NOVEL WEB Chapter 29
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As I enjoyed a delicious dinner and chatted with my parents, I stumbled upon a lot of things I didn’t know.
First of all, our family isn’t a Barony anymore; we’re now a Marquisate.
I had some doubts about a Baron being engaged to a princess, but I never thought we’d kick it up a notch to Marquis.
Seriously, going straight from Baron to Marquis? I knew my writing was popular in this world, but I didn’t expect it to reach these heights.
Secondly, that kid Metida knows how to hide her horns.
She pretends to be an ordinary human in front of the locals, but she struts around the mansion showing off her horns freely.
Well, everyone in our mansion is super open-minded, almost on par with my parents, so I can understand that.
But why did everyone act so tense when Laete came along while they happily ignored the Demon Race?
And finally, for the third point…
“Especially when Marcus fights Ricardo, it takes me back to my younger days!”
“Hehe, you definitely had a Marcus vibe back then.”
So, my parents are fans of my books.
“So, Zech, are you controlling yourself with the drinking? Aren’t you the weakest drinker in the family?”
Come on, what do they take me for?
I was just organizing everything I figured out until now.
“I’m not drunk! Not even one bit!”
“Oh, you’re gone.”
“Oh, I’ve only had twenty drinks!”
“I’ve been saying this since forever, but isn’t everyone else drinking too much?”
Isn’t wine the kind of drink you shoot down over twenty glasses?
I don’t think so.
“Is it okay to be this tipsy?”
Feeling like I might be the weird one, I glanced over at Laete.
“Well… I’m just naturally unable to get drunk…”
“Ah.”
Since she’s got a body that’s out of this world, I shouldn’t compare myself to her.
“What the heck…”
Why am I the only one who’s this weak?
Can’t I at least get a cheat skill for coming to this world?
I broke my leg when I fell off the Imperial Palace terrace, was taken out in one hit by a band of thieves, and my hypnosis isn’t even that powerful.
“I should just write a bit, damn it…”
If my writing skills were below average here, I might have no way to survive.
“By the way, have you ever faced something you couldn’t resolve by brute strength?”
“Hmm… there have been a few times. A hero doesn’t just fight with strength.”
“Roughly…?”
“There were times I had to rely on my brains rather than strength to countertrap laid out by the Demon King. They’re born with special abilities that defy common sense, making them tricky to deal with.”
“Oh… the Demon King!”
“Could you tell us what kind of Demon King you’ve faced?”
While I was intrigued by Laete’s story, my mother suddenly asked her a question.
“Honey? Asking something like that freely is…”
“Nah, it’s fine. Thanks to the author, I’m somewhat improved, so a story about the Demon King is no problem.”
My dad tried to stop her, thinking it was rude, but Laete said it was fine and offered a warm smile as she spoke.
“As you all know, members of the Demon King clan are born with special powers different from magic. For example, the ‘time stop’ my previous hero faced was one of them.”
“Is that really a thing…?”
Why didn’t I know about this? I’ve read so many books.
“Ah, wasn’t it common knowledge? Back in my day, everyone seemed to know about it…”
“Ahem, quite a bit of time has passed, so it may not be common knowledge anymore.”
My father cautiously explained the reason to Laete, who looked puzzled.
“Is that so.”
“But hey, I’m glad to know now! So what powers did the Demon King you faced have?!”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Huh?”
What does that even mean?
“The Demon Kings are supposed to be born with unique abilities, yet the one I faced never showed any of those. I’d always be on my toes wondering what abilities he might have, yet I never got to see any.”
‘Never got to see the abilities… but if they exist…’
Since there was one with time stop, maybe…?
“Could it be that he has some kind of reincarnation?”
“Pffft!!”
“Oh my! Metida, what happened?”
“Huh?”
I thought about reincarnation and, without thinking, blurted it out, which caused Metida, who had been quietly drinking, to suddenly spew her drink.
“Cough cough! I-I’m fine.”
“Oh dear, I must change my clothes quickly. Riss?”
“Yes, Lady of the House.”
“Could you take Metida and help her change?”
“I-I really am fine…”
“Understood, Lady of the House. Metida, shall we?”
“But I need to hear this…”
Metida, who clearly didn’t want to go, had no choice but to get dragged off by the maid, Riss, since she couldn’t stay in juice-soaked clothes.
“Metida isn’t usually like this, I guess the talk about the hero was quite entertaining for her.”
“Hahaha… is that so? Anyway, author, what do you mean by reincarnation?”
“Reincarnation?”
‘Thinking about it, the people here probably don’t know about reincarnation.’
“Nothing major. Basically… returning to the past. Since the Demon King is said to have special powers but showed none, I wonder if there’s something like reincarnation that happens when he dies…”
“Hmm, that’s a point, but if that were the case, wouldn’t I be fine too? The world is peaceful and all…”
“Hmm… maybe not then!”
Well, if the Demon King could reincarnate, would I be in this situation? He was already wiped out 300 years ago.
“It must have been something else.”
“Is that so? Anyway, regarding the Demon King…”
After a long discussion about the Demon King, Metida returned, now dressed in clean clothes with Riss by her side.
“Oh, you’re back? We just finished talking about the Demon King…”
“I’m fine, Lady of the House.”
“See? She’s showing maturity that seems beyond her age! I wish our Zech could learn just a bit from that.”
“What about me?!”
“Ugh, never mind…”
She looked at me like I was pathetic; I guess I have to show my worth now…!
“Ah, Zech. By the way, are you planning to write your next piece?”
As I was about to get up, my dad suddenly asked about my next work with curiosity.
“Yeeeaah… I announced that, but did you not hear?”
“Our territory is quite far from the capital, so we couldn’t hear. I know that Support Disbandment is complete.”
“This time I came during my vacation, and I will write the first chapter of my next work while I’m here…”
“Next work?”
“Ah, Metida, you’re interested too…”
With Metida showing interest in my next work, I felt a sudden rush and began to explain the premise.
“A revolution story? What do I even call this… Anyway, this time the protagonist starts a revolution in a dictatorship.”
“Oooo…!”
Seeing Metida’s eyes light up, I got even more excited and continued to explain.
“Knights scattered throughout the streets, and citizens live under constant surveillance, yet no one dares to step up. Then our protagonist makes their move: donning a mask and fluttering a cloak, they take down corrupt knights under the name Neo—”
“Pffft!!”
“Oh no, again…?”
“Cough cough, it’s nothing, sorry…”
“It’s fine. Hmm… does the juice not suit you?”
“I think I should mention this to Balrog later.”
“I’m truly fine..!”
“Really? For now, Riss? Sorry, but could you please help her out again?”
“Understood, Lady of the House.”
And just like that, Metida vanished with Riss once more.
“Hmm…”
‘Could she possibly have an allergy?’
Is it possible for allergies to exist in this world? Seeing how she acts only when drinking juice, it seems likely she does.
“I’ll have to talk to Metida later!”
“…Um, author. You seem quite intoxicated, better head to your room.”
“Huh?”
“You can’t seem to handle it, do you know your tongue keeps tripping?”
“I’m just talking normally!”
“…Just come along. You can walk, right?”
“Of course I can walk!”
What do they think of me, a drunkard?
I stood up and began showing off my amazing steps—
-Stumble.
“Oof..!”
I nearly fell…!
“Look at you, aren’t you drunk.”
I almost toppled over, but thanks to Laete catching me with her arm, I just managed to hold it together.
“As expected of the hero! You’re incredibly swift!”
“Hehe, I can easily catch someone like you. Now, let’s head to your room.”
“Sure!!”
***
The next morning.
I woke up with a clarity that was suspiciously sharp.
“Did you sleep well, author?”
“Kyaaaah!!!”
Opening my eyes, I found Laete next to me.
And to top it off, in bed.
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