The Editor Is the Novel’s Extra

“What kind of first-year student drinks that much alcohol? Give me some of what’s left.”

“There’s really none left, you rascal. A youth who came late took the lot.”

Kleio sneaked a glance at the kitchen. Outside of the kitchen’s backdoor, a boy with scruffy hair was being hit by a tray the cafeteria lady was brandishing.

“Ahjumma, I found those talismans for you and even went to the black market in your stead — this is too much! Wasn’t it all thanks to me that it went well with Thompson?!”

“This punk really doesn’t shy away from saying anything! And how much is the alcohol that you’ve drunk away worth?!”

“With how much tuition is for this school, it won’t go bankrupt just because I drink some alcohol.”

“It looks like this big mouth needs to be hit more before it’ll shut up.”

“Ah–!”

‘Is he an errand boy for the school?’

The number of students in the Royal Capital Defense Corps School was only 160 even if you combined the four year levels together, but there were just as many employees hired to look after their livelihoods. There were a lot of things that required looking after, so it wouldn’t be weird if there were not only formal employees but also kids who did simple errands.

‘Hmm, isn’t it a bit weird?’

Seeing the situation, it seemed like the school kids hardly drank during the day, and the remaining alcohol was that kid’s errand fee. Originally, if you considered Kleio’s life, it was closer to that boy’s rather than that of one with a silver spoon. It felt like he had broken the boy’s hopes for tasty alcohol, so Kleio felt a little awkward. It was already time for the attendants to rest, so Kleio returned the utensils-filled tray to the lady and held up the bottle containing the remaining wine.

“Ahjumma.”

“Ah, did you finish eating?”

The lady, who had just been thrashing the dirty boy, put on a kind face like nothing had been happening.

“Yes, it was delicious. Thank you. And I think I needlessly ordered too much, so there is some wine remaining. Is it alright for me to return it?”

“Oh… it seems you’ve heard this rascal talking. It’s alright, take it with you; it’s your share.”

“Ahjumma, he’s saying that I can have it. Hi? You’re giving that alcohol to me, right?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Thanks!”

“Don’t step in here with your nasty feet covered in dirt! Get out!”

The boy, wearing boots covered in mud, dashed inside with incredible speed to snatch two water cups. It wasn’t noticeable when he was hunched over, but he was rather tall, and his hands were large. Holding the two glass cups in one hand and the wine bottle in the other, the guy called over to Kleio.

“It looks like you know your alcohol.”

“What, do you know me?”

“No, I don’t. But let’s drink the remaining bit together.”

Kleio considered it a little, no, frankly, too much. He had absolutely no intention of drinking together with a young kid he didn’t know during their first meeting, but…

‘Mm.’

…the part of him that wanted to drink just one more glass of the wine, the scent of which had changed as it warmed up, won him over.

“Let’s go someplace where there are no people.”

“There’s a lot of places like that in this school.”

“…Okay.”

Even if his goal was expulsion, wouldn’t it be excessive if the loner, unfairly accepted student, and suicidal kid became someone who drank on the streets in the middle of the day at the age of seventeen?

.

.

.

The further you went in, the denser the forest became. The trees that were as old as the school cast a cool shade. When they finally reached the middle of the forest, there was an empty site with four old stone steles embedded in the ground for the four cardinal directions of north, south, east, and west. In the middle of the four rocks was the debris of a broken building that only had one side left.

“Why are there ruins in the school?”

“Are you really a student at this school? This is the Door of Mnemosyne. People say it is connected to another world or something of the like.”

“That…”

The Door of Mnemosyne was more like the ruins of a wall with columns and a doorframe rather than an actual door. The limestone doorframe was tinted with green moss, the decorative reliefs had long since fallen off, and it looked like it was over a thousand years old, even to Kleio’s naive eyes.

“I didn’t know it would look this dilapidated.”

“Even so, they say that magic beasts burst out of here a long, long time ago. So people don’t come here much. Isn’t it a perfect place to drink?”

The boy flopped down first. Kleio sat down a bit apart from him, leaning his back again a stone column. There wasn’t much need for words. The boy poured wine into the water cups, passed one over, and Kleio focused only on the alcohol. The already half-empty bottle was soon gone after two or so rounds. Starting to grow tipsy, he felt like he might fly. The boy, now smiling wide, introduced himself first.

“I’m Leo. You?”

“Me?”

‘Does he not know who I am? Then again, I guess he could not know if he’s not a student.”

Only then did Kleio start to examine the boy closely.

‘He doesn’t seem to have a bad face; it’s just that his state is like this.’

The boy’s messy blonde hair was rough, and there was dust stuck in his scruffy beard. It was to the point that even his jawline wasn’t really visible. When he smiled, his eyes bent a lot so that the color of his eyes grew indistinct.

“Well, I’m Lei.”

“Oh, your name is similar to mine. Is that why you like alcohol, too?”

“Stop saying nonsense and drink the remaining alcohol.”

“You’re good at griping.”

***

Kleio’s expectation that he wouldn’t see the boy again went awry. Kleio, who didn’t go to class and only came to each lunch, always met Leo at the cafeteria. They soon became something like drinking buddies. And then he was led by the boy to spend his time fly fishing at the brook inside the school (he was teased for being unable to catch even one fish) and to go bird-catching. It was a rustic life that he had never enjoyed, even when he had been a seventeen-year-old before.

‘Back then, my goal was to study and get to Seoul no matter what. My life was painful and tough.’

In the rural area where he was from, he was known as someone who studied hard. Thanks to that, he didn’t have many friends, although he wasn’t ostracized either. With his situation, it was hard for him to go to cram school, so he studied with the professor’s workbooks and school computer lectures. He didn’t have money, so he needed all the time he had to get into college.

It was only after he came to the world inside the manuscript that Kleio could spend a peaceful seventeen-year-old’s life without a single worry over career or money.

Of course, he also drank with Leo, the commoner boy who didn’t know ‘Kleio.’ The day drinking time he spent with the kid with all his small talents was surprisingly fun. The guy had a pouch that had all sorts of things for errands, including a slingshot for bird-hunting and fishing bait made from threading feathers. He was talented and overflowing with sociability. Today, Leo was playing with a small dagger. He was able to make light wondrously sparkle off the blade. Putting down a ceramic kettle holding wine, Kleio decided to ask him about it.

“What is that?”

“A small hand technique.”

“It’s interesting.”

Leo stared obviously at his face as if searching his expression, and Kleio began to glare back, wondering why he was acting like that.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“I just thought you’d show more admiration, but your reaction was bland.”

“What did you want? If you need a response, grab the little kids that run errands and show them.”

“Uwah. You think they’ll approach me when I look like this?”

“That’s true. You should wash up a bit before you go around.”

“It’s annoying; I don’t want to. I’ll get washed when it rains, so why should I?!”

“You think all sorts of things are annoying.”

“Is that something someone who’s so drenched in annoyance that he skips the school he pays tons of money for alcohol should say?”

“Hey! That’s not because it’s annoying; I have innate lecture-phobia…”

“It’s almost final exams. If you keep on cutting lectures, won’t you get expelled?”

Because he was an errand boy for the school, he knew a lot about their rules.

“If I get expelled, then I can lie around at home, and it’d be great.”

“Didn’t you say you’re in the magic class? Isn’t it regrettable?”

“What is?”

“You were born with ether sensitivity that other people are upset over not having – aren’t you interested in being successful?”

“Who cares? Lying around and drinking is the best life! If you pointlessly become a knight or mage or whatever, then you’ll be dragged around and forced to work for the country.”

Thinking of the manuscript’s contents, the time of the war wasn’t far off. Based on the original development, it would be five years away, though he didn’t know how the plot would change as it was being rewritten. If he went with the flow and stayed at this school, then he would be dragged to the battleground. All of the school’s students were due for obligatory military service.

‘Screw noblesse oblige. Rather than going to the army again, I’ll become a dropout.’

To him, who had served his military time already, the military was someplace he could never go back to. He had no choice but to have his life’s goal to become expelled as soon as possible, then return to his family home that was said to be in Kolpos.

‘I’m still his child, so would father kick me out? Or even if he kicked me out, if I have four hundred thousand dinars, then I’d be able to live somehow for a while.’

According to what he had eventually found out, four hundred thousand dinars was roughly four hundred million won. It was what Kleio was expecting to fall back on as he lived his life carelessly.

“Wow, you’re really going all out… I like that attitude.”

“So what if you like it?”

“I copied the alcohol storage key for the professors’ dorm. I was going to share the joy with a friend I like, but if you don’t like me…”

“Leo, you’re really an amazing guy.”

The two boys conspired together and completed that day’s adventure by stealing alcohol. Leo acted as a lookout while the small-bodied Kleio slipped through a space between the doors and stole two bottles. Taking a look at the label, it was the wine from Budigala that Behemoth had fussed about before. Even at a glance, the wine’s color and texture was obviously expensive. Leo brought out two wooden glasses, and even on such a simple vessel, the wine was incredibly aromatic.

***

Kleio Asel’s easy and peaceful life collapsed into pieces within a week.

It wasn’t mentioned in the manuscript at all that an unofficial student newspaper was being published in the school. Even if he had known that there was a newspaper, how would he have imagined that there was somebody who was watching his movements?

-The Hooligan and Unfairly Admitted Student – Arthur Riognan and Kleio Asel’s School-wide Drinking Escapade by F.W.-