The academy’s schedule wasn’t particularly long.
Of course, it varied greatly depending on how many classes one chose, but if one only attended the required major and liberal arts classes, it was quite relaxed.
“Edric, we’ll handle this.”
“…Alright, then I’ll take care of something else.”
Thus, most students joined clubs to engage in hobbies or study areas where they felt lacking.
Right now, the manga club was bustling with students who had just finished their classes.
“So we have to connect this scene and that scene as naturally as possible into 12 panels, right?”
“Yeah, the professor said we need to fill in the beginning and end that he set.”
Students from the art department in the manga club were tirelessly drawing.
This was because Rupert suggested practicing by creating a 10-minute animation, leaving no room for wasted time.
At first, they thought 10 minutes would be manageable, but they soon realized that even that required an immense amount of work.
Fortunately, due to Rupert’s proposal not to assign any tasks from the major lectures, the students of the manga club could focus on the animation work.
– Of course, grades will depend on the outcome.
However, since Rupert promised to replace the evaluation of assignments with the results of club activities, they had no choice but to work even harder.
“I’m composing little by little according to the script related to the sound.”
Students from the music department, who had just started learning, were able to compose a theme song suitable for animation.
Everyone was busy with their talents, preparing the work to showcase at the first semester’s graduation ceremony, but there were two who seemed utterly lost.
“The theme of the story needs to be short, simple, while leaving a strong impression, so let’s try this direction…”
Among the four famous students of the academy, Adrian, the second prince of Sylvania, was writing the script for the story.
He was exceptionally knowledgeable and cultured, enough to get into the humanities department, making it a feasible task.
Meanwhile, Lady Amelia Bluewell was using her magical talents to assist with the overall work within the club.
“What can we do, Your Highness?”
“We’re useless; we should go get some snacks.”
Edric and Kyle, regarded as the future top and second of the military department, could only awkwardly stand in a corner without causing any trouble.
‘Is that supposed to be a goblin?’
‘No, I was trying to draw the female protagonist my own way.’
‘Aaaah! Your Highness, that paper was supposed to be used for the work…’
‘S…sorry.’
Their drawing skills were no different from children, and they couldn’t even control their strength well enough to be entrusted with delicate tasks.
Having caused a few accidents already, it was better for them just to stay quiet.
Of course, they occasionally brought snacks because it felt awkward just watching.
“It’s a shame; I wish I could make something with my own hands.”
“Just like how Your Highness is naturally talented at swordsmanship, everyone has different ways to contribute.”
Kyle had joined the manga club mainly to follow Edric, so he didn’t feel particularly regretful about not participating directly in the work.
But seeing Edric disappointed about not being able to join in the work, he tried to comfort him.
However,
“I’ve never thought I have a talent for swordsmanship.”
“Pardon?”
Kyle was dumbfounded by Edric’s answer.
He, recognized as the best talent in their family’s long history, was being mocked by the third prince who had beaten him in swordplay, saying he was no genius.
It sounded almost like a mockery beyond mere humility.
Yet Edric’s statement was genuine.
‘Back then, my sister’s sword didn’t have mana, but that overwhelming aura was something I could only feel when facing my master.’
As a child, Edric had been soundly beaten by his sister Ioleen with a wooden sword, and it was from that moment he lost any arrogance about swords.
He desperately trained to chase after the sword he had seen that day, and he believed he had only achieved this level thanks to his master’s teachings.
“If a genius is someone who can achieve something without effort, then I’m certainly no genius.”
However, Edric had something that Ioleen lacked.
“But if a genius is someone who achieves something through blood, sweat, and tears, then I am a genius.”
The Edric who had been enamored with his talent before being crushed by Ioleen was long gone.
Without a single day off from swords since that day, he endured hardship until his blisters turned to calluses, gnashing his teeth.
No one sought guidance from the sword master; instead, it was Edric who kept charging in, experiencing defeat daily for years.
“It’s not that I can’t do it; it’s that I haven’t done it.”
Finishing his words, Edric settled in a corner of the desk, G-pen in hand, and began to draw on a blank sheet of paper.
His fingers gripping the pen felt strangely unfamiliar, still lacking the calluses of a seasoned artist.
But Edric understood. When those fingers finally formed calluses, he would have become a genius.
*
“The contest period ends tomorrow.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Guild Leader.”
Over the past seven weeks, numerous contest entries had been submitted through each branch of the Yuren Merchant Association.
Some complained that the deadline was too tight, but that was precisely what Rupert intended.
“To serialize a magazine, one needs to produce at least one chapter every two weeks.”
Getting serialized in the magazine Rupert aimed to create meant becoming a professional, and the most decisive factor that distinguishes professional from amateur in comics was time.
There are indeed quite a few amateurs who draw well and craft stories excellently.
However, the main reason why such people never get serialized in major magazines is that they take a few weeks to over a month to complete a single chapter, an atrocious speed.
Rupert deliberately set the period tight to verify this.
For example, splitting the three chapters due for the contest into six weeks meant they had to submit one chapter every two weeks.
One week would be for structuring and preparation of the work while the six weeks would be for working on the comic.
That’s how the contest period was set at seven weeks.
“Of course, 90% of the submitted works were simply aiming for the prize, but they created much buzz.”
Guild Leader Esteban sipped his tea, his smile unwavering.
The contest garnered more attention than he had expected, and just selling the tools needed for creating works had already exceeded the initial investment made for the contest.
Recently, wherever one could gather people across the empire, it wasn’t uncommon to see someone clutching a pen and paper.
As a result, countless works were transmitted through each branch to the headquarters, and the staff judging them were now getting migraines just by looking at the drawings.
“I received only the first-pass selections, but it was enormous.”
After the staff filtered the works according to the standards Rupert provided, it was then Rupert’s duty to evaluate each one personally.
However, surprisingly, it did not take long.
Most of those countless works couldn’t even make it past the first chapter.
Thus, only three works remained in Rupert’s hands.
Considering the number of submissions, that was an incredibly low survival rate.
“Young Master hasn’t revealed the selected pieces yet, so I’m very curious.”
“Well, two of the works were undeniably exceptional, so they could be chosen; the other was selected due to a peculiar intuition I had.”
Esteban was curious about what works had been chosen but didn’t ask further.
For a contest, fairness was paramount, and he wouldn’t let anyone’s opinions or interest interfere with Rupert’s judgment, so he simply waited.
‘Lynn and Ismael.’
Rupert recalled the two extraordinarily outstanding works.
The manuscript sent by an author named Lynn was a comic about mechanical dolls.
‘It was completely different from the Saint’s work.’
While both shared the theme of dreaming of becoming human, the Saint’s work contained philosophical discourse.
Lynn’s piece was nothing less than a quintessential boy’s comic.
The fierce and breathless struggles of the secret organization dealing with mechanical dolls instantly captured Rupert’s attention.
Moreover, to portray such material in a comic demanded remarkable artistic skills to bring the exhilarating scenes to life.
‘There are still some awkward parts, but the skill was surprisingly outstanding.’
The drawing might have had its awkwardness, likely due to this being the artist’s first venture into the comic genre, meaning it was something that could be corrected.
Rupert was tentatively considering this work.
And the other piece that caught Rupert’s eye was a comic about the sea sent by an author named Ismael.
The tale of a boy from the seaside setting out to hunt the whale that swallowed his father carried vivid realism.
In his comic, the whale represented both a wonder of nature and something humanity must overcome.
This comic about a boy struggling to cross the sea left a deep impression on Rupert, leading him to ponder it seriously.
‘Lastly, this one…’
As he recalled the last of the three works he had chosen, Rupert fell into a brief thought.
‘The Avenger.’
With exceptional quality and remarkable artistry, it was an exhilarating comic full of suspense and vivid progression.
However, it was perilously risky.
Because this was a work that was far ahead of its time, Rupert’s anxiety naturally deepened.
Was it truly the right choice to select this piece?
Or should he preemptively avoid unnecessary controversies and problems or risk putting himself in danger?
Finally, Rupert stopped his contemplation and made a decision.
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Thank for the chapter