Chapter 170: The End of Fate/Zero Screening! (2)
When the screening of the second episode of "Fate/Zero" finally ended and the audience was leaving, the orc prophet sitting in his seat found himself unable to snap back to reality for quite some time.
In truth, before attending the screening, he had envisioned countless concepts of what a film could be, making various assumptions.
One particular theory he entertained was that films were fabricated images crafted by humans through some means, deliberately meant to confuse the orc kingdom and cause them to misjudge human strength.
However, now that he had personally watched the entire film, he completely dismissed that thought.
After all, no matter how he looked at it, the images in the movie were just too realistic. The magnificent battles and unimaginably powerful magical artifacts far exceeded his expectations, and the intensely realistic combat scenes even triggered his orc instincts multiple times throughout the viewing.
Moreover, the battles between heroic spirits and their strategy for war, as well as the magicians' tactical approaches and understanding of conflict, were far beyond anything the orc kingdom had ever considered.
He realized that if their poorly educated orc soldiers, who lacked strategic acumen, went to war, they might end up being manipulated and killed like Kayneth in the movie.
Watching this human-made film left him profoundly shaken and filled with a sense of urgency.
"The gap between the Orc Kingdom and the Human Empire has unknowingly widened to such an extent…"
Having reached this conclusion, the orc prophet immediately made up his mind.
Once he returned to his country, he must find a way to delay any conflicts between the Orc Kingdom and the Human Empire. At the very least, they must not engage in warfare in the near future.
There was so much the Orc Kingdom still needed to learn and catch up on when it came to their continental neighbor. If a war were to break out now, they would surely lose.
With this in mind, the orc prophet glanced cautiously in the direction of Emperor Hubbard and saw that the emperor was preparing to leave.
Consequently, he quickly suppressed any hostility or impulsiveness in his heart and abandoned any notions of risking contact with these high-ranking imperial figures, intending to leave immediately.
Unexpectedly, his companion Juno, possibly due to sitting for too long, suddenly felt weak in her legs. As she stood up, she lost her balance and fell forward.
With a thud, the young girl lost her footing and rolled down the inclined steps of the theater.
"Ouch... That really hurt..."
Clumsily, Juno rubbed her head as she got up. Before she managed to check whether her disguise had been revealed, she froze in place.
From all directions, Emperor Hubbard, his young daughter Amy, General Wilhelm, and the knights around them were silently watching her.
Caught off guard by these subtle gazes, Juno was stunned, her mind going blank.
Thankfully, the orc prophet reacted quickly. He stepped in front of her and spoke:
"Apologies, apologies, my granddaughter startled everyone."
Emperor Hubbard evidently had no interest in revealing identities either, replying calmly:
"I see. But you and your granddaughter look quite unfamiliar to me, unlike people from the southern regions."
"Ha ha, my granddaughter and I are from the western frontier of the empire. We came this way because of her invitation. After all, she loves movies."
"Oh, your granddaughter is very much like my young daughter. Ha ha, both are quite clumsy."
Emperor Hubbard's remark left Princess Amy a bit displeased, though she had no intention of arguing back.
The orc prophet tried his best to relax, maintaining a calm demeanor in front of the numerous human knights, and with a smile, he said:
"In any case, I apologize for the disturbance. My granddaughter and I will take our leave now."
Just as the orc prophet was about to leave with Juno, Emperor Hubbard suddenly spoke up:
"Leaving so soon? Why not join us at the newly opened TV tavern to watch some television? I heard about the immensely popular TV taverns in the South before, but was too busy to visit. This time, I definitely want to experience it."
"TV tavern?"
Having read about something similar in Juno's letters, the orc prophet's interest was piqued.
Seizing the moment, Emperor Hubbard said:
"New and exciting things tend to attract a lot of people. If we don't head there soon, there might not be any seats left."
"Um..."
Caught between his anticipation and curiosity about the TV tavern and his wariness of the emperor, the orc prophet hesitated before finally nodding and saying:
"Let's go then. I'm sure my granddaughter is quite eager to see the TV as well."
Surprised that the prophet accepted the emperor's invitation, Juno stood there stunned for a moment.
However, tempted by the allure of the TV, she ultimately didn't question it and obediently followed behind the prophet. Together, they accompanied the emperor and the many knights to the nearest TV tavern in Norsrick.
...
When Durin returned to Norsrick from the Imperial Mage Academy, he immediately noticed the crowd gathered around the television in the tavern.
They had clearly forgotten their earlier anger at Durin for his hiatus from updating, and were now intently watching the final episode of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World."
At that moment, the screen was showcasing the scene where Wiz and Megumin teamed up to unleash an explosive spell that destroyed the giant mobile fortress.
"Haha, how in the world did they even film something like this?"
Responding to Beldia's comment, Wiz said with a bit of embarrassment:
"The mobile fortress was actually a collaborative project sponsored by the Imperial Mage Academy, thanks to Mr. Durin. I've heard that it was a major effort by students from the Mimetic Fabrication department, and it was constructed to fit the filming requirements. The only issue was that during the final explosion, it detonated a bit too forcefully, with a large part crashing into the untapped regions south of the Southern Region, causing quite an uproar."
"This..."
Hearing about the incredibly entertaining behind-the-scenes moments and unexpected developments during the shoot, everyone present felt a mixture of amusement and surprise, even as the scenes on the television began to wind down.
However, just as the audience expected the story to conclude with the main characters having accomplished a heroic feat, the plot took another unexpected twist.
To everyone's surprise, just when Kazuma and his party were celebrating at the Adventurer's Guild, a squad from the enforcement department suddenly burst in.
"Adventurer, Kazuma Satou! We suspect you of crimes against the state! Please come with us!"
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