Chapter 66: A Groundbreaking Performance
"Only the goblins who don't show up in front of people are good goblins!"
...
"I am, to them, the goblin in their eyes."
...
"The demons' army is approaching, right? It concerns the fate of the world. Do you truly understand?"
"Understanding is not a problem."
"If that's the case...!"
"But before the world ends, the goblins will destroy the village first."
...
"What do you think people without power will do once they gain power? Even if they achieve something, it's just a fleeting illusion. It won't be long before their true nature is revealed. However, the decision is still yours. When you decide to move forward with determination, that's your victory."
...
"Goblin King? You're just a filthy goblin... but I am, the Goblin Slayer!"
...
For a full hour and a half, not a single person left the room during the movie, and most forgot to even blink while watching.
In the end, when they saw the Goblin Slayer defeat the Goblin King, not in a glorious manner, but rather in a grimy, battered state, the adventurers watching the movie fell into deep contemplation.
Some adventurers who had felt they had achieved nothing in their lives found redemption after watching this movie. After all, the concept of the Goblin Slayer was to acknowledge that they hadn't achieved much, but they could still help people in need between towns, recognizing the importance of being part of these ordinary people...
Some young adventurers who had lofty aspirations gave up their unrealistic goals after watching the movie and reset their goals to help eradicate threats from monsters in threatened villages, even if it was just an ordinary goblin...
And those who were not adventurers in the audience felt lucky for their stable lives and expressed gratitude to the adventurers who silently guarded this peace. This was something that could only be understood by watching "Goblin Slayer," unlike the feeling when watching "Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World."
Similarly, Sam, who was only dragged in by Joseph, became a fervent fan shouting, "This movie is amazing, no, it's fantastic!" After watching the entire movie, he had discarded all his biases against movies and was thrilled to have witnessed this groundbreaking performance, forgetting even about the possibility that the actress portraying the female lead might be none other than the daughter of the Duke of the Southern Region, Princess Daphne.
"My goodness, Goblin Slayer is so cool! Joseph, let's go and get ourselves some armor like his and hunt down monsters!"
Joseph, who was still awestruck by the entirely different adventurer world depicted in "Goblin Slayer," responded quietly to his companion's usual enthusiastic behavior, "Uh, don't drag me into this. Didn't you see what happened to those new adventurer rookies at the beginning? Instead of hunting monsters, it's better for us to follow experienced adventurers to improve ourselves."
"Well... you have a point. Okay then!! Haha!! We'll become powerful adventurers one day, and we'll defeat not only goblins but any other monsters too!!!"
Joseph was momentarily taken aback by Sam's nonchalant attitude, but then he smiled and patted his companion's shoulder, saying loudly, "Yes, that's right! So let's hurry to the martial arts school later and train with the master. This time, I'm definitely going to reach Tier Two too!!"
"Oh! That's my partner!!"
Like Joseph and Sam, many new adventurers who gained a deeper understanding of the adventurer profession after watching "Goblin Slayer" also experienced subtle changes in their attitudes. In the blink of an eye, unnoticed by most, the world underwent some subtle transformations.
.....
The Mage Tower, Grand Lecture Hall.
'...Former Imperial Mage, now Wandering Mage Durin Edward, has been reinstated as an Imperial Mage and appointed as the head of the newly established Alchemy Division at the Imperial Mage Academy!'
With these words, the hall erupted into murmurs of disbelief. All eyes were either directed at the stage towards Hohenheim or at Durin, who sat below, still processing what was happening.
"Dean Hohenheim, the Alchemy Tower has been a subsidiary of the Mage Tower since its establishment centuries ago, and this order has never changed. The field of Alchemical Magic has yet to produce any significant results, so it has never been considered as a new branch of study. Dean, your sudden announcement of the Alchemy Tower's independence and appointing Durin Edward as its head... what is the meaning of this?"
Most people present knew of Durin Edward, once a renowned figure in the Mage Tower, and many had witnessed his proclamation of the 'Alchemy Revolution.' They also knew the reasons why Hohenheim had expelled Durin from the Mage Tower.
But now, what was going on? Elevating Alchemy, a field Durin had championed, to the same level as traditional magic, and making him the head of the new institute? Were they dreaming?
Anticipating the skepticism, Hohenheim calmly spoke, "I understand your confusion, as well as your disdain for Alchemical Magic and dissatisfaction with Durin Edward. However, this is the Mage Tower, the forefront of magical study. Here, we must set aside personal grievances and individual biases, judging solely based on whether something can advance magical knowledge."
With that, Hohenheim produced a crystal emitting a faint light from his pocket. "This is the Imaging Crystal invented by Durin Edward. Besides needing some magical power to activate, it's entirely the result of alchemy. And its achievement..."
As Hohenheim slowly infused the crystal with magic, a faint image appeared on the enormous wall at the front of the lecture hall, undoubtedly a scene from "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World."
"Is this... an actual image?"
Some mages with expertise in mirror magic immediately realized the concept behind the image appearing on the wall. Hohenheim nodded, "Indeed, this crystal can project recorded images in this manner... Of course, it seems inappropriate for me to explain this. Mage Durin Edward, could you please come forward and explain the principles and functions of this Imaging Crystal to everyone?"
Upon hearing Hohenheim's call, Durin, realizing he had no choice but to comply, sighed and slowly rose to his feet, walking to the stage under the scrutinizing gazes of all the mages present.
"Um, before I proceed with the introduction, I believe it would be better for everyone to watch this film first. Dean, may I?"
In response to Durin's suggestion of showing a movie lasting an hour and a half to the assembled mages, Hohenheim merely twitched his mouth, displaying an expression that said, "Do as you please."
Thus, having made his decision, Durin first had the windows around the Grand Lecture Hall covered, creating a sealed, pitch-black environment, and then proceeded to activate the Imaging Crystal.
As the movie began, it marked a day that would forever be remembered in the annals of mage academia. For on this day, the most elite mages of the empire gathered in the prestigious Grand Lecture Hall of the Mage Tower, the epitome of magical honor, to collectively watch a performance lasting an hour and a half.
Throughout the screening, the hall echoed with laughter, startling the patrol students outside more than once.
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