episode_0064

『“Old man, you are the last one. Do you have anything to say?”

Lloyd Cavallo spoke to the Native American who was leaning against the wall, breathing heavily.

“I hate you.”

It was just a simple word, but there was no sign of defeat on the old man’s face.

“These are the ones who deserve to be outraged!!!”

“How could these soldiers commit such a massacre… .”

“Isn’t this all because of the machinations of General King Brandon and the androids!”

The storm brought about by the news of the simultaneous release of volumes 5 and 6 of .

Even originally, the waiting line to obtain limited editions and first editions was so long that you had to wait at least a week in advance.

This time it was on a different level.

It was so bad that the capital city guards had a hard time trying to resolve the conflict.

Some people did not miss this opportunity and even sold various snacks and food to those waiting in line, so people who came up from the countryside saw this sight and thought there was a festival going on.

‘Honestly, I think that bathrooms should be used with respect for people’s individuality…’

Originally, the moment you left the queue, you gave up your turn.

This time, the waiting line was so long that even the top salesperson, Yuren, temporarily allowed people to leave for 10 minutes three times a day to accommodate menstrual periods.

Of course, the stores around the top of Yuren benefited from this.

The surrounding merchants were originally angry that it was interfering with their business, but when people in line came into the store to use the bathroom and bought anything they wanted, sales increased and they smiled broadly.

“I believed in you!!! Author!!!”

“Author? Is the author your friend?!”

“I’m not gay, but I’d like to live in a log cabin in the woods with a writer. Although… .”

People who were worried that they would have to wait a long time because the release was delayed could not hide their joy when the new book came out sooner than expected.

Moreover, since not only the 5th volume but also the 6th volume were published, I no longer had the regret of having to wait another month to read all the comic books like before.

This time I was able to read the next volume right away.

“If I could really see the next volume in advance, I would pay double the money to see it in advance.”

“What? That’s fun, but isn’t it too expensive?”

“What would you like to see next?”

A conversation between people holding first edition comic books that were prepared in greater quantity than usual for the sake of the readers who had been waiting.

‘Oh, now that I think about it, that’s a good idea. Next time, instead of releasing them simultaneously, how about selling them with a price tag as a preview?’

Esteban, the top lord of Yuren, who was listening to the conversation, was having some very terrible thoughts.

If people had heard, they would have immediately gathered and beaten him up, but fortunately or unfortunately, they only thought about it to themselves, so no such unfortunate incident occurred.

“But is it really true that the father of the main character’s brother is the mastermind?”

“Huh, I knew that. Would a guy who leaves his house and runs away be considered a decent guy?”

“My brother is so pitiful.”

Even after the release of a comic book, it was common for discussions to take place about its contents.

This time, since the content was two volumes long, people who needed a place to talk for a long time knocked on the door of a tavern that wasn’t even open despite it being daytime and threw a tantrum.

“Hey, owner, open the door!!!”

The owner, who worked late and fell asleep at dawn, woke up rubbing his sleepy eyes and although it was hard to deal with the excited crowd, he couldn’t give up on making money so he hurriedly brought food and drinks.

“Kimbali, this guy is really evil.”

“What are you talking about, anyway, all soldiers are sinners.”

“What? Hey, there are a lot of good people among the military! Look at Lance Armstrong, the alchemist of Pawan.”

In particular, when the truth about the Western Native American War was revealed in Volume 6, the opinions of those involved in the war were mixed.

“See! I told you that Scar wasn’t just a villain!”

“But being a victim doesn’t mean you can be forgiven for being a perpetrator!”

“People like Windy Rocks’ parents are the real heroes.”

In the process, even though Rupert had not intended it, the people of the Empire gradually developed a progressive outlook.

A culture was born in which people who were only interested in making a living read comic books and talked about them, naturally sharing new insights without even realizing it.

It was still a very basic discussion, and only about the topic of comics, but it was definitely an important start.

If the history of mankind were compressed into 24 hours a day, the Industrial Revolution would have occurred at 11:58 p.m.

And in two minutes, mankind has reached the point where it can reach the moon and go to Mars.

Of course, this still took a long time, but the seed has clearly sprouted.

***

“Windy Rocks is a strong woman. Look at her parents, her childhood friend’s brother, and she still smiles even after losing him! That’s what makes her great.”

“She’s also bold, Eagle Eye. Did you see her? A line from Volume 6.”

“That’s a famous line, ‘Please burn my back and erase it.’ I admit it, so I’ll select Eagle Eye as the woman of the month.”

The social gatherings of the aristocracy were extremely diverse.

There were social groups formed among nobles who lived in the same region, and there were also social groups formed among academy graduates or students from the same department.

There was also a social club formed by people with similar hobbies.

And in the imperial capital of Chaldea, there was a recently emerging cult.

This social group, with the simple name of ‘Dong-in-hoe’, was on the surface hard to tell what kind of gathering they were having.

“This is a duel, how dare you disrespect my collection.”

“Okay, I accept it. How can you be a Windy fan when you can’t even collect all the limited editions?”

A mysterious social gathering club.

But in reality, it was just a gathering of wealthy comic book lovers.

Commoners could chat about comic books in taverns or on the streets, but nobles who valued their appearance could not do so even if they wanted to.

So, even though I wanted to chat about comic books together, I held back.

Two noble men happened to be talking at a social gathering.

‘You too? Hey me too!’

The beginning of the fan club was when two young noblemen who realized that they were both part of the Iron-Blooded Guild, an extreme fandom for the , joined forces to form a social club.

The membership condition was to test the love for the work by only accepting those who owned at least one limited edition volume of .

There was also an entrance test to reject those who entered with impure intentions.

‘What is the name of the alchemist of Taker?’

‘Isn’t that the Chimera Alchemist?’

‘Wrong. That’s what people call him, but in the official setting, he’s the Alchemist of Creation.’

‘How do you know that!’

‘If you don’t know, get out!’

Because of the strict admission process, there were only a small number of members, but it was a place where nobles who liked were anxious because they could not join.

This was because there were rumors going around that wealthy nobles with an abundance of money would use their wealth to have famous craftsmen in the empire create paintings and goods of various characters and then pass them around to the members.

And then there was a new recruit who stepped forward to join the club.

“Wow, that mask looks cool.”

“I know you know this, the fan club has different perspectives.”

“If you can’t even recognize the masks worn by the guards of the Eastern royal family ‘Shin’, then you can’t call it a fan club.”

“Your mask is also good. The helmet part of Alex Eldrick’s armor is made this elaborately.”

In order to participate in the club comfortably, members had to wear masks to hide their identities from each other.

Although they do not know each other’s identities, Shroud, the president of the fan club, is certain that this new recruit is no pushover.

‘I own not just one volume of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist, but all of the limited edition volumes.’

Because of my reputation as the chairman, I couldn’t ask if he had the legendary pocket watch.

As expected, I was convinced when I saw the pocket watch that the new recruit had taken out as if to check the time.

‘This guy is real!’

I couldn’t see his expression because it was covered by the mask, but he acted as if he wasn’t trying to brag, but the aura of dark boasting couldn’t be hidden.

Seeing that, Shroud was certain. This guy was definitely one of their own kind. Ordinary people would be too ashamed to brag about it so shamelessly.

“I don’t think you need to take the entrance exam, but I’ll check the procedure anyway.”

“As much as you want.”

“Windy Rocks’ parents’ names are… .”

“Allen Rocks, Sarah Rocks. They were a married couple, both doctors, who were killed by Skaal in the Western Native Civil War. In fact, even if it wasn’t Skaal, Kimbali… .”

“Enough! Okay, I understand, I will not allow you to join.”

“That’s too bad. If you knew her family history and her tragic background, you would have a deeper understanding of Windy Rocks as a character… .”

“That’s enough.”

A power so great that even the chairman himself was momentarily overwhelmed.

Members of the fan club often referred to their knowledge and understanding of comic books as “manryuk.”

Chairman Shroud was not the type of person who would be pushed around by force, but the new recruit’s force was at a level that even he had difficulty handling.

“Okay, so now I can see the secret collection of the fan club too?”

“Okay. But what would you call your nickname?”

“I see. We can’t call each other by our real names.”

The newbie seemed to hesitate for a moment, then spoke.

“Please call me Elzawin.”

“Elzawin? What a unique nickname.”

“… Should I just say that it’s an expression of greed that neither of them can give up?”

A voice that sounds somewhat lonely, even though it is hidden by a mask.

The chairman was a bit nervous, but he pretended not to notice. This was because the club was originally created for people like this to gather comfortably.

***

“Justav, what brings you here this evening? We have to meet up tomorrow anyway.”

The crown prince visited the annex where the guests of the palace were staying late in person.

There was a hint of complaint in his words, as he had taken the trouble to come secretly, without an escort or servant, under the pretense of going for a walk, as Eustace had asked him to do so.

“Your Majesty, I apologize for making you walk so late at night. However, I have something to show you.”

“What on earth is this… .”

In response to the Crown Prince’s question, Eustace turned to the door and told them to come in.

Soon the door opened and someone small came in carefully carrying a box.