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I just want to quietly draw manga Chapter 252
🕑 Added 2025-07-27 20:13:58 +0000 UTCAs the Elric brothers rode the train toward their next destination, Edward glanced out the window. “If this priest can really perform miracl
As the Elric brothers rode the train toward their next destination, Edward glanced out the window.
“If this priest can really perform miracles,” he said, “then it could be what we’re looking for.”
The story shifted into a flashback — before the failed transmutation and the price they paid.
Back then, they lived peacefully with their mother. But that summer, she died from an epidemic. Grief-stricken, the brothers made a decision: they would bring her back.
After her death, an elderly woman and her granddaughter, Winry, took them in. In that quiet home, the brothers began studying alchemy seriously, slowly working toward the forbidden art of human transmutation.
And when they finally attempted it… everything fell apart.
Alphonse’s body vanished. Edward was dragged into a strange, empty place, where a glowing figure waited on the floor.
“I am the World,” it said.
“I’m going to show you the truth.”
A massive door appeared behind Edward and opened. He was pulled inside and shown a flood of knowledge — the entire structure of the world.
Edward couldn’t handle it. He screamed for it to stop. After some time, the being pulled him back. As Edward came out of the door, he realized there was no error in his theory of human transmutation — but he was missing something. If he had gone a little further, he might have found what he was looking for. Desperate, he told the being, “Please, show me again.”
But the being replied, “No. I can only show you as much truth as the price you’ve paid.”
As Edward’s left leg began to dissolve, he was thrown back into the real world.
He screamed in pain, crawling on the floor. In the corner, a figure began to crawl out of the shadows — a burned, twisted body. Edward, broken and desperate, called out, “Mom…”
But the figure was no longer human. Its shape was twisted and broken.
“I didn’t ask for this,” he said.
Realizing his brother was gone, Edward refused to accept it. He dragged his bleeding body across the floor, pulled on a suit of armor, and in pure desperation, drew a transmutation circle.
“Bring him back,” he cried. “He’s the only one I have left! My arm, my leg, my heart — take whatever you want! Just give him back!”
He slammed his bloody hand on the circle and performed the ritual.
Haruka stopped turning the pages.
Her eyes lingered on the last panel — Edward’s bloodied hand pressed to the transmutation circle, his face set with desperate resolve. In the corner, their mother… or what was left of her. Something that no longer looked human.
This wasn’t just a tragic backstory.
It was the cost of crossing a line that should never be touched.
To bring back their mother, one brother sacrificed his body, and the other lost his arm and leg.
Haruka exhaled slowly, calming her emotions — then turned the page.
The story shifted again. The military had received word about a talented alchemist in the village of Resembool.
Colonel Roy Mustang came to visit Edward, hoping to recruit him into the army. But when he arrived, he saw that the so-called prodigy had lost both a leg and a hand. He immediately understood what had happened.
“You’ve committed human transmutation,” Mustang said angrily, grabbing Edward by the collar.
Alphonse quickly stepped in to calm him down. Eventually, the three of them sat down at the dinner table.
“If you join,” Mustang said, “you’ll be allowed to conduct top-level research. We’ll fund it. And with that, you may discover a way to return your bodies to normal.”
After Mustang left, Edward made his decision. He would join the military.
With help from the old woman and Winry, they began crafting automail limbs for him. It would take three years to complete.
The story moved forward again.
Three years later, the brothers were sparring. Edward was preparing for the military entrance exam.
At the exam hall, President King Bradley came in person to observe.
When the exam began, Edward placed his hand on the ground and transformed the floor into a massive spear. The floor cracked from the force, leaving a small crater. The examiners were stunned. He hadn’t used a transmutation circle.
He rushed forward, aiming the spear directly at Bradley.
The officers panicked and raised their weapons, but Edward called out, 'You might want to change your examiners. A military officer could get assassinated like this.
Bradley raised his hand to stop the guards. “He’s got guts,” he said. “But he doesn’t understand the scale of the world.”
As he walked away from Edward, the tip of the spear suddenly dropped to the ground.
Only then did Edward realize Bradley had already drawn his sword.
When did he draw it...? Edward stood frozen, stunned.
As the chapter came to an end, Haruka turned the page and began reading the next one.
The Elric brothers arrived in the city of Lior to investigate a priest named Father Cornello. The entire city believed Cornello to be a messenger of God. He performed “miracles” in public, earning the people's reverence. But the brothers knew better. It was alchemy.
And yet, something felt off.
He was creating matter seemingly out of nothing. That defied the principle of equivalent exchange.
Then they noticed the red gemstone on his ring — a Philosopher’s Stone?
A Philosopher’s Stone is considered a myth. It’s said to create anything without requiring any equivalent exchange.
Suspecting as much, the brothers tried to meet with Father Cornello. then father invited them into the hall, but as they stepped inside, the guards raised their weapons and pointed them at the two.
Then the page ended.
Haruka slowly lowered her hands and paused after finishing chapter nine. She had too many questions.
Why did people hate State Alchemists?
Why were they called dogs of the government?
What had they done to deserve that title?
Would the brothers really obtain the Philosopher’s Stone?
And if they did, what would happen next?
She looked up from the draft.
Haruki was no longer drawing. He was now sitting across from her, quietly pouring tea.
“What do you think?” he asked without looking up.
Haruka replied, “It’s complex. And way heavier than I expected.”
“So, you want me to pitch this at the Saturday quarterly meeting for new series selection?” she asked.
“Yes. And I also want your thoughts on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” Haruki said, returning to the table. “It’s the first manga I’ve drawn, and I really want to publish it. The beginning’s a bit plain, but it gets good. Trust me on that.”
Haruka nodded slightly. “The art style is definitely unique. I’ve seen some of the panels. But since even you admit the first part is only plain story-wise, we probably can’t debut it in Shroud Line. We could publish it in the sister magazine... but that might send the wrong message. If it were anyone else, people might not read into it too much. But you already have two top-performing manga in the flagship magazine. If we move this to the sister publication, people might think the company doesn't have confidence in it.”
She paused, then added, “But if we do serialize it in Shroud Line because of the buzz around your name, and it ends up being rejected by readers and moved down to the sister magazine later, that could cause even more backlash.”
She thought for a moment, then leaned forward.
“I have an idea. If you already have the full story in mind, we could publish Part 1 directly as a standalone volume. Skip serialization for that part. Then, once it’s out, we can begin serializing Part 2 in Shroud Line. The first volume might have slow sales at the start, but if the story picks up momentum, the numbers will follow.”
She looked him in the eye. “But for that, I’ll need to see complete drafts of both Part 1 and Part 2 before I pitch it to the editor-in-chief.”
“No worries. I’ll give you the rough drafts within a month,” Haruki said.
Haruka paused, then spoke more seriously.
“But can you really handle all of this, Haruki? You’ve still got five and a half months left on Natsume and Initial D, and you’re also consulting as director on Initial D. On top of that, you’re overseeing your original anime project with Kazuya. Honestly, it already feels like too much. And I haven’t even mentioned your university lectures.”
As she spoke, Haruki realized she was right. His schedule was packed.
He still had to attend classes. He went into the Initial D studio once a week for consultation. Madoka Magica needed him on-site at least three days a week. That left only three days for drawing Natsume and Initial D.
And if he added Fullmetal Alchemist and JoJo on top of that, there would be no time left. No time for games. No time for breaks.
But then again, what did he even do outside of work? He mostly stayed in his room, reading manga or playing games. Lately though, he’d been thinking it might be nice to spend more time with Ryuko.
“You’re right,” Haruki admitted. “Natsume and Initial D are ending in five months, but I can’t keep this pace for that long. I’ll probably need more assistants.”
He had originally assumed he could just hold out until both series wrapped up. But if he had more help, he might be able to handle three titles at once without getting overwhelmed.
As he thought about assistants, one name came to mind: Kotone. He hadn’t heard from her in over a year. Last he knew, she was overseas on a student exchange program.
Maybe I should call her, he thought. But what would I even say?
Before he could think further, Haruka interrupted.
“Give me a week to find you a new assistant. With your name attached, there’s going to be a long line at the audition,” she said. “Is there anything specific you want me to look for?”
“I don’t have anything particular in mind,” Haruki said. “But they need to be solid at drawing. That’s the one thing I care about.”
“Got it. I’ll find someone before we start serializing Fullmetal Alchemist,” Haruka said.
She sounded confident. It was clear she already believed the series would pass the meeting.
She reached over, taking the drafts for Natsume’s Friends and Initial D, then set Fullmetal Alchemist beside them.
There was still a lot to prepare as she got up to leave Haruki’s apartment.
[Q&A :-Hey everyone! After reading the last 3 chapters, what do you think? Do the story and writing hold up compared to the early chapters? If not, which areas do you feel are lacking? Feel free to share your thoughts!]
Comments
benhurt rivera
Nice
Hersh Jobanputra
You're doing an excellent job—keep it going! My only suggestion is to perhaps extend the chapters a bit. Everything else is fantastic.
SkVaDeR
Amazing work in translating man
Sondre - Asumodeus
seamless transition, feels like going back to the part when it was top tier. Keep it up, excellent work!
morald
Everything is nice ,keep up man 👍
