The exhibition, which was splendid and also dynamic in various ways, has ended successfully. The artworks at the exhibition were enough to attract numerous interests from tourists, and especially the joint performance of the Lirus Orchestra and Matrics Theater Group was excellent enough to leave a mark in history.

In addition, the director of the Matrics Theater Group, who had been shrouded in mystery until now, attracted the world’s attention when it was revealed that he was a demon. However, as the director himself said, he was merely an artist, and there was hardly any discrimination against him as a demon.

Instead, since all the doubts about how such a splendid production was possible were cleared up, the interest in the Matrics Theater Group became even stronger. Also, the masterpiece “Life,” presented by the Lirus Orchestra, proved why they are world-class masters with their outstanding skills.

After all the attractions that left a lasting impression have ended, people praised the Minerva Empire and the Michelle Territory. Despite the tight preparation period, they demonstrated how technically superior they were.

Especially for the Minerva Empire, they made a profit almost to the level of a surplus, not just breaking even. Although they were behind the Ters Kingdom culturally, they presented another type of culture through this festival.

A culture that is not enjoyed only by a specific class, but one that everyone can enjoy.

Just this alone made the Minerva Empire extremely happy. Of course, the Ters Kingdom cannot sit idly by. The Ters Kingdom has declared that the next exhibition must be held in their capital, and although the Minerva Empire may be disappointed, they have handed over the baton.

As a result, when the festive atmosphere began to die down, the following happened.

“Phew...”

Inside the office of the publisher who had signed a contract with Xenon’s Biography. The boss sighed heavily as he looked at the documents showing the sales figures for the month, feeling overwhelmed. The documents contained records before and after the exhibition.

Not only did sales plummet when Xenon’s Biography hiatus began, but they almost hit rock bottom when the manuscript was stolen. Although the company’s scale was large enough that even hitting rock bottom did not cause much damage, taking into account the maintenance costs, it was still a serious loss.

Furthermore, as the investigation into the theft incident revealed tax evasion, a huge fine was imposed. Fortunately, thanks to the fact that they had signed a contract with Xenon’s Biography, they were able to avoid severe penalties, but it was still a painful loss.

If you only look at it this way, it is no surprise that the publishing company is struggling. However, for some reason, after the exhibition was held, sales increased again.

Most of the tourists who attended the exhibition were fans of Xenon’s Biography, but there were also those who were not. In addition, there were many people who were deeply moved by the performance and bought the original work to read it.

Above all, thanks to Isaac releasing the Kair Side Story, sales were steadily increasing. As a boss, he felt an uneasy reality of ups and downs.

‘I’ll have to somehow manage to keep the downward trend steady during the hiatus period...’

When it comes to rowing a boat when water comes in, that’s important, but what’s more important is when the dark times come. It’s not now, but it’s the darkness that’s yet to come.

And the CEO is in the midst of bracing for those dark times. In addition to the massive fines imposed for tax evasion, they have to consider the salaries of employees and the operating expenses of the printing press. If even one of these falters, the company may crumble irreparably.

Fortunately, thanks to Xenon’s Biography and the exclusive contract, the government may provide support, but even that is uncertain.

‘Why the hell did that thief steal the manuscript... ugh, this is driving me crazy.’

After the manuscript theft incident, the company bought a new safe, but it’s like fixing the stable after the horse has already run away. Moreover, since the culprit tore the safe off the wall, the publishing company will never be able to handle another original manuscript, and Isaac will never take the risk to send the manuscript unless it’s for a new publication.

‘Only two years to go. We just have to hold on for two years until Xenon’s Biography comes back, even if we have to shut down the printing press...’

The CEO was planning for the future in his head.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Clank!

“CEO, breaking news!”

Someone rushed in and opened the door so violently that it almost broke. Startled by the sudden intrusion, the CEO could only be dumbfounded.

The person who opened the door was Matthew, who had been working steadily since the last manuscript theft incident. The owner was worried that Matthew might retire after experiencing such an event, but Matthew quietly showed up for work as usual.

Of course, that was one thing, and this was another. The owner calmed his startled heart and shouted at Matthew without knocking.

“What kind of rudeness is this? Even though it’s you...!”

“Forget about that and read this first! It’s a letter from Xenon!”

“What is this...?”

The owner’s eyes widened rather than pounding, and then he turned his gaze to Matthew’s waving hand. In his hand was an ordinary letter. It was slightly crumpled due to his haste, but the owner didn’t care.

A letter from Xenon. With just this one piece, the owner ordered Matthew with a raised voice.

“Give it to me right now! Is it really from Xenon?”

“Yes! Here, please see the handwritten signature! These unreadable characters are Xenon’s handwritten signature!”

The CEO’s expression, which had turned away from the letter, was as gentle as that of a saint.

“And let’s give everyone a bonus in this month’s salary.”

*****

Xenon’s Biography resumes its serialization instead of taking a hiatus. Just the news of its return was enough to cause a frenzy among all Xenon’s Biography fans in the world.

Although many of them learned that Xenon hailed from the Minerva Empire, specifically the Michelle Territory, their attention was focused more on the resumption of the series rather than this fact.

This aspect of the news attracted more interest from the country’s leadership than the fans.

The Minerva Empire issued a statement expressing its pleasure at the news and mentioning Xenon’s place of origin, while the Ters Kingdom retorted that the Minerva Empire was just making a fuss over nothing.

However, the situation worked in favor of the Minerva Empire when Xenon (Isaac)’s signature was revealed. Already, they began to work towards turning the Michelle Territory into a cultural center and taking a leap forward to develop their cultural influence.

Thus, with just one letter sent by Xenon, or rather Isaac, the world was abuzz once again, and someone unexpectedly reaped the benefits.

“Are you the painter mentioned by Xenon? I was curious to see your work, so I came to find you.”

“Oh, that’s me...”

“Do you have any other works? If Xenon finds it interesting, we’d like to see it too.”

“Just a moment.”

With a red beret typical of an artist and an apron to prevent paint from splattering, a unique droopy mustache and large blue eyes, the person that, according to Isaac, resembled Mario.

The painter who drew the Hectopascal Kick, a small artist, was Karl Zvabasa. Not only was Karl’s work mentioned in Isaac’s letter, but it was also expressed as interesting, which naturally drew attention.

Karl had been an ordinary, unknown artist until now, but with just one mention by Xenon, he became a famous person in no time. Thanks to this, he was greatly surprised by the sudden appearance of people who came to his house.

He had thrown himself into the art world with the ambition of bringing joy and laughter to people, but he had never made any income from it. Moreover, he was a commoner who was neither noble nor rich, so he starved day by day and devoted himself to painting.

However, his love for the Xenon story was sincere. He focused mostly on scenes that occasionally exploded with humor than expressing Sakran’s demise, which resulted in the Hectopascal Kick. Although it may seem ridiculous, it was satisfying for Karl, so he exhibited it at an art exhibition. Of course, since he was anonymous, he did not attract much attention.

“Um...excuse me, everyone? Could you come back in a moment? I’m not ready to receive guests yet...”

“Hmm. This is rude. If you’re interested, come visit Gheto the artist. We have our family invitation here.”

“Please come to our mansion too. It’s not far from here, so it’s easy to find.”

“We would also like to...”

Karl was confused by the flood of visit requests, but he accepted each invitation one by one. This kind of treatment was extremely awkward for someone who was unknown and poor.

Finally, with piles of visit requests, Karl stood there stunned for a while even after entering his house. He couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.

But when he entered the house, Karl could sense the distinct smell of paint that stimulated his sense of smell, and then realized it was reality. It was just a scene from Xenon’s Biography that he had drawn, but suddenly he had become famous in a short period of time for the artwork that gave everyone fun and laughter, not just for a specific class of people. All thanks to Xenon, who happened to like it.

“... ...”

Karl looked at the canvas that he had just stopped drawing. He was drawing another scene because he was so happy that his name was mentioned in Xenon’s letter. He had just drawn it as fan art, but an unexpected situation had arisen. Karl blinked and muttered quietly to himself.

“W-what’s going on here...”

Meanwhile, Isaac, who didn’t even know that he had created another genius in the art world with just one letter of his own, asked Marie.

“Marie.”

“What?”

“How long are you going to stay at our mansion?”

“I want to stay here for the rest of my life, don’t you?”

They were enjoying their not quite yet married life with each other.

Translators note: