Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 172

“What do you mean by that?”

Kartel was startled by Adrian’s statement but quickly composed himself and asked again.

Though Silvania was overshadowed by the Borus Empire, it was still a proud nation that led the alliance of kingdoms resisting the empire.

Kartel took great pride in Silvania, so hearing Adrian declare that there was no future for the kingdom was not something he could easily dismiss.

“Do you know what I saw in the Empire?”

“I’m aware that the Empire is vast and densely populated, but our Silvania also—”

“It’s not about material things.”

“Then what exactly are you referring to?”

“Culture.”

Adrian didn’t think Silvania’s economy or military would be its downfall.

The Empire, with its vast territory, also carried many inherent risks.

It had no truly friendly neighboring states, and even within its borders, numerous factions were waiting for an opportunity to divide and weaken it, preventing the Empire from fully utilizing its overwhelming power.

“Your Highness! Silvania also has a proud history and culture that we can boast about. Right now, you seem to be—”

“That’s not it, Chancellor.”

Adrian already knew what Kartel was about to say.

Silvania, with its longer history than the Empire, boasted ancient orchestras and theaters of high prestige, often visited by nobles from other countries.

For that reason, Silvania had always taken pride in its culture, believing it could never be outshone by the Empire in that regard.

“Do you recognize these?”

“This is…”

Kartel immediately identified the objects Adrian had taken out.

“These are fairy tales and comic books that are popular in the Empire.”

“Exactly.”

“And you’re saying that such trivial things are why our kingdom has no future?”

“Trivial, you say…”

Adrian shook his head at Kartel’s outburst.

“How many of our citizens, apart from the nobles, do you think can read and write?”

“That’s…”

“Recently, even in the Empire’s rural villages, more than half the people can read.”

“What? How could that be possible?”

“Because of these.”

Adrian held up the fairy tales and comic books Kartel had just dismissed.

“Can you believe that commoners taught themselves to read just to enjoy these?”

“Because of this…?”

Kartel might have been somewhat rigid in his thinking, but he wasn’t incompetent.

He immediately grasped the significance of commoners learning to read.

‘If even 50%—no, even 30%—of the Empire’s commoners can read and write, how many talented individuals must be emerging?’

The larger the population, the higher the likelihood of discovering exceptional talent.

However, despite their numbers, commoners often squandered their potential simply because they were illiterate.

This was why most countries offered various forms of education and skill development programs to tap into this hidden talent pool.

‘Why learn to read? Isn’t farming enough?’

But for commoners, who were preoccupied with survival, literacy never felt like a necessity.

For rulers, however, finding a way to make commoners literate had always seemed like an unattainable dream.

Of course, there were concerns that raising the commoners’ level of awareness could pose challenges to the monarchy, but as long as the monarchy maintained stability, the benefits far outweighed the risks.

“And that’s not all.”

Kartel’s expression changed as he finally began to realize Adrian’s argument was far from baseless.

He focused intently as Adrian continued.

“This piece was your work, wasn’t it?”

“You knew about it?”

In Adrian’s hands was a reproduction of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist, a project Kartel had overseen.

“If I had stayed in the kingdom, I would have thought the same way as you did.”

“But it failed.”

“Do you know why it failed?”

Kartel pondered Adrian’s question for a moment before offering his thoughts on why the reproductions had failed.

“The nobles were the primary issue. They disliked the idea of reading the same copies as the commoners.”

Kartel believed that the nobles, who flaunted the original editions imported from the Empire, had set a harmful precedent, ultimately causing his reproduction project to fail.

“That’s not the only reason.”

“Then you’re saying there’s another cause?”

“This is the original, and this is the reproduction. Do you see the difference?”

Kartel compared the original that Adrian presented with the reproduction he had ordered to be made.

‘What difference is there?’

Visually, the original’s colors were slightly sharper and more vibrant.

However, Kartel knew Adrian wouldn’t make this comparison without reason. He picked up the books and carefully examined them again.

“What is this? How could there be such a difference…?”

Only then did Kartel realize his mistake.

In an attempt to keep costs low, the reproductions were printed on low-quality paper.

‘It’s falling apart after just one reading?’
‘Even for something cheap, this is unacceptable.’
‘I’ve seen the Empire’s originals—those can be read dozens of times without wearing out.’

In truth, nobles purchasing original editions hadn’t immediately driven commoners to do the same.

Reproductions were more affordable, so if the quality gap had been minimal, commoners would have preferred them.

Unfortunately, the reproductions were so poorly made that even commoners turned away from them.

“Right now, the Empire is swept up in the latest trend—animation.”

“I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t seen it myself.”

“I plan to bring it into the kingdom soon.”

“What? Your Highness! These fairy tales and comic books alone are already causing serious disruptions in the kingdom!”

“That’s precisely why we need to bring it in.”

Despite Kartel’s alarm, Adrian remained calm.

“Culture isn’t something that can be stopped. The more we resist it, the more isolated we’ll become.”

Having witnessed Rupert’s cultural revolution firsthand, Adrian spoke with confidence.

During his year at the academy, Adrian had seen a constant wave of new cultural phenomena and their impact. He was certain that failing to ride this wave would lead to stagnation.

“Our kingdom shares a border with the Empire. We can’t avoid its influence.”

—Then we must use it to survive!

Imperial culture had already spread across the Silvania continent.

Some kingdoms tried to resist it, while others were already captivated by it.

‘If we can’t be Yuren, then we must be Vera.’

This saying had become a popular mantra among merchants in the Empire.

The Yuren Trading Company had risen to dominate the imperial economy through its partnership with Rupert, wielding culture as its weapon.

However, traders were more surprised by Vera’s success as the second-largest trading company.

‘Everyone thought Vera was in decline.’
‘And yet, they merged strategically and secured the second spot among the Seven Great Trading Companies.’

Initially, Vera had tried to compete with Yuren.

But when it became clear they couldn’t catch up, Vera merged with Yuren instead, making headlines with their strategic alliance.

At first, people scoffed.

“Tsk, Vera’s completely lost its pride.”
“I know, right? Joining Yuren like a lapdog?”
“They won’t even be part of the Seven Great Companies anymore.”

Yet, opinions changed quickly.

After the merger, Vera participated in ventures like the Somerset Theater and membership programs, leading to a surge in exports. Everything they touched turned to gold, dominating the market.

Yuren had grown too fast to fully stabilize, and Vera became its perfect support, allowing both companies to thrive.

Vera’s transformation into the Empire’s second-largest trading company shocked everyone and inspired the saying: If you can’t be Yuren, then be Vera.

“Even if we encourage cultural industries at a national level, we’ll have a hard time catching up to the Empire.”

“Then the kingdom itself must support it.”

“You mean government intervention?”

“We can no longer rely on swords and spears to resist the Empire.”

Kartel, still skeptical, questioned whether they could compete with the Empire’s cultural dominance.

Adrian explained the kingdom’s new path.

“Right now, the kingdoms must unite just to keep the Empire in check. What happens if one of them defects?”

Kartel shivered at the thought.

The kingdoms only maintained balance against the Empire by working together.

If one kingdom defected, the others would face the Empire alone—and collapse.

“But surely none of them would betray the alliance! They know they’d be next!”

“The Empire is already working to achieve that through culture.”

Adrian understood the power of culture better than anyone.

He knew the only way to counter the Empire was to create a cultural force just as strong.

‘It’s impossible for individuals to compete with Professor Rupert’s work. The kingdom must provide support.’

“Your Majesty has returned to the palace.”

A servant interrupted their conversation, announcing the king’s arrival.

“I must meet my father.”

With thoughts of cultural revival swirling in his mind, Adrian strode toward the palace, confident that his plans would soon shock the entire kingdom.