Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 183

“A mermaid!”

“No, it was definitely just a fish!”

“No way! Sena said it looked like a person!”

“That’s just a common hallucination right before—”

Owen never got to finish his sentence.

Ada had climbed onto his back and started biting him, prompting the usually stoic knight to flail and yelp like a child.

“Ahhh! Alright! The young lady is right!”

“Waaah!”

Of course, Ada knew by now that biting too hard could actually hurt someone.

So, whenever she bit anyone, she only pretended to do it lightly.

However, since Owen was a Sword Expert and famed for his impenetrable defenses, Ada could bite him as hard as she wanted without worrying about causing any real harm.

“Enough.”

Rupert, who had just returned home, rubbed his temples at the ridiculous sight unfolding before him.

“Wata!”

Hearing Rupert’s voice, Ada immediately let go of Owen and ran straight into his arms.

“Stop bullying Sir Owen, Ada.”

“I wasn’t bullying him!”

“Then what were you doing?”

Hanging onto Rupert, Ada pouted as she began explaining the events that had happened earlier in the day.

“So Sena fell into the sea, and a mermaid saved her?”

“Yeah! So I threw my Little Mermaid picture book into the water as a gift!”

Isn’t that just littering?

Rupert held his tongue and resisted the urge to say it out loud.

A mermaid…

In this world, the most famous and mysterious race among beastkin was the merfolk.

They were said to live in kingdoms deep beneath the ocean, making it almost impossible to encounter them.

Still, legends persisted about sailors being saved by mermaids after falling into the sea.

Because of these tales, sailors had a tradition of tossing coins into the water, hoping mermaids would protect them in times of trouble.

“I wonder if it’ll survive underwater, even if it’s waterproof.”

“I’m sure the mermaid took it!”

“Well, our Ada gave the mermaid a lovely gift, huh?”

“Yup!”

Hugging Ada, Rupert carried her into the dining room, where they began their evening meal.

Even as she ate, Ada chattered nonstop about how beautiful the sea had been.

Both Rupert and the Marquis responded to her every word, to the point where it was hard to even focus on eating.

“Brother! Make me another treasure!”

“You have to be good and listen from now on, okay?”

“Okay!”

After dinner, Ada clung to Rupert’s leg, begging him to make her another Little Mermaid book to replace the one she had thrown into the ocean.

Patting her head, Rupert promised her a new copy and headed to his workshop.

“Oh, Rupert! Just the man I needed!”

Rupert was greeted by Krune as soon as he stepped into the workshop’s first floor.

“What’s going on, Krune?”

“Well, I need to take a quick trip to the Dwarf Kingdom.”

“The Dwarf Kingdom?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I should’ve gone a while ago…”

Krune began explaining the story behind the prosthetic golem arm he had once created and why it meant so much to him.

Hearing how Krune had wanted to give hope to a friend who lost an arm in a mining accident, Rupert finally understood the reason behind his obsession with the golem prosthetic.

“There aren’t any urgent projects at the moment, so take your time and go.”

“Thanks. I also need to stock up on supplies. The Dwarf Kingdom is full of rare metals, after all!”

“Got it. I’ll tell Alain to prepare the funds for you.”

“Haha! I never thought I’d see the day when a miser like you approved spending so easily!”

Rupert retorted that Krune’s spending habits would bankrupt even the richest man in the Empire.

Krune argued back briefly before hurrying off to pack.

‘Honestly, there are so many things that wouldn’t have been possible without Krune.’

Although Rupert often teased Krune about being a money pit, he knew the dwarf’s contributions were invaluable to Somerset’s development.

Rupert didn’t even want to imagine how things would have turned out if he hadn’t taken in the rowdy dwarf causing a scene at Somerset’s gates.

And thinking about Krune reminded Rupert of Sena.

And remembering Sena brought back memories of Snow White—the picture book that started it all.

Rupert couldn’t help but feel grateful for the chain of events that had woven such strong connections in his life.

Even to the goddess who dragged him into this world without permission.

“Siri, are you still working?”

“Welcome back, Sir Rupert.”

Lost in thought about the people and events that shaped his current life, Rupert arrived at the third-floor workshop to find Siri still hard at work, drawing.

“Impressive. Your drawings have improved a lot.”

“Really?”

Rupert checked the manga drafts Siri had been working on and was taken aback.

At first, Siri’s drawings had been noticeably different from Rupert’s style, but now, unless someone examined them closely, it was nearly impossible to tell them apart.

“But Siri, you don’t need to push yourself so hard.”

“Why not? Am I not being helpful…?”

“No, that’s not it.” Rupert paused, trying to find the right words. “You’re definitely a big help. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay in the workshop all the time.”

Siri tilted her head, looking puzzled.

“If there’s ever something you want to do, you can go ahead and do it. Of course, you’ll have to be careful not to attract attention.”

“Something I want to do.”

Siri froze, showing neither expression nor movement.

‘She really does seem like an android at times like this.’

By now, Siri spoke naturally enough that most people, except those who knew her true identity, believed she was human.

But moments like this, when her android nature showed, made it clear why Rupert couldn’t let her be exposed.

Even so, Rupert wanted to support her if she ever found something she wanted to do.

“My purpose is to assist you, Sir Rupert.”

After a brief pause, Siri finally responded.

“Don’t worry so much about that.”

“I can’t ignore it. Denying that would mean rejecting the reason for my existence.”

Rupert was at a loss for words.

It was no different from someone asking him to abandon all the plans and dreams he had built over the past ten years and simply settle for a quiet, easy life.

“If I ever find another reason to exist, then maybe things will change.”

“Alright.”

Rupert sat beside Siri and picked up his pen.

A reason to exist.

He thought back to when he first started drawing manga in this world—because of Ada.

‘It all started as a story for my little sister.’

Rupert had originally created picture books to cheer up Ada, who often felt lonely when other noble children boasted about their own treasures.

That effort led to him being summoned to the palace, and later, to creating manga that encouraged people to learn how to read.

“Sir Rupert, the drawing you’re working on contains an error.”

“What? An error?”

“Yes. Based on my analysis, this appears to be The Little Mermaid. The mermaid’s hair is supposed to be blue.”

“It’s fine. This is how it was originally meant to be.”

Rupert chuckled at Siri’s observation as he sketched an illustration of the mermaid.

‘I changed her hair to blue back then just to be safe.’

Rupert had once altered the mermaid’s hair color to avoid controversy.

Later, he had compensated by giving Nero, the protagonist of A Dog of Flanders, red hair.

But this time, as he recreated The Little Mermaid for Ada, Rupert wanted to restore the original red hair.

After all, it was thanks to this decision that he had crossed paths with Zinnia—and, amusingly enough, Amelia had mistaken the change as being done for her sake.

‘So maybe it was all fate.’

He smiled, recalling the chaotic days when he’d collapsed from overwork while drawing The Iron-Blooded Alchemist—the very project that introduced him to Yustaf and Crown Prince Alex.

Back then, Alex had disguised himself to confront Rupert after hearing rumors about his lack of decorum under the influence of stamina potions.

Looking back, Rupert still felt chills thinking about how close he’d come to disaster.

Fortunately, Ada had smoothed things over, and Alex had not only forgiven Rupert but had become Ada’s godfather.

Now, Alex was no longer known as a reckless prince but as the unshakable Iron Crown Prince.

And Yustaf, once the stern figurehead of the academy, had become less of a superior and more like a nosy grandfather.

“Sir Rupert, your workload exceeds the human standard. For the sake of your health, you should reduce it.”

“I’m fine. I have the goddess’s blessing, after all.”

“…Excuse me?”

Seeing Siri’s confusion, Rupert remembered the time he had collapsed from exhaustion.

He had been pushing himself too hard, and when Amelia found him unconscious, she had panicked and caused a scene.

That incident, followed by Alex’s unexpected visit with a missing arm and the Saintess asking him to paint holy murals, had been one overwhelming event after another.

And yet, those chaotic moments had also led to Van Helsing, his serialized masterpiece.

It was through that project that Rupert encountered Richard, his estranged older brother, and became entangled with the secret organization Crimson Warden.

‘The goddess may have played a trick on me, but thanks to her, I met Raschu and helped avert a continental crisis.’

Of course, he’d also nearly died trying to stop Satanael’s escape.

He still vividly remembered how the goddess’s pendant, gifted by the Saintess, had saved him in the nick of time.

Later, when Rupert finally met the goddess and learned the truth—why he had been summoned to this world and why the events in his stories kept manifesting in reality—he had been utterly shocked.

But now…

‘I’m just grateful. The people around me are treasures I wouldn’t trade for anything.’

Rupert gazed at the completed illustration of The Little Mermaid.

If someone offered him a chance to return to Earth, he wouldn’t hesitate to refuse.

“I want to create an ending here that everyone can accept.”

Because now, this world felt like home.