Re-written date: 7 / 13 / 2025
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Chapter 46: Gathering The Actors
Edward and Daphne remained inside the cave for over half an hour. As time ticked by with still no sign of the young noblewoman returning, her loyal bodyguard's patience finally snapped. She took a step forward, clearly preparing to rush in after her.
But a single glance from the Headless Knight was all it took to stop her cold.
The mere flick of his empty helm unleashed a suffocating wave of pressure—a super-tier warrior's killing intent. Even though she was no weakling herself, the woman nearly buckled to her knees on the spot.
Just then, two silhouettes finally emerged from the cave's shadowy depths.
"Lady Daphne!" the guard called out, face alight with relief—at least until she got a closer look.
Something was off.
Her lady's cheeks were flushed, her eyes wet, and there was an unmistakable look of shame plastered across her face. The moment froze. Tension shot through the air like lightning. The guard's hand flew to her sword and she shouted, voice trembling with fury:
"Baron Durin, what did you do to her?! I don't care if the Duke favors you—if you've laid a finger on my lady, I'll kill you right here and now!"
"Wait! You've got it all wrong—" Daphne blurted out, rushing to cut off the situation before it exploded.
Then she hesitated.
"I mean… he didn't really do anything… or, well, maybe he did, but not like that—ugh, just explain it yourself, Director Durin!"
As the girl flailed to untangle her own thoughts, Edward let out a calm sigh and explained, "It's just as Lady Daphne said—you've misunderstood. All I did was frighten her a little. After we entered the cave, I suppressed all signs of my presence and slipped away. I wanted to see how she would react on her own, in the dark, with no one to rely on."
He paused, then added with a smirk, "Apparently, she's never experienced anything like that before. The poor thing was so scared she nearly pee—"
"Stop!! Don't say it!!" Daphne shrieked, face turning crimson as she clamped her hands over her ears.
Seeing her reaction, the others quickly pieced together what had happened. But even so, none of them understood why Edward would put her through something so intense.
Edward, however, answered before they could ask.
"It's simple. The film opens with the heroine lost and panicked—running for her life. I needed to see if Daphne could genuinely portray that kind of fear. Turns out, she didn't need to act at all. She lived it." He gave her a nod. "She's perfect. After what I just saw, there's no doubt—she is the lead."
"Wait—what? You filmed that?!"
Daphne's shrill voice cracked with panic.
Edward simply raised the magical camera in his hand and twirled it between his fingers. "Of course I did. I even enhanced the lighting for better footage. Came out great—clear as day. You can even see the, uh… liquid on the cave floor—"
"NOOOO!!"
The noble girl lunged for the camera, but Edward danced away effortlessly. As a Grand Mage, evading a flustered teenager was child's play.
He grinned, stepping behind her and draping an arm over her shoulder like a seasoned director addressing his newest star.
"Well then, let's work well together from here on, Miss Female Lead."
"N-no! This isn't the kind of role I wanted to play!!" Daphne wailed.
Edward only chuckled.
"Oh, that's not up to you anymore. And if you don't want certain footage getting leaked, I expect full cooperation on set… Miss Daphne~"
"Y-you monster… You're not a director—you're a demon in disguise!!"
"You flatter me far too much," Edward replied with a wry smile. "I'm no demon—not really. After all, I'm not shameless enough to auction that footage off on the black market."
"…"
With Daphne ultimately giving up resistance, the group returned to the northern capital, Winterhold, without further incident.
Well, almost.
On the road back, one of Daphne's maids privately approached Edward and tried to offer a generous sum in exchange for the viewing rights to the video. Edward, however, politely declined with the excuse that it was "a classified commercial asset."
Once the group was settled in at the Northern Territory Adventurer's Guild, Eliza—using her authority as Guild Master—immediately began helping Edward with actor recruitment. After all, now that the script was finalized, the next step was casting and auditioning.
In this world, while "actor" wasn't an official profession, most adventurers happened to have the relevant skill set by default. After all, the roles Edward asked them to play were essentially themselves. This kind of authentic performance often created surprisingly powerful results—just like in KonoSuba.
And if anyone was too stiff in front of the camera? Edward could always use a little suggestion magic to give them a gentle push.
However, reality soon proved trickier than expected.
Unlike the South's Nosrick City, the North didn't have a strong foundation in cinema. Many of the local adventurers didn't even understand what a "film" was, and were clearly confused when their beautiful Guild Master asked them to participate in one. In the end, only a few die-hard Eliza fanboys volunteered—none of whom could really be considered proper acting material.
Faced with this underwhelming turnout, Edward had no choice but to return to Nosrick to recruit actors. There, the situation was completely different: the movie had already aired, people were familiar with the concept of acting, and the roles he needed—namely, some naïve, hot-blooded rookies—were exactly the kind of characters better portrayed by greenhorn adventurers. Most northern adventurers were too experienced and grizzled to convincingly play clueless newcomers.
Back in Nosrick, Edward posted an announcement on the Adventurers' Guild bulletin board: Durin Film Production Company is casting for its next big film—actors wanted!
The response was explosive.
Adventurers, non-adventurers, curious bystanders—people flooded in from all directions, eager for a chance to be part of the next cinematic hit. Even some of the guild's internal staff, including the Guild Master and a few receptionists, came to see if they could snag a cameo.
In this energetic atmosphere, Edward quickly assembled a solid cast. The lineup included the three enthusiastic rookies who would die almost immediately after entering the story, a female guild receptionist (played by an actual receptionist), and several northern adventurers, handpicked and recommended by Eliza herself.
All in all, it seemed everything was falling into place. But as Edward reviewed the finalized cast, he realized one glaring issue remained:
The Goblin Slayer himself.
Despite everything going so smoothly, they still hadn't found a suitable actor to play the lead.
Granted, the Goblin Slayer was fully armored and didn't need to be especially handsome or charismatic. But as a director, Edward wasn't willing to just slap armor on some random guy and call it good.
This was the protagonist, after all.
If anything, the role demanded someone with true knowledge of monsters—an adventurer with rich, lived experience. They didn't need overwhelming strength, but they had to carry the weight of that experience in their presence.
Someone who had stared into the dark... and didn't flinch.