Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 193

“Professor Edric, it’s time for your lecture.”

“Has it already gotten that late?”

At the sound of his name, Edric rose from his chair, stretching his stiff body as he moved.

Watching him with eyes full of admiration was Johan, the newly appointed assistant professor of the military studies department.

‘I can’t believe I get to work under him as an assistant professor!’

Edric, once known as the Empire’s most handsome man and a direct descendant of the Imperial Family, had aged into a figure of even greater gravitas.

If, in his youth, he had resembled a sculpture-like beauty, now he carried the aura of a seasoned warrior who had braved countless battlefields.

‘The Dragon Slayer—Edric!’

But Johan’s admiration wasn’t for Edric’s lineage or his appearance.

Of course, those things added to his presence, but there was something far more important.

He was the only living Dragon Slayer on the continent.

Step, step.

Johan followed closely behind Edric as they walked through the academy’s corridors toward the military studies lecture hall.

There was no real obligation for an assistant professor like Johan to attend Edric’s lectures.

But the thought of listening to his hero’s class in person was something he couldn’t pass up.

“Nice to meet you all. I am Edric, a professor in the military studies department. My full name is Edric Bell.”

The moment Edric entered the lecture hall, the previously noisy freshmen fell completely silent, as if someone had cast a Silence spell.

Then, all at once, their eyes lit up as they gazed at him with admiration.

‘I’m so jealous! They get to take Edric’s class!’

Johan cast envious glances at the freshmen.

Having come from Silvania, not the Imperial Academy, he had never had the chance to attend Edric’s lectures before.

Johan had been one of the most promising talents in Silvania, yet he had given up all his wealth and prestige to take a position as an assistant professor at the Imperial Academy for one reason—

Because he wanted to meet Edric in person.

“Hmm… If I start teaching right away, you’ll probably start gossiping about me, won’t you?”

Edric, now in his tenth year as a professor at the academy, spoke in an easygoing manner, instantly brightening the students' expressions.

“As you all know, given my status, bad-mouthing me might technically count as defamation of the Imperial Family.”

- "I can’t just let my adorable students get thrown into prison, so let’s start with something light today."

Laughter and cheers erupted throughout the classroom as every student turned their full attention to Edric.

“This is the story of how I became a Dragon Slayer.”

And thus began the tale that every child in the Empire—and the entire continent—had grown up hearing.

***

After the lecture

“That was truly an incredible story!”

“Was it? I appreciate that you found it entertaining.”

“No, really! I had never heard the part about Saint Archer Garland and Dwarf King Noel brawling with each other before they finally became true comrades!”

At Johan’s enthusiastic response, Edric couldn’t help but smile as memories of the past resurfaced.

Garland, the Elven Prince, and Noel, the Dwarven Warrior, had been infamous for their rivalry—so much so that one could hardly believe elves and dwarves had ever feuded more fiercely.

The two had fought constantly, but after being separated from the party and forced to battle the corrupted orc tribes—minions of the Black Dragon—they had eventually learned to trust each other.

It had been an unforgettable moment.

“Not to mention how Archmage Yustaf blocked the Black Dragon’s breath attack, and Alchemist of Light, Krun, managed to pierce through its scales to create an opening—that part gave me chills!”

“Those two truly were incredible.”

“And the moment when Mule, the Feline Warrior, tried to sacrifice herself to stop the dragon’s final rampage, but you saved her instead—I never thought I’d hear that story directly from you!”

Even after the lecture had ended, Johan continued following Edric, passionately expressing how moved he had been by the tale.

And it wasn’t just Johan.

If one were to name the most popular figure in the Empire, it wasn’t the Emperor, nor was it Rupert, the head of the Somerset household.

It was Edric, the Dragon Slayer, who had vanished for ten years before making his miraculous return.

When it was revealed that the supposedly missing Third Prince Edric had, in reality, been traveling with the greatest heroes of each race, ultimately slaying the infamous Black Dragon, the entire continent erupted in chaos.

“I always thought dragon slayers only existed in legends….”

To the people of the continent, dragons were akin to goddesses—not because they worshiped them, but because they were believed to be untouchable beings.

There were even races that revered dragons as deities, making the idea of hunting one utterly unthinkable.

But then, Edric returned, having slain the infamous Black Dragon—one of the most brutal of its kind.

His fame skyrocketed beyond belief.

He was the very embodiment of a legendary hero.

“Edric!!!”

“Mule, you’re already here?”

“Yup!”

Johan, who had been lost in his dreamlike moment of discussing Edric’s dragon hunt, sharply turned his head toward the voice that interrupted them.

“W-Wait… No way… Feline Warrior Mule?!”

But when he confirmed the identity of the person who had spoken, Johan’s jaw dropped, and he was left speechless.

A pair of sharp, perky cat ears and a swaying tail behind her.

Even at a glance, it was clear she was a beastkin.

And there was only one feline woman on the entire continent who could address Edric so casually—Mule, a member of the legendary Dragon Slayer Party.

“You’re heading straight to the lab again, aren’t you? But what’s with this guy?”

“He’s reacting that way because of you. We were just talking about you.”

“Really?”

Hearing that she had been the topic of discussion, Mule’s curiosity piqued. She approached Johan—who stood frozen, mouth agape—and perked up her ears, asking what exactly they had been saying about her.

“Hrk!”

Hearing his idol speak directly to him, Johan couldn’t even scream. He simply froze like a statue, unable to process what was happening.

Leaving him behind, Edric and Mule made their way to his office.

***

“Welcome back, Sir Edric.”

“Siri, it’s been a while!”

“Mule, you’re here as well. I’ll prepare some tea.”

As they stepped into the office, a woman's voice greeted them.

Emerging from the in-office laboratory, Siri, a next-generation golem created by Xenia, welcomed Edric and Mule.

Edric’s office was significantly larger than that of most professors at the academy.

From the outside, it looked like any other office, but inside, Edric had constructed a personal laboratory, setting it apart from the rest.

“Have there been any changes in the experiment’s results?”

“No, but we came closer than ever to producing the most refined prototype yet. I believe we will have a breakthrough soon.”

“Is that so?”

Edric and Siri discussed the latest experimental results.

Mule, however, remained silent, simply watching them.

Among the comrades who had accompanied Edric in slaying the Black Dragon, Mule was the only one who remained by his side.

That was why she knew better than anyone just how much Edric was putting into his current endeavor.

‘What? Why would he go this far?’

When Mule first learned what Edric was trying to do, she had gone beyond disbelief—she had been angry.

The idea that he had risked his life to slay the Black Dragon just to create a fictional character in reality was unbelievable to her.

It made her feel like their grand adventure had been reduced to nothing.

‘I don’t care if no one understands. I didn’t start this to be understood.’

Edric had responded with a bitter smile when she had pressed him for a reason.

After that, Mule could no longer argue against him.

‘I can’t even fight against this… it’s so unfair.’

Mule, who had once hoped Edric would choose her, who had felt grateful that he had saved her and her tribe from the Black Dragon, could do nothing as Edric dedicated himself to a woman who didn’t even exist in reality—Elza.

And that made Mule hate Elza more than anything.

***

“Siri, without you, this would have taken much longer.”

“No, it is thanks to you giving me this opportunity that I have come closer to understanding my purpose.”

Edric placed a blanket over Mule, who had fallen asleep on the sofa, before turning to thank Siri.

“Master, may I pursue something I truly wish to do?”

It had been years since Siri had left Rupert’s workshop to assist Edric with his project.

Rupert had told her that she was free to follow her own desires, and so, she had chosen to help Edric.

“I wonder… when Elza is finally completed, what expression will she have?”

“Expression?”

“I realized something after a long time. But perhaps she will recognize it immediately.”

Edric looked at Siri with growing curiosity.

What had she realized?

And why was she curious about Elza’s expression?

Seeing his confusion, Siri continued speaking.

“Edric, what were you like ten years ago?”

“Hm… Back then, I still had my real arm, for one.”

Edric raised his prosthetic golem arm, the mechanical limb that now replaced his right arm.

“And what about twenty years ago?”

“I was younger, obviously. That must’ve been around the time I first entered the academy—no wrinkles, a lot more energy.”

“I have remained the same as I was ten years ago.”

Siri lifted her hand.

Her skin looked human, but it was an artificial composite material.

Time did not change her appearance.

And it wasn’t just that.

Every part of her body was replaceable, meaning she could forever remain in her original state.

“A few years ago, I came to a realization—Is something truly alive if it does not change?”

It was then that Siri first began to understand fear.

Even the elves, who lived for centuries, could not escape the passage of time.

Even dragons, the so-called supreme beings, were not eternal.

But Siri was different—she could outlast time itself.

And imagining that inevitable loneliness terrified her.

“…Edric, I want to die.”

Siri’s voice echoed through the silent office.