"Director, do we really want to use this for acting? To be honest, I always feel something's not right..."
Facing the giant slime, larger than himself, being unloaded from the carriage onto the grassland, Zat couldn't help but voice his doubts. On the other side...
"What are you talking about?! Isn't this giant slime adorable?!"
"Yeah, if it weren't for causing trouble for Lord Durin, I'd want to take it back and raise it."
"It's quite cute."
Whether it was Aya, Winry, or Edward, they expressed opinions completely different from Zat. The last two were due to the contrasting aesthetics between females and males, while Edward found the sparkling jelly-like creature adorable from a modern perspective.
Seeing their reactions, Lawrence, who was helping transport monsters or film props, couldn't help but laugh, "Now that you mention it, I suddenly feel confident. Maybe through the movies Director Edward makes, everyone will fall in love with these cute creatures."
Apparently, Lawrence had learned from Edward what he was currently doing. Although he still couldn't fully imagine what a "film" would be like, he was quite enthusiastic about giving the monsters he raised a chance to perform.
So, after arranging the location, the filming for the next scene began again. This time, the plot involved Zat and Aqua's first adventure without the help of other companions— a mission to subdue the giant slime occupying the grassland!
And because slimes, especially giant slimes, had strong corrosiveness, Edward specifically reminded Aya. He informed her that he had already deleted the scene where she was swallowed by the giant frog since post-production couldn't fix it, considering the actors' safety. Therefore, it was the most reasonable approach.
Thus, after dressing the two lead actors in their filming costumes, Edward had Zat sheath his knight's longsword at his waist. After each actor took their positions, the filming work began again.
...
"Help! Aqua!! Save me!! Wah!"
"Pfft~! This is so funny! Zat, you're really going all out, to think you can cry out such word with tears and snot all over your face!"
Facing Zat, who was being chased by the giant slime, and couldn't stop crying for help, Aqua couldn't help but show a teeth-baring expression, "Wait until it's over, then bury that thing!"
Not knowing what the other was thinking, Zat, who abandoned his dignity and shouted for help, let out a heartfelt, "Okay! Aqua, please help me!"
Abandoning his dignity and letting out a loud cry for help, Zat hoped to survive the crisis by appeasing Aqua. Aqua, who was high above, enjoying the scenery, laughed, "Haha, I can't help it, I'll help you! But as a price, starting from tomorrow, you must address me as 'Miss Aqua.' When you return to town, you have to join the Church of Akusis, pray to me three times a day!"
"Please, Miss Aqua!"
Dropping all pretense of dignity, Zat let out a desperate cry, but Aqua continued, "Hahaha, I really can't do anything about you. I'll help you, but as a condition, you must worship me starting tomorrow. When you eat, if I say I want a particular dish, you can't resist. When you sleep, if you snore and I pinch your nose to wake you up, you can't scold me. And, um, ahh—"
"..."
Accompanied by the deep-blue slime completely swallowing a certain chatterbox goddess, Zat, who originally intended to watch how the goddess would perform, ran over first and said, "How come you got swallowed?!"
On the film set, during the intermission.
"Waaaaa–, didn't we agree not to shoot this scene? Lies! Lord, you lied!! Uaaaa–!"
Watching the girl covered in slime rushing towards him, Edward immediately hid behind Zat while hastily responding, "I can't control that slime, it doesn't understand the script. Even if I tell it not to be attracted to you, it doesn't know why it's crawling towards you. And, you smell really bad right now, can you go take a bath first..."
"Sob... sob, sob—ahhh!"
"Who was it that said such a big slime is cute?"
As the dramatic scene unfolded with Aya sobbing, covered in slime, Edward couldn't help but show a curious expression. After all, facing such a corrosive slime, Aya not only had her clothes intact but also showed no signs of injury.
After a moment of contemplation, Edward finally spoke, "Despite some unexpected incidents, it happens that we've completed the first half of the film. From now on, we'll need to gather new actors. Winry, did you receive any responses to the audition information I asked you to post at the Adventurer's Guild?"
"Well, I did receive responses, but the number is fewer than expected. It seems that the number of adventurers in the South is decreasing."
"Is that so? Anyway, I'll interview them when the time comes."
Nodding to Edward's words, Winry suddenly said, "Oh, Lord Durin, there was a message from the guards at the castle earlier. They mentioned a strange beggar who claimed to be your classmate. Although I thought of informing you right away, I forgot because I was busy preparing the props for your shoot."
"You forgot about such an important thing?!"
Surprised that even Winry could make a mistake, Edward, with a helpless expression, quickly stood up and asked, "I understand. Anyway, how is she now?"
"Because it's unclear if she's really your friend, and to be cautious in case she's some kind of scammer, the guards decided to lock her up in the confinement room. They plan to wait for your decision after you return."
"..."
Realizing that some poor soul was now experiencing imprisonment play, Edward immediately activated teleportation magic and, before Zat and the others could react, took Winry back to Edward Castle.
Upon returning to the castle, Edward, who immediately called the guards over, quickly said after confirming the situation as Winry described, "Anyway, let me see her first..."
Unexpectedly, despite inviting her over, he ended up being confined after the person arrived. Edward, with a wry smile, hurriedly headed towards the confinement room. After all, he was worried that if he didn't go, the person might cast a burst fireball spell out of anger and level his castle.
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