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

23 – 23. Professor Teia

23.

“Ugh, now I can finally stretch out and relax. I won’t be seeing him for a while?”

“Was it so irritating to you?”

Meia, who took Allen’s school blazer, asked as she hung it on the hanger. Meanwhile, Allen had already sprawled on the sofa.

Alan grumbled in response to her question.

“Consider this, Meia. Every time I go to see Princess Lynn, there’s a man who always sticks by, glaring and saying over and over again how he’ll kill me.”

“We can impose sanctions if you desire.”

“Forget it. A bodyguard of Princess won’t be average in their abilities. I don’t want to hurt them unnecessarily.”

“I am confident enough to suppress him.”

“You know that I’m not saying this because I don’t trust your abilities.”

At Alan’s reaction, Meia bowed her head.

Did her master know that his casual remarks startled her?

“Meia?”

“…it’s nothing.”

Meia was relieved that Alan wasn’t looking at her.

Since she was trying superhumanly to suppress the corner of her mouth from rising into a smile.

“I have to go for a while. I’ll leave my seat.”

“Can you stop by a cafe on your way back and get some bread?”

“Should I buy the usual thing you always have?”

“Yes, please.”

“Understood, sir.”

As soon as Meia exited the room with the most composed face possible, she collapsed as if she was sliding out the moment she closed the door.

Her face, twisted as if she might leak the sound, didn’t belong to her usual composed superhuman maid but looked more like a girl who discovered love, freeing her in a good mood.

The blue eyes behind the glasses and her blushing face made a strange contrast.

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“Does my master know how sincere I am to him…”

Meia took a moment to catch her breath as she sat down.

It didn’t take long to regain composure, have her blushing face subside, stand up, fix her clothes, and become her usual stoic self.

The white-haired maid, having straightened her posture, began to move to fulfill her master’s ‘request’.

***

-Master Alex O’Donnell von Alonzo of the Empire’s literary world, announced he won’t let these firebrands continue publication

-Healthy literature of the empire is being shaken by a firebrand that shakes the foundation of Imperial novels

-Conservative literary figures of the Empire issued counter statements to the opinions of old school writers making for stark contrasts and debates within the Empire’s literary circles…

“…it’s a mess.”

Alan said while scratching his cheek, looking at the Empire’s newspapers that were in a flurry over the aftermath of the second volume.

“Well, I expected this kind of reaction… It’s really catching fire. The more it does, the better it is for me.”

Thanks to this, the second volume seems to be selling well too.

Adonel Publishing House appears to be enjoying truly happy times recently, largely due to Allen’s “Schuren Chronicle”. Though, it seems they are also experiencing some difficulties.

It is only fitting for a small publishing company to grasp such an opportunity.

“Do these people realize that the more they react like this, the better my novel becomes?”

The second volume of “Schuren Chronicle” starts from where the first volume ends—obviously.

After finishing his martial arts training and mastering the first half of the Clan’s swordsmanship, Schuren hits the road again and during his journey, encounters the dark wizard Melnoar, the Count of Melnoar territory.

Although reluctant, Schuren cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people in Melnoar territory and ends up helping them, forcibly treated as a hero in the process.

Under the alias ‘Lanke’, Schuren leaves, now embarking on his quest to trace the dark wizard’s trail. This entanglement with the Four Emperors is emerging as the main axis of the story.

“For now, it would be best if Schuren continues overcoming hurdles without difficulty.”

Allen wrote down thoughts that occurred to him in his notebook.

Schuren has only mastered the first half of the Clan’s swordsmanship, but that alone makes him formidable. In the context of the novel, he’s reached a level that can challenge the top ranking swordsmen on the continent.

However, he’s not yet at a level to compete with the top echelon, namely, the so-called Sword Masters.

“Against the Sword Masters, they each have their own secret techniques; that’s the correct approach.”

The term “Sword Master” represents, after all, swordsmen who are closer to mastering the end of swordsmanship than anyone else among those who pursued it.

In martial arts novels, they’re warlords, whereas Grand Sword Masters would be akin to zen masters.

I didn’t bother to make an equivalent level to ‘life-death’. This level doesn’t apply to fantasy.

Allen closed his notebook.

“I need to groom a character who can teach the emptiness of revenge, too.”

Schuren’s themes are revenge and a journey.

It’s a journey of revenge, but along the journey, encounters with others should teach him the futility of revenge.

“Karma.”

Allen added another keyword.

“Revenge, karma, and a journey. He needs to realize the emptiness of revenge at the end of this journey, which means that the antagonist he confronts halfway through should also be filled with desire for revenge?”

If a martial art technique only ends lives, it only leaves ugliness in the world.

The world is tarnished by the celebration of those who become infamous for such martial arts, where goodness turns into hatred, and evil is drowned in blood.

Anyone who starts learning such martial arts will inevitably confront a massive wall built to reach the level of a warlord.

If one has built that wall through murderous martial arts, they will feel nothing but the path of killing at that wall.

That is the path of Asura.

It’s the path Schuren is taking now.

Alan added a keyword, “Asura,” to his notepad.

Beneath it, he inserted the subordinate keyword “vengeance.”

“An Asura can only follow the path of an Asura. Then, a counterpart must also be an Asura to keep balance.”

Like mirrors reflecting each other.

A collision of two warriors who lived with vengeance.

Alan drew a line through another word, “another vengeance spirit,” written on his notepad.

He changed his mind.

The other party should not be a revenger. The one who would teach the emptiness of revenge should be a teacher who taught that what murder left behind wasn’t just simple emptiness.

“We need a character that teaches the ephemerality of life to Shuren.”

This cannot be the traitor who betrayed their clan, nor the villainess that led their clan to ruin.

Both of them must be characters who will meet death at the hands of the protagonist.

“Let’s make it a chance encounter.”

The backbone of the third volume was set.

During his travels, Shuren would meet an individual who insistently collides with him and will become a master who teaches him about emptiness.

A smile formed at the corner of Alan’s mouth.

“Good. Do you like it?”

***

“Good morning, everyone. Our celebrity’s in attendance today, too?”

Today’s first period was a basic magic class.

Teia Myronel von Bernhardt, an eccentric professor in the department of magic who taught this class after getting fired for openly challenging Alan, was dressed in tight clothes that flaunted her voluptuous figure.

Her appearance was almost too intense to look at.

Even the girls, Rin and Felicia, who sat next to him, were on careful alert regarding Professor Teia.

“In reality, basic magic is a subject where you learn only theories, so it’s less fun than you’d expect. If it were a practical magic class, I’d be teaching something more exciting.”

Saying that, Professor Teia snapped her fingers lightly.

“Since our celebrity’s in attendance for the first time in a long while, let’s enjoy some interesting theory lessons, shall we?”

The blackboard was etched with pristine white characters written with chalk.

The eyes of the students focused on the written characters. Noticing this, Professor Teia cracked a sly smile.

“What relation do the invocation (言靈) and the spell (呪文) have in the activation of magic? Interesting topic, isn’t it?”

This was a topic discussing the fundamentals of magic.

It happened to be among the topics that Alan found moderately interesting.

Professor Theia’s magic-infused chalk drew a long line under the words “incantation” and “spell” written on the blackboard.

“Often, the most basic elements required to cast magic are commonly referred to as spells, incantations, or rituals.”

“I have a question, Professor. Doesn’t the magic circle fall under the basic elements?”

“Magic circles are, of course, included in rituals, which is why they are often referred to as the three fundamental elements of magic.”

Professor Theia wrote the word “magic” on the blackboard.

“So, what is the fundamental definition of magic?”

No answer came readily.

Professor Theia, arms crossed, scanned the cadets around her.

Among them, a single hand quietly rose.

It was Allen.

“Let’s hear your answer, celebrity.”

“It’s cutting the complex principles of the world to fit one’s own viewpoint, or so I’ve read. That’s all I know from books.”

“Exactly right, celebrity. Well answered.”

At Professor Theia’s response, Allen gave a wry smile.

Ever since his first attendance in class, the professor’s address for him hadn’t changed.

To her, Allen must have seemed something akin to a celebrity.

Professor Theia again drew a line beneath the word “magic” she had written.

“Magic is often broken down into white magic, dark magic, sacred magic, illusionary magic, and the like. Why do you think these categories were born? What is the relationship between incantations, spells, and magic? It’s quite an interesting research topic. Academics might spend all day discussing it in their tedious debates.”

The woman professor with the athletic build, in charge of one of the most minor courses in the Department of Magical Astronomy, tapped the corner of her mouth with her index finger with a chuckle.

“Incarnations and spells are actually not very different concepts. An incantation is uttering one’s will into the world, and a spell is ordering the mana to rearrange through that incantation to produce the desired phenomenon. These combined are often referred to as incantations.”

This was a common narrative among the cadets of the Department of Magic Studies.

Yet, for Allen, affiliated with the Humanities Department and with knowledge of magic limited to clumsily read fantasy novels and bits of information from literary anthologies carelessly skimmed and discarded in this world, the topic was incredibly fascinating.

Allen’s quill danced over his notebook.

-Incantations are the medium for conveying one’s will to the world.

-Spells are governing the power through these incantations to create the desired phenomenon.

-Incantation is the concept encompassing both incantations and spells.

-Definition of Magic: Tailoring the principles of the world to one’s own will.

Allen thought it was an intriguing story.

In some ways, it seemed to share certain similarities with martial arts.

‘The basics are the same, but just like martial arts that individuals alter slightly to fit their own characteristics, the learning process is identical.’

Professor Teia’s voice reached Allan’s ear, making the forced equation of ‘Martial Arts = Magic’ viable.

“Well then, shall we hear a little bit about our celebrity?”

“Pardon?”

Allan raised his head.

Professor Teia’s gaze bore into his face.

“Excited for the famous one’s answer?”

A droplet of cold sweat trickled down Allan’s forehead.