As the second episode of Fate Zero concluded and the audience began to leave, the Beastkin Oracle remained seated, unable to recover from the shock.
Before attending, he had made countless speculations about what this "movie" concept could be. He even considered the possibility that it might be a fabricated illusion created by humans using some kind of trickery—meant to confuse the Beastkin Kingdom and mislead them about the true strength of humanity.
But now, after watching the entire film himself, that theory had been completely discarded.
No matter how he looked at it, the scenes in the movie were far too vivid and realistic. The dazzling battles and astonishing magical tools went beyond anything he had ever imagined. Some of the action was so lifelike that it even triggered his Beastkin instincts multiple times throughout the film.
Moreover, whether it was the combat between heroic spirits or the strategic thinking and wartime logic of the magi, all of it vastly surpassed the Beastkin Kingdom's level of warfare.
If their poorly educated and tactically naive Beastkin soldiers were ever sent into battle, it was likely they'd meet the same fate as Kayneth in the movie—toyed with and killed by humans.
Watching this human-made movie left him completely shaken and filled with a sense of urgency.
"The gap between the Beastkin Kingdom and the human empire has quietly grown this vast..."
With that conclusion, the Beastkin Oracle made a firm decision.
Once he returned to his homeland, he would find a way to delay any conflict between the Beastkin Kingdom and the human empire. At the very least, war must be avoided for the foreseeable future.
There was still far too much the Beastkin Kingdom needed to learn and catch up on. If war broke out now, there was no doubt they would lose.
As he came to this realization, the Beastkin Oracle glanced carefully in the direction of Emperor Hubbard and saw that the human monarch was preparing to leave.
Not wanting to risk exposure or provoke suspicion, the Beastkin Oracle quickly pushed aside any lingering hostility or reckless thoughts. He decided to leave quietly, without interacting with any of the imperial elite.
However, just as he made that decision, something unexpected happened, his companion Juno, having sat too long, suddenly wobbled upon standing, her legs giving out beneath her.
Thud
The little girl lost her balance and tumbled down the sloped steps of the theater.
"Oww… ow, that really hurt…"
Juno clutched her head and sat up groggily. Before she could even check if her disguise was still intact, her expression froze.
All around her, Emperor Hubbard, his youngest daughter Amy, General Wilhelm, and the knights standing nearby were quietly watching her.
Under the weight of those stares, Juno went completely blank, her mind short-circuiting on the spot.
Fortunately, the Beastkin Oracle reacted swiftly. He immediately stepped in front of her and spoke up:
"My apologies, everyone. My granddaughter startled you."
Thanks to the Oracle's quick thinking, Emperor Hubbard didn't press the matter. He simply said calmly:
"I see. Still, I don't recall seeing you or your granddaughter before. You don't look like you're from the Southern Territory."
"Hahaha, my granddaughter and I are from the empire's Western Territories. I came at her invitation—she's a big fan of movies."
"Oh? Your granddaughter reminds me of my youngest daughter. Both are a bit clumsy, haha."
Emperor Hubbard's comment earned an indignant look from Princess Amy, but she didn't voice any protest.
As for the Beastkin Oracle, he tried to maintain a relaxed demeanor, keeping calm under the watchful eyes of the human knights. With a composed smile, he said:
"In any case, sorry for the disturbance. My granddaughter and I will take our leave now."
Just as the Beastkin Oracle was about to leave with Juno, Emperor Hubbard suddenly spoke up:
"Leaving already? Why not join me at the newly opened television tavern? I've heard so much about these wildly popular spots in the South. I was too busy to visit before, but this time, I definitely want to see it for myself."
"Television tavern?"
The term sounded familiar—something he'd read about in one of Juno's letters. The Beastkin Oracle's interest was instantly piqued.
Sensing the shift, Emperor Hubbard added with a smile, "New things always attract a crowd. If we don't go now, there might not be any seats left later."
"Uh…"
Caught between curiosity about this "television tavern" and his wariness of the human king, the Beastkin Oracle hesitated for a moment—but in the end, he nodded and said, "Then let's not waste time. My granddaughter must be quite eager to see a television herself."
"..."
Juno was stunned.
She never expected the Oracle to actually accept an invitation from the human Emperor.
But in the face of such tantalizing temptation—television—she found herself unable to object. Quietly, she followed along behind the Oracle, joining Emperor Hubbard and his knights as they made their way to the nearest TV tavern in Nosrick City.
. . . . . .
Meanwhile, Edward had just returned to Nosrick City from the Imperial Mage Academy. As soon as he stepped into the tavern, he saw a crowd huddled eagerly around the television.
Apparently, they had already forgotten all about their rage from earlier when the airing of Fate Zero was abruptly cut off. Now they were fully absorbed in the final episode of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!.
The scene being shown was the climactic moment when Viz and Helena team up to unleash a massive explosion spell, destroying a colossal mobile fortress.
"Hahaha, this is insane! How did you even shoot something like that?" Belldia laughed heartily.
Looking a bit embarrassed, Viz replied, "That mobile fortress was actually a collaborative effort. Mr. Edward asked the Imperial Mage Academy for a favor. I heard the students from the Mimetic Fabrication Branch worked incredibly hard on it. It met all the filming requirements… though we might've gone a bit overboard with the final explosion. A huge chunk of the debris ended up falling into the unexplored territories south of the Southern Territory and… caused quite a stir."
"Yikes…"
As the group reacted to this behind-the-scenes tidbit with a mix of awe and discomfort, the show on screen came to an end—at least, it seemed that way.
The party had completed a feat worthy of true heroes. The audience believed the tale had finally reached its happy conclusion.
But then, just as Kazuma and his companions were celebrating at the adventurer's guild, something completely unexpected happened.
A squad of enforcers suddenly burst through the doors on-screen.
"Kazuma Satou! You are suspected of committing treason against the state! You'll need to come with us!"
<+>
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