"Leave it here," the emperor commanded.

Julius, the Count of the Imperial Court, had delivered the item requested by the emperor and was now leaving the emperor’s chambers, reflecting on Rupert Somerset.

Rupert could have easily been the one to succeed him as Count of the Court.

And now, the emperor had finally taken an interest in one of Rupert’s works.

"I hear this Iron-Blooded Alchemist has reached its conclusion. I wish to see it for myself," the emperor had said.

The moment the order was given, Julius had acquired the Iron-Blooded Alchemist limited edition set for the emperor. In truth, Julius himself was a dedicated reader of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist, and he had just finished reading the final volume that very morning.

Now, he was eager to see how the emperor would react.

"This story might just be about the emperor," Julius thought.

As someone who had served by the emperor’s side, Julius was well aware of the complex emotions between the emperor and the crown prince. He believed the book might hold some answers.

"This..."

The man couldn’t find the words. As he closed the final page of the book, a flood of emotions washed over him, feelings he had never experienced before.

He recalled his first love, Rosa, from the house next door, and memories of playing in the fields with friends during his childhood seemed to surface as well.

"Is it regret? Or perhaps a sense of emptiness?"

Even he couldn’t fully describe the emotions stirring within him, but it wasn’t something only he felt.

Gathering in groups to read the latest release of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist had become a common sight. Typically, after finishing the book, people would engage in lively discussions or even heated debates over the story.

But today, after everyone had finished reading, the streets were unusually quiet.

Was it because the book wasn’t enjoyable?

No, that wasn’t the case. The expressions on people’s faces were not ones of frustration or anger but rather a deep sense of longing and melancholy.

『"Brother!!"

Alex Eldric cried out in anguish, but Edmund’s leg was trapped beneath the collapsed wall, and there was no way for him to escape.

Though Alex could have used alchemy to clear the debris, he was already using all his power to hold back another section of the wall. And creeping slowly toward Edmund was the homunculus, the creature who had swallowed a god.

It was a moment of extreme peril.

"Make a path," Alex demanded.

Mao, the princess from the East, shook her head.

But as Alex reassured her that the end was near, Mao, with tears in her eyes, threw a dagger at Edmund’s golem leg trapped under the wall.

"What... No, Alex!!!"

"We have to win, brother."

Smack!

The sound of two iron-clad hands clashing echoed as dust began to rise from Alex’s feet, his body slowly turning to ash.

At the same time, Edmund’s golem leg disappeared, freeing him from the debris.

But all Edmund could do was scream as he watched his brother fade away.

• "Is this enough for you?"

 

A scrawny boy stood at the gate of the heavens.

Alex answered.

"Yes, you just need to believe in me."』

The final boss, the homunculus, had seemed impossibly powerful.

But as the brothers and their comrades fought on, sometimes making sacrifices, sometimes using their wit, and sometimes relying on faith, they gradually overcame the odds, gripping readers with tension.

Particularly at the end, when the protagonist Edmund had a brief exchange with the gatekeeper of heaven, it wasn’t a scene meant to be sad or funny, yet it moved every reader to tears.

『"I thought alchemy was all-powerful. I lived in the delusion that I had become a god."

He had taken away the eyes of a soldier who dreamed of a better future for the empire, the child of his teacher who had longed for a family, and the warmth of his brother, who simply wanted to embrace their mother one last time.

"And as I traveled, seeking to restore what I had lost, I realized it was always with me from the start."

• "Use the Philosopher’s Stone. With it, you can bring back your brother, your mother, and even yourself."

 

"No."

Edmund shook his head at the gatekeeper’s suggestion.

• "Then what will you offer in return? Don’t forget the law of equivalent exchange, alchemist."

 

"I already have it here."

Edmund pointed behind him with a smile.

The gatekeeper laughed mockingly at his answer.

• "Do you not realize that if you offer that, you will return to being an ordinary human?"

 

"I’ve always been an ordinary human. One too weak to protect even a little girl."

• "Hahaha!!!"

 

The gatekeeper roared with laughter.

Though he had no face, it was clear that he was satisfied with Edmund’s answer.

• "You’ve realized it, alchemist. Now, take everything."』

 

"Neither the homunculus nor alchemy was all-powerful."
"The gatekeeper wasn’t lying from the start. Everyone was so focused on the surface, they missed the truth."
"Just an ordinary person who couldn’t even protect a little girl..."

The final part of the story left room for varied interpretations.

However, the message of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist was clear to everyone.

"People grow through trials."
"Arrogance and challenge are different. The homunculus was arrogant, while the protagonist never stopped challenging himself, even in the face of hardship."
"Ah... And that last scene, it was truly incredible."

Only after some time had passed did the readers of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist process the profound impact of the story and start talking again.

That night, the conversations about the manga lasted longer than usual, going late into the night.

But after all the discussions were over, they realized a chilling truth.

"So, what do we do now?"

There would be no more The Iron-Blooded Alchemist.

Amelia had several dreams when she entered the Academy.

One of those dreams involved sitting next to Rupert in a lecture by coincidence.

• Oh my.

 

She imagined taking notes diligently during class, their hands accidentally touching, or perhaps exchanging questions about assignments, leading to casual conversations.

‘Miss Amelia, thank you for signing up for my class. I look forward to working with you.’

However, the biggest problem was that when she reunited with Rupert, he wasn’t a student, but a professor.

Their positions were different, and the only time she could see him was during the Understanding Art class.

Amelia had even signed up for the manga club that Rupert created, just to see him more often.

That day, her roommate shared a strange rumor.

"Lady Amelia, did you hear? Professor Eustaf’s assistant professor threatened a student during class! It caused quite a stir!"

Though they were both in the Magic Department, since elective classes varied, Amelia hadn’t heard the story before and was intrigued.

"That professor threatened a student?"

The assistant professor, as far as Amelia remembered, was a woman named Xenia, rumored to be one of Eustaf’s most talented disciples. Hearing that someone of such talent had threatened a student piqued Amelia’s curiosity.

"I don’t know all the details, but apparently, the student had said something bad about one of the professors."

Amelia thought the Academy was full of young, reckless nobles who didn’t know their place.

Many of these students were talented enough to enroll, but they were often arrogant and disrespectful. Professors at the Academy were well-regarded experts in the empire, and it was absurd for any student to speak ill of them.

"What kind of slander could they have uttered?"

"I’m not sure, but the student fainted and was taken to the infirmary. Fortunately, they’re okay now, just unconscious."

"That does sound a bit excessive."

Though Amelia agreed that the student was at fault for speaking ill of a professor, threatening them to the point of fainting seemed like an overreaction.

‘Of course, if they had insulted Rupert, I wouldn’t have stood for it either.’

Once again, Amelia’s thoughts drifted to Rupert.

Although she disliked harming others, she couldn’t imagine staying calm if someone slandered Rupert.

The thought of Rupert protecting her during a difficult time still warmed Amelia’s heart.

‘I’d give him everything, even more than I owe him.’

Today, she had received the final volume of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist.

Though Amelia preferred the fairy tales Rupert had written before, she still read his manga diligently because it was his creation.

And after reading the final volume today, she couldn’t help but feel excited again.

‘That confession was the most romantic I’ve ever seen.’

The line the protagonist nervously delivered to the heroine, Windy Rox, had left a deep impression on Amelia’s heart.

Without realizing it, Amelia had imagined herself as Windy, with Rupert as the protagonist.

As thoughts of Rupert filled her mind, she found herself eagerly waiting for the next Understanding Art lecture to come around, hoping to see him again.

She was also looking forward to the manga club activities, where she hoped to grow closer to him.

Every day was filled with anticipation, and yet the waiting felt agonizing, leaving her with a mix of excitement and impatience, much like the gentle warmth of the spring air that was beginning to spread.

Bang!

The secret room of the Third Prince, Edric, was now full of dents and cracks.

When he transferred to the Academy, he had brought his entire royal collection with him, so he needed a safe place to store his belongings.

Luckily, the Academy had assigned him a spacious room, considering his status as royalty, so it hadn’t been difficult for him to set up another secret space.

But the odd thing was, despite the room being newly constructed, there were already fist marks all over the walls.

The culprit, Edric himself, clenched his fists in frustration, slamming them against the wall once more.

Bang!

If the walls weren’t made of such sturdy material, they might have crumbled from the force.

"How am I supposed to move forward, knowing how it ends?"

For the first time in his life, Edric was experiencing a deep sense of despair and helplessness.

Even after entering the Academy, he hadn’t given up his hobbies, so naturally, he had purchased the latest edition of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist, which had just been released.

However, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to read it.

Under normal circumstances, he would have carefully stored the limited edition, displayed the hardcover, and read the paperback version. But this time, he couldn’t even muster the courage to open the book.

• "It had such a perfect ending! Edmund and Windy’s confession scene was absolutely flawless!"

 

He had overheard someone talking about the final volume.

He already knew it was the conclusion of the series, and judging by the way the story had progressed, he had expected a happy ending for Edmund and Windy.

Yet, that was exactly why he couldn’t bring himself to open the book.

He was too afraid of how it would end.

The thought of Windy smiling at the protagonist felt like a cruel conclusion to him.

After standing there for a while, staring at an illustration of Windy on the wall, Edric finally made a decision. He sat at his desk, illuminated by a magic lamp, and pulled out the book.

With trembling hands, he opened the first page.

"If this is a trial, I will gladly face it."

Edric gazed at the figurine of Windy for courage. He convinced himself that this was his own personal trial, just like in The Iron-Blooded Alchemist.

"People cannot grow without pain. Windy, I will make this pain my own. And once I’ve overcome it, I will become the man truly worthy of you."

• "Wait for me, Windy. I will come for you!"