Director Edward

Chapter 14: New Actors

"Director, are we really going to use this to act? Honestly, I just feel like something's off..."

Facing the gigantic slime being unloaded from the truck onto the grassland, Zat couldn't help but voice his doubts, feeling a bit dizzy. Meanwhile...

"What are you talking about?! Isn't this giant slime adorable?"

"Yeah, I agree. If it weren't for the trouble it might cause Lord Edward, I'd want to take it home as a pet."

"It's quite cute."

Whether it was Aya, Winry, or Durin, they all expressed a viewpoint completely different from Zat's. And the reason was simple: the former two due to their contrasting aesthetic preferences between genders, and Durin because, from a modern perspective, this gelatinous object sparkling in the sunlight did seem adorable.

Seeing their reactions, Lawrence, who was helping transport the magical creatures or props for the film, couldn't help but chuckle. "Now that you all put it that way, I'm suddenly feeling confident too. Who knows, maybe through the movie you're filming, everyone will fall in love with these adorable creatures."

So, after setting up the scene, the next segment of the shoot began, and this time the plot involved Kazuma and Aqua's first adventure without any other companions, tasked with defeating the gigantic slime that occupied the grassland!

Since slimes have strong corrosive properties compared to giant frogs, Durin specifically reminded Aqua that he had removed the scene where she was originally swallowed by the giant frog. After all, post-production wouldn't be possible, and considering the safety of the actors, this was the most reasonable approach.

Therefore, after arranging for the two main actors to wear their filming clothes, Durin had Zat secure his knight's longsword to his waist, and after everyone was in position, the filming resumed.

...

"Help! Aqua!! Save me! Ahh!!"

"Pfft~~ku-shukushu!! Oh man, this is hysterical! Kazuma, your face is red, and you have tears in your eyes! You look so desperate."

In response to this, Kazuma, being chased by the giant slime, couldn't help but grit his teeth: "I'll bury her later before I head home!!"

Unaware of the other's thoughts, Aqua, who was admiring the scenery from above, couldn't help but laugh: "Kazuma, if you want me to save you, you have to address me with an honorific title first!"

"Please, Aqua-sama!!"

As Kazuma abandoned his dignity and shouted for help, Aqua burst into laughter and exclaimed loudly, "Hahaha, I can't believe you! I'll help you out, but as a price, starting tomorrow, you must worship me, join the Church of Axis Order in town, and pray to me three times a day!"

Aqua, who couldn't stop talking, was completely immersed in her own world, not realizing that the giant slime was already rushing towards her from afar. She continued, "And also, when we eat, you can't resist when I say what dishes I want. You have to obediently serve them to me. And when I wake you up by pinching your nose because you're snoring, you can't scold me. And also, and also, oh no..."

"..."

Accompanied by deep blue slime completely engulfing the chatterbox goddess, Kazuma, who had originally planned to see how this goddess would perform, immediately ran over and exclaimed, "Why are you the one getting eaten?!"

....

On the set during intermission:

"Waaaah, sniff sniff, didn't we agree not to shoot this scene? You lied! Lord, you lied!! Waaaah!"

As the girl covered in slime approached him, Durin quickly hid behind Zat and replied hastily, "I can't control the slime, after all. It doesn't understand the script. Even if I try to keep it away from you, it doesn't know why it's crawling towards you. And you smell terrible right now, could you please go take a bath..."

"Sob... sniffle... Waaah..."

"Who was it that said such a huge slime was cute?"

As Aya sobbed dramatically, her body covered in slime, Durin couldn't help but show a curious expression. After all, facing such a corrosive slime, Aya's clothes weren't even torn, and there were no signs of injury on her body.

After a moment of contemplation, Durin finally spoke up. "Anyway, despite some unexpected events, this incident helped us finish shooting the first half of the film. Next, we need to recruit new actors. Winry, did you receive any responses to the interview information I asked you to post at the adventurer's guild?"

"Well, I did receive responses, but there are fewer applicants than expected. It seems the number of adventurers in the Southern Territories is decreasing."

"Is that so? Anyway, I'll interview them when the time comes."

Upon hearing Durin's words, Winry nodded and suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, Lord Edward, there's a message from the guards at the castle. They said there's a strange beggar claiming to be your classmate. Although I wanted to inform you immediately, I forgot because I was busy preparing props for your shoot..."

"You forgot such an important thing?!"

Surprised that Winry could also make mistakes, Durin 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 sort of scammer, the guards locked her up in the detention room. They plan to wait for you to return before making a decision..."

"..."

Realizing that a certain pauper was currently experiencing detention play, Durin immediately activated teleportation magic and, before Zat and the others could react, took Winry back to Edward Castle.

Upon returning to the castle, Durin quickly summoned the guards and, upon confirming the situation as Winry described, hastily said, "Let me see her first..."

Unbeknownst to him, despite being the one who called the person over, she ended up being locked up upon arrival.

Durin couldn't help but smile wryly as he hurriedly rushed to the detention room. After all, he was very worried that if he didn't go over now, the other person might unleash a fireball spell in anger and level his castle to the ground.

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