Chapter 24: The Academy Temptation Grand Operation (1)
The shock of the four-panel comic [Omniscient Backstage Perspective] making its first appearance in this world was beyond imagination.
-A new horizon in culture, jointly presented by Author Wei and Artist Aria!-
-It is neither mere writing nor mere illustration!
Let us analyze the finer points of the comic, which harmonizes both!-
After the comic began serialization, the publishing guild’s newspaper, The Moon, continued to sell out despite increasing its print run several times over.
And the other newspapers, while envying its tremendous sales, could not afford to miss out on such a major issue.
So they had no choice but to run related articles in their own papers.
After all, if there was buzz to be had, they had to take advantage of it.
“Oh! Have you fellows finally started reading comics too? How does it feel to see one for yourselves? Just like I said, isn’t it amazingly fascinating and incredible?”
“Yes! To be honest, at first I was so startled I thought it was an enchanted picture!
The people inside the drawings were talking and moving the story along among themselves. How could anyone not be surprised?”
“Well, I don’t understand the complicated theories like other people do, but there is one thing I know for certain.
Comics are incredibly fun!
Isn’t that enough?”
“I’ve been cutting out only the pages with the comic printed on them and collecting them separately!
Until the collected volume comes out later, I’m planning to reread what I’ve saved over and over!”
And readers began buying the publishing guild’s newspaper, which they had never even read before, solely to see the comic.
Cutting out only the pages with the comic printed on them and collecting them separately had become such a common sight that it was practically part of daily life.
On top of that, whenever two or more people gathered, it was almost guaranteed that a conversation about the comic would begin.
If you did not read the comic, you could hardly keep up with other people’s conversations.
A new culture, in the truest sense.
A hot trend, and even a social phenomenon, you could say.
“To think it would become this popular...”
And Aria, who as the illustrator had come to share all this nationwide attention with Wade, felt truly bewildered.
“Huh? Miss Aria, didn’t you expect at least this much?”
“...I did expect the reaction to be remarkable, but honestly, I never thought it would be to this extent.
The attention I’ve received over these past few weeks may well be greater than all the attention I’ve received in my entire life.”
Perhaps if she stopped any random passerby and asked, more people would now remember her name as the first comic artist rather than as an elven bard.
“Author, have you always been carrying people’s cheers and expectations like this?
Does it not feel burdensome?”
Aria asked Wade with a face that already looked as if the pressure was killing her.
After living as a bard for so long, she had thought herself fairly accustomed to the expectations and attention people sent her way.
But the attention she was receiving now as the artist of a comic was incomparably heavier than before.
Wade, who had already been receiving this kind of attention for several works now without so much as a change in expression, seemed admirable to her in a way different from fan admiration.
At Aria’s respectful gaze, Wade chuckled and replied.
“It’s all right. In any case, I only think of myself as a sort of primer pump.
Of course I’ll try to write as entertainingly as possible, but if I do write badly, then someone might be provoked and think, ‘Even I could write something like this!’
In that case, either way, it benefits me.”
“...Are you not afraid of people’s disappointment or criticism?”
“Come on, I’m human too, so of course harsh words scare me.
But well, it’s not as if they say those things with bad intentions.
And as long as one is human, one cannot always stay at one’s absolute peak.”
So as long as you did your best according to the situation at the time, you could hold your head high.
At Wade’s advice, Aria finally let go of her burden and smiled.
“As expected, a great author who leads culture has a different mindset from the start. I have learned a great deal.”
“What? Haha. That applies to you too, Miss Aria.
Are you not the great artist who drew the very first comic, no less?”
“Please do not flatter me so much.
If not for Author Wei, I would still be nothing more than an ordinary bard.”
“Ordinary...?
No, no matter how I think about it, Miss Aria, you were already far from ordinary even before this.”
“Compared to now, I was more than ordinary enough.”
Though Aria blushed in embarrassment at Wade’s praise, inwardly, she was delighted.
The comic, created through her joint work with Wade and almost like a child to her, had been recognized by the world.
And as the comic’s illustrator, she had been able to stand side by side with Wade.
‘It may be lacking to say I’m standing beside him with only this much...
But Author Wei also said that when drawing comics, the teamwork between the writer and the artist is more important than anything, so it should be fine!’
Moreover, they not only spent nights working together in the same room every day.
They spent more time with each other than anyone else.
They understood each other’s opinions more than anyone else, matching their pace together.
At this point, was it not fair to say that she and Wade were breathing in sync enough to stand side by side—almost on the level of a married couple?
“...Aaaah! What shameless thoughts am I having?!”
Whoosh, whoosh!
Bonk, bonk!
Following the flow of her thoughts, Aria accidentally arrived at an embarrassing idea, then violently shook her head and bonked herself on the head.
It was as if she were trying to forget quickly, lest Wade somehow discover that shameful memory.
And watching Aria go into that frenzy.
‘Is Aria having a hard time because of the serialization?’
Wade assumed she was suffering because she was continuing an unfamiliar comic serialization, and looked at her with pity.
It was a path every author passed through at least once.
His pitying eyes were filling rapidly with empathy.
‘It seems I may need to open a comic lecture soon, or bring in assistants or something.’
That way, Aria would have an easier time too.
And the soil for other comics to emerge would also be created.
‘If I remember correctly, because we serialized a comic in the publishing guild’s newspaper, the sales of other newspapers dropped.
They said those papers were trying to run comics of their own as well, didn’t they?’
Then they would surely jump at it with fire in their eyes.
Perhaps before long, he might be able to see native comics produced in this other world.
‘Since it would be helping competitors, the publishing guild probably won’t like it much.’
Honestly, that was none of Wade’s concern.
Just giving them first claim on the first comic serialization was already enough to fulfill his loyalty to the guild.
In any case.
Now that the comic had more or less gotten off to a safe start.
“Then I suppose it is about time I get back to what I need to do.”
“Ah! Are you thinking of resuming serialization of [The Genius Mage of the Slums]?”
“Yes. Until now, I had the excuse that I was delaying it to complete the comic.
But if I don’t release it soon, I think people’s complaints will start coming out again.”
It was time to release Volume 2 of [The Genius Mage of the Slums], which he had put off for a while in order to make the comic.
“And the timing seems just about right, too.”
“By that, do you mean what you mentioned before...?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
And that content was.
“In Volume 2 of [The Genius Mage of the Slums], I’m planning to send Tian to the academy.”
It was going to become an academy story.
***
The reason I chose the academy as the stage for Volume 2 of [The Genius Mage of the Slums]
was one part of a conversation I had previously had with my younger sister, Rena.
‘Why else? Because there aren’t that many people enrolling in the academy these days.
Especially among the nobles.’
Namely, the problem that the academy had too few new students!
Whether it was because their family finances were poor, because the distance was too great, or because it was bothersome or they felt no need.
After confirming that there were fewer students at the academy than expected, I looked into the situation in more detail afterward.
“Huh? This might be more serious than I thought.”
And I found out that the academy’s situation was more seriously tangled than expected.
To begin with, since it was officially a royal academy, it was operated by the royal family.
But because new students, especially noble students, were not entering, not only was the royal family’s authority being damaged.
The admission donations that noble students would originally have paid implicitly upon enrollment were also absent, making the financial burden far greater.
And because there were so few students, a vicious cycle continued in which even professors were trying to resign and leave.
‘They say the quality of education hasn’t fallen dramatically thanks to professors with a sense of duty and professors directly placed there by the royal family, but...’
In short, both as an educational institution and as a social venue, it was in an extremely awkward position.
“It feels just like looking at a rural school on the verge of closing down.”
Even if it was not actually to that extent, it seemed certain that the royal family was watching it with a sense of crisis.
If things went wrong, they might even give up operating the academy!
“Duke Lucid! I will try to save the academy!”
“The academy issue? You will?”
So through Duke Lucid, my channel of communication with the royal family, I proposed to the royal family that I would try to solve the academy problem.
How would I solve it?
‘I’ll write Volume 2 of [The Genius Mage of the Slums] as an academy story, and make the students who read it want to go to the academy.’
It was a plan to have students who saw academy life in the novel feel longing for it and be guided into enrolling at the academy.
Even in my previous life, there were many people who watched school stories and looked forward to going to high school or university, so the effectiveness was already proven!
“Hmm... Given your influence, it is possible you may be able to solve the academy’s problem.
But why have you suddenly taken an interest in the academy issue?
Until you mentioned it, even I had not thought of it.”
While Duke Lucid reviewed my proposal positively, he seemed curious as to why I was stepping forward so actively.
“Because I don’t want to see the academy fall into ruin like this.”
The answer was simple.
As someone who liked academy stories, I wanted to protect a real, existing academy.
After all, an academy is a treasure trove of countless materials and inspirations, as well as an excellent stage for novels.
‘And the more people attend the academy, the more academy stories will come out!’
An academy story served up by a real academy graduate?
“I can’t resist that!”
That was why I stepped forward.
In this world, where there was no such thing as compulsory education, if an academy story served up by an academy graduate was to be born,
I needed to step in and shove students into the academy myself.
Well, my proposal, which began for roughly that reason,
“The royal family has accepted it as well.
They say that if the issue of the shortage of new students is truly resolved, they will also grant your request.”
“Excellent!”
Naturally passed right away.
“Now then.
Shall we start with the obligatory mana crystal ball test and the entrance exam?”
And at once, I began writing an academy story sprinkled liberally with MSG.
One that would make people absolutely want to come to the academy.