『Manga Club Application Form
Name:
Department:
Reason for Applying:』

Adrian Belmont, the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Sylvania, sat at the desk in his private dorm, staring at the sheet of paper before him.

The Imperial Academy typically followed the rule of two students per dormitory, but there were two exceptions among the new students this year. One was the Third Prince of the Empire, Edric Bell, and the other was Adrian.

It was rare for nobles from other nations to study abroad at the Academy, but a royal enrolling was unprecedented. Because of this, the Academy had no choice but to provide him with a private room to avoid any disturbances.

Adrian was deep in thought as he began filling out the application for the manga club.

‘Why are key figures like the Third Prince and others all trying to join this professor’s class and club?’

From the moment Adrian decided to study abroad in the Empire, he had one goal: to bring down the Empire, which had invaded his homeland of Sylvania and plunged it into war.

His only reason for coming to the Academy was to learn more about his enemy and devise a strategy to defeat them.

There were many ridiculous rumors surrounding his decision, including the claim that he had fled due to losing in the struggle for the throne. Adrian had only laughed at such baseless speculation.

‘At least I can observe the famous Imperial Academy directly.’

During his time at the Academy, Adrian planned to uncover as many of the Empire’s weaknesses as possible.

He kept his rage hidden beneath a polite and humble exterior, working hard to adapt to the Academy’s social environment. Adrian even flattered the nobles of the Empire to win their favor.

The person he tried hardest to befriend was none other than Edric Bell, the Third Prince.

‘Things haven’t gone as expected, but it’s too soon to give up.’

Adrian had hoped to form a close relationship with the Third Prince, intending to plant a seed of chaos within the Empire.

The rumors that the Crown Prince’s position was unstable had spread not only throughout the Empire but also to neighboring Sylvania.

People had even begun openly discussing who the next Crown Prince might be. Adrian saw this as an opportunity.

By getting close to a potential successor, he hoped to sow seeds of doubt and create instability within the Empire. If a fierce succession battle broke out, it would be the perfect moment for Sylvania to rise.

However, his plan was now on the brink of collapse.

The once-derided Crown Prince had solidified his position beyond doubt.

After wiping out a dangerous group of black magicians who had threatened the Empire, the Crown Prince had further secured his standing by sacrificing his right arm to protect his soldiers. His tale had become so well-known that even children in rural villages spoke of it.

The sight of the Crown Prince wearing a new golem arm during the recent parade had earned him the nickname “The Iron Prince,” and his popularity had soared.

‘No, it’s not over yet.’

Despite this setback, Adrian had not given up.

He hadn’t had many opportunities to interact with Edric Bell yet, but he was convinced that the Third Prince would one day covet the Crown Prince’s position, or perhaps even the Emperor’s throne.

Adrian vividly remembered the banquet he attended upon his arrival in the Empire, where he saw Edric watching the Crown Prince with an intense, covetous gaze. It wasn’t the look of a brother admiring his sibling—it was a look filled with ambition.

‘He’s dangerous.’

Although none of the information Adrian had gathered suggested that Edric was eyeing the Crown Prince’s seat, he believed the Third Prince was merely biding his time, much like a predator stalking its prey.

‘Whatever it takes, I must use Edric to create chaos in the Empire.’

Adrian knew his actions were risky.

But without taking risks, he would never be able to topple the Empire.

In the worst-case scenario, Adrian was prepared to take full responsibility and even commit suicide. He had already warned his brother, the heir to Sylvania’s throne, to be ready to disown him if things went wrong.

‘That’s why I must join this club.’

Rumors were circulating that not only the Third Prince, but also Lady Amelia of the Bluewell Duchy and the heir to the Northern Marquis, had applied to join the manga club.

Unfortunately, Adrian didn’t have any talent as a soldier, so joining the military department was out of the question. Instead, he had taken the “Understanding Art” elective, which he hadn’t initially considered, just to be in the same class as the Third Prince.

Now that Edric had joined Professor Rupert’s manga club in addition to taking the elective, Adrian had no choice but to apply as well.

Nearly every new and returning student at the Academy had applied, so competition for a spot was fierce, but Adrian wasn’t too worried. He was confident that any reasonable professor wouldn’t reject a prince.

‘Though there are disturbing rumors about him...’

Despite not originally being on his radar, Rupert Somerset had started to draw Adrian’s attention.

Rupert was the creator of the Empire’s popular fairy tale and comic books, the true head of the Somerset family, and rumored to be close to the Crown Prince.

Becoming the youngest professor at the Imperial Academy had already made Rupert a subject of gossip, but tales of his supposedly ruthless and unkind nature had recently spread.

The manga club Rupert had established was now the center of attention at the Academy.

Since the club was only accepting ten members, Adrian couldn’t shake the slight anxiety creeping in.

The manga club was too important to miss—a chance to not only interact with the Third Prince but also observe key figures like Lady Bluewell, the heir to the Northern Marquis, and the unpredictable Rupert Somerset.

Meanwhile, the man at the center of all the gossip, Rupert, had returned to his office after finishing his lecture. He was buried in paperwork, working on both administrative tasks and the storyboards for volumes 9 and 10 of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist.

“This is ridiculous. Why are there so many applicants?”

Normally, the amount of paperwork an Academy professor had to handle wasn’t overwhelming, but Rupert had brought this on himself by starting a new club.

He had founded the manga club to recruit talented individuals for his future animation projects, or, as he jokingly referred to them, future slaves… or rather, employees.

Since students couldn’t join more than one club, Rupert had initially worried that he might not fill all ten spots. Now, it seemed laughable—there were far too many applicants.

Rupert had no choice but to spend more time sorting through the applications.

On top of that, he needed to quickly finish the storyboards for volumes 9 and 10 of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist so that Saint and Sena could begin their work.

Gulp.

Rupert had been trying to limit his use of vitality potions ever since learning they contained addictive substances, but he still carried one with him at all times.

‘The Saintess did say one bottle a day is fine.’

In addition to the manga, Rupert also had to draft the guidelines for the upcoming competition he was planning in collaboration with the Yuren Trading Company.

The competition was designed to select works for the launch of the manga magazine, so Rupert needed to be directly involved in the selection process to find the right pieces.

The head of the Yuren Trading Company was already dreading the flood of submissions, estimating that anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand works could be entered due to the large prize pool.

Since Rupert wouldn’t have time to review all the entries himself, he needed to set up criteria for the employees to filter out as many as possible in the first round.

‘Ada’s going to be upset again.’

Rupert worried about getting home late again, knowing his sister Ada wouldn’t be happy.

“Look at this!”

In front of a Yuren Trading Company branch in a rural part of the Empire, a crowd had gathered.

It was unusual for people to gather outside the branch unless it was the release day for a new manga or fairy tale book, so this scene was particularly strange.

“What does it say? ‘You too can become a manga artist. We are waiting for the next Rupert Somerset.’”

Since the spread of fairy tale books and manga, more people had learned to read, even if only slowly. They could now understand the contents of the notice posted outside the branch.

“The Greatest Manga Contest in the Universe?”

Alongside the release dates for volumes 9 and 10 of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist, the notice detailed the guidelines for the contest.

“Wait, so we have to draw a manga and submit it?”

“That’s what it says! You need to submit at least 15 pages, which counts as one episode, and a total of three episodes to the Yuren Trading Company for review.”

At first, the crowd was intrigued by the contest, but interest soon faded.

“I don’t know how to draw.”

“Fifteen pages may seem like a lot, but creating 45 pages for three episodes? That would take at least a month of hard work.”

Though reading manga was easy, creating it was a different story.

The “Greatest Manga Contest in the Universe” was about to become one of those events people briefly noticed before forgetting.

However...

“What?! The first-place prize is 100 gold?”

“They’re selecting two winners, and even the third-place prize is substantial.”

“No way! This is an opportunity we can’t pass up!”

The promise of 100 gold for first place, written at the bottom of the notice, caught everyone’s attention.

“I heard Hans, the guy who lives by the crossroads, is really good at drawing.”

“I’ve got a great story idea. I think I’ve got this contest in the bag!”

“But don’t we need tools to draw manga?”

• From beginner manga sets to expert-level tools, visit the Yuren Trading Company for all your needs.

As if they had been waiting for this moment, Yuren Trading Company employees set up stalls next to the notice, displaying various manga-related tools.

“If you want to win, you need good tools…”

“Wow, this pen was made by a dwarf!”

“Amazing… Drawing on paper like this would feel incredible!”

Most of the tools being sold by the Yuren Trading Company had been developed at Rupert’s Somerset workshop.

On the very first day the notice was posted, the sales from the tools alone covered the cost of the prize money Rupert had put up for the contest.