episode_0076

『Application for admission to the Cartoon Club Name: Department: Reason for application: .』

Adrian Belmont, the second prince of the Kingdom of Sylvania.

He sat at the desk in the private quarters the Academy had prepared especially for him, looking at a piece of paper.

Imperial Academy basically has a two-person per room policy, but two of the new students were granted an exception.

One was the Empire’s Third Prince, Edric Bell, and the other was Adrian.

Although nobles from other countries often came to study at the academy, this was the first time that a member of the royal family had enrolled.

This is a decision that the Academy cannot help but pay attention to.

Thanks to this, Adrian was able to use the dorm alone without being disturbed by others, and was lost in thought as he filled in the blank spaces on the application form for the manga club.

‘Why are the key figures that need to be confirmed, including the Third Prince, trying to not only attend Lee Ja’s lectures but also join the club?’

Adrian had only one goal when he decided to come to the Empire to study.

The only goal is to destroy the hateful empire that arbitrarily invaded his kingdom of Sylvania and caused it to be engulfed in war.

Adrian came to the Imperial Academy with the idea that in order to defeat the enemy, you must know the enemy.

Of course, many false rumors circulated among the public about this groundbreaking move.

When I heard the story that he had fled after being pushed out in the fight for the throne, I could only laugh.

‘Still, it’s not without merit since I get to observe the famous Imperial Academy in person.’

Adrian tries to learn as much as possible about the Empire’s truth and lies while studying abroad at the academy.

He tried hard to adapt to the academy, hiding his inner anger and appearing gentle and humble on the outside.

Adrian was the one who did not hesitate to approach the nobles of the empire socially and even use flattery to win their favor.

The person he tried to become most intimate with was none other than the Third Prince, Edric Bell.

‘It was different from what I expected, but I guess we don’t know yet.’

Adrian’s attempt to become intimate with the Third Prince was to plant a bomb within the Empire.

Until recently, rumors that the crown prince’s position was in danger were known not only in the empire but also in the neighboring country of Sylvania.

People were openly discussing the next crown prince, and Adrian wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.

Just by approaching and becoming intimate with a member of the royal family who has the potential to become the next crown prince, the seed of suspicion will be planted.

If things went well and the Empire was thrown into great turmoil by the fight for succession, then the rise of Sylvania could begin.

But the plan was on the verge of falling through.

The crown prince, who was once called a bastard, has now established an even more solid position than ever before.

The story of how he not only destroyed the black magic organization that was putting the empire in danger, but also sacrificed his right arm to protect his soldiers is now known even to children in the countryside.

His popularity was truly immense.

In particular, the appearance of the crown prince wearing a new type of golem armour to replace his missing right arm was shown during the parade.

People were busy praising him, calling him the ‘Iron Prince’.

‘No, it’s too early to give up.’

But Adrian had no intention of giving up.

I haven’t been able to get into much detail yet because I haven’t been able to make any contact with Edric Bell.

Adrian was certain that he would definitely covet the position of Crown Prince, or rather, Emperor.

I recalled when I arrived in the empire and attended a banquet to celebrate the meritorious subjects at the Emperor’s invitation.

There, Adrian clearly saw the gaze of the Third Prince staring blankly at the Crown Prince.

It was not a gaze looking at his brother, but rather a gaze full of greed, as if he was extremely greedy for something.

‘There is no doubt that he is a scary person.’

None of the information Adrian had carefully but steadily collected contained any indication that the Third Prince had any desire for the position of Crown Prince.

Hiding one’s true feelings and waiting for the right time, like a wild beast.

‘We must use the Third Prince to throw the empire into chaos by any means necessary.’

Of course, I know that this behavior is extremely dangerous.

But you can never get beyond the walls of the empire without taking risks.

Adrian was prepared to take responsibility for everything and even commit suicide if something happened.

He had already told his older brother, who would succeed him to the kingdom, before leaving.

Be prepared to abandon yourself if anything happens.

‘To do that, you must join this club.’

There were rumors that not only the Third Prince, but also the youngest daughter of the Duke of Bluewell and the successor to the Duke of Marx had applied to this club.

Unfortunately, Adrian had no talent for military affairs, so applying to the military school was out of the question.

He even signed up for an art understanding class, which he had never even thought of, just to take some liberal arts classes.

I don’t know what the wind was blowing, but since the Third Prince had joined the comics club created by the new professor, Rupert, in addition to the liberal arts lecture, Adrian had no choice but to apply as well.

Since Adrian, as well as almost all of the Academy’s freshmen and current students, applied, the competition rate was ridiculously high, but I wasn’t too worried.

If the professor had any common sense, he probably wouldn’t have eliminated him.

‘But, he’s a writer with such a sinister reputation.’

Adrian keeps worrying about Rupert Somerset, who wasn’t even on his radar.

He is the author of popular fairy tales and comic books in the Empire and the de facto head of the Somerset family.

And Rupert Somerset, the most talked-about figure of recent times, who is also rumored to be the Crown Prince’s confidant.

It was a hot topic just to become the youngest professor in the empire, but what on earth did he do during his major lectures?

There was a reputation that he was an extremely cruel and brutal author.

The cartoon club, a new club opened by Rupert, was now the center of attention at the academy.

Since it was posted that only 10 people would be selected, Adrian felt a little uneasy.

The comics club was an opportunity I absolutely could not pass up, as it allowed me to not only come into contact with the Third Prince, but also observe the future power holders of the empire and even the person of interest, Rupert Somerset.

***

Rupert, the main character of the topic, returned to his office after finishing his lecture and was busy organizing documents and working on the follow-up work for the storyboard of .

“This is driving me crazy. Why are there so many applicants?”

In fact, the amount of paperwork that an academy professor does is not that much, but in Rupert’s case, it was work he had brought on himself to create a club, so he couldn’t complain.

The manga club was founded to recruit slaves… no, talents to be used in full-scale animation production work.

I was worried that not all 10 people would be recruited since you can’t attend the same club more than once, but the application rate was so high that it was ridiculous.

Rupert was forced to spend yet another hour sorting things out.

Also, the storyboards for volumes 9 and 10 of had to be finished quickly so that Saint and Sena could start working on them, so that too had to be done quickly.

Gulp-.

Rupert has been trying to limit his intake of vitality potions since he found out they contain narcotic ingredients, but he still carries around a bottle or two.

‘The saint said that one bottle a day was okay.’

Not only the cartoons, but also the contest recruitment guidelines that were being prepared in conjunction with the above had to be drafted by Rupert himself.

Since the contest itself was to select works for publication in a comic magazine, I had to get involved in the contest selection process to find works that caught Rupert’s eye.

The top prize money for the contest is so large that the organizers are already nervous, expecting hundreds if not thousands of entries.

Since Rupert didn’t have time to check all of those works one by one, he had to organize the selection factors well so that the upper management could initially filter out as many as possible.

‘Ada is going to get upset again.’

Rupert was worried that he would be home late today.

***

“Look at this!”

The upper branch of Yuren in a rural area of the Empire.

A crowd of people gathered in front of it.

Crowds gathering in front of the top were rare except on the release date of a comic book or children’s book.

It was certainly unusual for people to be flocking here now, when the release date is still a few days away.

“You too… can be a cartoonist. The next Rupert Somerset… is waiting.”

Since the spread of fairy tales and comic books, the number of people who can read, even if they stutter, has increased significantly, and it has become possible to understand the text in the notice above.

“The universe’s strongest comic contest?”

The announcement included the release schedule for volumes 9 and 10 of along with the contest recruitment guidelines.

“Wait, so we have to draw the comics ourselves and submit them?”

“Looks at the description here! At least 15 pages is the amount for one episode, and if you submit a work that has been completed up to episode 3 to the top of Yuren, they will select it through review.”

People were briefly intrigued by the content of the contest, but soon lost interest.

“I don’t even know how to draw cartoons.”

“Page 45 is 3 episodes long, so it would take at least a month of hard work to make this?”

It’s easy to see, but drawing it is a whole other realm.

The Universe’s Strongest Comic Contest is in danger of being buried as one of those common incidents that are just passed over as if it were nothing.

but

“What? The first prize is 100 gold?!”

“There are prizes for the top 3 works that will be selected.”

“No way! This is an opportunity you can’t miss!”

The first place prize of 100 gold written at the end of the announcement was an amount that would make everyone’s eyes roll.

“Is Hans, who lives at the crosswalk, so good at drawing?”

“I already had a good story in mind, so this is a surefire winner!”

“But don’t you need tools to draw cartoons?”

– From beginner cartoonist sets to advanced tools for seasoned professionals! Find them at the top of Uren.

The staff at the top of Yuren set up a stand with comic-related tools next to the notice as if they had been waiting for it.

“To target a target, you need good tools… .”

“Oh! This is a pen made by a dwarf!”

“Ugh… I have to draw on paper like this to feel like drawing!”

Most of the comic tools sold at the top of Yuren were developed in the Somerset workshop.

On the first day the notice was posted, Rupert recovered the prize money from the proceeds from tool sales alone.