After agreeing to Durin's request, Zatt remained at the castle. Durin had Winry take his measurements in preparation for the costumes they would need for filming.
In the meantime, Durin continued to make localizing edits to the KonoSuba script. For instance, the original protagonist, Kazuma Satou, was a transmigrator from another world. That was a cultural concept that would be very difficult for the people of this world to accept.
After some thought, Durin decided to change the protagonist into the lazy son of a wealthy merchant. With enough family money to never have to worry about his future, he spent his days in a listless daze.
This protagonist, while out shopping, encounters what he perceives to be an 'accident.' In an attempt to save a little girl from being hit by a donkey cart, he dies of a heart attack from the sudden exertion…
This scene would be simple to shoot. With Zatt's acting skills, playing a shut-in who hadn't exercised in years would be no problem at all. The real problem came after: the casting of the female lead. Who could possibly play the role of the useless goddess?
Yes, setting aside all future problems, his biggest issue right now was casting.
Where could he possibly find a girl who was both a talented actress and couldn't be too unattractive?
Just as Durin was pondering this, Zatt, having finished his measurements, walked over. "Lord Durin, I heard you were looking for people with acting talent?"
Realizing Zatt must have heard about his plans from Winry, Durin nodded with a smile. "That's right. I haven't met many people over the years, and finding someone with acting skills is proving to be a bit difficult."
Zatt's expression became conflicted. After a moment of hesitation, he seemed to make up his mind. "In that case, I might be able to recommend a suitable candidate."
"Oh? You know someone?" Durin was surprised but leaned in with a curious expression.
Zatt sighed. "To be honest, I was reluctant to recommend her, but I hear this is very important for you, my lord, so…"
Durin had wanted to tell Zatt not to be so formal many times, but he knew that words alone couldn't change the strict social structure of this world. He said nothing and listened to Zatt's story.
According to Zatt, she was a very peculiar girl. She had first appeared suddenly in the village he managed. Soon after, she stole a chicken from Old Man Ford, a tough-as-nails elder who, despite his age, was still strong enough to tie her up and drag her to the knight's post himself.
During the process, the girl acted terrified, begging him with snot and tears to be lenient. But the moment Zatt actually released her without punishment, she instantly broke into a wide grin and ran off. The entire transition was so seamless Zatt didn't even have time to react.
The very next day, Zatt found her tied up again at the post's entrance, shivering. According to witnesses, she had stolen a lollipop from a child, was caught by the parents, beaten up, and dumped there.
Although Zatt was a diligent knight who had solved many problems for the villagers over the years, he was at a complete loss when faced with someone so utterly shameless.
In the end, realizing she seemed to have lost her memory and had nowhere to go, Zatt's knightly conscience got the better of him, and he allowed her to stay at the post.
Even so, because she seemed to have been born with a complete lack of common sense, she caused trouble in the village every few days. The villagers were exasperated, and Zatt himself was at his wit's end, having resolved to send this calamity back where she came from the moment she regained her memory.
Now, hearing his lord was looking for a good-looking girl with acting talent, Zatt immediately thought of her. Though she lacked common sense in every respect, her acting ability, combined with her undeniably pretty face, made her a candidate worth recommending.
After hearing Zatt's tale, Durin was intrigued. He nodded. "Excellent. What is this girl's name?"
"She can't remember her name due to amnesia, so I gave her one. I call her Aya. I originally wanted to call her 'Idiot,' but she refused…"
"I imagine any normal person would refuse."
Durin chuckled, not realizing Zatt had a comedic streak. "Well then, Zatt, go and bring this Aya here."
…
While Zatt was gone, Durin, in addition to continuing his script revisions, took out the magical camera.
To make a film, one needed more than just a script and actors. There were many other problems to solve: camera effects, special effects, musical score, editing, lighting, and so on.
In a fantasy world with magic, special effects weren't a concern. For the Explosion spell in KonoSuba, he could just get one of the Archmages from the Tower to replicate the effect. This world also had many famous musicians, and editing could be done by magically fusing and bridging the imaging crystals.
The biggest problem, then, was the cinematic sense. There was a huge gap between anime and live-action. Many of the grand shots and scene transitions in anime were tricky to translate into a live-action format. While this world had the cheat-code of magic, Durin's skill was still lacking. He was just a hobbyist video editor; this world offered no tutorials.
Just as Durin was wrestling with how to shoot good scenes, a knock came from the door, pulling him from his thoughts. He straightened his clothes and waited.
The door slowly opened. He immediately saw her, trailing behind Zatt as he confidently strode in.
A cascade of light blue hair flowed down her back. Her simple cloth shirt hid most of her feminine features, but it couldn't completely conceal her beauty. Just as Zatt had said, this girl named Aya was indeed very pretty.
That was Durin's first thought.
And his next…
"Lord! I was framed, I tell you! I was framed! Stealing Old Man Ford's chicken, snatching little Amy's lollipop, trampling Aunt Tifa's crops, breaking Timmy's piggy bank, eating all the chicken legs everyone gave to Zatt, and planning to sell Zatt's sword to get back at him because his snoring kept me up at night… I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF IT!!!"
"What chicken legs? Selling what sword?!"
Seeing the girl on the floor, on the verge of grabbing his pant leg and sobbing, and Zatt beside her, looking seconds away from strangling her for an explanation, Durin's eyebrow twitched. A second thought formed in his mind.
This is, indeed, an idiot.