"Your drawings are incredibly impressive, Princess. However, if I may point out a minor flaw, it's that your technique lacks a certain variety."

Ever since returning to the palace after her trip, Iolin had been deeply preoccupied with Rupert's critique of her work.

‘So that’s why my drawings lacked liveliness and didn’t hold attention.’

Simply copying what she saw had never been difficult for Iolin.

But no matter how closely she replicated the images, something always felt missing. Rupert’s brief critique had finally revealed what that missing element was, and she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"You need to vary the size of the characters. Also, use the placement of buildings to guide the reader’s gaze more effectively."

Drawing wasn’t just about reproducing what was visible.

In some ways, it reminded Iolin of the swordsmanship lessons she had briefly taken as a child.

Just as countless subtle movements and controlled breaths were needed to lead an opponent, art required techniques to guide the viewer’s eye in the intended direction.

Back in her chambers, Iolin began rereading Rupert’s manga from the beginning.

Now, she could finally see the meaning behind his illustrations.

In some scenes, he had positioned buildings in the center to naturally draw the viewer's gaze. In others, he had used contrasts in light and shadow to emphasize the protagonist.

The more she noticed these details, the more chills ran down her spine.

‘Is this really something that can be calculated?’

Until now, Iolin had always relied on intuition when drawing. The idea that someone could think through such intricate compositions in every scene was shocking to her.

"Although praise for your work is well-deserved, if I had to offer one piece of criticism, Princess, it would be that your drawings feel as though they were made solely with your fingertips."

She had understood Rupert’s technical advice immediately, but his final remark had left her puzzled—it had seemed vague and hard to grasp.

However, after rereading Rupert’s manga, she finally understood his last piece of advice.

Up until now, her drawings had not been crafted for the viewer, but rather to showcase her own skill.

No wonder they had lacked liveliness and failed to immerse the reader.

‘This is fun. It’s been so long since I felt the desire to get better.’

Most people would have been discouraged after realizing their shortcomings and seeing how meticulously crafted Rupert’s manga was.

But Iolin was different.

The higher the wall, the more she relished the challenge. Discovering her own deficiencies excited her, and the fact that Rupert’s abilities far surpassed hers only motivated her more.

It reminded her of a famous soccer player who once mentioned in an interview how, as a child, he used to hold back during neighborhood games because if he played seriously, no one else would stand a chance. Even after turning pro, he had continued playing half-heartedly for a while, until he transferred to one of the top leagues in the world and finally found someone who pushed him to give his all.

That was exactly how Iolin felt now.

Whenever she gave her best effort, her opponents would lose the will to continue, and she would grow disinterested.

But Rupert seemed capable of effortlessly handling her full strength, and that made him an opponent worth pursuing.

“Prepare a new pen and plenty of paper for practice.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jorge, who had long since abandoned the notion of guarding Iolin in secret and now openly accompanied her, immediately moved to fulfill her request.

“Is this truly heaven?”

Schraud, the president of the fan club, stood frozen in awe at the sight before him.

The first thing that caught his eye was the full-sized steel armor of Alex Eldrick, the younger brother of the protagonist in The Alchemist of Steel.

While Alex Eldrick figurines had been available for some time, what stood before Schraud now was on a completely different level.

This life-sized 1:1 scale figure of the steel armor was just as gigantic as it appeared in the manga.

After standing dazed for a long while, Schraud finally began inspecting the details of the armor, only to be filled with even greater admiration.

It was so meticulously crafted that it seemed like it had leaped straight out of the pages of the manga.

“Making a reservation for this exhibit was incredibly difficult, but it was worth it for this alone!”

As a noble, Schraud had always kept his enthusiasm for manga hidden, and now he felt an overwhelming sense of liberation.

Though he was a huge manga fan, his status as a nobleman required him to downplay it in public. So, to express his love for manga, he had founded the fan club.

And now, at this special exhibition, Schraud was experiencing true bliss.

**"Somerset Goods Store Special Event:
Unreleased Figurine and Exclusive Goods Display.
Limited-time items available only at the exhibition.
Special menu items from The Alchemist of Steel.

This special exhibition is for a limited time and operates on a 100% reservation basis."*

When Schraud had initially visited Somerset’s goods store to purchase the latest figurines, he had immediately rushed to secure a reservation for the newly announced special exhibition.

Even though the exhibition was only open to customers with at least a gold membership, the competition had been fierce, and some of the fan club members hadn’t managed to get tickets.

“Oh, it’s that legendary pocket watch!”

The exhibition, for which Schraud had gone to such great lengths to attend, was worth every bit of the trouble.

Not only did it feature countless unreleased figurines, but it also offered a rare chance to see one of the twelve Imperial-certified alchemist pocket watches ever made.

“Is this the same as the one worn by the Crown Prince?”
“It’s certainly a fitting item for His Highness.”
“How could something be this intricately designed?”

After marveling at the pocket watch for a while, Schraud’s attention was drawn to a commotion nearby.

‘Do they not understand how to properly appreciate art?’

At first, he was annoyed by the disturbance interrupting his viewing, but his curiosity was soon piqued. What could be causing such a stir?

Schraud made his way toward the crowd.

On the first day of the special exhibition, the area attracting the most attention was none other than the life-sized figure of the other protagonist of The Alchemist of Steel, Edmund Eldrick.

“What the…!”

Even Schraud, who had been silently criticizing the noisy crowd, couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

What caught his eye was the figure wearing the new model of the golem arm—the very same arm that had become a sensation when the Crown Prince had worn it.

As the president of the fan club, Schraud felt a strong sense of duty to convey the awe of seeing this masterpiece in person to the other members.

“…If I could just have that.”

While he was staring intently at the figure, Schraud suddenly heard a familiar voice and turned his head.

Standing nearby was a handsome young man with black hair, gazing at the Edmund Eldrick figure with an intensity that bordered on obsession.

‘I’ve heard that voice somewhere before…’

Schraud couldn’t quite place the voice, but he was certain he had heard it.

He figured he must have been mistaken—surely, if he had met someone that handsome, he wouldn’t have forgotten them. Shrugging it off, he returned to admiring the exhibit.

‘Well then, let’s check out the next one.’

Satisfied with his thorough inspection of the golem arm, Schraud moved on to the next part of the exhibition.

This section featured unreleased figurines of characters selected in a recent popularity poll.

Displayed on the table were figures of Edmund Eldrick, Windy Rox, and Prince Shin of the East, all arranged together.

Unlike the other figurines, these three seemed to be part of a set, placed naturally alongside each other.

Edmund Eldrick was shown shyly looking up at the sky, while Windy Rox stood beside him, linking arms and beaming. Prince Shin of the East, standing between them, had both arms wrapped around their shoulders in a friendly pose.

‘What an excellent display. Just looking at them brings to mind scenes from The Alchemist of Steel.’

Schraud knew that simply making a figurine resemble the character wasn’t enough to make it great.

A truly valuable figurine captured the essence of the character’s personality, or transported the viewer back to a memorable scene from the manga.

By that measure, the quality of these unreleased figurines was incredibly high, and Schraud was already excited to purchase them once they were available.

“Urgh… Don’t smile like that, Windy.”

While Schraud was still admiring the unreleased figurines, the familiar voice came again. This time, when he turned, the black-haired youth from earlier was now standing next to him.

The young man was gazing at the figures with misty eyes, as though he were looking at a long-lost love, prompting Schraud to take a cautious step back.

‘What’s wrong with this lunatic…?’

Although Schraud was also a fan of manga and figurines, he wasn’t so obsessed that it frightened people.

Suddenly, it dawned on him.

The young man’s intense admiration of the figures reminded Schraud of a member of his fan club, Elzawin.

Elzawin was a fanatic when it came to The Alchemist of Steel. He possessed an extensive collection of rare goods, including every limited-edition book, and had been the one to insist that Prince Shin of the East be included in the popularity poll.

‘Could that possibly be him?’

Now that he thought about it, the young man’s voice and Elzawin’s sounded remarkably similar.

Of course, in the fan club, everyone wore masks, so Schraud had never seen Elzawin’s face. But voices and body types were harder to conceal, and the resemblance was striking.

Still,

‘Nah, no way.’

Schraud dismissed the idea. As fanatical as Elzawin was, Schraud didn’t think even he would act as unhinged as the black-haired youth standing beside him.