Chapter 9: Filming Plan for Norsrick
"Roy? A grand mage?... How did I not know about this?"
It wasn't that Durin had a bad memory, but he genuinely had no recollection of this matter. Clearly, the past Durin had been so immersed in magical research that he hadn't cared about the people around him or the impact of his actions.
Upon carefully reviewing his memories, Durin finally found an impression of the individual.
"Oh, him? The one who joined the military straight after graduating from the Mage Tower, becoming the nation's 'lapdog' Colonel Roy?"
"Why would something like this come to mind? Yes, it's him. Colonel Roy distinguished himself in the military before being recruited by Duke Victor, the Grand Duke of the South. Now, he serves as the chief mage for the Victor family..."
"What a coincidence..."
Not understanding Durin's meaning, Winry gave him a puzzled look.
Ignoring Winry's confusion, Durin, smiling at having found potential actors for his script, exclaimed excitedly, "Looks like we've got to work harder. If we haven't even finished shooting 'KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!', how can we think about what comes next? Let's keep pushing and make a film that moves the whole world!"
"Uh, yeah..."
Winry, completely dragged back into the castle by Durin's excitement, glanced at the young man beside her and then turned to look in the direction Roy had left.
Why would a talented grand mage like him frequent Edward Castle? Even after all this time, Winry still couldn't wrap her head around this question.
But one thing was clear: although Durin had seemingly been left unnoticed in this castle, there were probably countless eyes watching this borderland of the South.
....
Around afternoon, Zat and Aya, who had gotten too immersed in their roles, finally got up wearily from the dining table in the living room after causing quite a commotion.
As Zat, his face flushed with embarrassment from the foolish things he had just done, sighed and slowly stood up, Durin and Winry approached from the entrance.
"How's everyone feeling? If you're ready, we can head out," Durin said.
Relieved that their lord didn't blame him, Zat first let out a sigh of relief, then hesitantly muttered, "Head out? Where to?"
"Didn't I mention that once we finish shooting the first scene today, we need to determine the location for the next scene?" Durin clarified.
"Oh, right, you did say that," Zat responded, gradually understanding Durin's modern way of speaking. "Got it, Lord Durin. Aya and I can leave at any time."
Before Aya could say anything, Zat, who immediately guessed her lazy thoughts, swiftly covered her mouth, leaving only the futile sound of the girl's struggle.
Looking at the antics of these two comical characters, Durin couldn't help but smile faintly as he spoke, "Well then, Winry and I have already discussed the suitable filming location for the town. Let's head out now!"
"Head out?"
Before anyone could express their confusion, a glow of magic gradually appeared beneath Durin's feet.
...
Teleportation magic, one of the fifth-level grand magics. Without the massive magical power of a grand mage, ordinary magicians could hardly sustain the drive for this magic. They could only use auxiliary methods like teleportation arrays, which were far weaker than the teleportation magic casually cast by a grand mage.
Therefore, in a sense, teleportation magic was a symbol that distinguished grand mages. Durin, who could use teleportation magic, was undoubtedly a true grand mage.
As the magic glow faded away, everyone found themselves in the large town of Nosrick, several dozen miles away from Edward Castle.
"Wow... impressive!"
"..."
While Zat and Winry marveled at the experience of teleportation magic, Aya nonchalantly scratched her head, seemingly unaffected by the novelty of teleportation magic.
Meanwhile, Durin, who had used this grand magic for the first time, felt a sense of helplessness as the magic power within him dissipated. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but enjoy this fresh feeling, smiling as he did.
Despite initially finding magic uninteresting, Durin couldn't deny its appeal now. However, in Durin's eyes, magic that couldn't be transformed into entertainment was ultimately meaningless. Even though he had just used teleportation magic to arrive tens of miles away in an instant, he wasn't excited about it. Instead, he was eager to continue filming the next scenes of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!".
Now, looking at the town close at hand, Durin spoke slowly, "Anyway, have you all read the script? You should know what happens next, right?"
In response to his question, Zat was the first to answer, "Yes, I know. After being transported to the other world, Aya and I... Aqua arrived in the other world and then realized our talents were very weak. We could only become the weakest adventurers. Aqua, however, had extraordinary talent and became a high priestess. Under these circumstances, we start our team adventures, but end up just working at a construction site..."
Satisfied with Zat's summary, Durin nodded, understanding that Zat must have read the script countless times the previous night. "Exactly. However, considering some issues, I've made some adjustments to the plot. The segment with the adventurer's guild has been temporarily put on hold due to difficulty issues, and I've made some modifications based on the real adventurer's guild. Therefore, when we start filming, we'll jump straight to your formal adventure, which is the part where you work at the construction site. Because this part of the story relies on contrast for humor, I expect both of you to exaggerate your performances a bit."
"Got it!"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing their replies, Durin observed the town in front of them and, after confirming that they could find some buildings that matched the anime's setting, he said, "Alright, let's start filming the first segment, your initial unease and surprise upon entering the other world!"
...
In the afternoon, two figures in slightly strange clothes suddenly appeared on the streets of the town of Nosrick.
Faced with this scene, pedestrians around them stopped in their tracks, casting curious glances at the newcomers. Unbeknownst to them, an inconspicuous magical device on the side of the road was recording everything.
Soon, one of the oddly dressed men, with an expression of disbelief, exclaimed, "Is this really the other world? I'm going to use magic here and become an adventurer... an adventurer?! Goodbye, life of solitude! Hello, other world! This time, I'll definitely be a better person!"
As Kazuma excitedly exclaimed, his companion, the blue-haired goddess, couldn't believe her ears, her fingers fidgeting nervously among her strands of hair.
To this, Kazuma responded with disdain, "Hey, keep it down! What if people mistake me for the companion of a mentally unstable woman! Anyway, forget about that, you should give me that thing now! That thing! Look at what I'm wearing! Pajamas, yes, pajamas! I didn't dress up when I went out shopping! At least give me something minimal..."
"Aaaahhhhh~ Aaahhhhh~!"
Before Kazuma could finish his sentence, the goddess, who had reached her breaking point, grabbed him by the collar like a zombie, shaking him vigorously. Her actions resembled a cute zombie-like creature, bringing to mind a melted-down zombie dinosaur!