Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

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“Is that the platypus?”

People were staring at the strangely shaped creature inside the transparent glass wall.

“It really has a duck-like beak, but its body looks like a raccoon. I can’t believe such a thing actually exists.”

“I heard there are plenty of these bizarre creatures in the Western Continent.”

“And isn’t there supposed to be a horned horse over there?”

The Western Continent Creature Exhibition.

When the Adventure King Lambus returned a year ago, everyone on the continent couldn’t help but be surprised.

“The Western Continent actually exists!”

This was the declaration made by Lambus, who had set off ten years ago in search of an unknown continent, and whom everyone thought had perished.

Of course, people initially found it hard to believe.

“There’s no way he didn’t hide away out of shame for failing his voyage and is only now coming back.”

The ordinary folks of the continent, who thought even the Eastern Continent was close to being uncharted territory, naturally found Lambus’s claim that the Western Continent existed to be unbelievable.

But,

“I can’t believe the Western Continent actually exists.”

Soon, by exhibiting the photographic evidence he recorded after a long voyage and showcasing strange flora and fauna that didn’t exist in the Central Continent, he promptly dispelled all doubts.

The platypus, a combination of a duck and a raccoon, unicorns with horns, and spiders that emitted threads of seven different colors.

The exhibition of Western Continent creatures became so popular that tickets were harder to obtain than plucking stars from the sky, attracting visitors not just from the Empire but from all nations across the continent.

“And the Sea God’s Curse really did exist.”

The main highlight of the exhibition was none other than the ‘Sea God’s Curse.’

The mysterious fruit that grants superhuman abilities, as depicted in Rupert’s comic, <Great Treasure>.

Many had set sail for it, but since no one had found it, there were whispers that it might not even exist.

Yet Lambus had discovered it and returned!

“Wow!!! A real person is breathing fire!”

Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same as what was depicted in <Great Treasure>, but one of the sailors on Lambus’s ship, after eating a peculiar fruit from the New World, reportedly gained the ability to breathe fire.

People unanimously declared that this incredible transformation was undoubtedly the Sea God’s Curse.

“Lord Rupert, look! The Sea God’s Curse really exists!!!”

“I can’t believe this goddess would go this far.”

After returning from the Western Continent, Lambus personally went to report to Rupert.

What Rupert muttered after hearing Lambus’s story wasn’t a trivial matter at all.

“Alright, Somerset tourists, it’s time to move to the next location.”

A man shouted to the crowd as they were viewing the Western Continent Creature Exhibition.

“Where’s the next stop?”

“Yes, this time we’ll be stopping at the Somerset Goods Store in Somerset Territory. You’re lucky, guests, as you’ll be able to see the legendary pink snow during this period.”

“Ohhh, to actually see the legendary pink snow!”

Excitedly, people began to chatter among themselves in response to the man’s answer.

Among them were people with darkly tanned skin and those with striking red hair, showcasing a variety of appearances.

Seeing their lack of uniformity, people nearby quickly guessed that they were tourists from abroad.

“I heard Somerset tours are so popular that it’s easier to see foreigners than locals nowadays in the Empire.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? Thanks to that, the economy is thriving!”

“True, but with tourists sweeping up all the goods at the Somerset Goods Store, it’s getting harder to find them!”

“Well, they were already hard to get…”

In the past, it was rare to see foreigners in the territory of the Empire, except perhaps for merchants.

Now, foreigners were as common as water in the capital or the southern Somerset Territory.

Not only that,

“Are you trying to say I’m a dwarf and scamming me!!!”

“No, it’s just that…”

“I should report this to the Imperial Guard. Let me show you how terrifying the anti-discrimination laws are!”

“Alright! Alright!!! I’ll sell it to you at the price you want!”

“That’s what you should’ve done from the start.”

From a dwarf haggling with a merchant at a street stall to an elf creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a famous painting while simply sipping tea at a tearoom—

The Empire had also become a place where different races were easily found.

“Speaking of which, isn’t next week the opening day for ‘that’?”

“Right, that’s why there’s suddenly been an influx of foreigners and different races.”

“Oh no, they say they’re selling tickets on a first-come, first-served basis—do I need to camp out again?”

“I hear the line has already swelled with people camping out, filling the area.”

“What a nightmare! I really want to see the opening of Somerset Land!”

Somerset Land.

Advertised grandly as a new amusement park prepared over ten years by the House of Duke Bluewell and the Yuren Merchant Association, it was only natural that people held high expectations.

Until now, there had only been rumors swirling, but no one had grasped the reality of Somerset Land, which was finally set to open next week. Spectators were flowing in from the Empire and even abroad.

And right now, at the site of Somerset Land—

*

“Double-check the connection points! Remember, any misalignment could lead to a major accident!”

“Don’t worry! We know that better than anyone else.”

“That kind of complacency is what causes accidents!”

A group of small-statured figures diligently inspecting every detail in front of a massive amusement ride were none other than dwarves.

“Hah… I can’t believe this thing I made is actually happening.”

The one who seemed to be the leader among them wiped the sweat from his forehead, despite it being midwinter.

“Good job, Kroon.”

“Did you come?”

The sharp-featured blond-haired man with striking blue eyes approached Kroon, handing him a handkerchief.

“I didn’t think a day would actually come when this would be made.”

“Exactly. If it weren’t for the dwarf friends you brought, we wouldn’t have dreamt of finishing it on time!”

“Those guys wouldn’t miss out on such a fun project.”

Kroon and the man stood opposite each other, gazing at the amusement ride they were finalizing.

They were reminiscing about the countless incidents that had taken place leading up to this day.

The launch of Somerset Land hadn’t gone as smoothly as they had hoped.

Designing rides that would thrill people proved challenging enough, but,

Even if they did manage to build it, it often broke down, and rectifying any issues while also ensuring durability was incredibly tricky.

“Ahhh! This safety belt is coming undone!”

Fortunately, during test runs, they had used tough characters from Somerset, like Richard and Oun, so there hadn’t been any fatalities.

However, the wealthy Somerset and the Yuren Merchant Association found themselves pouring money into this massive amusement park like water into a bottomless pit for quite some time.

“But Rupert, aren’t you supposed to be super busy right now?”

“Yeah, that’s why I made my escape.”

“Hahaha, are the ones making you sweat all women?”

Rupert sighed in agreement with Kroon’s comment, which was no small matter.

He had recently become the head of the Somerset Family and just elevated to the title of Honorary Duke.

“It’s a marriage ten years in the making, so they definitely wouldn’t concede easily.”

“At least I’m glad they agreed to the joint wedding.”

“Having three wedding ceremonies is a bit much, isn’t it?”

Having promised three women that he would marry them upon reaching the title of Honorary Duke, it was finally time for Rupert to fulfill that promise, which had kept him on his toes.

“The first guests here will be you and your wives.”

“That’s not the case.”

“Huh?”

“The first guest was already determined ten years ago.”

“Who is that supposed to be?”

“Aida.”

Kroon struck his forehead and let out a sound of realization upon hearing Rupert’s reply.

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen that little brat in quite a while.”

“When I catch her this time, I’ll really give her a lesson.”

“How?”

“…”

Rupert couldn’t bring himself to answer Kroon’s question.

Within the family, there was already no one able to keep Aida in check.

When they were younger, they could have captured her with the help of Oun, Alain, and the soldiers, but that was a story from several years ago.

“Aida led her neighborhood friends to raid bandits?!”

From the days when she would play pretend leader with other kids, Aida had now truly become a leader.

“The Princess Knight Order”

Incredibly, Aida was the official commander of this knight order.

-What? You really want to be a commanding officer? Hmm, in that case, I’ll make you a knight order!

Aida had been made the commander by none other than the current Emperor Alex.

He had unilaterally founded the knight order under the Somerset Family, which was then a marquis house, and appointed Aida as its commander—all while Aida herself named the order.

“I heard there’s a knight who rides a wolf within the Empire?”

“I hear he zips around taking down bad guys.”

“Wow… that sounds cool!”

Many naive people praised it as an amazing knight order, but the reality was that Aida was on an absolute rampage with her childhood friends, the Somerset crew.

Recently, they had even caused quite the scandal by breaking into a territory and beating up the local noble like a dog on a hot day, then redistributing the loot to the residents.

“Turns out she was nothing but a human scourge.”

After receiving a present from his brother who had ascended to the position of Honorary Duke, Rupert nearly fainted.

Ultimately, he discovered that Aida’s actions had been spurred by a sense of duty to the oppressed residents and, along with Alex, tried to somehow resolve the situation.

However, no matter what, such incidents couldn’t just be overlooked, so Rupert had been preparing to give her a piece of his mind when Aida went ghosting again, leaving a letter that she was off on a trip.

“I mean, she’s bound to show up anyway.”

Rupert thought Aida would return soon, if only to see Somerset Land.

What worried him now was the retribution that Duma was on the verge of carrying out, as well as the whereabouts of Edric, who had vanished without a trace.

“I hope he shows up for the wedding.”

Rupert was troubled by the thought of Edric, who had left suddenly several years ago with only a letter.

“Thank you for everything, Master. I’m off on a journey for my dream. I look forward to the day we meet again.”

Jenia seemed to know something but wouldn’t tell no matter how much he asked.

“I wonder if he’s still alive.”

Of course, Edric, who was even more of a lethal weapon than Aida, wouldn’t easily be taken down anywhere.