Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: 6. Mecha God Chronicle, Reactions (2)
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After hearing from Serika and Kaya that protests had broken out, the emotion that hit me was sheer bewilderment.
Come on, seriously.
Honestly speaking, protests are just a kind of show put on by people targeting the government or corporations—basically scripted like a WWE match, right?
Sure, it looks chaotic on the surface with tear gas and Molotov cocktails flying around, but if you look closer, it's got its own rules and etiquette, like a turn-based RPG.
So when I suddenly heard that episode 1 of Mecha God Chronicle—or more precisely, me—had sparked protests, how could I not feel baffled?
I'm making this anime to cut ties with the imperial family as quickly as possible, not to rally all the malcontents against the Empire and the royals.
'Shit, what if CIA types show up at my house now?'
I absolutely wanted to avoid waking up one day to eye contact with a ninja on my ceiling, so I hightailed it straight to the capital.
And then.
"Animation producers, awaken! Awaken!"
"Release episode 2 of Mecha God Chronicle right now! Right now! Respect the viewers' rights! Respect them!"
"Viewers of the world, unite!"
"Woooaaah! Uwiiiieeh!"
"...What the hell are those idiots even doing?"
I couldn't help but feel utter bewilderment at the true nature of the 'protesters' Serika and Kaya had mentioned.
Word was that mysterious crowds were protesting in front of the imperial palace plaza over Mecha God Chronicle, so I'd imagined weary laborers fed up with bourgeois oppression rising up with pitchforks in some revolution.
But no—instead of pitchfork-wielding workers, all I saw were drunkards staggering around with empty beer bottles rolling at their feet.
Of course, there were too many to dismiss as just a bunch of lushes, but did they feel threatening? Hell no.
"No way... You made such a fuss over these guys?"
"Well, nothing like this has ever happened in imperial history."
Thud.
Right then, a chilling voice sounded from behind me.
And I knew exactly who it belonged to.
How could I forget?
It's the guy who looks at me every time like he wants to devour me whole.
"Father!"
"It's been a while, Serika. About a month, right? And Your Highness is here too. Good to see you."
"Indeed, it's been too long, Duke."
The man was none other than Grinebalt Duke.
He greeted Serika and Kaya warmly, but when he turned to me, his face twisted in clear distaste as he spoke.
"As you can see, those louts gathered in the plaza are just a bunch of booze-soaked drunks. That's why His Majesty laughed it off when he got the report and told us to leave them be. Reacting to every yowl from riffraff like that would only tarnish the Empire's dignity."
"...Then why was I summoned here?"
"I told you. Nothing like this has ever happened in imperial history."
With that, Grinebalt Duke fixed me with an unusually serious gaze, unlike before.
"The Empire's history is full of citizen protests, for all sorts of reasons. But I can say with certainty—no one has ever protested for something this absurd."
"....."
"Sure, your situation is unique in many ways, but even accounting for that, it's undeniable that your anime has caused ridiculous changes in society. And just one day after airing."
Grinebalt Duke let out a sudden sigh.
"Though honestly, it's more likely some lunatic stirred these people up."
He pointed to a young man at the front of the protesters, sporting a mustache under his nose.
"...Huh?"
At that moment, I tilted my head in confusion.
Because that face was one I'd seen so often online it felt more familiar than my own parents.
"According to the investigation, that guy's the ringleader who got rejected from the Imperial Art Academy entrance exam, then incited people at a tavern to start this mess. Real headache."
"Hmm."
An art school reject stirring up drunks at a bar, of all places.
Depending on how you looked at it, that could be the seed of some massive disaster down the line.
"What's that guy's name?"
"Hm? I think it was... Hikardo. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing... Just glad, I guess."
Same 'Hitler' vibe, but different name—so that was a relief.
Come to think of it, there was no way he'd reincarnated into this world anyway.
From what I knew, after losing the war, he'd fled to Antarctica, allied with reptilians, and was busy prepping to invade America.
'Figures—whether on Earth or in fantasy, the big disasters are always started by Hitlers.'
Having mentally made peace with it, I turned to the Duke.
"So, what do you plan to do with those guys?"
"I told you. I'd love to toss them all in jail, but I'll leave them alone. Messing with drunkards like that would just make the imperial side look ridiculous."
"But letting them keep squatting in the plaza isn't without its problems, right?"
"....."
The Duke just furrowed his brow at my words, unable to argue.
Serika, standing nearby, looked worried and spoke up.
"Then should I go talk to them and try to persuade them?"
"What would you even say to them?"
"Well... That the broadcast schedule is already set, so the production team can't just change it on a whim?"
But I shook my head at Serika's suggestion.
"No need for you to do that."
"But—"
"I'll persuade them myself."
"...What?"
"I've got a great idea to disband them right away."
With a shrug, I strode toward the front of the gathered drunks... er, protesters.
"...Hm?"
"Who's that?"
Realizing all eyes from the protesters were on me, I bowed my head and spoke.
"Hello. I'm a staff member on the Mecha God Chronicle production team. I'm here to discuss the broadcast issues with you all."
"Ooh! Finally, a Mecha God Chronicle staffer shows up!"
"Looks like the united voice of the viewers has reached the anime makers' ears!"
Most of the drunks couldn't hide their excitement just knowing production staff was there.
But Hikardo, the true instigator, didn't join the hype—instead, he eyed me coldly.
"...I see. So the Mecha God Chronicle team recognizes the gravity of this situation."
"Gravity? What gravity?"
"I'm talking about episode 1 of Mecha God Chronicle that aired yesterday!"
Hikardo clenched his fists tight.
"How can anyone in their right mind cliffhanger an anime like that? Building up all this anticipation only to shove the key scene to next week? That's straight-up criminal!"
"Y-Yeah! I wanna watch anime every day—how am I supposed to wait a whole week?"
"I'm going crazy dying to know what happens next!"
The drunks around Hikardo started howling in agreement.
If I were a pushover, their fervor might've intimidated me.
But sadly for them, I'm immune to all manner of insults and trash talk from Korea's spicy AOS games, so it didn't faze me one bit.
"I get it. I know exactly how you all felt last night when the episode ended like that."
"...What?"
"Because we on the team felt terrible for not giving you viewers enough anime."
I put on a deeply mournful expression as I said it.
"Our esteemed director—the one I respect most—always says this: He makes anime to bring joy to as many people as possible. To make them smile with duels... er, with anime. That's all he wants."
"....."
"....."
I could feel the disbelieving stares burning into my back, but I pressed on steadfastly.
"That's why I totally empathize with why you're all here. And I think the director does too. He sent me here specifically to relay a message to you."
"...What did he say?"
"He said... starting next week, we'll honor your feedback and air Mecha God Chronicle twice a week from now on!"
"Wh-what?"
"...Anime... twice a week?"
"My god, is this a dream?"
Hikardo and the protesters alike couldn't hide their shock.
They'd marched out here, sure, but never dreamed their demands would be met so easily.
But that shock didn't last.
"I-I can't believe it. An anime maker actually listening to viewers like this..."
"The creator of Mecha God Chronicle—is he a god?"
"I believed in him from the start!"
As the protesters devolved into ecstatic frenzy, right when I was watching with satisfaction—
"...Um, Raguna."
"Yeah? What?"
Serika whispered to me very quietly.
"From what I know, weren't we already planning to air Mecha God Chronicle twice a week starting next week? We only did once this week because of the imperial schedule."
"Yeah, that's right."
"...So aren't you just tricking them? We're not actually granting their demands—we're just sticking to the original plan..."
I tilted my head at Serika's innocent question.
"But they don't know that."
"...What?"
"We solve the problem and everyone's happy, they get their demand met and they're happy. Win-win happy ending, right?"
"....."
"....."
"...One thing's for sure—that kid can never be allowed anywhere near politics."
Beside the speechless Serika, the Duke muttered that about me.
I had no idea why he'd say something like that.