The Editor Is the Novel’s Extra

Ding-ding-

The two o’clock bell rang.

‘The time hasn’t been turned back.’

Kleio urgently left the Archbishop’s room. The young attendant guarding the hallway stopped yawning as he went.

“Are you finished speaking?”

“Yes. After the Archbishop blessed me, she fell asleep again, but her condition is awkward. Please call the priest.”

“It is our business. We will guide your companion.”

It was common for Regina to fall asleep suddenly, as the attendant sounded relaxed. They had no idea what had happened inside. Kleio was stunned. Despite the storm inside of him, this afternoon felt absurdly peaceful.

.

.

.

Arthur noticed Kleio entering the Archbishop’s simple parlor and stood up from his seat like a bouncing spring. The attendant stepped away to prepare the carriage with a shake of their head, as Arthur turned to Kleio with a joke to hide his worries.

“Hey, what’s with your complexion? Did the Archbishop poison your tea?”

“…”

Kleio was in no mood to answer. He felt like something was blocking his throat, and his mouth didn’t want to move.

“Lei, what really happened?”

When he met Arthur face to face, he moved like a wildfire as he asked questions. It was an answer Kleio Asel could never say, however. How could the comfort of the entire world be equivalent to the life of this boy? Indeed, if this were a real world, what did it mean to live as a person other than the main character? Also, if this kid truly existed, how should he deal with the hardships life had put before him?

‘What is a friendly world? One where the value of life has no equal.’

When Arthur wouldn’t move, Kleio was forced to say something.

“…Nothing.”

Arthur’s eyebrows dropped as if they noticed Kleio’s condition.

“You ride in the carriage; I can walk from here.”

.

.

.

Kleio fell into serious thought as he rode the wagon going back. The author was asleep. Considering the appearance of the manuscript, Regina’s argument that this world was being automatically described might be valid. Regina, or Minsun, had fallen asleep as he left. If he believed her, then the God of this world wasn’t omnipotent, and Clio had called Jungjin a person who would act on God’s will. It was a sweet whisper that only he was chosen to correct this world.

It felt like it made no sense. He had stumbled on Dongjak bridge, fallen into a coma, and dreamed of a world that needed him passionately.

‘…What’s more, it’s Minsun who is saying something like that…’

An appeal heard through a loved one’s voice was a terrible thing, like a siren’s song leading to catastrophe. Kleio consciously put his hands apart on his lap as he fell back into the habit of stroking his ring, then glanced hopelessly out the window. Lundane’s streets and people were now familiar to him. There was a maid running errands, a delivery man driving a bicycle, and the owner of a ship checking out a newsstand. Kleio buried his face in his cold hands.

The conclusion was the same when he first opened his eyes here. He did not have the imagination to think up all these places and characters. He thought that falling into this world was a coincidence, like being struck by lightning. However, the being that took Minsun’s form said that he had been chosen.

‘It’s something only I can do.’

It was something he had never heard before.

‘If I want to know more about what’s going on and how things work, I need to increase my narrative involvement? More than this?’

When he didn’t know there was a secret, there was nothing to be curious about. However, after recognizing there was a closed door, a desire to either open it or avoid it would form. It was too hard not to pay attention to what might be behind it, even more so if what it hid was the truth about the nature of this world. His enhanced Memory ability was able to reproduce Regina’s words clearly as if they were recorded. He couldn’t stop going back and digging through the words he had heard.

Now, Jungjin reflected on the choices he had made in the past from a completely new angle. He had two worlds: a real-world that didn’t need him and another real world that desperately wanted him in order to survive. What he needed to do was obvious: protect Arthur Riognan and defend him as King of Albion. When actively interacting with the protagonist, his degree of narrative involvement rose. The world’s system wouldn’t tolerate Jungjin’s attempt to distance himself as a bystander.

‘As long as the story is completed, I promised I wouldn’t work anymore after that.’

How easy it would be to complete the story so that the king chosen by the author would have a future.

‘If narrative intervention is fully filled, what will I become? Will I even be Kim Jungjin? If not…’

As the wagon passed under a bridge, the darkness turning the glass window into a mirror, Kleio stiffened in surprise. The face reflected in the dark window had the expression of Kim Jungjin, the very face he had seen for thirty-two years. His age, race, and appearance were so different, but a strong impression had remained in the boy’s eyes. Did the soul exist? At this moment, he felt as if his gloomy soul had influenced Kleio’s appearance.

The wagon left the shadows, returning the view to that of a calm afternoon, but Kleio’s emotions didn’t calm down. He was exhausted, using Editor’s Authority after his ether was already mostly depleted. Soon, sleepiness overwhelmed his consciousness.

***

After three days, an emergency meeting was held between Dione and Arthur in Asel’s parlor, with Behemoth seated on Dione’s lap.

“He’s been like this since you took him out. They say that tomorrow is the start of school, but he doesn’t want to go. What happened?! Take responsibility and do something.”

“Did you talk about money?”

“I did it! I did a lot! We have a lot of good news such as the pre-orders going through the roof because of the prizes, and the number of sales for the weekend edition of the newspaper has exploded after we serialized Professor Maria’s manuscript in -Presentia-. But since none of that has worked, I’m worried that he is seriously ill.”

Dione turned around, her dress shaking.

“Mrs. Canton is also worried about him. It’s not just going to school — he has no motivation or interest in the world. He barely seemed to want to breathe and eat.”

“…Was that the way it was?”

“Mrs. Canton says he was like this since childhood, but since entering school, his personality brightened, and he made a lot of friends, so she thought it was okay now. That skilled maid is on the verge of tears… Ugh.”

Arthur wondered if she was worried about Kleio or not, given Dione’s tone.

“She was washing the clothes he wore that day, and she found a bloody handkerchief in his pocket. You should’ve seen Mrs. Canton’s face when she told me that. She considers him like a son.”

“A bloody handkerchief?”

“Yes! You went there with him, but why are you so surprised? Are you saying that you weren’t hurt?”

“He was a little pale, but I didn’t see any blood.”

“Is that all?”

In front of the anxious Dione, Arthur had lost all of his usual jovial nature and had a sorrowful expression on his face.

“He didn’t tell me what he talked about with the Archbishop or what happened. Did Lei have some religious experience as a child?”

“Unlikely. Baronet Asel is an atheist. It was customary to receive the blessing of the goddess when a child was born, but I know that he wasn’t a father who went to consecrate his children.”

“If the baronet had been younger, such behavior would’ve been problematic.”

Two generations ago, priests with divine power still performed miracles on the continent, and people’s faith in God was strong. The present atheistic rationality had not always dominated Albion.

“It is said that it was different when his mother, Thelma, was alive. Her father, Viscount Laska, was a faithful believer of the goddess.”

“Was Lei’s mother a noble?”

“She was. However, she couldn’t inherit the title because her father’s will was strong. Lady Thelma’s marriage was opposed. So, after his death twenty-five years ago, the title was returned according to his will, and only this mansion became Lady Thelma’s. Mrs. Canton thought that if she hadn’t died so young, his life would’ve been different.”

Arthur’s face was deathly serious as he listened.

“…I don’t know if I should hear this story.”

“Then who should it be told to? You’re his best friend.”

“Meoow (This is what a friend is).”

“Can’t you be quiet for a moment today? Please.”

“Meow (Ah).”

The prince looked like he had been reprimanded as his eyes went wide. Joy, surprise, shame, and guilt were mixed upon his face.

“In the first place, do you know why the Archbishop wanted to meet the young master who isn’t interested in the goddess?”

“At the time of my father’s birthday last summer, after seeing her portrait, he seemed to be interested. Looking back on it, it seemed like the reaction of someone who saw someone they knew in an unexpected place.”

“Haah… What is that? The Archbishop has been asleep for over thirty years.”

“Did you inform Baronet Asel of Lei’s condition?”

“If he doesn’t go to school, I’m thinking of sending a telegram. Since I am his guardian, I have a duty to do so.”

“Then, will Lei return to Kolpos?”

Behemoth didn’t intervene upon hearing Dione’s request, but his tail slapped the sofa seat unhappily.

“That’s a big change. Let’s try to persuade him. I don’t really know why this happened.”

Dione sat on the sofa opposite Arthur and leaned against the armrest. In front of her were several documents, including a patent registration certificate, scattered about. When Arthur’s gaze fell on the papers, Dione offered an explanation.

“When he came back from practice, he was very motivated and designed a heating plate with mana stone rubies. We made two in our workshop and sent one to Baronet Asel. Then he said he would apply for a patent. I was quite impressed that Baronet Asel was an ordinary parent who could be proud of his child.”

“I see. That Baronet Asel also… he’s just an ordinary father.”

“Then, what do you know? You’re worried. Although you may seem clumsy, you have an adult-like personality that doesn’t give anything away. You don’t show what you are worried about.”

He was always smiling, but Dione’s analysis was accurate. He built up a wall around his mind, a polite but secretive boy. Arthur wasn’t sure if he really knew a friend named Kleio Asel.

“By the way, only in front of you, he acts like his peers. Help him get out again. Please.”