Kana flinched involuntarily and then spoke solemnly.
‘Celia, no jumping to conclusions. Remember how I thought I was getting close to a certain person during my rookie days and it ended badly?’
[You said the sub male lead you thought you had won over fell for the female lead again, right?]
‘…Yeah.’
Kana tightly closed her eyes.
That was her dark past. At one time, like the protagonist of a supporting character transmigration story, she had a shameful delusion that the content would change, and she would end up well with the main characters. The result was only an increase in workload and a reduced star rating.
“Round, don’t get attached to characters in novels. The ending is already decided, and unless you settle in that world, they are just fleeting connections.”
“Do you feel special because you know all the details of the story? No, you’re just enduring as a supporting character to earn star ratings.”
“Well, you’ll understand once you work directly. Seeing all the narratives, talents, abilities, and backgrounds focused on the main characters will leave you feeling empty.”
She should have firmly engraved the advice of her industry senior, who laughed lightly, in her mind. They say that newcomers realize things after experiencing them directly, and she was exactly in that situation.
The wind spirit gently rubbed its body against the cheek of its contractor, who exuded a tired and worn-out aura. While Kana felt a refreshing energy, Celia apologized.
[…Sorry, Kana. I misspoke.]
‘It’s okay.’
Kana shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off that memory. Kiriel, noticing her ever-changing expressions, found it curious. Eventually, he bluntly asked.
“Miss Kana, is there a problem?”
Kana snapped back to reality at his voice. She lowered her eyes and answered weakly with a sigh.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just recalled an embarrassing memory while talking to the spirit.”
“What kind of memory…?”
Kiriel, puzzled by her rare reaction of embarrassment, asked with suspicion. Kana firmly drew a line, waving her hands.
“Please don’t ask about it. It’s a personal matter, so it’s difficult to answer.”
“Alright.”
Kiriel let it go without pressing further. Kana placed her hand on her chest and sighed in relief. She was truly glad that the work on that novel was over and that she wouldn’t have to meet the person who had built that dark past again.
‘If someone prefers shallow connections with many people rather than deep relationships with a few, this job might suit them.’
She was adapting fairly well, considering she had become a supporting character by chance.
Kana finished her snack and stretched leisurely.
“Ah, that was good. How was it, Lord Kiriel?”
“It was fine.”
By his standards, which rarely used elegant expressions, it meant he was quite satisfied. Kana nodded with a faint smile.
“Shall we head back?”
“Already?”
Kiriel, who was lounging comfortably, frowned. Kana mumbled awkwardly.
“Everyone told me to take a break and have fun, but I feel like I’m the only one relaxing too much…”
“Miss Kana, you saw the monsters for the first time yesterday, right?”
“Yes.”
In ‘this novel,’ it was true that she had seen monsters for the first time, so Kana nodded affirmatively. Kiriel shrugged his shoulders and spoke nonchalantly.
“Then it’s better to rest as they said. Let’s stay until the evening. We can use teleportation magic to return quickly anyway.”
“Alright.”
Kana, who had been about to stand up awkwardly, adjusted her dress and sat back down comfortably. Kiriel, watching her tidying up the basket for no reason, casually remarked.
“Miss Kana, speaking of monsters, you handled them quite skillfully yesterday.”
“That’s thanks to your magic freezing them, Lord Kiriel. If the monsters had moved recklessly, it would have been difficult.”
It was a clear fact that she had easily dealt with the monsters thanks to his help. Kiriel looked at Kana, who was being modest, with a steady gaze.
“Even if you’re not at the level of Sir Colin, who uses aura, you’ve put effort into your swordsmanship.”
“Well, I ended up using spirit summoning more than the sword.”
Kana shrugged. Considering she had taken the sword with such enthusiasm, she hadn’t used it much. In the end, directly using spirit summoning was faster.
Kiriel chuckled and patted her shoulder.
“You’ve been working hard on your spirit summoning training. You’re quite skilled. Even if your current rank is low, you have potential for growth.”
“Thank you for saying that, Tower Master. It gives me motivation.”
“I’m just stating the facts. And…”
Pausing for a moment, he pulled out a fan-shaped magic tool from the subspace. To Kana, it seemed to suddenly appear in his hand from the air.
He handed the fan-shaped magic tool to her, who was blinking in surprise.
“Oh, this is…?”
“It’s an auxiliary magic tool. It’s more convenient to carry than a sword, and since your spirit is a wind spirit, it will be useful for spirit summoning.”
“Thank you.”
Kana accepted the surprisingly light fan and examined it, fiddling with it here and there.
It was made of soft, glossy ebony wood with a black silk embroidered with gold thread branch patterns. Kana folded the fan and gave an awkward smile.
“Haha, it looks nice, but the cost…”
“Forget it. Just use it and give me feedback later.”
“Okay. I’ll use it well.”
There was no reason to refuse a gift. Kana carefully packed the fan-shaped auxiliary magic tool and placed it in her subspace ring.
‘It seems he needed experimental results for the new item he made.’
She was puzzled by the sudden gift of an auxiliary magic tool, but thinking about it this way, it made sense. Kana accepted his sudden action and moved on.
In the peaceful atmosphere, they chatted lightly and admired the flowers. Before long, the sky began to turn reddish. Kana dismissed the summoned spirit and looked at the sky as she spoke.
“The sun is setting. We should head back. If we’re too late, everyone will worry.”
“Okay. Hold on.”
Kana carefully grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, visible between his robes. Kiriel wrapped one arm around her shoulder and used teleportation magic.
The background of the southern flower field instantly changed to the western villa. The servants of the villa welcomed them as they arrived in front of the mansion. Kana personally guided him to the guest room and politely greeted him.
“Lord Kiriel, thank you for today. Please rest in the guest room until dinner.”
“What about you, Miss Kana?”
“I have to listen to the situation report from the magic stone mine.”
“Alright.”
Kana left Kiriel behind and headed to the office.
After listening to the reports from Popin and Colin in the office, she found out that although they had strengthened the security, fortunately, no significant issues were found.
Kana exchanged opinions with them until dinner. Of course, dinner was with Kiriel, who had been resting.
Due to various tasks, it was late at night when Kana could finally contact Alderaan.
— Round, you must have been really busy?
“Sorry, Alderaan. I’ve been overwhelmed with family matters. As you know, working on the chapters is important, but you also have to pay attention to background issues in between.”
Kana responded as if making an excuse. Alderaan teased her.
— Hmm, that’s strange. It felt like you were out having fun with Kiriel earlier?
“Ugh, this is why it’s difficult to deal with perceptive people. Ah, you know I’m joking, right?”
— Of course.
Both of them burst into laughter simultaneously. After a hearty laugh, Kana asked seriously.
“So, why did you contact me?”
— Ah, I wanted to let you know that the chapter is running smoothly. The Second Prince seems to be moving diligently behind the scenes. His contact with the female lead has also increased.
“That’s a good flow. There haven’t been any damages from the First Prince’s side, right?”
Kana’s voice naturally carried a tone of caution. In romance stories, it was common for male characters to deliver more severe retribution regardless of factions.
Alderaan responded nonchalantly.
— It seems like they are still just probing the Second Prince and his close associates. As you said, they haven’t touched me yet.
“That’s a relief. Always be careful.”
— Sure.
Alderaan’s reply was heavy, sensing Kana’s genuine concern. To lighten the mood, she clapped her hands and changed the topic.
“Oh, by the way, will you be able to participate in the monster hunting festival smoothly?”
— Of course. Count Short and his wife seemed worried about their frail son. They were pleased when I said I would participate.
Alderaan answered with a satisfied voice and chuckled. Kana congratulated him with applause.
“That’s great. There won’t be any hindrances to the auxiliary settings.”
— Yeah.
“Then I’ll end the call now.”
When Kana was about to end the call, his voice stopped her.
— Wait a moment, Round.
“What?”
— You mentioned family matters earlier. Is there a problem with your background?
“It’s about the monsters in the magic stone mine in the west. I went to check yesterday and found another one, so I caught it.”
Kana briefly explained her situation. Alderaan chuckled and asked.
— What’s that? Are you hurt anywhere?
“Kiriel Curtis was with me. He handled almost everything. I really got a proper ride on the bus this time.”
Kana’s voice was filled with the lingering emotions of that time. It was indeed a wise decision to take him along, sensing that an incident might occur.
Alderaan clicked his tongue in disbelief.
— Gosh, why do such things happen to you, when you look for peace? Meanwhile, I, who crave battle scenes, haven’t even seen a trace of monsters.
“Are you jealous, Alderaan?”
Alderaan paused for a moment before affirming Kana’s playful question.
— Well, a little?
“Then try your best at the monster hunting festival.”
— Sure. Take a good rest.
“Okay.”
Kana ended the communication with her industry friend. It was certainly nice to work alone, but having a supporting role acquaintance in the same camp was surprisingly reassuring.
‘Most of the time, I gathered information and understood the chapter situation by myself… Having one more person makes it less burdensome. I should work hard too. But for now, I’ll rest today.’
Kana yawned lazily and headed to bed.
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M1sosazai
Kinda worried Alderaan will get found out by Olivia at the least since his character diverges the most from the setting… Hope he’s okay. Glad kana has a friend she can talk openly with.