Chapter 15

Well, the Empress… no, Karlreya joined my production team as an assistant director.

Next thing you know, preparations for our next project were going so smoothly.

Karlreya had been boasting about her administrative skills, and she really did handle all those daunting tasks for me like a breeze—things that had left me completely clueless.

From securing the budget for the animation to casting voice actors, everything was handled perfectly.

Once the casting was pretty much done, I gathered all the staff and voice actors in one place.

I figured it’d be good for everyone to get familiar with each other before we dive headfirst into making this anime.

On the day of, I arrived at the meeting spot about an hour earlier than scheduled.

“Ah, Director! You’re here!”

Turns out, Karlreya had been waiting for me on-site way earlier than I expected.

“Exactly when did you get here?”

“Not too long ago… maybe around an hour ago?”

Her response made me do a double-take—she’d arrived two hours earlier than planned. She gave me a gentle smile.

“You’re partly responsible for why I’m directing this anime, aren’t you? So, I want to give my best effort in everything.”

As she said this, I noticed a hint of nervousness in her expression. Instinctively, like how I used to do with Serika, I almost reached out to pat her head but stopped myself mid-motion.

“…Damn, that was close.”

If I had gone through with it, I might’ve been arrested for contempt of royalty before even starting the anime.

After instinctively stepping back from Karlreya, she shot me a slightly sulky look.

…Why though?

Could she be disappointed that I won’t end up in jail?

While I was pondering this logically, the voice actors and staff started arriving one by one.

“Hi there! I’m Reizeira Mileiw, but please feel free to call me Reiz! Nice to meet you all!”

Reiz, the newly casted lead voice actress, bowed deeply to greet everyone.

She turned bright red under everyone’s gaze, clearly showing signs of being shy.

“Normally, I probably shouldn’t even be here, but I’m truly grateful to the director for choosing me. And thank you for helping me during the audition, Director!”

With that, she bowed so low I could see the top of her head. Nearby, Serika whispered quietly to me.

“What’s going on? What happened during the audition that made her act like this toward you?”

“Nah, nothing much…”

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“One of those highborn young ladies went ballistic. Like, ‘Why is some random plebeian getting selected while I’m not?'”

“And?”

“So I just told her if she wanted her family judged, she should go home and talk to Daddy instead.”

“Wow, you’re something else. Seriously.”

Though taken aback by my casual reply, Serika fell silent. But…

The incident at the audition didn’t end there.

Because after hearing my words, the antagonist-type young lady flipped her lid.

– Who do you think you are?! A mere viscount’s daughter, and you dare to disrespect me? Do you even know who my family associates with?!

It was such a textbook line from an antagonistic noblewoman that I couldn’t help but secretly admire it.

I found myself thinking, “If I ever make an anime featuring an antagonist noblewoman, I should hire her as a consultant.”

And then…

Without realizing it, the enraged antagonist had gotten dangerously close to me.

Surely she wasn’t coming over to hug or kiss me, so I was conflicted about how to react when…

THUMP.

Someone else suddenly grabbed her arm firmly.

– What is this?

– That’s far enough. This person isn’t someone you can treat however you wish.

It was Hilde, Karlreya’s maid.

And then…

CLUNK.

A familiar voice came from behind.

– Good job catching her, Hilde.

– If that woman had touched the director, I don’t know what I might’ve done today.

The speaker was none other than Karlreya herself.

– W-W-What?! Your Highness, the Empress…

Indeed, upon seeing Karlreya’s face, the antagonist noblewoman immediately paled, confirming her lofty status wasn’t just talk.

But Karlreya raised a finger to gently silence her and softly whispered,

– Talking here would disturb the audition hall. How about we have a little chat over there, just the two of us?

– Y-Your Highness… T-that is…

– Oh dear, why so tense? Someone might think I’m bullying you. Right?

– …

Yeah, it’s definitely bullying, Your Highness.

Thus, the situation ended anticlimactically thanks to Her Imperial Majesty.

Later, when Karlreya returned to her seat, she earnestly asked me to keep the whole ordeal confidential.

So naturally, I kept it secret from Serika as well.

Anyways, starting with Reiz, the other voice actors, including Serika, began introducing themselves one by one.

Then, Karlreya stepped forward to introduce herself.

“Hello everyone. I’m Karlreya von Obernyu, taking on the role of assistant director for this project.”

By the way, “Obernuy” was the temporary surname Karlreya was currently using.

Apparently, she didn’t want to reveal her true identity and burden the production team unnecessarily.

“Let’s work together to create a great anime alongside the director. Let’s all give it our best shot!”

With that charming smile from the already stunningly beautiful Karlreya, the atmosphere on set warmed considerably.

“…”

Serika, however, watched Karlreya with a somewhat subtle and mysterious expression.

Once all the staff introductions were done, I stood up and slowly scanned the room.

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Ragnar Terison, the producer of ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel’ and also the director for this anime project.”

At that, everyone’s attention shifted toward me.

“As you all know, we’re producing a roughly 30-minute episode anime series with about 50 episodes, supported by the Imperial Household. Meaning, whether we like it or not, we’ll be seeing each other for at least a year.”

“…”

“Given our tight schedule, let’s start discussing details related to the anime production. The genre of the anime I plan to produce is… Mecha.”

“…Mecha?”

“Are you talking about those golems resembling humans used by the military?”

In this primitive fantasy world, there were no terms like “robots” or “mechs,” so I had to use the word “golems.”

“Does that mean your anime will feature golems as protagonists instead of humans?”

At someone’s sharp question, I nodded.

“Half right, half wrong. In my anime, these mech-golems will be piloted by humans.”

“Wait… Piloted by humans?”

“Unbelievable. I’ve never thought of anything like that.”

Predictably, in this technologically backward world, every word I spoke left them astonished.

Seeing their reactions, I began to understand why isekai mecha stories were so popular in my past life.

“The mecha genre doesn’t mean the mecha itself is the focus of the story. They’re merely one part of the storytelling device.”

As I explained, I summarized the plot ideas inspired by classic mecha anime I’d seen in my previous life.

One day, mysterious monsters invade Earth intending to wipe out humanity.

To combat these monsters, humanity comes up with its only solution: mechas.

Unfortunately, only early teens can pilot these mechas.

Thus begins humanity’s final war against the monsters to secure their survival…

‘Yes, this is it!’

As I elaborated on the story, I felt a swelling sense of grandeur.

Even though it was a trope I’d seen dozens of times in mecha anime, there’s always a reason why certain tropes get reused endlessly.

However…

“Do you mean mechas are the only way to defeat these monsters? Where are all the Great Mages and Masters?”

“A monster that can only be killed by mechas should easily fall to a mage’s fireball spell, right?”

“Why not just design mechas that adults can pilot instead of children?”

“With dwarves around, they could modify any mech for adult use within a day.”

“Something feels off about the setting… Too loose, perhaps?”

“Director, wouldn’t it be better to revise the settings now while there’s still time?”

“…”

There are no additional settings.

These are just basic clichés in Earth’s mecha culture—why do they need extra settings?

‘Damn fantasy world.’

I forgot that in this world, magic isn’t treated as fantasy but as hard science. There’s no “romance” in their worldview.

‘I should’ve just made a romantic comedy about a girl cutting off a guy’s head on a boat…’

For a moment, I genuinely regretted my choice.