Chapter 2: The Filming Proposal
Re-written date: 5 / 15 / 2025
. . . . . . . . . . .
"Lord Durin, it's time for your meal."
A gentle voice called out from beyond the door.
Edward, who had just stepped out of the secluded chamber atop the tower, froze for a moment. Then, without hesitation, he hurried down the spiral stairs.
Her name was Winry—the castle's only maid.
An orphan taken in by the late Baron Durin, Winry had grown up within the walls of the Durin Family castle. She wasn't just a servant—she was family. Fiercely loyal to the household that had raised her, she carried a quiet, unwavering devotion in her heart.
Especially for Edward, her childhood friend.
She had watched the boy praised as the family's shining hope… only to return from the Imperial Mage Tower in disgrace. The fall from expectation to disappointment had crushed him—and she had witnessed it all.
In those dark years, when Edward shut himself away from the world, it was Winry who kept the estate running. She handled paperwork, negotiated with other nobles, and ensured the Durin name didn't vanish into history. And when the old Baron died, it was Winry's tireless work that kept the household from collapsing entirely.
To Edward now—reborn in this body—Winry was the single light in an otherwise bleak world.
As he rushed down the stairs, breathless but determined, he leaned on the wall for support and greeted her with a rare smile.
"I'm here. Thanks for waiting, Winry."
"…It's no trouble. It's part of my duty, after all…"
Her response was polite, but her expression was puzzled.
This wasn't the Edward she knew.
He'd been distant, moody, completely disinterested in the world—yet lately, he seemed like a different person. He listened when she spoke, responded with surprising warmth, and even smiled. Though he still ignored the day-to-day affairs of the estate, he no longer locked himself away entirely.
The change was drastic—but welcome.
Winry, ever dutiful, simply did what she always did: handled her tasks with quiet competence and without complaint.
Meanwhile, Edward—gazing at the neat, composed blonde maid before him—felt a warm calm wash over him.
For a moment, he forgot about the lack of computers. Forgot about missing anime. Forgot about how hopeless this world once felt.
'Maybe this isn't so bad after all…'
You see, Edward—former shut-in and certified otaku—was a hardcore blonde maid lover.
And standing before him was the walking embodiment of his ideal type: blonde hair, maid uniform, graceful demeanor. If she had animal ears, he might have dropped dead from bliss on the spot.
"Ahh, if only she had beast ears… A blonde beast-eared loli maid… Fufufu…"
As Edward drifted into his usual degeneracy, Winry simply sighed and rubbed her temple.
She'd seen this look before. Many times, in fact.
"Lord Durin," she said, trying to ignore the spaced-out expression on his face. "I declined the southern territory Grand Duke's banquet invitation on your behalf the other day. He wasn't pleased. I suspect we'll be facing pressure from his side for quite some time."
"Let him throw a fit. A Grand Duke or not, he's still a noble—same as us. He has no right to order us around."
"That may be, but… your father left behind considerable debts."
Ah. That again.
The late Baron Durin, in his desperate bid to educate Edward and his younger brother, El, had borrowed heavily to cover tuition and magical training expenses. If Edward had graduated from the Imperial Mage Tower, the Empire would've reimbursed those costs.
But after his disgraceful expulsion, the Durin family lost that lifeline—and with it, their ability to repay anything.
"The Southern Grand Duke has always held you in high regard, Lord Durin. If you were willing to consider his offer—"
"No. Absolutely not."
Edward cut her off, voice firm.
His expression was calm, but his tone left no room for argument.
He might be broke. He might be disgraced. But the one thing he refused to do… was sell himself to repay another man's debt.
"Absolutely not!"
Before Winry could finish her sentence, Edward cut in with a resolute voice.
"The four territories and the imperial capital are barely holding together. With the new Emperor's coronation, conflict is inevitable. Choosing a side now is no different from rolling dice and waiting to die. Even if I was once hailed as the fastest mage in history to become a Grand Mage at the Tower, when war breaks out, I'm nothing but a disposable piece on the board."
He understood the game far too well.
Being favored by a Grand Duke might seem like a dream come true—but look deeper, and the dangers loomed large. If he were just a wandering mage, he could shoulder the risk alone. But as the Baron of the Durin family, his decisions didn't just affect him—they could doom the entire household.
Winry lowered her gaze, finally nodding with a weary sigh.
"But what about the debts…? The harvests in the territory haven't been good for years, and the southern territory economy is in decline. At this rate, we won't even be able to pay the knights' wages."
She wasn't exaggerating.
After the late Baron's passing, the Durin family's financial state had crumbled steadily. Unlike high-ranking nobles with sprawling private assets, their house was at the very bottom of the aristocratic ladder—isolated and poor.
If Winry said they had no money, it meant they were already on the edge.
Edward, who had been walking down the hallway, suddenly stopped. He turned to face her.
"Winry… tell me. What do you think we can do to get out of this mess?"
She blinked in surprise at the blunt question, then slowly spoke after a moment of thought.
"Aside from what I mentioned—aligning with the Southern Grand Duke—maybe… maybe Lord El might have a solution. He's been in the army for years, after all. But honestly…"
She hesitated. Her voice lowered.
"Honestly, I just want you to leave the castle now. If you vanish—if you go into hiding—no matter what debts the nobles try to collect later, it'll be hard for them to track you down."
It was a plan born of desperation. A painful one.
But Edward only gave a quiet, almost gentle reply.
"That's where you're wrong, Winry. Relying on others all the time isn't a solution. And running away... that's not something I do."
He took a deep breath.
"Let's start with the basics. How much do we owe?"
Winry bit her lip.
"With interest… a little over fifty thousand gold coins. And after deducting monthly expenses, the Durin Family castle has less than two thousand left. Even if we sold the castle and the land, it wouldn't cover it all…"
She trailed off. Her expression was bleak—gray, like a cloud about to collapse into rain.
Edward, watching her face, could feel how much pressure she was carrying on her small shoulders. It wasn't just about the numbers. It was about pride. About legacy. About holding together the last crumbling pieces of a noble house no one believed in.
And he... he didn't want to let that break.
He stood there, silent for a long moment.
Then, with the tone of someone committing to something irreversible, he muttered:
"Looks like it's finally time to launch the anime project."
Since this world had yet to even imagine the concept of animation, Edward had full confidence that he could crush the competition from the very start of the industry's birth.
That is, if the anime he produced actually became popular.
With a sudden gleam in his eyes, Edward spun around on his heel and—ignoring Winry's startled cry—bolted back toward the tower.
. . . . . . .
Several Days Later…
It was like he had returned to his old self.
For the next few days, Edward completely shut himself in his room. Winry only saw him during meal times, and even then, he wouldn't say a word—shoveling food down before rushing right back into isolation, like a man possessed.
On the fifth day, the door creaked open at last.
Edward stumbled out like a ghost who had forgotten sunlight, arms loaded with a towering stack of papers. Exhaustion practically oozed from him as he leaned against the doorway, eyes spinning.
"Wi–Winry… w-water… give me water…"
"R-Right away, my lord!"
Alarmed, Winry rushed over and caught him before he could collapse. Thinking he'd broken down again over the family's debt, she didn't dare mention the subject—she just silently helped him to the drawing room.
"Gulp gulp gulp~"
After downing two full jugs of water, Edward finally let out a triumphant wheeze.
"Phew~ Hahaha! I did it—I finally finished the scripts!"
That's right.
For the past five days, Edward had poured every last bit of memory and energy he had into reconstructing entire anime series from Earth. Not only had he written full scripts for several shows, but he'd also compiled detailed outlines for every isekai anime he could still remember—just in case his memories began to fade later.
Thankfully, this world's paper-making techniques were fairly developed, and paper was relatively cheap. Otherwise, the sheer volume of what he wrote might've bankrupted him before the project even began.
"Scripts…?"
Winry blinked, not fully understanding what he meant at first. She glanced over at the stack of papers he'd dumped on the table—then froze.
Her eyes widened.
Thanks to the world's widespread literacy—thanks to both affordable books and access to schools—most commoners could read and write, and Winry was no exception.
Which is why, when she saw the bold letters printed across the top page, her breath caught.
"Live-Action Anime Adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist – Season One" (Production Postponed Due to Lack of Props)
And beside that thick stack of paper, another smaller but neatly bound pile bore an equally eye-catching title:
"Project Proposal: Live-Action Anime Adaptation of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! – Season One"