Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Eli and Hamel's Disappearance (2)
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Raguna's theatrical anime, Eli and Hamel's Disappearance.
After watching it, the duke found himself thinking something he hadn't expected.
'It's utterly insane.'
The utterly ordinary country girl 'Eli' ends up wandering into the spirit realm while playing in the forest.
Naturally, the spirits who live there don't take kindly to this intruder barging into their world at first.
But thanks to the incredibly handsome and talented mage 'Hamel' who protects her, she manages to survive.
Under Hamel's protection, Eli goes through various experiences in the spirit realm, gradually building friendships with the spirits.
However, she learns that Hamel—the man she thought was her protector—carries a 'curse' that could lead to his death.
And in the process, she realizes that the Spirit King, who rules the spirit realm, is the one who cast that curse on him.
So Eli seeks out the Spirit King and begs him to lift Hamel's curse. In response, he imposes countless trials upon her.
Through those trials, Eli comes to understand that true love is the only key to breaking the curse, and she ultimately frees Hamel from it.
The Spirit King acknowledges the genuine love between them and sends them back to the human world.
The story concludes with the two sharing a kiss once they've returned to the human realm.
"..."
From Raguna's perspective, he'd simply taken plots from hit Disney and Ghibli animations and mashed them together like some kind of chimera.
But the duke, unaware of that backstory, saw things differently.
'That Raguna kid... he's a true genius.'
A single girl meets a single boy in a fateful encounter, and they fall into a magical love.
At first glance, Eli and Hamel's Disappearance might seem like it has a clichéd story structure.
But by setting it in the 'spirit realm'—a fantastical place that doesn't exist in this world—Raguna made it impossible for viewers to look away.
And with such a dreamlike setting as the backdrop for Eli and Hamel's romance, people couldn't help but get completely immersed.
'The spirit realm, a place where all the spirits of this world gather and rest. What an astonishing idea. How did that kid come up with something so brilliant?'
And that wasn't the end of it.
- Hamel might actually be narrow-minded and pathetic. But at the same time, he's honest with others and loves nature. A man like that would never harm a spirit. Anyone else, maybe, but I believe in him. So please, lift the curse on Hamel. I beg you, Spirit King.
'Serika's voice...'
In the past, after seeing Raguna's first anime, Nymph and Goblin, the duke had thought something like this.
The dynamic moving pictures alone created such engaging scenes and delivered this much fun.
What if human voices were added to it?
That vague fantasy he'd imagined back then was now unfolding before his eyes as reality, hitting the duke with a cultural shock.
Serika's beautiful voice blended with the seasoned tones of various other actors, creating a synergy that was nothing short of explosive.
Even though he knew full well that the anime before him was just drawings, not reality.
He couldn't shake the strange feeling that Eli and Hamel were truly falling in love somewhere in this world.
'Whatever else, I owe that Raguna kid for this one thing. It's given the world a chance to hear Serika's beautiful voice.'
The notoriously doting father smiled inwardly without realizing it.
'The artwork is breathtaking, the backgrounds as meticulously detailed as if a master artisan spent months on them, and the music flowing through every scene is more than enough to capture hearts. Is this really something that can be produced in just two months?'
In truth, Raguna had simply used illusion magic to 'click' and output concept art and OSTs from works he'd seen in his previous life.
Unaware of that, the duke could only marvel endlessly.
'But that's all it is.'
At the same time, he reached a judgment in his mind.
'The kid's anime is incredibly entertaining, full of morals, and worthy of praise as a masterpiece for men, women, young, and old alike. But...'
Regrettably, he'd been born in the wrong era.
Because the people of this world still didn't grasp what 'animation' was or what Raguna's anime truly offered.
So there was no way they'd shell out money just to watch it.
Sure, it was fun enough to draw a modest crowd, but that would be the extent of it.
In the end, Raguna's animation was doomed to flop spectacularly.
That was the duke's final conclusion.
'And if the anime fails to perform, I can use that as an excuse to pull him away from Serika. Perfect.'
Time passed, and the official release day for Eli and Hamel's Disappearance arrived.
The duke planned to visit the theater right when the screening ended.
Personally, he hoped it would bomb completely, but as an investor in Eli and Hamel's Disappearance, he had a duty to check the audience reaction.
However.
"...Impossible."
The duke couldn't help but make a dumbfounded face.
The road leading to the theater was jammed solid with carriages, like a massive traffic jam.
And the theater showing Eli and Hamel's Disappearance was packed from the entrance all the way to the main hall.
These people filling the theater were the owners of those carriages.
"So, who the hell made this animation?!"
"Get the creator or someone from the theater out here! Before I buy the whole damn place!"
"My daughter has questions about the anime! Get a staff member out here now!"
They were nobles who usually prided themselves on their dignified, elegant images.
Yet over an hour after the screening ended, they were losing their minds and shouting at the top of their lungs.
The theater owner and staff had come out pleading for them to go home since the screening was over for the day.
But nobles who already looked down on commoners weren't about to listen.
Especially not in their current frenzied state.
"Just go home? No, bring out the creator! I want to talk to him!"
"Tell us who voiced Eli and Hamel! I need to know!"
The theater owner, delegated authority by Duke Grinebalt, was sweating bullets as he explained.
"Uh... for security reasons, the creator's identity is confidential. Same goes for the voice actors."
"What? Are you messing with us? You call that an answer?"
"...Information about the story is confidential too. If you're curious, come back tomorrow and watch it again. The second viewing feels completely different from the first."
"Obviously! I'm definitely coming back tomorrow! The afterglow is still this strong!"
Seeing the nobles agree so casually, the theater owner spoke quietly.
"Today was a special preview just for nobles, but starting tomorrow, we'll open it to everyone. Meaning, as long as you have money, even commoners can watch."
"...So you're saying we have to sit with commoners?"
"Well... it's good that more people appreciate its value, but that's a bit..."
When a few nobles looked displeased, the theater owner quickly added,
"Of course, we've prepared exclusive VVIP box seats for nobles. The only minor downside is that they're a bit pricier than regular seats..."
"...Can I reserve one right now? I'll pay double the price."
"Me too! I'll do triple—no, quadruple!"
"Five times—no, ten times!"
VVIP box seats were already at least ten times the price of regular ones.
Watching the nobles casually offer another tenfold without batting an eye, the theater owner spoke up.
"Esteemed guests who watched Eli and Hamel's Disappearance, wouldn't it feel a bit unsatisfying to just leave like this?"
"...? Of course it would. That's why we're all still here."
"Exactly! So hurry up and bring out the creator or voice actors. I have a mountain of questions!"
"I'm sorry, but that's not possible. However... the creator has prepared something special for those feeling that way."
With that, the theater owner pointed to a shop set up in one corner of the theater.
"...Th-that's...!"
The nobles' eyes widened at the sight.
The shop was none other than
"a special store selling merchandise for Eli and Hamel's Disappearance."
The theater owner said with a beaming smile.
"From mini statues of the protagonists Eli and Hamel, to Hamel's staff, and even dolls modeled after the spirits."
"..."
"These were produced in extremely limited quantities for true fans... and we're giving the people here exclusive buying rights. Of course, they're a bit pricey, but I assume real fans understand their value...?"
"...!"
For a brief moment, a hush fell over the crowd.
But only for a moment.
"Me first! All the Eli and Hamel mini statues are mine!"
"Hamel's staff—hand it over! I'm a mage too, you know! With that, I could use magic like Hamel!"
"Spirit dolls! My daughter adores the undine one. Price doesn't matter—bring them out!"
"..."
Watching the chaos unfold, the duke was left utterly speechless.
"No way... Did Raguna demand those secondary creation rights in the contract just for this...?"
What a terrifying kid.
At that moment, the duke felt genuine fear toward the boy named Raguna.