How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World-Chapter 456: Sequel (3)

The Chronicles of Zenon series came to a close with its final volume, Passing Hero.

It had been nearly two and a half years since the release of the first volume.

Along the way, I received help from friends and even got a typewriter from Helium, but even so, the writing pace was nothing short of terrifying.

It was like I did nothing but eat and write. Normally, releasing one volume a month wouldn’t be surprising, but in my case, it was more like one every ten days.

In any case, The Chronicles of Zenon, which experienced countless twists and turns over a long period, is no longer being published.

Upon hearing this, readers sent me words of encouragement, saying I must have worked hard—but at the same time, many were left wondering, “Now what do I read?”

Though The Chronicles of Zenon allows for fanworks and spin-offs, the Zenon Festival only happens once a year, leaving a long gap to fill in between.

Of course, with over 30 volumes, re-reading the whole thing is an option—but with issues like storage space, and the fact that anyone would get tired of it eventually, that’s not always ideal.

So, in my afterword, I hinted at a brand new work—completely different from The Chronicles of Zenon.

A new series centered around World War II, which I’ve often mentioned in the past.

[A short and concise prologue. But what does it mean?]

[No information has been revealed, so no one can even guess what’s to come. A world without mana, magic, or gods—can such a world even function?]

[It might seem a bit heretical, but since it’s a Zenon work, there’s no room for doubt.]

After reading the very brief prologue, readers began sharing their thoughts.

With so little information revealed, even speculation was difficult.

Instead, attention has turned to the key terms mentioned in the prologue: “industrial revolution,” “imperialism,” and finally, “Adolf Hitler,” who is presumed to be the protagonist.

Since even The Chronicles of Zenon featured steam locomotives, readers were especially intrigued by the “industrial revolution.”

Naturally, since that’s also something from real history.

Imperialism has been interpreted simply as “conquest.” That’s not quite accurate, but I can clarify that over time.

And then there’s Adolf Hitler.

After the mention of World War I breaking out, his birth was noted, leading many to assume he’s the main character.

Strictly speaking… yes, he is. That’s something even many historians agree on, though in a negative sense.

It’s rare for a single individual to become such an irreplaceable force in history—but Hitler is an exception.

A time and society ripe for propaganda, along with the despairing atmosphere in Germany—without Hitler, Nazi Germany likely wouldn’t have come into being.

Even the claim that “he revitalized Germany” was only a short-term effect.

He definitely captivated a despairing public and revived the economy. But the problem is, all of that was only groundwork for aggression.

He threw the swelling ranks of unemployed (thanks to the Great Depression) into the munitions industry, and with the resulting military power, he subdued Western Europe.

Honestly, if he had been as competent administratively and militarily as he was as an artist, Nazi Germany might have actually won.

This illusion of competence was exactly what blinded the German people.

In the long term, it ended disastrously, but because he conquered Western Europe, he seemed like someone who could be “handled.”

‘People are probably going to look at this and go, “Huh? He’s surprisingly capable?”—and be completely misled.’

That’s what I’m aiming for.

At first glance, he’ll appear like a great hero who saved a nation and led it to become a superpower.

But as time goes on, people will begin to think, Wait, what’s going on here?

And when they’re finally confronted with the Holocaust and his other policies, they’ll realize: this man is evil.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how readers react.

‘Of course, I can’t just focus on Hitler. I need to clearly convey what democracy is, too.’

In this world, people don’t understand the concept of a “dictator.” That’s to be expected, since absolute monarchy is the default.

But people from the Kingdom of Teres might grasp the idea of democracy better than those from other nations.

Even the nobles and royals can’t easily suppress the people, and the commoners’ assembly wields considerable power.

You could say the kingdom has reached a mid-stage constitutional monarchy.

In fact, if you ask citizens of Teres, they think of the commoners’ assembly as the default form of governance.

‘Thanks to the Kingdom of Teres, it’ll be easier to get the idea of democracy across.’

I explained this to some friends recently.

I said that democracy here is essentially this world’s version of the French Revolution—more precisely, the “Zeros Revolution,” which succeeded.

They all nodded along… until I told them that the revolution involved nobles and royals getting their heads chopped off. That part made them gasp.

When I told Rina about it later, she went pale and rubbed her neck—it was kind of funny.

‘Now, putting the era itself aside, the biggest issue is…’

I circled the word “Europe” in my notebook. Then I tapped it a few times, deep in thought.

The course of World War II itself isn’t the problem. In structure, it’s almost like a picaresque tale with Hitler at the center.

But the size of Europe, Germany included, is minuscule compared to the whole world. That might be the hardest thing for readers to accept.

Sure, wars happen for all kinds of reasons, and that can scale into a world war. But how could such a tiny landmass have influenced the entire globe?

Just look at the Soviet Union—it practically swallowed half the world. And the U.S.? That country’s ridiculously overpowered, no contest.

‘I’ll need to explain each of the major countries.’

Looking at territory alone, the Soviet Union seems like an unbeatable global empire. But as we all know, it’s absurdly cold.

Yes, it’s rich in underground resources—more than enough for the entire world. But apart from that, it’s lacking in many ways.

And historically, with so many revolutions, its politics were incredibly unstable—until Stalin came along, it was essentially a giant scarecrow.

Stalin became both Hitler’s rival and one of the worst dictators in history—but ironically, he developed the Soviet Union to the point it could rival the U.S.

‘I should probably weave this into the story—but if I do, readers might get confused.’

Earth is a completely different world from this one.

History, terrain, geography, climate, even the people—none of it matches.

Since Tolkien’s works were based on Norse mythology, they’re relatively easier to accept. But Earth… I’ll spare you the explanation.

As Leona said, since it feels like fantasy, people tend to accept it without much resistance. But the setting has to be meticulously crafted.

‘Now that I think about it, I’ll have to include illustrations in nearly every volume.’

Illustrations are essential to make the progression easier to understand.

While they weren’t as important in The Chronicles of Zenon, they’re practically mandatory for World War II.

Of course, for depicting the frontlines, I could rely on Mora’s help—but the real problem is the equipment. Countless weapons made of heavy steel.

Rather than people questioning, “You expect me to believe these hunks of metal fly through the air and sail across the seas?”—what matters more is the imagery itself.

‘If this were my previous life, I would’ve hired an illustrator…’

Given my current reputation, finding someone to draw for me shouldn’t be hard. But the question is—can that person understand what I’m trying to describe?

Let’s be real—if I ask someone to draw a tank, do you think they could just whip it up? Not a chance.

It’d be better for me to establish the basic framework first, then ask them to draw based on that.

And if that doesn’t work, maybe I should just learn to draw myself.

‘Speaking of which, last year…’

Thinking about art reminds me of something—the Zenon Festival, held for the first time last year.

I remember one painter who made a strong impression during the festival. They drew the Hectopascal Kick in a hilariously expressive way.

Unfortunately, I don’t remember their name, but I really liked their style. Back then, illustrations weren’t all that important, but now I feel like it’s time to reach out to them.

‘I’d even love to create a custom OST…’

Is this greed that comes from fame? Or maybe it’s because the Lirus Orchestra is every bit as skilled as Earth’s musicians?

Suddenly, I find myself wanting to create OSTs that capture the vibe of each country.

In this world, there are items that let you record music and replay it anytime. Of course, they’re not records—they’re “recording orbs.”

The sound quality isn’t bad, but they’re incredibly expensive. Ordinary people couldn’t dream of owning one.

‘…Let’s skip that. I’ll just ask the Lirus Orchestra directly.’

Rather than relying on recordings, it’d be better to have them compose the music and then perform it live as they travel around the world.

Alternatively, I could create a dedicated room for listening to music within my territory.

Since our territory is becoming known as a city of culture, the upper class would probably respond favorably to the idea.

To make that happen, meeting with the Lirus Orchestra is a must. After the illustrator, I circled them next on my list.

‘Germany should convey conquest and madness, ending with a melancholic rhythm to evoke a sense of defeat…’

I began carefully crafting the setting so that people in this world could understand it more easily.

★★★

It had been about three days since it was officially announced that a sequel to The Chronicles of Zenon—or more precisely, Isaac’s next work—was in the works.

While everyone was discussing their thoughts based on the prologue, the publisher made a completely unexpected announcement.

Lord Zenon has kindly provided us with a map to give readers a better understanding of this new world. We would like to reveal this map first.”

Boom.

To everyone’s surprise, the world map for the next series was released before anything else.

In this world, maps are hard to come by, even the regular kind—let alone a map of an entirely different world.

Naturally, people were astonished. For them, it was practically equivalent to creating a whole new universe.

After the world map was made public, people started reacting in various ways:

[Look at the vast territory of the Soviet Union! It’s not inferior to the Minerva Empire—surely it must be the most powerful empire in the world!]

Some were in awe of the Soviet Union’s enormous size.

[The countries mentioned in the prologue have surprisingly small territories. How could they possibly have carried out imperialistic conquests?]

Some were puzzled by how such small countries could’ve pursued empire-building.

[They crossed that massive ocean? I can’t believe it.]

Some were shocked by the Pacific Ocean, which was wider than all the continents combined.

[Is it because only humans exist? There are just so many countries. What could’ve happened to divide the world like this?]

Some couldn’t believe how many countries existed compared to this world.

Most reactions boiled down to “It’s hard to believe,” but at the same time, people accepted it.

It’s so far removed from reality that it could only be another world. Just like Leona mentioned—people didn’t reject it; they simply accepted it.

[What events must have taken place over more than 2,000 years? Isn’t there a revolution similar to the Zeros Revolution—like the French Revolution?]

[There must have been countless dangers along the way. How did they overcome them?]

[If the existence of gods is unclear, does religion even exist in this world?]

Even the scholars weren’t much different.

Despite the lack of familiar foundations, they still believed that something like the French Revolution happened.

However, since Isaac never explained what “Before the Common Era” and “Common Era” meant, the scholars assumed this world’s history spans only about 2,000 years.

[A completely different world. A world full of mysteries. And yet, a world we can accept.]

[Scholars unanimously agree that this world cannot exist. That’s why they can accept it as ‘fantasy.’]

[We shall call this world fantasy—and look forward to seeing how Zenon will portray it…]

The release of the world map only amplified people’s anticipation. That was precisely Isaac’s plan.

It would take time for Volume 1 to be published, so he was carefully laying the groundwork to stir interest and satisfy the audience’s curiosity bit by bit.

And while that was happening, Isaac…

“Nice to meet you. I’m Isaac Duker Michelle—better known to the public as Zenon. It’s an honor to meet such a renowned artist.”

“Uh…”

…was currently meeting with the illustrator who would become—not just someone he’d work to the bone—

But a truly excellent creative partner.