NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72
“Oh, that?”
I pulled the shawl Bonita draped over my shoulders closer and pointed at the hefty stack of documents in her hand.
“Hehe, it’s a letter from Baroness Pavron!”
I had a feeling it was about time, and sure enough—
She never failed to meet my expectations.
“Wow, there’s a lot in it again today.”
Naturally moving inside, I walked through the hallway while slowly scanning the letter’s contents.
Baroness Pavron. Ever since she joined the production of the comic books, my schedule had become significantly easier.
To explain the overall process: The baroness drafted the basic framework of the story, I reviewed it and passed it on to the artists, Ashley adapted it, and then the final product was created as a comic.
Since she was not only familiar with the storyline but also deeply understood the characters, she had been doing an incredible job—so much so that my workload had drastically decreased!
‘Looks like I won’t have much to do this time either.’
It seemed she had always been meticulous and highly creative, and she was improving at an astonishing pace.
Still, seeing how things were progressing firsthand was only natural.
Now that my so-called house arrest was over, I figured I might as well take the opportunity to check in on people I hadn’t seen in a while.
“I should go straight to Ashley!”
Just thinking about the artists, who always welcomed me warmly, already lifted my spirits.
With a bright smile, I quickened my pace.
* * *
Ever since the comic book business took off,
Grand Duke Blaire had allocated one of the large annexes within the grand duchy to the artists.
The thought of chatting with Ashley along the way had me excited, but the moment I stepped inside the building, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
‘What’s going on? Why does everyone look so grim?’
Brushing aside my unease, I searched for Ashley, only to find that her expression wasn’t much different from the others.
Ashley had always tried to keep her emotions in check since taking charge of the comic production, but now…
“…Ah, my lady.”
Her face was completely drained of life.
“Ashley, what on earth is going on?”
Sensing that this was no time for casual greetings, I stepped closer to her.
“It’s clear something bad has happened, hasn’t it?”
After a long moment of silence with her head hung low, Ashley finally spoke in a cautious tone, revealing what had transpired.
“Well…”
Though her words came out in fragments, the message was clear—
‘All the junior artists suddenly quit, as if they had agreed on it beforehand.’
Was that even something that made sense?
Even just hearing it left me at a loss for words.
“No matter how many times I asked what the issue was, none of them gave an answer. They just packed their things and left the grand duchy. So far, five people have already gone.”
Ever since they were praised by the Empress, the artists had been highly motivated, speeding up their work on their own.
The entire production schedule had been adjusted accordingly, and the related merchandise business was still running smoothly.
In other words, everything was progressing rapidly—but the people had suddenly disappeared.
To maintain the current pace of production, at least five new artists needed to be hired. Even then, it would still be a tight fit.
Yet now, five people had left instead?
Could it be that they felt they weren’t being paid enough for the amount of work they were doing?
This wasn’t unheard of, even in Korea. Considering the possibility, I cautiously asked,
“Did you try offering a pay raise?”
“We didn’t consider that at first, since suggesting it right away might have led to a chain reaction of salary negotiations, but…”
Ashley shook her head firmly, gripping the hem of her dress tightly.
“But as the situation got worse, of course, we tried that too. It didn’t make any difference.”
Even junior artists with barely any experience refused the offer of higher pay?
And at this very moment, outside, the voices of senior artists trying to stop more people from leaving echoed through the hall.
“…Even though we still have artists handling illustrations, coloring, and post-processing, the ones who left were responsible for assisting with smaller tasks. That means the remaining artists will be even more burdened.”
It was a natural conclusion.
Before additional artists were hired, Ashley had been the one shouldering the most work.
I still vividly remembered the exhausted faces of the original comic book team, so I wanted to avoid that at all costs.
“If this keeps up, production might be disrupted due to burnout.”
“Yes… But we can’t just hire anyone.”
Collaboration and communication were the most crucial aspects of comic production.
Of course, artistic skill was important, but since the team had to work together frequently and cover for each other when needed, those qualities mattered even more.
However, most people currently interested in comics were either less skilled or had been expelled from the industry due to past issues.
That was because…
‘Reclusive artists had mocked successful comic artists, accusing them of selling out their art for a few coins.’
Thanks to comics, many struggling artists were finally able to make a living, but among the traditional art community, comics were still seen as second-rate.
Of course, when the three veteran artists—who had originally been scouted by the Grand Duke—submitted a formal complaint, the critics were forced to backtrack and issue an apology.
Still, perceptions wouldn’t change overnight. Historically, new forms of art were always met with resistance.
Anyway.
“For now, the main artists will have to endure the workload until we find the right people… but that’s really not ideal.”
Ashley let out a deep sigh and rubbed her fatigue-laden eyes.
But as I listened to her, a thought crossed my mind.
‘This is happening suddenly and unexpectedly, but maybe we’re just facing something that was bound to happen eventually.’
No artist wants to remain an assistant forever.
In this world, it was common practice to train under a renowned master before eventually going independent.
From that perspective, Safety rules for duke’s haunted manor, which had amassed a fanbase so vast that it shook not just the empire but the entire continent, was undoubtedly a great training ground.
But how long would this last?
Having participated in the production of such a popular series, many artists were bound to develop the desire to publish their own work.
So this was inevitable. Sooner or later, people were going to leave.
‘As a reader, I should be excited that there will be more choices available, but…’
That was a concern for the future. This particular case, however, definitely felt unnatural.
It hadn’t even been two months since they started working. They hadn’t even learned much yet—so why had all the junior artists quit at once?
“If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know, Ashley.”
“…Of course. Thank you for always looking out for us, my lady. I feel bad for showing you such a weak side of me.”
With a light smile, she regained her usual composure.
I, too, handed her the letter from Baroness Pavron and briefly shared my thoughts.
“By the way, my lady… You truly are amazing. The moment your work ban was lifted, you immediately returned to the field.”
“…Well, that’s—”
“That just shows how much you care about this work, right? I feel the same way.”
As I struggled to find the right words, I noticed that Ashley’s face had darkened again, and I frowned slightly.
“…We really need to gather people at the comic workshop soon. Or perhaps we should ask Advisor Liam for help?”
“Yes, I was planning to do that.”
Hearing Ashley’s response, I left her with a few words of encouragement and stepped out of the annex.
But then—
“My lady, we have a problem!”
Another crisis came crashing down on me like a towering wave.