Chapter 193: Steins;Gate Has Finished Screening! (Part 1)
"What the hell?! That's it?!"
"Are you kidding me? This is emotional torture!"
"Arghhh, what kind of 'Frost Film Festival' is this? More like the 'Frostfall Cliffhanger Festival!' Nothing ends properly! It's psychological warfare!"
"I'm losing it! Three films in a row, all stuck at the climax! I'm seriously going insane!"
"Wait, are those the only two movies they're showing? I demand Director Edward gives us more!"
"I need the rest of Fate/Zero, KonoSuba, The Garden of Sinners, and Steins;Gate—immediately! Or else... or else I'm not leaving this cinema! I'll live here if I have to!"
"This is ridiculous! Just end me already!"
"..."
Cries of anguish echoed across movie cinemas throughout the Southern Territory.
Most of the audience simply couldn't accept Edward's brutal cliffhangers. Tensions were so high it felt like a riot was about to break out.
"Why did it just end like that? We have to wait until spring for the next part?"
In the back row, Princess Amy looked visibly distraught. Still young and unaccustomed to hiding her emotions, her frustration was written all over her face.
Even Emperor Hubbard, though he kept his expression neutral, was clearly just as displeased. The movie had stopped right when things were getting good—even he couldn't stomach that kind of storytelling cruelty.
As for the rest of the knights? Agonized. Every last one of them. Their faces twisted with pain, as if they were being physically restrained from watching the rest of the movie.
But no matter how much they grumbled, the fact remained: the screening was over.
This first-ever Frost Film Festival was thrown together in a hurry, and only managed to show two films and two TV series. Barely enough entertainment to scratch the surface of a two-week-long winter celebration.
Most likely, many attendees would have no choice but to rewatch the same content over and over again to endure the cold, bleak days ahead.
Fortunately, entertainment in this world was so scarce that even repeated viewings felt like a luxury. Most people could still enjoy a second—or even third—watch.
At the same time, something strange stirred in the hearts of all who had just seen Steins;Gate.
Though the constraints of their era made their imagination primitive, just starting to imagine such futures was already revolutionary.
After all, not even the emperors of old had ever dreamed that the world might one day change so drastically.
But now… everyone knew.
Change was already happening.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Imperial Mage Academy
The moment Steins;Gate ended—abruptly, and without so much as a preview—the magic scholars reacted much the same as the southern viewers. First came shock and despair… then, fervent debate.
"The tone of this film was really all over the place. At first, I thought it was a story about mages. Then it felt like a mystery thriller. Then suddenly—bam!—it's a time travel fantasy! And with SERN entering the scene, it even turned into an action film!"
"Right? I seriously wonder what kind of insane ideas Senior Durin has running around in his head. The first films shown down south—KonoSuba and Goblin Slayer—had at least some basis in reality. But then he hits us with Fate/Zero, The Garden of Sinners, and now Steins;Gate? Those are all on a completely different level!"
"Exactly! Especially Steins;Gate! The way it depicted that fictional world of timelines and alternate futures... It felt real. Like we were truly glimpsing into another universe. The level of detail was so precise it was terrifying."
"I really wanna crack open Senior Durin's head and see just what kind of wild, fantastical ideas are packed in there."
"Only someone like him could invent something as strange and groundbreaking as film and television… Maybe even revive Magitech Alchemy altogether."
"This world… it's starting to feel more and more exciting."
"..."
The students shared their thoughts in hushed excitement. Most of them had never spoken to Edward personally, but they'd long heard of the legendary rumors surrounding him.
Now, as the reality of film—a medium capable of reshaping the world—settled in, everyone could feel the tremor of change, like a butterfly's wings triggering a rising tidal wave.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Imperial Mage Academy – Platform Balcony
"This film… it's unlike anything we've seen. Almost unreal. But the moment I heard it was your creation, Edward, I wasn't even surprised anymore."
Ska spoke with quiet awe in his voice, his gaze reflecting profound shock.
He hadn't been directly involved in the making of Steins;Gate, but throughout production, he frequently received commissions from Edward to craft props.
From the realistically functioning mobile phones, to the microwave oven that served as the time travel core, to the strange and complex computers—all of it was built by Ska.
In truth, nearly half of the props used in Steins;Gate were born from Ska's alchemical craftsmanship.
Yet even as the creator of these devices, Ska had never imagined they'd be used so brilliantly on screen.
Each prop was woven into the story with such natural precision—it was as if they genuinely belonged to another world, part of daily life in a universe that wasn't this one.
And beyond the props, it was the deeper core that struck him most:
Modern scientific theory, wrapped in the shell of time travel fiction, subtly layered throughout the film's every detail.
One film—Steins;Gate—had completely shattered Ska's understanding of the world.
His perception of alchemy, of magic, of the future itself—was reborn.
And while Ska stood there shaken, Edward merely spoke with calm resolve:
"I actually wasn't planning to make Steins;Gate so soon. I thought the Empire still had too many unsolved problems. That it was too early to raise the question of the future."
"But after some thought… I realized maybe it needs to be raised now—precisely because this world is already beginning to change. And it won't stop."
"Magitech Alchemy is destined to reshape this world. It will break down countless old things. So, if we want everyone to keep up with the times, we must change how people think."
"Only by changing their minds—by bringing thought in line with the era, or even ahead of it—can people accept new things, new transformations… instead of fighting against the age to come."
"Of course, I know there will be resistance. Some people won't be able to accept it. Some will try to stop the wave of history. But those people will be like insects throwing themselves against a speeding carriage…"
"They'll be crushed without mercy."
Edward's words faded into the air, but like a lightning bolt, they exploded in the minds of every instructor nearby.
Their eyes widened in stunned silence, as if struck by a truth they had never dared imagine.
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