Chapter 5: This Is Indeed a Retarded Situation
After agreeing to Durin's request, Zat remained in the castle. During this time, Durin had Winry take Zat's measurements to prepare costumes for the upcoming filming.
Meanwhile, Durin made localized modifications to the beginning of the "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!" story. Originally, the protagonist, Satou Kazuma, was a modern character, but that cultural concept wouldn't resonate well in this world. After some thought, Durin decided to change the protagonist to a simple merchant's son who never considered his future due to his family's wealth and aimlessly lived his days.
This alteration allowed for a straightforward scene where the protagonist, while out shopping, witnessed what he perceived as an 'accident' and suffered a heart attack while trying to save a little girl nearly hit by a cart due to his lack of physical activity.
Filming this scene was relatively simple, as Zat's acting skills were sufficient to portray a sedentary shut-in. However, casting the female lead, the role of the mentally challenged goddess, posed a challenge.
Durin needed an actress with exceptional acting abilities and decent appearance. Where could he find such a person?
As Durin pondered this, Zat, having finished being measured, approached and asked, "Lord Durin, I heard you're looking for someone with acting skills?"
Realizing that Zat had learned of his plans from Winry, Durin smiled and nodded, "Yes, indeed. I haven't met many people over the years, and finding someone with both talent and looks is proving difficult."
Upon hearing this, Zat, with a conflicted expression, hesitated before finally saying, "If that's the case, I might have someone in mind."
"Oh? Do you know someone suitable?"
Surprised by Zat's suggestion, Durin's curiosity was piqued. Zat sighed and said, "I wasn't planning on suggesting anyone, but it seems important to you, Lord Durin, so..."
Though Durin wanted to reassure Zat, he understood that societal norms couldn't be changed easily with words alone. Thus, he listened silently as Zat shared his thoughts.
According to Zat, the girl in question is quite peculiar. She first appeared in the village he manages, and then, after stealing chickens from Ford, the wealthy landowner of the village, she was bound and brought to the knight's office by Ford himself, despite her pleas for leniency.
During this process, although she appeared terrified and begged Zat tearfully to go easy on her, when Zat chose to release her without charge, the girl immediately ran off with a bright smile, leaving Zat stunned by her sudden departure.
The next day, however, Zat found her again outside the knight's office, tied up and shivering in fear. Witnesses reported that she had been beaten by the parents of a child she stole candy from before being thrown into the knight's office.
Despite Zat's diligent efforts over the years to assist the village as a knight, facing such a shamelessly bold character left him feeling helpless.
Eventually, realizing that she seemed to have lost her memory and had nowhere else to go, Zat, as a knight, reluctantly took her in at the knight's office.
However, even so, due to her apparent lack of common sense, she caused trouble in the village almost every few days, leaving both the villagers and Zat himself feeling exasperated. Zat resolved to wait until she regained her memory before promptly returning her to where she belonged.
Now, upon hearing that the lord was searching for a girl with good acting skills and a pleasant appearance, Zat immediately thought of her. Despite her lacking common sense in many respects, her acting skills combined with her attractive appearance made her a suitable candidate in Zat's eyes.
After listening to Zat's account, Durin, intrigued by the girl, nodded and asked, "What's her name?"
"She can't remember her name due to amnesia, so I gave her the name Aya. I originally wanted to call her 'mentally challenged,' but that was rejected..."
"Normal people would probably reject that."
Surprised by Zat's comedic flair, Durin chuckled and stood up, saying, "Well then, Zat, go and fetch this Aya."
...
During Zat's absence from the castle, Durin continued to revise the script and retrieved the magical version of the camera.
In a world where magic existed, concerns such as special effects were not a priority. For instance, the explosive magic in "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!" could easily be replicated by the mages from the Mage Tower. Furthermore, the world had many renowned musicians for music, and editing could be done using fusion crystals for image projection.
However, the main challenge seemed to be capturing the right camera angles. While anime and live-action had significant differences, transitioning grand scenes and smooth scene changes from animation to live-action was delicate. Although magic technology could assist with this, Durin felt his skills were lacking. After all, he was just an ordinary otaku with editing experience and had no access to learning materials in this new world.
As Durin pondered how to capture good shots, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He composed himself and awaited Zat and the girl Zat mentioned.
When the door opened, he immediately noticed the girl accompanying Zat, her long light blue hair cascading behind her. Despite her simple attire, her beauty was undeniable, confirming Zat's description of Aya as indeed beautiful.
As Durin's first impression settled, the next moment...
"Lord! I've been wronged!! Whether it's stealing Ford's chickens, snatching little Amy's candy, trampling Aunt Tifa's crops, breaking Timmy's piggy bank, eating all the chicken legs everyone gave Zat, being disturbed by Zat's snoring at night, or planning to sell Zat's knight sword for revenge... none of these are my fault!!!"
"Chicken legs? Sell the sword?!!"
Seeing the girl on the verge of grabbing his pants and crying her heart out, and Zat ready to interrogate her, Durin's eyebrows twitched, and a second thought popped into his mind...
Indeed, this was a mess.