Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 158

Meeting the emperor in a private audience at the imperial court was considered a tremendous privilege.

Only the heads of the Empire's Seven Great Noble Houses could secure an audience with the emperor within the same week they requested it. Others had to wait at least six months to meet him.

This was understandable, as meeting every noble one by one would leave the emperor no time for his duties, let alone meals.

And now, Rupert, who had been granted rights equal to those of the heads of the Seven Great Houses, was once again standing before the emperor.

"The last tournament was most satisfactory, Professor Rupert."

"I am only grateful that Your Majesty views it favorably."

"Indeed. But I doubt you've come to see me just to express your gratitude. What have you brought to discuss today?"

The emperor's tone was noticeably warmer than before, leaving Rupert slightly unsettled.

‘This time, I’ve come with a request rather than something beneficial to the royal family….’

No matter how frequently he had visited the royal court or how often he had met with the emperor recently, Rupert still found these encounters daunting.

Especially since this time, he was here to preemptively prevent any potential issues that might arise from his new manga series.

The emperor, who had recognized the effectiveness of Rupert’s strategies during the recent card tournament, now seemed to be expecting another ingenious plan.

"The reason I requested this audience with Your Majesty is none other than my upcoming serialized work."

"A new work? But why would you need my permission for that? Can’t you simply write it as you have done before?"

The emperor’s question was, on the surface, entirely reasonable.

Until now, Rupert had never needed the emperor’s approval to create his works. Why, then, had he sought an audience this time?

"May I present this to you for review?"

At the emperor’s inquiry, Rupert knelt and raised the manuscript he had prepared, holding it with both hands.

A court attendant stepped forward to receive it and handed it to the emperor, revealing the title written on the cover of the manuscript.

The Great Treasure

The emperor began reading it from the first page.

+++++

?"Where did you hide the treasure you discovered, King of Adventure?"

On his deathbed, Silver A. Rogers, the only person who had ever returned from the world’s end, was asked this question.

"My treasure, you say? If you want it, you can have it. I left it all there."

With these last words from the legendary adventurer Silver A. Rogers, the age of grand exploration began.

"I’m not joking right now!"

"Hey! Yuppie, put that down! It’s dangerous!"

"Take this!"

The boy holding a knife suddenly slashed under his eye in a dangerous act, startling the onlookers, who rushed to stop him.

"Yuppie, why would you do something so reckless?"

"Hmph, I’m not scared of something like this! So take me on your next adventure!"

"You’re too young right now. Once you’re a proper man, we’ll consider it."

"You always say that."

Yuppie puffed up his cheeks at Sanctus’ dismissive words and turned to Mickey behind the shop counter to order a juice.

"Put it on my treasure tab!"

"Another treasure tab? You know that’s just a scam, right?"

"It’s not a lie! I’ll find the treasure later and pay it all back at once!"

"Alright, one drink for our future King of Adventure!"

?

Just last week, Van Helsing had concluded with great acclaim on Manapia.

People were still lingering in the afterglow, reflecting on the desperate struggle of Dracula, the final antagonist, and the triumphant victory of the protagonists.

"Ah, now there’s no more reason to follow Manapia."

"Exactly. While the other works are fun, I really love action-packed stories."

"Rupert’s battle scenes are truly exceptional. Watching them was such a thrill."

As originally intended by Rupert, Manapia had become a platform for various genres of comics to be serialized.

From Sena’s works that blended romance and shonen styles to The Count of Monte Cristo, a realistic yet satisfying tale of revenge.

And even The Man of the Second Century by Saint, a philosophical exploration that had gained a cult following among middle-aged readers.

While this diversity of genres attracted a broad audience, the majority of readers still gravitated toward Rupert’s shonen comics.

Rupert’s stories, always depicting protagonists growing through exciting adventures and battles, remained the public’s favorites.

From The Iron-Blooded Alchemist to Van Helsing, Rupert’s works stood out for their universal appeal—even people unfamiliar with or uninterested in comics could enjoy them.

Thus, many felt a sense of loss when Van Helsing concluded.

"Hey! Look at this—Rupert’s starting a new series next week!"

For these fans, Rupert had already prepared and scheduled the serialization of his next work.

"I knew it! Damn it, Rupert, I love you!"

"Am I the only one who feels like this new series will be incredible right from the start?"

"But isn’t this a bit risky?"

The reactions to Rupert’s new series, The Great Treasure, were explosive.

The story of a world entering the age of grand exploration, sparked by the final words of Silver A. Rogers, the King of Adventure, who had ventured to the world’s end, captured readers' imaginations.

The idea of exploring the unknown always had a magnetic pull on people.

Even now, on the Sylvenian continent, there were still many untouched places, attracting adventurers and mercenaries eager to explore.

Though they knew such endeavors were fraught with danger, their tales were always popular in taverns.

Stories of adventurers discovering ancient temples and incredible relics, or mercenary bands conquering dungeons created by dark mages, had always been timeless topics of fascination.

However, this time, the adventure was unique—it revolved around the sea, not the continent.

"The sea… I’ve only ever heard of it. I’ve never seen it."

"Same here. Unless you live at the eastern edge, you’d never get the chance to see it."

Most people in the Empire only knew of the sea’s existence.

In fact, so many lived their entire lives without seeing it that it was considered unusual to have ever been to the coast.

Since only the eastern part of the Empire bordered the ocean, those living in other regions rarely encountered it.

When Ishmael’s The White Whale was serialized, many people got their first glimpse of the sea through illustrations.

"I heard the end of the world is just a cliff."

"No, I heard it’s a round shape that loops back on itself if you travel far enough."

"Do monsters like these really live in the sea?"

Against this backdrop, The Great Treasure, a story about explorers navigating the sea, was more than enough to spark readers’ curiosity.

Moreover,

?"Ahhh! My arm is stretching!"

Yuppie, frustrated by Sanctus and his companions’ refusal to respond to the bandits causing trouble, stormed off in anger.

But as Sanctus grabbed Yuppie’s hand, they all froze in shock as they saw Yuppie’s arm stretch like rubber.

"Yuppie! Don’t tell me you ate the fruit that was here?"

"Yeah! It tasted disgusting, though."

"You fool! That fruit is cursed by the Sea God!"?

"The Sea God’s curse is such an intriguing concept."

The idea of a fruit that could stretch your body, introduced in The Great Treasure, fascinated readers.

"A fruit that makes your whole body stretch—could that really exist?"

"It must! You could probably find it in the sea, right?"

Even though Rupert had started including disclaimers on Manapia’s publications, readers didn’t believe them at all.

Rupert was revered as a prophet of the goddess, whose divine revelations predicted crises for the continent.

Many were convinced that his latest work was also based on truth.

"But if you eat it, you get cursed by the Sea God and can’t swim?"

"Are you stupid? Just don’t go to the sea!"

"You’re a genius!"

The fruit’s various abilities, beyond just body stretching, became a hot topic among readers, who debated what other powers might exist.

"By the way, this World Federation—is it different from the Empire?"

"That part’s odd. Isn’t the navy supposed to be part of the national military?"

"Maybe that’s why the royal family issued a decree about it."

While readers enjoyed The Great Treasure, they also pondered the role of the World Federation and the navy, the antagonists opposing the adventurous dream of the protagonist.

The portrayal of the World Federation and the navy as enemies of explorers navigating the sea was somewhat delicate.

This aspect could easily spark accusations of inciting rebellion against the Empire.

However,

?Recently, there has been an increase in creators enriching the Empire’s culture, and as emperor, I am greatly pleased.

However, I have heard that creators sometimes hesitate to express their imagination freely due to concerns about offending the royal family, nobles, or certain organizations.

Therefore….?

Right before the serialization of The Great Treasure, the royal family had issued a decree guaranteeing creative freedom for those in the arts, surprising everyone.

Of course, using real nations or individuals was still strictly forbidden and punishable.

But the emperor had ordered that creating fictional worlds would no longer result in legal consequences, and this was recorded in the Empire’s legal code.

Even Rupert, who could be considered the central figure of the Empire’s cultural scene, had previously had to make alterations to his works to avoid offending the royal family.

Now that such restrictions had been lifted, the Empire’s art scene was in a celebratory mood.

Even so, Rupert had decided to tone down some elements, believing it would still be inappropriate to feature pirates as the main protagonists.

And then,

"Now, in exchange for granting your request, I have a suggestion for you."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Please, go ahead."

"What do you think of marrying Iolin?"

Rupert was reminded of the arduous process he had endured to secure the royal decree.