Re-written date: 7 / 2 / 2025
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Chapter 23: The Theatrical Edition Project
Dark crows circled above the aged estate on the outskirts of Nosrick City. This gloomy, long-abandoned castle—typically devoid of even a single soul—was now filled with chatter and curious eyes.
The reason? Edward had just called all his companions to gather after getting Belldia's approval.
And the moment everyone laid eyes on the infamous Headless Knight, panic naturally ensued.
They had never seen an undead before.
Now, here they were, gathered around like visitors at a museum gawking at a gorilla—faces filled with cautious fascination, whispering among themselves.
Edward, in his usual composed manner, quickly explained the situation: who Viz and Belldia were, how they had joined the team, and how they'd be participating in the filming moving forward.
Although some were clearly overwhelmed, none objected. After all, they trusted Edward.
Winry, ever the level-headed one, even decided to use the castle's half-functional kitchen—bought earlier by Viz—to prepare a warm dinner for everyone.
"Say, Viz, Belldia—being undead, you guys can't eat, right?" Edward asked offhandedly.
Viz responded with a gentle smile. "I actually can eat, though I don't need to. But Belldia, well… not really. Unlike liches who maintain some semblance of human structure, Belldia, as a Headless Knight, is closer to a zombie. Most of his internal organs are long gone."
"Ah, I see…"
Edward had planned to offer him something, but seeing Belldia happily discussing knightly swordsmanship with Zat in the corner, he decided to let it go.
That night, while most of the group turned in for the evening, Edward found himself wide awake.
Too many things had happened recently—too many plans to think through. As he sat by an oil lamp at the old writing desk, the soft flicker of the flame dancing across the walls, he began making adjustments to his script.
Originally, Edward had envisioned filming an entire series, episode by episode. Only once the full story was complete would he begin releasing it to the public.
But now, after gathering a solid cast—and with the story naturally reaching a powerful climax at the defeat of the Headless Knight—he realized something else.
They had enough to make a feature film.
The rest of the plot still required characters like the Winter Shogun, the Mobile Fortress Destroyer, and other high-cost bosses and set pieces that were simply out of reach right now. They didn't even have a proper location for the protagonist team's residence.
So Edward made a bold decision: forget the long-form series for now. He'd condense the early story arcs, tighten the pacing, and produce a movie.
A proper theatrical release.
"Hm… around ninety minutes. That should work. I guess that's considered a full-length movie…" he murmured.
Still, Edward had no real experience with theater or stage plays, let alone this world's standards for performances. But ninety minutes seemed like a safe bet.
And so, after hours of trimming scenes, refining transitions, and reshaping arcs, he finally sat back with a manuscript that—at least for now—he could call complete.
Just then, he heard footsteps.
It was Belldia.
As one of the undead, he didn't need sleep, and apparently had wandered over, his curiosity piqued. Peering over the stack of papers on the desk, he blinked—figuratively—and asked:
"So this is that script of yours? Mind if I take a look?"
"Go ahead," Edward replied, sliding the pages toward him. "But don't go waking the others, alright? Unlike us, normal people need sleep."
"Ha! I still have enough self-control for that much."
With a chuckle, the Headless Knight casually plucked his own head from under his arm and placed it on the table.
From this bizarre angle, he leaned in to inspect the pages—his head resting next to the lamp, eyes scanning the script upside-down.
Edward, watching this surreal scene of a disembodied head reading a movie script under candlelight in an ancient haunted castle, could only mutter one thought to himself:
If anyone else walked in on this, they'd probably die of a heart attack.
Not even three minutes after dramatically declaring lines like "I am the Headless Knight, I do not laugh," and "Trust in a former knight's professional dignity," Belldia had successfully unlocked a hidden achievement: Biting Back the Laugh.
His head separated from his body as usual, he now clutched his sides with both arms, desperately trying not to burst into laughter.
Edward, who had clearly seen this coming, quickly cast a silencing barrier over the room.
As soon as the spell took effect, Belldia could no longer hold it in. Still reading the script with wild amusement, he let out uncontrollable howls of laughter, echoing loudly inside the muted space.
"Pfft—ahahahahaha! Cough cough—hahhahaha!! This is too good! For real, I thought I'd long lost all the emotions that once made me human, but this— Edward, when you said you wanted me to act, did you mean I'm supposed to play the Dullahan in your story?"
Edward grinned. "Well, more or less. But unlike a regular stage play, my filming method uses memory crystals to record everything, and then it's played back to thousands—no, tens of thousands—of people through imaging crystals."
This was clearly new information to Belldia. His disembodied head, still resting on the table, tilted slightly in surprise.
"That's amazing—! Though I would've preferred to play a more heroic role, it seems I'm not really in a position to be picky, huh?"
"Haha, don't underestimate your character," Edward chuckled. "Even if the Dullahan is technically the antagonist, he's one of the most captivating parts of the story. Most people won't end up hating him, that's for sure."
"Well… I suppose you're right," Belldia nodded with a chuckle.
Flipping through the pages once more, his eyes suddenly narrowed in curiosity. "Wait… Edward, there's no Church in your story?"
Edward raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, I saw that there are characters who believe in some goddess," Belldia continued, "but there's no sign of that overly sanctimonious 'Church of the Holy Light.' Don't you think they'll get offended? Those narrow-minded zealots might declare your film heresy and brand you as some kind of demon envoy."
Edward shrugged with a casual smirk. "Oh, I've thought about that. But I don't plan on showing the film outside the Southern Territory anytime soon. And this is the Grand Duke Viktor's land. The Church still has no sway down here."
"Pfft—"
Belldia froze for a beat, then burst out laughing again.
"Well said! That pack of charlatans has no right to dictate anything. The Empire was founded without their so-called divine blessing. These 'servants of the gods' have no right to judge anyone!"
Clearly, years of being hunted down by the Church had left Belldia with plenty of pent-up resentment. Although he knew full well his undead nature was the reason for the pursuit, it still festered in his heart. Now, seeing Edward dismiss the Church so nonchalantly felt like a breath of liberation—and a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Anyway," Edward said, stretching and closing his notebook, "go get some rest. We start filming tomorrow."