Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: The Premiere of "Human"
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Among the magazines currently on sale, the one with the highest circulation was Justina Monthly.
This magazine was published by a corporation called The Advice, and it enjoyed widespread love thanks to its higher credibility compared to other media outlets.
The people of the capital Logness, who had been going about their usual days, one day heard shocking news about a certain media outlet featured in the monthly magazine.
『The Princess's Secret Hobby.』
『The identity of Tia, the author at the center of controversy, is Livian Justina.』
The revelation that the star author—who had drawn harsh criticism from critics but rave reviews from the public—was actually the kingdom's princess with rights to the throne was bound to capture everyone's attention.
"The princess is Tia?"
"My head's still spinning. Never saw that coming."
It already had a large subscriber base, but once word spread that it had covered this story, the magazine's sales roughly doubled.
The monthly featured an interview with Livian.
『The public will soon get to see shocking, utterly fresh stories they've never encountered before.』
『I can say with certainty that no more perfect medium will ever appear.』
『Those who want to witness this historic moment should head to Bellasqueir Grand Theater in one month's time…』
Everyone assumed it was about her novels.
But it was actually promotion for the movie *Human*, set to open at the grand theater, and reactions were all over the place.
"A movie…? What's that?"
"Bellasqueir Grand Theater is where they do orchestras and plays, right? Maybe some special performance?"
"I figured it was about her next book… I really loved *Genius's Revenge* this time around."
Not everyone responded positively to the interview.
But one thing was certain: most people now knew the name of the movie.
"It's way cheaper than a play. At this price, even commoners could watch without breaking the bank…?"
"Nah, I'm still not going."
"If you watch it and say it's fun, we'll end up going twice. Let's just go once and get it over with."
In the end, the marketing was a resounding success.
Crowds flocked to the grand theater two weeks before opening day just to snag tickets.
A new wind was blowing through the capital.
Prince Trowil and his mentor, Knight Oscar, hopped on the bandwagon as well.
On the day of the premiere.
Clutching tickets gifted by Livian, they stepped inside the grand theater.
Trowil had little interest in cultural pursuits outside of fighting, but it seemed like a creation his little sister had honed to perfection in every way, so he felt duty-bound as her big brother to check it out.
"So many people."
"I didn't expect this turnout either, but it just shows how much pull the princess and Tia have."
The two were dressed like ordinary commoners.
Trowil was a prince, after all.
He'd even prepared a rudimentary disguise to fend off recognition.
"Hey, fancy running into someone important here."
"Whoa… it's the prince and Sir Oscar."
But some people still spotted them.
"Red Tower Lord, Blue Tower Lord—shouldn't you two be at the Magic Tower?"
Trowil furrowed his brow slightly.
These guys were magic obsessives.
Why were they here of all places?
"Ah, we heard about some amazing invention here."
"And we came to confirm if the inventor is who we think it is."
*Of course.*
Trowil made small talk before sending the tower lords on their way with well-wishes for a good time.
"Hm?"
Oscar, who had stepped out mid-conversation, returned lugging a bunch of items.
"Picked these up from a stand over there. Looks like drinks and snacks for during the screening. They said no outside food allowed."
Trowil took a sip of one of the drinks Oscar brought and went wide-eyed.
"What *is* this?"
A cool, fizzy refreshment tickled his throat, while a sweet, gentle tang lingered softly in his mouth.
It was a heavenly beverage that hit just right for Trowil.
"They called it cola."
"I wanna take some back to the palace…"
"Not happening. It's pricey and limited stock—I barely snagged the last one."
Putting aside his regrets, Trowil headed into the screening hall with Oscar.
Leaning back against the plush seats and gazing at the massive projection screen, a thought suddenly struck him.
*What on earth is that big white sheet like a tent going to show us?*
Everyone else in the audience was probably wondering the same thing.
It all felt so utterly unfamiliar.
*Did we get scammed?*
*The princess endorsed it herself—no way.*
As the audience eyed the screen with suspicion, the hall plunged into sudden darkness.
"What the—?"
The murmurs quickly died down.
The Imagin projector mounted on the ceiling hummed to life.
The images began to play.
Serene music swelled from the speakers, and the audience realized the movie was starting.
All eyes locked on instantly.
A whole other world unfolded before them on the 700-inch screen.
- …….
A man finished his bath and was straightening his hair.
Judging by the surroundings, it looked like his home—filled with expensive furniture and decorations that pegged him as upper class.
Just as he leisurely changed clothes and moved to leave the room.
- Y-You…!
He was ambushed by thugs waiting outside.
Glass shattered, and the viewpoint shifted to the mansion's exterior.
A servant sweeping the courtyard screamed and bolted out of the estate.
From there, the film kicked off in earnest with a bloody assailant fleeing from pursuing guards.
"……"
The screening hall fell silent.
Every face was rapt with focus.
They were transfixed by the screen, like travelers bewitched by a fox spirit encountered on a moonless night.
-That's right. I killed my father.
-Why would you kill your own parents? Some grudge?
-He was a criminal who tormented people. Someone had to do it.
The Justina Kingdom had never known the concept of moving images.
Plenty of folks hadn't even laid eyes on a recording orb.
To reproduce scenery so vividly lifelike? It was bound to astonish.
Audiences felt a freshness unlike anything any medium had offered before.
The story itself was so vivid and tense.
It was like peering closely at events unfolding next door from some distant vantage.
The sensation of borrowing the eyes of someone right there on the scene.
Viewers watched the actors bustle about onscreen.
-He was trash. Behind that saintly image lurked an ugly heart. He stole others' achievements for rewards and raped countless women in his territory. I couldn't forgive a father like that!
The speakers' output brought the onscreen world startlingly close to reality.
The longer it went on.
-No, you were wrong from the start. You didn't kill your father for justice. You acted out of base, greedy lust.
Lost to the story as if they'd forgotten they were in a theater, they held their breath in immersion.
The movie packed that kind of punch.
It was a mystery thriller.
To break it down.
The renowned Flame School mage Perid is found murdered in his home.
Dugal, a Life School mage famed for cracking tough mysteries, gets tipped off by the guards and investigates solo.
He uncovers evidence that Perid's daughter, Yuria, is the killer.
Guards and Dugal grill her, and she confesses without hesitation.
Her motive? Simple.
She despised her father for stealing credit for her achievements and using his status for affairs with women.
As Dugal wraps things up, he notices inconsistencies between Yuria's account and the physical evidence, sparking a full deduction.
In the second half.
The truth flips her story: Perid was innocent, a genuinely good man.
The shocking twist—she murdered him just to claim his research as her own and boost her fame as a mage—slammed into the audience's minds.
Suppose.
This movie playing before their eyes had been mere text in a novel.
Could it have pulled them in like this?
If Yuria and Dugal's onscreen conversation had been stage actors confined to a theater set like a play.
Could it have felt this real?
The script was brilliant.
But what made the movie was everything on the screen.
Suspense, metaphors, foreshadowing, cross-cutting—every technique under the sun, plus backgrounds, sound design, and the actors' searing performances, all in perfect harmony to seize eyes and hearts.
It felt like the work of someone who'd completely mastered the medium. A flawless piece.
In prison, Dugal delivers Yuria's death sentence, and the film ends.
As the story wrapped, the screen went black.
Credits rolled with the names of everyone involved in cast and crew.
【Script】
【Tia】
【……】
【Music】
【……】
【……】
And only at the very end.
【Director】
【Ester Tristy】
The audience finally met the movie's true creator.
***
I'd been certain even before opening day that this movie would succeed.
The marketing had nailed it, and as someone involved in production.
I figured it turned out so fun thanks to the theater troupe's stellar acting, Her Highness's brilliant script, and Nob AI's oversight.
The quality was high enough to slap modern films across the face three times over.
But.
"Young master, Livian sent a letter suggesting we expand screenings beyond Bellasqueir Grand Theater. Word's spreading, and people are coming from territories outside the capital."
This was succeeding *way* more than I'd anticipated…?