The Editor Is the Novel’s Extra

‘This Pintos wine was what they served in the cafeteria at that time.’

It was clear and clean without any unpleasant aftertaste, so it was good to drink several glasses of. The side of grapes and goat cheese served with it paired exquisitely with it as well.

‘This is what living tastes like.’

The resort area in the mountain region, which was in decline, was only moderately crowded.

‘It was good to get off at the train station that many others were in.’

It wasn’t a resort that nobles used, so it was a good place to hide in. Also, there were hot springs, so Kleio could take a hot spring bath to soothe his body. After taking two baths a day, his body was smooth, and his headache had vanished.

He would lie down and listen to the birds sing as he drank and watched the scenery whenever he wanted to. When he grew bored with that, he used Promise’s function to recall old books. His day yesterday, two days, and even three days ago had been the same.

‘Because I have money, my mind feels light no matter what I do.’

He wore a comfortable room coat, with a pocket poked into it for something that would never leave his body.

‘Leaving the capital had been cheap, so I’ve hardly spent any.’

The school vacation ended in six weeks, so two months after that, he would be expelled for skipping class. It was so close that he could almost taste it.

‘Ha, at this age, I was studying late, being disciplined, working part-time jobs… but what? Now I got nearly 2 billion won just for having some good grades.’

It had been stressful, but he gained plenty in return.

‘I would’ve been anxious if I only had money, but now I’ve got enough magic to protect myself too.’

His pockets were full, and he had no pain to worry about. These were the days he dreamed of.

‘Since four days have passed here, shall I head north? I hear their apple whiskey and caramel is quite famous.’

While lying in an armchair, he had skimmed through the travel guidebook he had purchased in front of the station. Then, as he took a sip of wine, he felt like he was alive. In fact, the escape was a gamble. He had hoped that the manuscript was broken in several places and was now out of the author’s control as he texted the extent of the author’s control in escaping. So far, the flow of the story hadn’t come to take him. The longer he managed to escape, the more hopeful his prospects grew. The future war would take place around the eastern border and the capital. If he spent his life peacefully buried in the countryside, would the turbulence soon pass?

‘Although the manuscript ended in part one. It was written as if the story would unfold once Arthur became king. Now Arthur seems stronger than the previous one, so he could become king sooner.’

Finally, his bottle was empty. It was annoying to leave the armchair, so he laid the cup on the floor and rolled over to the other side.

Cling

As he was about to slip into a nap, the sound of glass bursting intervened.

Clang- Clang-

At the same time, the bungalow door, which was made of thick logs, shattered. Knights in uniform pushed in through the broken door. The first to enter overwhelmed the stunned Kleio. The knight’s thick, hardened arm crushed his body like a sheet of paper. Kleio screamed out instinctively, breathless.

“[Save me!]”

It really wasn’t intentional. As a crisis struck Kleio, Promise shined without fail, triggering a [defense] magic. The sturdy knight holding Kleio was bounced out of the 5-meter circle and was thrown upside down in the bushes outside the terrace.

‘Oh, no!’

The three knights standing away from Kleio were pushed back to the railing. Their eyes went ugly as they saw their fellow comrade injured. As reported, this boy was a wizard of unprecedented power. The knights spread out with their swords drawn as they gathered themselves.

“We are Royal Capital Defense Force Knights! Resisting summons, obstruction execution of public affairs, and illegally registering your ether level; Kleio Asel, you will come with us!”

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.

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The basic swordsmanship textbook listed the penalties a swordsman could face when misusing ether at the very start. The laws of this world were much stricter and harsher than the world he originally knew. It was even more so for a swordsman who used ether against humans. It was natural for those with powerful sanctions to live in a civilized society.

‘But I’m not a dog, so what’s with this LED collar?’

The name of the collar was the ‘Suppression Collar,’ and it was a magic tool that Zebedee had invented. Originally, the authorities used it to suppress runaway swordsmen and wizards and block ether circulation. It was made of an ultra-rare mineral called tiplaum, so only a few existed. Tiplaum was a mineral and was a substance that contained pure ether, making it difficult to handle. Only advanced wizards could process it, but once engraved with magic, it functioned almost permanently. [Stop], [Block], and so on, for a total of eight formulas. A swordsman or wizard up to level 7 couldn’t shut it off with their own power. The 8th level wizard who created it hadn’t known that the disciple he would love most would wear it in the distant future.

Wizards generally didn’t have high combat abilities, but several elite knights with a suppression collar had been sent out to catch him. Kleio didn’t know what was going on, but everything that happened today had to be the work of Dione. The 17-year-old boy was hit in the back of the head as his heart swelled with annoyance. Baronet Asel’s investigation department must’ve searched the railroad lines for clues to find him; then Dione had the knights moved based on that.

‘She must’ve used the dean’s comments that I would become a level 8 wizard in the future to get them on board. It could be seen as a common rebellion by an adolescent boy, but she was asking them to do something dangerous.’

The administration of swordsmen and wizards was a task overseen by the Royal Capital Defense Force, so Dione’s appeal that he was magical must’ve struck them. As a result, Kleio was arrested and trapped in a detention center in the village, feeling only despair. He didn’t even have shoes on since he had been lounging in his housecoat.

‘Are they recklessly arresting people that don’t register their level 3? What the hell is this?’

His pleading that they were illegally detaining him fell on deaf ears as a knight watching him from outside the iron bars. After making enough fuss, he heard only the cold reply, ‘If you damage property while resisting arrest, you may be prosecuted.’ The situation was too bad, and he had no time to escape.

‘If there was only Editor’s Privilege…ugh.’

On the other hand, he doubted the author was likely to take back this development just because he had an editor’s rights. He had learned that the author was an author and that he still possessed the force to prevent him from escaping in the worst way possible.

‘I can’t even dream of the unemployed route. Whoo.’

The night was deep even in the summer, and his back felt cold on the stone floor. Just a few hours ago, he had been lying around in a cozy armchair. When did he fall asleep? Kleio, crumpled on the floor uncomfortably, awakened to the sound of footsteps on the stone floor. The locked door was opening.

“Young master!”

Dione, still wearing a perfect dress, ran in with her face containing all the world’s sorrows and worries. She hugged him like he was her long-lost brother and used a handkerchief to stop the tears that wouldn’t come out, begging the knights to release her brother.

She would’ve won the award for best actress. Kleio clearly saw that her lips, covered as it was with a lace handkerchief, was shaking with laughter.