Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Master Cinema Camera
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As soon as the play ended.
Esther parted ways with his companions for the moment and headed toward the waiting room.
He had someone he needed to meet.
Standing alone in front of the waiting room door, from which the sounds of busy preparations for the next play could be heard, was Livian.
“Long time no see. I hope you’ve been well?”
Livian spotted Esther and approached with a bright smile.
She looked very different from when they had last parted ways.
“Yes. I hope you’ve been well too, Your Highness?”
Livian tilted her head up slightly.
Esther had grown much taller, and his voice had deepened considerably.
He had always been a handsome young man, but now an air of maturity emanated from him as well.
Livian thought his striking and beautiful features outshone even the flower boys currently praised in this theater.
In the year and a half—a not-insignificant time—Esther had grown into a young man.
“Hehe, I’ve been doing well.”
“That’s a relief. Still, I was surprised. I never imagined you’d be writing under the pen name Tiaara…”
Livian cleared her throat.
Truth be told, she had planned to reveal her identity before Esther left, but the timing never quite came.
After that, she had tried to inform him somehow through letters.
-But don’t burden him.
Her father had issued a strict order to his retainers not to approach Esther for the time being.
Neither Livian nor Trowill had been exceptions.
“The protagonist of this story was actually inspired a lot by you, Lord Esther. That’s why I meant to tell you beforehand… I’m truly sorry it only reached you after things turned out like this.”
Livian bowed her head in apology to him.
“There’s no need to apologize. If anything, I’m glad that I could be of help to Your Highness in your writing.”
Esther said he enjoyed her novels as a reader and that she shouldn’t worry about it.
“Phew, thank you so much for saying that…”
In truth, using a real person as inspiration for a protagonist without permission could easily offend.
She added that it wasn’t his family background or such, but his genius abilities and overall presence that she had drawn from, hoping he wouldn’t misunderstand.
As Esther smiled and nodded.
Livian found it much easier to continue the conversation.
“Um, so… how was the play?”
“I read the original novel before seeing it, and it had a fresh charm that I really enjoyed. The group I brought with me were full of praise too.”
Livian was thrilled to hear that.
Just knowing there was a reader who enjoyed her work made her happy as a writer.
And it made sense—this new work she had penned, *Genius’s Revenge*, had been sharpened over a full year.
At first glance, it seemed like a typical tale of virtue rewarded and vice punished, but in reality, it delved into themes of human sadism and malice.
The protagonist, exiled from his family, uses his genius intellect and power to gain fame and achieve revenge. Yet in the process, under the guise of vengeance, he commits inhuman and inhumane acts.
To frame his siblings just as he had been falsely accused and exiled, he subjects those involved in his revenge to excessive suffering, depicting these atrocities through careful metaphors.
As the play progressed, some cheered in satisfaction, while to others, the protagonist appeared to shift from hero to villain.
At the revenge’s climax, the protagonist confesses to his battered siblings, “I no longer know where the revenge ends and my true nature begins,” bringing the story to a close.
It bore many similarities to the real historical event in the kingdom known as “Reinador’s Revenge,” which Livian had consciously drawn upon.
Critics had lavished praise on it as a story rich with food for thought.
So she could proudly call it her own masterpiece.
“It was an excellent story. I’d rank it among the best novels I’ve ever read—truly one of the greats.”
Hearing Esther praise it so effusively made her cheeks flush.
“Thank you for enjoying it…”
Livian had anticipated and worried about his reaction more than anyone else’s.
Excluding editors or those she met through work, he was the first among those close to her to say he enjoyed her novels.
And he was the benefactor who had saved her life.
Livian wore an expression identical to the one Nob AI had once depicted in ASCII art.
In simple terms, she was grinning from ear to ear.
“Your Highness, I have one question.”
“Oh, ask away.”
Esther was curious why Livian’s novel had been adapted into a play.
When he asked about it in detail.
The theater troupe currently performing at the grand theater had persistently pitched the idea to her publisher, wanting to adapt her novels into plays.
Having always been interested in theater, she had joined as the scriptwriter to promote her new work and gain new experiences.
“Stories are easier to grasp through pictures than words, right? I think theater has the edge in immersing people more deeply.”
Livian praised the medium of theater.
While novels conveyed stories solely through textual visuals, theater could show situations through actors’ movements, gestures, props, and magic.
It also freely engaged the sense of hearing, delivering dense narratives to audiences—a tool no creator could ignore.
“So if this play ends successfully, I’m thinking of buying out the entire troupe. I want to show people the stories I imagine in even richer ways. But novels only need ink, a pen, and paper to share a tale. Theater requires so much more… it’s got me worried.”
Unfortunately, theater demanded vast resources.
From actors and scripts to props, costumes, and wizards skilled in illusion magic for staging—there was a lot to prepare.
The labor and material costs were no joke.
To recoup them, ticket prices were high, making it a burden for common folk unlike novels.
And the kingdom had more than one theater troupe.
Compared to the preparation time and investment, low attendance often led to poor revenue.
The number of viewers was also limited by theater size.
And since it was human labor, the troupe members needed rest time too.
These practical issues made it quite the headache.
Esther listened quietly before speaking up.
“I think both novels and theater are wonderful in their own ways.”
Each had its strengths and weaknesses.
He made clear upfront that he had no intention of belittling either.
And then.
“If what Your Highness wants is a medium that can vividly deliver stories to vast audiences, I have a great idea.”
To sum up Esther’s proposal.
He argued that creating an entirely new medium—neither novel nor theater—would allow her stories to reach the masses in a fresh way.
It would be far less constrained by space and time than theater, with higher upfront costs but far greater profits—and he suggested they make it together.
“…….”
Livian wondered if it was really possible.
But the man before her was Esther Tristida.
This genius never spoke empty words.
“Alright.”
She accepted his proposal without hesitation.
***
I returned home from the theater.
For the first time in a while, my footsteps led not to the study, but underground.
I had equipped the basement like Erphus’s workshop with all sorts of useful tools and materials, making it perfect for crafting new magic devices.
I cracked my knuckles.
Then, steeling my resolve, I said:
“Do it.”
『Yes.』
『٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و』
And with Nob AI’s power, the inventions were completed in no time.
I set up the inventions in the yard for testing and brought Dalpi over.
“Now, look this way and say your name and age.”
“My name is Dalpi. I’m twenty years old, and my job is maid to Lord Esther. This is my first time being filmed, so I’m a bit nervous—please take good care of me…”
Hm, no issues with operation.
I confirmed her actions had been captured perfectly on the panel.
Sound was recorded flawlessly too, so I gave a thumbs up.
“So what exactly are these bizarre contraptions?”
Ah, I didn’t want to explain here of all places.
Listen well. And feel free to tell anyone.
“Ahem.”
If I had to pick a representative from the inventions I just made, it’d be the device in my hand right now.
It was originally a pricey magic device called a Record Orb.
But now, Nob AI-modified, it deserved a new name.
“Master Cinema Camera.”
Perfect.
Now, time to make a movie.