“Just one more time, please.”

The red-haired girl, Xenia, pleaded earnestly with the man who was reading the village’s communal manga book.

“What? This is already the fifth time. My throat is getting hoarse.”

“Please, I beg you.”

Seeing Xenia’s desperate expression, the man sighed and began reading the manga, Frozen Kingdom, from the beginning again.

It seemed like just yesterday that the entire village would gather to listen as the communal manga was read aloud, but now almost every household had bought their own copy of the book. As a result, the village’s communal manga had practically become Xenia’s personal book.

“It’s so beautiful.”

Xenia was captivated when she found out that the manga was created by the same artist who had illustrated the fairy tale book she adored.

She had known that the fairy tale book she had seen was a cheap counterfeit, but she hadn’t realized just how vast the difference was.

The illustrations by the author, who had been commissioned by the princess for the people of the Empire, instantly captivated Xenia.

“I heard the artist is a young nobleman...”

Both the fairy tale book and this new manga seemed to be created just to comfort her.

How could a noble young man create works that comforted someone in her situation?

Elsa from Frozen Kingdom felt like she was a mirror of Xenia herself.

“Xenia, you must never show your ability to others!”

Her parents had warned her never to reveal the special ability she possessed.

Elsa also had to live hiding her abilities, which she gained from the curse of the Ice Witch.

However, Elsa eventually became a hero who saved the kingdom with her abilities.

Lately, Xenia had begun to imagine that maybe she, too, could become a hero like that.

When the man who read the manga aloud for the fifth time went home, Xenia stayed behind in the village square, looking over the manga.

Having heard it dozens of times, Xenia could now understand the meaning of the letters in the manga and started to read it herself.

As she read again, she came across her favorite scene: the battle where Elsa reaches out and freezes the villain.

Even though she had seen it many times, Xenia excitedly reached out her hand like Elsa.

If Elsa could freeze, then she could burn.

After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Xenia slyly extended her hand and focused on an empty space in the air.

Suddenly, a flame appeared in midair. She extinguished it quickly as maintaining it would tire her out.

Watching the flame disappear, Xenia let her imagination run wild.

She knew she shouldn’t, but she imagined herself saving the village if monsters ever attacked, using her ability.

The thrill of imagining people marveling at her as monsters fell at her command was exhilarating.

“Xenia, you’re our village hero!”

The villagers and her uncle’s family, who had ignored her because she had no parents.

Imagining them clapping and cheering for her brought her joy.

“You can control mana, can’t you?”

But Xenia’s sweet fantasy was shattered.

She was sure no one was around, but a voice spoke from behind. Turning around, she saw an old man covered head to toe in a robe.

“A...ah.”

Xenia felt like her world was collapsing. Someone had discovered the ability her parents had told her to keep secret.

Not knowing what to do, she couldn’t even speak properly.

“Don’t worry, red-haired child. I mean you no harm.”

The old man placed his hand on Xenia’s head, and she shut her eyes tightly in fear.

But nothing happened. She just felt a gentle warmth on her head.

“Ha, there really is one. A person who has inherited the bloodline of the ‘Eldor’ tribe.”

Eldor? Xenia didn’t understand what the old man was saying, but he didn’t seem to mean her harm, so she relaxed a bit.

“Do you have parents?”

“…”

Xenia simply shook her head in response to the old man’s question.

“I am a man named ‘Yustaf.’ I may not look it, but I’m quite a renowned magician.”

The old man held up one finger in front of Xenia.

At the tip of his finger, a blue flame appeared.

Xenia’s eyes widened. There was another person with strange abilities like hers.

“Would you like to come with me?”

The old man’s question left Xenia feeling confused.

Her parents had told her never to follow strangers, but the thought of returning to her dreadful uncle’s house conflicted in her mind.

And then,

“…If I go, can I become a hero too?”

“A hero?”

Hearing Xenia’s words, the old man, who had introduced himself as Yustaf, glanced at the manga book she was holding.

Frozen Kingdom—it was a book that had recently become popular, and he had seen it once.

Did she want to become like the princess protagonist, the hero in the story?

Feeling proud of her, Yustaf patted Xenia’s head.

Someone born with innate powerful magic who could use magic instinctively needed a proper environment.

From the looks of it, Xenia hadn’t grown up in the best environment.

Her parents had passed away, and her clothes were worn out.

Her hands were calloused and blistered, indicating a hard life.

People in such circumstances often went astray. However, this child aspired to be a hero like the one in the manga, which was admirable.

She had a kind heart.

Yustaf nodded slightly in response to Xenia’s question and extended his hand.

Without a word, Xenia took his hand.

Scene Transition

“This is what being a noble truly means.”

Lately, our dining table had become increasingly extravagant.

The soup was so hearty and full of ingredients that it could be a meal on its own. The bread was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, delicious even without anything to dip it in.

And most importantly, the variety of meats that changed daily.

Yesterday, we had roasted chicken, and today, a tenderloin steak made from veal.

Not only I, but my father and Ada were also overeating at mealtime and gaining weight.

Honestly, I found Ada’s increasingly round figure quite cute.

‘Miss, you shouldn’t gain any more weight. You need to control yourself!’

The maid who looked after Ada didn’t seem to agree. Well, Ada had been snacking non-stop lately. But children and animals are usually cuter when they’re chubby.

I once got scolded for sneaking Ada a dessert from the capital while hiding from the maid.

Whenever I felt tired from working, playing with Ada’s chubby cheeks and chin would make my fatigue disappear. It would be a shame if they vanished.

“Ah, by the way, Rupert. Are you really not considering attending the Academy?”

While I was lost in thought, watching Ada munch on bread, my father suddenly brought up the Academy.

“Yes, I’ve thought about it, but I don’t have much time to spare.”

My father seemed disappointed by my response and urged me to reconsider, but my decision was firm.

I had initially considered attending the Academy, but now there was no need.

“The Imperial Academy.”

The cradle of the Empire’s talents, where not only nobles but also commoners with exceptional skills could enroll.

To enter such an academy, one needed extraordinary talent in at least one area.

“Rupert was accepted for his artistic skills.”

Even though my talent lay in the much-overlooked art field, my skills were good enough to secure admission.

The Academy gathered talents without regard to status and trained them under the best instructors in the Empire.

Because of this, both admission and graduation were challenging, and many places sought out Academy graduates.

I had thought of enrolling as a way to secure a future, considering my family’s circumstances.

However, now that I was earning money through business, there was no longer a need.

It would only reduce the time I had for drawing manga.

Moreover, the Imperial Academy was the setting for the original novel.

Starting with the enrollment of the third prince and Amelia this spring, it would be the gathering place for main characters and a hotspot for various events. There was no reason for me to go there and get involved.

“Lately, I’ve been entangled with the Imperial family and the Duke of Bluewell, which is already risky enough.”

While I was curious to meet the protagonists from the original story, I had no desire to become close to them.

After telling my father I would think about it again, I left the table.

Since I wasn’t planning on going, I headed straight to my studio to start brainstorming my next project.

‘Young master, you’re too weak. You need to at least do some basic physical training.’

I suddenly remembered what Sir Mullus, the family’s sole knight, said to me, seeing how I was always cooped up in the studio.

Indeed, taking care of one’s health in advance was wise.

If I ended up ruining my back, I might become like a certain author from my previous life.

He deserved the title of a legendary mangaka, but he would take year-long hiatuses like it was nothing.

Fans thought he was busy playing games, but when they found out he couldn’t work due to a ruined back, tears flowed.

Being a mangaka is a physically demanding job where your body is your asset.

I am drawing manga in this other world to live well and be prosperous, so it would be pointless to jeopardize my health.

“Yes, starting tomorrow, I’ll exercise!”

Sir Mullus suggested I do physical training, so this was a good opportunity to build my stamina.

In this world, knights had truly superhuman abilities, and if I could somewhat emulate them, I could draw manga without worrying about my health for the rest of my life.

Of course, starting today felt a bit much, so I’ll begin tomorrow. All good plans start tomorrow, after all.

“Now, what should I choose for my next project?”

After the massive success of Frozen Kingdom, I had already discussed potential new projects with the head of the trading guild.

He suggested we re-release the existing fairy tale trilogy, Disney's Three, as manga, but honestly, that didn’t appeal to me.

Fairy tales and manga are not hierarchical. Making something into a manga doesn’t automatically make it more entertaining or popular.

Cinderella, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid—these are stories with no dynamic plots. Maybe they’d work as animations.

They are stories that fit much better as fairy tales than as manga.

“I can’t just pick any manga at random.”

I couldn’t just take any popular manga.

If the setting didn’t suit this world, it would feel awkward no matter how much I adapted it.

For example, if I introduced a cyberpunk work to this world, could people truly understand its universe and setting?

Even after arriving at my studio, I continued to ponder what the follow-up project should be.