“Old man, you’re the last one. Got anything left to say?”
Roy Mustang said to the Western Native who was leaning against the wall, panting.
“Hatred.”
A simple word, but there was no hint of defeat in the old man’s expression.』
“Those damn scum!!!”
“What’s with these so-called soldiers and their massacres…?”
“Isn’t all this happening because of General King Brandon and those damned homonculi?!”
The storm brought by the simultaneous release of volumes 5 and 6 of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist.
Originally, you had to wait at least a week in line to get limited or first edition copies, but this time it was a whole different level.
It was so bad that the city guards had to step in to calm the chaos.
Some opportunists didn’t miss the chance and started selling snacks and food to those waiting in line, causing people from the provinces to mistakenly think a festival was happening.
“To be honest, I think we should respectfully allow people to use the restroom…”
Normally, stepping out of the line meant giving up your spot, but this time there were so many people queuing that the Yuren merchant company allowed a brief 10-minute break for biological needs three times a day.
Of course, local shops around Yuren benefitted greatly from this.
Previously angry merchants who felt their business was being disrupted ended up smiling broadly as customers rushed in to use the restrooms, buying random items in the process.
“I knew you’d deliver!!! Author!!!”
“Author? Are you friends with the author?!”
“I’m not gay, but I’d love to live in a log cabin in the forest with the author. Even though…”
People who were worried about having to wait longer due to delays couldn’t hide their joy when they found out that the new releases were coming out sooner than expected.
And not just volume 5, but also volume 6 was released, meaning there was no need to wait a month out of disappointment once the current comic was read.
This time, they could dive straight into the next one.
“If I could see the next volume in advance, I’d pay double just to do so.”
“What? It’s interesting, but isn’t that a bit too expensive?”
“What am I supposed to do when I want to know what happens next?!”
Amidst chatting people holding the generously prepared first edition comic books for eager fans, one merchant from Yuren was having a pretty dreadful thought.
‘Oh, now that I think about it, that could be a good idea. Instead of simultaneous releases, how about offering a preview version for sale at a price?’
If people had overheard that thought, they would have rushed in and given him a beating, but thankfully, he kept it to himself, and no such accident happened.
“By the way, is it true that the father of the protagonist brothers is the mastermind?”
“Hah, I knew it! Who would leave their family behind and be a decent person?”
“The brothers are so pitiful.”
It’s a common occurrence for discussions about the content to break out right after a comic book’s release, but this time since the content was about two volumes long, those needing a place for lengthy discussions were banging on the doors of an unopened tavern even though it was still daytime.
“Hey, owner, open the door!!!”
The owner, who had been working late into the night and had only gone to sleep in the early hours, rubbed his sleepy eyes and struggled to deal with the excited crowd, but he hurriedly served food and drinks because he couldn’t bear to miss out on making money.
“Kimblee is really a wicked character.”
“Tell me about it, soldiers are the worst.”
“What? There are plenty of good soldiers! Just look at Luois Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist.”
Especially after the truth about the Western Native war was revealed in volume 6, opinions on the involved people were divided.
“See! I told you Skall wasn’t just an evil character!”
“But just because someone is a victim doesn’t mean their actions are justified!”
“People like Winry Rockbells parents are the true heroes.”
During the process, Rupert unintentionally, but gradually, the people of the Empire began to adopt a more progressive perspective.
Residents who only cared about mere survival engaged with the comic books and, while discussing them, created a culture of accidentally exchanging new insights.
While it was still a very basic level of discussion, limited to just comic themes, this was undoubtedly an important beginning.
When you compress human history into 24 hours, the Industrial Revolution occurred at 11:58 PM.
And within 2 minutes, humanity reached a level where they could go to the Moon and talk about Mars.
Of course, this needed more time, but surely, the seeds had been sown.
###
“Winry Rockbell is a spirited woman. She lost her parents and her childhood friend brother ended up like that, yet she didn’t lose her smile! That’s her greatness.”
“That’s true of Hawkeye too; did you see her line in volume 6?”
“That’s a classic; ‘Please erase my back by burning it.’ I’m declaring Hawkeye as this month’s woman of the month.”
The noble social circles were quite varied.
There were social gatherings for nobles living in the same region to bond, as well as ones created by graduates of the same academy.
Some were established based on shared hobbies.
And in the imperial capital Caldea, there was a recently rising social gathering.
With a simple name like ‘Doujinshi Club’, outwardly it was hard to discern what kind of exchanges took place there.
“A duel; how dare you disrespect my collection.”
“Fine, I accept. Who are you to call yourself a fan of Windy when you haven’t even collected all the limited editions?”
The mysterious social group, the Doujinshi Club.
However, in reality, it was merely a gathering of wealthy comic book enthusiasts.
While commoners could chat about comic books in pubs or on the streets, nobles who valued their reputation couldn’t openly engage in such banter.
So, even though they wanted to chat about comic books, they had kept quiet.
Then one day, at a social gathering, two noblemen happened upon a conversation.
“You too? Hey, me too!”
Two young noblemen recognized each other as passionate fans of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist and combined forces to start the Doujinshi Club.
Membership required owning at least one limited edition of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist to test their affection towards the work.
To exclude those with impure intentions, there were also entry tests.
“What’s the alias of Tucker the Alchemist?”
“That’s the Chimera Alchemist, right?”
“Nope. That’s what people loosely call him; officially in the story, he’s known as the Alchemist of Creation.”
“How do you know that?!”
“If you don’t know, get out!”
Due to such a strict admission process, they had only a small number of members, yet it became a place desired by nobles who loved The Iron-Blooded Alchemist.
This was because rumors of wealthy nobles using their excessive finances to commission the Empire’s renowned artisans to create various character illustrations and merchandise to share among members circulated.
And a new aspiring member had stepped into this Doujinshi Club.
“Oh, that mask is quite stylish.”
“To recognize that, the appreciation of the Doujinshi Club is indeed remarkable.”
“If you can’t even recognize the mask worn by the eastern royalty’s ‘Shin’ guards, then it couldn’t be called the Doujinshi Club.”
“Your mask is also pretty good. To craft the helmet part of Alphonse Elric’s armor this finely…”
Members of the Doujinshi Club had to wear masks to comfortably engage in activities while concealing their identities.
Although each person’s identity was unknowable, the president of the club, Shroud, was convinced that this new member was someone exceptional.
“To possess not just one, but all limited editions of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist….”
For the sake of maintaining his dignity as president, he couldn’t directly inquire whether the new member also owned the legendary pocket watch.
But sure enough? As the new member casually pulled out the pocket watch to check the time, Shroud was convinced.
‘This guy is the real deal!’
Though hidden by the mask, the new member’s demeanor suggested they didn’t intend to boast, but the ominous air of pride couldn’t be hidden.
Seeing that, Shroud was convinced. This person was undoubtedly one of their kind; ordinary individuals wouldn’t be able to shamelessly flaunt such pride without feeling embarrassed.
“It seems you won’t need an entrance exam, but let’s still carry out the process for formality’s sake.”
“Of course.”
“Winry Rockbell’ parents’ names are….”
“Yuriy Rockbell, Sarah Rockbell. They were both physicians and fell victim to Skall in the Western Native Civil War. Even if it hadn’t been Skall, Kimblee would have…”
“Enough! Enough; I get it, you’re admitted.”
“That’s unfortunate. Knowing a character’s family history and tragic background would’ve granted a deeper understanding of Winry Rockbell….”
“That’s enough!”
Shroud felt overwhelmed for a moment, such was the intensity of the new member’s knowledge.
The members of the Doujinshi Club commonly referred to their knowledge of comic books as ‘knowledge reserves.’
Even Shroud, who couldn’t be easily outdone in knowledge reserves, found this new member’s knowledge to be hard to contend with.
“Alright, then can I now see the Doujinshi Club’s secret collection?”
“Sure. But what will you call your alias?”
“Ah, that’s right. Since we cannot use our real names.”
The new member seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.
“Call me Elzawin.”
“Elzawin? That’s quite a unique alias.”
“…I guess it could be described as the manifestation of greed for both.”
A voice that seemed somewhat lonely even though hidden by the mask.
The president felt an odd sense of concern but chose to ignore it. After all, this club was created for folks like them to gather comfortably.
###
“Yustaf, what brings you to find me this evening? After all, we’re supposed to enter together tomorrow morning.”
The Crown Prince visited the secondary palace where guests of the Imperial Palace stayed late in the evening.
Yustaf, who had requested a secret meeting and dismissed his guards and attendants to come on the pretext of a stroll, was laden with a hint of complaint in his tone.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry for having you walk at this late hour. However, there’s something I need to show you.”
“What on earth is it that you need to show…?”
At the Crown Prince’s question, Yustaf directed him to a door.
Soon the door opened, and someone small in stature cautiously entered holding a box.
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