Crashing into an Old Flame - Chapter 70: She loved Maxim

In the waves of steam and machinery, who could achieve extraordinary? In the fogs of history and darkness, who was whispering? I woke up from the realm of mysteries and opened my eyes to the world.

Firearms, cannons, battleships, airships, and difference machines. Potions, divination, curses, hanged-man, and sealed artifacts… The lights shone brightly, yet the secrets of the world were never far away. This was a legend of the “Fool”.

- Description from novelupdates

I’m a high school student who became an author after debuting at Dengeki Bunko. After taking a year of hiatus from school to write my work, I transferred out to another high school to study, and met a girl called Eri Nitadori in school, a rookie voice actress cast as a character in the anime adaptation of my work.

In school, we treat our professions as a secret. However, Nitadori’s very popular in class, and I’m a loner…the only chance we get to talk to each other is when we take the Limited Express train together every Thursday, seated side by side as we head off for an anime, After Recording.

To improve her skills, she asked me questions regarding the profession. While I was answering the questions regarding the process–how did it end up like this.

This is what I last remembered before I lost consciousness, and the story of my near-death experience.

What if your own father and his mistress were behind your mother’s death? What if you were about to be sold if to a scumbag?

He became the Emperor when he was just a boy and was beheaded before reaching adulthood. It was a tragedy brought about by his fate as the first noble wizard.“Ian, don’t be born in your next life.”He thought everything was over, listening to the traitor’s heartless words. He knew, but…“You are a symbol of peace. Where else would you find such honor as a lowly one?”He became the Margrave’s bastard son, whose family went extinct 100 years ago.A lowly, unsophisticated one, destined to be sold as a hostage to the barbarians across the border.