Chapter 105

‘This is a magic pen. Of course, I had its stability confirmed by Professor and even the Principal.’

Rupert, sitting in the workshop, was recalling Amelia’s words as he examined the pen.

When he first heard the explanation that this pen would automatically draw whatever image the user imagined, Rupert was genuinely astonished.

The surface of the magic pen he now held was intricately engraved with a magic circle.

“But this is a failure?”

Rupert couldn’t understand how a pen that drew exactly what you imagined could be considered a failure, but Amelia’s subsequent explanation left him no choice but to agree.

– To enhance safety, the pen won’t activate unless the user’s mental power reaches a certain level.

Apparently, during actual experiments, none of the students could use it, and even the professors from the Magic Department could only use it for brief periods.

It was said that the only person who could properly handle it was Yustaf.

“If using it requires being at Yustaf’s level, isn’t that setting the bar way too high?”

Rupert began to wonder how mental power was measured in the first place.

While mana levels or physical abilities could be objectively measured, could something as uncertain as mental strength really be judged?

With doubts in mind, Rupert followed the usage method Amelia had taught him.

A simple mechanism: grab both ends of the pen and twist them in opposite directions to activate it.

Pfft!

As Rupert twisted the pen, light began emanating from the engraved magic circle on its surface.

“What? Did it work?”

Convinced it had activated, Rupert grabbed the pen and pulled out a piece of paper.

Following Amelia’s instructions to imagine the subject he wanted to draw, Rupert closed his eyes and visualized Aida dressed as Snow White, gleefully declaring herself the princess—an image deeply imprinted in his mind.

Swish.

“Huh!”

Rupert felt his hand moving involuntarily as if the pen itself was leading the motion while his hand merely followed.

Only then did he open his eyes and realize the scene unfolding before him—Aida’s image was being drawn on the blank sheet just as he’d imagined her.

“This…”

The speed at which the image was being drawn was astonishing.

Like printing a page back on Earth, the pen moved automatically, drawing faster than even Rupert, who prided himself on quick hands, could ever dream of achieving.

And yet, it wasn’t rushed—it perfectly replicated the vivid image Rupert had conjured in his mind.

After about a minute, the picture of Aida that Rupert had envisioned was fully completed on the paper.

‘If this were applied to comics or even animation, it would be incredible!’

Rupert started getting excited, imagining all the possibilities this pen could unlock for things he’d never dared dream of accomplishing within his tight schedule.

‘I should try drawing a comic next.’

Given the current action-heavy scenes in [Van Helsing], this tool would prove especially useful.

Swish.

Referring to pre-drawn storyboards, Rupert mentally separated each cut and visualized the finished images in his mind.

Once again, the pen began moving on its own, starting to sketch out the image Rupert had imagined.

About a minute later, the drawing was complete—but…

“There are quite a few missing parts in between?”

Unlike when he drew a single image, this time not everything he imagined made it onto the paper.

Rupert deduced either his concentration faltered or the pen had a memory limit for what it could process and draw in one go. So, he tried breaking it down further, attempting to draw one panel at a time instead of an entire page.

This resulted in much more satisfactory results, leaving Rupert thoroughly pleased.

“This is a miracle!”

An item of such caliber was something Rupert hadn’t even dared to hope for, so he was utterly thrilled.

In his excitement, he continued using the magic pen to draw comics until he completed what would amount to a full volume of four chapters by Manapia standards. Suddenly, dizziness overcame him.

“Ugh…”

It felt like he hadn’t slept for days—a headache set in, rendering him incapable of thought, and exhaustion swept through his body.

– This pen is influenced by mental stamina.

Recalling Amelia’s warning, Rupert clutched his temples, barely maintaining consciousness.

There was bound to be some risk associated with wielding such powerful technology, especially since it was his first time using it. Realizing he’d pushed himself too hard, Rupert stumbled toward the makeshift bed in the workshop and collapsed.

If he had pushed harder, he might have fainted just like last time.

The moment he lay down, Rupert fell asleep.

*

“WHY WON’T THIS WORK!!!”

The next day, after regaining his senses, Rupert gathered all the writers in the workshop.

Though unable to summon Princess Ioleen from the palace, he handed the magic pen to the other authors to see if they could use it.

“I’m not in a rush personally since I have some leeway, but if the other writers can use this pen, it will be a huge help.”

Unlike Rupert, the other writers struggling with the bi-weekly serialization format could benefit immensely from this tool. Therefore, he needed to confirm whether each writer could activate it.

Unfortunately, Sena and Ismael couldn’t even activate the pen.

The only one who managed to activate it was Duma—but only briefly.

“Ugh… my head hurts so badly.”

“Already?”

“Ever since the pen started moving, I’ve felt a dull ache building up in my head…”

After completing roughly a page, Duma complained of a headache, prompting Rupert to stop the test immediately.

‘Could it be because Sena and Ismael are younger and thus have weaker mental stamina?’

Rupert remembered Amelia mentioning that none of the Academy students could activate it either, except for Yustaf.

‘Then why could I use it without issue?’

Even factoring in his age from before reincarnation, Rupert was younger than Duma. Yet, he had used the pen to draw dozens of times the amount Duma managed before reaching his limits.

‘Without a clear benchmark for judging mental strength…’

How does one measure something as elusive as mental stamina?

Still, Rupert wasn’t entirely surprised.

He suspected Duma’s ability to activate the pen stemmed from his experiences—heart-wrenching tales Rupert had accidentally learned during their collaboration.

Perhaps enduring such tragedies had strengthened Duma’s mental fortitude enough to wield the magic pen.

‘So that’s it.’

Rupert now had a clearer understanding of why he could use the pen so effectively.

“Duma, please don’t push yourself today. Take a rest.”

After instructing the disappointed Sena and Ismael, and Duma, who was still clutching his head, to rest, Rupert left the workshop.

Having verified the pen’s capabilities to some extent, Rupert began devising a new plan.

*

“Ioleen, has anything unusual happened recently?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, everything has been peaceful.”

Hearing Ioleen’s reply, the Emperor frowned in dissatisfaction.

The Imperial Family traditionally upheld strict decorum, prohibiting even princes and princesses from addressing their father casually. However, Leonious had granted Ioleen permission to call him Father, yet she persisted in calling him Your Majesty.

“Do you need anything?”

“No, I already have more than enough to think about.”

Reflecting on her answer, the Emperor recalled her unique nature since childhood.

One day obsessed with music, another with swordsmanship, and yet another with academics, Ioleen often locked herself away in her room for days at a time. But these passions never lasted long. As she grew older, she seemed to lose interest in everything, wandering around with a perpetually bored expression.

The last time she approached him with enthusiasm was when she proposed the comic book distribution project.

‘Father! This is something truly beneficial for the Empire’s citizens!’

Her earnest plea, accompanied by a radiant smile as she called him Father, prompted him to support the project wholeheartedly without scrutinizing the details—simply because it was his precious daughter’s request.

“Hmm… recently, I’ve taken to reading comic books during my leisure time.”

“Really?”

“Indeed. I’ve been reading the magazine called Manapia created by Professor Rupert.”

Ioleen’s eyes widened, and she leaned forward eagerly awaiting his next words.

“I found the puppet theater series particularly intriguing.”

“Really? I love that one too, Father!”

“Hehe! What a coincidence.”

It wasn’t a coincidence.

– Your Majesty, naturally praising and mentioning Princess Ioleen’s work in front of her will yield good results.

Eytan, Ioleen’s Head Attendant, had discreetly given advice that proved effective.

“Haha! I didn’t know Your Majesty read comics. By the way, isn’t Van Helsing more interesting?”

The Crown Prince interjected into their conversation, only to meet the Emperor’s sharp gaze.

“Are you one of those ‘manal-nots’ people talk about in the market?”

“No… I mean, what do you mean by ‘manal-not’?”

“It’s a recent trend. Are you, as the Crown Prince, failing to study the daily lives of the common folk?!”

Alex, caught off guard, was bewildered.

When had his father started reading comics and picking up such slang?

“The Puppet Theater and Van Helsing are both great, but if we’re talking about artistic merit, Two-Third Circle might be the best…”

Even the Third Prince Edric joined the conversation, quietly enjoying his meal until then.

‘I can’t take this anymore.’

Watching the Emperor engage animatedly with Iolein and his brothers about comics, the Second Prince William silently observed from the sidelines, sharing a subtle nod with the Empress when their eyes met.

For both of them, despite the formerly stiff dinner atmosphere, this had become yet another exhausting mealtime.