Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: 8. Mecha God Chronicle - Third Apocalypse (5)
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"...A protest? Again?"
The words that slipped from my lips the next morning, upon hearing news of a demonstration breaking out in the plaza before the imperial palace.
Of course, in a stratified society like this one, the outbreak of a protest by the common folk was undoubtedly shocking.
But to me, at least, protests had become nothing out of the ordinary.
Because in this world, there was one guy carrying on the will of the even more terrifying "Clan of Hee" than the "Clan of D."
As long as that bastard was still breathing, I was confident I wouldn't bat an eye even if the imperial family collapsed one day and the Third Empire was proclaimed.
I tried to brush it off as no big deal, nothing worth fussing over.
"Um... Director. About that... Haah, I'm so sorry. Really."
"Pardon?"
Kaya fumbled with her words as she apologized to me—a rare sight—making me realize this was different from before.
"What on earth is going on?"
"Well, it's just..."
And so, I heard from Kaya exactly what was unfolding.
"...So, His Majesty watched episode 26 of Mecha God Chronicle with the nobles? The one that hasn't even aired on television yet?"
"Yes... I'm sorry..."
According to Kaya, the emperor had shown the nobles only the highlight reel of episode 26 before cutting it off midway.
In short, the emperor had trolled and teased the nobles mercilessly.
I couldn't help but feel utterly baffled hearing her explanation.
After all, I hadn't handed over the pre-release episode of Mecha God Chronicle to the emperor just so he could troll the nobles.
"It seems His Majesty had been itching to talk about it. Makes sense, since aside from the production staff, he was the only one who knew how the story of Mecha God Chronicle would unfold."
"...Hmm."
To be honest, I could somewhat understand the emperor's position.
Human psychology has a way of making you post something like "Is it good that I finally got this after 10 years of trying?" in a community forum, even when you know it's pure bragging.
But the problem was, while I could empathize with the emperor, others couldn't comprehend his actions.
"I don't know where the rumor started, but once it spread to the citizens, public opinion exploded. The protest is basically because of that."
Well, yeah, that tracks.
If word got out that politicians watched Endgame in parliament before its official theater release, Marvel fans would be the first to torch the place.
Either way, I couldn't just let this slide, so I let out a quiet sigh.
"Anyway, we need to resolve this before it blows up further."
"...Do you have a solution, Director?"
"Yeah, sort of. One in mind."
At first glance, calming an angry mob seems incredibly tough.
But any gamer from Korea knows it's simpler than it looks.
Because the final boss of the Korean gaming industry, "3M," specializes in that more than game operations.
Heck, Korean gamers even nicknamed their tactics "hog-training" in self-deprecating jest.
And now, I planned to borrow just a sliver of the expertise 3M had honed over a decade.
"First things first, we gotta toss out some feed... I mean, compensation."
"...Pardon? What did you say?"
"The best way to soothe an angry populace is to shower them with something."
Apology statement best practice number one.
Instead of writing a long-winded essay of regret, use that time to hand out rewards—way more effective.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ It might seem obvious now, but this is a fantasy world, vastly different from 21st-century Earth.
For instance, no internet anyone in Korea could hop onto.
Meaning, even if I wanted to tell people something, I had hardly any way to spread the word widely.
On Earth, I'd just post a notice on the official homepage and done.
But I had something even better than that.
Which was...
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
"Leave it to me? It's just what I should be doing anyway."
Simply tell Ricardo I had an important announcement regarding Mecha God Chronicle, and that was it.
That alone got me on stage, drawing all the protesters' attention and focus.
"Huh, isn't that guy...?"
"Director! It's the Mecha God Chronicle director!"
"What? The Mecha God Chronicle director is here? For real?"
"As expected, no one in this world is as fan-friendly and communicative as him!"
Since I'd once joined one of Ricardo's gatherings and attended a panel, people recognized my face instantly and erupted in cheers.
"Sure, welcoming the director is great, but you haven't forgotten why we're here today, right?"
"Director! Please explain the Mecha God Chronicle episode 26 leak from the other day!"
The crowd cheered for me, then shot dirty looks at the one who brought it up.
"Come on, do we have to bring that up in front of the director, who's done nothing wrong?"
"Rumors like that, unconfirmed or not, can wait for a private chat later!"
The crowd surrounded the questioner, chiding him unnecessarily.
"It's fine. Feel free to ask. Actually, that's a great question."
I opened my mouth with a wry smile tugging at my lips.
"A rumor recently circulated that His Majesty and the nobles gathered to preview episode 26 of Mecha God Chronicle. Right?"
"Yeah, well..."
"To cut to the chase: the rumor is true."
"...What?"
The eyes of everyone present widened in shock.
Well, yeah.
Because denying the rumor vehemently would be one thing, but admitting it outright? I wasn't supposed to be in that position.
"N-No way..."
"So the rumor was actually true?"
The crowd reeled from my Dispatch-level bombshell.
But this was just one step back for two steps forward.
"However, His Majesty and the nobles didn't do it for personal gain. It was all for you, the viewers."
"...For the viewers?"
Honestly, even to me, it sounded like total BS, but with no other options, I brazenly pushed ahead.
"Exactly. Think about it: why would His Majesty and the nobles risk something illegal when they could just wait a week to watch episode 26? There was a reason."
"...What reason?"
"The reason is..."
I paused dramatically for a beat, then pointed at the crowd with a Steve Jobs-esque flourish.
"To hold a Mecha God Chronicle festival... for you, the viewers!"
"What?"
"Festival?"
The crowd's eyes bulged at my words.
"Yes. Over the past months, Mecha God Chronicle has received overwhelming love from you all. So, pondering how to give back that affection, I decided to host this festival."
In truth, I'd planned it after the series ended to sweetly extract more cash from fans, not because of this mess.
But with a straight face, I committed to this narrative.
"His Majesty and the nobles previewed episode 26 for that reason. As you might guess, it has a major twist, and for smooth festival prep, others needed to know too."
"...!"
Thud.
With that, I dropped to my knees before the crowd.
"So, it's all my fault. In preparing a festival for you, I inflicted an unforgivable wound on your hearts. This entire fiasco stems from my shortcomings—my original sin. If you're throwing stones, aim them at this foolish, inept man. I beg you."
Pure theater, the epitome of performative spectacle.
But Korean politicians do this show for a reason.
Because...
"No, no! Director! If anyone's wrong, it's us! We're sorry!"
"The ground's cold! Please stand! I'll help you up!"
"Sigh, we were the fools. The director always puts viewers first—we almost made a huge mistake."
"Of course. He sacrifices himself selflessly for us viewers; it couldn't be otherwise."
Confirming the mood had fully swung my way, I drove in the final nail.
"By the way, the festival features fan meets with the voice actors for the main characters, displays of figures and model kits, and most crucially—"
Snap.
I flicked my fingers, casting a spell to conjure a massive screen.
And then...
[Groooar-!]
"This is a 1:1 scale model of the Mecha God. A perfect real-world replica of Unit Zero from Mecha God Chronicle."
"...!"
"Via lottery, some festival attendees will get to pilot Unit Zero! Through this event, you'll become pilots defending humanity from the Outer Gods!"
Woooah!
In an instant, the crowd forgot all about the protest, thrusting their hands skyward in cheers.
"Long live Mecha God Chronicle! Long live Director Raguna!"
"Damn, I believed in him from the start!"
"A true hero...!"
"Oh, and we've got events for the heroine Saya and Eileen too, so superfans of those two, please come in droves. That's it."
As I wrapped up and stepped offstage, someone shot up a hand with a question.
"Um, excuse me..."
"Hm? Yes?"
"Is there... maybe no event for Chloe?"
"....."
I subtly averted my gaze, dodging the question.
"Whoa, jackpot. First Chloe stan I've seen. Guys, check this out! The Chloe squad spoke!"
"Shh, when the Chloe squad talks, we stay quiet. Can't hear our friend otherwise."
"....."
All Mecha God Chronicle fans are equal.
But the Eileen squad and Saya squad were just a little more equal than the Chloe squad.