The Dog of Flanders is undoubtedly one of those fairy tale books that lingers in memory.
It’s not your typical children’s story, starting with issues of wealth disparity and extending to the prejudices shaped by distorted perspectives of people.
With a narrative that leans more towards a societal critique rather than a charming fairy tale, I focused intently on adjusting my art style to convey the shock I experienced to readers in another world.
In particular, I poured my heart into depicting the masterpiece of ‘Rubens’ that the protagonist, Nero, longed to see before his last breath.
The brilliant light descending gently enveloped the goddess, while people knelt in prayer beneath her.
In a poignant touch, Nero lay dying, clutching Patrasche as he gazed one last time at the monumental painting capturing those moments.
To create a scene that would be etched in everyone’s memory, I knew I had to burn myself out in the process.
The more beautiful my rendition of Rubens’ religious painting, the more miserable the contrast of the protagonist and Patrasche would become.
After coming to this other world, I felt a kind of debt to the works I started creating, and I wanted to repay that through this piece.
It’s not a grand ambition; I simply aim to live by paying off my family’s debts while producing the comic books I want.
It’s about contributing even a little to the dream those great authors had of crafting fairy tales and creating a slightly happier world for children.
“I get the feeling this might make people cry for a different reason,” I mused.
Alongside my work on ‘The Dog of Flanders’, I was almost done with crafting the storyboard for the second volume of ‘Iron-Blooded Alchemist’.
I expected people would be itching to see the next part because I had left off at a fitting point.
When I was a child, the only way to read comic books was to borrow them from the local store.
I recalled that popular titles were often reserved for regulars before new releases.
The thought of sharing the excitement of waiting to see what happens next with the people of this world thrilled me.
“Though, drawing Patrasche and then having to draw a dog in ‘Iron-Blooded Alchemist’ feels a bit awkward,” I chuckled to myself.
How is it that both dogs I draw end up with such unfortunate fates?
“‘Are you coming to play again tomorrow, Ed Onii-chan?’
‘Yeah, Nina, I’ll be there, so wait for me.’
‘Okay!’”
When I looked at the final scene of the storyboard, I was genuinely amazed.
Those with a keen sense would feel a twinge of discomfort, but predicting the following scene wouldn’t be easy for anyone.
Even I couldn’t have envisioned ‘that’ scene while reading this part.
*
“This isn’t right! From the comic illustrations, it’s clear that thin iron is shaped into dozens, if not hundreds, of layers to form the joints.”
For days, Kroon had been holed up in the village’s forge, starting to create a humanoid object that resembled a hand.
At first, the local blacksmith was taken aback by Kroon’s abrupt request to borrow the forge, but he eventually allowed it, curious about the craftsmanship of a dwarf he’d only heard of in tales.
Since that day, Kroon hammered away like a mad dwarf, consumed by his quest to recreate the golem’s arm.
Even though the comic didn’t explain the detailed mechanics, the visuals were enough to give him some understanding of how it operated. Yet, attempting it turned out to be more challenging than he anticipated.
“Damn it, if only I had better facilities and materials,” he grumbled.
Kroon didn’t want to blame the environment, but the quality of the tools and furnaces used by dwarves compared to what he had here was painfully inadequate.
He longed to return to the Dwarf Kingdom to create it right away, but Senna weighed heavily on his mind.
Kroon couldn’t just leave without repaying a debt of gratitude; his pride as a dwarf wouldn’t allow it. And, of course, the second volume of ‘Iron-Blooded Alchemist’ was about to be released, stirring up a great desire to see it.
It was a human creation, but nothing had excited him recently quite like that comic book did. It wasn’t just mere entertainment; it was a magnificent work that ignited his inspiration.
The ‘Golem Arm’ was originally a magical item that existed in the continent, but the version in the comic was entirely different from anything he’d seen before. The original Golem Arm was simply a tool for lifting light objects or helping the limb-challenged walk again, but this comic depicted it as resembling a real human arm or leg!
Often, there were dwarves among his kin who lost limbs due to accidents in the mines or battles with monsters. For those dwarves, being unable to dig for precious minerals or forge tools meant they lost their will to live and became shells of their former selves.
His close friend and promising artisan, ‘Keron’, was one such case. He lost his left arm after being crushed by a rock in a mining accident and had since been wasting away, drowning his sorrows in drink every day.
The thought that if he could create this new Golem Arm, it wouldn’t just help Keron but also bring hope to other disabled kin, kept Kroon working day and night. Yet, despite his efforts, something still felt lacking.
‘Maybe the author knows something.’
He pondered the mechanisms, structure, and materials used in the new Golem Arm. It was intricate enough that it couldn’t be merely fictional. His inspiration to create stemmed from that realization.
‘Wait, since the comic mentioned the vision technology of the dwarf clan, perhaps a dwarf is working with the author!’
Dwarves generally didn’t venture far from their kingdom, but accidents in the mines can lead to disappearances caused by monster attacks from time to time.
Knowing this, there was a chance that a dwarf might be with the author now. Surely, the author must have heard stories about the glass coffin from ‘Snow White’ or the Golem Arm from ‘Iron-Blooded Alchemist’ from that dwarf?
Kroon felt that he must meet the author.
However,
“What? You want to meet the author?”
“Yeah, kiddo. That author surely knows a thing or two,” he replied.
At this, Senna shared what she knew.
“I heard the author is a noble from the southern region.”
“A noble?”
“Yep! So, someone like us commoners might not just be turned away but could end up being scolded instead!”
Senna genuinely believed that. Just the other day, their lord, Baron Haksen, had dragged her parents and the townsfolk into dangerous work whenever he had the chance.
What’s more, he raised taxes every year for all kinds of reasons, brutally punishing anyone who dared to voice discontent among the territory’s inhabitants.
Walking up to the young noble of the Count’s family without an invitation could spell disaster!
“Ugh, humans are truly disgusting! How can those in power behave like that?!”
“Dwarves don’t do that?”
“About that…”
Kroon found himself at a loss for words in response to Senna’s question.
The truth was, life in the Dwarf Kingdom wasn’t all that different.
While there wasn’t a distinct noble class, there were powerful clans—known as the Twelve Clans—whose overwhelming influence was just as oppressive as what Senna had described.
The gritty and perilous work in the mines was left to dwarves who didn’t belong to those clans.
The best ore and tools were monopolized by the Twelve Clans. Many dwarves were dissatisfied with this situation, but their power and influence were so immense, and the traditions had been passed down since the kingdom’s inception, that eventually, everyone learned to conform.
“Anyway, the only person who can clarify my questions about the Golem Arm is the author, so I have to go find them.”
“But we need money to go, right?”
“Huh?”
“Our Stolbar territory is in the west of the Empire, while the author’s in Goldfull Valley, which is in the south.”
“What does that matter?”
Senna responded to Kroon’s comment with a look of disbelief.
“The Empire is enormous! It could take months to walk from the west to the south.”
“That’s a bit of a problem…”
“Well, we could use the Magic Tower’s teleportation circle.”
“Teleportation circle?”
“Yeah, I’ve only heard about it, but if you use the teleportation circle in the Magic Tower, you can get anywhere in an instant, no matter how far!”
Kroon was contemplating how he could take that circle when he overheard Senna’s next remark.
-But it’s ridiculously expensive!
After that, rumors spread in one of the villages in the Stolbar territory about extraordinary weapons being sold in the smithy—ones of a quality not even found in the capital of the Empire.
*
“I completely trust you, but this time, it’s not your place to step in,” Jorge said, feeling a shiver at the first sight of the princess’s tense expression since he joined the secret guard of the Imperial Family.
The secret guard.
Unlike the knight orders that protect the royal family in the light, these were individuals who operated in the shadows.
Proud of being the hidden sword of the royal family, they handled secret matters with great pride.
Recalling the moment he graduated with excellent marks from the Empire Academy and was selected for the secret guard still made his heart race.
Secret missions. Honestly, it sounded way cooler than regular guarding.
After training to become a member of the secret guard and being assigned to protect the princess, Jorge felt a great deal of pride.
He believed that the princess, known as the flower of the Empire, was far more worthy to serve than the Crown Prince.
Seeing the princess troubled for some time now, he eagerly requested that if there was any way he could help, she should place any task in his hands without hesitation.
However, the princess refused, saying she couldn’t involve him in such matters, which only fueled Jorge’s passion further.
“Your Highness the Princess! I am prepared to undertake even the simplest of errands or a life-risking mission at your command!!!”
-Just give me an order.
Jorge felt an instinctual sense that this was precisely the beginning of a grand saga that he had long awaited—a mission that would change the fate of the royal family.
‘Could it be that she’s considering stepping into the position of Crown Princess, overshadowing the Crown Prince?’
No, that wouldn’t suit Her Highness.
Right, perhaps she’s noticed some secret force targeting the royal family and is preparing for it.
A flurry of fantasies unfolded in Jorge’s mind, and finally, after scanning her surroundings again, the princess spoke in a tense voice.
“…Can I really ask you for a personal favor?”
At last, in response to Jorge’s fervent requests, the princess gave a nod.
“Whatever you need, just let me handle it! That is my only desire.”
“Well then, I would like to ask you to procure the limited edition of ‘Iron-Blooded Alchemist’ Volume 2, which releases next Friday!”
“Pardon?”
And thus, the moment was set for Jorge, the secret guard of the royal family, to embark on his very first covert mission.
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