Chapter 4: Determination to Change the Era

As the servants took the letter to a specialized post station, Edward stretched his limbs, as if trying to release all the fatigue from the past five days. He lounged lazily in his chair.

On the other side, Winry, who had revisited the script of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World," couldn't help but ask, "Lord Edward, are you planning to spread this story in some way to make money?"

"Well, you've got the general idea."

"But why make a story like this? Even though I haven't read many novels, I'm aware of the popular knight and adventure stories of this era. The heroes in those stories face countless challenges, gather various companions, and only after making great sacrifices do they defeat the Demon King and win the favor of a princess. Your story is interesting, but it feels very strange..."

Upon hearing Winry's question, Edward, who had been contemplating how to localize the script, smiled and replied, "Yes, it's strange. Most people would probably react as you do when they read such a bizarre story. However, that's our opportunity and our selling point. You see, while those hero-against-demon stories are classic and have a stable audience, people have grown tired of them."

"What we're introducing with 'KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World' is a genuine dark fantasy story. It lacks the excitement of heroes defeating evil monsters and romantic encounters with princesses. The main characters in the story often lead miserable lives for various reasons. But don't you find this story very interesting?"

Listening to Edward's words, Winry carefully thought about it and nodded. "You're right; this story is indeed very interesting."

"Exactly! Being interesting is all that matters. In this dull era, anything that's fun will catch people's attention and gain their favor. Whether it's classic or unconventional, only interesting stories can attract the audience and spread quickly!"

While Winry nodded in a half-understood manner, Edward, who was now emotionally charged, couldn't continue to be lazy. He stood up, forgetting his previous fatigue.

These days, the more Edward worked on the script, the more he felt the lack of prosperity in this world's cultural industry. Despite the absence of external threats to the Human Kingdom and the expanding economy driven by advancements in magic, everyone seemed to live very dull lives.

Nobles held banquets day in and day out, singing, dancing, and even rapping, but common folk had no entertainment besides chatting in the taverns. There were some papermaking and novel industries, as mentioned before, but the boring knight novels were mostly cliché tales of heroes defeating monsters. The occasional presence of a BL novel could be considered innovative.

As a modern person, Edward could tolerate the world's poor cuisine and worrying sanitation, but he couldn't stand its dullness.

With these thoughts in mind, Edward, after regaining his composure, asked, "Winry, I remember among the castle's squire knights, there's a young man named Zat, right? What's he doing now?"

Hearing Edward's question, Winry pondered for a moment and replied, "You mean the squire knight who joined the Durin Family with his father when he was a child? It's impressive that you remember him. If I'm not mistaken, he's currently managing a village near the castle. I heard he's doing a great job, maintaining stable tax collection and enjoying the support of the villagers."

"Is that so? Please call him over; I need to speak with him."

Edward was familiar with the young man named Zat. In his younger days, Zat, as the son of a knight, often played with Edward and his brother, and he was like a childhood playmate to Edward.

However, when Edward went to the Mage Tower and his brother, El, joined the military, Zat stayed behind in the Durin Family. He had become an official squire knight, but at the time, Edward had no energy to pay attention.

Now, as Edward contemplated the cast of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World," the image of Zat resurfaced in his mind. Based on Edward's memories, Zat was exceptionally bright from a young age and had a particular talent for acting. Edward and Al could play outside the castle largely because of Zat's acting skills, which often fooled the castle guards.

Although Edward didn't know how Zat was doing now, he believed that this young knight, who had a good character, could meet his requirements based on the general information he received from Winry.

After a while, when Edward had made some preliminary localizations to the beginning of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World," the door to the living room slowly swung open.

"Lord Edward, Zat has arrived."

Hearing Winry's announcement, Edward, who had been immersed in crafting the story, immediately stood up. He looked at the gray-haired young man in the distance, who seemed somewhat apprehensive and not as carefree as in their childhood, and said with a smile, "Long time no see, Zat. It seems you've been doing well."

"Yes, my lord. It's all thanks to the former lord's promotion."

Clearly, Zat was feeling unusually nervous, and Edward, who likely understood that Zat felt overwhelmed due to the difference in their statuses, smiled slightly and shook his head. He said, "Never mind, it seems you're not in the mood for nostalgia. In that case, I'll get straight to the point, Zat. How's your acting?"

Edward, once a friend but now a lord, asked an unexpected question. Realizing this, Zat, who recalled the time they spent together as children, nodded hastily and replied, "My lord, as you know, even though I consider it a rather useless skill, my acting is indeed quite good."

"Hehe, I don't think it's a useless skill."

After confirming Zat's situation and understanding that he had indeed become an excellent knight, Edward continued, "I have many things I'd like to discuss with you, but this isn't the time for nostalgia. To be honest, Zat, I need your acting skills. If you're willing to agree, I'll promote you to be my personal guard, with an increase in benefits. What do you say?"

Zat, surprised by Edward's unexpected proposition after not seeing him for a long time, quickly dropped to one knee and said, "Of course, my lord. It would be my honor."

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