ocean-life Chapter 33
Chapter 33
“Why are you saying such random things out of the blue?”
Yustaf had been pressing me about where I had seen the transmutation circles.
I just told the truth: that I had taken designs I saw in magic and alchemy books and combined them into something cool.
But Yustaf looked at me like I was lying, observing me as if he knew better. Given who he was, I couldn’t really argue, so I just gave up.
“Ah... I’m really dizzy.”
“Master, no matter how much you rely on divine power, if you continue to harm your body like this, it will cause significant problems later.”
Manuel, who was supposed to treat the side effects of vitality potions and caffeine, belatedly cast a healing spell and spoke to me.
‘It’s all because of that sudden visit from that monstrous old man.’
I nearly collapsed because Yustaf visited just as the side effects were kicking in.
I barely managed to entertain the guest with superhuman endurance. If it had lasted a bit longer, I might have really passed out.
“I’ll be fine for now.”
This wasn’t just an empty statement. I had endured a year of webtoon serialization with a tired, aging body in my previous life.
Comparing that to now, with Rupert’s healthy body and the aid of divine power that surpasses modern medicine, I was sure I still had some leeway.
‘By the way, that red-haired girl... Wasn’t she called Xenia?’
For some reason, she kept lingering in my mind. It felt like I was missing something important.
Wait, red hair... Come to think of it, I have a good idea.
What if the protagonist of A Dog of Flanders was a red-haired boy?
In this world, red hair was a target of persecution and contempt, making it plausible for the protagonist to endure such hardships in the story.
And Xenia, Yustaf’s disciple, seemed like the perfect model for this character.
She still looked a bit androgynous because of her young age and had a slender, somewhat pitiful physique.
Her face was beautiful enough to be a fitting protagonist for a fairy tale.
Of course, I’d have to change her into a boy since she was a girl.
“Not everything bad leads to more bad things.”@@@@
With inspiration for the protagonist character in my blocked fairy tale, I rushed to my studio.
Xenia’s heart was pounding so hard she thought she might go crazy.
‘I can’t believe I actually got to meet him!’
Grasping her master’s hand when he asked if she would come with him was indeed a miracle for her.
It felt like the fairy appearing before Cinderella or Snow White meeting the seven dwarfs.
Her life had changed 180 degrees after following her master.
No longer did she receive contemptuous or disdainful looks but rather envious or respectful ones, and she ate luxurious meals instead of leftovers.
Most importantly, she could now use magic like Elsa from The Kingdom of Ice.
The magic her master taught her seemed so easy and simple, just like a fun game.
Even doing such easy tasks amazed the people around her.
She truly is Yustaf’s last chosen disciple!The other disciples were excellent, but this is on another level...Is she really a descendant of the legendary Eldor family?
People called her a descendant of Eldor. She didn’t know what Eldor was initially, but she learned while studying under her master.
Krasus Eldor, the first dragonoid, born from the love between a dragon and a human.
He was the most powerful wizard in history, unbeatable among humans just by inheriting half of the dragon’s blood.
It’s a transmutation circle that exchanges life force for something else!
He lacked solid evidence to present this to the emperor, and without sufficient justification, it would be hard to act.
Although the emperor needed sufficient reasons and proof to issue a direct order, they were lacking in that regard.
It was too troubling to just let it go, so they couldn’t ignore it.
“What if we start our research on this?”
“Research? You mean figuring out their goal?”
“Yes, since we can’t find proof, we should at least understand their purpose.”
Yustaf and Harun immediately took the manga and moved to the lab, forming an alliance between the Empire’s top wizard and alchemist.
“Edrick, I didn’t think you were the type to scheme like this.”
Iolyn Bell’s face contorted.
The person she was glaring at with fiery eyes was none other than the third prince, Edrick.
“I didn’t want to go this far either.”
“Then why...!!!”
“You should have ended it when I asked for the illustrations!”
Edrick shouted, looking like he had no choice.
But Iolyn found it absurd.
“You’re selling out your sister over some illustrations?!”
“I’ve already discussed it with Eiton. I get the limited edition illustrations.”
As soon as Edrick finished speaking, palace maids approached Iolyn cautiously and took her arms.
“No! You can’t!!! Not that....”
Iolyn tried her best to resist, but she couldn’t shake off the maids with her strength, and other servants began to confiscate the fairy tales and manga hidden in her room.
She had to watch as they took everything, from the custom editions to all sorts of fairy tales and even the princess-exclusive Snow White made by Rupert.
“How could you do something so cruel....”
“Your Highness, you shouldn’t have done something you’d get caught for anyway.”
Iolyn was already in a daze, unable to respond as she watched her treasures disappear.
Eiton’s words couldn’t elicit any reaction from her in her state.
“Hmph, where’s the promised item?”
Edrick carefully spoke to Eiton, who handed him a few sheets of paper wrapped securely.
“Oh... are these the limited edition illustrations of The Kingdom of Ice?”
Edrick quickly hugged the papers and left the princess’s palace in a hurry, and Eiton sighed as he watched him go.
Eiton, do you know how my sister secretly buys new manga?
The third prince had proposed a secret deal.
He would tell Eiton how his sister was buying manga secretly in exchange for the limited edition illustrations.
Eiton couldn’t refuse. Seeing the princess in such a state was heartbreaking, but he couldn’t let things continue to go wrong, so he had to take all the books.
‘Hah, come to think of it, I heard the crown prince’s servant was there too.’
He didn’t serve the crown prince, so it wasn’t his concern.
But the manga plague that had struck the imperial palace seemed to be causing considerable trouble.
____________________________
The next chapter will be updated on August 8 at 11 PM.