episode_0063

“What the hell is going on!!! How did the prince come back when you’re here, Cross?!”

The Crown Prince, Yustav, and the investigation team including Harun entered the palace.

The results they achieved were clearly astonishing.

The achievement of preventing a catastrophe that could have occurred in the capital of the empire was worthy of being called a heroic feat.

But the Emperor could only see the missing right arm of the crown prince, rather than his great achievements.

Although he wasn’t always warm to me, if there was one child with the most sore thumb, it would be my eldest son, Alex.

Alex, the first child born from his relationship with the first empress whom he loved, and the heir to the empire, is a son who means a lot to the emperor.

The emperor was unable to control his emotions when faced with the reality that his son had returned as a one-armed man.

“Please kill me!!! Even death cannot repay my sin of not being able to protect His Highness the Crown Prince!”

The Crown Prince’s knights’ escort had already buried their heads in the floor of the royal palace, unable to even raise them.

The very reason for the existence of the Knights Templar was to protect the royal family, but they could not make excuses for failing to do so even if they had ten mouths.

“Your Majesty, no, Father, please do not blame them.”

“What? Are you saying that after seeing your current appearance?!”

“I put myself in danger by myself, and these people did their best to protect me from such recklessness.”

When no one could stand before the angry emperor, the one-armed crown prince stood up and spoke.

“It’s not about being the best! It’s about the results. These are the ones who ultimately failed their mission!!!”

“Of course, the results are important. The safety of the empire is more valuable than my arm, so this is a good deal.”

The emperor looked at the crown prince with a dumbfounded expression.

Could it be because of the excessive pressure I felt since I was young?

When did the child who had difficulty even making eye contact grow up like this? Now, not only do we have to make eye contact, but we also have to contradict what he says.

The emperor felt proud, apart from his anger.

In fact, if this investigation ends in failure, I was planning to instill a sense of alarm in Alex and make him step down from his position as crown prince.

I thought that I had to give that level of shock to see if my eldest son would change in some way.

Alex had already changed. He had grown beyond recognition in an instant, like a bug shedding its old skin and transforming into a butterfly.

As a father, I was proud, but I couldn’t show it.

‘Why on earth did I have to lose my arm…?’

What the investigation team accomplished this time was certainly a tremendous feat. Not only did they root out the remaining black magic organizations on the continent, but they also prevented the uprising they were planning.

If there had been many sacrifices in the process, it would not have been so great. It was a perfect result, with only a few casualties and no deaths.

Since the crown prince was a major contributor in resolving this incident, his position would be solidified in the future, and it was a good opportunity to quickly restore his bad reputation.

But the emperor was furious at the thought that all that would now go down the drain.

‘The Emperor must be a divine being. A being whom all the people of the empire can look up to and revere.’

Therefore, a flaw in the Emperor’s body could be a fatal flaw.

For example, if there was a large scar on the face or a defect on the body, that alone would be fatal to the royal family as it would greatly damage their integrity.

It was expected that the nobles would continue to oppose him, using the fact that the crown prince had returned with his arm missing as an excuse.

The current empress’s relatives, the Marquis Terion family, were already eyeing the crown prince’s position, so the news of the crown prince’s injury was like prey to them.

“… I’m going to back off now.”

“Your Majesty, please say a word to the investigation team that took the risk.”

The Emperor, feeling a headache due to his complicated mind, tried to dismiss those who had come before him as usual, but realized that he had become a little emotional at the Crown Prince’s remarks.

Even if the crown prince was injured, those who accomplished this task deserved to be praised and recognized for their efforts.

“I was so excited that I forgot to congratulate the heroes. Well, this time, the congratulations should be held on a grander scale.”

“No, Your Majesty. We were just doing what we had to do.”

Eustace, who could be considered the representative of the investigation team, answered the Emperor politely, and the Emperor responded.

“If humility is too much, Sir Yustav of Germany. You, Sir Harun, and even the crown prince will be awarded first-class meritorious subjects, and those who participated in the investigation will be awarded second- and third-class meritorious subjects according to their weight. Before I leave the palace, I hope you will discuss it with my chief chamberlain, Count Julius, and decide.”

-Your kindness is truly infinite!

After finishing speaking, the emperor still had a headache and pressed his temples with his fingers, thinking about how he could protect the crown prince’s position without any trouble.

The Crown Prince and the rest of the investigation team left the royal palace.

“Sir Eustace, I couldn’t speak to you earlier because Your Majesty was too tired, but I think he should be included in this list of merits.”

Before Eustace went to discuss with Count Julius, the Emperor’s chief chamberlain, the selection of a meritorious subject for this mission, the Crown Prince spoke urgently.

“If that’s him, maybe…?”

“The thinker is right. I think Rupert Somerset deserves to be included in the list.”

“Of course. If it weren’t for Sir Rupert, we wouldn’t have discovered the dark wizards’ plot, so it’s definitely a big credit to him.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

The Crown Prince finally smiled in satisfaction when he heard that Rupert would be included in the selection of public officials.

These were the thoughts of Yustav as he looked at the Crown Prince.

‘Your Majesty, I don’t know how much I, an old man, can do, but I think you should be the emperor.’

Because Yustav had no interest in power or politics, he gave up his position as the tower keeper and lived in semi-seclusion.

While conducting this investigation with the Crown Prince, I found myself thinking that if this kind of person were to become the Emperor, wouldn’t the Empire change for the better?

The crown prince was not someone who could be said to be above everyone, but he seemed like someone who would be by everyone’s side.

Yustav was thinking that he wanted to see the crown prince become the emperor.

***

“Is the storyboard for Volume 6 far away?”

A middle-aged man asks Rupert, who is busy with his work.

“You’ve already finished working on volume 5?”

“Yes, I’m just transferring the sketches that Rupert drew. I can do this much.”

Rupert was dumbfounded as he watched the middle-aged man speak as if it were no big deal.

I know that it is definitely not an easy task, as I have worked as an assistant to other webtoon artists several times.

I couldn’t help but admire Saint’s skills, which made it so easy.

“But is it really okay for you to work in our workshop?”

“As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned that there’s nothing more foolish than giving up the opportunity to learn and experience something for the sake of fame or status.”

Saint answered Rupert’s question calmly.

A month ago, a dazzling array of guests visited Somerset Manor, and an unexpected visitor arrived just as Rupert was about to get back to work on his comic book.

The protagonist was ‘Saint Salieri’, who was the imperial family’s personal painter and even a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts.

‘Sir Rupert, please tell me about comic books.’

Even when compared in terms of status or social prestige, the two are people with a difference in that Rupert is a rising star while Saint is already a solid master.

Rupert tried to refuse, saying it was nonsense.

Saint, despite Rupert’s bewildered reaction, persistently asked him to learn.

Eventually I ended up working in Rupert’s workshop.

“After seeing Sir Rupert’s comic book, I regretted why I never thought of making stories with pictures.”

“That’s it… .”

Rupert thought it was natural. There may be books with illustrations, but books with illustrations as the main subject are unlikely to have a very long history on Earth.

“So I watched and learned from you and I wanted to try making a comic book too. Don’t be difficult and just give me as much work as you want.”

As if to prove that those words were not false, Saint was happily putting the finishing touches on the storyboard that Rupert had drawn.

Moreover, with Sena’s help, the work speed was incomparably faster than before.

In particular, Senna grew by leaps and bounds, surprising both Rupert and Saint.

‘I can do it too, Master Rupert! So please don’t stop me… .’

Was it because he was anxious that a strong competitor called Saint had appeared?

Rupert tried not to make him work too long, telling him not to overdo it, but he insisted on continuing, and it was difficult to talk him out of it.

But thanks to that, his drawing skills have improved beyond recognition and he is now serving as a reliable assistant.

That was also the reason why Rupert, who had originally planned to publish only five volumes, was able to release up to six volumes without much difficulty.

In fact, I had the development roughly drawn out in my head, so I was able to quickly draw up the storyboard.

Because the additional work took too much time, we could only release one volume per month, but once that was resolved, the release speed was bound to accelerate.

and

“At this level, there should be no problem even if you move around violently.”

Rupert’s heart was at ease when he saw the finished version of the new golem statue that Krun had confidently brought.

“I’m really glad. I was worried because the deadline was tight, but as expected, Mr. Krun’s skills are amazing.”

“Huh, I told you this much, it’s obvious.”

Although he grumbled with his mouth, Krun couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his lips, as if he was glad to finally have created the finished product.

Indeed, the new golem’s hand was so amazingly well-made that he showed it off so confidently.

First of all, compared to the existing golem arms, their size was noticeably reduced, to the point where they looked like normal arms when wearing outerwear.

The joint movements, especially the finger joints, showed flexible movements as if all kinds of materials were used to make them soft.

In addition, while the previous prototype had too many parts and was at a high risk of failure, the current prototype has minimized the number of parts to a level where users can maintain it themselves.

“The most important nerve part was resolved.”

Krun said in a slightly wet voice, as if he was recalling the hardships of the past.

The nerve part was a headache because it was an area that could not be solved with technology, but when the empire’s greatest magician, Yustav, visited to bring good news, he helped solve it for me, which was a great help.

Of course, because of that good news, I had a hard time completing this new Golem statue on time.

‘I have to re-enter the palace as soon as volumes 5 and 6 are released.’

The sudden decision to enter the imperial palace.

For some, it was the honor of a lifetime, but for Rupert, it was a burden.

And this time, I get to see the emperor in person.

Rupert would have originally prayed that nothing bad would happen, but now he had given up.

No matter how much I begged, I already had a strong feeling that something was going to happen.