Fourth slot
Deep night. Bright stars gathered in the sky, radiating a mysterious aura. A feeling of admiration and an unwillingness to look away was what Adam felt as he stepped out onto the balcony to get some fresh air.
The wind gently touched the tips of Adam's hair, like a gentle mother brushing her child's hair. Adam looked around the empty streets and had a sense of deja vu.
"I remember that happening to me when Aria died...," Adam thought, and then shuddered, - "This book seems to have had too much effect on me."
Smiling bitterly, Adam sighed softly. Earlier, in the first and second slots, his "screen time" was limited. Adam had only experienced part of a character's life, though he got their memories.
Besides, there was something else that frightened Adam...
"Unknown Intervention...".
Remembering that moment clearly, with every letter, Adam could only cringe in fear. His eyes trembled with a sense of despair.
It was like being sure of your parachute and jumping from a height, and then the parachute wouldn't open. Such a mark was left on Adam's soul when the Creator's Feather failed to protect him from unknown interference.
But that was not the main thing. Adam's only concern was, "Who caused this interference?
"Before I lost my ego, I saw a drop of ink from a goose feather drop on me...," Adam frowned and a look of incomprehension appeared in his eyes, "Then the character of Ryuto Yuya became me, though I was supposed to be the main character.
Adam sighed and went back to his room. He sat down at his computer and saw the finished concept, with the errors corrected and some extra fanservice.
"Ronald said that fanservice is inevitable these days," Adam sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, "And that I had to get rid of my preconceptions if I wanted to be a popular author."
Also, Ronald showed Adam excerpts from popular books that included fanservice and even sex scenes. Adam could only give up.
- And so, the Imperial Masquerade is ready," Adam muttered with a smile.
Adam planned to make this book quite long: at least 700 chapters. Pulling up, Adam sighed.
His head was in chaos right now. He didn't want to try the feeling of having someone take over his mind.
"But even so, I need to move forward. Otherwise, what's the point of my life?" Adam nodded resolutely.
And as soon as he thought of summoning the Creator's Quill, it appeared before him. Adam smiled and opened page four, where a short text was written:
[Choose a genre (1)].
Adam thought "fantasy" in his head, and a new word appeared before the short text - "fantasy. Then, a bright light crept into Adam's room, and the book slammed shut.
By that time Adam had already lost consciousness, falling on a pillow he had left behind just in case.
***
The Imperial Masquerade. This political novel in the fantasy genre tells the story of how the main character, the second son of a marquis, wants to become emperor.
The story takes place in the Isengard Empire, which is the most powerful country in the world of Arcanos. It influences seven of the ten countries in existence.
From the very first chapters, however, difficult times begin for the protagonist. There is intense pressure from his own family and poverty that in no way matches his position as the second son.
Needless to say, some commoners were even richer than the Marquis' second son.
And so, Adam turned into this protagonist. Looking around his room, Adam grimaced at the awful smell and the poor condition of the room.
- I don't recall describing his condition as that bad," Adam complained and then muttered quietly, - Open profile.
Adam blinked and a dialog box appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Edric von Aschenwald
Level of Magic: Inferior
Class: Battle Mage
Subclass: Mage of Illusions, Mage of Barriers
Race: Human
Political status: None
Title: None
Faction: Not in a faction
General Force: 10].
- So that's what it looks like, - he murmured and smiled, - Though I imagined it as writing on a blue background, here it looks like an open folder on a computer.
Adam carefully read the information about his character and blinked his eyes a little surprised.
- Combat Mage, Illusion Mage, and Barrier Mage all in one? That's cheating, - Adam suddenly realized and shook his head. - In my concept, he was an Illusion Mage, but apparently, the Creator's Quill deemed it too inappropriate.
What Adam could see was that his concept was only half-used. The name of the countries, the magic system, and the "Magocracy" system to be owned by the protagonist come from his ideas.
But as for the more detailed parts, it was up to the book itself. So Adam could only shrug his shoulders.
- I have a brief glimpse of the plot. I wonder how the book interpreted it. - Adam muttered, and The Creator's Quill appeared before his eyes.
Flipping to page four, the book showed the following paragraphs:
"Edric was a quiet man and loved to read. However, fate seemed to spit in his face, causing him to be humiliated by his family from an early age.
As a result, even as the son of a marquis, Edric could not enjoy his life. Luxury and neat clothes were worn by Edric only at banquets, where he had to remain in the shadows.
- Hmm? The beginning seems to fit my plan," Adam muttered as he sat down on the bed.
"However, Edric could not accept his role as an outcast. His main goal was to become emperor and rule over the people. Edric had ambition in his heart that could not satisfy his current abilities."
Adam nodded, showing that everything written met his expectations. Then the text appeared with a peculiar swish.
"And one day Edric awakens a power within himself and his talent is revealed."
- And it looks like it's starting now," Adam said, suddenly feeling a burning sensation in his stomach.
Soon the deafening pain overtook him, causing Adam to writhe in pain. But he refused to scream so as not to attract attention.
The pain was terrible as if you were being cut to pieces. But Adam had to grit his teeth and try to forget the pain.
Half an hour later, Adam stood up. His breathing was heavy and tears welled up in his eyes. Those half-hours had been a lifetime of misery for him!
However, the result was that he finally got the spells!
- As I understand it, oh, everything fits my concept," Adam smiled and tried to stand up, but gave up because of the sharp pain, "When a mage awakens his abilities, he gets one spell in his class. And I got three at once! Open the profile!
[Name: Edric von Aschenwald
Level of Magic: Inferior
Class: Battle Mage
Subclass: Mage of Illusions, Mage of Barriers
Race: Human
Political status: None
Title: None
Faction: Not in a faction
Spells: Illusion, Small Fireball, Weak Barrier
General Force: 30]
Adam smiled, and suddenly the book "The Creator's Quill" appeared in front of him. Adam muttered:
- Creating the Magic of Words: Lie Detector.
The book lit up brightly, and Adam smiled. His gaze carried joy and smugness. Then he summoned up the profile again.
[Name: Edric von Aschenwald
Level of Magic: Inferior
Class: Battle Mage
Subclass: Mage of Illusions, Mage of Barriers
Race: Human
Political status: None
Title: None
Faction: Not in a faction
Spells: Illusion, Small Fireball, Weak Barrier, Lie Detector.
General Force: 30]
- With that, I got four spells at once! - A bright smile appeared on Adam's face.
Shuh...
There was the sound of a page-turning and Adam turned around. He saw new words.
"The narrative begins. The co-author has the right to distribute the plot as he or she wishes due to the "Creating the Story" bonus. Restrictions: one use of "Creating Word Magic", one use of "Character Influence", fourth wall violation, violation of book restrictions",
Adam smiled brightly, but when he saw the new text, his smile froze, soon changing to somberness.
"However, the Contributor must consider: the book lacks the "plot shield" bonus, so there is a chance to die. The death of the protagonist will equal the death of the Contributor in real life. Good luck."