The Transmigrated Author-Chapter 161: De-Escalation

[Paris, L'Institut des Lumières Academy - The Main Academy Hall]

[Friday, 11:21 AM]

I followed Vanessa through the bustling buffet hall. The sheer variety of food options was overwhelming, but she navigated it with ease, grabbing a colorful mix of fresh fruits and a single pastry.

I opted for a small plate of scrambled eggs and a glass of orange juice – even distracted, a guy's gotta eat, right?

"So," Vanessa said, taking a delicate bite of her croissant, "what brings you here today? Are you an aspiring student, too?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "Not exactly," I said, finally managing to spear a bit of my eggs. "Just... curious, I guess."

"Curious in what way?" Vanessa tilted her head, her smile genuine. "About the magic? The academy itself?"

I paused, considering. "A bit of both," I admitted.

"This place is pretty impressive. Makes me wonder what it's like to actually be a student here."

"You thinking about applying?" Vanessa asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Nah, not for me," I said with a quick laugh. "Too much pressure, I think. What about you? Any schools on your radar?"

Vanessa hesitated, then looked away. "I'm not sure if I can tell you..." she said, a hint of shyness in her voice.

What? It shouldn't be that hard, right?

But... I did lie about not being interested in academies, but why is she acting so hesitant?

I Couldn't tell if it was something I wrote into her character, or if the auto-generation had a hand in this.

All I needed was to gauge her interest.

Getting into an academy might interfere with the main storyline too much.

Especially if she ended up being one of Jan's love interests...

"I mean... it's only fair if you tell me, right?" I finally said.

"..."

She paused for a moment and gave me a strange look before making her decision.

"Okay," she said and took a deep breath.

"I've been working a lot, saving money to enter a prestigious academy. It's... something I've always wanted to experience, the academy life..."

My eyes widened in surprise at those words...

Nevermind... I get it. I couldn't help a small smile.

"That's really cool." I tried to sound genuinely enthusiastic.

"So, to make that happen... what kind of work do you do?"

"...!"

Vanessa's face flushed, and the lightheartedness faded from her eyes.

She started fiddling with a loose thread on her sleeve, her gaze darting away.

"Uh... well, I do a few things," she stammered. "A bit of this, a bit of that..."

Her voice trailed off, a hint of embarrassment colouring her tone.

pfft...

Of course, I knew.

Even as the author, it was hard for her to keep the double life under cover.

Still, it was a little funny to see her struggling with the cover story.

I tilted my head slightly. "Hey, it's okay," I said, my voice gentle.

"Sounds like you've been working really hard. That's impressive."

She looked back at me, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. Then, a small smile touched her lips.

"Thanks... I guess it is," she said softly.

A comfortable silence settled between us for a moment.

I took a sip of my juice, considering my next move. Part of me wanted to drop the subject, and respect her privacy.

But... Vanessa was good at extracting information. Dangerously good.

I had to stay on my toes, even if it meant being a little less... 'human' about the whole thing.

"You know," I began, my voice carefully casual, "it's no shame in doing whatever it takes to chase a dream. I've had some... interesting jobs myself. Written a few decent books in my time."

"Really?" Vanessa's eyes lit up with genuine interest. "What kind of books?"

I hesitated, caught slightly off guard.

"Uh, fantasy, mostly. You know, magic, adventure, that sort of thing."

The conversation dragged on, me naming titles of books I'd written, and answering questions about plots and settings.

Finally, a pause. Then, out of the blue, Vanessa asked,

"So, what kind of character would you write me as?"

"...!"

A jolt shot through me.

And my smile faltered.

Could I? No... that doesn't sound right.

But now that she reminded me... I remembered I killed her off.

A supporting character, useful for a time, then eliminated for the sake of the hero's journey.

I'm not even sure, what I was thinking when I did that.

But if it's for the story... then do I still need to do it?

Or... can I even do it?

It was a hard question to answer for both myself and her.

I simply didn't have an answer to it.

gulp...

I gulped, suddenly feeling the weight of my own creation.

"Hmm..."

I stalled, scrambling to find a way out.

"You know, it's hard to say. Depends on the story, right? You could be a courageous warrior that sacrifices themselves... or maybe someone who challenges expectations entirely."

haha...

I forced a chuckle, trying to seem casual.

"Honestly, you seem pretty capable of writing your own story, if you ask me."

A shadow flickered across Vanessa's face, it was clear she was disappointed.

I felt an aching guilt, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything more personal.

Glancing at my watch, I feigned surprise.

"Wow, look at the time! I really should get going..."

I hastily gathered my things, an awkwardness settling over me.

"It was... it was really nice talking to you."

Before she could respond, I was half out of the exit, mumbling a quick farewell and all but I had to go.

"Wait!" Vanessa called after me.

"I never got your–"

But I was already gone, the echo of her unfinished question hanging in the air.

Maybe it was better this way, keeping things detached. For both our sakes.

...

...

...

[Paris, H?tel Plaza Athénée - Top floor - Room: 2# - Bedrooms]

[Friday, 5:43 PM]

I flopped onto the hotel bed with a heavy sigh.

Ever since arriving in this world, it felt like nothing interesting ever happened.

Sure, the fight with Alessandro was unexpected, and chatting with Vanessa had been… interesting. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

But now, alone in this luxury hotel room, I felt utterly lifeless.

"Guess the academy wasn't so bad after all,"

I muttered to myself.

At least there was… something to witness, even if it was just overblown drama.

haah...

Another sigh escaped my lips. What should I do next?

The idea of exploring Paris tomorrow flickered through my mind.

Maybe it would be a nice change of pace. But would it actually lead to anything worthwhile?

Suddenly, an idea struck me. System.

FWANG!

[Yes, Mr. Axel? :D]

Can you open the Ability Editor for me, please?

[Sure, Mr. Axel!]

[Loading Ability Editor...]

[Loading Complete!]

FWANG!

[> Ability Creator | > Ability Modifer] - [Select which editor you'd like to use.]

A translucent screen materialized before me.

I scrolled through the empty squares, my mind racing.

What kind of abilities would be worthwhile? Something defensive, maybe? Or something that gave me greater mobility?

Perhaps even something... flashy, even if it wasn't strictly practical.

click!...click!...click!...

As I entered many other abilities through the system.

These two were the ones that caught my eye.

[Special Ability] - [Grade: 4] Summoner's Mark - The ability to place a mark on an object or location, allowing the user to later teleport themselves directly to the mark with a short focus. [Cost: 50,000 - 75,000 BP] [Mana Percentage: 5%]

[Special Ability] - [Grade: 3] Time Slip - The ability to briefly rewind time, up to a second or two, perfectly negating a single attack or action that occurred. Repeated use can cause migraines and a destabilized sense of time. [Cost: 70,000 - 80,000 BP] [Mana Percentage: 20%]

My excitement faded as I looked at the BP costs for those enticing abilities.

Even the lower end of the cost range was far beyond my current means.

Frustration mingled with a familiar sense of resignation.

"Wouldn't have enough for these now... "

I grumbled. But, a wave of determination washed over me.

"I'll make sure to have enough saved up for later."

"System, save those abilities for me, will you?" I said aloud.

FWANG!

[Sure, Mr. Axel!]

[Saving Abilities...]

[Abilities Have Been Saved!]

[A bookmark collection of archived abilities has been added...]

[> Ability Creator | > Ability Modifier | Bookmarked Abilities]

I nodded, satisfied. There was always something to look forward to.

Now, for the more practical matters.

"Might as well max out my Sixth Sense skill," I mused.

After all, I had plenty of free time on my hands, and even a slight upgrade in perception could be useful.

Especially since I wouldn't be messing with sensory aura any time soon – it's just too complicated, and the system didn't seem to favour that kind of shortcut.

________________

Authors Notes:

- Rel mentioned most of the plot from the only book that he wrote (I was reincarnated to stop the world-ending threat) to Vanessa and she just sat there nodding at the plot.

- She also commented about how he killed off many other characters calling him a brutal murderer! Rel replied saying that an author can make mistakes sometimes.