Chapter 199. The Princess who draws (3)
“I think they are roughly stacked up here….
“…Me? Meryl’s sister? This is a really important business. Putting my personal money-making aside, it’s something that will mark a milestone in the kingdom’s history in the future, right?”
“I know, I know.”
Now, I see this as the same as answering that I don’t know at all.
“found!”
Meryl noona smiled brightly and proudly took out the picture and held it up.
“Please be sincere this time…
I was about to grumble half-complainingly, but I was at a loss for words.
“What is sincerity?”
“….no.”
I shrugged my shoulders wordlessly.
The picture my sister showed me was really splendid, and it exceeded my expectations.
Just looking at the picture has the power to clearly convey what it is about.
A genius is not a genius for nothing.
“Actually, I was a little worried while drawing it. Existing methods of speech should not be applied at all. The colors should be more vivid.”
Unlike a moment ago, in a clear tone, my sister explained the painting.
“At least today’s painters won’t admit it.”
However, in the case of Meryl noona, unlike the other guys, there was no particular feeling of contempt.
A picture is just a picture.
In fact, Green himself is showing a plain attitude.
“So what’s the answer? not enough?”
“I can’t really complain about this!”
I praised it honestly, but Meryl smiled as if for granted.
“If you do this, a great picture storybook will be completed.”
“For me, Arel, as long as you keep your promise, it doesn’t matter. I’m glad when something good is done.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
It was a promise made with Meryl’s sister that she would soon support the matter of studying in the Empire.
I really intend to keep it.
“But it takes time. One to two years?”
“There’s nothing I can’t wait for.
I will look forward to it and wait.”
After that, we chatted about painting.
“So, do we really have to start drawing now?”
“yes.”
Anyway, the picture is just a sample.
Now I have to draw something for a picture storybook in earnest.
“Then what should I draw?”
“Actually, I’ve already decided.”
A few candidates have already been identified.
Most of them are oral fairy tales whose authors do not currently exist or have been passed down only by mouth from a long time ago.
Actually, choosing this one was quite a headache.
A fairy tale from another world I know is a little too much to write here.
When there is no certainty that the reason will work, the sensibility is different when the non-world is different.
Even if you try to bring in and quote stories from other worlds, most of the time it doesn’t work.
That’s why I choose the fairy tales here that don’t matter even if I reorganize them into Grimm’s fairy tales.
It took quite a bit of headache to select it.
And among them, the first fairy tale to be selected had to be cautious.
“Can I draw something?”
“Actually, I want you to do this first.”
I held out the children’s book I had brought to Merrill.
“Where are you?
「The Spirit and the Traveler」?
hmm?
Go??…
“It’s one of the typical stories for children.”
“huh? Is it like that?”
It’s normal that I don’t remember the fairy tales I read when I was young.
“Ah… I remembered. Yes, there was a story like that. But… I think I read it when I was quite minor, so you brought a high story? I thought I would definitely bring 「The Dragon and the Hero」.”
“Actually, that was also a candidate.”
If we were to adopt the most popular fairy tale, it would be natural.
As the best-known heroic tale.
It was probably a story that everyone in the Ernesia Kingdom or neighboring countries had heard often during their childhood.
I was going to do it with it at first.
However, after thinking about it for a while, I eventually concluded that the first picture fairy tale should be done with this.
“[Spirit and Traveler]… I thought it would be most helpful to decide with this.”
“…Doesn’t that look belong to a merchant?”
“yes?”
I wondered what she was talking about, but Merrill, who was staring at my face, narrowed her eyes and pointed at my face.
“It’s a face that makes things even more annoying than making money.”
“Hmm… maybe so.”
I didn’t have to deny it.
“What good. Because all I have to do is draw a picture. It is none of my business to know what Arel decorates with it.”
“Are you okay?”
Now my sister noticed that I was up to something.
Even so, he drew a line saying he would not get involved.
“are you okay.”
But Merrill’s sister declared:
“You’re not doing anything particularly bad, are you? That’s enough.”
And my sister opened the storybook she received from me and started reading it.
“How long will it take?”
“I will do it within this month.”
Faster than you think.
“Then please take care of me.”
“Oh, by the way, Meryl noona? As for the nude painting from earlier…
“That’s not okay.”
Chit.
After a long time, I came up with a better business, but my sister firmly refused before I even said it.
Only at this time, I sincerely thought it was a waste. really.
“Hey? Did you choose a really unexpected story?”
As usual, after the spiritual class, during a small talk with Pena.
When I moderately talked about the production process of the picture storybook, she was meekly admiring it.
“As for the well-known ones, [The Dragon and the Hero] would be more famous…
” “I thought the same thing. And when I saw the result of Merrill-noona’s drawing, I thought it wouldn’t matter too much.”
“hmm? what do you mean?”
“Seeing is faster than talking.”
I ordered a servant to bring me a painting that arrived at the manor not too long ago.
These are the pictures to be used in the fairy tale that Meryl noona finally completed last time.
In fact, it was all completed in one month.
….because he looks like a scary person.
….Now that you’ve gone this far, you’re afraid of what’s going to happen if you break your promise to study abroad in the empire?
Even if I don’t use my hands anyway, that wish will come true, so don’t worry.
“It’s a fairy tale drawn by Meryl Ernesia… Arel, you hired a very extravagant painter, didn’t you?”
“Do you know about Meryl, too?”
In response to my question, Pena said, “Everyone knows.” he replied.
“It was a mess when I was in the Empire? A painter from our empire praised Meryl Ernesia. This rumor spread.”
“Was that enough?”
I didn’t know that.
“huh. So you have no idea how angry my father was at the time.”
Well, it was Pena’s father who hated Ernesia Kingdom enough to cause a war. That is, because I am the emperor.
“what? Then, isn’t this not just a fairytale meaning, but also valuable as a picture and selling quite well?”
“. Arell.”
“I’m kidding.”
I’m just trying to make Grimm’s fairy tale, I have no intention of selling Meryl noona’s name.
In the first place, the name of the person who drew this is not going to be revealed this time.
As we were having such a conversation, the servant brought me the picture I had ordered him to bring.
“Can I just bring it like this? Isn’t it a precious painting?”
“It’s okay, because it’s a copy.”
The original is asleep in my office.
Is this a copy?”
Pena kept her mouth shut and glared at the paintings.
It was hard to believe that it was a machine-produced copy.
“I’ve heard it before, but seeing it in action makes no sense…
“This is the power of magic copying technology.”
I giggled and boasted of my theory.
The projection crystal woven with advanced mana circuit recognizes the picture as it is and copies it as it is.
Electronic technology did not yet exist here, so the lacking or lacking technology was supplemented by replacing it with magic.
I was half-excited and explained it aloud.
“how is it? Do you see the awesomeness of this technique?”
“Not a clue!”
Pena smiled broadly and declared this.
Even if you explain it like this, it’s usually that you don’t understand.
It doesn’t matter though.
There is meaning in bragging.
It’s none of my business except to understand.
I want to brag a little more.
Please make me proud!!
Pena hurriedly changed the subject, perhaps feeling a sense of danger that if left alone, I would continue to explain boring techniques.
“More than that, ‘Spirit and Traveler’…isn’t that a really minor story?”
Pena touched the cover of the original book that I had placed on the table as shown in the picture.
The outline is as follows.
It is a typical heroic story in which a timid boy meets the spirits, becomes braver as he goes on adventures with the spirits, and finally saves the princess and the world.
It’s such a fairy tale that’s perfect for putting kids to bed on a really common night.
However, awareness is quite low.
At least common people have never heard of it, and only those who have read a few books know about it.
There are not many people who have heard of Ernesia Kingdom, but it is a fairy tale that has been well passed down in the small country at the northern end of the continent.
“I managed to think of choosing something like this.”
“Minor isn’t bad.”
I shrugged and said.
“Unexpectedly, as it is a fairy tale that few people know, it may be considered fresher.
Above all, this means that the original author no longer exists.”
There is no specific copyright law here, but even if I use it in this way, I don’t feel any remorse at all.
“This is what wisdom is, Your Highness the Princess?”
“…That’s not what I just said, right?”
Pena picked up the book with a look that seemed like she couldn’t stop.
“Do I even know this much? This book…
“Is it forbidden in the Holy Kingdom?”
Of course I know.
And recently, even in the empire, according to the will of the Holy Kingdom, some books and oral stories, including these fairy tales, have been banned.
In any country, there are bound to be books or stories that are inevitably designated as prohibited books.
This is because there is a possibility that the story itself contains ideas that go against the values of the country in question.
Such values inevitably permeate the people in question and sprout in directions that those in power do not want.
“On purpose?”
“huh.”
I clearly affirmed it without hiding an inch.
It’s good to make money, and it’s good to show off my skills.
And it’s even better if you can lay the groundwork for the future.
“Surprisingly, even circulating this fairy tale is punishable by death in the Holy Land. If you are caught reciting the contents, you will face a heavy sentence, right?”
The reason was barely visible.
It’s probably because it’s a fairy tale that becomes the motto of spirit beliefs banned by the Holy Kingdom.
It’s interesting what that means.
Whatever the case, the important thing is.
“If I publish this and spread it to the world, it means that the people of the Seongguk will really have a headache!”
“wow…. He really laughs like a villain.”
“What is this?”
A smile like this still hasn’t expressed even 10% of my nature, right?
Also take advantage.
And if I can give a big big taffy to future enemies who quarreled with me, wouldn’t it be really sweet?
This kills two birds with one stone.
This is why I chose this fairy tale.
“…This is the first time I’ve ever seen a person choose business materials for this reason.”
“It’s okay. I’ve always been like this.”
And it will be like this in the future.
“Well, put aside those dark inner circumstances.”
“That is self-aware.”
It seems that Pena is even moved by my impudence.
No, let’s get rid of that now.
“What is your impression of seeing the painting more purely than that?”
“…so good that it splits.”
Pena evaluated honestly.
Her eyes were infinitely clear, as if she was seriously evaluating her as a reader.
