Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Mecha God Chronicle (1)
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After the imperial princess... no, Kaya, joined my production team as the assistant director.
The preparations for the next project were proceeding smoothly, just as planned.
Kaya had boasted that she was confident in handling administrative tasks, and sure enough, she tackled all the daunting issues that had left me stumped.
From the budget needed to produce the animation to the casting of voice actors—everything was handled perfectly.
Once the casting was more or less finalized, I gathered all the staff and voice actors in one place.
I figured it would be good to get familiar with each other's faces before diving into full production.
On the day of the meeting, I arrived at the venue about an hour early.
"Ah, Director. You've arrived."
Kaya had beaten me there by a wide margin and was already waiting.
"When exactly did you get here?"
"Not long ago. Maybe... an hour or so?"
When she admitted to arriving two full hours early, I could only shake my head in disbelief, and Kaya gave a soft smile.
"There's some responsibility on my part for why you're directing this animation. So, I want to give my all to everything."
Her face showed a hint of tension as she said this, and I almost instinctively reached out to pat her head like I did with Serika—but I caught myself just in time.
...That was close.
I'd nearly gotten myself arrested for insulting royalty before production even started.
As I instinctively stepped back from Kaya, she pouted at me for some reason.
...Why?
Was she disappointed that she wouldn't get to send me to prison?
While I was lost in my reasonable deductions, the voice actors and staff began trickling in.
"H-Hi, everyone! I'm Rizeira Mireille, the voice actor who passed the audition this time! P-Please feel free to call me Riz! N-Nice to meet you!"
Riz, our newly cast lead voice actor, bowed deeply to the group.
Her face turned beet red as all eyes turned to her—she seemed quite shy.
"N-Normally, I shouldn't even be here, but... Director, thank you so much for choosing me. And thank you for helping me at the audition!"
She bowed so low to me that I could see the top of her head. Serika, standing beside me, whispered softly.
"...What the heck? What happened at the audition to make her act like that toward you?"
"Oh, nothing much."
I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Some highborn lady threw a fit at the audition. 'Why pass a lowly wretch like her and reject me?' That kind of thing."
"...And?"
"So I just told her, if she wants her family pedigree evaluated, she should go home and ask her daddy instead."
"...You're something else, you know that?"
Serika looked like she'd lost the words to respond to my casual reply.
But that wasn't the end of what happened at the audition.
After hearing my words, the villainous lady completely lost it.
- How dare a baron's son like you! Do you even know who I am? Do you know who looks favorably upon my family?
It was such a textbook villainess line that instead of getting angry, I was secretly impressed.
I even seriously considered hiring her as a consultant if I ever made a villainess anime.
That's why I didn't notice her storming right up to me.
She wasn't about to hug or kiss me, so how should I react? As I hesitated...
Grab.
Someone else stepped in and seized the villainess's arm.
- ...What the hell?
- That's far enough. This isn't someone you can mess with.
It was Hildegart, Kaya's maid.
And then.
- Nice catch, Hilde.
Footsteps.
A familiar voice came from right behind me.
- If that woman's hand had touched the director, I don't know what I would've done today.
It was Kaya.
- I-Impossible. Y-Your Highness...
True to her claims of high status, the villainess paled at the sight of Kaya.
But Kaya gently raised a finger to silence her and whispered.
- If we talk here, it might get noisy. Why don't we step over there and chat privately?
- Y-Your Highness... Th-That's...
- Oh dear, what's wrong? Someone might think I'm threatening you. Right?
- ......
No, you are threatening her, Your Highness.
And so, the imperial princess defused the situation anticlimactically.
Afterward, Kaya returned to her seat and begged me to keep it secret from everyone else.
That's why I hadn't told Serika either.
Anyway, starting with Riz, Serika and the other voice actors introduced themselves one by one.
Once all the voice actors had finished, Kaya stepped forward.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Kaya von Obern, the new assistant director."
Obern was the temporary surname the princess was using.
She didn't want to reveal her identity and burden the team, or so she said.
"I'll do my best alongside the director to make a great animation, so let's all give it our all!"
With her stunning beauty and bright smile, the atmosphere warmed right up.
"....."
Serika watched Kaya with a subtly complicated expression.
Once all the staff had introduced themselves, I stood and slowly looked around at everyone.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Raguna Tersion, producer of Eli and Hamel's Disappearance and director for this project."
All eyes focused on me.
"As you all know, with imperial support, we're making about 50 episodes of 30-minute animations. Like it or not, we'll be seeing a lot of each other for at least a year."
"....."
"Time is tight, so let's talk about the production. The genre for this one is Mecha God."
"...Mecha God?"
"You don't mean those golems shaped like soldiers used by the military, do you?"
In this uncivilized fantasy world without words like 'robot' or 'mecha,' I had to use 'Mecha God' instead.
"You're saying the protagonist won't be a person, but a golem?"
I nodded at the sharp question.
"Half right, half wrong. In my animation, people will board and pilot the Mecha Gods."
"...What? People boarding and controlling Mecha Gods?"
"Unbelievable. I've never even thought of that."
True to a world without mecha concepts, they couldn't hide their shock at every word.
Watching their reactions, I finally understood why isekai stories were so popular back on Earth.
"That said, it's not like the Mecha Gods are the story's core. They're just one plot device."
With that, I briefly outlined the clichés from mecha anime I'd seen in my past life... or rather, the story I'd conceived from them.
One day, mysterious monsters invade Earth to wipe out humanity.
Humanity's sole answer: the Mecha God.
Unfortunately, only early-teen kids can pilot them.
Thus, humanity launches its final war for survival against the monsters...
Kya, this is it.
My chest swelled with grandeur as I explained the plot.
It was a story I'd seen dozens of times in mecha anime, but tropes like this endure for a reason.
However.
"A Mecha God as the only way to kill monsters? What about grand wizards or masters?"
"Monsters weak enough for Mecha Gods would've been stopped by basic fireballs from mages."
"Why kids? Just make Mecha Gods for adults from the start."
"Dwarves could retrofit them for adults in a day."
"The setting feels... unrealistic. Kinda flimsy?"
"Maybe tweak it now, Director? It's not too late."
"....."
Of course, there were no extra explanations.
These were standard Earth clichés—why add more?
Damn fantasy world.
I'd forgotten that people here treated magic like a documentary, with no grasp of 'romance.'
Should've just made a romcom where the heroine cuts off the protagonist's head on a boat.
I genuinely thought that.