Chapter 25

As you go through life, there are times when it feels like the world is out to get me or something.

For instance, when I tried selling mesos because I needed some quick cash, and suddenly the market crashed leaving me earning less than minimum wage.

Or how about that stock that started plummeting right after I bought in at its peak price?

And then there’s this situation where we made an anime fully prepared for it to be called a trainwreck…

But instead people watched it and cheered, calling it a “masterpiece.”

“…..”

What the heck happened here?

Honestly speaking, wasn’t episode 17 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” just your typical trainwreck anime? Nothing more, nothing less.

No one else but me, as the producer, intentionally crafted it that way. That’s an undeniable fact.

But why the heck did those so-called experts and university professors ruin my “perfect plan?”

‘What should I do now?’

At this moment, I realized I needed to take action.

If I stay silent like usual, I have this strong gut feeling that those ridiculous fake news stories will soon become accepted truths and eventually come back to strangle me.

In the end, there was only one solution.

‘Full frontal assault.’

That meant admitting myself that episode 17 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” was indeed a trainwreck.

However, this world lacks internet, SNS, or online communities, so there’s no proper platform for me to voice my opinion publicly.

Then what should I do?

How can I naturally inform the public that episode 17 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” was a disaster?

After much thought, I came up with a solution.

First, I sought out the rebels who dared to raise their spears against the Imperial Household and attempted contact with them.

“…Surely not, Mr. Ragnar?”

“Haha, long time no see, Mr. Ricardo.”

The person I approached was none other than that mustachioed guy who failed art school entrance exams.

Though he’s a very dangerous individual, I’ve kept in touch with him because he has his uses.

“Aren’t you quite busy producing ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’? What brings you here…?”

“Ah, it’s regarding an issue with yesterday’s broadcast of episode 17 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.'”

“…Because of episode 17 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle?'”

Upon hearing my words, Ricardo looked utterly confused.

“What exactly is wrong with episode 17 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’? When I watched it yesterday, all I could think was how perfect it was…”

…It’s because you’re such a hardcore fan, buddy.

This guy would probably cheer even if I ended episode 18 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ with a ninja meteor massacre. So I decided to cut straight to the chase.

“I heard you’re serving as the president of a ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ fan group.”

“Ah, yes, that’s correct.”

“And isn’t it true that this group gathers in the square every day after the show airs for discussions? And that these discussions have become famous enough to occasionally invite guests critical of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’?”

“Are you aware of this? Exactly as you said. Though unlike us who participate purely out of love for ‘Knight Shin Chronicle,’ those critics join to gather material for their articles and columns. After all, one needs to understand the content well to criticize it effectively.”

Listening to Ricardo, I nodded.

A discussion forum swarming with critics of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle,’ observed by many people…

Where else could I achieve my purpose more smoothly?

“Would it be alright if I attended this discussion session?”

“…Eh?”

In response to my question, Ricardo seemed perplexed.

“Mr. Ragnar… For reasons unknown, wouldn’t it be better to reconsider? To be honest, the guest participants aren’t particularly friendly towards ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.'”

“I don’t mind.”

In fact, the less friendly they are towards me, the better.

Because they’ll surely write tons of critical articles about episode 17 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ based on various sources gathered from these discussions tomorrow.

“Wh… Why did you suddenly decide to attend the discussion?”

“It’s nothing special. I just read some newspaper articles about episode 17 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ this morning.”

“Really?”

“To be honest, the articles were so absurd that I felt the need to set things somewhat straight. And I also want to change people’s perceptions a bit.”

“…Hmm.”

Ricardo looked at me with newfound admiration after hearing my words…

And I realized I might have revealed too much of my intentions.

But then…

“Haha, as expected from Mr. Ragnar. You really have me beat.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve also heard stories about the audition for ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’ About how you stood up against a prestigious noble family’s young lady to protect the lead voice actor, who had no background whatsoever, right? Truly, Mr. Ragnar cares more for the production team and staff than himself.”

“…?”

Although I didn’t fully understand what he was saying…

Since my goal was essentially achieved, I nodded in agreement.

“By the way, I haven’t asked yet, but what’s the name of the club you founded, Mr. Ricardo? Could you tell me?”

“It’s not a grand name. So…”

“…So?”

“…It’s called ‘My Struggle.’ It represents my determination to challenge the art world again despite failing the art college entrance exam.”

“…”

Maybe it’s not too late to just kill this guy here for the sake of world peace.

I genuinely thought about doing it.

****

A few hours later, guided by Ricardo, I arrived at the location where the discussion session would be held.

Everyone, including the participants and audience, was already seated.

Thus, when Ricardo and I suddenly appeared, everyone’s attention turned to us.

“Hem hem, sorry for keeping you waiting. We took some extra time bringing our special guest for today’s discussion.”

“…Special guest? Who might that be?”

“I forgot to mention that earlier. Allow me to introduce formally. This is Mr. Ragnar Terison, the director overseeing the production and direction of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle!'”

“Hello.”

As I bowed slightly to the audience, they wore expressions of disbelief.

But only for a moment.

Waahhhhh-!

The next instant, a deafening roar of applause erupted from the crowd.

And seeing their reactions, I couldn’t help but feel surprised.

I’m just a simple director-producer; why are they cheering so enthusiastically?

“Hello, I am Ragnar Terison, serving as the director in the production team of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.'”

First, I calmly greeted the audience while slowly clearing my throat.

From this point on, I needed to choose my words carefully.

Each statement I make here could determine whether I become the Imperial Household’s anime slave or a stray dog.

“The reason I’m here today is to address the content of the articles about yesterday’s broadcast of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ episode 17-”

Right then,

“Ragnar! No, Director!”

Someone I knew very well burst into the discussion in a panic.

Seeing her figure, I widened my eyes.

Why is Serica here?

Moreover, I never mentioned to Serica that I’d be coming here. How did she know?

-Who, who is that?

– Umm… Judging by her appearance, she doesn’t seem ordinary.

The audience stared at Serica with stunned expressions.

Well, I can understand why they reacted this way.

Because I too had fallen into wild fantasies about entering a wedding venue and how many children we might have when I first met Serica at the mage tower.

Meanwhile, Serica bowed politely toward the audience without being affected by the numerous gazes directed at her.

“Hello. I’m Serica El Grinevalt, responsible for voicing ‘Saya’ in ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.'”

– Wha, who is that? The voice actress for Saya?

– Is she really the one who voices Saya? Really?

People opened their mouths wide, unable to believe what Serica had said.

Then Serica quietly spoke to the astonished audience.

“The reason I’m here today is that I heard Director Ragnar plans to clarify recent newspaper articles.”

“The articles generally contained statements like this: ‘Episode 17 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ is perfect, but the voice actors’ performances are extremely amateurish. The voice actors’ unskilled vocal acting is dragging down this masterpiece…'”

As she said this, Serica bit her lip tightly.

“I understood what Director intended to do upon learning he would attend this discussion. Probably, Director wanted to save us, whose skills are considered too amateurish by critics compared to the perfection of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’, by standing here today.”

“…?”

What is she talking about?

I never had any such intention.

I simply came here to give those critics who keep praising ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ as a masterpiece a taste of their own medicine.

“We are also aware. My performance, and the performances of the other voice actors, are truly insignificant and pale in comparison to the artistic quality of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’.”

“But since we are aware of this fact, we continue to strive. We will put in more effort for each subsequent episode to improve over the previous ones and aim to match the quality of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’. Therefore, please blame us voice actors rather than the director.”

“That concludes what I wanted to say. Sorry for interrupting this event.”

With those words, Serica bowed once more to the audience.

“…”

“…”

The audience remained silent, seemingly lost for words at the scene before them.

But that silence didn’t last long.

-Wowwwwaaaahhhhhh!

An overwhelming roar of cheers filled the area, far surpassing the applause I received earlier.

And the people in the audience began flocking around Serica like crazed fans of an idol.

“From today onward, my favorite character is Saya! Eilian? Chloe? Get out of here! From today, this place is occupied by Team Saya!”

“Eilian? Chloe? Aren’t those relics of the past?”

“Eilian faction, Chloe faction! Sign here! The ultimate victor of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ is none other than Saya!”

“‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ is a trainwreck? No way, looking at Miss Serica’s face, ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ is a meticulously planned cosmic masterpiece!”

“…”

Watching the discussion turn into a fan meeting for Serica within moments, I instantly realized…

Ah, crap. This is a total disaster.