After teaching his lectures at the academy, Rupert's daily routine involved spending some time with the ever-energetic Ada, who often had her "horns out" in mischief, before heading to the workshop to check on the progress of the animation project.

Once that was done, he moved to the third floor to review the manuscripts that Saint and Sena were working on.

Evaluating their work was far from a relaxing activity. Rupert couldn't just enjoy it as a casual reader—he had to focus intensely, offering careful critiques to improve the quality of their comics, making it a rather challenging task.

‘It's a bit of a shame,’ he thought.

Both of their works had many interesting elements. If one had to categorize them, Saint’s leaned toward science fiction, while Sena’s was more of a romance comic.

For Rupert, who had experienced the culture of modern Earth, understanding these genres wasn’t difficult. However, he had to keep in mind that these genres would be unfamiliar to readers in this other world.

Sena’s story was easy to follow, but the audience for comics wasn’t limited to women, so there was a need to broaden its appeal.

It was understandable that there were still limitations—after all, they were in the early stages of developing the comic medium in this world.

On Earth, comics had evolved to encompass a wide range of niche genres, thanks to trailblazers who had built up a broad audience. Now, Rupert and his team had the responsibility to pioneer the popularization of comics here, just as other artists had done on Earth.

The thought of making the wrong choices and leading the genre down a bad path was terrifying.

“You’ve both worked hard. Go rest for now.”

Saint and Sena, eager to immediately correct the feedback they had received, were sent home by Rupert, who knew all too well the consequences of overworking oneself—he had collapsed from exhaustion himself once before.

After reviewing their work, Rupert could finally focus on his own projects.

‘It's going to be a tight schedule until the end of the semester,’ he thought.

Despite his efforts to maintain a more structured routine, things rarely went as planned. Still, he took solace in the fact that, at least, he wasn’t relying on energy potions like water anymore and managed to fit in morning exercise regularly.

Sitting at his desk, Rupert calmly began sketching his storyboard.

‘Let’s start with a protagonist who loses their family in a vampire attack.’

The initial plot involved the protagonist returning home to find their family brutally murdered by vampires. In their blind rage, the protagonist sets off on a quest for revenge, only to face the overwhelming power of the vampires.

That’s when a mysterious man appears, wielding a nimble weapon—closer to a blade than a sword—and swiftly cuts down the vampires.

But...

‘Just using a sword feels a bit bland.’

There was a reason why swords in comics often flared with fire or crackled with lightning.

Of course, there were stories where a single sword was used in desperate, grueling battles against powerful enemies, but this was a fantasy world. In a place filled with magic and superhuman abilities, mere swordsmanship wouldn’t meet readers’ expectations.

Something more special was needed.

‘The natural elements are always a standout.’

What could excite readers more than seeing fire, ice, wind, or lightning erupt from a sword?

It was the kind of straightforward, visually striking element that easily captivated audiences.

In the story, the mysterious man would unleash flames from his sword as he slayed the attacking vampires.

The concept started to come together: the protagonist would grow by following this man, who was part of a secret organization dedicated to hunting vampires.

‘The secret organization should definitely be called “Van Helsing.”’

In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one of the key characters, Van Helsing, had become synonymous with vampire hunters over time.

Thanks to various reinterpretations, he was now seen as a strong, capable hunter. While, in the original, Van Helsing was more of a thinker than a fighter, the reimagined version suited Rupert’s vision.

Since no one in this world knew of Van Helsing or Dracula, Rupert decided to use the name for the secret organization in his story.

With the organization’s name settled, Rupert moved on to fleshing out its details.

The secret society had been fighting vampires for centuries and consisted of humans, elves, dwarves, and other races. However, Rupert decided that elves would be the central race within the organization.

The idea of long-lived elves opposing equally immortal vampires intrigued him.

‘What if vampires were once elves who had become corrupted and turned into vampires?’

The concept of pale-skinned, near-immortal vampires had a lot in common with elves in this world, which made the idea of them being former elves quite plausible.

Once Rupert established the core concepts, his work began to flow more smoothly.

“I’ve heard of the Crimson Warden.”

In Celestial, where the headquarters of the Goddess’s Church was located, an unusual group of visitors caused quite a stir.

Elves.

A race rarely seen outside of their World Tree, and almost never interacting with the Goddess’s Church, had arrived in Celestial. It was an unprecedented event in the long history of the church.

While both humans and elves worshiped the Goddess, humans revered the Saintess as the daughter of the Goddess, whereas elves believed that only the World Tree was the true embodiment of the Goddess’s grace. It was a relationship akin to oil and water.

“We know there’s no love lost between us, but if we let them slip through our fingers, the continent could face unimaginable disaster.”

The elf’s words sent a chill through the surrounding clergy.

Even though their beliefs differed, to speak so disrespectfully to the daughter of their beloved Goddess, the Saintess, was unforgivable.

Sensing the tension, the male elf standing next to the speaker became nervous, but the female elf, Cypriss, remained calm and collected.

“We’ll need to hear more before we can offer any support.”

“I can’t! This information cost us lives to obtain. If there’s a traitor among the humans, it would be the end for us.”

“That’s quite amusing. You’re asking for help but refuse to provide any information. Is that how elves negotiate?”

“Well...”

“Besides, we already know about Sataniel. He was originally one of your kind, was he not? Doesn’t it make this all the more dangerous that you have this information about him?”

Cypriss clenched her teeth and glared at the Saintess with murderous intent.

However, she couldn’t refute her words.

Sataniel was indeed the original sin of all elves.

“Saintess, she’s here as a member of the Crimson Warden, not just an elf.”

Unable to bear the tension, Richard stepped in to continue the conversation.

“When we fought the forces of the night, I heard that your church’s secret organization played a crucial role.”

“I’m surprised you still remember such old tales. It seems time flows differently for elves,” the Saintess replied with amusement.

The Saintess found the visitors intriguing.

After teaching his lectures at the academy, Rupert's daily routine involved spending some time with the ever-energetic Ada, who often had her "horns out" in mischief, before heading to the workshop to check on the progress of the animation project.

Once that was done, he moved to the third floor to review the manuscripts that Saint and Sena were working on.

Evaluating their work was far from a relaxing activity. Rupert couldn't just enjoy it as a casual reader—he had to focus intensely, offering careful critiques to improve the quality of their comics, making it a rather challenging task.

‘It's a bit of a shame,’ he thought.

Both of their works had many interesting elements. If one had to categorize them, Saint’s leaned toward science fiction, while Sena’s was more of a romance comic.

For Rupert, who had experienced the culture of modern Earth, understanding these genres wasn’t difficult. However, he had to keep in mind that these genres would be unfamiliar to readers in this other world.

Sena’s story was easy to follow, but the audience for comics wasn’t limited to women, so there was a need to broaden its appeal.

It was understandable that there were still limitations—after all, they were in the early stages of developing the comic medium in this world.

On Earth, comics had evolved to encompass a wide range of niche genres, thanks to trailblazers who had built up a broad audience. Now, Rupert and his team had the responsibility to pioneer the popularization of comics here, just as other artists had done on Earth.

The thought of making the wrong choices and leading the genre down a bad path was terrifying.

“You’ve both worked hard. Go rest for now.”

Saint and Sena, eager to immediately correct the feedback they had received, were sent home by Rupert, who knew all too well the consequences of overworking oneself—he had collapsed from exhaustion himself once before.

After reviewing their work, Rupert could finally focus on his own projects.

‘It's going to be a tight schedule until the end of the semester,’ he thought.

Despite his efforts to maintain a more structured routine, things rarely went as planned. Still, he took solace in the fact that, at least, he wasn’t relying on energy potions like water anymore and managed to fit in morning exercise regularly.

Sitting at his desk, Rupert calmly began sketching his storyboard.

‘Let’s start with a protagonist who loses their family in a vampire attack.’

The initial plot involved the protagonist returning home to find their family brutally murdered by vampires. In their blind rage, the protagonist sets off on a quest for revenge, only to face the overwhelming power of the vampires.

That’s when a mysterious man appears, wielding a nimble weapon—closer to a blade than a sword—and swiftly cuts down the vampires.

But...

‘Just using a sword feels a bit bland.’

There was a reason why swords in comics often flared with fire or crackled with lightning.

Of course, there were stories where a single sword was used in desperate, grueling battles against powerful enemies, but this was a fantasy world. In a place filled with magic and superhuman abilities, mere swordsmanship wouldn’t meet readers’ expectations.

Something more special was needed.

‘The natural elements are always a standout.’

What could excite readers more than seeing fire, ice, wind, or lightning erupt from a sword?

It was the kind of straightforward, visually striking element that easily captivated audiences.

In the story, the mysterious man would unleash flames from his sword as he slayed the attacking vampires.

The concept started to come together: the protagonist would grow by following this man, who was part of a secret organization dedicated to hunting vampires.

‘The secret organization should definitely be called “Van Helsing.”’

In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one of the key characters, Van Helsing, had become synonymous with vampire hunters over time.

Thanks to various reinterpretations, he was now seen as a strong, capable hunter. While, in the original, Van Helsing was more of a thinker than a fighter, the reimagined version suited Rupert’s vision.

Since no one in this world knew of Van Helsing or Dracula, Rupert decided to use the name for the secret organization in his story.

With the organization’s name settled, Rupert moved on to fleshing out its details.

The secret society had been fighting vampires for centuries and consisted of humans, elves, dwarves, and other races. However, Rupert decided that elves would be the central race within the organization.

The idea of long-lived elves opposing equally immortal vampires intrigued him.

‘What if vampires were once elves who had become corrupted and turned into vampires?’

The concept of pale-skinned, near-immortal vampires had a lot in common with elves in this world, which made the idea of them being former elves quite plausible.

Once Rupert established the core concepts, his work began to flow more smoothly.

 

“I’ve heard of the Crimson Warden.”

In Celestial, where the headquarters of the Goddess’s Church was located, an unusual group of visitors caused quite a stir.

Elves.

A race rarely seen outside of their World Tree, and almost never interacting with the Goddess’s Church, had arrived in Celestial. It was an unprecedented event in the long history of the church.

While both humans and elves worshiped the Goddess, humans revered the Saintess as the daughter of the Goddess, whereas elves believed that only the World Tree was the true embodiment of the Goddess’s grace. It was a relationship akin to oil and water.

“We know there’s no love lost between us, but if we let them slip through our fingers, the continent could face unimaginable disaster.”

The elf’s words sent a chill through the surrounding clergy.

Even though their beliefs differed, to speak so disrespectfully to the daughter of their beloved Goddess, the Saintess, was unforgivable.

Sensing the tension, the male elf standing next to the speaker became nervous, but the female elf, Cypriss, remained calm and collected.

“We’ll need to hear more before we can offer any support.”

“I can’t! This information cost us lives to obtain. If there’s a traitor among the humans, it would be the end for us.”

“That’s quite amusing. You’re asking for help but refuse to provide any information. Is that how elves negotiate?”

“Well...”

“Besides, we already know about Sataniel. He was originally one of your kind, was he not? Doesn’t it make this all the more dangerous that you have this information about him?”

Cypriss clenched her teeth and glared at the Saintess with murderous intent.

However, she couldn’t refute her words.

Sataniel was indeed the original sin of all elves.

“Saintess, she’s here as a member of the Crimson Warden, not just an elf.”

Unable to bear the tension, Richard stepped in to continue the conversation.

“When we fought the forces of the night, I heard that your church’s secret organization played a crucial role.”

“I’m surprised you still remember such old tales. It seems time flows differently for elves,” the Saintess replied with amusement.

The Saintess found the visitors intriguing.

She had long been aware of the Crimson Warden, but their secretive nature meant she had never seen them in person. Their visit, bearing news of a potential threat to the continent, was a serious matter.

“I thought the Crimson Warden had only one human member.”

“…My master has passed away.”

“What? Your master?”

The Saintess, usually stoic and unaffected by emotion, was genuinely shocked by Richard’s words.

The Sword Saint.

Only the Pope and the Saintess knew that the Sword Saint, who had disappeared from the Empire years ago, had joined the Crimson Warden to fight against the forces of the night.

-One day, he came to the church and requested that his sword be blessed with the unquenchable sun.

Typically, weapons were blessed by clergy to fight against corrupted beings, but the blessing usually didn’t last long.

However, the Saintess was the only one who could perform a blessing that would last as long as the sword remained unbroken, a blessing known as the "unquenchable sun."

It was a rare and difficult ritual, one that the Saintess could only perform once a year due to the immense amount of divine power it required. However, the Sword Saint had been deemed worthy, having lived a life of righteousness and virtue.

After receiving the blessing, the Sword Saint had left to join the Crimson Warden.

‘I never imagined that tragedy was the work of the Dark Elves...’

The tragedy that had caused the Sword Saint to disappear was widely believed to be related to the deaths of his family. However, only the church knew that Sataniel had been responsible.

It was a secret known only to the church, as the Sword Saint had shared it directly with them. Even the Emperor had no knowledge of this.

And now, hearing that the Sword Saint was dead, the Saintess couldn’t believe it.

“Is Sataniel really that powerful?”

Karl Oregon, the Sword Saint of the Empire.

One of the greatest Sword Saints in history, his strength was beyond that of any ordinary human.

Sataniel had been on the church’s radar for years, and while they were aware of the danger he posed, they never imagined him capable of killing someone as powerful as the Sword Saint.

“It’s because of me... Master died protecting me! There’s no way Sataniel could have beaten him otherwise!”

Richard burst into tears, his voice filled with anguish as he confessed to the Saintess.

‘This is truly dangerous.’

Despite Richard’s emotional outburst, the Saintess’s expression remained stern.

She now understood that the situation was far more dire than she had anticipated, and it was time to raise the alert level concerning Sataniel.

“This is not the time for idle talk.”

Her next words shocked everyone gathered in the church.

-Summon the Order of Zion.

The Crimson Warden may have been the secret society that hunted the forces of the night among the elves, but the humans also had a secret weapon against the forces of evil.

The Order of Zion was a military group within the church, one that only the Saintess had the authority to command.

The moment the Saintess called upon the Order of Zion, everyone knew one thing was certain.

A holy war had begun.