Chapter 19

Two hours before the official airing of “Knight Shin Chronicle.”

Of course, the production team involved in creating the anime was here, but all the voice actors and staff had gathered at my house.

The reason was simple.

I don’t know about anything else, but Serika suggested that we all gather at my place to watch the first episode of “Knight Shin Chronicle” together.

…Honestly, despite having the spacious Grinevalt Dukehouse available, why everyone decided to meet at my house is still beyond me.

Anyway, after discussing potential issues with the broadcast with the mage in charge of transmission…

When I returned, the staff had already taken their spots in my living room.

Among them, Serika and Karlreya were sitting comfortably on my personal chair—the prime seat.

‘Seriously, why are they sitting on my chair when there are plenty of other good ones available?’

As much as I wanted to politely ask them to vacate my spot…

Memories of my school days surfaced—when even if bullies occupied my seat during breaks, I couldn’t utter a single word. With that painful nostalgia, I could only keep my mouth shut.

Trying to forget the PTSD flare-up, I sipped some wine when suddenly, I started hearing the excited chatter of the staff.

“Finally, this day has come. To be honest, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night.”

“When I watched ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel’ in theaters, I never imagined I’d end up directly making an anime myself—it feels strange.”

“I thought this anime would be something similar to ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel,’ so I joined the project, but now I feel scammed. Who would’ve guessed the director would choose a mech genre for his next work?”

“But doesn’t ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ have a unique charm different from ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel?’ Looking ahead, I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ surpasses ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel.’”

“What? Are you seriously dissing ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel?’ Sure, ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ is fun, but it’s nowhere near surpassing ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel’…”

“Are you forgetting which anime you’re working on right now? You traitor!”

That way, the staff split into two factions—one supporting ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel’ and the other backing ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’ After a while of heated debate, they came running to me demanding mediation.

“Director, do you think ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel’ will remain more popular or will ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ soon surpass it?”

“The director seems capable of rendering a wise verdict on this matter…”

“…”

To be honest, I didn’t understand why these guys were freaking out like this.

But since the staff were looking at me with such sparkling eyes, I couldn’t help but open my mouth.

“…Well, for now, ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel’ obviously has more popularity. After all, ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ is a 50-episode long series, so the story development will inevitably be slower.”

Still, I added one more thing.

“But I believe people’s reactions might change after the first episode airs. As you know, we included a pretty impactful scene at the end of the first episode.”

At my words, the staff exchanged knowing smiles and began giggling.

“Ah… Indeed, I’m looking forward to how people react after the first episode airs.”

“Surely no one expected the first episode to end like that. It’d be cool to see live reactions as the episode concludes, though it’s a bit disappointing we can’t.”

Listening to their words, I couldn’t help but smile.

People in this world aren’t familiar with anime yet, especially the mecha genre.

What kind of reaction would these pure-hearted individuals have upon being injected with a dopamine bomb known as ‘clichés?’

Two hours later…

Finally, the official airing of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ began across the entire Empire.

***

At a certain tavern in Gradium District.

The owner of this tavern recently made a bold decision to purchase an artifact called a ‘Television.’

This was because he heard that the creator of ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel’ was set to release a new anime called ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’

Of course, this artifact is also installed in public squares and government offices where people can watch anime, but…

Some prefer to enjoy their beer quietly in a tavern rather than in crowded places. So this was a niche market strategy.

Indeed, once news spread that the owner bought a television, twice as many people as usual were seated in the tavern.

They all had a beer in hand, staring at the artifact placed in the center of the tavern, eagerly awaiting the start of the show.

Finally, as the clock struck exactly 9 PM, the anime began.

The anime opened with a backdrop of a city almost entirely reduced to ruins.

In the middle of that city, the protagonist Kai walked under the guidance of Linnea, a female soldier.

[We thought the army was wiped out by those mysterious monsters, but some are still around, right?]

[The army is indeed gone. But people who aim to defeat the Outsiders, transcending all nations and races, formed a secret alliance.]

[What’s that?]

[…The Illuminati. A name created with the desire to lead humanity away from the hands of those Outsiders toward truth someday.]

Truthfully, Ragnar wanted to name the secret organization Hydra or Knights Templar, but honestly, those sounded too villainous, so they settled on Illuminati.

Thus, Kai entered the secret base of the Illuminati with her.

Soon enough, the figure of the Knight Shin seen in the preview appeared before Kai’s eyes.

“Oh, that’s the Knight Shin…!”

“That giant machine piloted by someone who looks human inside? The creator really knows what men dream of!”

“Hey, can you guys quiet down? I can’t hear what the characters are saying!”

[Board the Knight Shin, Kai.]

[Huh?]

[I said board the Knight Shin, Kai. Defeat the Outsiders invading here. That’s the sole reason we brought you here.]

[Either get in quickly or leave. Your choice.]

At first, Kai tried to refuse the commander’s order.

However, seeing Sayla, a blond-haired girl covered in wounds, struggling to climb back into the Knight Shin changed his mind.

[…I’ll board.]

[Hm?]

[I’d rather take her place and pilot the Knight Shin than send a dying girl back into battle!]

With that, as Kai boarded the Knight Shin, operators began real-time situation reports.

[Knight Shin cooling system disengaged, restraints released. Complete.]

[Joystick inserted into Knight Shin core. Pilot contact initiated.]

[Divinity connection cleared. Synchronization between Knight Shin and pilot confirmed.]

[Basic neural connections from A307 to A608 established normally.]

[No rejection response from the core. The Knight Shin remains stable.]

[…Amazing. This is his first time boarding, yet there’s no rejection response.]

[That’s because he’s a ‘compatible’ individual. Once recognized by the Knight Shin, it can’t be otherwise.]

[Alright, standby for sortie, Unit 0.]

[Sortie ready!]

“…”

“…”

While listening to the dialogue between the operators and soldiers, the men watching couldn’t help but feel a strange stirring in their chests.

How should I put it?

For some unknown reason, it felt like something deep within their hearts—a hidden romance—was being fulfilled.

Most of the men present found the lines somewhat embarrassing but simultaneously acknowledged they were undeniably cool.

Leaving those impressions aside, Kai exited the base aboard the Knight Shin to face the Outsider.

Linnea, who brought him here, calmly explained to the visibly tense Kai.

[Listen carefully, Kai. You haven’t been trained to fully control the Knight Shin yet. Beating the Outsider head-on is impossible for you now. Focus on buying time. Once Sayla’s injuries are healed, I’ll send her to protect you.]

[…Understood.]

And so, despite being a rookie, Kai fought fiercely, but unfortunately, due to his lack of skill, he was nearly killed by the Outsider within a minute.

Moreover, with Kai unconscious in the cockpit, the Knight Shin stopped moving.

“This is bad… Was it unreasonable to expect too much?”

“That’s ridiculous. How can anyone defeat such a monster with a mech they’ve just boarded today? If anything, it’d be weirder if he won.”

“No, that’s not the issue here! Is the main character going to die in the first episode?”

“So when is Sayla coming to help? Kai is about to die!”

Just as everyone in the tavern shouted while watching the Outsider’s massive hand approach the Knight Shin’s core…

Keeeeeeng—

Suddenly, the Knight Shin’s previously lifeless eyes lit up.

Then,

Crack!

With power far exceeding its previous performance, the Knight Shin instantly crushed the Outsider’s right arm.

“Knight Shin… REACTIVATION!”

“What, what is this?”

“The pilot is unconscious, so how is the Knight Shin moving?”

“I, I don’t know. The mana reserves are depleted, so it shouldn’t be able to move anymore—”

“I, I can’t believe it! The synchronization rate between the Knight Shin and the pilot has exceeded 80%!”

“All stats of the Knight Shin are unreadable! The monitoring systems aren’t functioning properly!”

Upon hearing these reports, the faces of the operation commander and others turned pale.

“Could this phenomenon be…”

“Rampage?”

“Goooooo-!”

Like a ferocious beast, the Knight Shin emitted a chilling roar.

The screen then went pitch black.

Followed by merciless words appearing on the screen.

[To be continued…]

“…”

“…”

A special feature of mecha clichés.

The hero’s mech always goes berserk in the first episode.