“Comrade means a bond you can’t sever, connected by the soul! Gura, you abandoned your soul’s comrade.”
(You don’t deserve the epithet of greed that wants to have everything!!!)
“Gura, the Greed, even as an antagonist, doesn’t entirely feel detestable.”
“Not just him! Honestly, Envy’s end was quite touching.”
“Envy treated humans like toys, but ultimately, was a being who envied even human imperfection.”
Fans of the “Iron-Blooded Alchemist” in the Empire were recently feeling overjoyed, consistently celebrating as if every day was a festival.
It was already like a miracle having volumes 5 and 6 released simultaneously, and with volumes 7 and 8 also coming out together, people were buzzing with excitement.
Particularly, they were absorbed by the narrative that made even the antagonist characters appear charming.
Moreover, as the story was heading toward its conclusion, secrets started unraveling one by one, making everyone ecstatic.
“Who would’ve thought the reason for the ancient empire Achaemenes’ fall overnight was because of the spirit in the flask?”
“Where exactly did this ancient empire called Achaemenes exist?”
“Isn’t it a fictional nation? Didn’t the author clarify at the start of the work?”
“All elements within the story are purely fictional.”
When someone pointed to this writing at the start of the comic book held by a man, everyone around him sniggered.
“Do you believe that? This work is no doubt based on real things.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s a rumor floating around that the black magicians tried to do something with the transmutation circle mentioned here.”
“What?!”
“It seems the black magician organization Prince stopped last time was planning to sacrifice the capital’s residents.”
“Ah! Come to think of it, that’s why the Crown Prince’s right arm is…”
People recalled the image of the Crown Prince during his victory parade down the capital boulevard.
His right arm was made of steel, resembling the protagonist’s brother in the “Iron-Blooded Alchemist.”
People had already started calling the Crown Prince the ‘Steel Crown Prince’ after seeing him like that.
The derogatory nickname of a former rogue had long vanished, and he became a hero who thwarted the villain’s plans threatening the Empire, skyrocketing his popularity.
Especially, the soldiers who accompanied him in the subjugation of the Abyssal Cult not only praised but reached a level of blind faith in the Crown Prince.
Among them, one young soldier who almost lost his life to a burrowing snake but survived thanks to the Crown Prince’s command, later applied to become a Royal Guard.
Unlike the territorial soldiers, only exceptional individuals could apply, so the young soldier Chrome independently worked out and attended sword training.
“He’s really putting in the effort.”
“Of course. I want to become a soldier who protects the Crown Prince as soon as possible.”
Even though he had learned swordsmanship for only about a month, Chrome, having no one to spar with other than the instructor at the training school, wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied brightly.
Although Chrome lost his arm to a burrowing snake, the clear image of the Crown Prince commanding soldiers without a flinch lingered strongly.
Having witnessed such a heroic figure first-hand, Chrome wanted nothing else since that day other than to repay the favor by the Crown Prince’s side.
Hoping to become a Royal Guard and see the Crown Prince once more, he focused and swung his sword again.
—
“Popularity vote… They want me to pick my top five favorite characters?”
The Princess gazed at the ballot, holding a quill pen, deeply contemplating.
Having completed reading the new volumes of “Iron-Blooded Alchemist,” given to her by Jorge, she discovered a small note attached to the end of the book.
Thinking it might be some sort of lottery ticket, she quickly checked it.
Having previously longed to own an Empire-certified alchemy pocket watch merchandise but unable to get it, she planned to ensure she’d obtain any other limited-edition goods by any means necessary.
However, contrary to her expectations, the note was a voting ticket for a popularity contest.
On its back was a request to select the top 1 to 5 characters from “Iron-Blooded Alchemist” that she liked the most, causing Ioleen to delve into deep thought.
“They’ll send a limited edition figure to those who participate in this popularity vote by lottery?”
That wasn’t all. It mentioned that a special figure for the character within the top 3 would be released.
Suddenly, the vote became incredibly important.
“Personally, I must include King Brandon and Kimblee.”
The characters that struck right to Ioleen’s tastes were King Brandon, the empire’s general, and Kimblee, the Alchemist of the Rose.
Though they were undoubtedly classified as villains by the world’s standards.
They were individuals with their own convictions.
Having learned much from those two, they made a strong impression on Ioleen.
“Is killing with alchemy inhumane? Is it okay as long as it’s with a sword or spear? Or are you not prepared to kill thousands?”
“That’s…,”
“Don’t look away from death. Watch carefully the faces of the people you’re killing and don’t forget them. Because they won’t forget you.”
Although Kimblee, the Alchemist of the Rose, was indeed twisted, he didn’t glorify his actions.
Many, when they stab others, do so nonchalantly, yet lose their temper at the smallest prick themselves.
He was a character clearly demonstrating that if you’re wielding a sword, you must also be ready to be stabbed.
Moreover, the homonculus King Brandon, who appears as the Empire’s general, moved Ioleen in a different way.
“The only thing I chose was my wife.”
When Lieutenant Hawkeye sarcastically remarked on living a life following a script, he admitted to it while stating he did have something he chose for himself, a scene that strongly resonated with Ioleen, if not others.
Since being born into royalty wasn’t a choice for her, but having been born, she understood she had to fulfill her responsibilities as part of the royal family.
Seeing King Brandon, she felt he was somewhat similar to herself.
Even in a predetermined life, he had chosen something for himself.
Then maybe she, too, could choose something for herself? The thought crossed her mind.
Of course, she hadn’t yet realized that a manga she’d begun reading for fun and interest had started to greatly influence her.
In her mind, the only thing making her happy was imagining Kimblee’s wicked smile figure and King Brandon’s dual-sword brandishing figure.
—
“How could they leave out Roy Mustang! Gather, Fire Alchemist Corps!!!”
“I told you Alphonse Elric would show you. Look at this elegant form after awakening. A steel armor figure must be released!”
“Why make dark male figures? The favorites are Winry Rockbell, Hawkeye, and Luxuria the Lust!”
Throughout bustling districts across the Empire, there were always people shouting and encouraging votes.
When the “Iron-Blooded Alchemist” character popularity vote was announced.
Enthusiastic supporters, wishing for figures of their favorite characters to be made, were increasingly advocating for votes for their favored characters.
Since they would only make figures for the top 3, people, worried their chosen characters might be left out, were frantically trying to gather as many votes.
But as everyone had distinctly favored characters, it wasn’t easy to amass votes despite the promotions and advocacy.
Hence, some entirely changed their approach.
“Let’s start the regular doujinshi club meeting.”
In a dimly lit room decorated with luxurious items, there was a large round table in the center.
Around the table sat people, each adorned in masks ranging from ordinary ones to those of characters from “Iron-Blooded Alchemist.”
“The topic for today’s meeting is, inevitably, the popularity vote.”
“It has to be. It’s something the doujinshi club needs to decide on.”
The doujinshi club, a gathering of nobles who loved manga, held regular meetings to discuss various topics.
Usually, these involved deciding on internal club merchandise or debating elements from comics.
But with the significant event of the “Iron-Blooded Alchemist” popularity vote looming,
a prompt meeting to compile everyone’s opinions became necessary.
Being a gathering of the most intense fans of the manga, they embarked on a fierce debate, one so heated that even a slight sweat filled the air.
Their plan was simple.
Instead of attempting to sway others, they proposed buying multiple copies of the manga themselves to cast their votes.
They were initially planning to purchase several copies to increase their chances of getting limited edition goods anyway, so it was just about expanding that a bit more.
Certainly, it wouldn’t be easy to impact the overall trend with just a modest amount, but those gathered there were wealthy nobles who spared no expense on comics.
The chances of their desired character being selected were quite high.
The issue was deciding which characters to vote for, a decision made through discussion.
In the midst of fierce debate, almost leading to fistfights over differing opinions,
Thud!
Thankfully, Elzawin, a newly-joined member, skillfully interceded, preventing any actual fights with her nimble movements.
After an extended session, they finally decided on the characters to vote for.
“Has anyone objections to voting for Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric, and the Eastern Prince, Ling?” (Elzawin/Edric)
Having already gone through one round of heated discussion, everyone was too exhausted to raise objections.
Though,
“Why insist on the Eastern Prince, Ling?”
Prince Ling, a character from the Eastern Continent searching for the secret to immortality.
While not an unappealing character, there was some doubt about whether he was a character you desperately wanted a figure of.
“Ling must be included.”
In light of new member Elzawin’s firm insistence, who demonstrated incredible prowess in mediating the members’ disputes, members had to grudgingly include him, fearing they couldn’t handle it if Elzawin decided to use force.
The steadfast inclusion of Eastern Prince Ling.
“Ling has to be included.”
Unaware of the dissatisfaction among other members, Prince Edric was extremely pleased that his opinion had been acknowledged.
He was already deeply immersed in the character akin to himself, Prince Ling.
His mind now was filled only with contemplating how best to decorate the figures of Ling and Winry Rockbell.
And while the world was abuzz with the “Iron-Blooded Alchemist” popularity vote.
The sudden announcement of Rupert’s new picture book “[Pinocchio]” prompted lines forming at each branch of the Yuren Merchant Guild.
(TN: The original manga author uses Xerxes as the name of the ancient empire, while the author of this novel uses Achaemenes, both referring to ancient Persian kings. In fact, the author of this novel often parodies names from the original manga author, but I intentionally replaced a few of them with the original characters to make it easier to identify which characters are being referenced.)
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.