Editor 100

Toward the Reprint! (2)

Leaving the school, Kleio walked toward the tram stop.

‘As expected, emphasizing the public benefit. I knew this would work best.’

There was no lie in the story he used to persuade Maria.

Since the Conqueror King was a knight who used ether and there were knight orders in the main domains of the north, south, east, and west, people’s trust in them was strong.

However, since mages often avoided public activities, ordinary people rarely saw them.

‘Graduates of the Capital Defense University are in government and official positions, so nobles and those in power know about mages, but it doesn’t matter much to ordinary people.’

Many of this world’s technologies originated from magic, and magic stones were widely used in various fields. The role played in society was significant, yet the occupation of mage was not well known.

‘Even just resetting the clocks at each station on time is the job of state mages. If the foundation of modern transport and communication comes from mages, that’s huge.’

Though it wasn’t intentional, Kleio was now in a position to be noticed as a next-generation talent in the profession.

‘Even if I just laze around at home, raising the status of my professional group is a long-term benefit.’

Moreover, with Fran having completely stepped away from magic science, magic’s role in the coming events would inevitably expand.

He hoped things wouldn’t get that serious, but he thought it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. For that reason, Kleio put a lot of effort into persuading Maria.

First, he steered clear of talking about money.

‘With mission-driven academic types, bringing up money can actually turn them off. This strategy worked well. She’s motivated and said she’d send the first draft soon.’

Of course, he had no intention of skipping out on the advance or royalties. It just seemed better, with Professor Maria’s style, to gently bring up the contract and advance once he received the manuscript.

Kleio quickly estimated the amount of funds he could mobilize.

Even allowing generously for labor, production, logistics, and publicity costs, it seemed he could handle it without touching government bonds or long-term deposits.

‘Wow, money really is great. You can do whatever you want without having to struggle or weigh the options.’

Kleio’s steps were light.

Today, the weather was clear and warm for the first time in a while, and the streets were full of people.

Wearing a plain but well-made frock coat and a hat pulled low to avoid attention, nobody paid any mind to Kleio.

He always stopped by the quiet Zeon district post office to open his P.O. box. There was only a short letter from Fran.

The letter was short, but its contents were weighty.

Fran was still staying in Fesselrn, investigating the details of the experiment suffered by the opera singer Geheim.

With the full cooperation of Fesselrn’s transport union members, he had managed to find a place presumed to be the burned-out laboratory in less than two months.

However, the identity and whereabouts of ‘Feuer’, the henchman of the experiment’s mastermind, were still unknown.

‘Seriously, Fran’s initiative is no joke. What he’s figured out in that short time is impressive, but he’s still frustrated that it’s not enough.’

Kleio himself was looking at the long game. A group that could plan a conspiracy of that scale wouldn’t be brought down by a short investigation.

‘Fran is incredibly persistent, so he won’t tire easily. That’s a relief.’

In fact, things were moving faster than expected, so Kleio couldn’t just sit on his hands.

‘I’ll have to order more magic stone silver bullets to send to Fran before February, and check the Greyer Company warehouse for more usable magical tools. Busy, sigh.’

There was a reason Kleio was in a hurry.

Although spring semester started in April, during the two-week winter break after the second semester of first year, students were required to participate in field training.

In other words, starting next month, he would be absent from Lundane. He wouldn’t be able to receive Fran’s communications as smoothly as when in the capital.

‘I’d love to use illness as an excuse to not leave the capital even once…’

But that wasn’t an option.

The school field training was a major event even in the previous manuscript.

‘Who knows what kind of mess will happen, but if Arthur got sent off alone and died a pointless death, what a disaster that would be. At least they let students form teams as they wished for the training, so that’s a relief.’

Zebedi valued friendship and harmony among students and was attentive to their requests to be paired with friends.

A good companion, he said, was a better partner for a long journey than even a good teacher.

‘I don’t care about the teacher’s philosophy, but at least I avoided the risk of being separated from Arthur and sent to dangerous areas. I should be grateful.’

By now, most mages or knights wouldn’t be able to harm Arthur, but Kleio’s worries lay elsewhere.

‘This winter is likely to be a turning point when magical beasts awaken.’

People of the Dernier continent, who had only regarded magical beasts as legendary and hadn’t known their terror for a thousand years, would become familiar with magical beasts attacking villages and tearing up railways.

On the eve of a new century.

‘In the manuscript, the beast “Vargh” appears, and from that very winter, when the first dungeon opened, monsters started awakening. Normally, this would have happened when Arthur turned twenty, but the is about two years ahead of the previous manuscript.’

The training site assigned to Arthur and his friends was the northern Duchy of Tristain. Being the elite class of 977, it seemed they were sent to the harshest area.

There was no avoiding it—just as in the previous manuscript, they would face a high-level magical beast. Zebedi, who assigned the site, would never have imagined it.

‘Given the pattern so far, that beast will be even more fearsome than before. Ughhh.’

This was why, even while lazing around at home, Kleio never skipped ether circulation practice.

‘If a beast appears, odds are the matter won’t be resolved within the originally planned training period.’

Kleio quickened his pace.

He needed to inform Fran of the information he’d gathered at the New Year’s gatherings, and that he might be absent from the capital for several weeks.

If he entrusted the letter to John Bartleby, who ran Bartleby & Bouvard Printers, it would be delivered by the print delivery service instead of the royal postal network.

The letters Fran and Kleio exchanged were sealed with wax mixed with magic stone dust and enchanted so only the designated recipient could open them.

‘There’s little chance the print delivery guys are ether responders, but if you use the royal postal network, your mail might be censored.’

To keep Fran safe, caution was needed.

Soon, the circulating tram arrived at the stop where Kleio was waiting. Now used to trams, he no longer fumbled like when he first rode with Arthur and Isiel, but smoothly found his seat.

The tram was headed west. Before visiting Bartleby Printers, he had an appointment with Dione.

Getting off at St. Lizabeth Square, Kleio easily found the Marone Coffee House, with its stylish white and red awnings and black-haired, mustachioed waiters.

It was the meeting place Dione had chosen. The café, newly opened at the end of last year and already a hotspot for the capital’s notables, had Dione waiting first.

The lady was flawless as always.

Her pale dove-gray two-piece suit, decorated only with fine pintucks and fabric-covered buttons, made her neat beauty stand out even more.

She drew the attention of everyone in the café without a hint of tension, simply enjoying herself.

On Dione’s table, as she was absorbed in a blue-covered cheap novel, sat a half-empty coffee cup, fragrant pignoli cookies, and a cannoli filled with ricotta cheese and pistachios.

‘So that’s the Fedre-style dessert.’

Mrs. Canton, always up on the latest food and drink trends, had told him its name. Fedre-style coffee and desserts were all the rage in Lundane lately.

So this was a so-called “hot place.”

Entering the lively, glamorous space a bit awkwardly, Kleio carefully pulled out a chair and sat down so as not to interrupt Dione’s reading.

“Have you waited long, Lady Dione?”

“You’re here! Not at all—I lost track of time reading Mrs. Morgan’s new book.”

“I’m glad.”

“Did your meeting with the author go well?”

“I got a very positive answer. Of course, it’s not final until she signs the contract… but she’s not the type to break a verbal promise.”

“At this point, you can tell me. So who is it?”

“Professor Maria Gentile.”

Dione snapped her book shut and applauded theatrically.

“My, it was right under our noses!”

“We’re editing the first-year basic magic lecture notes for publication. So there’s already a first draft.”

“Oh, why didn’t I think of that! Didn’t mean much as a student, but looking back now, it was a really clear and accessible course.”

“Right? We’ll get a recommendation, add some of her in-class analogies and fun episodes, and publish as quickly as possible.”

“How did a young master who barely listened in class come up with such an idea?”

“It’s all thanks to Lady Dione.”

“Haha, well, I don’t mind hearing that. Who are you thinking for the recommendation? Master Zebedi?”

“He’s the most respected mage, so that would work.”

“Hmm, it would, but wouldn’t that make the book seem too stuffy? If you really want publicity, how about a recommendation from His Highness the Crown Prince? Put his portrait on the first page. It would really boost sales.”

Kleio couldn’t even laugh at Dione’s joke.

If he asked for a recommendation, the crown prince would surely enjoy putting Kleio in his debt and actually accept.

‘Would I have to recall the entire print run later… Absolutely not.’

“Please don’t say things like that, even as a joke. Besides, he’s not even a mage.”

“My, how cautious you get about these things, young master. If there’s a problem, just take out the recommendation in the reprint.”

Dione’s confidence, as if a reprint was certain even before the contract was signed, reassured Kleio.

‘If it’s a money matter, she’s good at everything, even the races. If Dione thinks it has potential, it can’t fail.’

“I don’t want to get close to His Highness in any matter.”

“Haha, so sensitive about just having your name in the copyright line.”

“About that, I’d like to use a proxy for the publisher as well. Would it be possible to register the publishing house under your name or Levi’s?”

“If you pay a reasonable fee, there’s nothing I can’t do. But why?”

“If the book sells well, it’ll draw attention; if it flops, my father will scold me for wasting money.”

“Oh, come now… Well, I get it. I’m your partner, so I’ll handle it as you wish. But leave promotion to me. Once the manuscript is done, I’ll start serialization and take preorders…!”

“Yes… Do as you please, Lady.”

While Dione, excited about selling books, was already making plans, Kleio summarized what he’d thought out.

According to the rules, registering a publishing house was easy as long as you paid 150 dinar, so that was no issue.

Levi would find a proofreader, and for the hardcover binding design, there was a craftsman at the Greyer workshop who had trained in scripture production, so that was covered. Kleio would handle the table of contents, editing, and review.

‘Dione and Levi will handle production and promotion, and I’ll just… do what I always do…’

A former editor mage was surely rare in this world, too. Somehow, he was the right person for the job again.

Draining his now-cold coffee, Kleio put on his hat.

“Well then, I’ll be off. You get to work too, Lady.”

“I should get going too. Want to share a carriage? We’re going the same way from here.”

“No, I need to go east again. It’ll be sunset soon, so please head in.”

As Dione packed her books and buttoned her gloves, she tilted her head.

“Huh, you’re not going straight back to the house?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll go with you!”

“I’m going to the print shop today. Your clothes might get dirty, so I can’t recommend coming along.”

Picking up her bag and putting on her coat as the waiter brought it, Dione confidently held out her arm for Kleio to escort her.

“Is this my only outfit? Who cares.”

“Why do you want to come to the print shop?”

“I need to see how things are done. You’re placing the print order, right? It’s easy to register a publisher, but you need a separate print permit—did you know that?”

“That’s true.”

As expected, Dione might as well be sitting with a crystal ball. No fortune-teller could match her.

“You’re surprisingly thorough, young master. If you apply for a new print permit, it’ll take at least a year, so you figured it’s faster to use a print shop that already has its own permit. Looks like you already know a print shop. As your business partner, it’s my duty to check out the supplier.”

“I also have some personal errands…”

“Personal errands what?”

People in the café were already looking at them. There was no way he could start talking about Lake Nineveh, Fesselrn, or Fran’s letters here.

“If you can’t give me a reason in three seconds, I’ll just take it as you wanting to escort me.”

“Yes, you win. Let’s go.”

Shoulders drooping, Kleio obediently escorted Dione.

To be continued.