Chapter 400: New Book
Lunch was made by Eriri, who cooked pasta.
After finishing, Eriri started eating first, looking at Kaede, who was hanging clothes on the balcony, and said, "Kaede-kun, hurry up and eat!"
"Coming right up~~~"
After responding, Kaede finished hanging Eriri's last pair of stockings, then returned to the room and sat down at the dining table.
"Pasta, it's been a while since I've had it."
"Mm-hmm."
Eriri took a slurp of pasta and said, "There was still some left at home, it would be a waste not to make it."
Kaede nodded; he didn't make pasta often, and Eriri's was tastier, so he started eating heartily.
While eating, Kaede said, "Eriri, you can draw this afternoon. I'm going to start writing the last volume of the novel."
"Hmm, no problem, Kaede-kun, you've already drawn quite a few storyboards." Eriri naturally had no issue with it; she could draw the storyboards herself, though she might have to ask Kaede more questions along the way. "But Kaede-kun, are you already starting to write the last volume? The new volume was just submitted to the Bunko, wasn't it?"
"It's true that I just submitted it, but I want to finish it as soon as possible."
Kaede said with a smile, "It's already the end of May. I'm aiming to submit the final volume by the end of June. As for how the Bunko arranges the publication, that's not something I need to worry about. On the side, I'll also submit the outline for my new book, so the Bunko won't worry about me flaking out and quitting."
"Heh heh, that's true."
Eriri thought for a moment. It wasn't unheard of for an author to want to finish a series only for the publisher to disagree. Besides worrying about the author jumping ship to another publisher after finishing, they also worry about the author being unable to produce new works later on.
However, in Kaede's case, there was no need to worry about that. His skill was undeniable, and the trust between him and the Bunko was well maintained. The novel had successfully completed its entire outline, so its conclusion was only natural.
"Kaede-kun, since you're finishing it, why don't you reveal the theme of your new book? I want to draw the character designs and illustrations for you!"
That's right, Eriri wanted to draw the illustrations for Kaede's new book, something she had been thinking about for a long time.
The current illustrator for Su Qing was an artist contracted by the Bunko, and their work was excellent, so Eriri really couldn't just butt in.
But a new book was different. Given the relationship between Eriri and Kaede, collaborating would naturally be much easier.
"Huh? Draw the character designs and illustrations for my novel?"
Kaede looked at Eriri in surprise. This was the first time he had heard Eriri say something like this.
"If you help me, it will waste a lot of your time, Eriri. You already have a lot of manga work, don't you?"
"Ugh..."
Pouting, Eriri said, "But I really want to help you! Kaede-kun, you're always helping me, so I want to be able to help you with your work too. Besides, novel illustrations and character designs aren't actually that tiring. Look at the ones I drew for Utaha; they didn't take that much time, did they? As long as I manage my time properly, there will definitely be no problem!"
Seeing how determined Eriri was, Kaede couldn't refuse her, so he nodded and said, "In that case, alright. I'll leave my new book in your hands, Eriri!"
Finally getting Kaede's agreement, Eriri replied happily, "Yes! Leave it to me!"
Then, Eriri learned some of the settings for the new book from Kaede.
"As for the new book, it's still an alternate world theme, but the protagonist won't be someone who crossed over; he'll be a native resident. The worldview is a world where gods exist. I plan to use the gods from ancient Greek mythology and legends, adding a few elements from other myths as well. Plus, there will be other races. I'm setting it up so that the gods don't act directly but instead sign contracts with mortals, forming 'Familia' to develop their influence and compete with each other."
"Ah~~ There are gods, but they won't intervene directly? But if it's just ordinary people..."
"Of course, they won't be *just* ordinary people." Kaede took a bite of his noodles and explained, "Ordinary people who sign a contract with a god and become a 'Familia member' can naturally receive blessings from that god, thereby improving themselves. In terms of abilities, I can directly use the standard gaming system, implementing levels and stats, which allows for a clear, immediate view of a character's basic strength. Furthermore, the main place for adventuring revolves around the Dungeon, which can be treated as a super-large instance in a game. It has many floors, many different paths and monsters, and adventurers can train themselves within it, killing monsters to obtain treasures and materials. For more detailed settings, Eriri, you can read the outline I write later; it will all be in there."
That's right, Kaede's new book was actually the light novel series *Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?*
After writing a few volumes of Konosuba and becoming proficient, Kaede had already started considering what his next series would be. He wouldn't write too many alternate world Light Novels; two series would be his limit, and after that, he would definitely switch themes.
So, after considering it for a long time, he settled on the topic for his second series, which was the Dungeon setting.
Compared to other alternate world light novels, this series was quite unique, both in terms of characters and setting. Coupled with Kaede's confidence that he could write a more interesting story than the original novel, he decided to go with it.
During university, Kaede planned to slightly slow down the frequency of his light novel publication. He roughly intended to finish the second series within his four years of college, and then, after graduating, he would start writing a different theme. It could be said that his planning was very long-term.
After listening to Kaede explain the novel's setting, Eriri also became quite interested.
"Then, Kaede-kun, tell me a little about the male and female protagonists! What kind of characters are they?"
"Sure, but to maintain a sense of mystery, I'll only tell you about one of the female protagonists for now."
"Wait~~~ There are several female protagonists?"
Holding up his index and middle fingers, Kaede said, "I'm tentatively planning for two female protagonists. One of them is the head goddess of the male protagonist's Familia: Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth in ancient Greek mythology. Of course, I will modify the settings for all the gods in the novel, as the relationships in ancient Greek mythology are too chaotic to accurately describe, even using the phrase 'messy circle.' As for the male protagonist, he is not a god, but he is an absolute genius in terms of talent, and his growth potential is very high."
After briefly describing the protagonists' settings, Eriri generally understood.
"Mhm, mhm. Using the RPG game system for character levels and settings makes it easy for people to understand. The main story takes place between humans and gods, which is quite interesting, and since it's been adapted, it's even more engaging compared to traditional myths and legends!"
Raising the hand holding her fork, Eriri said excitedly, "Kaede-kun, I can't wait to start drawing the character designs!"
"Not yet."
"Heh heh, then good luck!"