Chapter 87: Without 'Fate,' I'll die!
During the three to four hours of the movie screening, chilling laughter occasionally echoed through the castle's hall. In stark contrast to its previous disdain for movies, a certain lich became completely engrossed in the stories depicted on the screen, without even realizing it.
Yes, just now, the lich displayed an unusually high level of engagement during the movie. As the plot unfolded, it even exhibited signs of tension, despite its skeletal form.
Even though Durin had told her from the beginning that it was just a performance, the lich, as an audience member, unknowingly immersed herself in the story portrayed by the movie due to its highly immersive nature.
After both "Konosuba: God Blessings On This Wonderful World" and "Goblin Slayer" concluded, although the sudden halt of the story left her somewhat dissatisfied, the lich, who couldn't express any facial expressions due to her skeletal appearance, slowly spoke up, "Human over there, this thing called a movie is quite interesting... Um, cough, I mean, I think it looks pretty good. So, are there any more? If you can offer similar performances to me, I might allow you to engage in these miscellaneous activities in my castle."
Indeed, after spending countless years in this remote place, this was the first time this undead had observed the world's changes through such a peculiar means. Or perhaps, for the first time, this thing called a movie allowed even the illiterate lich to experience the joy brought by intriguing stories.
So, at this moment, in order to see more movies, she even made a concession to allow these humans to act freely in her castle. After all, even before becoming undead, she had only heard stories told by minstrels and bishops from the church.
Remaining calm in the face of this expected scenario, Durin smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your praise, but unfortunately, I only have these two crystal images of movies at hand. If you want to see more, you'll have to wait for me to finish shooting new ones."
"New movies? How long will that take?"
"About a month or two, maybe a little longer."
Durin answered this way because he had previously decided to finish shooting the movie before the enrollment at the Mage Tower, which was scheduled for early summer in three months.
Upon hearing Durin's response, the lich in front of him immediately showed disdain, then said, "Just one or two months? Although for you humans, one or two months may seem long, for me as an undead, it's just the time for a nap..."
Seeing the lich's indifferent reaction, Durin, who had originally only intended to borrow the castle from her, now couldn't help but have a bold idea.
He slowly took out a crystal image that was only half completed and, to the surprise of Beldia beside him, spoke to the lich, "By the way, I have another crystal image of a movie here. Are you interested in taking a look?"
"Oh? Didn't you just have two pieces?"
"Yes, those two are finished products, while this one is just a semi-finished product..."
"Semi-finished product?"
Intrigued, and already curious about movies, the lich naturally wouldn't refuse at this moment.
Thus, as the image from the crystal was projected onto the wall again, the story of "Fate/Zero," which had just been shot as a prelude and was not yet completed, appeared before everyone present.
Before coming to the chaotic realm to shoot the summoning of the Heroic Spirits at Einzbern Castle, Durin had already filmed most of the pre-war preparation scenes. Once the Einzbern segment was completed, he could take everyone directly to the filming town of "Fuyuki City" for the Holy Grail War.
Although the content of "Fate/Zero" had not been heavily localized and the Heroic Spirits in the story were completely fictional to the people of this world, from the perspective of movie viewing alone, the logic of "Fate/Zero" was quite clear. The rapid introduction of characters in the beginning of the story could serve as sufficient groundwork.
In just over half an hour, the scene transitioned from the collaboration between the Tohsaka family and the Church in the Holy Grail War to Tokiomi Tohsaka entrusting his daughter to the Matou family for adoption, and then to Kariya Matou being forced to participate in the Holy Grail War to save Sakura Matou. Finally, it ended with the Einzbern family and Kiritsugu Emiya, who was only shown summoning the Heroic Spirits before being cut off by the lich. It provided enough information in a very limited time.
Of course, even so, the first chapter of "Fate/Zero" would likely exceed two and a half hours in length. Luckily, the film industry in this world was almost monopolized by Durin alone, so as long as he wanted to, it didn't matter how long a movie took to make.
As Durin proceeded to play this movie, he didn't actually have a hundred percent certainty. After all, "Fate/Zero" had a major difference compared to previous stories—it was an ensemble drama with no fixed group of protagonists. For ordinary viewers, such a movie might lead to an unfamiliar viewing experience.
Fortunately, upon seeing the lich beside him, completely absorbed despite looking bewildered by the setting, Durin breathed a sigh of relief. He realized that as long as it was a good story, regardless of whether it was an ensemble drama or the nature of the protagonists, it would ultimately captivate the audience.
"What about the rest?"
Unconsciously, when the opening of "Fate/Zero" concluded, the lich beside Durin immediately voiced its dissatisfaction. Its soul's flame surged rapidly, and realizing that the lich might turn into a terrifying impetus for updates, Durin hastily explained, "Well, this is what I meant by 'unfinished.' Although I've planned the story, various filming complications mean it will take some time to complete."
"I see..."
Belatedly recalling Durin's earlier words, the lich realized it had unwittingly become completely immersed in the movie, almost forgetting who it was. Feeling strangely conflicted, it couldn't help but ask anxiously, "You said it would take one or two months to finish? Can't it be done sooner?"
Indeed, while the lich initially thought one or two months was manageable, not being able to see the continuation of "Fate/Zero" within that timeframe felt worse than death itself!
In simple terms—it's like saying, "Without 'Fate,' I'll die!"
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