Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master-Chapter 134

134. Mech Knight Pluto (4)

Day by day, advancements in papermaking and printing were amplified by magical engineering, achieving remarkable growth.

The Arad Group, which had already introduced counterfeit-proof Renslet currency, did not stop there. They added vibrant and dynamic illustrations to the Arad Post.

The first-ever comic revealed to the world, Mech Knight Pluto, left Renslet citizens stunned and captivated by its freshness and impact.

The comic had a unique touch, starting with its authorship. It was credited to two creators: the story by an author named Meteor and the illustrations by Arad Entertainment.

The content was simple yet refreshingly provocative.

[This work is fictional. It has no relation to actual events.]

Right from the opening, the comic included a disclaimer to prevent misunderstandings. For those encountering such a work for the first time, even this warning piqued their curiosity.

[Year 45XX of the Holy Calendar, Silver Era Year 2XX]

The timeline of the story was in the near future, emphasized by the use of "XX" in place of specific digits.

[One day, dark sorcerers succeeded in summoning demons from the abyss of hell.]

[The Empire was the first to surrender to the demons, transforming into the Dark Empire.]

[The wicked legion of hell plunged the continent into chaos.]

The villains were the dark sorcerers, and the Empire, which had fallen to the demon army, was subtly villainized as well.

The Empire’s military, having sold their souls to the sorcerers, became the Demon King’s army and began ravaging Arcadia in grotesque forms.

Scenes interspersed with panels depicted massive beasts summoned by the sorcerers, bringing terror and devastation.

[Before the overwhelming might of these colossal demons, humanity was utterly helpless.]

[Even the United Kingdoms couldn’t withstand their advance and were forced to abandon their capital, Bardenheim.]

With the continent teetering on the brink of despair, hope seemed all but lost.

“Ominous signs have been detected in Northern Renslet!”

“Send the army to the North immediately!”

Suddenly, the Demon King, ensconced in the Imperial Palace, ordered an advance into the North.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Giant monsters over 10 meters tall, accompanied by corrupted dark priests of the Imperial Church and half-undead Imperial soldiers and knights, began invading Renslet. 𝙧𝖆ΝôβƐS̈

The dark legion, gathered at the Imperial fortress city of Luhan, launched a joint assault with demonic monsters, quickly capturing Haven.

Shuen and Narvik were laid to waste, leaving the industrial city of Cadia as the next target.

Citizens of besieged Cadia trembled in despair and fear.

“Hurry! We need to transport the Colossus to the High Tower!”

“The city guard and the Frost Knights will secure a retreat route with their lives!”

Outside Cadia, individuals in uniforms resembling those of Arad employees were moving with urgency.

The location bore a striking resemblance to an Arad Group factory, where employees, knights from the High Tower, and the city guard worked together with resolute expressions.

“Master, what is that thing?”

An apprentice knight, appearing to be a young boy, cautiously asked his master while standing guard.

“It’s humanity’s only hope to turn the tide of this war.”

The senior knight replied, his gaze fixed on an object being wheeled out of the factory.

“We must protect the Snowman with our lives.”

“Yes, sir!”

Their eyes were locked on a massive object lying on an enchanted platform, lightened with buoyancy magic and covered with a large cloth. While its exact form was concealed, it vaguely resembled a giant humanoid figure.

The colossal figure, referred to by the codename “Snowman,” was being prepared for transport with ten elite horses harnessed to the task.

“Roar!”

Despite their efforts to move covertly, their presence couldn’t go entirely unnoticed.

Corrupted Imperial forces and monstrous demons, guided by the Demon King’s clairvoyance, discovered the site and launched an attack.

“Do not destroy it!”

“The Demon King has decreed to claim it for himself!”

Among the attacking forces were units reminiscent of Sigma, the Empire’s infamous intelligence agency, a name that made every Renslet citizen grit their teeth.

“Hold them off!”

“For Renslet! For Her Highness! For humanity!”

“Renslet! Rune Renslet!”

City guards and knights fought valiantly against the Demon King’s forces.

“Assist the knights!”

“Buy us more time!”

Priests from the Renslet Church and Renslet mages provided support from the rear.

“Argh!”

“Master!”

During the chaos, the protagonist of the story, Apprentice Knight Lane, watched in horror as his master collapsed, coughing up blood.

“Lane! I’ll be fine—go to the Snowman! You must stop the Demon King’s forces from seizing it!”

“I will! I swear to fulfill your orders, Master!”

Though the protagonist Lane was only an apprentice knight, he courageously dashed toward the colossus known by the codename “Snowman.”

Joining other knights atop the colossus, he fought to fend off the Empire’s forces.

However, the battle turned increasingly dire with each passing moment.

The Demon King’s special forces continued their relentless advance, and from the opposite side, three colossal monsters, each over 12 meters tall, lumbered closer.

[Here.]

"Wh-Who?!"

[Here!]

Just as the saying goes, the darkest hour is just before dawn.

When everyone else had given up hope and was preparing to destroy the colossus, an unfamiliar voice echoed in Lane’s mind.

[Young one, board Pluto.]

“...!”

What followed unfolded as a classic trope.

Lane, as if bewitched, climbed into the colossus, now revealed to be named Pluto.

“Unbelievable! Even the High Tower’s senior knights and Sword Masters couldn’t move Pluto!”

“The Chosen One! The Chosen One has appeared!”

Amid the astonished reactions of workers and mages, Pluto, now unveiled from its massive cover, rose to its feet. Its pristine white armor gleamed brilliantly as it brandished an enormous sword.

“Kuaaaaah!”

In one swing, the three massive beasts from hell were sliced apart and banished back to the abyss.

“Damn it! Retreat! Fall back!”

Sensing their failure, the Empire’s forces quickly abandoned their siege and retreated.

“Hooray!”

“Lane! Lane! Lane!”

Basking in the glow of the sunset, Pluto and Lane, seated in its cockpit, were met with cheers and applause from the masses.

With this climactic scene, the first episode of Mech Knight Pluto concluded.

“...!”

Having read the first episode to the end, Stein felt his heart pounding wildly.

He read and re-read Mech Knight Pluto as it was serialized in the Arad Post, memorizing its lines as if reciting poetry.

His chest swelled with excitement and warmth, leaving him unable to sit still. Pacing around the house, he eventually couldn’t contain himself and rushed outside.

Stein wanted to share this thrill and his thoughts with someone—anyone.

He headed straight for the village market.

“Have you read Mech Knight Pluto?”

“Of course!”

“It was incredible.”

“How am I supposed to wait for the next episode?!”

“Dad! I want to become a Pluto Knight when I grow up!”

“Sorry, son, but your father has dibs!”

At the market, men of all ages—from boys to youths to middle-aged fathers—were gathered, animatedly discussing Mech Knight Pluto.

Normally, a single newspaper would be shared among several people. However, when it came to the Arad Post, everyone had purchased their own copy.

The Arad Post, published in major cities across Renslet, was distributed to even the most remote northern villages within two days.

For the people of Renslet, who had recently gained some leisure time but didn’t have many options to spend it on, the arrival of Mech Knight Pluto was a dopamine surge like no other.

Within less than a week, the explosive response to Mech Knight Pluto had swept across all of Renslet.

It was nothing short of a frenzy.

“The story in this comic... Is it true?”

“Didn’t it say it was fictional at the start?”

“But a place like Arad Post wouldn’t publish something like this without reason.”

“True... Plus, didn’t the last Wall War have something to do with the Devil’s Den?”

“Everyone knows about the Empire’s shady ties with the dark sorcerers.”

“Wait... Does that mean Pluto is being built somewhere on our land?”

“If it’s Count Arad Jin, he could absolutely do it! Just think about everything he’s accomplished so far...”

Some readers even began to mistake the comic’s story for reality.

The fact that a prototype of Pluto did exist in Jin County didn’t help matters.

“Someday! Someday, dark sorcerers and the Demon King’s forces will invade our land!”

“Mother! I want to become a Pluto Knight! Forget Renslet Academy—I want to enroll in the new knight academy opening next year!”

“You’re amazing! My son, a knight!”

The comic’s disclaimer became as meaningless as the text on a computer boot screen.

Over 70% of Mech Knight Pluto readers were convinced that the Empire, allied with demonic forces, would invade the North one day. Many also believed Pluto was being built somewhere in Renslet, likely in Cadia.

“The reactions are more serious than expected... but I suppose that’s fine.”

With the fervor surrounding Mech Knight Pluto, the Arad Post experienced a staggering 30-fold increase in sales.

Advertising fees skyrocketed to three times that of competing newspapers, and the pages featuring the serialized comic charged five times the usual rate for ad placements. Yet advertisers lined up to secure spots.

“Arad Post.”

“Yes, Chairman!”

With the situation unfolding as it did, Petro, the editor-in-chief and president of the Arad Post, had no choice but to admit it:

The comic Mech Knight Pluto and the Arad Post were now inseparable.

“Leave the ad space for episode 5 empty.”

“Wha... What?!”

“Arad Toys will place an ad there. Don’t worry about the ad fee.”

“Understood!”

Leaving Petro’s reaction behind, Arad decided to strike while the iron was hot.

‘Arina’s birthday is coming up soon. Thanks to that, all of Renslet is already in a festive mood. I need to milk this for all it’s worth. Hahaha...’

For years, Arad had been working with the Church on various preparations.

One such effort was transforming Arina’s birthday into a grand celebration akin to Christmas back on Earth.

Years of effort had gone into this, and now it was time to reap the fruits of their labor.

‘The novel Knight Rom and Witch Julia will make a splash as an illustrated volume, and for now, I’ll focus on selling robot toys for Pluto.’

‘But just those two feels a bit bland. Should I launch another comic with a Pokémon or Digimon vibe? Since people here still have trauma from monsters, maybe I could shift to spirits or fairies, like Tiny Ping?’

‘Oh! And I could use this opportunity to tap into the card game market! With the right enchantments, I might even create animated game cards—something Earth couldn’t pull off!’

As Arad indulged in happy thoughts about future profits, an interruption broke his reverie.

“Count! Count Arad Jin!!”

Out of nowhere, a group of over ten people came rushing toward him.

“Hm? Oh... I was wondering why they hadn’t shown up yet.”

Having been informed in advance, Arad casually nodded and greeted his guests.

“Hahaha... Count, I am Boris, the president of the Northern Wind newspaper.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Beben, operator of Light of the High Tower.”

“I’m Rute, representing Renslet’s Breeze.”

“And I am...”

Each of them introduced themselves in turn, catching their breath and maintaining a respectful demeanor.

“I’m aware. All of your companies are ones my group has invested in, aren’t they? It’s been a while since the Northern Press Association meeting last year, hasn’t it?”

“Th-That’s correct!”

“So, you’ve gone to great lengths to meet me because of that?”

“Yes! Please, introduce us to the genius writer, Sir Meteor!”

“We’re not asking for Mech Knight Pluto! Even something on the level of the novel Knight Rom and Witch Julia, currently serialized in the Morning of Arcadia, would be enough...”

“We’ve begged Kanu, the president of Arad Entertainment, but he wouldn’t say a word about Sir Meteor.”

Representatives from major Renslet newspapers, including Renslet’s Breeze, Northern Wind, and Light of the High Tower, had all gathered and were clamoring to meet Arad.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll speak with Kanu, the president of Arad Entertainment.”

“Th-Thank you!”

“But... does Meteor have enough work to serialize in all your newspapers? And what’s his true identity?”

“Don’t pry too deeply into the writer’s identity—it’s a secret. As for the works, there are enough to give one to each of your newspapers.”

New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.

“We’ll sign contracts immediately! Anything will do!”

“Calm down. Works co-produced by Meteor and Arad Entertainment will be auctioned off.”

“A-Auction?!”

At the mention of an auction, the eyes of the newspaper representatives burned with determination.

Arad smirked inwardly as he observed their reactions. "Let’s see how high the bids go."