A Sense of Discord.

That was the emotion Rupert felt.

The first time he sensed this unease was while serializing Fullmetal Alchemist. When Eustaph personally sought him out to ask about the alchemy circles depicted in the manga, and the Abyss Cult had even attempted to replicate the Imperial alchemy circle from the story, Rupert had felt his storyline take an unexpected, reality-defying twist.

Back then, he’d brushed it off as a minor crisis brought on by his own imagination, thinking it was just a fluke that got resolved. But now, hearing that Van Helsing was tied to actual events, Rupert was beginning to entertain a more serious suspicion.

“Sataniel, huh… Didn’t he barely play a role in the original?”

Rupert had heard of Sataniel, the enemy Richard had named. But his knowledge of Sataniel was rare; in the original work, Sataniel had been a minor villain, showing up as the head of a group assisting the Crimson Witch Ignisia in her attack on the Academy. He’d been little more than a pawn, used by Ignisia before being unceremoniously discarded.

But was he really the one who killed the Sword Saint?

Rupert was shocked. In the original work, Sword Saint Kal Oregon had been little more than a mysterious figure, an elusive presence comparable to the wise Eustaph and the swordmaster of the Third Prince—one whose fate was unknown due to his disappearance.

Learning that such a character had died at Sataniel’s hands indicated that Sataniel wasn’t just a minor villain—he was on par with the Crimson Witch Ignisia.

Come to think of it, Rupert himself had no backstory in the original.

Even Rupert’s current existence was something the original novel hadn’t covered. Rupert had only been a background character who occasionally gifted art to Amelia as he trailed behind her. Details about his father, Count Bradley, his cute little sister Ada, and even his brother Richard’s disappearance were entirely absent.

“Rupert, could you explain how you know so much about our story to have depicted it in your manga?”

Rupert turned to see Richard looking at him with earnest eyes.

“Brother, are the dark elves and the allied forces currently searching for the Blue Flower?”

“Wait, how did you know that?”

Rupert’s question, asked with some caution, had confirmed what he suspected.

So even that flower exists…

He was beyond surprise at this point.

And now his suspicion deepened.

Am I even drawing these mangas of my own free will?

When he created Fullmetal Alchemist, he’d started after hearing a story about alchemy while training with Mullus on the academy field. And with Van Helsing, he’d tried to create a manga that wouldn’t connect with this world, attempting to avoid a repeat of Fullmetal Alchemist’s unexpected real-world ties.

But now that even Van Helsing had entangled itself with reality, he could no longer chalk it up to coincidence.

Once could be a coincidence, but twice meant it was no longer just that.

“Brother, to be honest, my manga is merely a work of imagination.”

“What? You mean to say this is all just coincidence?”

Rupert understood Richard’s disbelief.

Even he would have found it absurd if someone claimed that this degree of accuracy in their story was coincidental.

So this is how Eustaph must have felt.

When Eustaph had interrogated him about the alchemy circles, Rupert had thought he was overreacting, but now he understood.

“I simply transcribed the contents of a dream I had.”

“A dream?”

Rupert had pondered how best to explain the eerie connection between his manga and reality, and finally, he settled on a simple answer: a dream.

“Yes, for some time now, I’ve been having vivid dreams. They were so intriguing that I based my books on them…”

Though it felt somewhat absurd, claiming that he’d merely transcribed the contents of his dreams felt like the closest thing to the truth. And though it sounded fantastical, Rupert’s explanation held a unique weight in this world.

“Is it the Goddess? It must be that the Goddess is sending revelations of the continent’s impending crisis through your dreams!”

In this world, dreams were seen as more than mere fabrications of the mind.

Richard, Count Bradley, and even the estate servants accepted Rupert’s story without question. The Goddess Gaia of this world was known to convey her will through the dreams of mortal beings, often considered divine messages.

Though official revelations were typically reserved for the Saint, history recorded that others had occasionally received dreams with divine instructions.

“Rupert! Then, did the Goddess reveal the location of the Blue Flower to you in a dream as well?”

Richard’s question was urgent, and Rupert hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Thank you, Rupert! If it weren’t for you, the entire continent might be at risk.”

“No need to thank me, brother. Now, please gather your allies.”

“Right, I’ll be back in no time!”

Richard left swiftly, heading into the village to bring the allied forces back to the estate, while the Somerset household prepared to accommodate the unexpected influx of allied troops.

“We have enough space for tents, so let’s focus on arranging meals and wash areas for them!”

“They say elves don’t eat meat, so let’s stock up on fruits and vegetables.”

“Shouldn’t we arrange for the Holy Knights to stay at the nearby church?”

As he watched the bustling preparations, Rupert recalled the conversation he’d had just moments ago.

The Blue Flower… I named it the Blue Flower in my manga, and it grows in a cave.

“A cave?”

“Yes, a cave with a hole in the ceiling that allows light to filter through. During the day, morning glories block the sunlight, only to wilt and close at night, allowing only moonlight to seep in.”

The Blue Flower’s unique environment, designed by Rupert in Van Helsing, required moonlight to grow and could only thrive in a cave with water nearby and morning glories that blocked sunlight.

Richard had been thrilled that this information narrowed down the search significantly, but Rupert couldn’t share in his enthusiasm.

This is a problem, whether it exists or not.

If it truly existed, Rupert would have to find whoever or whatever was manipulating him—a being likely responsible for his reincarnation in this world.

And if it didn’t exist, it was equally troubling.

According to Richard, Sataniel was an incredibly powerful enemy. If he were to find the Blue Flower and grow even stronger, it would be a catastrophe for the entire continent.

“Ada has another big brother!”

“So, you’re happy to have an extra sibling?”

“Yes! Ada wishes there were more family members!”

Because she’d been so young when Richard left, Ada barely remembered him. His return was like meeting a new older brother for the first time, filling her with excitement.

“Good for you; now you’ll have more people to play with.”

With academy students gathered at the Somerset estate for the holidays, Ada never lacked for playmates and seemed thrilled by the influx of new faces.

What would Ada’s life have been like in the original story?

Watching her excitedly running around, Rupert wondered. If Richard hadn’t returned and Rupert had gone to the Academy as a student, only Count Bradley and Ada would have been left at the estate.

And with the family debt still looming, things would likely have been much worse.

“Witch Owen! Prepare yourself!”

Seeing Ada running to launch a kick at Owen, Rupert couldn’t help but feel some pride that he’d managed to change things for the better. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small figurine.

This will be of great help someday.

It was the small statue of the Goddess that the Saint had given him during their last meeting, a farewell gift.

Sometimes, Rupert would take it out to look at it, and though the statue’s face usually seemed serene, today, he couldn’t shake the impression that its expression looked apologetic.

“What? You really figured out the location of the Blue Flower?!”

Richard, having returned to the mansion with the allied forces, shared Rupert’s information about the Blue Flower.

“Yes! If it’s in a cave, that makes sense.”

“A small pool inside the cave with morning glories—so it was referring to a pool bathed in moonlight!”

“If we look for caves with morning glories growing near them, it will narrow down our search significantly.”

Though they had deciphered ancient documents that hinted at the Blue Flower’s existence, the allied forces had struggled with the vague clues.

One breakthrough had been the story of the guardian of the Blue Flower, suggested by Xenia.

“It’s likely that the Blue Werewolf is the guardian of the Blue Flower.”

They’d stumbled upon the Blue Werewolf story by accident.

While investigating records on the servants of the night, they discovered ancient references to opponents who had nearly wiped out the night’s servants: the Blue Werewolves.

The original werewolves, Blue Werewolves possessed great strength and impressive regenerative abilities akin to the servants of the night.

However, they were a slow-growing species with few members, and their inability to multiply led to their eventual extinction in the face of the growing number of servants of the night.

With evidence of a treasure guarded by the Blue Werewolf, the allied forces had become certain that it was the guardian of the Blue Flower.

“Then it’s best to set up a base at the Somerset estate and extend the search from there.”

Both the Crimson Warden and the mages agreed with Richard’s suggestion, and even Alexander and the Zion Knights, who had been reluctant, assented to this plan.