Re-written date: 7 / 2 / 2025
. . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 14: A New Star Enters the Scene
"Director... are we really using that thing in the shoot? I mean, seriously, something about this just doesn't feel right..."
Standing on the open plains, Zat couldn't help but voice his doubts as a massive slime—easily larger than himself—was being unloaded from the transport vehicle. He felt a bit faint just looking at it.
Meanwhile—
"What are you talking about?! Don't you think a slime this big is absolutely adorable?"
"Totally! If it wouldn't cause trouble for Lord Durin Castle, I'd have taken it home already."
"It is kinda cute…"
Aya, Winry, and even Edward all reacted with completely different opinions from Zat.
The reason wasn't hard to guess—Aya and Winry were simply guided by that mysterious force called "female aesthetics," while Edward, being a man of the modern world, genuinely found this jiggly, sunshine-sparkling, jelly-like creature kind of charming.
Watching the trio gush over the oversized monster, Lawrence—the one helping transport the creature (or rather, the prop monster)—let out a chuckle.
"Now that you all say that, I'm feeling pretty confident myself. Maybe, thanks to Director Durin's film, people will start loving these adorable little darlings too."
It was clear Lawrence had already heard about Edward's latest "project." While he still couldn't quite picture what a "movie" was supposed to look like, the idea that his beloved monsters might get a chance to shine on screen was enough to spark his enthusiasm.
With the location properly set up, filming resumed once again. This time, the scene was a pivotal one: Zat and Aqua's very first adventure without backup. Their mission? To defeat the giant slime that had taken over the plains!
And because slimes had much stronger corrosive abilities compared to giant frogs, Edward had taken the liberty to warn Aya ahead of time—he'd already cut the scene where she got swallowed whole by a frog. Without any post-production capability, prioritizing the actors' safety was just the smart thing to do.
Once the two leads were dressed in costume, and Zat had his longsword secured at his hip, Edward called everyone into position. The shoot was ready to begin.
. . . .
"HELP ME! AQUA!! SAVE ME, PLEASE—WAAAAAH!!"
"Pfft—kusukusu! This is bad! This is too funny! He's seriously running with tears in his eyes, face beet red—he's giving it everything he's got!"
Being chased by the giant slime, Zat gritted his teeth in frustration at the peanut gallery.
'That damned girl is getting buried the second we're done here!'
Oblivious to his thoughts, Aqua—watching the scene unfold from a scenic vantage point—smiled and called out:
"Zat! If you want me to rescue you, you'd better start addressing me with a little more respect!"
"PLEASE, MISS AQUA!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!"
The moment Zat threw away his pride and screamed at the top of his lungs, Aqua burst into laughter.
"Ahahaha! You really are hopeless! Fine, I'll help you out, you shut-in NEET! But in exchange, starting tomorrow, you'll have to worship me, join the Axis Cult when we get back to town, and pray to me three times a day!"
Completely lost in her own world, Aqua kept chattering non-stop, completely unaware that the giant slime was now shifting its attention—right toward her.
"And when we eat, if I say I want a dish, you better not resist even a little! You'll bring it right to me! If you snore in your sleep and I wake you up by pinching your nose, you're not allowed to complain! And also—ahhh?!"
SPLAT
"...."
With a wet, gurgling sound, the goddess was entirely engulfed by the deep-blue slime. Zat, who had been watching to see how the self-proclaimed goddess would handle the situation, immediately ran forward in a panic.
"WHY ARE YOU THE ONE GETTING EATEN NOW?!"
. . . .
Filming Set – Mid-shoot Break
"Uwaaah... sniff sniff... didn't we agree not to film that part?! You liar! You big, fat liar, Lord Durin! Waaaah!"
As the slime-covered girl ran toward him, Edward immediately ducked behind Zat like a shield and frantically defended himself.
"H-Hey, I couldn't control the slime either, okay?! It can't read the script! Even if I told it not to crawl toward you, it wouldn't get it! And more importantly—you smell awful! Please, go take a bath first..."
"Sniff... sob... Auuuugghhhhhh...!!!"
"By the way, who was it again that said the giant slime was soooo cute?"
Aya, dripping in thick slime and looking like a tragic heroine, was an image dramatic enough to be a movie in itself. Edward, meanwhile, was struck by a bit of curiosity. The slime had extremely strong corrosive properties, and yet Aya's clothes were intact—and not a scratch on her.
After a brief moment of thought, Edward said nothing more. Instead, he sent Aya off to clean up and then clapped his hands.
"Well, that was unexpected. But hey, the surprise kind of worked in our favor. We managed to finish shooting the first half of the film. Next step: we need to bring in new actors. Winry, about the audition notice I asked you to post at the Adventurer's Guild—did we get any responses?"
"Um, we did... just not as many as I hoped. Looks like the rumor about the declining number of adventurers in the South is true."
"I see... well, I'll handle the auditions myself."
As Edward nodded thoughtfully, Winry suddenly added:
"Oh, right! Lord Durin—there was a message from the castle guards earlier. Apparently, some weird beggar showed up claiming to be your classmate. I meant to tell you right away, but I got busy prepping props for the shoot and… I kinda forgot."
"YOU FORGOT SOMETHING THAT IMPORTANT?!"
Edward's expression instantly shifted to exasperation. Who knew Winry could be so absent-minded?
"Okay, okay, never mind that! What's her status now?"
"Well, since we couldn't confirm if she was really your friend—and there was a chance she might be a con artist—the guards decided to play it safe and locked her in the detention room until you got back..."
"..."
Yep. A certain penniless classmate of his was now experiencing a first-class jail time event.
Without wasting another second, Edward activated a teleportation spell. Before Zat and the others could even process what was happening, he grabbed Winry and vanished.
. . . .
Durin Castle – Moments Later
The instant they arrived, Edward called the guards over. Sure enough, just as Winry had described, a mysterious girl was being held in the confinement cell. Sighing, he rubbed his temples.
"Alright, alright, just let me see her already..."
To think, he was the one who had summoned her here, and the moment she arrived, she ended up locked up like some shady peddler.
With a bitter smile creeping onto his face, Edward quickly made his way toward the detention room.
After all, if he didn't get there soon... she might just get pissed off enough to cast Explosion and level the entire castle.