As the production of both goods and print editions is progressing without any issues, the only thing I need to focus on now is creating the work itself.
‘This fairy tale book is indeed the only one I can think of.’
I actually had quite a shocking experience since coming to this other world.
When we expanded the workforce in our goods factory and bookbinding workshop, a group of children flocked to us, begging to be chosen.
Most of those kids came because they had nowhere else to turn, and it was hard to believe that our territory was considered one of the less affected ones.
Just like on Earth, war has brought about countless tragedies, and the most heartbreaking of all are the orphans.
From kids who lost their parents due to the aftermath of war to parents who abandon their children simply because they are too poor.
In this world as well, the first to be discarded are the children.
That’s why, now that I have some spare resources, I insisted on building facilities to care for these children, including a church and even an orphanage within the territory.
The aim of this initiative stemmed from the fairy tales that had brought me prosperity and the desire of the authors of those tales for the happiness of children.
Yet somehow, it felt insufficient.
So, I decided to create a somewhat stronger work this time.
A piece that could ring a bell in the hearts of the people.
‘With winter upon us, it’s the perfect match.’
The work I planned to create this time was “A Dog of Flanders.”
It’s the saddest story I remember among the fairy tales I’ve read.
“I really can’t make a custom edition this time.”
With the high workload of the comic book, I had already given up on producing a custom edition for the fairy tale book as well.
For this reason, I decided to use a unified character, but I was pondering who to model after.
‘Who should I use?’
Until now, the protagonists in the fairy tale books had mostly been female, but since this work features a male child as the protagonist, I couldn’t think of an appropriate model.
If it were a girl, my sister Aida would fit perfectly as a model.
For the time being, since I couldn’t easily imagine the protagonist’s character, I began working on other characters like the grandfather or the dog, while simultaneously working on Volume 2 of “Iron-Blooded Alchemist,” which I was really excited to create.
From the part where one of the main characters, the Flame Alchemist, makes a grand appearance, to the scene with the homonculi who are the story’s primary antagonists.
Moreover, even though it wouldn’t appear in Volume 2, ‘that episode’ is certainly going to leave everyone in shock, so I was shaking with anticipation while arranging the storyboard.
‘Well, I really can’t model after a real person for that.’
While Aida is somewhat the same age as the character who would play a key role in the progression of ‘that episode,’ she wasn’t even a consideration.
Not just Aida, but if I based a character on a real person, that person’s father might just come after me to settle the score.
So, this time I decided to simply slightly alter the model from the original work, and I drew the alchemist character creating a chimera based on the face of one of the Empire’s most wanted criminals.
The reason for going to such lengths was that, surprisingly, the impact of my comic book was greater than I expected.
In Korea, actors playing villains in morning dramas can get verbally assaulted or even slapped in restaurants, and here it would be even worse.
“Oh right, now we have coffee too.”
While switching between the work on the fairy tale book and the comic book, I suddenly remembered coffee when I had my usual vitality potion.
Originally, buffs should stack to be effective.
I immediately asked Alain for some coffee.
Alain brought over my iced Americano with a rather grimace, and I gulped it down in one go.
“Wow, this is a new world!”
As someone who had tried all sorts of caffeine and vitality drinks back in Korea, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the combination of the vitality potion and coffee.
However, this incredible doping also has a time limit.
The side effects of the vitality potion kick in around three hours later.
So, I sent a servant to the church’s monk, Manuel, asking him to come by in three hours.
‘Once the side effects kick in, getting a heal from the monk should restore everything back to normal. It’s a flawless plan!’
If I repeated this process about twice, I could keep working for an entire day without a single sigh of sleep.
Of course, I couldn’t keep this fantastic method to myself, so I suggested it to the artisans I worked with, but they all panicked with their tools in hand, forcing me to back off.
I mean, what could be more fun than creating books? Why do they all seem so eager to take a break?
Well, at least one of the new hires I brought on board last time, a guy named Jensen, followed my approach.
Though he looked a bit scared, he was the first to volunteer whenever I proposed something. Truly an outstanding employee.
This really underscores why big companies check credentials.
No girlfriend, a tenuous relationship with family, and being far away from his hometown? I really liked those conditions.
Other people were quick to dismiss him as nothing but a loser, but I spotted his potential.
And now, looking at him as a hard-working employee, it turns out my instincts were spot on.
In the future, I’ll definitely hire people with those traits.
*
“Thank you, you really didn’t have to come out to greet me.”
“It’s my duty, Master Yustaf.”
The Goldfull Valley Magic Tower had been in an uproar recently.
The news that Yustaf Heindel, the former head of the Magic Tower and current headmaster of the Imperial Academy, was coming to visit had caused quite the stir.
The Goldfull Valley region was once famous for its gold deposits, but these days, it lacks any particular charm, even without the first traces of that gold.
It was hard to understand why he would choose to show up in such a place, but there was no way we could slack off in our preparations.
Finally, Yustaf Heindel made his appearance through the Magic Tower’s teleportation circle.
Next to him stood a girl with red hair.
“Ah, this is my new disciple, ‘Jenia Heindel.’”
“Forgive me for not recognizing Yustaf’s disciple. I’m Endol, the branch leader of the Goldfull Valley Magic Tower.”
Endol, unable to help but glance at the girl with the red hair, hurriedly introduced himself.
Yustaf’s disciples were all outstanding mages known throughout the Empire, and it was clear that this girl would become one of them, so it didn’t hurt to make a good impression.
“…Hello.”
Jenia, hiding behind Yustaf and responding in a tiny voice, made Endol wonder whether he had made a mistake or if he had been staring too intently just now.
“Um… The reason I’m visiting is to go to the House of Somerset. Could you possibly assign someone to guide me?”
“The House of Somerset? How about you ride with us in our carriage then?”
“A carriage?”
“Yes, we were just about to deliver a printing press that the Somerset family ordered for the tower.”
Yustaf felt that was a good idea, so he joined Endol in his office to drink tea and chat until the carriage was ready.
Meanwhile, Jenia quietly snacked on cookies, hiding behind Yustaf as they talked.
*
‘Yustaf Heindel? Why on earth is he here?’
Rupert couldn’t figure out any connection no matter how hard he tried.
He had encountered several characters from the original novel so far, and there had always been a reasonable connection.
But now he was bewildered by the fact that someone completely unrelated had come knocking on his door.
And it was even more unsettling since the guest was a master sorcerer known as the “Human Dragon,” Yustaf.
In the original novel, he appeared as the headmaster of the academy where the protagonists lived, saving the day with overwhelming magic each time a crisis arose.
Why on earth would such a human cheat visit our family?
“Ah, I hope this old man hasn’t caused you any trouble with my sudden visit.”
“No, not at all! I’ve been hoping to meet you, given your esteemed reputation.”
While Rupert secretly wished he would take his leave immediately, he put on the politest front he could muster.
Although Yustaf is the second son of the Heindel Baron family, which may place him below Rupert in terms of status, nobody in the Empire treats Yustaf as just a baron’s noble.
The only ones who might dare to belittle him would likely be from the Imperial Family. Even the highest noble in the Empire, Duke Bluewell, would treat Yustaf at least as an equal.
As Rupert carefully maintained his polite demeanor while hiding his true feelings, he couldn’t help but notice someone continuously entering and exiting his line of sight.
“By the way, may I ask who that person is?”
“Oh, I’ve delayed my introduction. This child is my disciple, Jenia,” Yustaf said.
Jenia nodded cautiously at the introduction.
Rupert contemplated as he gazed at Jenia. Starting with her distinctive red hair, it felt like he had heard the name Jenia somewhere before.
However, just as he was about to stare a bit longer, worrying it might be rude, Yustaf smoothly continued the conversation.
“I imagine you’re curious about why I dropped in unexpectedly, so I’ll get to the point.”
“Yes, please do.”
“Where exactly did you find that transmutation circle from your comic book, Iron-Blooded Alchemist?”
“Excuse me?”
*
Yustaf quietly observed Rupert, who was pretending that he had merely referenced the book for the drawing.
There was a notably deep shadow under his eyes, and his body seemed unusually frail, almost as if he were afflicted by some curse.
And what was that mark on his neck that looked like it had been bitten by someone?
Yustaf suspected that Rupert was hiding something.
The transmutation circle from Iron-Blooded Alchemist he had stumbled upon bore no resemblance to existing transmutation circles.
Most alchemists probably wouldn’t even know its true identity.
Only someone like himself, well-versed in both magic and alchemy, would easily recognize it.
This was undoubtedly a new form of transmutation circle combining runes and transmutation techniques.
Only someone who had been startled to discover it and subsequently researched it like he had would be able to discern the meaning of this transmutation circle.
If it were purely traced, it would yield no results as it had intentionally been misaligned in certain areas; however, it functioned by merely shifting a little, almost like a clock’s second hand, and would fit perfectly.
The thought crossed his mind: did the author deliberately make it incorrect?
Naturally:
‘The materials for this transmutation circle would struggle to work unless extracted from a living being’s blood.’
It was a complex technique that made it hard to categorize it as either a transmutation circle or a magic circle.
However, while an ordinary transmutation circle is composed of powdered metals or dried plants, this new transmutation circle required much stronger materials for activation.
Rupert had sought him out because he thought this method was extremely dangerous, and it seemed his intuition was correct.
‘Interrogating him now seems unlikely to yield truthful answers.’
Despite acting cool and collected, it was clear his body wouldn’t lie.
Yustaf thought it possible that Rupert or the Somerset family was being threatened by a particular group.
They must have marked their new comic in this way to seek his help.
Clank!
“Oh… I apologize. I seemed to have made a mistake due to my fatigue,” Rupert stammered as he dropped the teacup he had been holding.
Watching Rupert, Yustaf pondered internally.
‘Is he tense? He might be under some kind of threat.’
After all, what kind of young man would be so fatigued that he couldn’t even muster the strength to hold a teacup for several minutes?
Yustaf decided he would need to look into this once he returned.
For now, it was just suspicion, but something felt off.
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