Chapter 59: The Premiere Begins
Having paid for the premiere, thanks to General Wilhelm's generous invitation, Knight Commander Wilcliff and his disciple Ryne reluctantly entered the theater with their fifty gold coin premiere tickets.
As they made their way, Wilcliff remained stiff and awkward, while Wilhelm and Ryne chatted and laughed, quickly arriving at the premiere theater.
Glancing around, they noticed less than a hundred eligible viewers for the premiere, mostly wealthy merchants and their families. The children of these merchants looked excited, obviously anticipating a joyous movie experience similar to "Konosuba God Blessings On This Wonderful World"...
Guided by General Wilhelm, they found their seats, where Wilcliff, being a knight, immediately closed his eyes to meditate. Although meditation didn't enhance his abilities as a non-magical profession, it served as a mental exercise, a mandatory practice for most knights.
Wilcliff's meditation was undoubtedly to adhere to his previous statement of not wanting to waste time on "such boring things as watching movies." Thus, even if he used his time for meditation, he remained resolute in not watching the movie.
General Wilhelm and Ryne couldn't help but show expressions of resignation, but they didn't say much more. They just looked ahead at the huge white wall, curious about the performance they would witness later.
Soon, the magic crystals on the ceiling of the theater dimmed, plunging the spacious hall into darkness. Simultaneously, the glow of the screen slowly illuminated the white walls on stage.
Accompanied by dripping sounds, reminiscent of blood dripping onto the ground, the movie "Goblin Slayer" began.
It depicted a dark cave, with blood and water slowly flowing on the ground. Then, the scene shifted to a trembling girl leaning against the cave's rocky wall, as if she had just seen a terrifying presence.
Later, the scene shifted once again. A 'knight' clad in armor held a torch as he approached from afar in the cave. His filthy figure blended with the dark surroundings, and the light emanating from the gap in his helmet was even redder than the torch he held.
Amidst the trembling sobs of the girl, the armored figure slowly drew closer from the distance. Eventually, the scene faded away, and the story officially began.
It could be said that most of the people present didn't understand the meaning of this opening scene. Most of the audience, who had expected a comedy similar to "Konosuba God Blessings On This Wonderful World," were now just feeling confused.
After all, the impression left by "Konosuba God Blessings On This Wonderful World" was too profound. Its groundbreaking humor and satire had almost led the overall atmosphere in the southern region during that time. Consequently, they subconsciously associated the term "movie" with absurdity and humor. This premiere, which had no prior publicity, left these unprepared viewers still stuck in their previous stories.
Therefore, amid various suspicions, most people speculated that the armored figure was the antagonist boss of this story. After all, no matter how you looked at it, someone who made the priestess show such a terrified expression couldn't be a good person.
Soon, with the appearance of the title "Goblin Slayer" and the annotation of Winterfell in the North, the entire theater fell into silence.
Yes, upon seeing the annotation on the screen, these viewers realized that this story actually took place in the most dangerous land in the Empire – the North, a place most of them had never been to!
As they watched the young adventurers set off to hunt goblins, for some reason, amidst the overall oppressive atmosphere of the movie, the audience had a vague sense of foreboding. It seemed like the movie was constantly conveying a dark and oppressive style, as if to inoculate the audience beforehand.
And when the movie progressed to the point where the adventurers entered the goblin's lair...
"No, this is not good at all. These young people are in big trouble."
Hearing General Wilhelm's solemn words, Ryne couldn't help but ask softly, "Why? They're just going to hunt ordinary goblins, aren't they? I think the equipment of these adventurers is still decent, and besides, the team includes a swordsman, a martial artist, a priestess, and a mage. Isn't this kind of team composition quite comprehensive?"
In response to Ryne's inquiry, Knight Commander Wilcliff, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and spoke, "Good equipment? None of the members of this team are wearing armor capable of withstanding attacks, nor do they have any other defensive measures. In such a situation, do you think the goblins in the cave will stand foolishly in line to be attacked?"
"But they're just goblins..."
In defense of Ryne's argument, Knight Commander Wilcliff, aware of the young man's limited experiences, silently criticized, "Hmm, how foolish. Have you forgotten everything I've taught you, Ryne? A party of adventurers, without a map, without antidotes, without a prepared escape plan, without enemy intelligence, and most importantly, without self-awareness, are as good as dead the moment they step into this cave."
Seemingly wanting to say more, but realizing he couldn't argue against two individuals with adventurer experience, particularly soldiers who had fought in the harsh North against the races, Ryne redirected his attention back to the movie in front of him.
Meanwhile, Knight Commander Wilcliff, having unintentionally forgotten his earlier remarks about not watching the movie, widened his eyes and, like the other audience members, focused on the movie before them, or rather, the fate awaiting the adventurers.
Soon, that fate indeed unfolded as expected...
The young adventurers were massacred by the goblins, unaware of the danger they were in. Inexperienced and facing the cunning goblins, they had no chance of resistance. Even if they managed to struggle and eliminate a few goblins, it was futile against their overwhelming numbers.
When the female mage was brutally stabbed by a goblin's dagger, most of the women in the audience closed their eyes in terror, while some parents hurriedly covered their children's eyes.
And this was just the beginning. Upon hearing the screams of their companion, the male swordsman rushed to help, engaging in combat with the goblins. However, due to the narrow confines of the cave, the young swordsman's skills were rendered ineffective. In the end, with his sword stuck in the cramped cave, the nearby goblins swarmed him, tearing him apart into pieces.
In less than ten minutes into the movie, the audience witnessed several intense slaughter scenes, all of which served to tell them that this story was not a cheerful fairy tale but a grim and real "adventure"!
As the scene unfolded with the female martial artist being dragged away by a giant goblin, emitting screams, some of the more sensitive women in the audience couldn't help but scream themselves, unable to accept such cruelty, having lived sheltered lives.
It seemed the filmmakers understood that the audience's tolerance was reaching its limit. Just as the last surviving character, the female priestess, was about to meet a gruesome end, the figure from the opening scene, the armored "knight," finally made his appearance.
At this moment, some of the audience members, who had previously mistaken him for the antagonist boss, suddenly realized and murmured, "Could this grimy knight be the protagonist of this movie?"