The Editor Is the Novel’s Extra

‘What do I do? Ahhhhh!’

The moment the wolf lowered itself and jumped, his head became empty. There was only one magic formula that came to mind: [Disassemble] and [Dismantle]. He didn’t know how much of an effect it would have on a living creature.

‘Hopefully, blood won’t splatter everywhere, ugh.’

He had no more room for hesitation. He shouted out a mantra.

“[Return to ash, from ashes to ashes, from dust to dust!]1“

The familiar magic formula came to him quickly, burning the body of the demon.

Gaooooo!

The demon wrestled in the radiant light that blinded it. Kleio filled his two remaining magic slots with [Leap] and [Fly], jumping back about ten meters from the wolf. Only then did he barely open his subspace pocket. His fingers felt stiff, but after a few attempts, he was able to pull out a few bronze lumps.

‘You can do it…you have to do it!’

His magic formula faded away, and a wolf with its hair burnt away appeared before him. As Kleio stepped back from it, he was caught by a stone and fell down.

‘It became a bald monster.’

It was absurd… It was scary, though it was also undeniably funny. The beast’s purple eyes were still shining brightly, but the image it had projected seconds before had vanished. Without thinking, a laugh came out of him.

“Huh, huh…ha…”

No matter who saw it, they would no doubt find the image of the boy with a parasol squaring off against the big hairless dog hilarious.

‘It was a cool scene when Arthur cleaned off its head… but this is the development I’m stuck with.’

Noticing that Kleio was laughing at it, the four gleaming eyes focused on him. Only its hair had been burnt away; the sharp teeth and claws weren’t damaged in the slightest.

Gaoooo!

The beast approached Kleio once more, but with the function of Perception maximized, its movements seemed like they were in slow motion. And, thanks to Perception, he could faintly see ether in the left eye of the demon’s left head and the right eye of the right head.

‘Those are the magic stones!’

The demon used a hearthstone as its core. Therefore, the place where that gemstone resided was its weakness. He must attack that area to destroy the beast. Kleio threw up the bronze clumps as sweat dripped off his forehead. The mantra that came out of his mouth also sounded distorted as the world slowed around him.

“[Angered by those who brought countless calamities, sharp bronze spear, crash down!]2“

In order to adjust the ether coordinates, he pointed with the parasol instead of his wand. In the air, the bronze lumps became spear-blades and turned to the ground at a terrifying speed. The problem was control. His control was off when trying to command several of them. Regrettably, two of the spears left the circle and scattered into bronze debris.

‘Damn!’

It was because magic couldn’t be maintained outside the circle unless an expensive mana stone was used as the medium. Magic was created from formulas only within a circle based on the laws of magic, regardless of general physical laws. However, the other two spears had been aimed properly.

Klang-

The result was the splattering of blood and the shattering of bone. Smashing one of the demon’s heads, the two spears fell to the ground. The wolf, stuck to the floor, let out a roar.

Gaooooooo!

The beast’s blood soared into the air and wetted Kleio’s entire body. The purple liquid was darker than human blood. His sense of smell was already paralyzed, so he couldn’t even smell the odor. Blood and spit foamed up around the muzzle of the remaining head.

Kaahk! Kaaahk!

The beast, struggling to survive, gnashes at Kleio’s feet.

‘I have to get rid of the rest too!’

Kleio raised his hand and stretched the parasol forward. At that, the handle of the parasol was pulled from the lace, and a thin blade shone in the dark. It was easier to adjust the ether coordinates. Kleio, unable to stand up from the ground, gathered his remaining ether and cast [Achilles’s Spear] once more. The bronze was thrown, and the brilliant magical formula lit up the surrounding area.

Vwoooom-

The magic revealed the street around him like it was midday. Even after the magic had been cast, the ether that wasn’t consumed spread on the ground, obscuring his view like an overly bright flame.

Whoooooosh-

The spears fell from the sky, cleaving into the ground and the beast’s remaining head. Kleio was caught in the aftermath of the magic himself, falling into the divots scored into the earth by his attack. His mind remained awake, but he could put no strength in his body. His muscles began to ache as the blood of the beast wrapped around him. In gradually disappearing as both its heads had been crushed. The wolf’s blood and flesh flaked away and vanished, and before long, the entire body had scattered. On the floor were bloodstains and two thin, iridescent chunks of metal with golden ether inside.

[Varg’s Mica

-Reflective magic stone. Transparently reflects the applied magic.]

The letters of Promise overlaid the two pearlescent pieces of metal as they flashed coldly. With a headache, he palmed the materials as he heard light steps in the distance.

“Follow Swain!”

“That way!”

“Has the wolf beast been defeated?!”

‘Ah… The knights will take care of the rest…’

Kleio’s consciousness began to fade away. More messages from Promise appeared as his eyes lost focus.

[-The author has acknowledged your development.]

[-The Prince of Albion Kingdom- chapter 1 is completed. Now, chapter 2 begins.]

[-Unique Skill Editor’s Authority’s usage has reloaded. 3/3]

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Swain Temple, turning twenty-two this year, was a first-year official knight of the Royal Capital Defense Forces. He was proud of himself and called ‘Lord Swain.’ When he had joined two years ago, he was a man who was expected to become a senior knight quickly. But, the seasons quickly passed. After the summer’s outbreak in the Pintos mountains, he had been teased by the rest of the knights. As such, Swain was among those orders to capture a noble’s runaway son, despite their complaints. When he couldn’t hold onto a seventeen-year-old boy and had his left leg broken, Swain was treated as a lesser part of the knight seniors.

‘Hey, if the wind blows, I can’t overcome it.’

‘They said he was blown away while screaming. What is he doing with all the muscle he’s built up? Hahaha.’

From that day on, Swain had focused on his training. As a result, at the beginning of autumn, he was promoted to level 5 swordsman. It was unusual for a first-year knight to achieve 5th level. Swain, who was looking forward to the New Year’s Eve battle, found it a good opportunity to pursue the evil spirit that had broken the barriers of the Defense Force’s school. Swain, who had a big head and thicker thighs than anyone else, moved faster than the other knights, [Strengthened] by ether. He crossed the city with three of his friends behind him and attacked the beast. However, the beast, receiving only a shallow wound, passed by Swain without stopping.

It had jumped over a building as if it had wings and ran away! When he finally caught up with the demon, Swain had no choice but to lower his sword. It was impossible to intervene in the fight between the wizard and the demon before him. Spears fell from the sky as a terrifying amount of ether lit up the world. The power that overflowed from the rising circle was vast and overwhelming. It was in a completely different dimension from the magic Swain had known well. He was no stranger to magic, after all. The wizards in the Defense Force were used to opening circles to heal wounds or process mana stones. But…

‘It’s like this… can this be called magic?’

What was happening right before his eyes seemed more of a power that belonged to a god than humans. Only after the lights were extinguished could Swain jump into the pit where the beast was buried. It had already disappeared, but the wizard who had cast the powerful magic had fallen in as well. It was a man with a weak and meager body. Swain knelt down and raised the wizard up.

‘A child?!’

The wizard’s young face was soiled with blood and dust, but Swain quickly recognized him. This was the child who had broken his leg that summer.

“Asel!”

The boy gave no answer. Swain, too, had gone as still as a statue from the excessive shock. Awe and fear mixed in his face.

***

Kleio was pulled out of his deep sleep by the feeling of something licking his cheeks.

“Stop…”

“Wake up. Eat and grow up!”

Behemoth was sticking to his side. Kleio gently stroked the cat’s back, weakly moving only his hand. It was hot and fluffy.

“Haaa. I’m not hungry.”

“Still!”

Behemoth hit his cheek.

“Okay, okay…”

Kleio yawned as he sat up and stretched out, his throat feeling dry. It seemed to be around morning as people were walking outside, and the terrace was bright.

“…How long have I slept?”

“For four days, you lazy boy!”

1) 『Book of Common Prayer』

2) Translated from 『The Iliad』, Homer, Robert Fagles.