom were fiercely competing over where to hold the exhibition.

The Minerva Empire argued that since the publisher was in their country, the exhibition should be held near the publisher, while the Ters Kingdom insisted on holding it in their capital.

"I wish I could see the visual art pieces."

When I wrote to the publisher, I requested that they send me the art pieces that could be seen with the eyes. However, the publisher replied that it would be difficult.

While manuscripts could be sent by mail without the risk of being traced, art pieces were a different story.

Most were too large to be sent by mail, making them highly traceable.

My father also agreed with the publisher's reasoning, suggesting that it would be best to give up, though he found it regrettable.

"I want to see them too..."

What a ridiculous situation for an author who can't see the fan art. I rested my chin on my hand and looked at the newspaper, where people were excitedly discussing the exhibition.

I wanted to rush to the venue and see it, but unfortunately, I didn't have the time.

The location was still being debated, and my winter break was less than two weeks away.

This meant I had to wait for the next opportunity, which would be difficult unless I was in my third year.

"Phew... I'll have to wait for later."

What a ridiculous situation for an author who can't see the fan art.

I put down the newspaper with a sense of regret. There was something more important than the exhibition waiting for me.

It was the pile of fan letters on my desk. The one that caught my eye was a pink letter.

When I picked it up, a familiar name caught my eye. It was from a reader who had consistently sent fan letters for over a year.

Despite never replying, their unwavering support brought a smile to my face. This person must be a true fan.

'Come to think of it, they will soon be entering the academy.'

In a letter sent a year ago, they mentioned that they would enter the academy in two years, so they would likely be entering next year. If I'm lucky, I might meet them.

I maintained a warm smile as I began reading Cherry's fan letter.

Her handwriting was beautiful, and her writing was exceptional.

If my writing was plain with occasional spicy flavors, Cherry's was light and lively. Most importantly, she didn't use difficult words like other nobles, making her writing easy to read.

'Someone like her should be writing novels.'

I read Cherry's fan letter with a light heart.

Thus, my winter break seemed to be passing quickly and quietly.

Until the high officials of our empire decided to troll.

"What is this?"

Could it be the work of Lina and Leort?

Of course, it was trolling from my perspective, but the current citizens of the empire were praising it.

Most importantly, with the winter break almost over, whether I could even see it...

"Isaac! Have you heard the news? The academy has extended the winter break!"

"..."

"It was my lifelong dream to listen to the music of the Lilus Orchestra... I am truly happy."

It seems my winter break will be anything but quiet.