Chapter 202: Watching LCD TV at the Duke's Manor!
"That Fate/Zero you filmed earlier… the plot setting was pretty complex, but the battle scenes were truly well done. Sure, some moments clearly showed signs of special effects editing, but the Heroic Spirits' combat displays were outstanding. You can tell there was effort put in. I'm really looking forward to seeing what fate awaits that man—Emiya Kiritsugu."
"The Garden of Sinners is actually my personal favorite—even more than Fate/Zero. Its exploration of human consciousness was incredibly unique. In a peaceful world without supernatural powers, watching outliers engage in their own deadly conflicts—that's a premise I thoroughly enjoy. My only complaint is the slow release schedule. One episode per month is too slow. If possible, I hope you can speed up the updates."
"And the newly released Steins;Gate—this one, I think the magicians over at the Imperial Mage Academy would love. Roy has already mentioned to me multiple times how much he enjoys the detailed storytelling. It has a futuristic charm and shatters conventional logic, offering a refreshingly different perspective. Though, I personally didn't feel much from it since there were almost no combat scenes."
"…"
Listening to Grand Duke Viktor speak with the passion of a hardcore film enthusiast, Edward couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his brow, feeling as if he were caught in a dream.
Around him, the surrounding nobles were equally stunned, every single one frozen in place with dumbfounded expressions.
After all, who could've guessed that the mighty and fearsome Southern Territory Grand Duke—this living war monument—was actually… a diehard movie fan?
It was a shocking revelation.
Even those nobles who had secretly hoped the Duke would personally step in to suppress the growth of the film industry now looked utterly defeated—faces full of despair.
Looking at it now, it actually made a lot of sense.
Daphne's enthusiasm for the film world? Clearly inherited.
After passionately expressing his cinematic opinions, Grand Duke Viktor quickly regained his usual solemn, distant air.
He turned back to Edward, now with the composure of a ruler addressing his subject:
"The film industry has now bloomed throughout the Southern Territory. Edward, Baron of the Durin Family, what are your thoughts on its future development?"
"Ah…"
Caught off guard by this abrupt question, especially after such an impassioned rant, Edward was stunned silent for a moment.
However, the instincts of a seasoned director kicked in quickly.
He collected himself and began to analyze the intent behind the Duke's question, answering slowly and clearly:
"Right now, the film industry in the South has more or less hit a bottleneck. No matter how many theaters we build, the total number of viewers won't grow much more in the short term. So there's only one path forward—expand beyond the South. We must bring films to the rest of the Empire, even beyond its borders."
"Hm. A good idea. But that will certainly invite resistance, after all, the rest of the Empire isn't as peaceful or as open to new things as the South."
"But it must be done. If we don't act, nothing will change. After all—my goal is to change this boring world!"
It's a bold declaration, it's something that would sound completely delusional coming from an ordinary man.
A statement oozing with chuunibyou energy.
And yet, not only did Edward say it without hesitation—he said it with conviction.
The nobles in attendance were left wide-eyed, stunned into silence.
As for Grand Duke Viktor—he blinked at first, then suddenly burst into booming laughter.
"Excellent! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"
With that, he turned and left the venue—his presence just as overwhelming as when he had arrived.
Meanwhile, the nobles at the scene stood there in stunned silence as the Duke abruptly vanished.
Each of them wore complicated expressions—confusion, frustration, even jealousy—swirling in their hearts.
After all, their families had spent years trying every trick in the book to curry favor with the Southern Territory Grand Duke.
Yet none of them had ever managed to leave any meaningful impression.
And now, this greenhorn, this upstart named Edward Durin, was being openly praised by the Duke?
It was beyond comprehension.
In contrast, Edward stood there rubbing his chin, completely baffled by what had just happened.
He and the Duke hadn't had much contact before, and the Durin Family had always been a bottom-tier noble house in the South.
Logically, the Duke shouldn't have any reason to pay attention to him—right?
Sensing his confusion, Daphne hurried over and leaned close, whispering quietly in his ear:
"Actually… Father has been keeping an eye on you for quite a while. He mentioned you back when you became the youngest Grand Mage. You know how our family motto is 'Strength Above All'— And someone like you showing up in the South? Of course you'd catch his attention."
"That's all it takes? But… Senior Roy became a Grand Mage at a young age too."
"That's true… but Senior Roy wasn't born and raised in the South. Even if the four regions of the Empire are technically united, people everywhere still instinctively look after their own. It's just human nature."
"…Huh. Well, I'll be damned. Never really thought about it that way."
Edward let out a helpless smile.
He hadn't expected the Duke's interest to come from something so… simple.
Daphne looked at him for a moment, as if wanting to say something more—But in the end, she held her tongue.
Meanwhile, Winry—who knew perfectly well that this was just a standard exchange between nobles—still found herself clenching her fists tightly at her sides, unable to calm her own emotions.
In any case, learning that the Southern Territory Grand Duke had been observing him all along gave Edward a strange sense of peace.
After all, that meant everything he'd done up to now—the Duke had seen it, acknowledged it, and approved of it.
And with the Duke's support behind him, the film industry in the South would now face zero resistance.
The only challenge left… was expanding the industry into the other regions of the Empire.
Just as Edward began instinctively thinking about how to accomplish that—
The front doors of the hall suddenly burst open.
Roy entered, manipulating his magical power as he floated in a massive, pitch-black object from outside.
The object was long and rectangular, strangely narrow for its size, and so utterly unfamiliar that no one could even begin to guess what it was.
"???"
Everyone—including Edward—stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
What in the world…?
Soon, Roy yanked off the cloth covering the object and revealed a large, pitch-black screen made of some sort of special material.
The nobles still hadn't realized what they were looking at.
Edward, however, couldn't help but blurting out:
"Wait—what the hell?! Is that a— a giant LCD TV?! What kind of sci-fi sorcery is this?!"
<+>
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