Is there any man who hasn’t swung a stick around as a child?
Every man, at some point, has probably daydreamed about being a hero from legends who defeated a dragon.
That’s why swords are such an irresistible item for men.
“Grrr… It’s so cool, a sword that erupts in flames.”
“After slaying the vampires, that line is something I want to use myself!”
“Is that the one?”
“Shut up, you are nothing but dog food.”
Three vampires that were threatening the boy charged at the man with monstrous roars, but it was just a single breath.
With one swift swing, the flaming sword chopped the vampires into pieces, and the fallen pieces ignited on the ground.
To the people of the Empire, the vampires from Van Helsing were monsters close to legendary beings.
Creatures that had long disappeared into tales and could no longer be seen.
Now, seeing those beings that parents brought up to scare children in comics was utterly fascinating.
The pale-skinned, fanged corrupted elves looked monstrous yet captivating.
Moreover, the sight of them approaching the protagonist despite being impaled was pure terror.
The mysterious man who handles such vampires in an instant could only be described as cool.
“Now that the protagonist has followed that man, he’s bound to become stronger, right?”
“What’s there to say? He joined the organization called Van Helsing!”
“Ah! It’s so short; I can’t wait to see the next episode!!!”
While having multiple works is great, compared to when it’s published as a book, people were incredibly disappointed by the much smaller amount of content.
“But that ‘work’ was truly brutal.”
“Are you talking about The Count of Monte Cristo?”
“I don’t know who the author is, but that noble jerk in the comic was incredibly ruthless.”
It was no surprise that Rupert’s work, Van Helsing, was gaining attention.
However, it was quite unexpected that the next talked-about work was Duma’s [The Count of Monte Cristo].
People could easily empathize with the protagonist’s unfortunate circumstances in [The Count of Monte Cristo] dealing with the very end of misfortune.
The vast majority of readers who read comic books were commoners, unable to suppress their anger toward the noble character ‘Fernand’ and his gang who appeared as villains.
“What good is a trial? The lord is the judge.”
“If nobles kill us, they pay fines, but if we touch a single finger of a noble, we’ll get dragged to prison at the very least.”
“Last time, a woman in our village couldn’t stand the harassment from a noble and ran away in the dead of night!”
With a clear distinction between statuses, it was hardly surprising that there weren’t any among the nobility who hadn’t suffered despite not reaching the point of destruction like the protagonist in The Count of Monte Cristo.
Interestingly, it was natural to see supportive reactions among commoners, but nobles were also divided in their opinions, with some expressing positive reactions.
“Nobles must feel as noble as the responsibilities they hold!”
They were mostly new nobles who had risen from the last war or those who had earned their nobility through merit.
Though they were indeed nobles, they were being ostracized by the established nobles and harbored resentment toward them.
“Hmph, what difference do those without history have compared to commoners?”
“Exactly, right? They’re pitiful, uncultured, and lack manners.”
“To think a noble is working in commerce, they don’t even know how to be ashamed and mingle with commoners.”
Most of the new nobles had become nobility in their own generation or the previous one, so they had outstanding abilities.
However, often regardless of ability, it wasn’t rare for established nobles to hinder or dismiss them using their networks and accumulated family wealth, thus leaving them with grudges.
To those nobles, the villainous characters in The Count of Monte Cristo were like mirrors of the established nobles, and they took the lead in condemnation.
“Damn! Is it really right to publish such works?”
“I guess the Somerset family, favored by the imperial family, sees no limits!”
“It’s only natural that our blood, a single drop, is worth more than the lives of dozens of those insolent creatures!”
Among the readers of [Manhwapia], there were quite a few nobles, many of whom were furious at Duma’s depiction of a noble as a shameless villain.
Both commoners and even newly risen nobles rushed in like vultures smelling blood, seeing an opportunity, which was downright annoying.
Had Rupert been a commoner, or even an ordinary noble, he might have already faced dire consequences due to the wrath of those nobles.
However, few dared to take actions against Rupert, already known to be favored by the imperial family.
There were rumors that he was close to Duke Bluewell, the highest noble of the empire, and that Somerset had connections to Yuren.
In power and wealth, ordinary nobles couldn’t possibly oppose Somerset.
“Then we have no choice but to proceed in a straight path.”
“A straight path?”
“We’ll gradually manipulate the nobles’ opinions to gather support and bring it up during the court council.”
Thus, the enraged nobles chose a more indirect approach rather than openly attacking Somerset.
“Comic books! Let’s form a group to ban this wicked item!”
“Good idea! If we build an organization and gain power, even the imperial family can’t ignore us.”
“How about we call ourselves the ‘Imperial Parents’ Association’ in the name of protecting the Empire’s boys and girls from comic books?”
Under the leadership of some nobles, a long-named organization called the Imperial Parents’ Association was born.
*
“Is this a new screenplay?”
“Yes, I know it’s sudden, but I thought this story is better.”
While all the chaos was happening outside, Rupert was busy heading to the academy for lectures and checking club activities.
Returning from the weekend, he immediately began reading the screenplay written by the students who expressed the desire to change the story.
‘This is astonishing.’
In fact, Rupert had never put much importance on the works produced in the comic club.
After all, he was merely showcasing the prototype of the animation projector, so he just checked if the drawings moved well rather than care about the screenplay’s completeness.
However, the new screenplay written by the members of that club came as a shock to Rupert.
‘The Bremen Town Musicians!’
As he read the screenplay, which had a storyline nearly identical to one of the Brothers Grimm’s classic fairy tales about the adventures of animals, he felt ashamed for not having thought of it himself.
‘It’s not a long story, and adding music feels natural.’
Moreover, showcasing the initial stages of animation with moving animals rather than humans was fitting.
“This is truly excellent!”
Rupert’s reaction upon finishing the screenplay made the members’ expressions bright instantly.
Of course, their workload had increased, but they thought that the current screenplay was better and wanted to ensure it was created.
Worry seeped into them as they wondered what might happen if Rupert refused due to timing or the screenplay, but they quickly resumed their chatter and laughter, diving into the work.
“Did this screenplay come from Lord Adrian himself?”
“Yes, indeed.”
Rupert looked again at Adrian, who had taken charge of the screenplay in the club.
What he had previously written hadn’t sparked much interest.
Not that it was bad, but it was just ordinary knightly literature, so he hadn’t paid it much attention.
However, realizing he could write such a screenplay made Rupert suddenly greedy.
‘It would be nice to have someone who can write such screenplays.’
He thought about developing him not as a comic artist, but as an editor.
Given that Rupert was already publishing comic magazines and covering not only his works but also editing other authors’ works, he wanted to cultivate promising talent to assist him.
However,
‘Oh well, cultivating a foreign prince as an editor is out of the question.’
While some ordinary noble families could attempt, training Adrian, the prince of Sylvania, seemed unreasonable to him, so he quickly abandoned the thought.
“Professor.”
Just as Rupert was having a brief discussion about the screenplay with Adrian and offering editing direction, someone called him.
“Uh… Yes, Edric, what’s the matter?”
Rupert still felt awkward using the title for Edric as he answered his question.
Edric’s expression turned slightly sharp as he spoke.
“Do you perhaps have secret guards assigned by your family?”
“No, no guard is assigned.”
At Rupert’s answer, Edric’s eyes narrowed.
*
Hwaap!
With a shout of exertion, Aida displayed incredibly agile movements for someone so small.
“Excellent work, Miss!”
Watching her, Alain was filled with pure joy and exclaimed in admiration.
Aida absorbed the physical techniques Alain had taught her like a sponge soaking up water.
He had only taught her the most basic balance using just the tips of one toe and basic combat techniques, yet Aida’s gestures were filled with earnest prayer.
‘Could it be that the blood of Somerset has flowed into her?’
Alain felt like he would burst into tears at any moment.
The current family head, Lord Bradley, and successor Rupert were both far removed from martial art skills.
They were nearly clumsy, so Alain never even dreamed of passing down the family’s vision until now.
The eldest son, Richard, who had the most potential, had gone missing, making Alain think that the Somerset family’s vision would be buried in darkness forever.
‘I’ll defeat Oun!’
However, suddenly receiving Aida’s request to make her strong stirred a spark of hope in Alain.
Partly out of jest and partly recalling the threats from the last attack, he had intended to just teach her simple self-defense.
Yet seeing Aida match his teachings in astonishing ways made him rekindle his hopes.
He felt he had found the successor to continue the vision passed down from the ancestors of Somerset.
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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RIP Oun
They just straight up called it “The Count of Monte Cristo”.
The chapter is little part missing, where edric is asking Rupert did he have a escort, which he replies with a no.
Such a nice action of those nobles, gathering together in one group. Making them much easier target to check their dark history and shady behaviors.
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for chapter