“Tsk-”
In a dark space where not a single ray of sunlight penetrated, there was a massive stone chair, and a man was sitting in it. The man had sharp ears and a stunningly beautiful face, resembling that of the forest tribe elves, but his dark skin, almost close to deep brown, indicated he was far from an ordinary elf.
Dark Elf.
Elves who embraced the forbidden power of the Night’s Kin. The leader, Sataniel, was gently caressing the deep scar on his face.
Even though it had been a long-standing wound, it felt as vivid as if it had been freshly cut, inflicting him with dull pain every time he thought about it.
“They really are stubborn, my brothers.”
Such a wound should have healed in the blink of an eye for Sataniel, who had absorbed all the power of True Blood. However, the wound wouldn’t disappear, and each throbbing flashback of his kin — no, no longer kin — flooded his mind.
Crimson Warden.
A secret organization of elves that existed solely to hunt him down. Hundreds of years had passed since he first fought against them.
Throughout that time, countless elven blood had stained Sataniel’s hands, and while they grew weaker over time, he became stronger and had no fears.
Until he met a certain human two years ago.
“Don’t think it ends with my death; luckily, I was able to take my last disciple before my life ended.”
“This guy will present you with your ending in my stead. “
A human who was both terrifyingly strong and terrifyingly persistent. After killing him, the first to ever instill the fear of death in the near-immortal Sataniel, he only became more anxious.
He disliked the way that dying human smiled as if he had won while looking at him.
And that young human who glared at him as if ready to kill was incredibly bothersome.
“I should have finished it back then, no matter the danger.”
It was a big mistake for Sataniel to flee in panic during his first encounter with a crisis. The old human was dead; after all, there was nothing left to threaten him.
Thoughts kept circling in his mind that he should have gone all out, even if it was a gamble.
“I just need to get my hands on the Blue Flower…”
Since that day, he obsessively collected and hoarded information about the Night’s Kin. Among it, the story about the legendary plant that could free the Night’s Kin from their imperfections caught his attention.
For even the Night’s Kin, with their near-immortal bodies and monstrous strength that could tear apart ordinary beasts with their bare hands, had their weakness.
When exposed to sunlight, lower kin would turn to ash, and even the higher ones could barely endure it — the outcome would be the same.
Yet, the legend he discovered claimed that if the Night’s Kin consumed the Blue Flower, not only would they break away from that limitation, but they could also become even more powerful. This excitement thrilled Sataniel’s body.
Unfortunately, the downside was that the Crimson Warden had caught wind of his search for the Blue Flower based on that information.
They probably acquired that information too, so they would try their utmost to hinder him moving forward.
“I will become the true master of this world!!!”
Until now, he had acted cautiously and secretly to not draw unwanted attention from other races on the continent. But now, it was a race against time.
The Blue Flower.
If the Crimson Warden finds it first, Sataniel will head toward destruction; conversely, if he finds it first, the continent will be the one to meet its doom.
*
“Look at this!!! The contest results are already out.”
The cosmic strongest comic contest that had heated the Empire for a time. Finally, as the results were posted through the Yuren Merchant Association, people flocked in droves to check it out.
『Grand Prize: Puppet Show Troupe, Best Award: White Whale, Excellence Award: Avenger.
The winners are kindly requested to visit the Yuren Merchant Association branch in your residing region for details on the award ceremony and prize distribution.』
From those reading the announcement, sighs filled with lamentation echoed here and there.
Many had been tempted by the prize money to submit. Of course, they didn’t think they would be selected; it was more akin to the hope of buying a lottery ticket, but it was surely disappointing to have lost.
“I can’t even get a grip on what the content is just by the title?”
“Seriously, Puppet Show Troupe seems like it must be about puppetry, and the White Whale is probably about a white whale?”
“At least that makes some sense, but what the heck is Avenger supposed to be?”
Due to the high interest surrounding the contest, people’s curiosity about the selected works grew stronger.
There was a sense that surely those works picked from the multitude had to be exciting.
Surely,
“Hmph, my work didn’t make the cut? I’ll see just how grand those works are with my own two eyes.”
“I heard the judge was Rupert Somerset, that author can draw, but has no eye for judging works.”
“Let them come out. I’ll spread the rumor that it’s boring all over town.”
There were those who held dark hearts and couldn’t accept the results after their submissions were rejected.
“By the way, the expectation for July 30 must surely be about the new work by author Rupert, right?”
“What else could it be? It’s definitely the release date of the new work.”
“I can’t even count how many times I’ve read Iron-Blooded Alchemist already.”
Even after checking the results, people didn’t disperse, engaging in conversation.
Their topic of discussion was nothing but the mysterious date mentioned at the bottom of the announcement.
As they saw the post that read, “Please look forward to July 30,” they each speculated, and the most plausible conclusion was indeed the release date of Rupert’s new work.
Since Iron-Blooded Alchemist was completed, people were suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Except for a few occasions where health issues with the author sidelined, the comic book had consistently been released on set dates. The abrupt halt left them feeling bored.
The emptiness that came upon them was something they hadn’t experienced before and gradually led to an obsession with reading material.
As a result, the sales of Rupert’s other works soared, and the demand for original literature from Another World increased.
Rupert’s Fairy Tale Book or various novels (most resembling knight literature) provided some degree of enjoyment, but people’s main longing remained for comic books.
They yearned to read comics such as Iron-Blooded Alchemist or Kingdom of Ice, filled with vivid and intriguing stories that could be consumed in the blink of an eye.
“Ah… I wish the author would use a shadow clone technique or something to write several pieces at the same time.”
“Exactly, how great would it be if about five pieces were released simultaneously?”
“If that happened, I would have no wishes left.”
While discussing such fantastical wishes every comic book lover might hold, they all burst into wry laughter, knowing how ludicrous their ideas were.
Due to this contest, quite a few people had tried their hands at drawing comics. As a result, they naturally understood how ridiculously fast Rupert was churning out comic books.
Yet, to think he’d create five works at the same time, that’s beyond wishful thinking!
As they continued to wonder what the new work might be, the gathering of people gradually dispersed, leaving the Yuren Merchant Association’s bulletin board quiet once more.
*
“Aida is running so fast~! Aida is running anywhere and everywhere~!”
“The blue Elza dress is my favorite!”
Rupert was delightfully lost in the fun of watching Aida, bouncing around as she sang.
Finally, able to wear the special Elza dress he had ordered for Aida, the little princess seemed so happy that she was bouncing around the mansion, hopping and spinning with Rach.
‘But how did she lose weight so quickly?’
One day, Aida’s chubby belly had vanished without a trace.
Though her cheeks were still round, Rupert, who was used to seeing his younger sister every day, was startled enough to call the doctor and a priest.
-There’s no problem. I’ve never seen such a healthy body before.
Even Mihaer, the monk from the territory, who was sent to check on Aida’s condition, couldn’t find anything wrong; a renowned doctor similarly left in awe after examining Aida, questioning what kind of exercise she had been doing.
‘Thank goodness there’s nothing wrong, but is she just a little girl who can move like that?’
Now, Aida could keep pace with their speed without riding on Rach’s back, which was not just extraordinary but borderline terrifying.
Aida had always been the sort of child you wouldn’t associate with agility or swiftness, but now even the knight Oun, assigned to protect her, found himself hopeful of catching her.
“I’m neither a genius nor a knight… I was merely an ordinary person born in an age devoid of the young lady.”
Rupert had the hardest time trying to comfort Oun, who despaired at falling behind Aida and Rach.
“Avenger might be a little dangerous, but including him was a good decision.”
Watching the ridiculous game of tag between Aida and Rach, Rupert found himself pondering the results of the contest announced today.
Unquestionably, the Grand Prize belonged to Puppet Show Troupe.
Among the selected works, it felt the most comic-like, and the illustrations surpassed those of the other two pieces by a large margin.
The White Whale was also magnificent. In terms of thematic depth, it carried a philosophical weight and astonishingly captured the vibrant perspective of a young boy.
“I suppose the Puppet Show must have been drawn by a young man? White Whale seems to have a more mature vibe. Perhaps a middle-aged author?”
Rupert thought it would be interesting to see the authors at the upcoming award ceremony and compare them to the impressions he had formed.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
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Thanks for the chapter
So it’s probably a combination of demon slayer and hellsing