Animation Producer in a Fantasy World

And so, a full month had passed since the PV of “Sky of Destiny” was officially released.

And that month was nothing short of an eternity for all those who were eagerly waiting for Ragna’s new work, and.

The same could be said for Kaisel, the prince of the Rihart Kingdom.

No, unlike ordinary people, Kaisel had to endure a much more arduous and difficult time.

Because, although most people in the world don’t know this, Kaisel actually had three episodes of the pre-aired version of “Sky of Destiny” in his possession.

Kaisel was able to acquire various rights related to “Sky of Destiny” after successfully concluding a certain ‘deal’ with Ragna regarding the Knight King, and.

Among them was the ‘animation pre-airing right’ that the Emperor of the Empire and the Duke had acquired in the past.

In fact, it was the very ugly evidence that Kaisel had pursued the path of an otaku even to the point of selling out his ancestor, but.

At least Kaisel himself was very satisfied with the deal with Ragna, so it could be said to be the completion of a world where no one gets hurt.

But.

“Ragna. I’m very grateful that you gave me the pre-airing rights for ‘Sky of Destiny’. But… I don’t intend to use this right if I can help it.”

“…What? Why on earth?”

At Kaisel’s words, Ragna tilted his head.

It’s none other than the pre-airing right for “Sky of Destiny”, which is receiving attention from anime fans across the entire continent.

Probably, it must be an incredible right that anime fans would want to have even if they had to sell their parents.

In fact, didn’t the Emperor of the Empire and Duke Grinewald have a history of putting on all sorts of shows to obtain this right from Ragna?

But.

“Well, because it’s not fun.”

“…What did you say?”

The answer that came out of Kaisel’s mouth was something beyond Ragna’s imagination.

“As you said, it would be quite thrilling to watch the first part of the anime that others don’t know about in advance. But… that’s kind of boring, isn’t it?”

Kaisel said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Originally, water tastes best when you drink it when you’re very thirsty, and it feels most refreshing when you go to the bathroom when your stomach really hurts, right? It’s the same. Wouldn’t anime be twice as fun to watch than usual if you watch it when you’ve reached the limit of your patience after enduring and enduring?”

“…..”

Ragna blinked his eyes as he listened to Kaisel’s words.

Well, since there are differences in how people enjoy anime, Ragna didn’t say anything particular to Kaisel.

He just endlessly regretted his past self who had thoughtlessly formed a friendship with Kaisel.

Anyway, despite having the pre-airing right for “Sky of Destiny”, Kaisel was just reciting endless patience without using it, and.

And so, the first airing date of “Sky of Destiny” that Kaisel had been waiting and waiting for finally approached.

“In that sense, Your Majesty, how about watching the first episode of ‘Sky of Destiny’ with me?”

“…Alright, I yield. Let’s do that.”

So the King of the Rihart Kingdom, unable to overcome his son’s endless anime evangelism, finally decided to watch the first episode of “Sky of Destiny” with Kaisel.

…Well, actually, even if Kaisel hadn’t pestered him so much, he was planning to watch the animation to check what kind of mess the Knight King, the hero of the kingdom, had become.

Moreover, not only that.

“And I’m quite looking forward to it. Chris, the hero of the Federation side, was it? How the Federation side will react when the one those detestable ones worship as a hero appears as a villain.”

That’s right.

In fact, the Rihart Kingdom side didn’t look very favorably upon the country called the Federation.

Because in the past, when the Kingdom was at war with the Empire, the Federation cooperated with them on the Empire’s side.

Of course, since the Federation side only gave indirect support to the Empire, the Kingdom didn’t suffer any direct damage, but.

Nevertheless, the Rihart Kingdom side couldn’t possibly have good feelings towards the Federation side.

At such a moment, he got a tip from Ragna that Chris, the hero of the Federation, would appear as a villain in the first episode of “Sky of Destiny”.

He was already quite displeased with the fact that the Federation side was cheering at the news that their hero Chris would appear in “Sky of Destiny”.

When he imagined that their cheers would soon turn into frustration and despair, he felt somehow pleased.

So, with some expectation from the King and Kaisel in the background, finally, the long-awaited first episode of “Sky of Destiny” began to air.

The animation started with a scene where the protagonist, ‘Yuri’, wakes up with the help of his academy junior, ‘Karin’.

“…Sorry, Karin. You woke me up again today.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’m doing this because I want to.”

“…No, how can I not worry. As a token of gratitude, I should prepare breakfast today.”

“It’s okay. I’ve already finished preparing breakfast anyway.”

Karin chuckles and smiles at Yuri.

“So, senior, take your time and have a shower. As I’ve said many times, I’m doing this because I want to.”

Saying that, Karin disappeared somewhere, leaving Yuri behind.

“…..”

“…..”

And the King and Kaisel unconsciously blinked their eyes as they watched that scene.

“Well… that’s quite a guy.”

The King unconsciously blurted out such words.

Such a beautiful junior visits his house every morning to wake him up and even prepares breakfast?

What on earth is this…?

Does this mean that this guy called Yuri is casually enjoying treatment that even royalty and nobility of any country can’t easily receive…?

Just as the King was clicking his tongue at that situation which would inevitably make any normal man’s blood boil,

Kaisel, who was next to him, was looking at that situation from a slightly different perspective than the King.

“Oho… Karin… Her face and personality, they’re exactly my type. It might not be such a bad choice to include Karin instead of Marie from ‘Book of Life and Death’ in the collaborative doujinshi I’m going to draw this time…?”

“…..”

And the King pretended not to hear what Kaisel was saying next to him.

He was a father before being the king of a country, and.

As such, he wanted to respect his son’s secret hobbies and privacy.

After finishing a pleasant breakfast with his female junior like that, Yuri spends an extremely ordinary school life.

And after school, due to a request from a classmate, he stays at the academy until late at night, and then.

“…Hm?”

Suddenly, he detects an incredibly violent fluctuation of magical power from the direction of the schoolyard.

Despite the distance from where he is to the schoolyard being over several hundred meters, there’s an incredibly violent collision of magical power that shakes the ground in the vicinity.

Feeling that, Yuri unconsciously sighs.

“Geez, is it those magic department guys again? They really don’t know moderation.”

In the past, there had been similar incidents a few times.

On nights when there are few people around, they cast dangerously powerful magic in the middle of the field to test the magic they’ve learned.

In their own way, they’re doing it out of consideration for others, but why don’t they realize they’re causing trouble like this?

Yuri moved his steps towards the field to stop them before things got bigger unnecessarily, and.

“…Ah.”

He saw.

Two beings fighting madly to kill each other in the middle of the schoolyard.

“…”

The moment he saw those beings, Yuri realized.

Those two beings are not human.

‘Something’ far surpassing humans was engaged in battle, displaying movements that humans could never imitate.

“Oh my….”

And seeing that incomparably splendid battle scene, the King unconsciously let out an exclamation.

It was nothing short of a kind of art.

In fact, he had thought of animation as just moving cartoons until now, and.

Even until just a moment ago, that thought had never changed, but.

At this moment, watching the battle scene of those unidentified beings, that thought changed dramatically.

Animation is not a being that stands clearly superior to comics.

But at least, he had to admit that animation has dynamism and urgency that don’t exist in comics.

After continuing the battle for over a minute like that, the lancer suddenly seems to sense something and turns back hurriedly with a start.

“…Who’s there?”

“…!”

Meanwhile, realizing that the lancer had noticed his presence, Yuri flees hurriedly.

But.

“Hey, you’re quite fast on your feet.”

“…Ah.”

As if it were natural, Yuri was caught by the lancer.

“…I’m sorry, but it can’t be helped. It seems you’ll have to die here.”

Splat-!

“Kuhak-”

The man’s spear instantly pierces Yuri’s heart.

Taking Yuri’s life cleanly with a single thrust was a kind of mercy.

“…It’s ridiculous. Calling yourself a hero while taking the life of an ordinary person who knows nothing.”

There’s a slight tremor in the man’s voice as he mutters like that.

It revealed a complex mix of self-loathing and disappointment in himself.

“But it can’t be helped. I’m now serving a new master. Then as a warrior, I just follow orders.”

Saying that, the man looks at Yuri with a seemingly apologetic gaze for just a moment, then quietly disappears.

“…”

The view in front of his eyes blurs.

Like that, just a step before Yuri meets his death.

“…This can’t be, you.”

With the scene of an unidentified woman swallowing her breath as she sees Yuri’s figure, the first episode of “Sky of Destiny” ended.

“…..”

“…..”

Meanwhile, the King and Kaisel were shocked by the recent development in a somewhat different sense from before.

That was natural.

Because from the start, Ragna had produced the first episode hoping that viewers would please be dumbfounded, and be angry that Chris was made a villain unlike in the PV.

And Ragna’s such aim had definitely worked.

So, roughly like this.

“Th-th-that…!”

The King trembles as if he can’t bear what he just saw.

“That bastard, that, what on earth…! What the hell is that bastard doing now…!”

Finally, the King opened his mouth, slamming the table with his fist as if his anger had exploded.

“A man not only fails to protect himself, but also clings to life with the help of a passing female mage? Stupid bastard! Shouldn’t he just cut that off! How pathetic!”

“Your Majesty’s words are right. Especially that protagonist, I wish he had just died in the first episode.”

Kaisel, who had felt the protagonist Yuri was too disagreeable from the start, also strongly agreed with the King’s words.

“And that man was the hero of the Federation side? He’s very likable. A being who follows his master’s orders to the end even if it goes against his own beliefs. That, indeed, isn’t he a being worthy of being called the incarnation of chivalry.”

And the Federation is worshipping such a cool man as a hero?

Those Federation guys, maybe they weren’t as bad as I thought…?

“…Hmm.”
Kaisel seemed to be thinking about something deeply, then quietly opened his mouth.
“Come to think of it, how do you think about establishing diplomatic relations with the Federation, just like we did with the Empire?”
“…What?”
“No matter how much we had a grudge against the Federation, that was hundreds of years ago. Wouldn’t it be rather shabby to keep rejecting them over something like that?”
The King listened quietly to Kaisel’s words and slowly nodded his head.
…Well, certainly.
If it were the usual King, he would have scoffed at Kaisel’s words, but.
Now that he’s high on Chris after watching “Sky of Destiny”, it somehow sounds plausible.
Well then… shall we try some diplomacy?