Chapter 8

The first day of the long-awaited Masked Ball book release.

“Florence Bookstore wants 50 Smart and 20 Deluxe copies… Shard Trading Company wants 70 Deluxe only…”

As a result of bustling around to secure contracts, we obtained a distribution network far exceeding expectations.

Worried about getting quantities wrong, I checked thoroughly several times while recording order amounts.

Though we hadn’t received payment yet, Daniel calmed her pounding heart as she counted the number of books ordered along with the contract deposits.

“Won’t all of these sell in just one day, with more orders coming tomorrow?”

As Masked Ball’s second reader.

Her confidence and expectations for the book were sky-high, but…

For about three days after release, Sapphire Publishing received no contact after the initial orders.

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Those who visit bookstores in the Enodra Empire are mostly commoners who need knowledge.

A place to buy books containing needed content, for expanding knowledge—that’s what bookstores were.

Being a small bookstore with few customers anyway, William, the owner of Reverni Bookstore, impulsively brought in Masked Ball one day.

‘This content is really interesting.’

Though he’d stocked dozens of copies due to inexplicable greed, nothing sold on the first day, so he hastily put up posters on a visible wall the next day.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s a new novel that came out… it’s completely interesting. You won’t regret reading it.”

Fortunately, thanks to people interested in the poster, he gave small explanations.

Including acquaintances of people he already knew, several bought it out of curiosity.

Among them was Lucy, who attended the academy.

She originally came to buy reference books needed for class but was distracted by the poster.

<Masked Ball> Volume 1

“Love isn’t important in marriage.”

A novel that will steal your time, first reveal.

It didn’t take long to read the intense picture she’d never seen before and the text below it.

As a regular who had visited Reverni Bookstore periodically for years, this was her first time experiencing such a change.

“How much?”

“This is 5 silver coins and that’s 50 silver coins.”

Lucy looked back and forth between the 5 silver coin book in front of her and the 50 silver coin book in a position where the owner would have to take it out.

“What’s the difference between that and this?”

“Oh, this is the Smart version and that’s the Deluxe version… the content is the same, but that one’s more luxurious.”

William enthusiastically explained the Deluxe’s advantages, but Lucy didn’t have money to buy it anyway.

And William, who was explaining, probably knew that too.

After standing quietly and listening to the explanation until the end, she eventually picked up the Smart version book in front of her.

“I’ll buy this.”

It was money that should have gone to reference books, but she impulsively bought the poster’s book.

Hiding the purchased book in her arms, she left the bookstore and headed home, sitting in a chair without thinking and opening the first page.

One line, two lines… one page.

Her eyes gradually moved downward as she repeatedly turned pages with her hand.

Without even changing clothes, she read halfway through with a trembling heart, looking at the next content, but…

“Hey! Mom says to eat!”

An inconsiderate intruder came, forcing her to stop midway.

Even trying to ignore it and keep reading, they came several times, eventually breaking her concentration.

Wanting to read the book completely, she ate dinner halfheartedly and rushed back to her room.

“…Huh, why? Why isn’t there more content?”

Lucy, who read <Masked Ball> completely until late at night, was momentarily overcome with despair.

It was already late enough that the bookstore had closed, and she went the next morning before class, planning to buy Volume 2.

“Excuse me. Where’s Volume 2 of this?”

“Volume 1 came out three days ago, so I don’t know if Volume 2 even exists. I want to see it too.”

“Give me one more book in Smart version, then.”

Watching the unprecedentedly bustling bookstore from afar, she learned there was no next volume.

‘This was my own little bookstore.’

Lucy timidly kicked the ground and trudged toward the academy.

Instead of talking about boring studies, she explained to her friends about the book she’d read yesterday.

“You should read it too.”

Before she knew it, after passionately bragging about <Masked Ball>, she increased the number of comrades waiting for Volume 2.

Thus, Reverni Bookstore’s <Masked Ball> sold out all its stock after about a week.

---

After finishing preparations for <Masked Ball> Volume 1 that took over a month, anxiety came belatedly.

The scale seemed to keep growing, but no meaningful results appeared.

To recover at least the minimum investment, 1,000 copies needed to be sold.

Whether that was possible in a conservative market was uncertain, but to calm my anxious heart, I tried to draw up the next plan.

Since I already had a publishing company, changing careers would be difficult, but changing genres was possible.

“I’ll just close my eyes and write a proper philosophy book.”

Imagining if Masked Ball failed, I wrote constantly every day, but progress was sluggish.

‘It’s not fun.’

Since I didn’t want to write, I developed a habit of avoiding it.

Frustrated, instead of going out, I spent longer walking around the mansion.

“Young Master Callard seems to be sparring again today.”

“With the entrance exam not far away, he needs to work hard.”

Due to the mansion’s small grounds, I could see Callard in the training ground from passing paths or windows.

Though sometimes he was alone, during the day I usually saw him receiving instruction or sparring with opponents from afar.

‘For someone who doesn’t look it, he’s surprisingly hardworking.’

With nothing to do, I often watched, following sword trajectories with my eyes during his sparring.

He seemed to practically live in the training ground—there was a reason he was invisible except at meals.

“…That could work as material?”

One day while watching Callard as usual.

His training kept catching my eye, and in a brief moment, good material came to mind.

‘If romance doesn’t work, I’ll go with the complete opposite—shounen manga.’

Exciting conversations, tickling atmosphere—remove all that and go with chest-swelling stories.

After struggling with worthless philosophy books, trying to write something new made ideas flow.

“What’s this work’s protagonist’s name?”

“…Kyle.”

It’s definitely not because I was too lazy to think of a name and took it from Callard’s.

Making small excuses Chloe couldn’t hear while starting to write the manuscript, though I was excited putting this and that in when creating the setting.

Unlike the smoothly flowing Masked Ball, this one often got stuck after writing just a little.

First, I myself lacked knowledge about swords.

The core keyword was definitely ‘growth.’

After setting the protagonist as a character far from genius, I’d struggle alone in my room, and when I couldn’t think of the next scene, I’d head to the training ground.

Watching Callard train for research and inspiration,

“Why don’t you attack below?”

“…I will.”

Sometimes I gave advice too.

After securing distance from sweaty Callard, I occasionally threw questions while staying fluffy.

‘Imperial Knight Order entrance exam.’

Initially uninterested, I learned exactly how the entrance exam selection system worked.

Getting information not just from Callard but gradually asking Salmon, his temporary instructor, the exam held every two years primarily looked at skill.

You had to manifest aura to even apply.

Callard, who manifested aura even weakly, met that condition and could apply.

“Hmm, but becoming Imperial Knight Commander wouldn’t be very interesting.”

After finishing my walk and returning to my room while Chloe was briefly away.

Sitting in front of the typewriter, I seriously twisted my hair.

Having a hardworking protagonist enter the elite Imperial Knight Order and grow wasn’t bad, but it seemed too boring.

Hardships and adversity were necessary to make the end more magnificent.

“Then I’ll just make him apply and fail.”

Making a somewhat light decision, unexpectedly many things came to mind afterward.

Unlike our Masked Ball’s protagonist Rose, Kyle would walk only thorny paths.

As my frequency of heading to the training ground in indoor dresses increased:

“Miss is coming to cheer again today. How envious.”

“…She just comes because she has nothing to do. Focus on training.”

“You’ve organized your breathing, so let’s go once more.”

Unintentionally, I injected passion into the two exhausted people.

Though neither knew the hidden circumstances, the results were good.

That was enough.