Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Mecha God Chronicle - Episode 17 (5)
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"I'm heading out with Lady Kaya for a bit."
"...Just the two of you? Where to? Don't tell me..."
"I have no idea what you're imagining, but it's not that."
I let out a sigh at the sight of Serika staring at me with a look that screamed utter disbelief.
What should I even call this feeling?
It was like the time I overheard two high school girls passing by on the street saying, "Hey, isn't that your boyfriend over there?" "You wanna die? Isn't he the secret boyfriend you've been hiding?"
'Well, it's not exactly strange for her to react like this.'
Objectively speaking, my specs were far inferior to Kaya's... or rather, Her Imperial Highness the Princess.
Normally, someone of my station wouldn't even dare to make eye contact with her, let alone chat so casually. I guess I've really climbed the social ladder.
"It's nothing like that. The palace summoned me. They said they wanted to see me for a moment."
"...The palace? Why on earth?"
"Beats me. I don't know the details, but it's probably something related to Mecha God Chronicle."
Kaya, standing beside me, nodded in agreement with my words.
"That's right. As you well know, Miss Serika, Mecha God Chronicle has gone beyond mere popularity and is having a massive impact across the entire empire. It seems His Majesty has something he wants to say to the Director about that."
"His Majesty wants to speak to you directly, Raguna..."
Serika bit her lip at Kaya's words, then opened her mouth with a resolute expression, as if she'd made up her mind.
"I'll come with you."
"What?"
"I don't know what His Majesty plans to say to you, Raguna, but I could be of help if things go south, right? Like testifying that you weren't responsible for that protest incident last time..."
Kaya, standing nearby, gave a wry smile at Serika's words.
"That's a noble spirit, but you don't need to go that far, Miss Serika."
"Huh? Why not?"
"The real reason His Majesty summoned the Director isn't to reprimand him—it's to boast about him publicly."
"...Boast?"
Boast about what?
Was he planning to brag that Mecha God Chronicle was an anime produced with imperial support?
"Well... it's kind of..."
Kaya gave an awkward smile, as if embarrassed to explain.
"Something like showing off the superiority of knowing exactly how the anime will unfold from here?"
"...?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The imperial palace, in the conference room where the emperor usually discussed policies with his ministers.
Right there, the emperor was bursting into laughter, clearly in high spirits.
"Hahaha, Raguna! Yes, I've heard the news. Mecha God Chronicle is sweeping the empire with a massive box office storm lately, isn't it?"
With that, the emperor gleefully patted Raguna's back repeatedly.
"According to a recent imperial survey, literacy rates among the populace have risen by nearly 5%. All to better understand Mecha God Chronicle. Do you have any idea how delighted I was to hear that?"
A 5% increase might sound trivial at first glance.
But in the empire—the continent's most vast territory—that 5% represented an astronomically huge number.
"Until now, I've poured endless effort into eradicating illiteracy among our people. There are far too many pitiful souls who suffer in daily life without letters, deprived of rights they rightfully deserve."
Yet despite the emperor's decades of efforts, illiteracy among the imperial citizens showed no signs of improvement.
Even on 21st-century Earth, where primary and secondary education is mandatory and knowledge is easily accessible via the internet or smartphones, illiteracy wasn't fully eradicated.
The empire possessed magic that birthed civilization beyond common sense, but overall, it was still at a modern-era level—making literacy a near-impossible issue to solve completely.
Then Raguna came along and changed it all.
The people encountered the anime he created, Mecha God Chronicle, and became utterly engrossed.
Before long, they began learning to read and write on their own, eager for a deeper understanding of it.
Because Mecha God Chronicle was a mecha anime, full of plot delivered through secret documents and reports—making it tough for the illiterate to follow.
Well, if you nitpicked, they weren't really learning to read; they just wanted to indulge in their otaku passions more thoroughly.
But such details didn't matter to the emperor.
"See? It was worth believing in you and providing sponsorship. Gentlemen, did you know? This anime Mecha God Chronicle is actually a production backed by the imperial family."
The emperor said this with a grin.
"Moreover, the palace took on distributing televisions across the empire before the broadcast even began. Raguna deserves the most credit for its success, of course, but the imperial family has a stake in it too."
In truth, the princess was the first to propose funding the anime, and TV distribution had long been in the works.
But the emperor shamelessly glossed over that.
"So remember this well, my subjects. Sometimes, the pen is mightier than the sword. And culture can wield tremendous influence over the people."
But then.
"However, Your Majesty. While praising Lord Raguna's achievements is all well and good, there are issues we must address alongside it."
Some of the ministers, who had quietly endured the emperor's self-praise disguised as compliments for Raguna, finally spoke up.
"Lord Raguna's anime, Mecha God Chronicle, is undoubtedly a brilliantly crafted work of art. It's positive that our citizens find solace in it too. However, we can't help but point out certain concerns raised by watching it."
"Concerns? What might they be?"
"For instance, in episode 1 of Mecha God Chronicle, the imperial army gets utterly annihilated by the Outer Gods in a pathetic display. This could plant the seed in people's minds that our military is weak—"
"Ah, no need to worry about that."
The emperor abruptly cut the minister off.
"Outer Gods are beings no human army—not just ours—can stop. In the lore, they're—"
"...Your Majesty."
Kaya sighed and reined in the emperor's words.
"Didn't the Director specifically ask you not to spoil it when he shared that with you? It's fine for Your Majesty to enjoy it privately, but please refrain from leaking it outside."
"Oh right, that's true. Sorry about that, Kaya."
The emperor apologized with a face that showed zero remorse.
"...Your Highness. What exactly is His Majesty talking about right now?"
Naturally, the ministers could only voice their confusion after witnessing that scene.
What on earth was the emperor saying?
What was it?
That tone... it was like he knew exactly how Mecha God Chronicle would unfold from here.
The room fixed silent stares on the emperor and Kaya, demanding the truth.
In the end, Kaya had no choice but to reveal the ugly secret they'd kept hidden.
"The truth is... His Majesty has been previewing episodes that won't air for weeks."
"...Pardon?"
"What do you mean by that, Your Highness?!"
The ministers stared at the emperor in shock at Kaya's bombshell.
Because most people in the room were die-hard fans who watched Mecha God Chronicle live every weekend.
They were dying to know how the story would progress.
Some even wanted to corner Raguna and bombard him with questions about it.
They just couldn't show it openly due to their status and dignity.
And now, the emperor had abused his power to sneak previews of upcoming episodes?
Was such an outrage truly allowed under the heavens?
"Now, now, don't misunderstand. I didn't bully Raguna with my authority. I merely exercised my legitimate rights as a sponsor."
The emperor said this with a smug, predatory smile.
"I'm the sole financier of Mecha God Chronicle, and the inspector ensuring its content doesn't harm the populace. In other words, previewing episodes is practically part of my job."
"Th-that's—"
"Even so, how could—"
The ministers glared at the emperor with jealous fury.
The emperor, reveling in their expressions, wore a face brimming with superiority.
"So, is that all you have to say? Nothing else for me?"
"...No, there's more. In this episode 17 of Mecha God Chronicle, the protagonist Kai's Mecha God kills Luke. That scene risks glorifying murder—"
"Nah, it's not like that."
"...Pardon?"
"I know what you're worried about, but no need. Because in the next episode 18, Kai—"
The emperor paused here, gazing pityingly at the nobles hanging on his every word, breathless with anticipation for spoilers.
"...Oh, you don't know?"
"Your Majesty?"
"Nothing at all. Looks like I almost spoiled something two weeks too early for you all. I nearly made a huge mistake. A really huge one."
"....."
"You're the ones who have to wait until next week for episode 18 of Mecha God Chronicle. Of course you can't keep up with me, who's already on episode 22. How tragic... how pitiful."
"....."
"....."
Watching the emperor gleefully rub his superiority in the ministers' faces, Raguna squeezed his eyes shut.
He couldn't bear to witness the emperor reduced to such a cringe-worthy, spoiled fanboy.