Chapter 00
ProloguePrologue
Late at night, the dim moonlight shone on the wall.
There, a man dressed in black, barely visible in the faint moonlight, was preparing to leap over the wall.
Thud!
Without a running start, the man easily vaulted over the wall that towered over the height of an average adult man.
"How did it go with the item?"
A woman who had been waiting for a while on the other side of the wall spoke urgently to the man as he landed silently in front of her.
Judging by her attire, she was clearly a noblewoman. Her trembling hands betrayed her anxiousness as she questioned the man.
"Here are the three volumes of the new work by the 'Iron-Blooded Alchemist' as you ordered."
The man responded in a monotone voice, pulling an ordinary-looking book from his coat.
Upon seeing the book in his hand, the woman could not contain her excitement and started to tremble.
She practically snatched the book from him, carefully examining the cover.
After meticulously checking for any printing errors, damage, or other imperfections and finding none, she let out a sigh of relief.
'Who would believe that this woman, called the flower of the Empire, is actually the imperial princess?' the man thought, sighing inwardly as he watched her.
Seeing the princess jumping up and down with the book in both hands, the man reminisced about his recent struggles.
People from all over the Empire, not just the capital, had lined up in front of shops to get their hands on this 'manga.'
He, too, had stood in line for almost three days, unable to bathe or go to the bathroom, to fulfill the princess's order.
Without his past experience of infiltrating enemy territory, he might have been tossing and turning in bed from the ordeal.
'Fighting assassins targeting the royal family would have been easier,' he thought.
Colleagues who didn't understand the situation might mockingly ask, "What's so hard about buying a book?"
But this newly released volume was a limited first edition with the author's autograph and illustrations.
Despite the exclusive purchasing rights given only to loyal customers who had bought all previous volumes, the competition was still 100:1.
He couldn't forget the man who had collapsed on the ground, crying out, "Heavens! I still couldn't get the book!" after narrowly missing his turn in line.
It was clear that man, like him, had come to buy the book under the orders of a lady he served, which made the desperation all the more relatable.
"The protagonist must have thwarted his wicked father's schemes. I need to check how he protected his daughter and dog!" the princess murmured, hugging the book tightly and disappearing from sight.
Jorge, the royal shadow guard, watched her go, lost in thought.
Should he report this 'manga' to the Emperor? And if so, how should he report it?
Pondering these questions, Jorge leaped over the wall again and made his exit.
***
"Yurushite kure sōnimo nai~."
The melody of a classic song is unforgettable.
Humming the tune, he divided the blank manuscript paper into panels and began to draw, feeling thrilled.
It's a pity that there are no smartphones or PCs to listen to music in this other world.
"Alchemy of the Steel should be enjoyed with music to truly appreciate its value."
He thought he should attempt an animation project soon.
When he spoke with the magic tower last time, they mentioned that it might be possible to use illusion magic devices and tools for video storage, so it's not entirely out of reach.
However, considering the enormous research and service costs, he realized he would need to earn a lot more money.
"Should I try selling limited edition goods next?"
It would probably alarm the fans, but what choice did he have? Creating an anime required money.
It's not that he wanted to earn a lot of money for personal use.
It's an investment to revive the cultural arts of this other world, after all.
So limited editions were an unavoidable choice.
Now, he understood why Jopul sold smartphones the way they did.
He would now follow in Jopul's footsteps.