Chapter: 769
Decades spent as an author. Pride in my nation, which has reigned as a cultural powerhouse for centuries.
Perhaps it’s the combination of these two aspects that led to a suggestion that a mere commoner could never imagine.
‘An autobiography.’
First, I calmed my flustered mind and organized my thoughts.
Rodesa, the romance novelist, proposed writing a new work inspired by Rizie and me. Meanwhile, Alren, the adventure and chivalric novelist, wanted to turn my ‘autobiography’ into a story.
From the nuances, it seems he wasn’t just aiming for a simple motif. He truly intends to write a novel about my experiences, much like a historical novel.
If I had to liken it to something, it would be like Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There might be slight alterations, but it’s fundamentally based on history.
“It’s a kind offer, but I’m only twenty-six. How much can you write about the life of someone who hasn’t lived that long? Even if I were to do a short story, it might not fill half a book.”
So, I politely expressed my reluctance to Alren’s proposal.
Truth be told, from the moment I accepted Rodesa’s request and saw the spark in Rizie’s eyes, it felt almost certain that I would end up accepting Alren’s proposal too. Moreover, unlike those esteemed ones whose marital lives are at stake during their academy days, my life doesn’t really have any secrets to keep. After all, my life is practically unfolding in real-time history books.
Regardless of the format, if my story—well, more specifically, the tale of that six-sworded guy—becomes widely known, I wouldn’t mind at all. A novel from a great author could be far more effective than a dull textbook.
“The value of a person’s life isn’t divided by time. While it’s undeniable that Your Grace is young, has your journey been smooth and peaceful until now?”
Alren’s counterargument wasn’t wrong, making it hard for me to refuse even stronger.
There are commoners who lived until eighty or ninety and left no mark on history due to their peaceful lives. In contrast, there are those who passed away in their teens or twenties, leaving a stormy legacy that etches them into history.
Shamefully, I find myself closer to the latter. Having served in two wars, I’ve become a key figure in the empire at this young age. Sure, I might feel like a mutt rolling under a bad boss, but my power still ranks quite high. Alas, freedom is what I truly crave instead of power.
“Hitherto, there has never been a union between settled peoples and nomads throughout human history. No sword has cleaved the heavens, nor has any ruler become a living blessing of divine favor.”
‘Why so many words?’
Amidst this, Alren’s persuasion only grew longer.
Even I, the subject of it all, felt the weight of his argument. A war hero, the continent’s greatest swordsman, a living blessing; just choosing any one of those titles could make for a gripping novel.
“Truth be told, I’ve long admired the knights wielding swords, which drove me to create chivalry with my pen. And yet, I’ve witnessed the emergence of the continent’s greatest swordsman before I left this world. Is this not divine guidance? I wish to burn the last flame of my life in honor of Your Grace.”
“Whoa.”
Now he’s referencing his likely dwindling lifespan, which softened my resolve.
A respected author, nearing retirement, wants to make me the subject of his final work. How could I possibly be cold-hearted about such a statement?
“While my life wasn’t particularly exciting, the thought of it becoming a masterpiece in the hands of a great author is thrilling.”
So, I nodded to Alren. What the heck, let’s give it a shot.
“However, to write my story, the war cannot be overlooked, which isn’t something easy to explain in a day or two. Plus, I have other commitments that might eat away a full day.”
I rightly noted that it would likely be challenging to convey my life story.
I need to enjoy my honeymoon to the fullest, and with a collaboration with Rodesa on top of that, fitting in time with Alren will become even trickier.
“Since I’m asking this of Your Grace, it’s only natural to fit your schedule. Please come whenever it suits you.”
Of course, Alren understood this, being a reasonable person.
If he threw a fit for not getting time to meet after requesting it, that would be more beastly than human.
“…By the way, I didn’t want to show up empty-handed, so I prepared a little gift. I hope it suits your taste.”
“Thank you, Your Grace! I’ll gladly drink to the completion of Your Grace’s autobiography!”
I handed over the long-forgotten Boyar wine to Alren.
I almost brought it just to take it back as a gift.
Though this process is about turning my life into a novel, outside help is essential for smoother work.
– An autobiography of a minister, huh?
“Yeah, it sort of just happened.”
More specifically, it’ll require the cooperation of the Emperor, who holds all the information about the empire.
The campaign to behead the Kagan, the northern expedition that brought those lands under imperial control; in both wars, I acted more like a joker thrust into battles than a commanding officer.
Thus, unless I manage to access info directly, grasping the overall flow of the wars would be tricky.
On the contrary, the Emperor knows not only the war situation but also the state of affairs back at home. If he doesn’t know, who else would?
“This is a glorious moment as nomads, opposed for thousands of years, bow to the empire. It’s an opportunity to share that glory with the entire continent through a novel, so shouldn’t we relay it as accurately as possible?”
– Hmm.
At my proposal, the Emperor stroked his chin, deep in thought.
The empire seeks to combine settled peoples and nomads, to showcase its great victories, and to legitimize its dominion over the north through the educational curriculum. During my time as the academy’s supervisor, wasn’t the tale of the six swords already in history textbooks?
Unlike the northern expedition, which ended in a perfect victory for the empire, the large-scale hunting war—as it bore witness to the Kagan’s relentless torment—had a bitter aftertaste. It was a conflict that had many nations questioning, “Did the empire struggle against nomads?”
For a third party like Balkros to narrate the large-scale hunting war? And not through a dull textbook, but through the work of a famed novelist?
– Now that’s not a bad idea.
An opportunity to showcase the Kagan’s monstrous traits to the entire continent. It’s also a chance to demonstrate the empire’s majesty in conquering such a beast.
And it’s not even the empire ordering this; it’s the representative author from the cultural powerhouse stepping up to do so. That would diminish any suspicion regarding neutrality and objectivity while undoubtedly raising the quality of the work.
– I see the minister’s point. So, what exactly do you want from me?
“I need records about the large-scale hunting war and the northern expedition from the Ministry of Defense and the Imperial Army. Of course, excluding any confidential matters that cannot be disclosed, but the more detailed information I have, the easier my writing will be.”
Information I don’t know, details fading from my memory. Only by sharing those bits with Alren will my writing process become easier.
And having documents would lighten my load a little. I definitely need that for my own comfort.
– It’s not impossible.
However, unlike the emperor’s earlier positive reaction, his demeanor now was somewhat lukewarm.
– I can’t just hand military information over to civilian foreigners. Even if we’re planning on leaving it as a novel, processed materials and raw data are different.
“Well then…?”
– You’ll need to have Alren take a confidentiality oath.
That was an obvious thing, so I nodded along. Logically, the emperor’s demands made perfect sense.
– And regarding the profits from the novel upon its release? Be sure to secure a fair share for both the minister and the empire. Providing the minister’s life and imperial information deserves compensation.
The cleverness of squeezing in material rewards caught me off guard.
I had been so focused on spreading their names and the empire’s honor that I completely overlooked the potential for profit.
‘Money is a serious matter.’
How embarrassing. Of course, if a book sells, there’s bound to be revenue. I almost lost out on something obvious thanks to being dazzled by honor.
– If you keep those two requirements in mind, I’ll proceed with sharing the information.
“Thank you for your generous decision, Your Majesty.”
– Not at all. A foreign author from another nation who wants to elevate the empire’s glory deserves this much consideration.
*
The next day, Count Tailglehen visited again.
I had expected him to return in about three days due to other appointments, so it was delightful to see him show interest in this writing endeavor so soon.
“Before we dive in, we need to settle something. How will profit-sharing work once the novel is published?”
“Profit… you say?”
However, since this wasn’t about information but profit, I felt a bit let down.
Yet, discussing profit-sharing is an important matter. If money was involved, I had faith that the minister would be more proactive─
“His Majesty has stated that if a suitable profit is transferred to the empire, he will provide information from the Ministry of Defense and the Imperial Army for smoother writing. Naturally, there is a condition against leaking it to outsiders.”
“I will dedicate the entire profit to Your Grace and the empire.”
“…Huh?”
Upon seeing the Count blink in surprise, I spoke more firmly.
“Revenue will be fully shared. I’ll split it 50/50 with Your Grace and the empire. I’m satisfied with just writing Your Grace’s life story.”
Initially, I had considered giving him 30% and keeping the rest for myself.
But wait, what? Not only will I receive information through his informal word, but also officially organized records from the empire?
‘I’d be willing to pay for such a deal.’
I could set aside profit easily. In fact, I should be pledging part of the wealth I’ve accumulated so far.
‘This is amazing.’
Already throbbing with excitement, my heart began to race even more.
The final flame of my author’s life. I’m convinced that this flame will burn hot enough to be remembered in the continent’s history.
Typically, historical novels or autobiographies only need rigorous fact-checking to be solid. And now, with crucial fact-checking guaranteed, it’s a sure-fire hit.
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