Selection of Meritorious Subjects
Selection of Meritorious Subjects
"What in the world is the meaning of this?! How could the Crown Prince return in such a state when you were with him, Cross?!"
The Crown Prince, Yustaf, Harun, and the rest of the investigation team entered the throne room.
The results they had brought back were undeniably outstanding.
Having prevented a catastrophe that nearly befell the imperial capital, their achievement was worthy of being called a hero's feat.
But to the Emperor, only the Crown Prince's missing right arm caught his eye, more than any great achievement.
He had never been very warm to his children, but if there was one he worried about most, it was his eldest son, Alex.
Alex was his first child with the first Empress he had loved, and the heir who would inherit the Empire—a son of deep significance to the Emperor.
Faced with the reality of that son returning with one arm missing, the Emperor could not contain his emotions.
"Please put us to death!!! The sin of failing to protect His Highness the Crown Prince cannot be repaid even with death!"
The Crown Prince's escort knights were already all prostrated on the floor of the throne room, unable even to raise their heads.
The very reason for the escort knights' existence was to protect members of the imperial family, and having failed, they had no excuse whatsoever.
"Your Majesty—no, Father, please do not blame them."
"What? You can say that even after seeing the state you're in?!"
"I put myself in danger willingly, and these men did everything they could to protect me despite my recklessness."
When no one could step forward before the enraged Emperor, the one-armed Crown Prince stepped up and spoke.
"Effort is not what matters! Results matter. These people ultimately failed to carry out their duty!!!"
"Of course results matter as well. The Empire's safety was worth more than one of my arms, so at this price, we came out ahead."
The Emperor stared at the Crown Prince with a dumbfounded expression.
Was it because of the excessive pressure since childhood?
The child who had once struggled even to meet his eyes had grown so much—now he not only held his gaze but even talked back to him.
Apart from his anger, the Emperor felt a sense of pride.
In truth, if this investigation had ended in failure, he had intended to remove Alex from the position of Crown Prince, partly to instill a sense of urgency in him.
He had thought that only a shock of that magnitude would make his eldest son show some change.
But Alex had already changed. Like a larva shedding its skin and emerging as a butterfly, he had grown unrecognizably in an instant.
As a father, he was proud, but he could not show it.
'Why, of all things, did he have to lose an arm....'
What the investigation team had accomplished this time was certainly a tremendous feat. Not only had they rooted out the dark-wizard organization remaining on the continent, but they had also prevented the grand scheme those people had been planning.
It would have been one thing if there had been heavy casualties, but there were only a few injuries and no deaths—a flawless result.
Since the Crown Prince had been a major contributor in resolving such an incident, his position would become more secure going forward, and it was a good opportunity to restore his poor reputation in one stroke.
But the thought that all of that might now go up in smoke enraged the Emperor.
'The Emperor must be a sacred being. A being whom all the people of the Empire can look upon and revere.'
Therefore, any flaw in the Emperor's body could act as a fatal defect.
For example, a large scar on the face or a missing body part would alone crack that completeness, making it fatal for a member of the imperial family.
It was clearly expected that the nobles would endlessly push back, using the Crown Prince's return without an arm as an excuse.
The Marquis House of Terion, the current Empress's maternal relatives, had already been eyeing the Crown Prince's position, so news of his injury was practically fodder for them.
"...You may all withdraw now."
"Your Majesty, even so, please say at least a word to the investigation team who risked their lives."
With his thoughts in turmoil and a headache coming on, the Emperor tried to dismiss everyone as usual, but the Crown Prince's words made him realize he had let his emotions run too hot.
Even if the Crown Prince had been injured, those who had accomplished this work deserved praise and recognition for their contributions.
"I was so agitated that I forgot to honor the heroes. Yes, their rewards for this achievement should be grander still."
"No, Your Majesty. We merely did what had to be done."
Yustaf, who could be called the representative of the investigation team, answered the Emperor politely, and the Emperor responded in kind.
"Excessive humility becomes poison, Sir Yustaf. You, Sir Harun, and the Crown Prince shall be first-class contributors, and those who participated in the investigation shall be awarded second- and third-class contributions according to their roles. Before you leave the palace, please discuss and settle the matter with my chamberlain, Count Julius."
"We are overwhelmed by Your Majesty's boundless grace!"
Having finished speaking, the Emperor pressed his temples with his fingers, still troubled, and pondered how to protect the Crown Prince's position without incident.
The Crown Prince and the investigation team exited the throne room.
"Sir Yustaf, I couldn't mention it earlier because His Majesty was tired, but I believe that person must absolutely be included among the contributors this time."
Before Yustaf went to discuss the selection of contributors for this mission with Count Julius, the Emperor's chamberlain, the Crown Prince hurriedly spoke to him.
"That person—could it be...?"
"You're thinking of the right person. I believe Rupert Somerset's contribution is more than worthy of inclusion among the contributors."
"Of course. Had it not been for Sir Rupert, we would not have noticed the dark wizards' scheme, so it is certainly a great contribution."
"I'm glad you understand."
Only after hearing that Rupert would be included in the selection of contributors did the Crown Prince finally smile with satisfaction.
As Yustaf watched the Crown Prince, he thought:
'Your Highness, I do not know how much this old servant can do. But I believe you must become Emperor.'
Yustaf had no interest in power or politics, so he had stepped down from the position of Magic Tower Master and was living in semi-retirement.
But while working on this investigation with the Crown Prince, he had found himself thinking that if someone like this became Emperor, the Empire might change for the better.
The Crown Prince seemed lacking as one who stood above all, but he seemed like someone who would stand beside all.
Yustaf was thinking that he wanted to watch that Crown Prince become Emperor.
***
"How far along is the Volume 6 storyboard?"
A middle-aged man asked Rupert, who was absorbed in his work.
"Don't tell me you've already finished the Volume 5 work?"
"Yes. You've already drawn all the rough sketches; I'm only transferring them. I can handle this much."
Rupert was astonished as he looked at the middle-aged man speaking as if it were nothing.
He himself had worked as an assistant for other webtoon artists a few times, so he knew it was absolutely not easy work.
Admiration came naturally at Saint's skill in handling it without difficulty.
"But are you really all right with working in our workshop?"
"There is something I've learned with age: nothing is more foolish than giving up an opportunity to learn and experience something because of honor or status."
Saint answered Rupert's question calmly.
A month ago, after the dazzling guests had visited the Somerset mansion, and just as Rupert was about to resume work on his manga volumes, an unexpected visitor had arrived.
That visitor was 'Saint Salier'—the exclusive painter of the imperial family and a former professor in the Academy's Fine Arts Department.
'Sir Rupert, please teach me about manga.'
In status and reputation, Rupert was a rising star while Saint was already an established master; the gulf between them was enormous.
Rupert tried to refuse, saying it was absurd.
But Saint, heedless of Rupert's flustered reaction, persistently requested to learn.
In the end, he came to work in Rupert's workshop.
"Only after seeing the manga volumes Sir Rupert created did I regret why I had never thought of telling stories through pictures."
"Well, that's...."
Rupert thought that was only natural. There might be books with illustrations inserted, but books where pictures were the main focus had not had a very long history even on Earth.
"So I came to want to watch and learn by your side and make manga volumes myself. Please do not hesitate to entrust me with as much work as you like."
As if proving his words were not false, Saint was finishing the storyboard Rupert had drawn, with a joyful expression.
Moreover, with Sena's help as well, the work speed had become incomparably faster than before.
Sena in particular grew day by day, surprising both Rupert and Saint.
'Master Rupert, I can do it too! So please don't make me stop....'
Was it because a powerful rival named Saint had appeared and made her anxious?
Rupert tried not to let her work long hours, telling her not to overdo it, but she stubbornly insisted on continuing to work, and he had a hard time stopping her.
But thanks to that, her drawing skills had now improved remarkably, and she was serving as a reliable assistant.
That was also why Rupert, who had originally planned to publish only five volumes, could now schedule the release of a sixth volume without overextending himself.
In fact, the story development was already roughly drawn out in his head through the ending, so he could produce storyboards quickly.
But the other work took too much time, so he had only been able to release one volume a month; once that part was resolved, the release pace inevitably caught fire.
And then—
"At this level, there should be no problem even with vigorous movement."
Seeing the completed New-Model Golem Prosthesis that Kroon had confidently brought, Rupert felt relieved.
"That's truly a relief. I was worried about the tight deadline, but your skill really is remarkable, Kroon."
"Hmph, didn't I tell you this much was only natural?"
Kroon grumbled, but the twitch at the corners of his mouth betrayed how pleased he was to have finally completed it.
Indeed, the New-Model Golem Prosthesis was finished to an astonishing degree, more than enough to justify Kroon's confidence.
First of all, its size had clearly decreased compared to the existing Golem Prosthesis, to the point that it looked like an ordinary arm when covered by an outer garment.
And as if the effort of using all sorts of materials to make the joint movements—especially the finger joints—smooth had paid off, it showed flexible movement.
Not only that, but whereas the previous prototype had too many parts and a high risk of malfunction, now the parts had been reduced as much as possible to a level where the user could perform maintenance themselves.
"Solving the nerve connection was the biggest breakthrough."
Kroon spoke with his voice slightly choked with emotion, as if remembering all the hardship behind it.
The nerve connection had been beyond what technology alone could solve, so it had been a constant headache. Yustaf, the Empire's greatest wizard, had solved it when he visited with good news, which had been an enormous help.
Of course, because of that good news, they had suffered to complete this New-Model Golem Prosthesis on schedule.
'Because as soon as Volumes 5 and 6 are released, I have to enter the imperial palace again.'
The imperial palace entry had been scheduled suddenly.
For some, it would be the honor of a lifetime, but for Rupert, it was a burden.
And this time, he would even see the Emperor in person.
Originally, Rupert would have prayed for nothing to happen, but now he had given up.
No matter how much he prayed, he already had a strong premonition that something would blow up.