Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy – Chapter 133

<Rupert's Fable> could be described as having a somewhat different content from traditional fairy tales.

First, while existing works prioritized entertainment over moral lessons for children, <Rupert's Fable> was a piece focused on teaching lessons.

Using animals as narrators carries a touch of Aesop’s Fables, but it can be regarded as a type of educational fairy tale that blends stories from both Eastern and Western folklore.

As a child, I found that simpler fairy tales or comics, rather than difficult books, contained moral lessons that sparked children’s interest and encouraged them to read.

“I remember listening to the teacher for a while after reading the story of the green frog when I was young.”

Initially, Aida grumbled about the absence of a pretty protagonist while reading the newly created <Rupert's Fable>.

However, as she became more engrossed, she grew angry during the part with the disobedient green frog son.

“You fool! Mom asked you to build that near the stream because she thought you wouldn’t obey!”

At the end, she shed tears as the green frog son cried in Rupert’s arms, calling himself a fool.

Seizing that moment, Rupert aimed to impart a lesson.

“Aida, if you don’t listen to your brother, you might end up regretting it later, just like the green frog son.”

“Are you including yourself, brother?”

Rupert nearly felt a threat to his life from Aida, who gasped and pounded her chest while bursting into tears at his words.

“Aida, if you cause trouble by not listening, even our mother in heaven will be sad.”

“I don’t want that! I’ll listen to Aida!”

Since that day, Aida significantly decreased her raids for snacks and fighting with other children.

Instead, she started learning the social etiquette and manners deemed essential for a noble lady.

— So, um… The young lady is deeply curious about academics and is wise enough to ask questions about what she doesn’t know…

Although they had hired the best tutors available in the capital, it seemed that Aida was not particularly suited for studying.

“Come to think of it, this family isn’t very connected to studying.”

The eldest, Richard, had been secretly sent away, but he possessed a natural talent for swordsmanship, reaching the level of a Sword Master.

Rupert had outstanding artistic talent.

So, Rupert was quite convinced that Aida might be more suited for the arts and physical activities than academics.

“Aida, with great power comes?”

“Great responsibility!”

“Well done!”

In truth, Rupert wasn’t educating Aida with the hope that she’d become a well-mannered noble lady.

He simply wished for her to acquire at least a minimal level of culture, so that whatever she pursues in the future wouldn’t bring trouble.

Now that their family had become a Marquis household, with money piling up, Rupert was willing to grant Aida anything she desired.

“Young Master, a letter has arrived from the merchant association.”

“Thank you, Alain.”

As Rupert briefly played with Aida, Alain came to him holding a letter.

Originally, Esteban would personally come to Rupert regarding all matters big and small.

But recently, he had been extremely busy selling <Cards of the Kings> merchandise, so he had been communicating important matters through letters.

— The demonstration date has been set. It will be held next Wednesday evening.

“Is the preparation already complete?”

The letter informed Rupert that the event, which had been forgotten amid the recent popularity of card games, was now in its final stages.

“Aida, shall we go see something fun next week?”

“Something fun?”

“Yes, let’s go see Elza, whom Aida likes!”

Rupert thought it was the perfect gift for Aida, who had struggled with boring etiquette and social classes.

And thus, the first animation screening was just around the corner.

*

“Adrian, you really don’t know anything.”

“You, Edric! Do you really think this narrative makes sense?”

The Academy had reopened.

Now in the second semester, new students had somewhat adjusted to academy life and were spending their time accordingly.

Some studied to fill in their knowledge gaps, while others enjoyed their youth and engaged in romance.

However, the members of the Comic Club were busy in another way.

“I didn’t notice it when they were animals, but with people, just having one poorly drawn picture can completely ruin the artwork.”

“The same goes for music. I heard the theme song Wolfgang is creating at the professor’s mansion, and it’s on a completely different level….”

“If only I could use the magic pen that Lady Amelia created, the workload would be significantly reduced.”

The club members began working immediately upon Rupert’s suggestion to prepare pieces for the end-of-semester exhibition.

Coincidentally, they had been itching to get started during the entire break.

Remembering the cheers they received for their work presented during the first semester, they couldn’t sleep at night.

Thus, they were determined to create a piece that was a little longer and more advanced this time.

“Why is it that a woman falls in love just because she bumps into a man?”

“Because that’s what love is!”

The argument between Edric and Adrian, who were in charge of the story for this piece, was happening almost daily.

“Storytelling isn’t like that! You build it up step by step like a staircase to reach the climax!”

“In a short amount of time like this, to captivate the audience, you should skip the intricate settings and get straight to the point!”

— It wouldn’t be called the puppet theater if they didn’t extract the finest work.

Adrian felt the veins pop on his forehead at Edric’s last comment.

“Done talking? You iron-blooded guild brat!”

“We don’t need to talk long. It’s a duel!”

“For those who can’t resolve it through words, we have to settle it through a duel.”

Clack!

It seemed like it wasn’t the first time they casually pulled out cards from the pockets on their academy jackets.

“Please flip a coin.”

Kyle, helping the other members, frowned at Edric’s request and shook his head.

“Edric, I can’t even tell if this is the Comic Club or the Card Game Club anymore.”

However, while grumbling, he still displayed curiosity about the duel between the two and flicked a coin with his fingers.

“Front.”

“Back.”

As Edric and Adrian chose their sides, Kyle revealed the coin he’d hidden in his palm.

“Edric, you go first.”

“Damn….”

Adrian fell silent upon witnessing the result.

His necromancer deck benefited from playing first to set down magic and trap cards, but strangely, he always seemed to lose the first turn whenever he faced Edric.

‘Why does that guy have such good luck?’

Adrian saw card games as not a mere game but a war in miniature, with intricate strategies and tactics involved.

Thus, he considered every move and adapted appropriately, playing based on probabilities.

On the other hand, Edric was…

“Oh! This card comes out just in time!”

He was the embodiment of a novice.

He was shoving in monster cards with high costs and strict summoning conditions, using a gamble deck that risked either victory or defeat upon summoning.

He fell for the common trap beginners face—getting deceived by cards with high attack power and flashy appearances, neglecting the intermediate steps, using what you could call a luck-based deck.

But even so, his luck was unrealistically good.

“This is nonsense!”

“It is!”

Before he could gather five cards that were garbage until they combined, suddenly those five cards guaranteed an absolute win.

Edric was drawing them up like they were tasteless soup.

“From now on, I’ll decide the story!”

“Please not that…!”

It was unbelievable that he lost to such a ridiculous deck; it felt overwhelmingly unjust, but there was nothing he could do.

Dueling was sacred, after all.

So, there he was, on his knees in despair, while Edric posed as if his victory was natural.

Under Rupert’s invitation, they were collaboratively writing the story for their work.

‘Edric has the ingenuity and the ability to create fascinating material, but lacks the skill to structure a narrative.’

This was what Rupert told Edric, who was eager to participate in the project this time around.

‘And Adrian has the ability to create a very solid structure for the story, but he’s still lacking in creating engaging developments.’

Both Edric and Adrian wanted to write their story for this project, so Rupert believed that if they combined their strengths, they could make a good story.

‘Please take care of me, Edric.’

‘I’ll take care of you too, Adrian.’

Upon their initial collaboration and resolve to create the best piece ever, they quickly became friends.

However, now they were fighting every day.

Adrian couldn’t understand Edric’s obsessive focus on female characters, while Edric found Adrian’s rigid adherence to traditional storytelling frustrating.

So they always clashed, and eventually settled their disputes through a card game they both enjoyed.

“Lady Amelia, those two are fighting every day. What should we do…?”

With both being the Crown Prince of the Empire and the Prince of the Kingdom, they were of noble status, constantly bickering and battling in card games.

The other members thought they should intervene, but found no means to stop them.

The only glimmer of hope was Lady Amelia, who held a status not lower than theirs, stepping in to mediate.

“That might be possible. I see it as a healthy discussion for creating a better piece.”

Until recently, Amelia had been mediating upon the requests of the members, but lately, she had seemingly been preoccupied with other matters and left them to their own devices, frustrating the members.

‘This is undoubtedly a date for the two of them!’

And now the only thoughts circulating in Amelia’s mind were Rupert’s words from earlier.

“Lady Amelia, are you available next Wednesday evening?”

Rupert had casually approached her just as she was leaving the lecture room after her liberal arts class.

Rupert had asked if Wednesday evening was fine, inviting Amelia to the new theater’s demonstration.

‘Should I wear the dress I received as a gift on my last birthday? But it’s too extravagant.’

As Wednesday draws near, Amelia felt the time drag by even more slowly, feeling a mix of anticipation and regret.