Chapter 15: Hero party Formed!

Nikolai no longer seemed inclined to run away, so I loosened the ropes binding him.

Once he realized that I had genuinely come to hire him and we began a heartfelt conversation based on our shared experience as reincarnators, he seemed to understand me.

“Ah… Hyung-nim. So that’s what happened.”

Interestingly, Nikolai and I came from parallel worlds.

I was from the timeline where the Third World War occurred. Nikolai was from a peaceful timeline.

Peace? It was peaceful for now. Things were festering within, and it was uncertain when it would erupt…

Though he spoke like that, at least he was putting on a facade of peace, which was better than nothing.

When a madman presses the nuclear launch button, even hypocrisy is a luxury.

Nikolai seemed intrigued by my war stories, but I didn’t think it was necessary to share them with someone I wasn’t close to yet.

So, we became friends while establishing only the minimum level of common understanding.

Since he would be making the movie with me, I thought it would be good to share my passion for it.

“So that’s why you’re so passionate about the movie…!”

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s partly because of my comrades, but I also want to do my best in this life.”

“Yes. I will support you in every way possible.”

To my surprise, Nikolai had decent social skills.

He matched my vibes well, had good abilities, and I found him likable in many ways.

“But this is our first meeting, but… what about my salary?”

I handed him one gold coin.

“Basic pay is one gold coin per month. Depending on how things go, I’ll raise your salary.”

An elite knight who graduated from the Hetairo Academy typically earned about five gold coins a month.

Of course, one gold coin was almost a token amount for a director and scriptwriter, but it was a generous offer for an unverified student.

Moreover, I hadn’t attached any conditions to the phrase “depending on how things go.”

In the film industry, it’s common to receive a base salary and get more in bonuses based on the success of the project.

It seemed Nikolai had some knowledge of this field, as he accepted the amount I offered right away.

“Hyung-nim, you must be wealthy?”

“I have some money. I’m John Armstrong.”

“Right. If it’s John Armstrong, that makes sense… Wait?”

“Since I’ve already shared my past life, what’s the point of keeping secrets? Just know that.”

“Uh? Hyung-nim? Or should I call you Teacher?”

After a moment of confusion, Nikolai quickly gathered himself and brought up a question he had been holding back.

“Um… Hyung-nim. You figured out I was a reincarnator from my self-introduction, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why me? I wasn’t involved in the arts before my reincarnation… I’m not sure I can meet your expectations.”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if you’re an ordinary person, you’ll write better than the people of this era.”

“Really?”

“Based on your reaction, it seems you haven’t read any novels since coming to this world, have you?”

“Well… I didn’t get a chance to read much. I was busy reading history books and deciphering prophecies to prepare for school.”

“Then read this.”

Nikolai glanced at the title of the book I handed him and began to skim it.

The Story of Alcidis

This was a bestseller in this world.

The first line of the book would probably be something like this:

— Oh! Great and glorious demigod! Child of Amphitryon and Alcmene, who carries the blood of the Mycenaean royal family!

And the highlight of the book would likely be:

— Passing by, Alcidis noticed a woman crying and curiously asked, “Why are you crying here?” “I am destined to be sacrificed to the monster Hydra.” “I will slay it for you.” Alcidis immediately defeated the Hydra and continued on his journey.

I wasn’t summarizing or distorting anything; that’s how it was actually written.

If this was the state of the bestseller, how much worse would the other works be?

As someone accustomed to modern civilization, I found the overly simple literature of this world unbearable.

Nikolai seemed to feel the same way, as he closed the book around that point.

“What is this?”

“What do you mean, what is it? It’s a novel.”

“A thing like this?”

“This world’s standard is quite strange. Technology is close to modern, culture is medieval, and art remains stuck in ancient Greece. It’s all because of theology and magic.”

Culture, technology, and art were supposed to progress together.

But in this world, magic, which is almost like a technological singularity, exists, and humans and gods communicate so closely that theology holds immense power.

The result is that technology advances on its own, culture progresses slowly, and art gets distorted in weird directions.

Especially in art, it wasn’t a regression, but people seemed a bit lax in formality, busy praising the gods.

However, this was only how it seemed to us, who came from a time without gods or magic. To the people living in this world, they wouldn’t feel anything was wrong.

“I tried referencing various novels or films while making a movie, but they were all about religion, love, and hero worship.”

“Ah…”

“That’s why I need you. The locals can never write the script I want.”

Without recognizing the problem, progress cannot be made.

No matter how many times I pointed it out, the screenwriters didn’t seem capable of producing a script that satisfied me.

I was so frustrated that during the filming of the John series, more than half the lines were ad-libbed by me, and I personally had to tweak the script here and there.

Nikolai seemed to gain confidence from my explanation.

With how things were in this world, he wondered if he might be at a relative Shakespearean level. His expression revealed it all.

He quickly regained his composure, thumping his chest as he made a bold declaration.

“Just tell me the genre. Believe it or not, I was a citizen who voraciously consumed all kinds of culture in my past life. If you want something, I can whip it up just right.”

To sum up Nikolai’s credentials, he was an expert who avidly indulged in films, novels, comics, and animation across all genres.

In other words, a total geek.

So, he wasn’t afraid of any request Allen might make.

Romance? He got possessed by that genre.

Horror? He used to watch those alone at the theater every summer.

Action? Need I say more? It was his favorite genre.

He lined up the titles in his head, eagerly awaiting the first genre to come out of Allen’s mouth.

But a madman’s mind, like history, is always unpredictable.

“Magical girl genre.”

“…?”

It took Nikolai a moment to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Who in the world would want a muscular body in a frilly dress?”

“Haha…”

What I wanted to create was just a promotional video.

Our club had formed a filming team, but we didn’t have any actors.

Even I couldn’t play all the roles by myself.

The first priority was to recruit actors.

Fortunately, we were at Hetairo Academy.

Most of the students walking down the street were potential actor candidates.

With enough promotion, securing actors wouldn’t be difficult.

“Can’t we just make a normal promotional video?”

“With how many other film clubs there are at this academy, do you really think people will come if we promote normally? Right?”

“That’s true…”

Rather than showing an ordinary promotional video, it was much more effective to demonstrate how impressive our club was.

One might wonder why magical girls of all things.

There was a rational reason behind it.

I considered many other genres in my head.

But most of them weren’t suitable for a promotional video to recruit members.

A genre that would grab the attention of both males and females, stand out from other clubs, and appeal to my age group.

There was nothing else but magical girls.

Of course, not the kind made for really young kids.

I’m talking about high schoolers in sailor uniforms.

The kind that everyone, regardless of age or gender, goes crazy for.

That’s the model I had in mind.

“Well… you’re right, sir. But… sigh…”

“So, can you write a magical girl script or not?”

Unfortunately, I hadn’t watched any magical girl shows.

How could I have done that in the military?

“I can write it. But the magical girl genre is a bit tricky to pull off right now. It’s not an event-driven genre, but more of an omnibus style, so we need to establish the characters before unfolding the events.”

“You’re saying we need to cast actors for both the magical girl and the villain before you can write a fitting script, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Then leave that to me.”

The next day.

Nikolai arrived at the set located in the Academy of Heroes after being summoned by Allen, and what he saw was as follows.

A blue-haired man with curly hair grumbling while holding a recording crystal ball.

A blond young man with dark circles under his eyes, sitting in a corner with a desk set up, struggling with paperwork.

And finally, a purple-haired girl with twin tails, staring lifelessly at a frilly dress in her hands.

Among them, the last person drew the most attention.

In a set that might as well have been a funeral, Allen was the only one high on energy. He noticed Nikolai, frozen at the door.

“Alright, the director’s here! Let’s get started!”

***

Nikolai already wanted to run away.

Carriages peacefully strolled down the streets of Hetairo Island.

Today, an unexpected event would suddenly unfold for the people going about their daily lives.

Thud!

A figure wearing a skull mask and covered entirely in a black suit dropped into the middle of the road from the sky.

A truck driver, driving as usual, saw the figure drop unexpectedly and hit the brakes.

Screech!
The belated sound of tires scraping against the road filled the air.

But the truck didn’t stop in time and barreled towards the figure.

That’s when it happened.

Crash!
The figure didn’t dodge but instead rammed straight into the truck, crushing half of it along with the driver.

From the driver’s seat, red blood dripped, a grim reminder that a person had once occupied it.

The remaining half of the truck swayed momentarily before toppling over onto its side.

Cars swerved to avoid the falling half of the truck, crashing into each other and turning the road into a chaotic mess.

The sounds of screeching brakes, collisions, and terrified screams filled the air as the figure calmly surveyed the surroundings.

He selected a nearby merchant building and entered it.

Crash.
Moments later, from the top floor of the building, a lavishly dressed merchant leader fell through the glass, plummeting to the ground.

The merchant leader’s neck was twisted in the wrong direction upon hitting the ground.

Through the shattered window above, the figure who had entered the building looked down.

Only when everyone’s attention was fully focused on him did he finally speak.

“My name is Rive. I am the envoy of the Dusk Council. Criminals of Hetairo Island, hear me. You have rejected the Council’s rightful rule and insulted us by killing our diplomats. Therefore, in accordance with the votes of the ten councilors, the following sentence shall be carried out.”

—Total annihilation.

The moment the sentence was delivered, explosions erupted throughout the city.

The roads cracked open, and buildings collapsed.

People fleeing were either caught in the explosions, crushed under falling buildings, or fell into the fissures that split the streets. There were no other options.

From atop the merchant building, Rive watched the city as it was destroyed.

Fires raged everywhere, and screams filled the air.

Then, he noticed a beam of light in the distance.

“Hm?”

Shing!
He quickly deflected the beam aimed at him with his gauntlet.

Glaring in the direction of the sneak attack, he muttered, “Magical girl…”

As if responding to his words, the air shimmered, and a young girl appeared.

“M… Magical Girl! Magical Mari! Like a shooting star spreading hope—arriving right here!”

The girl with pink hair tied in twin tails wore a dress adorned with frills.

Her staff, topped with a heart-shaped jewel, pointed directly at Rive.

While cautiously eyeing the sudden appearance of the magical girl, Rive examined his gauntlet.

The gauntlet, which had blocked the beam, was dented and smoking.

He tossed aside the now-useless gauntlet and took a stance against the woman who called herself Magical Mari.

“Have you come to interfere with me again? How tiresome.”

“As long as you threaten peace, I will always stand agai—ugh!”

Before she could finish her line, Rive had already closed the distance and struck her with a powerful punch.

She narrowly avoided the attack, but Rive followed up with a tackle.

Almost tripping from the sudden move, the magical girl quickly cast a flight spell to regain her footing midair.

Then, she unleashed a pink explosion to force Rive back, and resumed her declaration.

“That’s so unfair! Attacking me while I’m still in the middle of my line!”

“You attacked first.”

“Wait, did I? No, that’s not the point—”

She never finished her sentence.

Rive had resumed his assault.

Mari prepared her magic to counter the eerie skull charging at her.

The battle shifted in Rive’s favor.

But in a moment of quick thinking, Mari blinded Rive with a flash of light. Then, from the rooftop, she delivered her ultimate attack towards Rive below.

—Sky Falling Buster!!!

A massive beam tore through the sky, striking the ground and causing a mushroom cloud to rise.

As the dust settled, the skull mask emerged through the smoke.

He was alive, but his limbs were grotesquely twisted, showing that he could no longer continue fighting.

“I’ll remember this, magical girl.”

Activating a skull-shaped emblem, his eyes glowed red, and he vanished.

And so, the battle ended with the magical girl’s victory.

As she prepared to revert from her transformed state—

[—Curious about what happens next? Bon Voyage Studios awaits you!]

Nikolai sat on the clubroom sofa, watching the advertisement on the television with satisfaction.

He had written the script himself, and it was genuinely well-made.

This must be what fulfillment feels like.

It was only a five-minute promotional video for the club.

But to shoot that five minutes, they had to reshoot dozens of times and dedicate entire weekends to filming.

And when the shooting was done, there was still more work to do. Negotiating with the broadcasting tower at Hetairo Academy for ad space had been exhausting.

But seeing the advertisement air regularly was a satisfying reward for all the hard work.

‘This should definitely boost membership applications.’

Nikolai never thought of himself as an artist.

But after creating something himself, he realized it.

He truly enjoyed writing scripts.

If he hadn’t met Allen, he’d probably still be buried in pointless paperwork, convincing himself that was happiness.

And he wasn’t the only one. There were likely many students denying their artistic passions.

And this ad would ignite the creative spark in them.

His excitement grew, and he couldn’t contain it, pacing the clubroom alone.

Bam!
“Hey, we’ve got a problem!”

Alan burst through the door, snapping Nikolai out of his thoughts. What could possibly be so urgent that he was making such a fuss?

Since he came to see him, it had to be something about the new advertisement…

“Our ad has blown up!”
“Oh, come on. You’re making a big deal out of-”
“Do you think I’d say ‘blown up’ for nothing? Pull the curtain back and look outside!”

At Allen’s shout, Nikolai tilted his head but followed his instructions.
As he pulled the curtain aside, what greeted him outside the window was a mob holding Molotov cocktails and torches.

“?”

In the middle of the crowd, a nobleman dressed in expensive clothes stood on a makeshift platform, shouting through a voice-amplifying spell.

[There are evil forces lurking in the world, like cultists!
Those who kill off the protagonist for no reason, destroying the narrative!
Those who sabotage beautiful endings for money, turning them into terrible works!
Those who insert their ideologies into stories and force them upon others!
But the worst of them all are those who release Episode 1 and never follow up with Episode 2!]

““That’s right! That’s right!!””

[And now, they’ve made the worst studio of all under the guise of an ad, releasing only 0.1 episodes and not even finishing Episode 1!
I have proof that this studio is a criminal organization!!!]

““Waaah!!!!””

Behind the nobleman, Nikolai saw a familiar purple-haired girl tied to a post.

“Huwaaah!!! Senpai!!! Save me!!!”

Nikolai closed the curtain and looked at Allen.

“What do we do?”
“What do you mean, what do we do? We have to film. If we want to survive.”

Nikolai seriously considered quitting.