episode_0090

The second prince of the empire, William Bell, was known as a womanizer.

But in fact, he didn’t really like women. He just wore a mask and pretended to be a womanizer to avoid unnecessary attention and controversy.

So now that his older brother, the crown prince, had established his position, instead of meeting a woman he no longer had interest in, he was engaging in activities that suited his interests.

“Interesting.”

William looked amused as he read the material his shadow escort had given him.

Each member of the imperial family was assigned a secret bodyguard, who was directly subordinate to the imperial family member and had different functions.

In William’s case, he had the role of gathering information from his Secret Service, so he had quite a bit of information, although not as much as the Imperial Intelligence Service.

What he was reading now was a survey of the princess and the third prince’s recent activities, including their movements.

If there is something that even the Emperor, his father, does not know, it is that the person who resembles him the most is none other than William.

-Our youngest, even though you no longer have a mother, please always follow Your Majesty and the Crown Prince well.

The only reason he has remained quiet until now is because of his mother’s will.

But his nature was close to cold-blooded, and in some ways his hands were sharp to the point of cruelty.

He had no qualms about eliminating any elements that could pose a threat to himself and the royal family, and he often used information to deal with those who had dark intentions, knowingly or unknowingly.

The process was so natural and flowing that even the intelligence agency dismissed it as a simple coincidence, and the only ones who knew the truth were William and his secret guards.

“Since it’s a cartoon contest, this guy Iolin is always acting like he’s crazy.”

William, the younger brother of Iolin, who was called the flower of the empire, but thought that there was something dangerous about him, contrary to what the world thought.

Of course, it wasn’t that he was evil by nature or anything like that.

It was just too pure.

He was like a child, always trying to get his hands on something that interested him, but then soon losing interest and forgetting about it.

But I was worried that his talent was too outstanding for a child.

Up until now, she seemed to have no desire for the throne, but if she were to aim for it, would she be able to stop it?

It was William who secretly investigated what she had been up to recently, even mobilizing her secret guards, and received a completely unexpected report.

“Come to think of it, the first comic book, Ice Kingdom, was also made under his direction.”

Was it no longer satisfying to just look and read?

It was certainly surprising that Iolin had won the grand prize in a contest hosted by Rupert and Uren, but it was a positive that her interest had turned to comics.

Rather, it was the Third Prince who should be paid attention.

“Not only do I have liberal arts classes with the Prince of Sylvania, I even have a club with him… .”

William thought about his youngest brother.

He was the youngest, similar to Iolin, but also different in some ways.

If Iolin was a natural genius, Edric was clearly a talented but hard-working prodigy.

Even Edric’s pride, swordsmanship, wasn’t that great when he first started.

However, William knew very well that he had reached his current level because he had trained in swordsmanship every day for ten years.

William thought that if there was a genius in hard work, it would definitely be Edric, who had the passion to delve so deeply into something.

“Is this really a coincidence?”

Should we just consider it a coincidence that the prince of a foreign country, the northern power broker, and Bluewell, the so-called highest noble of the empire, are all entangled with such a younger brother?

Since doubts never end once they begin, it was just too coincidental to just let it go.

William thought that by this point, the Imperial Intelligence Service would have already begun investigating.

“What bothers me the most is that the interest keeps showing up.”

-Rupert Somerset Report.

The material on Rupert Somerset was dizzying from the very first page.

“He has a very close relationship with the crown prince, and seems to have a connection with the princess as well.”

Moreover, it was surprising that his father, the emperor, offered him the position of chief chamberlain.

His father was a man who distrusted others even more than he did, so he couldn’t have made such a suggestion simply out of gratitude.

“He also met with the Third Prince as a professor and student at the academy, and it is understood that he and Duke Bluewell have been in close contact since before.”

William was surprised by the report that not only was he connected to all the royal family except for himself, including his older brother, the Crown Prince, but he was also closely connected to the powerful figures of the empire.

If they had planned this from the beginning and approached them, William thought they were truly scary.

“I need to meet him in person, I’ll reserve judgment until then.”

No matter how suspicious or half-confirmed the circumstances, a verification process was necessary.

William thought that just in case, an investigation was needed.

***

“The subject matter of revenge dramas is really good. However, right now, the focus is too much on revenge, to the point where it’s burdensome for viewers.”

Dumas nodded and took notes at Rupert’s words.

Certainly, the current work is not much different from Dumas’ autobiography, so it feels a bit awkward to call it a cartoon.

“Of course, the realistic and emotional parts are a big advantage. So, we should try to preserve those parts as much as possible… .”

Behind Rupert, who continued to provide feedback on Dumas’s work, others were busy drawing their own works.

Because of the serial schedule that was set for a month later, I no longer had time to care about others.

-If even one work does not pass the criteria, it will not be serialized in the magazine.

Rupert’s stern words were heard, emphasizing that a certain level of quality and speed were absolutely necessary to run a magazine serial.

Saint and Senna, as well as Ismael and Dumas, who were chosen this time, would wake up every day and sit at their desks, holding their pens.

‘This much feedback is enough, adding more is not good.’

After giving feedback on Dumas’s work, Rupert decided not to engage with them any further.

Now they had told us all about the direction in which it needed to be improved, and if they got involved any further, it would end up being Rupert’s work and not theirs.

Then there would be no reason to bother selecting them.

It was important to Rupert as an editor to produce better works, but it was also important to preserve the individuality of the writers, so he decided not to touch them any more.

‘Then I should publish one more work.’

There was some free time as the new comic had already completed the first three episodes.

So Rupert decided to create a new children’s book, which had been on hiatus since Pinocchio.

There really wasn’t anything special about the reason I decided to release a new fairy tale book. First of all, it had been quite some time since I had released a new work after The Iron-Blooded Alchemist was completed.

Besides, now that I’m starting to serialize in a comic magazine, I don’t think I’ll have time to make picture books for a while, so I thought it would be better to publish the work while I still have free time.

And the biggest reason is,

‘Let go of Ada, you damn Oun!’

It was largely because I was impressed by the skit-like scene between Ada and Oun that I saw a while ago.

In order to deal with Ada, who had recently become noticeably faster and had improved stamina, Oun used all kinds of methods and strategies.

First of all, because Ada often ran away riding Ratchet,

‘This is the tenderloin of a top-quality white calf.’

‘Bam!!!’

Rupert was amazed at how Oun could take away Ada’s mobility by enticing Ratchet with food.

When I saw Ratch, who had become addicted to expensive meat, slightly turning his head away and pretending not to hear Ada’s call, I wondered if he was really a human.

On the other hand, it wasn’t easy to catch Ada even after being betrayed by Rash.

The way he ran around using his small body was reminiscent of a ninja from a comic book.

But Owndo was no easy opponent. He had brought candy and cookies from a famous confectionery shop in the capital.

And then I sprinkled it little by little around the mansion,

‘Angdae!!!’

The sight of Ada being caught following a path made of candy and cookies as if possessed was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in recent times.

After all, humans are animals that have to use their heads.

‘The next work is Hansel and Gretel.’

One of the most memorable scenes from the fairy tale I saw as a child, , was the part where they remember the path by scattering breadcrumbs.

I also remember being really intrigued by the fantastical element of a house made of sweets.

If you show this work to Ada, who is obsessed with candy and cookies, she will never be distracted by sweets again.

And that’s not all.

This world was like the Middle Ages, with too many parents abandoning their children.

The situation in Germany at the time when was created and the current world are very similar.

It is said that at that time, Germany also suffered from severe famine after the Thirty Years’ War, and many parents abandoned their children.

And this fairy tale based on it was a little, no, very bitter to me.

Because an abandoned child tends to become attached to something, just like I was in a cartoon.

Of course, it was okay for children because it was just a refreshing story about punishing an evil witch.

However, Rupert knew that adults also read his children’s books, and he only hoped that after seeing this, they would reconsider giving up on their children.

Because Rupert knew better than anyone that the world was full of things scarier than witches for abandoned children.

***

“Are you saying that you want to do this with this script?”

Club activities were basically conducted freely after weekday lectures.

But in the case of the cartoon club, we didn’t have much time, so we would meet on weekends too.

The expressions on the faces of the club members gathered there looked very serious.

The reason was none other than Adrian, who was in charge of the script, brought a new script.

“I know it’s a rude request to overturn all the work I’ve done so far, but… .”

Everyone paid attention to Adrian’s next words when they saw his nervous expression for the first time, despite his always gentle and relaxed demeanor.

“This is more fun.”

His words were simple.

It’s just a wild claim that the script I just wrote is more interesting.

But since creating a new piece now would mean starting from scratch, everyone just looked embarrassed.

‘Was it too much?’

Adrian understood the reaction of his subordinates.

He knew that wanting to work again now was, in a way, a selfish desire on his part.

“This is more fun. I want to do this.”

But the third prince, Edric, who had read all the new scripts he had received, was the first to speak up,

“I also think this work is more suitable for animation than the original.”

Amelia also agreed with the opinion and expressed her approval.

Is it because of the two people’s reactions?

The members with bewildered expressions began reading the script they received.

The content of Adrian’s new script was simple but interesting.

The story is about an old horse abandoned by his master, who goes on a journey and, together with a dog, a cat, and a chicken in the same situation, goes on an adventure to a city where there is an animal orchestra.

The scene where the abandoned animals meet was a bit touching, but when they join forces to defeat the villain, it felt more dramatic and refreshing.

“What did you decide on the title?”

The members were naturally excited by the script, which was full of dreamy yet interesting imaginations that suited the short 10-minute time limit of the piece.

Everyone thought that while the previous works were good, this one was perfect for making into an animation.

“They named it the Sylvania Music Band.”

That was the moment when the manga club’s first work was decided.