Edward, who had planned from the beginning to have Helena play the role of Megumin, naturally had no intention of driving her away. He was merely designing her from the start. Of course, the fact that this guy owed a five-figure debt was something he didn't anticipate.
However, as Helena herself mentioned, although the money she owed was enough to buy a villa in the most prosperous area of the capital, as long as she wasn't discovered by the people of the capital, there wouldn't be a problem. In the end, as long as she was still a member of the Mage Tower, the Knights wouldn't dare to touch her. This was considered a certain privilege that magic users in this world possessed.
"Can this really work? Clearly, I begged you to take me in, and you give me such good-looking clothes! And this eyepatch, I've always wanted a cool eyepatch like this!"
Seemingly contrary to the original imagination, Helena, looking somewhat surprised after changing into a brand new mage robe and a cloak with a strong chuunibyou vibe, said somewhat uneasily, "I told you I'm a penniless girl! Even if you show kindness to me, I still can't repay it!"
To this, Edward's eyebrows jumped, and he said helplessly, "Alright, alright, I know you, you know. Anyway, I can take you in, but you must do well in the tasks I assign you, understand?"
"Tasks? By the way, I still don't know what job you're talking about."
Seeing that the other party finally realized the situation, Edward said helplessly, "Didn't I say it? Filming, filming! Once you put on this outfit, you're the newcomer in our crew. Later, you'll have to meet with others."
"Filming?"
Facing the girl's astonishment, Edward simply handed over the script and explained, "In simple terms, it's playing a role in a story, a bit like a play. Oh, I forgot you probably never had the money to watch a play. Anyway, just know that this job pays five gold coins a month and includes meals."
Helena, who was originally confused, became excited after hearing Edward's last words, "Understood! Whether it's filming or role-playing, I'll take care of it all!"
...
In the inn in Norsrik.
"This is the new lead actress, Helena. She will play the role of Megumin. Have you all already met each other?"
After using teleportation magic to arrive directly here with Helena, Edward gathered everyone together for self-introductions. The current cast of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World" seemed to have grown significantly compared to before.
In addition to Edward, Winry, and Zat, there was Lawrence, who was in charge of providing monsters. Helena, who had just arrived, and later they would recruit actors among adventurers, so the future cast of the crew would likely expand even more.
"Alright, I think everyone has already read the script, and there shouldn't be any questions about the filming issues."
After explaining what a magical recording machine was to Helena earlier, she didn't seem to have any more confusion now. So, Edward directly said, "Now, let me talk about the next filming. First, the next scene is about Kazuma and Aqua starting to recruit adventurers. Coincidentally, Megumin, who sees the recruitment flyer, comes to seek to join. However, Kazuma and Aqua don't know that this seemingly powerful and promising mage is actually a weirdo who can only use explosive magic and can only use it once a day..."
"Question!"
Originally still listening to Edward talking about the script, Helena suddenly interjected, "Why can only one spell be used in a day? If the magic power is insufficient, why not replenish it by using magic crystals containing pure magic?"
"Alright, regarding this question, it's invalid due to different world settings! In 'KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World,' there's no such thing as magic crystals for mages to directly draw magic from."
"Then why use all the magic power in one spell at once? At such times, you should simplify the formula and increase the magic utilization rate, right..."
"Okay, regarding this question, it's invalid due to character reasons! Mages in 'KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World' don't need to build magic formulas or comprehend the essence of elements to use magic. They naturally don't have the ability to change magic formulas."
"So—"
"Don't ask useless questions anymore, or I'll cancel your lunch!"
Obviously, even Edward was being tormented by the continuous questions from Helena. However, he could understand the reason for her asking these questions. After all, the world setting of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World" leaned more towards a game, where becoming stronger was as simple as defeating monsters and leveling up. In contrast, mages in this world were more like researchers, focusing on understanding the essence of magic before using it.
Of course, in the end, he was filming a comedy, and getting too caught up in the details of the setting would just be a waste of time.
Meanwhile...
"Don't mention it if you don't want to. What's the big deal about canceling lunch..."
Helena, who promptly admitted defeat, closed her mouth, and Edward, who continued to talk about shooting issues, quickly summarized, "Anyway, there shouldn't be any problems with the script, right? Let's start rehearsing with the new member!"
After letting the three main actors start rehearsing, Edward went to the adventurers' guild in advance to set up for the next scenes. After all, the upcoming plot would mostly revolve around the adventurers' guild, and many more actors needed to be recruited. The workload ahead would only increase.
...
Nighttime, Adventurers' Guild.
The lights illuminated the somewhat lively hall. Unlike during the day, almost all adventurers gathered here at night. The reason was simple – the drinks at the adventurers' guild were much cheaper than those at inns and taverns. For most of the impoverished adventurers in the southern region, coming to the adventurers' guild to drink and chat with fellow adventurers was preferable to going to a tavern.
At this moment, in a corner of the guild, a magical recording device slowly started up, capturing the new scene of Megumin joining the team clearly.
"...No one's coming."
Hearing Aqua's words, Kazuma, who understood why no one was coming, said helplessly, "Hey, let's lower the recruitment requirements a bit. Although our goal is to defeat the Demon King, asking for at least an advanced class is a bit too strict..."
Yes, at present, except for Kazuma and Aqua's team, all the other adventurer teams had already found recruits.
Only Kazuma and Aqua's team, due to setting their entry requirements too high, still had no one joining them.
"Ugh— But—"
"Until now, no one has come, huh? In the end, although you have an advanced class, I am the weakest class. If everyone around is elite, then where do I fit in? Just a bit, lower the recruitment requirements a bit..."
As Kazuma was saying this and about to stand up, someone spoke up, "I came because I heard you were recruiting advanced adventurers. Is this the place?"
The one who came over to talk was a petite girl whose one eye was hidden by an eyepatch. In the instant she saw the two, she lifted her cloak dramatically and confidently declared, "My name is Megumin! I am a practitioner of advanced magic, the wielder of the strongest attack magic, Explosion Magic—!"