Chapter 29

「Right now, at this very moment, a true god that has never existed in this world is being born.」

「The price of creation by the true god means the destruction of the false creatures that have occupied this world until now.」

「False creatures… so, humans are going to be destroyed?」

「No, it’s not just humans that will be destroyed. The whole world is going to end.」

「…It begins. The third apocalypse following the second. The ritual of Creation and Annihilation begins!」

“…..”

The mansion of the Grinevalt Dukehouse.

At that very location, the Duke of Grinevalt was staring blankly at the screen displayed on the television.

And as episode 25 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” reached its climax, he was completely engrossed, unable to even breathe properly.

Well, in a way, it was only natural.

How could one think of anything else during such a critical moment that would decide the fate of Earth?

Just as the 0th Unit awakened and Kai created a massive pillar of light to save Saya, engulfing the Earth in a tremendous explosion—

[To be continued in the next episode.]

“…Huh?”

The duke stared with trembling eyes at the merciless words floating on the television screen, but reality was cruel.

“…That bastard Ragnar.”

As he gazed at the merciless words on the television, the duke couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“How can anyone cut off an anime right here? What exactly did that guy do during family education hour?”

If that Ragnar were standing right in front of him, he’d kidnap and torture him until he coughed up episode 26 immediately.

But despite the duke’s feelings, it was undeniable that this was one of the reasons viewers got hooked on the anime.

Because even the duke himself was incredibly curious about what would happen next.

“…According to Dr. Rachel, the 0th Unit truly awakened as a god, and immediately after, began the ritual of creation as part of its divine duty.”

So if we consider the scene just now, Earth was caught in a massive explosion due to the effects of the creation ritual, leaving humanity with no hope for survival…

“No, but ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ consists of 50 episodes. If Earth explodes here, how on earth are they planning to handle the remaining 25 episodes?”

Any sane anime producer wouldn’t blow up Earth at episode 25.

But knowing Ragnar, he was certainly capable of pulling off such madness.

After all, the duke had been watching him since the days of “Nymph and Goblin” and “The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel.”

Ragnar Terison was always an extraordinary individual who easily surpassed others’ expectations.

Despite the duke thinking it was impossible for the theatrical anime “The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel” to succeed, Ragnar made it a hit. And then, “Knight Shin Chronicle” captivated the hearts of the empire’s citizens too.

If Ragnar were like any ordinary person, it would’ve been impossible to successfully introduce the unprecedented genre of animation.

That much was undeniable, even if Ragnar was playing around with Serika’s heart like a worthless son of a bitch.

Thus, even if the development seemed like a ridiculous mess at first glance, there must be some hidden plan in Ragnar’s mind.

Realizing this, the duke grimaced when he noticed he was doing the same thing as those members of Ricardo’s fan club or whatever.

“Tch, anyway, all these questions will naturally be resolved next week. What am I even doing?”

Muttering this, the duke turned off the TV and went to bed early to prepare for work the next morning.

Or rather, he tried to go to bed, but sleep eluded him.

He was far too worried about what happened next in “Knight Shin Chronicle.”

“Ragnar, you bastard…”

In the end, the duke spent the entire night piecing together every plot thread related to “Knight Shin Chronicle” and predicting future developments, unable to get a single wink of sleep.

He was already completely addicted to “Knight Shin Chronicle.”

****

The duke assumed that last night’s episode 25 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” left quite an impression on others besides himself.

However, to put it bluntly, that assumption was completely wrong.

Because “Knight Shin Chronicle” episode 25 wasn’t just something people watched deeply moved—it was causing huge ripples throughout the empire.

Let’s just say…

“So, from this point forward, I shall commence the administrative meeting.”

With a somewhat exasperated expression, the duke began speaking.

“The first agenda item today… concerns issues related to episode 25 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’”

That’s right.

Even though the duke himself found it absurd, currently the emperor and the nobles under him were holding a meeting regarding various problems caused by episode 25 of “Knight Shin Chronicle.”

“Honestly, this is embarrassing.”

“Even so, who would’ve thought a mere anime could have such a massive impact on the entire empire?”

Of course, everyone present in this room could only give helpless smiles, finding the current situation ridiculous.

“First of all, you all know that Earth exploded in episode 25 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ last night, correct?”

At this statement, the nobles silently nodded their heads.

Currently, within the empire, there was virtually no noble who hadn’t watched “Knight Shin Chronicle.”

“In my personal opinion, that scene alone was absurd beyond belief. And because of it, several issues have arisen within the system.”

“What kind of issues are you referring to?”

“For starters, public opinion surrounding ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ is raging. In particular, hundreds of protest letters demanding immediate airing of episode 26 have already flooded the palace.”

“Newspapers featuring articles about ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ have reportedly seen sales triple compared to usual. As a result, newspapers themselves are experiencing a shortage.”

“I also heard that yesterday, all daily necessities in grocery stores across the country were sold out. Apparently, some lunatics bought emergency supplies, believing Earth might really be destroyed after watching the anime.”

From trivial, seemingly insignificant anecdotes to major issues that even the grand dukes present couldn’t ignore, countless matters kept pouring in.

And the fact that all these incidents were triggered by the bizarre twist in episode 25 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” left all the nobles utterly flabbergasted.

“Damn it. That director of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle,’ Ragnar, right? Because of that guy, the empire is turning into chaos.”

“To be honest, I want to summon that guy here right now and ask why he made episode 25 turn out this way.”

“Seriously, does it even make sense to suddenly blow up Earth? How does that affect Eilian?”

“Eilian? Isn’t she like two steps behind Saya—a relic of a bygone era? It’s surprising that fans still root for her even after watching episode 25.”

“Say what?! Take that back!”

Like this, the meeting initially convened to discuss the various problems caused by episode 25 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” quickly transformed into a discussion about the show itself.

Meanwhile,

“…”

The emperor simply remained silent, quietly observing the nobles.

Leaning his hands together and covering his mouth, he maintained an unusually composed attitude.

This was clearly the demeanor of someone who knew exactly how things would unfold in the future.

Seeing this, the nobles realized one important fact:

The emperor already knew how episode 26 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” would proceed.

Because the emperor had used his authority to watch five episodes ahead of everyone else.

Glug.

At that moment, an indeterminate sound of someone swallowing saliva echoed throughout the conference room.

Under normal circumstances, the nobles here might have casually dismissed the emperor’s calm behavior.

But the situation was different now.

Episode 25 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” ended with the unexpected explosion of Earth.

Because of this, everyone gathered here was so curious about how episode 26 would unfold that they’d sell their souls to the devil if necessary.

And right now, someone in this room knew what happened in episode 26.

Therefore, the best choice for the nobles in this situation was none other than—

“…Your Majesty.”

Finally, one noble, unable to resist the temptation rising in his chest, humbly spoke up, suppressing his pride.

“I’ve heard that Your Majesty knows how episode 26 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ unfolds.”

“…”

“If that’s true, could you perhaps give us just a tiny hint about what happens next in episode 26?”

In response to the noble’s desperate plea, the emperor didn’t reply.

Instead, he calmly pulled out some artifact from his coat and placed it on the table, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“…What is that, Your Majesty?”

“It’s nothing special. This is merely the recording of episode 26 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ that you all desire so much. To be precise, it’s the original copy directly handed over by that Ragnar fellow.”

“…!”

At the emperor’s words, all the nobles present felt their ears perk up.

So, inside that artifact lies the content of the highly anticipated episode 26 of “Knight Shin Chronicle”?

Does it contain the conclusion of Earth’s fate after exploding due to the awakening of the 0th Unit as a true god?

Instantly, a fiery desire ignited in the eyes of the nobles.

Their tongues dried up, and their hearts began pounding.

If only they had that artifact…!

But no one dared to touch the emperor’s possession carelessly, so everyone in the room could only exchange glances.

Tap tap.

At that moment, the emperor looked down at the glass in front of him and lightly tapped it.

Then, he muttered softly.

“Water.”

“…!”

Upon hearing this, someone quick-witted immediately stood up and swiftly filled the emperor’s glass with water.

Gulp.

While sipping the water, the emperor quietly said,

“The taste of the water is particularly sweet today.”

“…”

Today, the water tasted especially sweet and refreshing.

The emperor felt extremely satisfied with this fact.