"The situation seems more serious than we thought."

An empty village.

Only the dried bloodstains scattered around served as evidence that people once lived here.

As they encountered five villages in a similar state during their search for the missing persons, even Crown Prince Alex, along with the battle-hardened Yustaf and Harun, couldn’t hide their despair.

"How could this happen? How could something like this occur within the Empire without us knowing?"

His lips were so tightly bitten that they had turned white, his voice breaking with the weight of the situation.

"This village is inhabited by slash-and-burn farmers, so it’s understandable that information would be delayed."

The group of suspected black magicians had persistently targeted these isolated villages inhabited by slash-and-burn farmers.

Most of these farmers were people who had fled their lord’s exploitation, and no one cared about their lives.

Since they didn’t pay taxes, they weren’t considered citizens of the Empire.

In fact, their very existence was a blemish on the Empire, often leading to their villages being labeled as havens for criminals and subjected to oppression.

It was only natural that the wicked had targeted these people to avoid detection.

Understanding this belatedly, the Crown Prince stood silently, staring at the burned-out slash-and-burn village.

As the sun set, something redder than the sunset was burning in his eyes.

"If they plan to carry out their schemes near the capital, it would be impossible not to leave any traces."

Harun, who had been observing the scene, muttered to himself, weighed down by guilt and frustration.

While tracking the missing persons, they had discovered that the culprits were using the slash-and-burn villages as sacrifices for some scheme, but they had no idea where or what exactly was being prepared.

Despite the large scale of the missing villages, there wasn’t a single trace of the perpetrators.

"Have they disappeared into thin air or sunk into the ground? How could there be no trace at all?"

"Wait… into the ground? That’s right, if they’re underground, it would make sense that we haven’t found anything."

Both Yustaf and Harun shook their heads at Alex’s suggestion.

"Your Highness, if we’re following the new transmutation circle from the book, they would need to connect points all around the capital’s borders."

"And?"

"If they were digging underground to set up the transmutation circles, it would be impossible not to notice. Such a large-scale operation would require direct involvement from the Empire, making it nearly impossible to go unnoticed."

Digging underground was no easy task. Moreover, preparing a transmutation circle of this scale would require the Empire’s direct intervention, so it was considered impossible.

‘Unless they had the ability to freely move underground.’

Yustaf had considered the underground, given that no traces had been found on the surface, but had dismissed the idea as too far-fetched.

If it were possible, the culprits would be more like Earthworms than black magicians.

The Earthworm—a monster that supposedly burrowed through the earth as freely as a sea serpent swam through the ocean. It was so rare and rarely surfaced that it was treated as a mythical creature.

‘But now that I think about it, there was a secret technique among black magicians that involved controlling monsters….’

A shiver ran down Yustaf’s spine.

If this organization was indeed a group of black magicians and they were using their secret techniques to control Earthworms?

It would be a perfect crime, impossible to detect until the moment disaster struck.

"Harun! I’ve heard the Alchemist Guild has detailed information on various monsters."

"Yes, that’s correct. But why do you ask?"

"We need information on Earthworms! Everything you have!"

“Would you like to draw the next line, Sena?”

“Me? You want me to do it?”

I nodded.

But Sena just trembled, gripping the pen, unable to move.

“It’s okay. This isn’t a formal draft, just a rough sketch, so if something goes wrong, we can just redraw it.”

After hearing that it didn’t matter if she made a mistake, Sena finally took a deep breath and began to trace over the rough lines I had drawn.

‘It seems I wasn’t mistaken.’

I believe that art is often a matter of innate talent.

While practice can help one reach a certain level, there are people who naturally create what others must learn through practice the moment they pick up a pen.

Geniuses who instinctively grasp perspective, color balance, shading, and folds—using these elements naturally when drawing.

Sena was one of those geniuses.

I discovered this by chance.

This morning, Ada had been running excitedly through the halls with a piece of paper, and when I checked what it was, I saw that it was a drawing of Ada and Poppy… no, Rush.

Ada was standing in a special cart like a triumphant general, while Rush, looking exhausted, was pulling the cart.

‘Did I draw this in my sleep?’

Although it was slightly rough, Ada’s lively expression and pose were well captured, and Rush’s expression, looking like an office worker trapped in a crowded train, was spot-on.

‘Sena drew this for me!’

Sena?

I immediately called Sena over to confirm if she had indeed drawn it herself. She, thinking she was in trouble, was on the verge of tears but eventually admitted that she had.

It took some effort to calm down the nervous Sena, but once I confirmed her skill, it was evident that she had a remarkable talent.

‘This is true talent. How could she match my style so well on her first attempt, following only the rough lines I sketched?’

This task was not as simple as it appeared. Assistant manga artists are generally classified into three levels.

There’s the assistant who handles the most basic tasks like applying screentones or making corrections with white-out.

Above them is the assistant who specializes in backgrounds.

And then there’s the most skilled and talented assistant who takes on the task of finishing the background lines of the characters drawn by the artist.

It’s a crucial role that requires not only skill but also a keen sense of artistry.

For Sena to accomplish this on her first try was extraordinary.

“Sena, have you drawn before?”

“…I’ve just tried copying the illustrations from your fairy tale books a few times, Young Master.”

Her story reminded me of my own childhood.

If you ask most manga artists what got them into drawing comics, they’ll usually say it started with trying to replicate something they saw as a child.

I, too, had been scolded more than once for drawing the protagonist of a comic I admired during school lessons.

“Sena, I’m not forcing you to do this. You should do what you want, okay?”

“…Yes.”

I spoke gently, trying to keep Sena from feeling pressured.

But she still seemed so tense.

‘At this rate, she might just agree to anything I suggest out of fear.’

Dealing with a timid girl like Sena was challenging after being used to someone as energetic as Ada.

“Sena, when you’re making a decision, don’t do it for someone else, do it for yourself. Of course, when you grow up, there will be times when you need to put others first, but there’s no rush.”

I lightly brushed her hair back as I spoke.

“For myself?”

“Yes, exactly. To put it simply, think of the world as existing just for you—just like Ada does.”

That’s the privilege of children, after all.

Our family’s youngest member enjoys that privilege a bit too much, though.

Hearing my words, Sena finally relaxed a little, the hand that had been trembling so much easing up.

“I’d like you to help me with my drawings, but it’s up to you. You can do whatever you want.”

“…I want to. I like your drawings, Young Master. I want to draw like that too!”

I was thrilled by her response. I had been struggling to find an assistant, and now, such a talented person had appeared.

Even though we had only spent a short time together, I had already confirmed that she had a good heart, and with her family and Krun working at our workshop, it made perfect sense for Sena to join as my assistant.

Of course, there would be a lot to teach her at first, but after some time, the work efficiency would increase dramatically, making the investment worthwhile.

‘Although, it’s a bit unfortunate that she’s still a child, so keeping up with my pace might be tough.’

I wasn’t heartless enough to overwork a 12-year-old child.

For now, teaching her for an hour or two each day would probably be the limit.

But just having someone to help with the work was enough to make me feel like celebrating.

I might even have four hours of free time each day soon.

“What? Does this mean Sena can’t play with me anymore?”

“No, Miss Ada. I’ll still be with you, except when I’m helping the Young Master with his work.”

Despite Sena’s explanation, Ada’s puffed-up cheeks showed no sign of deflating.

Since the surrounding nobles had forbidden their daughters from visiting the Somerset estate, Ada had been lonely without anyone her age to play with, making Sena a precious playmate.

“Then I want to draw with Brother too!”

However, Ada had already been banned from the workshop after ruining several drafts while trying to help, so it was impossible.

Sena struggled to soothe Ada, but she felt a warm sense of joy in her heart, making the effort worthwhile.

• "The whole world exists for you, Sena."

She recalled Rupert’s words as he looked at her.

When Sena first saw Rupert, she was so surprised she couldn’t speak.

‘He looks just like the prince in The Little Mermaid!’

To think that the author of her favorite fairy tale looked exactly like the prince in the story.

And when Rupert saw her drawing, instead of scolding her, he praised her and asked if she would help him with his work.

She had decided right then that she had to do it.

Unlike typical noblemen, Rupert treated her no differently than his little sister Ada, and the opportunity to help create the fairy tales and comics she loved so much felt like an incredible stroke of luck.

‘This is my chance to repay his kindness!’

Sena had been worrying about how to repay Rupert for bringing her family to a better life and letting her friend Krun pursue his passion.

Helping with his work seemed like the perfect way to give back, so she resolved to assist Rupert with all her might.

However, the artisans and Krun in the workshop, who watched her make this decision, couldn’t help but cry out in alarm, urging her to run away immediately, though she didn’t understand why.