LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 157
“Joy, please hang in there…”
Anna was holding Joy’s hand tightly, praying desperately.
Her son, Joy, had been frail since birth; he struggled to even step outside, let alone run around.
Even when they sought treatment from doctors and priests, they could do nothing, leaving Anna to watch her suffering son helplessly.
“Mom, I really want to participate in the tournament.”
Joy had become completely obsessed with the comic “King of Cards.”
Unlike the protagonists in other comics, Joy loved how “King of Cards” involved strategizing against opponents.
“I heard there will be an official tournament open to people across the Empire!”
When Anna heard the rumors about the “King of Cards” official tournament, she simply couldn’t deny Joy’s heartfelt wish to participate.
However, her bad premonition turned out to be true; after Joy exhausted himself by going out to the capital, his condition worsened, and he collapsed.
Anna felt it was her fault for bringing Joy to the capital, praying only for him to survive.
Knock, knock.
While Anna was holding Joy’s hand and praying, she wondered who could be visiting at this hour.
It hadn’t been long since the priest who had treated them left, so she was curious and opened the door.
“Hello, are you Joy’s mother?”
“Yes, but who are you…?”
“I am Rupert Somerset, the second son of the House of Marquis Somerset, and I run the Somerset Workshop.”
“Excuse me?! I’m so sorry! I didn’t recognize such an important person…”
Anna was taken aback upon realizing the identity of the man who had come looking for Joy.
Part of her astonishment stemmed from the fact he belonged to a noble family, but she also recognized the name Rupert.
‘The Empire’s best writer, Rupert Somerset?’
He was the author of “King of Cards,” the comic her son adored, along with numerous fairy tale books and comics.
It was impossible for her not to know about Rupert, who was now a big player shaping the Empire’s culture.
She even recalled watching the animation “The Kingdom of Ice” at the Somerset Theater.
So, Anna started to suspect that the man introducing himself as Rupert was lying.
Of course, impersonating a noble was a serious offense, but the nature of the situation felt unreal.
Why would Rupert, someone who was likely more sought after than the Emperor in the Empire, come to such a place…?
‘Could it really be that the person Joy met was…’
As this thought crossed her mind, Anna started to tremble all over.
A few days ago, Joy had mentioned a friend he met at the tournament had come to visit and that the friend’s brother was the famous Rupert.
But Anna had dismissed the idea, assuming Rupert would never visit a simple commoner’s home in this rural territory; she thought Joy must have misheard or the friend had lied.
“Why has Lord Rupert come to a place like this…?”
“I have a gift for Joy. Can I meet him?”
***
“Congratulations on the establishment of the Somerset Welfare Foundation.”
“It is an honor for the daughter of Gaia to visit us.”
The banquet hall of Somerset Mansion was bustling with guests.
Given that it was a long-awaited banquet hosted by the now-prominent Somerset family for a special purpose, many people wished to attend.
“I sincerely thank all of you for generously donating to support the children who will become the Empire’s backbone. Please enjoy your time.”
At the podium, Marquis Bradley was welcoming guests with the opening remarks for the banquet.
Meanwhile, Rupert had quietly slipped away to speak with the Saintess.
“I have heard about your recent work, Lord Rupert.”
“Is that so? It was nothing special.”
“Not at all! The story of the great duelist Joy is touching no matter how many times I hear it.”
Rupert couldn’t hide his embarrassment at the Saintess’s praise.
-This is all for you.
The story of Rupert and Joy, which had warmed the hearts of the Empire’s people, was spreading rapidly.
A few days ago, Rupert had visited Joy again.
“Uh…? Lord Rupert, what brings you here again?”
Rupert handed a carefully prepared gift to Joy, who was gazing at him with barely open eyes from the bed.
What Rupert handed Joy was none other than a card from “King of Cards.”
‘This is…’
Joy’s eyes widened in surprise at the card inscribed with his name.
‘The Great Duelist Joy’
The card featured a magnificent illustration of a knight.
And the description on the card read:
-Joy was frail as a child but eventually overcame it and grew to become a great duelist, achieving glorious feats.
“Joy, you’re going to get healthier than anyone else.”
Rupert, especially gentle with children, felt a deep sadness when witnessing them grow up quickly due to their illness.
Every time he saw children who, despite their struggles, thought of others before themselves, he wished for a world where children could be happy.
“Esteban, we need to establish our welfare foundation.”
“What is a welfare foundation?”
“It’s an organization that helps those who are in need.”
Initially, when Rupert explained, Esteban thought it was something the Church would handle.
In this world, only cults were dedicated to helping the impoverished.
Occasionally, during famines, the Imperial Family or distinguished noble families would provide food, but there were no private organizations helping the needy as Rupert described.
“It would be impossible to save all the poor in the Empire, even if we raided the Imperial Family’s storehouses.”
“We will support some of them, starting with the children.”
At first, Esteban was hesitant about Rupert’s suggestion.
However, Rupert’s strong determination forced Esteban to agree.
“Then we cannot do it alone. We should contact the cult for their cooperation and recruit other nobles to expand the foundation’s size, it’s our priority.”
While Rupert laid out the structure for the plan, it was Esteban who was best at filling in the details.
He promptly contacted the cult to explain the welfare foundation Rupert envisioned and sought their support.
“Hey, this is not charity.”
“What do you mean? Helping the poor is essentially charity, isn’t it?”
“It’s different! We are supporting children so they can grow normally, and when those children grow up, what do you think will happen?”
“What do you mean…?”
“Exactly! They will become our customers! We’re not doing charity; we’re investing to expand our business!”
With his ghostly rhetoric, Esteban convinced both merchants and nobles around them to invest in the Somerset Welfare Foundation.
Without Esteban, this plan could have failed.
Eventually, Esteban succeeded in raising the necessary funds for the establishment of the Somerset Welfare Foundation that Rupert longed for.
Today, a banquet celebrating the foundation’s establishment was being held.
“Oh! This is a card for the founders of the foundation!”
“That’s not all; these books are a specially limited edition fairy tale collection made just for us.”
“No… I didn’t donate to receive gifts like these.”
The foundation’s sponsors gathered at the banquet were surprised by the gifts specially prepared for them.
From limited edition “King of Cards” cards made just for them to the Somerset fairy tale collection books.
They received a variety of gifts, which, considering the sky-high prices of recent products bearing the Somerset name, meant they had received presents worth far more than what they donated.
‘These people are still the ones who set out to help others.’
Later, when this fact became known, nobles who had initially refused to donate would likely come back, offering to donate as well.
But Rupert had no intention of accepting them.
Those gathered today were there out of goodwill; thus, the gifts were for them alone.
Even the Saintess was just as pleased by the unexpected gifts.
“When did you prepare this?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down.”
The Saintess had been the most proactive supporter in establishing the foundation, so Rupert had prepared a special gift for her.
“You indeed have a knack for painting delicate lines.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, while other merchants in the Empire have started producing these types of items, they’re all below par.”
“Really? Such things are already being produced?”
Rupert was taken aback by the Saintess’s words, inadvertently raising his voice.
The news that such dangerous items were already circulating was something Rupert had not anticipated.
Considering that, even on Earth, one of the first genres to spread was that, it was not entirely surprising.
“Darn it, Rupert… You’re the best when it comes to brotherhood, huh?”
While Rupert’s complicated feelings were ignored, the Saintess was lost in admiration, muttering to herself as she gazed at the painting he had drawn.
After contemplating the painting for a while, the Saintess suddenly recalled something and asked Rupert.
“Oh, speaking of which, I heard the next episode of Van Helsing is its last?”
“Yes, that’s right. Only the final episode remains.”
“Captain Alexander said he’s been enjoying it and asked you to make sure the ending is good.”
“It seems he is doing well.”
“Yes, he still draws blood with his hammer every time.”
Rupert had never seen Alexander in battle, so he didn’t quite understand the description, but people around him advised caution in his presence.
“Then, are you only continuing with King of Cards now? So you might have some time to fulfill my request…”
“Not at all. I will be starting a new project immediately.”
“What?”
Upon hearing Rupert’s response about starting it right away, the Saintess made a slightly disappointed face.
Rupert had just returned from a meeting with the Emperor to proceed with this new work.