Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Eli and Hamel's Disappearance (1)
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"...What an extraordinary fellow."
After Raguna left, the duke sat in the drawing room and murmured softly to himself.
He had already suspected as much from the stories Serika told him, but meeting the young man face-to-face had turned suspicion into certainty.
Raguna Tersion was no ordinary man.
And on top of that, he was a once-in-a-lifetime genius who had pioneered a brand-new art form called animation.
Under normal circumstances, the duke would have been utterly delighted by such a man.
After all, the duke was a great lover of the arts, and he himself had a fair amount of knowledge on the subject.
But.
'To think he'd dare be close to my Serika? Close enough that she visits his home without a second thought?'
There was one thing—and one thing alone—that was grating on the duke's nerves: the fact that he was Serika's "childhood male friend."
'...Damn it all.'
And so, the duke found himself thoroughly disliking Raguna.
He adored his daughter more than anything, and he had a gut feeling about one undeniable truth.
If he simply gave in to Serika's request and allowed her to assist with the animation production.
Then Raguna and Serika's relationship would only grow closer—never farther apart.
"..."
That was why the duke had made such an outrageous demand of him.
As payment for his help, he had proposed charging the public to see the animation Raguna created.
The duke had assumed Raguna would refuse outright.
And once he voiced his opposition, the duke planned to use that as an excuse to cut him out of Serika's life for good.
But.
"I accept the duke's conditions. However, I have one additional condition of my own."
"...You're placing a condition on me?"
"Yes. You've made your demands, so isn't it only fair for me to make one in return? That way, it's an equal exchange."
Raguna didn't just nod along with the duke's demands—he went so far as to propose an extra condition of his own.
Honestly, it bordered on arrogance, but that only piqued the duke's curiosity even more.
Very few people had ever stood unflinchingly before the name of House Grinebalt.
And so, the Grinebalt Duke couldn't help but wonder what this young genius had to say, watching as Raguna held his ground with such confidence.
And the words that came from Raguna's mouth were utterly unexpected.
"Grant me full authority over all secondary rights."
"...Secondary rights?"
"Yes. Meaning any spin-offs derived from the animation, or revenue from character-related ventures—I want it all. Ah, but in exchange, I'll concede a portion of the ticket sales to you, Your Grace."
As he listened, the duke's face twisted in bewilderment.
Truth be told, he'd never heard the term "secondary rights" before, but he grasped its meaning easily enough.
Which made it all the more baffling.
'Does that boy... actually believe his animation is guaranteed to succeed?'
Enough to secure those rights, even while handing over a share of the ticket revenue?
By all common sense, that was impossible.
Animation was a brand-new genre, only just born from Raguna's hands.
To most people, it was more than unfamiliar—it was downright alien.
People might shell out for plays or operas, but who would open their wallets for something like animation?
By all common sense, the duke was right.
But.
'That boy... he had this inexplicable look of total confidence on his face.'
Did that mean Raguna had some revolutionary method to craft an animation that would perfectly capture the public's tastes and pry open their purses, even at a price?
'...Impossible. No matter how much of a genius he is, churning out something that groundbreaking overnight defies reason.'
But the duke had no way of knowing.
That all Raguna had in his head were plans to plagiarize the theatrical anime masterpieces he'd enjoyed in his previous life.
Not even a duke could predict that Raguna was wielding a cheat code from another dimension.
In short, Raguna was just that much of a sly fox.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Not long after that conversation between Raguna and the duke.
A single sheet of paper was stirring up a massive commotion in the art scene of the imperial capital, 'Gradiel'.
📢 Recruitment Notice – Animation Voice Actors 📢 Recruitment Period: Within one month from now Number of Positions: Minimum 10 to maximum 20 Preferred Qualifications: Actors with experience in theater or opera Job Description: Providing voices for characters in the animation Special Notes: If there are more applicants than expected, selection will be via audition Interested parties, please contact House Tersion or House Grinebalt. It was a commonplace job posting in the industry.
Normally, no one in the field would bat an eye at such a mundane notice.
But two reasons had everyone paying rapt attention.
First, the posters were none other than House Grinebalt.
They had always shown favor to artists and lavished them with generous patronage, so no one could dismiss the notice lightly.
And second.
"What? Lord Tersion is finally holding open auditions for animation voice actors?"
"Where are the auditions? Just head to House Grinebalt? Or House Tersion?"
"I was ready to give up since Lady Grinebalt's voicing it, but it seems Lord Raguna had a plan after all. Then I absolutely can't miss this chance..."
For some inexplicable reason, certain theater actors and opera singers were buzzing with excitement the moment they saw the notice, declaring they had to audition right away.
Naturally, the majority could only watch in confusion.
Why were they reacting like that?
It wasn't some grand masterpiece—just a weird, unheard-of genre called "animation."
"...Ah, yeah, yeah. It's nothing big, so just ignore it, you guys."
"Right, it's just my hipster tendencies acting up. Yeah, anyway."
They just smirked and brushed it off, refusing to explain properly.
In the end, the frustrated artists of the capital began digging for info on this "animation" thing.
"...No way."
"Unbelievable. To think art like this existed in the world?"
They quickly grasped the true value of the animation created by Raguna Tersion.
"If I can voice in an animation... I could be a pioneer of a new genre. My name might even go down in history."
"And with House Grinebalt backing the production, money won't be an issue, right?"
They even understood the significance of participating as a voice actor.
It didn't take long for most theater actors and opera singers in the capital to decide to audition.
"So, what animation is Lord Raguna making this time?"
"Hm, well..."
They rummaged through the notice and finally spotted the animation's title in the corner.
"Huh? I thought it was a sequel to Nymph and Goblin, but no?"
"What? A brand-new one, then? What's it called?"
"Elsha and Hayul's Disappearance... or something like that?"
"...Elsha and Hayul's Disappearance? That's the animation title? Quite the peculiar name."
"Well, he's a genius, so he must have his reasons."
Two months after the voice actor auditions for the animation began.
Raguna completed the world's first theatrical anime: Eli and Hamel's Disappearance.
It was originally set to release as Elsha and Hayul's Disappearance, but in the end, Raguna had no choice but to tweak the title slightly.
Even for someone as shameless as him, using the exact name Elsha and Hayul was a bridge too far.
That was the last shred of conscience Raguna possessed.