How to Live as a Martial Arts Writer in a Fantasy World

6 – 06. Even a passing touch creates a bond(2)

06.

Allen thought the gaze of the bodyguard standing behind Lyn was intimidating.

‘This is a disaster.’

He was in serious trouble.

He had no choice but to accept Lyn’s invitation.

Ignoring her would only anger the bodyguard and accepting would certainly do the same. He was in a precarious situation, seeing no option to escape.

The thought of accepting was uncomfortable because Lyn was the one who had tortured him today. His head felt overheated.

That’s when Maia stepped in.

“Your highness, I’m sorry but our master has a prior dining arrangement with our family. We appreciate your understanding.”

“Hmm?”

Lyn turned to Maia.

“And you are?”

“I am Maia, the exclusive servant to Master Allen. I have spent 10 years serving him.”

“Oh, I see. My name is Lyn Xiao Mei.”

Maia tactfully bowed her head in greeting.

Lyn stroked her chin, pondering.

“I can’t ruin family dinner time, but it doesn’t feel right to just let Allen go without engaging further.”

‘No, just let me go…’

Why on earth would a princess of a country be interested in a rookie author who just started writing?

Allen truly felt like his world was spinning out of control.

Apart from the princess of Kunlun, the thought of royal family members from his own empire watching him was daunting.

“Let’s make a time in the future. Today, I am here to celebrate my sister’s enrollment.”

“Hmm?”

“My name is Albert Erling von Müller, your highness.”

Allen gazes at Albert performing the Baoquan Li, a form of bow, with a peculiar expression on his face.

‘That’s a martial art greeting.’

Originally, in Eastern customs, there are so many different kinds of greetings and courtesies, so in martial arts novels, they are often replaced with the Baoquan Li or the half-palm salute, unique to Shaolin traditions.

Of course, in a royal palace, it is typical to observe proper etiquette especially in front of royal officials or princesses, but the Schuren War Chronicle hasn’t covered that yet.

Upon seeing Albert’s Baoquan Li, Lin bursts into laughter.

“Even in such a short life, there comes a day I receive the Baoquan Li from a young warrior of the Sword King’s family.”

“Ridiculous… How dare I presume before your highness.”

“Shen, don’t interfere.”

“Your highness.”

“Will you make me repeat? I am conversing with these men here.”

With a look that showed he was ready to unsheathe a sword at any moment, the stern guard Shen was subdued by a single glance from Lin. She then turned her gaze onto the two brothers.

“I seemed to have momentarily forgotten my standing as a princess.”

Upon experiencing Shen’s reaction, Lin was reminded of her position.

In a scene where each action carries a weight, she is the only princess of Kunlun, overprotected by her guards. Looking at their reactions, experiencing noiróze could be imminent.

Feeling a slight fatigue, Lin turns around.

“I hope you have a delicious meal. Let’s go.”

“As you wish, your highness.”

Shen follows Lin after she turns around.

Simultaneously, a telepathic threatening message flies into Allen’s mind as if it was forcefully shoved in.

-If you approach the princess, I will cut you down by any means necessary.

The moment Allen makes a dumbstruck expression at the content of the message, Lin’s sharpened voice is heard.

“Shen, stop messing with telepathic messages and hurry up. Do you need Chidogan?”

“I’m coming immediately, my lady!”

Shen, looking at Allen as if to say wait-and-see intensifies.

While thinking, ‘He’s acting like some kind of ninja leader from an AOS game’, Allen shakes his head wryly.

“What kind of mess is this when I’ve only come to eat?”

***

“Thank you for inviting us.”

“It’s truly a pleasure to form a bond with the Princess of Ku’n Lung.”

It was a cafe inside the academy.

However, the cafe was now enveloped in a solemn atmosphere. Even the passers-by were observing, due to the austere knights guarding the terrace.

In between them, a girl with golden hair, light as feathers, was facing another girl with hair as dark as pitch.

Thin strands of black hair as if spun from the night itself, within which lay crimson eyes, glowing like the moon.

With her fair skin, the girl displayed a beauty akin to a vampire.

She was the princess of the East Empire, Ku’n Lung, distinctive in her colorful clothing, Lin Xiao Mei.

“It is an honor to meet the Princess of the West Empire.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. I did not even think that you had already come across the Shuren Chronicles.”

“Well, the series was widely talked about in the Imperial City.”

At Lin’s words, the princess of the Tyrantu Empire seated across from her, Felicia Al-Shir Tyrantu, broke into a wry smile.

“It was also a novel that faced intense backlash from the empire’s writers. However, there are people who highly commend it as a work that could change the literary scene in the empire. Princess Lin, what do you think?”

“I’m not sure.”

Lin smiled as she held her teacup.

The tea, filled with scents distinctive of the West Empire and still unfamiliar to her, seemed to seep deep into her skin.

“It feels strange. I did not expect there to be someone in the empire who understands my homeland this well.”

“Well, indeed?”

“To be able to write about the human good and evil so well is an achievement itself. I think the veterans of the imperial literary community are jealous. Am I being too audacious?”

“Not at all. There’s nothing as dull as imperial novels.”

Felicia was sincere.

The imperial literature scene was stagnant. Most of the published works were propaganda novels intended to strengthen the influence of the royal family.

It was really hard to find novels genuinely intended for entertainment.

This was why Felicia was tired of imperial literature.

“I would rather prefer the Shuren Chronicles, which are not used as means to boast one’s knowledge and culture. I actually found it quite enjoyable. Although it has just started, it is a promising novel.”

“It appears the imperial literary community is indeed quite rigid?”

“Well, indeed.”

Felica took a sip of her black tea.

“It seems you enjoyed reading the Shuren Chronicles, Princess Lin.”

“Of course. The relationship between Shuren and Shana was extraordinarily impressive. Especially the scene where Shana blocks the path to stop Shuren from running away…it was really…sad.”

“Ah, are you referring to that scene where Shana blocked the enemy to buy time for Shuren to escape… It was so noble. It was as if she was a hero straight out of a legend.”

This was no hero tale embellished like a propaganda novel.

Shana’s sacrifice was even more noble for the fact that she didn’t become a hero but died.

“So, I’m eagerly waiting for the next volume.”

“It’s just a shame that it only has one volume so far.”

“I feel like locking up the author in the palace, forget about the academy, to make him write more. I think it’s criminal to release an interesting novel and then abruptly stop like that.”

“Oh, I actually enjoy the thrill of the wait because the story is fun,” Lin smiled gracefully.

“I only have expectations for the next volume. I don’t think it’s good to put too much pressure on it, though.”

“I see. I hope to have more discussions about The Chronicles of Shuren like this.”

“Goodbye.”

With a polite bow, Lin gracefully stands and leaves.

Felicia, too, rises after watching Lin leave.

“Perhaps there might even be a competition for Allen,” Felicia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I can’t just let him be taken away.”

Someone who writes a novel that sparks interest after a long time has appeared.

Moreover, if his understanding of Kunlun seems high, he’s a talent not to be missed. It would make a perfect bridge to improve relations with the Eastern Empire, Kunlun.

There is another reason why she can’t just let it go.

“Allen Ed von Mueller, you won’t be able to escape this time.”

A determined smile played on the lips of Felicia, who was recalling the sight of Allen disappearing as if running away in front of her when they were children.

“Because this time, I won’t let you get away!”

Once you enter the academy, there’s no way to avoid meeting her.

As Felicia smiled in anticipation, the sun set, casting long shadows over the western sky.

***

“Ahhh-choo!”

Following a violent sneeze, Allen wiped his nose with a tissue.

“Someone must be talking about me.”

If I were not turning my head when I sneezed, my manuscript could have been destroyed.

“As soon as I walk into class, I hope I don’t get hit with weird questions.”

Albert and I had already been flooded with all kinds of questions on our way back from dinner.

Most of them being, “So when’s the next volume coming?”

‘I didn’t think there would be people asking even while we were on our way back….’

I suspected a lot of it had to do with my older brother Albert being there. Without him, there were definitely people who wouldn’t even recognize me.

In the end, going with my brother was the problem, Alan thought.

“Why was the princess there?”

It was dizzying, all so dizzying.

Lin Shao Mei.

Black hair, red eyes, and a stunningly armored chest.

If she were crossed-armed, her destructive power would really be incomprehensible. I don’t know how much effort I made to avoid looking her way.

Chinese styled clothing, her outfit looked dang close to Hanfu. This aroused a strange suspicion in me. It was strangely infused with a Japanese style though.

“What in the world is this world?”

There’s an empire similar in pronunciation to Gonryun, and the princess from there wears clothing close to Chinese styled clothes.

No matter how much I think about it, I find it suspicious.

Could this world actually be a fantasy world rooted from people who came from Murim?

“Am I overthinking?”

I might have thought too far into it.

Alan sighed as he put down his quill.

“…Anyway, I may end up hearing even the professor ask ‘when’s the next volume coming out?’ If there are any friendly people out there, that is.”

All of the empire’s authors are already older than Alan.

Most critics could be considered enemies.

“Ahh, thinking about it is terrifying. How much will they taunt me?”

Alan briefly put the quill down and eased his stiff shoulders.

Perhaps it’s because I’m writing by hand instead of a computer keyboard, if I don’t exercise properly, my body might really take a hit.

“How should I progress the plot….”

Now that I’ve released the name, the situation was predictable.

Alan knew well that focusing more on the development of the work rather than worrying about that would be more productive.

“In the end, the revenge is completed, but the emptiness of that revenge must be shown.”

I should show that all that’s left at the end of revenge is emptiness.

That’s the objective of the Shuran Chronicles.

“Alright, I’ve got it now.”

The eyes of Allen, who once again gripped his quill pen, were blazing with the heat of creativity.