After completing the filming of the water purification mission, which was well-prepared for continuous shooting, the filming of the segment about adventurer Yunjian in "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World" quickly came to an end.
As a result, only the final segment of the showdown with the Headless Horseman remained. Due to its crucial role in wrapping up the storyline, Director Durin didn't rush the filming process and first organized the plot.
According to the story's development, the Headless Horseman would return to the town's entrance, only to discover that Darkness (Daknis), whom he had previously pronounced dead, was still alive. He attempted to pass judgment again but was fiercely defeated by Aqua (Aya)'s divine-level magic. Despite wearing powerful armor bestowed upon him by the Demon King, the Headless Horseman couldn't be truly killed by Aqua (Aya)'s magic for the undead.
Enraged, the Headless Horseman summoned an army of undead to annihilate the novice village. However, due to the undead's attraction to the taunting of the Goddess, they gathered together and were successfully wiped out by Megumin (Helena)'s explosion magic.
Finally, with his minions defeated, the Headless Horseman had to personally confront the adventurers. After eliminating several adventurers, he was restrained by the physically fit Darkness (Daknis).
After a fierce battle, the protagonist successfully discovered the Headless Horseman's weakness to water. Confronted with Aqua (Aya)'s summoned "reservoir," the Headless Horseman was weakened, allowing the protagonist to use his stealing skill to take his head and subject him to Aqua (Aya)'s purification.
Although filming this segment posed some difficulties, they could be overcome with proper handling. However, there were other filming challenges that were harder to address. Nevertheless, being a world with magic, problems that couldn't be solved conventionally could be addressed by resorting to magic.
The only person Edward could discuss magic with was Viz, who was formerly a high-ranking mage. While the actors and crew members were chatting and eating, the Headless Horseman and Viz mingled without raising any suspicions.
Although Edward had informed those close to him about the true identities of the two undead, others like LaWinryce and the newly recruited extras were unaware of their true identities.
Edward could conceal the truth and tell them that Viz and Belldia were actors specially imbued with the undead aura for the sake of the film. However, he would only reveal their true identities to those he trusted, as normal people couldn't accept the undead.
Despite the oddity of the Headless Horseman's behavior, LaWinryce and the temporary adventurers didn't find it strange since they couldn't imagine a real undead being so casual.
"Viz, I have something to ask you," Edward called out.
Viz, who had been chatting with Helena about the Mage Tower, looked puzzled but nodded at Edward's invitation. "What do you want to ask?"
Without beating around the bush, Edward straightforwardly asked, "Do you have any magic to summon the undead? It doesn't have to be too powerful, just enough to summon a certain number."
"The undead? Well, I do have some, but it requires a sufficiently dense atmosphere of death, preferably in a graveyard, to summon them..."
"A graveyard? That's a bit troublesome; after all, invading a cemetery is against the law, and it would attract too much attention."
Edward promptly vetoed the proposal to summon the undead through criminal means. Besides this method, they couldn't think of any other ways to summon a large number of undead, especially in the peaceful Southern Realm, where even finding a few monsters was difficult, let alone undead or necromancers.
"It seems we'll have to remove this part of the plot. However, it will affect the continuity of the story..." Edward pondered.
Edward could find solutions for the other aspects, such as Aqua (Aya)'s divine magic, stealing skills, and water magic, with his expertise as a grand mage. However, summoning the undead, which was a necromantic spell, was something Edward had no knowledge of.
Seeing Edward's dilemma, Viz, who had already stated her inability to summon the undead, suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Durin, if you really need the undead, I have another way."
"Another way?"
"Yes, although summoning corporeal undead requires extensive preparation, even grave robbing, I can directly summon incorporeal spirits using advanced necromancy. As long as rationality isn't required, I can summon a large number of spirits."
"Can these spirits be captured on film? It would be meaningless if they can't be seen."
"Don't worry. Although ordinary people can only see faint black shadows, that's already what they perceive as spirits. After all, except for necromancers with a twisted desire to create zombies, most necromancers wouldn't bother creating something as lacking in aesthetics and efficiency as zombies."
Upon hearing Viz's explanation, Edward, who understood that a major filming challenge for the next day had been solved, discussed the filming arrangements with a few people and personally greeted the extras he had recruited earlier (subtly using suggestion magic). He then announced loudly at the resting area, "Let's call it a day and rest up. Tomorrow's call time remains the same. Actors, remember to rehearse your lines properly after you go back. Tomorrow is the final showdown!"
Upon hearing Edward's words, although the main actors were initially slow to react, the other crew members showed a sense of disappointment. Despite the strange and incomprehensible circumstances during the filming process, each of them was eagerly anticipating the outcome of this intriguing story. Some even secretly wished that the story wouldn't end just yet.
Seeing even Winry with a saddened expression, Edward couldn't help but pat her head and sigh, "What's with the gloom? When did I ever say that filming would end after the last scene? Although it might not be visible for a while, if the theatrical version receives a good response, it's only reasonable to release a TV version afterward. We might even be able to film two seasons in one go!"
"Really?"
Although they didn't understand what Edward meant by "TV version" and "two seasons," everyone showed relieved expressions upon hearing Edward's words. They quickly regained their spirits and went back to their tasks. Even Belldia and Viz, influenced by the atmosphere, walked back to their lodging in Northerwick.
"It seems like we need to set up a dedicated filming base or shop; otherwise, always returning separately will waste too much time."
Muttering to himself, Edward, who remained at the scene, re-examined the script that he had reviewed countless times. While silently praying for a successful outcome for his first filming endeavor, he also envisioned tomorrow's shoot in his mind, ensuring that there wouldn't be any issues during filming.
Ultimately, due to his lack of experience in directing a large group of adventurers, Edward had to try to get everything right in one go during the final showdown.
Otherwise, if they were exposed, there was no guarantee that the adventurers would continue to cooperate. This was also due to Edward's lack of experience as a director.
But to be honest, filming in such a rudimentary world would pose a challenge for anyone inexperienced.
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