Chapter 259: Filming Accident on Set
That night, more than half of the Fate/Apocrypha production crew spent it in the hospital.
The official explanation was mass food poisoning — supposedly, when preparing lunch boxes, the cook covered the food before it had fully cooled, causing it to spoil.
As a result, many members of the Fate/Apocrypha crew were affected, including the director, Shinji Matou, who was not spared.
Of course, the reality was that those hospitalized were indeed poisoned, but not by spoiled food — they had inhaled toxic gas.
During filming, Mordred lost control and unleashed her Noble Phantasm on Semiramis.
Well, it wasn't exactly "losing control"; it was more like Mordred got a little too into character, just like last time when she acted opposite Arturia.
Facing Mordred's sudden and chaotic move, the Empress handled it almost perfectly.
Incredibly, Semiramis instinctively followed the script and summoned the Phantasmal Beast — Bashmu.
Yes, that Bashmu — the summoned creature from legend, one of the eleven monsters created by Tiamat.
The moment the snake appeared, the toxins it emitted spread across the set, causing numerous casualties.
Even though Semiramis immediately canceled the summon, and all the Servants and magi on-site worked hard to contain the poisonous mist, it still ended in a disaster.
At least for Shinji, it meant he might have a psychological trauma about snakes for a long time to come.
In fact, according to the script, the first battle between Mordred and Semiramis was supposed to play out similarly: Mordred uses her Noble Phantasm to attack, Semiramis summons Bashmu, poisons Mordred, causing her attack to miss, and she falls into a disadvantage.
However, the original plan for the snake-summoning scene involved a lot of preparation beforehand — precisely because Bashmu's toxins are extremely dangerous.
After all, Bashmu is a top-tier Phantasmal Species. Even a fully-powered Semiramis could only summon its upper body.
And in this world where mystery has significantly declined, Semiramis could only manage to summon a weakened version — just its head.
Luckily, that was the case. Otherwise, the Fate/Apocrypha crew would have faced a major catastrophe.
The only silver lining was that because Semiramis's summoning of the snake was so sudden and unexpected, Mordred's acting — from using her Noble Phantasm to ultimately succumbing to the poison — came across as incredibly realistic.
This was probably the biggest gain from the entire shooting accident.
"Looking on the bright side, at least no one died in this incident. Even the worst poisoning cases only required a few days of hospitalization."
"And after this accident, the Servants and magi will be much more cautious during filming — a blessing in disguise, I suppose."
"Plus, Mordred's expressions were so real we won't need a second take."
Shinji's words were basically just trying to find comfort in a bad situation.
After such a serious incident, it was impossible for him to just laugh it off.
But honestly, this wasn't really Semiramis's fault. If Shinji hadn't constantly pushed her to fully immerse herself in the role, she wouldn't have instinctively summoned a poisonous snake right away.
'Every action has a consequence. I brought this on myself,' Shinji thought.
He placed the blame on himself, though Semiramis clearly didn't see it that way.
However, worried that it might affect the filming, Semiramis waited until she had wrapped up all her scenes before coming to apologize to Shinji.
"I'm sorry, the poisoning incident was my fault. I overreacted," she said.
"You're here to apologize?"
Shinji was genuinely surprised — he hadn't expected this proud Empress to bow her head, let alone at this timing.
But since she hadn't come immediately, it clearly meant someone had influenced her.
"Did Amakusa tell you to do this?"
"Yes."
Semiramis looked quite embarrassed.
"He told me that a person must face their own mistakes. Only by doing so can others see your true self."
"So you came to apologize?"
"Yes. I'll also take responsibility for the damages caused. I'll pay compensation to the injured crew members using my salary. And honestly, thanks to that scene, I was able to confront my own heart."
"That scene?"
Shinji Matou was momentarily stunned, but quickly understood.
Semiramis was referring to the final scene they filmed yesterday: the one where she cradled Amakusa Shirou's head in her lap, said her final goodbyes, kissed him, and then faded away.
"You mean, because of that scene yesterday, you realized your true feelings and now feel like a completely new person?"
"Yes."
Semiramis beamed brightly.
"When I said goodbye to Amakusa-san, it suddenly hit me — I had been such a fool before, not knowing how to cherish what I had."
"So, I decided that from now on, I'll make the most of every moment. I don't want to return to the Throne of Heroes with any regrets."
"You make it sound like I'm going to throw you all away right after filming..."
Shinji curled his lips into a smile. He thought Semiramis's worries were completely unfounded.
Why would he discard such a queenly villainess after filming wrapped?
In Shinji's mind, Semiramis was his very own Charlize Theron — destined to become the go-to actress for high-class villainess roles in future Type-Moon projects.
"Your heart's gotten so delicate... Is love really that miraculous?"
Shinji had guessed before that Semiramis's reluctance to apologize might have something to do with personal feelings, but the fact that Amakusa had managed to change the mind of this proud queen was still pretty impressive.
"As long as I'm with Amakusa-san, my whole outlook changes."
Semiramis showed a bashful, girlish expression — and then quickly shook her head.
"It's really incredible. I feel like I've become so much younger, like a flood that had been dammed up inside me was finally released."
"Sounds like you really got into character. Yesterday, before I called 'Cut', did you genuinely feel like you were about to lose Amakusa?"
As a director, Shinji had a hunch — it seemed Semiramis had gotten too deeply into her role.
"Yes. Thanks to that emotional release yesterday, I feel better than I ever have. Although... Amakusa-san doesn't seem to care much. He probably thinks all my feelings were just part of the act."
At this, Semiramis sighed regretfully.
"..."
'Damn, that Amakusa kid's got it good…'
Shinji felt a surge of frustration.
That silver-haired priest had already won over a queen, while he himself still couldn't even conquer the King of Knights.
'Wait, no, don't think like that. Amakusa didn't plan to charm the Empress — he just got lucky.'
'Shinji Matou, you're destined to be a ladies' man. You need to play the long game — aim to take the whole package!'
"Anyway, thank you for all your help, Director!"
While Shinji's mind raced, Semiramis continued speaking.
"Now that my role is finished, does that mean I won't have any more work?"
"No way," Shinji smiled slightly. "You're one of the talents I intend to nurture carefully. This Fate/Apocrypha project is just a small step in your acting career."
"Really?"
Semiramis showed a helpless expression — she had been hoping she could just spend her days "smooching and cuddling" with Amakusa from now on.
"Well then, I'll be in your care moving forward, Director."
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