Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 176

“You’ve achieved something remarkable.”

“Well, it’s true that the results exceeded expectations.”

Rupert had returned after wrapping up his lectures and activities in Silvania.

- Transform Silvania into a Cultural Powerhouse!

For a brief period, Rupert gave numerous speeches that stirred the pride of Silvania’s citizens—so much so that one might mistake him for a native Silvanian rather than an Imperial. It had been exhausting, but it was all worth it.

Now, Rupert could afford to smile as he discussed the outcome with Esteban.

‘I want to send our Silvanian talents to study abroad at the Imperial Academy this year.’

It was a proposal made directly by Eldran, the king of Silvania and Adrian’s father.

In response, Rupert had promised to sell Silvania the latest inventions—animation projectors and animated films—that hadn’t yet been released in other countries.

On the surface, it was a simple gesture of goodwill. However, the fact that this agreement was reached with Silvania was of great significance.

Rupert’s unbelievable achievement in improving relations with Silvania—a longstanding diplomatic issue—had even earned him an immediate summons to the emperor, where he was showered with praise.

‘If I could, I’d appoint you as an honorary duke on the spot!’

Relations with Silvania had been rocky for some time. However, they had worsened significantly due to the recent war waged by the emperor to weaken the power of the nobility.

“The war forced even the most cooperative foreign nations to turn their backs on the Empire. It must have been an enormous burden for His Majesty.”

“That’s true. By the way, did something happen at home while I was away?”

“Pardon? I haven’t heard of anything unusual in Somerset.”

“Is that so?”

Rupert recalled the strange atmosphere he sensed upon returning to his mansion.

‘Ada would never cause trouble!’

When he visited Ada to give her the gifts he had brought from Silvania, she had been sweating nervously in the middle of winter, blurting out answers to questions he hadn’t even asked.

‘Uh… Yes, thank you for the gifts. The prince? Oh, he had urgent business to attend to….’

Even Bradley, the marquis, had seemed flustered when Rupert gave him a souvenir and asked about Edric’s whereabouts.

Still, since nothing seemed seriously wrong, Rupert let it slide.

At the moment, there were more pressing matters to address.

“Are you saying all these papers are applications for the Fine Arts Department?”

“It’s giving me a headache.”

As a professor at the Imperial Academy, Rupert was involved in selecting new students.

However, this year’s applicants for the Fine Arts Department had increased a hundredfold compared to the previous year, burying Rupert under piles of admission forms.

‘A professor in the Fine Arts Department? It’s supposed to be the most relaxed job during admissions season.’

The Academy’s most popular departments were typically Military Studies, Magic Studies, and Administration.

While admission to any department was competitive, these three required professors to stay on campus during the selection process, enduring weeks of stress.

In contrast, the Fine Arts Department—historically the least popular—usually wrapped up its admissions in a single day, making it the most leisurely time of year.

But that was now a thing of the past.

‘Learning under Professor Rupert? That’s an opportunity we can’t miss!’
‘Who’s to say we can’t be the next Somerset?’
‘Just being able to build connections with Professor Rupert is already an incredible advantage!’

As soon as the admissions period began, people of all social standings flocked to apply to the Fine Arts Department.

For commoners, this was hardly surprising. In the Empire, two of the most desirable jobs were working at Somerset Workshop or becoming an artist for Manafia.

‘Somerset Workshop employees earn dozens of silver coins a month.’
‘Not only that! On special occasions, they receive limited-edition merchandise as gifts!’
‘One of the authors serialized in Manafia bought a ship while still in her teens!’

Though some of these stories were exaggerated, many believed working for Rupert was akin to winning the lottery.

Nobles were no different.

‘The Somerset family is now a marquisate. There’s no reason not to befriend them!’
‘They’re rumored to have close ties with the imperial family, the Bluewell Duchy, and the Mage Tower.’
‘The crown prince favors Somerset so much that their influence will only continue to grow.’

Noble families had long sought connections with the Somersets.

However, both Marquis Bradley and Rupert had shown little interest in forming alliances, making it difficult to get close to them.

Thus, many nobles tried enrolling their children in the Fine Arts Department to build even the slightest connection.

‘The current Fine Arts students are like people who found gold lying in the street.’

‘Not necessarily. Haven’t you heard the rumors?’

‘What rumors?’

Before the department’s prestige skyrocketed, the older students were seen as either lucky or unfortunate.

‘Why can’t you improve my son’s grades?’

Previously, the department had relied on donations from noble families due to its lack of funding and alumni support.

Grades were often tied to how much money a family contributed rather than actual skill.

Even after Rupert took over, some nobles continued to believe this tradition would persist.

‘Hmph! Grades will be based on donations anyway.’

When these nobles’ children failed their exams, their parents stormed the Academy in outrage.

‘Professor Rupert, if the grades aren’t adjusted, we might have to withdraw our donations.’

‘That’s fine. I’ll cover the donations myself.’

Rupert’s calm response left them speechless.

With Rupert’s rapidly growing wealth, Academy donations no longer posed a problem.

Realizing their status and money meant nothing to Rupert, the nobles’ children panicked. Some even dropped out.

‘Professor Rupert’s family was promoted to marquisate!’

As Rupert’s status soared, the nobles’ pride crumbled.

Instead of trying to impress Rupert, they now feared him.

“Aren’t you making preparations?”

“Preparations? Oh, you mean that.”

Rupert, who was reviewing applications in Esteban’s office—now almost as familiar to him as his own workspace—paused to ask a question.

“Once again, I truly appreciate it.”

“Don’t feel pressured. From the start, I intended to give the remaining titles to you and Duma.”

Hearing Rupert’s words, Esteban quickly wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes with his sleeve.

“I’ve devoted myself to Somerset until now, but from here on, I’ll work even harder—I’ll pour my heart and soul into it.”

What Esteban was preparing for was none other than his and Duma’s ennoblement ceremony.

With the Somerset family elevated to a marquisate, they were granted five baronet titles.

One of these titles had already been awarded to Sir Mullus, a knight who had served the family faithfully for years. Another was reserved for Sir Owen, who hadn’t yet served long enough to qualify but was expected to receive it in the future.

The remaining three titles were left for Rupert to allocate, and two of them went to Esteban and Duma, following Rupert’s recommendation, which Marquis Bradley approved.

‘Are you really giving me a baronet title?’

When Rupert first delivered the news, Esteban couldn’t believe it.

In the Empire, there were only two ways for commoners to rise to nobility:

One was to serve as a knight or soldier and distinguish oneself in battle.

The other was to achieve groundbreaking discoveries as a mage, alchemist, or scholar—contributions so significant that they left a mark on history.

Aside from these, no amount of effort could elevate a commoner to nobility—unless, as in this case, a noble family’s promotion granted them the right to distribute titles.

Even so, such titles were typically reserved for close relatives or longstanding allies, and merchants were almost never considered.

No matter how much wealth merchants accumulated, the deep-seated disdain nobles held for them prevented merchants from being knighted or ennobled.

Rupert, however, had disregarded this unspoken rule and awarded a baronet title to Esteban, who had supported him through countless hardships.

‘I’ll repay this debt, young master. I swear it.’

For Esteban, who had endured nobles’ scorn despite becoming the leader of one of the Seven Great Trading Companies, the title was more than just recognition.

It soothed his deep-seated feelings of inferiority and solidified his loyalty to Rupert and the Somerset family.

He resolved, once again, to dedicate his entire life to their service.