Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 56

“Good thing I came here right away! You fiend, plotting something so heinous...”

A one-armed man, who had arrived just in time, shouted as he protectively embraced Ada, who still wore a dazed expression, unaware of what was happening.

“How did you...?”

Venom was utterly bewildered by the situation. How had this royal figure, who had attacked the cult, managed to track him all the way to Goldpool Valley, his hometown? It was shocking enough that they had followed him there, but the furious expression on the man’s face suggested he had somehow uncovered Venom’s hastily concocted plan.

“Did these damn dark wizards actually intend to turn a child and a dog into a chimera?”

“I was foolish. When Yustaf and the Crown Prince saw those manga, I thought they were overreacting. But to think they were actually preparing something like this.”

“I want to slaughter this wretch right now! How could someone so utterly violate the boundaries of human decency?”

Not only the man who appeared to be royalty but also the knights standing behind him radiated deadly anger.

Woof!

As if its task were complete, Rashu, who had been facing off with Venom, casually stopped and returned to Ada’s side, lying down.

Even though it was difficult to read expressions on a dog’s face, Rashu, sitting in the cart with Ada and staring at Venom, seemed to be saying, "You’re done for."

At that moment, the knights sprang into action, rushing toward Venom.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince gently brushed Ada’s hair with his left hand, checking to see if she was hurt.

“Are you injured anywhere?”

“No! Rashu protected Ada,” she replied, smiling brightly as she petted the dog, seemingly untroubled by what had just happened.

The Crown Prince looked at the dog, impressed by its actions.

‘This dog looks just like the one from The Iron-Blooded Alchemist. Rupert... you can rest easy now. I’ve prevented the tragedy you feared.’

He thought of how anxious Rupert must have been, hoping someone would intervene and prevent the horrors depicted in his drawings. It was a relief to have noticed in time and stopped the disaster.

“But why are you hurt, mister? Doesn’t it hurt? Let’s go to the church! They’ll make it all better with a touch!”

“I’m fine. I got something more important than healing.”

“What’s that?”

“The future... I sacrificed my right arm for the future of the Empire.”

He had saved soldiers from the tunnel snake’s attack, rescued a small girl and her dog from the dark wizard’s vile scheme, and prevented the horrific magic circle they had been preparing from claiming countless innocent lives.

To protect all of that, losing an arm was a small price to pay.

“Leon, take this man to the Imperial Intelligence Service so they can thoroughly investigate his crimes.”

“At your command, Your Highness.”

Venom, who had been beaten nearly to a pulp by the knights, was bound tightly with ropes. After being searched, one of the knights, Leon, prepared to escort him back to the mage tower.

“Let’s go, little one. I’ll take you home.”

“I’m not a little one! Ada is a pretty lady, that’s what my brother says!”

“Alright, our lovely lady. Let me escort you.”

The Crown Prince smiled as he lifted Ada into his arms with his left hand and began to walk slowly. Rashu followed quietly behind, while the remaining knights, unsure what to do with the abandoned cart, decided to pull it along as they headed toward the Somerset estate.

“I can sense a large amount of cannabinol accumulated in Sir Somerset’s body.”@@@@

“Cannabinol?”

“Yes, I suspect it’s been building up for quite some time.”

The maid stammered, looking as if she had seen a ghost, unable to speak coherently. Rupert, seeing her panicked expression, grew tense.

“Take your time. Slowly, tell me what happened.”

“Well...”

Thanks to Rupert’s calming words, the maid managed to regain some composure and began to recount the terrifying incident she had witnessed and the shocking person who had just arrived.

Here’s how it started.

As usual, the maid, Yuri, was going about her chores, paying extra attention to her cleaning today. The news that the Saintess of the Goddess Church was visiting the estate had prompted her to work even harder, eager for a glimpse of the holy woman.

Yuri, a devout follower of the Goddess, was so excited about the possibility of seeing the Saintess in person that she barely felt the strain of her work.

Then, Alain approached her.

‘This is Lady Amelia of the Bluewell Duchy. She has graciously offered to cook a meal for the workshop staff, so please assist her as needed.’

Yuri was awestruck by the sight of Amelia, thinking how beautiful she was, much like the Saintess. It amazed her that such people existed in the world.

‘Your name is Yuri, right? Thank you for your help.’

When Amelia smiled at her and spoke kindly, Yuri felt an immediate fondness for her.

As the daughter of a duke, Amelia could have easily ignored someone like Yuri, but instead, she treated her with kindness.

‘Miss, I’ll handle the prep. There’s no need for your delicate hands to get wet...’

‘It’s alright. I’ve done this many times at home, so I’m used to it.’

Yuri was impressed by how different Amelia was from what she had expected. A duke’s daughter, accustomed to cooking?

Yuri stepped back, handing over ingredients as Amelia requested.

But then—

‘Oh dear, why is this puffing up? Maybe I should add more salt?’

Yuri watched in horror as Amelia worked her culinary magic. Why was she dumping such a large spoonful of salt into the dish? And then, when Amelia decided to flavor the oil for frying by tossing in whole fruits, Yuri nearly fainted.

The knife that Amelia wielded with such confidence produced vegetables cut into wildly uneven chunks.

The top-grade, fresh ingredients Amelia had brought with her were slowly being transformed into something unrecognizable.

Yuri couldn’t help but think of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist, the manga she had been reading recently.

In her eyes, Amelia was an alchemist who was turning food into waste.

Finally, Amelia’s dish was complete.

Yuri, terrified of what she might see, instinctively backed away.

‘Thank you for your help, Yuri. Now let’s bring this meal to the staff!’

Yuri wanted to shout, “No!” and stop her, but she didn’t have the courage.

Instead, she followed Amelia, carrying the dish to the workshop.

—A dish personally prepared by Lady Amelia! We have to eat it, even if it kills us!

—A meal prepared by such a beautiful lady must taste divine.

—Out of my way! I’m tasting it first!

The craftsmen, excited to see the meal Amelia had brought, cheered.

And then they collapsed.