One of the greatest advantages of a magazine was the ability to include a variety of content in a single book.

“Can you believe there are six works in here? This is absolutely amazing!”

After the release of Pinocchio, the long lines outside the Yuren Trading Company’s branches had disappeared for a while. Now, they had returned, with fans eagerly waiting for the latest release.

However, unlike the fierce competition during previous book releases, this time it wasn’t as intense. But that didn’t mean the demand had decreased.

-The Manafia manga magazine is only available in one standard edition.

In the past, storybooks and manga had been released in three different editions, which led to fierce competition to get the most coveted versions. This time, with only one type available, there was less urgency to rush and get a copy.

Nevertheless, people who were eager to get their hands on Rupert’s new work as quickly as possible still gathered, forming long lines. Additionally, the fact that they could now read the works of winners from the highly publicized manga competition also added to the magazine’s popularity.

Since the competition had offered such a large prize, many serious contenders had submitted manuscripts. This led many to wonder just how good the winning works were, prompting even more people to buy the magazine out of curiosity.

“Who would have thought that Sir Saint would draw manga?”

“I know, right? It’s hard to believe he gave up his prestigious position as the royal court artist, no matter how good the money might be.”

“He must have had another reason. After all, he once held a professor’s position at the academy, so it’s not like he was short of money.”

The inclusion of Saint Saliere as one of the manga artists had become a hot topic among the nobility.

While most commoners didn’t know who Saint was, among the aristocracy, he was a figure of considerable fame.

Known as the Empire’s greatest artist, Saint held the title of the royal court artist and had an illustrious career as a professor in the academy’s art department. Before Rupert emerged, Saint had been the most famous name in the art world.

For someone like Saint to give up all of his titles and prestige to venture into manga was more than enough to stir up discussion.

"The first story is called The Puppet Play."

As the first person in line purchased the magazine, a crowd quickly gathered around him.

The first work featured in the magazine was The Puppet Play, positioned prominently at the front.

 

On the day of a book release, Esteban always made it a point to observe the scene outside from the window of his office on the second floor of the Yuren Trading Company’s headquarters.

“Selling it twice, huh? The magazine is just a bait product.”

Watching the long line of customers waiting to purchase the new manga magazine, Esteban muttered to himself.

In fact, Esteban had initially opposed the idea of publishing a manga magazine.

At the time, he didn’t fully understand what a magazine entailed, and he didn’t see how it could be more profitable than selling standalone volumes.

After all, selling individual volumes meant they could sell six books, but a magazine would consolidate everything into one, which seemed like a loss to Esteban.

However...

"A magazine is a magazine. Of course, we’ll publish standalone volumes too."

"What? You’re going to release the same works again?"

"Most people won’t be satisfied with just the magazine. Readers always want to own the complete volumes of their favorite works."

Hearing Rupert’s explanation that once enough material was published in the magazine, they would release each series as standalone volumes, Esteban had decided to trust him completely.

What made Esteban such a successful merchant wasn’t just his keen eye.

He believed that the most important talent for a successful merchant was the ability to sense when to make the right bet.

All merchants were gamblers.

In the world of trade, where cunning and competition were key, Esteban believed that his ability to trust his instincts at crucial moments was what had allowed him to win time and again.

And now, his instincts were telling him to accept Rupert’s proposal, so he had immediately prepared for the magazine’s release without hesitation.

Though it was still too early to judge the results, seeing people all over the streets eagerly reading the magazine filled Esteban with confidence that his instincts had been right once again

 

In the Somerset estate’s garden, there stood a three-story building.

Commonly referred to as the "book factory," its official name was the Somerset Workshop, and right now, it was in complete chaos.

“Hurry up! We’re behind on orders!”

“Damn it, who forgot to refill the ink in Printer 3?”

“Hey, you didn’t bind this in the correct order! Didn’t you check?”

The first-floor workshop, which had been mostly dormant since the completion of The Alchemist of Steel, was now abuzz with activity as they scrambled to produce a large volume of orders.

Despite the shouting and the constant stream of problems, the workers quickly resolved the issues and continued to churn out books with a level of skill that truly earned them the title of artisans.

The second floor of the workshop was just as hectic.

“We need a mechanism that applies even pressure from top to bottom for the film.”

“How about a press like the ones used in the forge?”

“That’s a good idea, but we’ll need to adjust the strength.”

They were working tirelessly to perfect the projector for its upcoming debut, collaborating closely with both the Mage Tower and the Alchemist Guild.

Mages from the tower and alchemists from the guild had been sent to the workshop, and together, they were constantly conducting experiments and refining the device.

The collaboration was proving effective. In the past, problems would take a long time to resolve since they had to be verified through the Mage Tower and the Alchemist Guild, but now they could identify issues and fix them immediately, saving a great deal of time.

Meanwhile, the third and final floor of the Somerset Workshop was unusually quiet compared to the bustling activity below.

It wasn’t because no one was there. Rather, the silence came from everyone being absorbed in reading a single book.

'How could it be….'

Saint flipped through the pages with a sigh of admiration.

What he was reading was Iolin’s work, The Puppet Play.

“‘You can’t cry if you’ve decided to laugh, understand?’

Gaton held the boy tightly in his arms as a massive wall collapsed behind them.”

Since the manga featured mechanical puppets similar to those he worked with, Saint had been drawn to this work first.

And yet, despite himself, Saint was filled with self-doubt.

He was one of the few people who knew that the artist working under the pseudonym "Rin" was actually Iolin.

'The princess's talent is… incredible.'

Though Iolin’s bold, dynamic art style was rough around the edges, it was bursting with energy, captivating readers with its intensity.

Not only that, but the story unfolded in such a straightforward and refreshing way that it was hard to believe this was her first work.

The strong characters, the fantastic designs, and the spectacular battle scenes—all of it placed her work in direct opposition to Saint’s own style, or so he thought.

But Saint wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

'Saint, I failed to see your talent.'

Iolin, for her part, had chosen to read Saint’s work first.

The Man of the Second Century—the title alone suggested it was a difficult-to-understand story, and indeed, it was completely different from her own.

However, despite its calm and quiet tone, the story drew Iolin in with surprising speed.

"'It may be hard to understand, but humans are beautiful because they are imperfect.'

'What did you say?'

'Your freckled face, and your slightly crooked teeth.'

-That is what makes you unique. That uniqueness is what gives humans their individuality.'

As David spoke, the man unconsciously touched his freckles.

He had always thought they were ugly, but now, hearing that they were part of what made him unique, he started to feel a sense of pride.

'It is the imperfection that makes humanity special.'

David watched the man, who was still touching his freckles, and though David’s face remained expressionless, for some reason, Iolin thought she could see a hint of envy."

Though The Man of the Second Century lacked the explosive battles or flashy moments that Iolin’s work had, it pulled readers in deeply nonetheless.

‘There isn’t just one way to tell a story.’

Uniqueness often drew attention.

But now, Iolin thought this story showed that even in the ordinary, there could be something special.

This kind of storytelling wasn’t something she could create, even if she wanted to.

This was a flower that bloomed from the soil of experience, something she was not yet capable of producing. She felt a deep sense of admiration and envy.

Just as Saint and Iolin were coming to recognize the areas where their own works fell short, so were the other artists.

'I've never even seen the ocean before, but what a beautiful sight.'

Sena, one of the other artists, felt a sense of rivalry toward Ismael.

Sena was the youngest among the artists, followed by Ismael, so she had a fierce desire not to lose to her.

She could understand being outmatched by the older artists, but losing to Ismael, who was only a little older than her, was unbearable. She worried that if she did, Rupert might think she wasn’t talented enough and be disappointed in her.

But White Whale, Ismael’s work, had overwhelmed her from the start.

The story of a boy who ventures into the sea to rescue his father, who had been swallowed by the legendary sea monster White Whale, was an exciting adventure that thrilled even Sena.

Especially impressive was the scene where sunlight reflected off the ocean’s waves—an image so beautiful it made her gasp.

At the same time, Ismael was having similar thoughts.

'How can she draw like this?'

Ismael had been captivated by the detailed backgrounds and the beautifully dressed characters in Sena’s work.

The meticulously drawn dots that gave her art a dreamlike, mysterious quality made it enjoyable just to look at, regardless of the story.

The plot itself was somewhat ordinary.

It had the feel of a Rupert-style storybook or a piece of knightly literature, something one might have seen before.

But that was what made it so frightening.

Ismael had thought that her work would mainly appeal to boys, especially younger ones, and Rupert had said as much.

However, Sena’s work felt like something anyone—man, woman, young, or old—could enjoy. Ismael couldn’t help but be impressed by the realization.

'She’s younger than me, but she’s already creating something like this… she’s a genius.'

 

“This is it…! This is exactly the kind of story I’ve been looking for!!!”

On the day Manafia was released, people were abuzz with discussions about the various works featured in the magazine.

But out of all the stories, the two that generated the most excitement were, without a doubt, The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas and Van Helsing by Rupert.