Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Mecha God Chronicle - Episode 17 (1)
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"The seventh Outer God, commonly known as the 'Black Goat'. Or the 'Goddess of Fertility'. Is that thing truly an enemy that humanity cannot defeat with our own hands?"
"Even if we want to take it down, there's just no way. The Outer God's attacks land on us just fine, but our attacks don't even reach it."
"It's probably hiding its true body in an 11-dimensional Klein space at all times. And it only projects itself into our three-dimensional space when it interferes with us. Interference from higher dimensions to lower ones is only natural, after all."
"...11 dimensions? From what I know, even the grand archmages can't reach beyond the sixth dimension. Doesn't that mean we have no way to attack its true body?"
"That's not wrong. Indeed, we have no means to attack the Outer God ourselves. But that doesn't mean we have no way to defeat it."
"As always, we'll find a way."
"....."
A parlor far larger and more luxurious than those in most mansions—not to mention most noble houses.
Right there, a certain woman who had been watching the rebroadcast of Mecha God Chronicle through a recording artifact was biting her lip hard.
Her hands trembled incessantly, as if something utterly displeased her.
Yet her eyes never once left the artifact playing the recorded episode of Mecha God Chronicle.
Her name was Evangeline von Tieria.
The lady of House Tieria, one of the Empire's four great ducal families—and the woman who had recently caused a scene at the Mecha God Chronicle auditions only to be ejected by the Imperial Princess.
And now, Evangeline deeply regretted her actions at that audition.
Especially whenever she heard the voice of that Riz woman who had snatched the lead role away from her on television.
"...Haa, seriously. Why did I do that back then?"
Evangeline had always loved artistic genres.
She had also trained in vocal music from childhood as part of her cultured education, so she took great pride in her voice.
But Evangeline had no interest in theater or opera, where she could put her voice to use.
Because she simply found theater and opera boring.
Of course, she had watched plenty as part of social etiquette, but that was all it was—nothing more, nothing less.
That was probably why.
The moment she happened upon Eli and Hamel's Disappearance one day, she became an avid fan almost instantly.
Unlike the dreadfully dull theater or opera, animation was incredibly entertaining and a fantastical art form that pushed human imagination to its limits.
Having immersed herself in everything related to Eli and Hamel's Disappearance, Evangeline learned that Eli's voice actress was Serika, the lady of Duke Grinebalt's house—someone she knew well.
If Serika could become a voice actress, then surely she could too. With that thought, she boldly applied for the Mecha God Chronicle voice auditions.
But then.
"The voice for the protagonist 'Kai' in this audition goes to Rizeira Mireille. Congratulations."
"R-Really? Th-Thank you!"
"....."
She couldn't accept it.
Because objectively speaking, her voice was far superior to that Riz woman's.
And unlike Riz's awkward, untrained acting, hers had been natural on a whole different level.
Yet the producer of Eli and Hamel's Disappearance, Raguna Tersion, had casually cut her from the auditions without a second thought.
It was utterly incomprehensible—and infuriating.
In her rage, Evangeline ended up saying things that she would normally despise women for uttering.
- Y-Your Imperial Highness...
- Talking here might make the audition hall a bit noisy, so how about we step over there and have a private chat?
In the end, the Imperial Princess restrained her behavior and she was chased out of the mansion.
Honestly, even Evangeline thought her actions warranted ejection, so she didn't protest.
But casting that inferior Riz woman over her for the protagonist role? That she couldn't stomach.
But then.
"You're trying to run away again."
"...Pardon?"
"You're making excuses about finding your little sister, trying to flee once more. This is the path you chose. So take responsibility for your choice to the end."
"Rinoa, you don't understand anything...! To me, finding my little sister is as important as saving humanity!"
'...I have to admit, this is impressive.'
Yes.
Setting everything else aside, Riz's voice fit the protagonist Kai perfectly.
As if the Kai in the world of Mecha God Chronicle had been created with Riz's voice in mind.
Moreover, Riz's acting—which had been so awkward at the auditions—now seemed incredibly polished and masterful.
At this point, even Evangeline had to concede.
Raguna Tersion had seen through everything from the very start.
"....."
That's why, at this moment, regret consumed her.
If only she hadn't lashed out rudely at the producer there.
If only she had humbly acknowledged her shortcomings and politely asked for another role.
She could have landed a major supporting role like the heroine 'Aileen' or 'Chloe' in Mecha God Chronicle.
'And Mecha God Chronicle gives plenty of narrative weight to the heroines, not just the protagonist Kai.'
Just look at Aileen, one of the heroines and a Mecha God pilot.
On the surface, Aileen appeared supremely confident and dismissive of Kai.
But in truth, she had a delicate personality, and subtle hints of her quiet affection for Kai were scattered throughout the anime.
For example, in episode 10 of Mecha God Chronicle, Aileen teams up with Kai to successfully subdue an Outer God.
That night, she bursts into Kai's room and says this:
"Tonight, as a special treat, I'll let you sleep in the same room as me. That's my reward for taking down that Outer God today."
"Wh-What?"
"But only up to that line there. Don't you dare cross it. This line is the Nineveh Wall. Got it?"
On the surface, Aileen's behavior seemed utterly baffling.
But Evangeline easily saw through to her true feelings in that scene.
'The Nineveh Wall—from legend, the wall that crumbled on its own when the Knight King, the first emperor, drew near.'
In other words, wasn't that line Aileen drew for Kai a subtle hint that it would collapse easily if he approached?
Beyond just the Nineveh Wall, hints of Aileen's quiet affection for Kai were hidden throughout Mecha God Chronicle.
Seeing these subtle foreshadowing clues concealed like ciphers, Evangeline once again realized how genius Raguna was as a producer.
...And she could only curse her own foolishness for forging a bad connection with him and missing out on his anime.
"...Haa, I was such an idiot."
As Evangeline sighed and muttered to herself, her exclusive maid Sera, who had been standing silently beside her, suddenly spoke up.
"It's good that you've realized it now, at least. That you did something truly idiotic, miss."
"...Sera."
"You did do something idiotic, miss. But since you're regretting it, there's still room for improvement."
"...Aren't you being a bit harsh?"
Evangeline shot Sera a slight glare but said nothing more.
Because Sera wasn't just her exclusive maid—she was her closest childhood friend.
And as a friend, she had every right to say such things.
"So later, go apologize to the Mecha God Chronicle director for your rudeness that day. I doubt he'll forgive you, but it's the bare minimum decency as a person."
"...I know that much."
Evangeline pouted as she replied.
"So, how should I apologize to the director?"
"Hmm. How about kneeling three times and bowing nine times?"
"...Seriously. Can't you give me a straight answer for once?"
In the midst of her banter with Sera, Evangeline realized that Mecha God Chronicle's air time had already passed.
"...Miss."
"Yeah. We'll talk about this later—let's watch Mecha God Chronicle first. Today was episode 17, right?"
With that, Evangeline and Sera turned their attention to the television.
But then.
"...Huh?"
A moment later, Evangeline tilted her head in confusion as she stared at the TV.
"Um, Sera?"
"Yes, miss."
"In Mecha God Chronicle, the Mecha Gods are on humanity's side, right?"
"Yes, by the setting—they're created by humanity."
"And the Outer Gods are the enemies they need to defeat."
"Yes."
"...So why the heck are the Mecha Gods choking each other out and fighting?!"
Mecha genre cliché number two.
No matter if they're allies, scenes of mechs fighting each other always show up.