Harem: Shooting Anime In Another World

Chapter 2

"Lord Edward, it's time to eat."

The maid's voice came from outside.

Upon hearing this, Durin, who had just stepped out of the secluded room, was momentarily taken aback and quickly walked down the stairs. As the only maid in the castle, Windy was an orphan taken in by the late Baron Edward. Having lived in the Edward family castle since childhood, she had great loyalty to the family and deep concern for Durin, who was her childhood friend.

After all, from the very beginning, the entire family had high hopes for him, but after returning from the Mage's Tower, he left everyone disappointed. One can imagine how terrible Durin's state was at that time.

Thus, Windy, determined to care for her master until he emerged from the shadows, had done everything she could during that period.

Whether it was handling affairs as a proxy lord, engaging in public negotiations with other nobles, or taking care of Durin's daily life, if it weren't for Windy managing the castle's operations after Baron Edward's death, the Edward family would likely have already fallen into decline.

Moreover, for Durin now, Windy's presence was the only light in the darkness; she was the one who made his otherwise boring life seem somewhat meaningful.

At this moment, Durin hurriedly descended from the tower, not even out of breath, and leaned against the wall, saying, "I'm here, thank you for your hard work, Windy."

"Uh, it's okay, it's my duty..."

With a strange expression, Windy felt that Durin had changed so much recently; he not only began to listen to her trivial talks but also became increasingly outgoing. Although he still refused to engage with various matters of the castle, he no longer locked himself in his room like before.

Though she thought the boy's changes were too drastic, Windy was still very happy that her master could step out of his disappointment, and she continued to do her best to fulfill her duties as a maid without any laziness.

On the other hand, looking at the meticulous blonde girl in front of him, Durin felt his whole being healed, as if he had completely forgotten that this was a world without computers or smartphones, and he began to feel that life was actually pretty good.

Yes, in the past, as an anime enthusiast, Durin was an unabashed fan of blonde hair and maids, and now both elements were concentrated in Windy before him. He couldn't think of a place happier than this.

"Ah, if only there were beast ears, like a blonde-haired, beast-eared loli, hehehe..."

Regarding Durin's unintentional state of infatuation, Windy, who had grown accustomed to this scene, could only helplessly rub her forehead and then said, "Lord Edward, I have already declined the banquet invitation from the Duke of the Southern Territory a few days ago on your behalf, but this clearly displeased the Duke, so our lives may be quite difficult for a while."

"Let him do as he please. After all, even the Duke of the Southern Region has no right to dictate to us, we are also nobles."

"But Lord Edward, the debts your father owed back then..."

Yes, the late Baron Edward had incurred a significant amount of debt to raise Durin and his brother El. Although if Durin graduated from the Mage Tower and became a proper imperial mage, this debt could be repaid with public funds, after Durin was expelled from the Mage Tower, the current Edward family no longer had the ability to repay this debt.

"The Duke of the Southern Region has always appreciated you, Lord Durin. If you are willing..."

"Impossible!"

Before Windy could finish her sentence, Durin resolutely responded, "The relationship between the four regions of the empire and the capital is not good right now, and with the new king ascending the throne, conflict is inevitable. Choosing sides at this moment is purely rolling the dice and waiting to die. Even though I was once called the fastest genius to become a grand mage in history at the Mage Tower, in the face of war, I am just a pawn that can be sacrificed."

Yes, Durin was very clear about his own worth. Gaining the favor of a duke seemed like a wonderful thing, but upon closer thought, the risks behind it became apparent.

If it were just him, it would be one thing, but if he expressed his stance as Baron Edward, the entire Edward family would be implicated!

Understanding her master's insistence, Windy nodded helplessly and sighed, "But what about those debts? The harvest in the territory hasn't been good these years, and with the overall economic decline in the Southern Region, we might not be able to pay the knights' commissions soon."

What Windy said was true. After the death of the late Baron Edward, the Edward family's economic situation worsened day by day. Although nobles often had a lot of private property, the Edward family, being a low-tier family that completely did not socialize with the formal noble circles, had none of that. Therefore, when Windy said they had no money, it was clear that the Edward family had truly reached the brink of collapse.

In response, Durin, who had been walking forward, suddenly stopped and said to Windy, "Windy, do you think there is any way for us to get through this crisis?"

Hearing Durin's straightforward question, Windy paused for a moment and pondered, "Aside from the previously mentioned option of relying on the Duke of the Southern Region, perhaps Lord El, who joined the military many years ago, might have some solution. But to be honest, I would prefer if you, Lord Edward, left this castle right now. If you leave now, it would be hard for those nobles to track you down later when they come to collect the debts..."

Regarding the girl's thoughts, Durin simply replied calmly, "You're wrong, Windy. Relying on others is not a good habit, and escaping is not a viable solution. In any case, please tell me how much we still owe."

"Counting interest, we probably owe more than fifty thousand gold coins... But after daily expenses, the current Edward family has less than two thousand gold coins left. Even selling our castle and territory wouldn't cover it..."

Windy's expression darkened as she spoke, and Durin, understanding her worries, silently contemplated.

According to the approximate gold coin exchange rate in this world, if he started writing novels now, even if he wrote a very popular book, he might only earn a four-digit amount in gold coins at most. Aside from that...

"It seems I have to start the plan for making anime."

Since this was an industry that no one in this world had ventured into yet, Durin was confident that he could achieve absolute success in the initial business battle, provided that the anime he produced would indeed be popular.

With that, Durin suddenly turned around and, under the surprised gaze of the maid, ran back in the direction he had come from.

....

For the next several days, Durin seemed to revert to the person he once was, hiding in his room and not stepping outside at all.

He spent almost all day locked in his room while Windy could only see him during meal times. After eating, Durin would almost immediately rush back to his room without pausing for even a moment.

On the fifth day, Durin finally emerged from his room, exhausted and holding a thick stack of manuscripts. Dazed, he said to Windy, who had been waiting at the door, "Wen, Windy... give... give me some water to drink."

"Okay! Sir!!"

Thinking that Durin was once again stimulated by the debt issue, Windy dared not bring up that topic again. She silently helped him to the living room.

"Thud thud thud~"

After drinking two pots of water and feeling like he was about to collapse, Durin finally sighed in relief, saying, "Hahaha! I finally finished the script!"

Indeed, over these five days, Durin had nearly exhausted all his memories to write down several anime scripts. To prevent himself from forgetting in the future, he also organized outlines of all the otherworldly anime he remembered in a special format.

Fortunately, in this world, paper is not very expensive due to a certain level of paper making technology; otherwise, just the cost of the paper for this stack of scripts would be a significant expense.

"Script?"

On the other side, Windy, who did not immediately understand Durin's words, instinctively looked at the stack of papers spread out on the table. With just one glance, she found it hard to look away.

Indeed, in this world where there is papermaking and printing technology, books are not a scarce resource. So, it's not just Windy; even ordinary commoners are rarely illiterate.

Thus, Windy, who could read, immediately noticed the title-like font on the manuscripts.

At the very top of the thick stack of papers, it was clearly written: "The first season of the live-action adaptation of 'Fullmetal Alchemist,' temporarily postponed due to a lack of props."

And on the other side of this thick pile of papers, a smaller stack of manuscripts was neatly placed on top—regarding the project for filming the live-action adaptation of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World" first season.