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Chapter 27: Is It Wrong that There's a Character Perfect for a Bell-kun Book Named Laurier?
The air in Orario was still thick with the lingering scent of smoke and the echoes of cheering crowds after the monumental War Game against the Freya Familia. But for Laurier, the taste of victory had turned to ash in her mouth. She wasn't focused on the political shifts of the city or the legendary status Bell Cranel had achieved. No, her fury was focused on something far more domestic and scandalous: the growing industry of Bell-themed adult literature.
Laurier had always been aware of these books, primarily because her own primary deity, Lord Hermes, had appointed himself the self-titled captain of the "God-tier Author Protection Squad". Early on, she had looked at the situation with a distant, almost clinical sympathy. She felt bad for the boy, viewing him as a victim of a persistent, albeit creative, harassment campaign.
That changed on the day she actually met him. From that moment, the books were no longer just ink and parchment; they were a direct assault on her personal reality.
Every week brought a new release. The "cast" was expanding at an alarming rate—Guild receptionists, tavern waitresses, the Sword Princess, and even their own Aisha. Laurier's blood had boiled at the sight of them, but Hermes and Asfi had always managed to keep her murderous intent under control.
But the post-War Game landscape was the final straw. The market was flooded with books featuring the women of the Freya Familia. The breaking point arrived in the form of a chance encounter with Helun on a busy street corner. Helun had been discussing a brand-new release—one where her character ended up pregnant with Bell's child—and the woman had practically radiated a smug, superior aura.
That woman... Laurier's knuckles whitened as she recalled Helun's casual, self-satisfied tone. Beneath her rage, however, was a hollow, stinging misery: Why hasn't the artist chosen me?. She didn't want the world to gawk at her, but if it meant having a world where she and Bell were blissfully in love, she was willing to pay any price. Her internal dams broke, and she sprinted toward the Hermes Familia headquarters, kicking the door to Hermes' office clean off its hinges.
"Take me to the person drawing the Bell-kun lewd books! Right now!!"
"...I'm sorry, what?" Hermes asked, his eyes wide as he looked up from a stack of scrolls.
Laurier didn't hold back. She poured out her soul, ranting about her love for Bell, the "mounting" superiority of Helun, and the sheer, agonizing regret of being ignored by the artistic world. Hermes watched her with a pained expression, eventually rubbing his temples in resignation.
"Fine," Hermes sighed. "If you're this committed, I'll give you the coordinates. But this is a black-level secret. If a single word of this leaves this room, the consequences will be... severe".
"I don't care! Just give me the map!"
Map in hand, Laurier navigated the labyrinthine backstreets of the city. Her mind was a kaleidoscope of fantasies—sweeter, deeper, and more romantic than anything she'd seen in print. If this person was truly a "God-tier Author," they would surely be able to capture the purity of her heart.
She reached a nondescript door and gave it a sharp, authoritative knock. A voice answered from within, and a moment later, the door creaked open to reveal a woman with dark circles under her eyes.
"Can I help you?"
"You're the one drawing the Bell-kun books, aren't you?!"
The artist's face twitched. She seemed to weigh the pros and cons of lying, but looking at Laurier's fiery eyes, she simply sighed and stepped aside. The studio was a battlefield of ink, parchment, and half-finished drafts.
"So," the artist said, her voice wary. "Why are you here?"
Laurier took a steadying breath. "Author-殿, the truth is, I love Bell Cranel. And while your books usually make me furious, I can't help but envy the women you choose. I hate the idea of strangers seeing me like that, but if it means I can have a world of sweet, romantic bliss with Bell, then I want in! I have specific scenarios! I have requests for how an Elf should be treated!"
"Oh... I see..."
The artist drifted into a private world, muttering to herself. Is she a mob character? She wasn't in the anime... maybe a light novel character I haven't reached yet? Her presence is huge... I guess even the minor characters in this world are built different...
Laurier waited, her spine as straight as an arrow, until the artist finally looked up with a renewed fire in her eyes.
"Fine," the artist said. "I'll do it. But to make this work, I need you to tell me everything. Every feeling, every detail. Deal?"
"Deal. My name is Laurier Sual, of the Hermes Familia".
What followed was a three-day marathon of absolute creative madness. Laurier shared her deepest feelings, her "love talk," and her specific ideals of Elven romance. She hovered over the artist's shoulder, correcting the curve of a smile or the intensity of a blush. By the end of it, they were like sisters-in-arms, exhausted but triumphant.
The result was a volume three times the thickness of a normal release. It was a masterpiece of "lovey-dovey" romance, packed with the raw, unfiltered passion of Laurier's heart. Laurier trembled with tears as she held the finished book. Her wish had finally been rendered in ink.
When Laurier finally returned to show the book to Hermes, the God of Mischief read it in stunned silence.
"Laurier..." he finally whispered, looking up with wide, shocked eyes. "Isn't this... a bit too extreme?"
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