Well, humans by nature are mostly creatures who can’t stand seeing others succeed.
Yeah, there are people like Yuri, the protagonist of “Fate’s Sky,” who dream that ‘everyone should be happy,’ but that’s more of an exception rather than the norm.
When a cousin buys land, your stomach hurts, and when some celebrity gets embroiled in controversy, there are always plenty of folks ready to pile on the hate instead of defending them.
No wonder even wiki pages tend to have the most detailed sections under ‘controversies and scandals.’
Naturally, people working in the arts fear their works or the celebrities featured in them getting caught up in such controversies.
Because once tangled in scandal, even a hit work can plummet overnight.
In fact, in 21st-century Korea, it wasn’t uncommon for perfectly fine works to fall apart due to historical accuracy disputes or issues related to the private lives of actors involved.
Of course, in a way, this is quite natural.
After all, movies and dramas feed off the public’s fantasies, and the directors and celebrities making these works belong to the public sphere, requiring higher integrity than regular folks.
But, let’s think about this differently.
What if Ragnar deliberately stirred up some kind of controversy?
Even Ragnar might have no choice but to step down from his position as an anime director and enter a period of self-reflection.
Although, if he did step down this way, Ragnar had no plans to return to directing anime ever again.
“Isn’t that… absolutely amazing?”
Just imagining it was enough to bring pure joy.
Of course, the journalist who received such a request looked like someone who’d encountered an incomprehensible creature and lost all their sanity points.
And so, soon after:
The empire’s newspapers were filled with articles eerily similar to each other.
[“Director Ragnar Terison of ‘Fate’s Sky’ – Why does he completely ‘ignore’ traditional magic while creating his anime?”]
[“An insider from the Mage Tower… ‘All the magic in ‘Fate’s Sky’ is complete nonsense. Anyone with basic knowledge of magic would find it impossible to watch.”]
[“Professor of Magic at the Academy: Including bizarre concepts like ‘mental domains’ in anime could easily mislead viewers.”]
[“From ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ to ‘Fate’s Sky,’ ignoring magic altogether – Could Director Ragnar be mocking mages as the weak?”]
At first glance, these seemed like typical WWE-style smear pieces targeting ‘Fate’s Sky’ and Ragnar.
But Duke Grinevalt, the major shareholder of the newspaper publishing these articles, knew the inside story unknown to the general public.
“…So, to summarize.”
With an utterly baffled expression, the duke began speaking.
“The person who requested this article… was actually Ragnar himself?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Wait, so he commissioned an article criticizing his own work?”
“The journalist who wrote it testified directly. Based on the context, it seems almost certain Ragnar made the request.”
“…”
Naturally, the duke, being a sane individual, couldn’t comprehend Ragnar’s insane behavior.
“What? Is that guy even sane? Who in their right mind requests for their own work to be trashed?”
While it wasn’t unheard of for creators to promote their works through advertising or viral marketing,
the idea of someone asking for negative press against their own creation was beyond comprehension.
“So, why did Ragnar pull this idiotic stunt? Surely not because he wanted to quit directing anime, right?”
“I’m not sure either. When I asked Serika, she too seemed surprised, saying it was the first she’d heard of it.”
Denneb, who usually glared daggers at Ragnar but enjoyed his anime nonetheless, spoke calmly.
“And apparently, Ragnar plans to hold a press conference to clarify the matter.”
“WHAT?”
How ironic. After commissioning the very article himself, now he intends to hold a press conference to explain it?
By this point, the duke felt oddly calm, as if his confusion had overflowed and left him numb.
This went far beyond Ragnar’s usual antics.
Unless Ragnar was planning early retirement, there had to be a clear reason behind his actions.
Of course, the duke, bound by conventional wisdom, could never fathom Ragnar’s true intentions.
Which led to the question…
“…Now that I think about it, Aries has been awfully quiet lately.”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean Aries, Ragnar’s mentor. The head of the Mage Tower. Lately, she hasn’t helped with anime production and instead locked herself away in the tower, supposedly conducting research…”
After all, wasn’t ‘Fate’s Sky’ originally commissioned by Aries herself to revive the Mage Tower?
If Aries had personally asked Ragnar to create ‘Fate’s Sky’ to rejuvenate the Mage Tower, wouldn’t it make sense for her to stick closely by his side and assist him 24/7?
Yet here she was, abandoning her duties and holed up in the Mage Tower under the guise of ‘research.’
Ragnar, behaving inexplicably and drawing attention,
his own commissioned articles that seem to openly criticize mages,
the new magic ‘mental domain’ introduced in ‘Fate’s Sky,’
and Aries, barricaded in the Mage Tower conducting mysterious research…
Could it be…
“…Ah, so that’s how it is.”
Piecing together the clues, the duke smirked at Denneb, still perplexed.
“Don’t worry. I have a pretty good idea what Ragnar’s up to.”
“Really? What-”
“It seems our friend Ragnar has something entertaining planned for us.”
A delighted grin spread across the duke’s face.
*
A few days later, the plaza in front of the royal palace.
Normally bustling with people due to its central location, today it was packed several times over.
The reason was simple.
Today was the day I announced I’d hold a press conference to address all rumors surrounding ‘Fate’s Sky,’ especially the setting inconsistencies regarding the magic used in the anime.
It appeared as though, unable to withstand the relentless barrage of critical articles in the papers, I had finally thrown in the towel.
Thus, besides journalists seeking scoops, countless ordinary citizens had also gathered to witness the real-time downfall of the somewhat arrogant young prodigy, Ragnar Terison.
Of course, none of them realized my true purpose wasn’t mere downfall but something else entirely.
“Hehehe…”
This whole ordeal had dragged on longer than expected.
My dream was to tweak the ending of the anime and then retire peacefully in a cozy rural village, doing nothing but enjoying life.
But that day was almost here.
Soon, I’d be free.
I’d escape the death spiral of having to create sequels after successfully producing an anime!
As I indulged in these happy thoughts, lost in reverie with a blissful expression, the moment arrived.
“Everyone, please settle down! We’re about to begin Director Ragnar’s press conference!”
Karlreya’s voice rang out, and I immediately put on a somber expression, as if I’d just learned of the collapse of the empire.
I needed to look devastated so the hungry wolves lurking around would pounce with even more fervor.
Come on, ask me questions already!
Especially those about magic—ask why I included absurd concepts like ‘mental domain’ in the anime!
“Cough, cough. Let’s start with the first question for Director Ragnar.”
As if sensing my silent plea, one of the reporters sitting in the front row cautiously spoke up.
“One hour ago, Mage Tower Head Aries presented a new magical concept called ‘ideological barrier’ at a conference. Is it true you played a significant role in its creation?”
“Uh… what?”
“According to Aries, the ‘ideological barrier’ is a legitimate form of magic based on the ‘mental domain’ featured in ‘Fate’s Sky.’ Could you elaborate further on this?”
“Does this mean ‘Fate’s Sky’ was truly an educational anime designed to indirectly provide ideas to mages? Please comment.”
“…Huh?”
Wait, what?
