“Why did he suddenly show up and start interrogating me?”
Yustaf, who was questioning how I came across the alchemical circle, eyed me with suspicion.
I simply told the truth: I had combined symbols from magic and alchemy books into a design I thought looked cool.
But Yustaf, as if it was exactly what he expected, gave me a look that said he didn’t believe a word of it. And because it was him, I couldn’t argue and just let it go.
“Ugh… my head is spinning, seriously.”
“Young Master, no matter how much you rely on divine power, straining your body like this could cause serious issues later on,” Manuel, who was supposed to treat the side effects of the vitality potion and caffeine, said as he belatedly cast a healing spell on me.
‘This is all because of the sudden arrival of that old monster.’
If not for Yustaf showing up right when the side effects were kicking in, I would’ve really fainted.
I had barely managed to perform the arduous task of greeting guests with superhuman patience; if it had gone on any longer, I might well have passed out for real.
“I should be fine for now.”
This wasn’t just empty talk. I had lasted nearly a year publishing webtoons in this tired, aged body from my past life.
Considering I now had Rupert’s healthy body and the help of divine might, it was sure to be a comfortable situation.
‘By the way, that red-haired kid… what was her name? Jenia?’
I didn’t know why, but she kept nagging at me. I felt as though I was missing something important.
Oh right, red-haired! That reminded me of a good idea.
What if I featured a red-haired boy as the protagonist in my upcoming “A Dog of Flanders”?
In this other world, having red hair is synonymous with persecution and disdain, so it would make perfect sense for a fairy tale character to endure such hardship and challenges.
And just now, Yustaf’s disciple, Jenia, seemed to be the perfect model for this.
Perhaps it’s her youth, but she has this androgynous vibe about her, looking a bit skinny and pitiful.
Yet, her face is beautiful, making her suitable as a fairy tale protagonist.
Of course, since she’s a girl, I would have to transform her into a boy.
“Bad things don’t happen all the time.”
With inspiration for the main character of my obscured fairy tale bubbling up, I dashed straight to my workshop.
*
Jenia felt her heart racing as if it would explode.
‘To think I could actually meet him!’
Grabbing the hand of her mentor, who had asked if she would follow him, she recognized it as a miracle bestowed upon her.
It was like the moment Cinderella met her fairy godmother or when Snow White encountered the seven dwarfs—a true miracle.
After she began following her mentor, her life changed 180 degrees.
No longer did she receive contemptuous or disdainful looks; now, people regarded her with envy and respect, and instead of leftovers, she feasted on exquisite meals.
Above all, she was now capable of wielding magic like Elza from “The Kingdom of Ice.”
The spells taught by her mentor seemed ridiculously easy and simple to her, transforming into pure playful fun.
Yet, even just performing these easy tasks would astonish those around her.
– As expected, she’s the final disciple chosen by Yustaf!
– Other disciples were amazing as well, but this… this is on another level.
– Could she truly be a descendant of the legendary Eldor clan?
People looked at her and called her a descendant of Eldor.
In truth, she had no idea what Eldor even was, but she had learned about it recently through her studies with her mentor.
It was about the first Dragonyan, “Krasus Eldor,” who was born from the love between a dragon and a human.
He was said to be the strongest wizard in history, unsurpassable among humans, just because he inherited half the bloodline of dragons.
But it was such an ancient story that it was already considered a legend. Her mentor insisted that she must be a descendant of Eldor.
He was amazed that she had a dragon heart inside her, tiny but definitely there.
‘In the end, I couldn’t even get an autograph…’
However, she was happier to have met Sir Rupert Somerset, the author of the fairy tales and comic books she admired, than to receive any compliments.
When she entered as a disciple of her mentor, the first thing she did with her allowance was buy his books officially.
The beautiful illustrations were on a whole new level compared to the fake fairy tale books she had seen before.
They were so stunning that she dreamt of the fairy tale world after staying up late to admire the real fairy tale book.
And when she held her very own comic book, instead of just borrowed ones from the village, tears streamed down her face.
Now that she could read, the stories he created felt even more meaningful.
That’s why, when her mentor said they would visit Count Somerset, she begged him to take her along.
When she saw the real deal, she was truly taken aback.
‘He looks just like the prince from The Little Mermaid!’
She wanted to jump up and down and get the books she brought signed, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak because he looked so dark and exhausted.
But it’s okay. Just seeing him was a huge blessing.
‘If I work hard to learn magic, maybe I could…’
He was a nobleman she could hardly dream of approaching, yet her mentor assured her she would be treated better than most nobles in the future.
So if, by any chance, she became that kind of person…
‘Could I experience a love story like that of the female protagonist in a fairy tale with him?’
*
“It’s as expected, Yustaf. Who would’ve guessed we could interpret this alchemical circle?”
“We’re just lucky. I struggled to verify if this was actually applicable, but it’s definitely from that comic book.”
– An alchemical circle for exchanging life energy with something!
Yustaf’s words made the expression on Harun, the head of the Alchemy Guild, darken.
Having studied this for some time, he knew all too well how dangerous this alchemical technique was.
Combining magic and alchemy was not something new.
Yet, there had always been significant issues in those endeavors, and every attempt ended up being discarded due to the lack of a connecting link.
Suddenly, this new form of alchemical circle had resolved that connection in a remarkably straightforward manner.
“So what did the author say about it?”
“He claimed it was just a coincidence and acted all innocent.”
What nonsense. A complex alchemical circle like this drawn casually?
It would be more realistic for a dragon to suddenly appear in the imperial palace and breathe fire.
“I have a feeling that his complexion doesn’t look good — I suspect he might be cursed.”
“A curse? No way!”
“Yes, I even entertained the thought that those wicked dark wizards might have re-emerged.”
At Yustaf’s words, cold sweat broke out on Harun. Wasn’t the dark wizard already considered a public enemy and wiped out across the continent?
If those characters were involved, there could definitely be huge problems ahead.
“This seems like a dilemma we can’t resolve on our own.”
“I think so too. We’ll probably need assistance from the imperial family…”
Yustaf’s voice trailed off.
In truth, he didn’t have any solid evidence, so bringing this up before the Emperor felt rather flimsy. The Emperor needed sufficient justification and proof to issue a command, and there was a lack of both.
Yet, simply ignoring this situation felt too troubling for him to overlook.
“How about we investigate together, just the two of us?”
“When you say ‘investigate’… you mean figuring out what their actual goal is, right?”
“Exactly, since we can’t find the evidence, we should at least understand their intentions so we can do something.”
With that, Yustaf and Harun promptly grabbed the comic books and made their way to the lab, marking the moment when the empire’s foremost magician and alchemist joined forces.
*
“Edric, I never thought you were the kind to devise something like this.” (Ioleen)
Ioleen Bell’s expression twisted with dismay. The target of her furious gaze was none other than Third Prince Edric.
“I didn’t want to go this far either.” (Edric)
“Then why…!!!” (Ioleen)
“Well, you should have wrapped things up when I merely asked for the illustrations!” (Edric)
Edric yelled with a look of resignation.
But Ioleen was left speechless at the absurdity of it all.
“You’re selling me out for just some illustrations?!” (Ioleen)
“The discussion with Aiden is already over. I’m taking your limited edition illustrations.” (Edric)
As soon as Edric finished his sentence, palace maids cautiously approached Ioleen and grabbed her arms.
“No! No way!!! Not that!”
Ioleen tried with all her might to resist, but her strength was no match for the maids. Other attendants proceeded to search her room, hauling away the fairy tale books and comic books she had hidden everywhere.
She had to witness the scene as they stripped her of every single one, including various custom versions and even the special edition [Snow White] made for the princess by Rupert himself.
“How could such a cruel thing happen….” (Ioleen)
“Your Highness, well, you shouldn’t have committed such a blunder that was bound to be exposed.” (Aiden)
Ioleen was left in a daze, watching her treasures vanish before her eyes, unable to respond at all.
Aiden’s words didn’t generate any reaction; she was already in shock.
“Ahem, what about the promised items?” (Edric)
Edric asked delicately, his face showing some embarrassment.
Aiden pulled out a few well-wrapped papers from his possession and handed them over.
“Oh… is this the limited edition illustration from the Ice Kingdom?” (Edric)
Edric quickly hugged it close and dashed out of the princess’s residence, leaving Aiden with a sigh.
– Aiden, do you know how my sister managed to secretly buy this new comic book?
The Third Prince had approached him with a discreet trade proposal.
He couldn’t refuse the offer to exchange the secret of how his sister had bought the comic books for the limited edition illustrations.
Watching his sister’s vacant expression was regrettable, but he couldn’t bear to see her suffer any longer, thus he heartlessly confiscated all of her books.
“Huh, by the way, I heard the Crown Prince’s attendant was also there.” (Edric)
The Crown Prince wasn’t someone Aiden was serving, so he didn’t feel the need to care.
But still, he had a bad feeling that these comic books crashing into the imperial palace would bring about quite the troublesome epidemic.
1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dog_of_Flanders
2. You might be wondering why this novel and a few others show up as 404 on their TOC pages. Well, to put it simply, they got hit with a DMCA notice from Novelpia. Luckily, it’s just the TOC pages that got taken down.
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