Chapter 62

Thus, after a journey lasting about two and a half months, I was finally able to wrap up the anime series known as “The Book of Life and Death.”

Normally, I would’ve taken a decent break before preparing my next project.

Because let’s be real—any animator on Earth who just finished a 50-episode series followed by a 20-episode one would need some serious downtime.

But strangely, I didn’t feel like taking a break at all.

“Because I’ve decided it’s time to switch things up a bit.”

Back in the day, when I was content creating short animations, the reason I ended up making “Knight Shin Chronicle” was simple.

This world, prior to my arrival, had no decent subculture to speak of—it was barbaric, lacking even basic entertainment.

Which meant that people here were *extremely* invested in my somewhat inferior works compared to masterpieces crafted by legendary directors back on Earth.

And when I say “invested,” I mean they were so into my stuff that…

Like with the infamous ending of Episode 50 of “Knight Shin Chronicle”—if I ever intentionally threw in weird plot twists or absurd conclusions, there’d be mobs lining up to strangle me.

Of course, since even the Emperor promised not to interfere with my creative process, no one could actually harm me directly.

Still, for this reason, I decided to tweak my strategy this time around.

If I’m gonna make anime, might as well become such a big deal that nobody can tell me what to do anymore.

As someone once said, once you’re famous enough, people go crazy over everything—even if you poop in public.

So if I could skyrocket my anime’s popularity and influence the entire Empire…

Once my social standing and influence surpass those of nobles and reach the Emperor’s level…

Then even if I declared a strike and stopped making anime altogether, who could stop me?

That’s why I made up my mind.

There’ll be plenty of time for rest later.

Right now, I’m going all-in on my third anime—a story where heroes from different eras reincarnate as spirits in modern times to battle.

But then…

“Hey, while making anime is great, don’t you think you should take a little break?”

“Hm?”

“How about visiting my place after a long time? Dad mentioned he’d like to see you again…”

“…Hmm, sure?”

One day, while prepping for my next project, Serika suggested this.

She wondered if I shouldn’t hole up in my room making anime all the time and visit her family instead.

Honestly, there wasn’t much reason to refuse, so I accepted her invitation.

And…

“Ragnar. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? Wasn’t it right before you started working on ‘The Book of Life and Death’?”

Though still glaring at me like I’m an unwelcome pest, Duke’s expression has softened considerably compared to before.

“Damn it! Why does that guy have to keep hanging around Serika like this?”

Meanwhile, Deneb glares daggers at me with the same old intensity, his sister-love burning fiercely as ever.

‘Shit.’

I knew this would happen—I probably shouldn’t have come here.

Duke and Deneb’s expressions haven’t changed much since the last time I visited, back when I hired Serika as the voice actress for “The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel.”

But unlike back then, my position now is vastly different.

“So, Father, Brother… Can you try relaxing a bit?”

Smiling cheerfully, Serika addressed them.

“Especially you, Brother. You should be more careful. I worked hard to get you those raffle tickets. If you keep acting like this, I’ll confiscate your replica of The Book of Life and Death!”

“…Sorry, Serika.”

At her words, Deneb immediately deflated.

Fearing confiscation, he quickly hid the replica of The Book of Life and Death under his arm.

“Mewww.”

Deneb’s white cat, which had been sleeping atop the replica, leapt onto his shoulder.

“…Huh?”

I stared curiously at the white cat perched on Deneb’s shoulder.

That must be a spirit tied to the replica. Probably customized to look like a cat.

For some reason, though, its appearance feels oddly familiar…

“That… young master. Who’s that?”

“Oh, this little guy?”

On a whim, I asked cautiously, and Deneb grinned proudly.

“This is a new spirit I contracted using the replica of The Book of Life and Death. His name is Qube. He’s far stronger than other spirits for reasons unknown, and I really like him.”

“His name is… Qube?”

“Yeah, I named him. What’s wrong with it?”

“…”

Honestly, I wanted to suggest changing the name at least, but knowing Deneb wouldn’t listen, I kept quiet.

Sure, what could possibly go wrong?

Even if something did, it’s not like another magical boy popping up in this world would be that big a deal.

Just as I tried shifting my gaze away from the cat…

The duke cleared his throat and spoke.

“Cough, Ragnar. Your latest work, ‘The Book of Life and Death,’ was absolutely fantastic. From episode 1 to the final episode 20, it was a flawless masterpiece.”

“Ah, thank you very much.”

Well, considering the source material was hailed as one of the greatest works ever, this praise was pretty much expected.

“But, there is one thing that bothers me. In fact, this flaw almost ruins all the good points of ‘The Book of Life and Death.’”

“What’s that?”

At my question, the duke slammed his fist on the table, looking genuinely upset.

“Why did you finish ‘The Book of Life and Death’ in only 20 episodes?! ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ ran for a full 50!”

“What? But-”

“Because of that, I only got to preview ‘The Book of Life and Death’ for two months! During the run of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle,’ His Majesty enjoyed six months of previews, wielding absolute power. Why couldn’t I get the same treatment?!”

“…”

So basically, he’s mad because he couldn’t flex with early episodes for long enough.

While technically ridiculous, having spent time trolling forums online, I could somewhat sympathize.

It’s frustrating when you pull a limited 5-star character in a gacha and no one reacts.

So I decided to toss the duke a bone.

“I’ll make another anime.”

“What?”

“I mean, I’ll create another anime based on your ideas. I was planning to produce a new theatrical film after finishing the Knight King saga anyway.”

Though I acted like I was being generous, this wasn’t a bad deal for me.

The duke’s ideas often resembled hit anime from Earth.

And if his idea turns out bad, I could just not use it.

In short, it’s a golden opportunity to swipe someone else’s brainstorming for free.

As I eyed the duke smugly…

Deneb chuckled knowingly.

“Ha, just like with ‘The Book of Life and Death.’ Offering to turn dad’s idea into anime? Pathetic. At first glance, it looks like you’re doing him a huge favor, but it’s really a one-sided deal where you lose nothing, right?”

“…”

“Need an idea for your next movie? How about a mecha series? Like we did with ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’ Maybe focus on weird weapons this time? Drills, perhaps?”

“Drills?”

Seriously? We already did a mecha show with ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’ Isn’t that redundant?

But since it’s for a movie, overlapping themes might not matter too much.

“Of course, plain mechas would just pale in comparison to ‘Knight Shin Chronicle,’ so we need something unique. Armed with strange weapons—like drills—might work better. Oh, and what if they could combine? Use the drills to bore holes and merge. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

“Combine?”

Deneb smirked as he mocked me.

“Laguna, you seemed sincere earlier—but this? This is just cruel. Laguna really thought this through, huh? A drill weapon? Combining robots? Seriously?”

“Brother! That’s rude! Laguna was being genuine!”

“I’m also being genuine. Honestly, it’s not a bad idea.”

“Brother!”

As Serika scolded Deneb, their conversation faded into background noise.

Because…

“Mecha… drills… combination…?”

Wait.

This could be…

An insanely epic project waiting to happen.