When the second episode of Fate Zero finished airing, all the cinemas in the Southern Territory exploded into chaos.
No one expected the plot to cut off at such a critical moment—audiences were furious, their anger completely ignited.
Although Edward really wanted to explain that he hadn't intended to leave the story hanging at that point—truthfully, it was due to miscalculating the production timeline.
He figured few people would actually listen to his excuses. So instead, he made a clean getaway and headed to the Imperial Mage Academy, where the screening had also just ended.
In his mind, at least the mages there were rational—surely they wouldn't riot like the general public.
However, Edward had seriously underestimated the power of a cliffhanger. The moment he stepped into the Imperial Mage Academy, the same chaotic scene greeted him once again.
A crowd of mages were waving their wands, their angry shouts audible from far away.
Occasionally, even professors and lecturers could be seen joining the mob demanding the show's continuation.
"Damn it! If I see that Durin guy again, I'm tying him up and forcing him to finish the next part of Fate Zero!"
"Agreed! This cliffhanger is insane, how can you cut off the story right there?"
"The worst part is, he even showed a preview of what's coming next. What's that supposed to mean? Am I not supposed to sleep for the next few months?!"
"AAAAHHHH! No Fate, no life!!"
"..."
The uproar was nearly identical to that in the cinemas of the Southern Territory, echoing across the plaza of the Imperial Mage Academy. Edward could only sigh awkwardly, then quietly snuck up to the top of the Alchemy Tower.
"Yo, Ska."
When he saw the tower master of the Alchemy Tower—who hadn't had a single moment of rest due to his duties at the broadcasting station—Edward grinned.
It wasn't quite schadenfreude, more like the solidarity of shared suffering.
Ska, upon seeing Edward, rubbed his dark circles and said:
"The Administrator and several Arch Mages were just here."
"Oh? What for?"
"They said that if Edward shows up, I should notify them immediately. Even if they have to drag him, they want him to finish the next part of Fate Zero as fast as possible!"
"..."
Edward shivered at the realization that even the Arch Mages were now personally invested in the show's continuation. With an awkward smile, he said:
"So… you're not gonna turn me in, right? I knew I could count on you, Ska. We're tight like that!"
"No, you should be thankful I haven't had time to watch it. If I had seen it, I might be right there with them…"
"Uh… yikes…"
Edward let out a long, deep sigh, once again struck by how different this world was from the one he came from.
After all, in the other world, no matter how badly an author left readers hanging, no one was actually going to crawl through the internet to beat you up. But in this world? Arch Mages were absolutely capable of teleporting over just to give you a proper thrashing.
That realization made Edward resolve to never again end a story on a cliffhanger—at least, not at such a critical point.
While Edward fell silent in thought, Ska continued the conversation.
"So, why are you here now? Just hiding from your angry fans?"
"Of course not."
Quickly regaining his composure, Edward smiled and said:
"I'm mainly here to check if everything's running smoothly with the TV broadcast. Where are we at right now?"
"Episode 10 of KonoSuba, more or less near the end."
"Oh, perfect. That means we can air The Garden of Sinners before Steins;Gate this afternoon."
"Obviously. Isn't that the broadcast schedule you originally planned?"
"Nope. Back then I was so busy with filming, I didn't have time to plan any of this. I just told Helena to whip something up. That girl's always got free time when she's not on set."
"Oh, you mean the explosive girl from the Elemental Branch?"
"You know her? Sounds like she's pretty infamous."
"Heh, she blew up the Branch head's office once. Of course I know her. Speaking of which, weren't you two in the same year? She's basically graduated now. What about you? After all these years of dropping out, are you finally a graduate?"
"Obviously. I'm in the Mage Tower now—officially recognized as an Imperial Mage. Compared to that, graduating's no big deal."
"I see. So that means next year our Magitech Alchemy Branch won't have anyone for the Magic Sports Festival, huh?"
"Oh, right… I totally forgot about that."
Edward was of course familiar with the Magic Sports Festival.
As a former student of the academy, he knew it was a major athletic event held for all Branches and all year levels across the Imperial Mage Academy.
Since mages generally lacked the initiative to exercise, and numerous studies had shown that long-term inactivity led to physical decline (even in magic users), the academy established the festival to promote fitness and reduce the risk of serious health issues among students.
In a way, it felt surprisingly modern. It also served as proof that the Mage Tower and the Imperial Mage Academy were truly advanced institutions.
Magic had granted some people extraordinary power, but it also removed class barriers, allowing for a merit-based system that selected humanity's elite.
This kind of selection wasn't particularly visible in primitive times, but once an organization emerged to recruit these elite individuals en masse, its progress far outpaced that of broader society.
Sure, it was still a sort of ivory tower removed from the general public, but the sheer beauty and sophistication of that tower was far beyond what most could even imagine.
Of course, someone like Edward—born of a modern world—wasn't content with simply building a beautiful tower.
What he wanted was to take everything inside that tower and give it, equally and indiscriminately, to all of humanity.
He hadn't forgotten his original dream.
"Well then, we'll talk about the sports festival next year. For now, if The Garden of Sinners is airing soon, I should go tell everyone. That might help take the edge off their anger."
Hearing this, Ska nodded and said slowly:
"I'll put out a campus broadcast to let the Administrator and students in the plaza know."
"Oh! Thanks a bunch!"
After saying so, Edward headed down from the Alchemy Tower.
Ska, watching him leave, glanced at the massive magic array beneath his feet that was transmitting magical signals outward. A faint smile appeared on his tired face.
Even with his grueling 007 work schedule, he was genuinely satisfied with his current life.
After all, compared to the bleak days of the past, he could now clearly see a brighter future on the horizon.
<+>
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