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“You must prioritize honor over life, fear cowardice more than death, protect the weak, and do good as a noble of the Empire.”

– As the head of the Somerset family, I, Marquis Bradley, hereby appoint you as a Baron.

In the banquet hall of Somerset Mansion, an unusually solemn atmosphere enveloped the room as Marquis Bradley raised his sword and lightly tapped it on the heads and shoulders of Esteban and Duma, who knelt before him.

“I now grant the surname ‘Rude’ to Esteban, and hereby proclaim Esteban Rude as a new noble.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

As Marquis announced the birth of a new noble with the gift of the surname ‘Rude’ to Esteban, the banquet hall erupted with cheers and applause.

“Truly remarkable.”

“Right? It’s like reaching for the stars for a merchant to become a noble.”

“The Somerset family is incredible for not dismissing merchants and giving them this opportunity.”

Merchants who usually traded with Somerset or Yuren were invited to the ceremony, and they exchanged comments, envious of the spectacle unfolding before them.

While merchants were the most successful and wealthy among commoners, essentially forming a privileged class, they were often subjected to contempt from nobles.

“Who do these money-grubbing folks think they are trying to involve themselves in the affairs of the empire?!”

No matter how much money they made, it was always the nobles making the laws, so merchants had to tread lightly and watch their step.

Among the nobles, some would purposefully borrow money from merchants and then cause trouble for them, to the extent that they were called the nobles’ cash cows.

That’s why Marquis Demian, the actual head of the Vera Merchant Guild, never took the front line but operated behind the scenes, and these noble title bestowals usually went to promising knights instead.

In this context, although it was an honorary title, Esteban’s new status as a Baron was formally recognized by the Empire’s law, making him a target for the envy of other merchants.

“Duma, I bestow upon you the surname ‘Ale,’ and hereby declare Duma Ale as a new noble!”

“…Thank you, Your Excellency. I will never forget this grace for the rest of my life, or even for my descendants.”

Following Esteban, Duma was also elevated to Baron.

“Who is this author anyway?”

“Who knows? Seems like someone related to Lord Rupert.”

“Seeing that such a precious Baron title was given, there must be something up.”

Most of the people gathered in the banquet hall were connected to the Somerset family or the Yuren Merchant Guild, so they couldn’t even guess who Duma was.

“I’ve gotten a step closer to Uncle’s goal.”

“Yeah, I hope that when the day Uncle Duma has been waiting for comes, I can be of some help too.”

“But will I get scolded for calling him ‘Uncle’ now?”

Only Sena and Ismael, quietly celebrating Duma’s title bestowal from the corner of the banquet hall, exchanged words.

– “Mr. Duma, I can’t help you with your revenge just yet.”

Words Rupert had once shared with Duma, who was particularly on his mind among the people gathered around him.

Unlike Ismael, who yearned to go to sea to find his father, Duma’s dream was one Rupert found hard to assist with.

‘House Haxen.’

The enemy that dragged Duma’s life into ruin and caused the death of his fiancée, Mercedes.

No, “enemy” was too soft a term.

Duma and Haxen’s fate would be bound until one of them died.

However, the issue was that the opponent was a noble protected by the Empire’s laws.

If only they were a local noble, he could have stirred up trouble for them, but since they were a distant noble from the west, he couldn’t even provoke them.

In this situation, Rupert devised a plan for Duma.

‘So, will you trust me and wait for just ten years?’

‘Lord Rupert, I’d be willing to throw everything away for revenge if it comes to that.’

After hearing Rupert’s plan to bring down House Haxen, Duma resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to Somerset.

“Wait for me, my revenge will take ten years.”

As Duma strolled alone through the garden of Somerset Mansion after the title bestowal ceremony, he quietly set the stage for his revenge.

***

While the title bestowal ceremony was in full swing at Somerset Mansion, the entrances of various branches of the Yuren Merchant Association were bustling with people reading comics.

“Totally worth the wait!”

“This amazing battle scene just proves that Lord Rupert is the best!”

“Whoa… this instant kill technique is used by the villain but looks so cool!”

People marveled at the latest installment of Manapia.

Just like with the previous work, <Van Helsing>, readers were drawn into Rupert’s skill at portraying battle scenes so dynamically as they dove into <Great Treasure>.

If past works had quickly propelled the story at an intense pace, leaving readers no room to breathe, <Great Treasure> was developing slowly to the point where the adventure hadn’t even fully begun yet.

“Quick pacing is great, but I also enjoy this leisurely setup.”

“Same here. I’m looking forward to the new companions joining the ship.”

“That Uson will probably be part of the crew this time, right?”

Readers were now focused on who would become Yupi’s companions, thanks to the addition of uniquely charming characters like the initial swordsman and the temporarily joined navigator.

In the current Captain Karon arc, Uson, a candidate for the crew, had just appeared.

‘Geez, this guy’s just too bland!’

‘He can’t fight, and all he does is talk big.’

‘Forget this guy, I’d prefer Kirby, who was in the navy before.’

When Uson first appeared, he was a braggart who couldn’t fight, so the readers’ reactions were less than enthusiastic.

But,

“This guy! He still manages to pull it off when it counts!”

“I like this guy! He seems like a coward at first but comes through when it matters!”

“Did you catch that last part of the episode?”

The latest episode reached a climax with the conclusion of Captain Karon’s arc.

『“Everything that happened here remains a secret.”

“Wait, Uson fought bravely for the village, why should that be a secret!?”

Uson, bloodied and gathering the children that followed him, felt the backlash of his statement.

“Everyone will want to see the Captain again!”

“Yeah, Uson must clear up everyone’s misunderstanding…”

Even Yael, who nearly lost his life to Karon, echoed Uson’s words with a puzzled expression.

But,

“It’s okay to misunderstand. The ones who were here are gone, and no one will attack this little village again.”

– “Everyone in the village can live here in peace, right? Just like always, this village has been peaceful. Let’s lie about what happened today, as usual.”

The scene where Uson sacrificed himself to protect the village while trying to hide the truth moved many readers.

“And that final boat, isn’t it super unique?”

“Exactly. It’s got a sheep’s head at the bow!”

But the story of Uson wasn’t the only thing capturing people’s attention.

The ship Yael gifted to Yupi’s crew as they prepared to set off on their adventure was also a hot topic.

“The Merry Ground? What a cool name!”

“Wait, there’s something written on the back too!”

At the last person’s shout, all eyes turned to the final part of the comic.

『We offer you the chance to actually ride the Merry Ground from <Great Treasure>!

Receive a lottery ticket when you purchase items from Somerset Goods Store.

Winners will be invited to a trial ride of the Merry Ground.』

“Are you serious? We can actually ride this boat?”

“Yeah, I heard rumors that they were making boats at Somerset Workshop.”

“Could this be the reason?”

The crowd’s reaction was electric.

With the recent buzz surrounding <Great Treasure>, tourism to the eastern coastal areas had surged, but due to overwhelming crowds, booking accommodations became difficult, and few could actually set sail.

In this context, the promise of sailing the seas on an identical ship to the one from the comic was irresistibly appealing.

“So if you buy something from the Goods Store, you get a lottery ticket, right?”

“Damn! If I had known this, I would’ve held off on my last purchase during the discount event.”

“No! I seriously have nothing else to buy!!”

– <Great Treasure> figure sales kick-off!

With a detailed sales strategy listing both the Merry Ground ride lottery and figure sales below, it was clear that the ambitious Esteban, now a Baron, was behind all of this.

Preparations were nearly complete, and Ismael, who was set to sail the ship, was buzzing with excitement.

Thanks to Rupert granting him the freedom to use the ship as he wished, aside from occasionally taking people out on events, Ismael was quite happy.

‘I’m sure my father is still alive!’

All set to venture into the sea to seek his supposedly deceased father, Ismael was preparing for departure, with Sena by his side to support him.

And then,

During the lively time of the title bestowal ceremony at Marquis Somerset’s residence and the release of Manapia’s new volume, an unexpected guest arrived at the Imperial Academy, specifically in Jenia’s lab.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime request, Professor Jenia.”

Edric, who usually snagged the latest volume of Manapia before anyone else, was today forgoing that for something else entirely.

“Speak, Your Highness.”

“Please tell me about the new golem you’ve created, Professor!”

Wondering why Edric, who had no usual connection, sought her out, Jenia was left startled by his following words.

Edric’s true goal lay in the new golem she had made.