“Wait, the Saintess is actually coming to our territory? What’s going on here?”
“Well, it seems like she was really moved by the painting of A Dog of Flanders that you drew. That last scene… it could be called a masterpiece, after all.”
Just as I was receiving healing from Monk Manuel as usual, out of the blue came the news of the Saintess’s visit.
“I did put my heart and soul into that painting, though.”
Amelia Bluewell, the Head Attendant of the Imperial Family, and Yustaf Heindel.
With the recent visits by increasingly important figures to our territory, it looked like a major character was finally arriving to top it all off.
At least this visit was for a reasonable reason—inspecting the church being constructed within the Somerset Territory and asking for a portrait. That put my mind at ease.
I understood why the Saintess would have such a strong reaction to the religious paintings here; after all, I’ve heard that in this other world, photography isn’t as developed, and the paintings aren’t really up to par.
Considering the close relationship between religion and art, it wasn’t too surprising that the Saintess was blown away by the paintings.
While splendid landscapes and portraits could be captured in photographs, things related to religion, which couldn’t be truly seen, couldn’t be replaced by photos either.
All who have viewed Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” painted in an Italian church, have remarked on how it evokes a sense of solemnity.
In a medieval setting like this other world, witnessing a miracle speaks louder than a hundred words about faith, and what better way to showcase miracles to people than through art?
If a well-painted picture could solidify people’s beliefs, it would be the most efficient means of evangelism for the church.
Moreover, the Saintess was a character I genuinely wanted to meet someday.
She makes her entrance in the later part of the original story, supporting the protagonist, Third Prince Edric, amidst a fierce struggle for the throne.
Because of that, the Saintess plays a critical role in helping Edric ascend to the Crown Prince position with the support of the Goddess Church.
In the webtoon I had released, she hasn’t appeared yet; I only had a draft of her character.
I was extremely curious about what she would actually look like.
Even when I possessed the body of Rupert, his face turned out completely different from what I had drawn.
Interestingly enough, the female protagonist Amelia bore some resemblance to my sketches.
Comparing my imagined version to the real thing was definitely an entertaining prospect, which made me look forward to the Saintess’s visit.
It was a gentle request to have me draw something, so I felt no pressure; unlike the other characters who can be a hassle to deal with, I’d actually benefit from getting closer to a character like the Saintess who’s often secluded within the church.
In this other world, the church holds nearly as much authority as the Imperial Family.
Unlike the Imperial Family, they didn’t interfere much, and there was no harm in the rumors of the Saintess being a devout believer.
“Unless it’s a mural, that might be a bit too much,” I thought.
I wanted to try something new like a mural, but considering my current situation, that felt impossible.
The production period for “The Last Supper” took a staggering five years, and Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” required a similar timeframe.
No matter how talented Rupert is, he can’t break the limits of time, so I had to focus on large-scale paintings instead.
With some time to spare until the Saintess’s visit, I needed to buckle down and concentrate on my current work.
“Now that the fairy tale book is almost finished, it looks like I’ll have work painting religious art lined up next.”
After seeing off Monk Manuel, I dove right back into working on Volume 4 of “Iron-Blooded Alchemist.”
During Volume 3, I was so busy drawing “A Dog of Flanders” that I thought I could take my time with Volume 4.
But with the extra task of the religious art, I felt the urgency to finish things up quickly to keep to my schedule.
“From Volume 4 onward, the story is going to heat up with the conflict against the group of Homonculi.”
Roy Mustang, who has suspected that King Brandon is a homonculus, finally begins to uncover the curtain on the conspiracy surrounding the Empire.
And in that process, there will be scenes where he loses a dear friend.
It’s time for Skall, who was in opposition, to realize that the tragedy affecting his people was the doing of these artificial humans.
And finally, the true nature of the Philosopher’s Stone will be revealed.
The finale will approach the scene where the brothers, desperate to revive their mother and reclaim their bodies, are faced with the fact that the stone is made by extracting souls from living humans.
While Volume 3 left quite an impact, Volume 4 promises to deliver just as heavy-hitting moments.
It was no wonder that when Sena saw my storyboard, she was flabbergasted.
Especially when Roy’s comrade and friend were killed by a homunculus, he shed tears. This led to a moment when the heroine tried to ‘comfort’ him
It’s clear that this work is way too mature for kids.
Of course, I’ve heard there are kids who secretly read it while adults aren’t looking, so I can’t really stop that.
It seems to be the same whether in this other world or on Earth.
I, too, have memories of sneaking peeks at comics that were rated for 19+ when I was younger, so I can’t really say anything myself.
“Maybe I should just create a work that’s suitable for all ages next time?”
Even though I still have a long way to go until “Iron-Blooded Alchemist” wraps up, worrying about a sequel felt like jumping the gun, so I brushed that thought aside.
*
“Miss! You can leave things like this to us!”
Baron Ceylon, a vassal of House Bluewell, looked shocked and tried to halt Amelia’s actions.
“It’s fine. I’m starting at the Academy soon, so I need to learn how to uphold the House’s dignity as an aristocratic young lady.”
Recently, Amelia had begun actively participating in the affairs of her family, assisting the Duke of Bluewell.
Even though the vassals tried to stop her from doing such things, they failed against her resolute responses and firm actions.
Moreover, wanting to try cooking herself, she appeared in the kitchen of the restaurant, and for a while, the Bluewell family table was filled with burnt, unidentifiable dishes.
“I’m full today.”
“I’m full today too since Evelyn got me to eat those sweets!”
Naturally, the Duke of Bluewell and Evelyn, who had to eat that food, chose to flee quickly, but they were caught by Amelia’s fierce gaze and couldn’t leave the table until they finished every last morsel.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the next day they had stomachaches, causing the Duke of Bluewell to miss the Imperial Conference, and Evelyn waged a hunger strike by locking herself in her room, which meant that the cooking practice ended there.
“Why is everyone making such a fuss over something edible?”
This was a revealing event, showing that Amelia’s cooking skills were lethal, and her taste was also out of this world.
In truth, there was a reason Amelia was suddenly acting like this.
She had naturally read the new comic by Rupert, “Iron-Blooded Alchemist.”
“I wonder if he prefers women like this?”
An attractive female character who supports the protagonist brothers and always prepares a place for them to return to.
A strong woman who stands by the protagonist during tough or joyful times, being a reliable pillar.
Seeing all that deeply impressed Amelia; she felt like taking a hammer and heading to the forge herself.
Suddenly imagining a scene where she meets Rupert at the Academy and cooks for him or helps him when he’s tired from his studies and creating works—she felt it would be such a romantic and beautiful image.
“Maybe he’ll like dishes made from southern specialties since I’m from the South?”
The south is known for its warm climate and famous fruits, so she thought she should give fruit-infused meals a try.
Warm stews with fruits or perhaps bread complemented by fruits.
Especially, if she topped fresh bread with sweet and sour “ananas,” a specialty of the southern region, it seemed that it would be really impressive.
“This one should turn out well, so I’ll let Father and Evelyn taste it first.”
The Duke and Evelyn would likely have bolted if they knew, but unfortunately for them, they had no idea what was on Amelia’s mind.
*
“What the heck is going on here?!”
The Empire’s wanted criminal, Shylock, found the current situation to be utterly surreal.
Originally a mercenary, he had, for some time now, been unable to control his murderous impulses.
So, taking on contracts, he had slaughtered families in remote areas or participated in illegal human trafficking within the Empire, treating people’s lives like a game.
Of course, after his actions came to light, he was deemed a wanted criminal by the Empire, but he didn’t really stress over it.
The Empire was vast, so as long as he fled to a slightly remote area, no one would recognize him, and if things got really risky, he could simply escape to another nation.
However, strange things started happening shortly before.
“Hey, that person looks familiar…”
Everywhere he went, people were whispering and pointing at him.
It wasn’t even his hometown, nor was it a place where he committed crimes.
And yet, it felt like he was surrounded by people who recognized him.
“Oh! That guy is the Chimera Alchemist!”
What on earth does being the Chimera Alchemist even mean?
As if it wasn’t enough to be recognized as a Chimera or Alchemist, while he was having a meal at a restaurant, someone even shouted, “You bastard, revive Nina!”
And a bone flew towards him.
He would have loved to kill whoever threw it, but he held back as it would be troublesome if he drew attention.
But this situation couldn’t go on.
“I think it’s time to move to another country.”
He never really wanted to leave the Empire where he was born and raised, but given the inexplicable situation he was in, it seemed like escaping abroad was his best bet.
Plus, the idea of killing people from other nations had its own appeal.
“If possible, I’d love to hunt some non-humans too.”
Seeing the crisis as a chance to broaden his hunting spectrum felt like a solid idea.
However, his wishes were not meant to be fulfilled.
“I saw it with my own two eyes!! There’s the world’s worst criminal!”
His hopes proved futile.
A farmer, sporting a large mole beside his nose, excitedly pointed him out to the Empire’s Guard.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.