Re-written date: 7 / 2 / 2025
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Chapter 16: "My Name Is Megumin!"
From the very start, Edward had planned for Helena to play the role of Megumin. So no, he never actually intended to kick her out of the castle—he had just been setting her up from the beginning.
Of course… what he didn't expect was that her debt had ballooned into five digits. That part was new.
Still, just like Helena had said herself: sure, the money she owed was enough to buy a luxury estate in the capital's prime district, but as long as no one from the capital recognized her, there wouldn't be a problem. After all, she was still officially part of the Mage Tower, and the Imperial Knights wouldn't dare lay a hand on an active member. That much at least was one of the few perks afforded to mages in this world.
"Are you sure this is okay? I mean, I begged you to take me in, and now you're giving me this super cute outfit? And this eyepatch—it's exactly the kind of cool eyepatch I've always wanted!"
Dressed in a brand new mage robe with a cloak practically dripping with chuuni vibes, Helena looked genuinely taken aback. She shifted uneasily on her feet, as though the generosity didn't quite compute.
"I-I'm just warning you, I'm dead broke, okay? No matter how much you spoil me, I can't pay you back!"
Edward twitched, brow already raised.
"Yeah, yeah. You think I don't know what kind of person you are? Look, I'll let you stay, but only if you take this job seriously and pull your weight. Got it?"
"Job...? Oh right, you still haven't told me what the job is!"
Edward gave a tired sigh. "Didn't I say it already? Filming. You're part of a movie now. Now that you're in costume, you're officially the newest cast member. You'll meet the rest of the crew soon."
"Filming?"
Helena tilted her head, utterly bewildered.
Edward handed her the script with a shrug. "It's like… acting out a story, playing a role. Kinda like theater. Oh wait, I forgot—you never had the money to watch a play, huh? Anyway, just remember: five gold coins a month and free meals. That's all you need to know."
Her eyes lit up instantly.
"Understood! Acting, cosplay, stage play—whatever it is, leave it to me!!"
. . . .
Nosrick Inn – Temporary Production HQ
"This is Helena, our new lead actress. She'll be playing Megumin. I assume you've all met before, right?"
Edward had teleported her straight to the inn, then gathered the entire crew to make the introduction.
The KonoSuba production team had grown quite a bit since the start. Alongside Edward, Winry, Zat, and Aya, there was now Lawrence—the man in charge of providing magical monsters—and of course, Helena. Soon, they'd also be recruiting from the local adventurers, so the team was only going to get bigger from here.
"Alright, I believe everyone here has read the script. If you have any questions about filming, now's the time to ask."
He'd already explained to Helena what a Magic Video Recorder was, so thankfully, she didn't ask anything confusing. Seeing that no one spoke up, Edward nodded and continued.
"Okay, here's the next scene we're shooting. Zat and Aqua begin recruiting adventurers. That's when Megumin spots their flyer and rushes over, eager to join their party. Of course, what Zat and Aqua don't know is that, despite seeming powerful and full of potential, this mage is actually a weirdo who can only cast one single spell—Explosion—and only once per day—"
"Question!!"
Helena suddenly raised her hand mid-briefing, cutting him off.
"Why can she only cast one spell per day? I mean, if her mana's the issue, couldn't she just use a pure magic crystal to refill it?"
Edward didn't even blink.
"Regarding this question, it's invalid due to different world settings! In Konosuba, magic crystals that refill mana don't exist."
"Well then, why use all her mana in one go?! Shouldn't she simplify the spell structure and improve efficiency instead? It's the first thing they teach in—"
Edward cut her off with a deadpan look.
"Alright, regarding that question—invalid due to character setting! In KonoSuba, mages don't need to build mana formulas or comprehend elemental cores to cast spells. Naturally, they also can't modify their own magical structures."
"Then what abou—"
"No more 'then what abouts!' One more useless question and I'm canceling your lunchbox!"
Clearly, even Edward had reached his limit with Helena's endless questions. Still, he could understand where she was coming from. After all, the setting of KonoSuba leaned heavily into game-like mechanics—kill monsters, level up, profit. In contrast, mages in this world were more like scholars, obsessed with understanding the inner workings of magic before even attempting to cast it.
But at the end of the day, this was a comedy. Overthinking the worldbuilding was just a waste of time.
Meanwhile—
"Tch— Fine, I'll shut up. But what's lunch got to do with this..." Helena grumbled, clearly defeated.
With the questioning finally over, Edward continued running through the production notes before wrapping things up. "Alright. No more questions about the script? Good. Let's move on to blocking the party recruitment scene."
Once the three leads began their rehearsal, Edward excused himself and headed for the Adventurers' Guild to prepare the next shooting location. The upcoming scenes would all take place there, and with several new characters needing actors, casting efforts had to begin in earnest.
. . . .
Nightfall – Adventurers' Guild
Warm light filled the bustling guild hall, its glow flickering across wooden beams and beer mugs. Unlike the daytime calm, the evening brought in everyone—practically every adventurer in the South gathered here once the sun set.
The reason was simple: the booze was cheaper than at any tavern or inn. For the often-broke adventurers of the southern territory, the guild was the perfect place to drink, chat, and swap stories with their own kind.
And in one quiet corner of the hall, the Magic Video Recorder slowly came to life—capturing the next scene in crystal-clear detail:
The moment Megumin joins the party.
. . . .
"...No one's coming," Aqua said quietly, a hint of worry in her voice.
Zat gave a weary sigh. "Yeah, I figured this would happen. Lower the recruitment bar a little, would you? I know we're supposed to be building a team to defeat the Demon King, but... demanding 'advanced class adventurers only' might be a bit much."
He wasn't wrong.
Every other adventuring party in the guild had already found new recruits. Only Zat and Aqua remained—sitting alone with their absurdly high standards and zero applicants.
"B-But—!" Aqua tried to object.
"Look," Zat interrupted, "I'm just an Adventurer, the weakest class. Even if I somehow make the cut, if we're surrounded by elite adventurers, I'll be the odd one out. So just... maybe lower the requirement a litt—"
He was about to stand when—
"Excuse me. I saw your flyer calling for advanced adventurers. Is this the place?"
A girl approached them.
Petite in stature, one of her eyes hidden behind a striking eyepatch. And as soon as their eyes met, she dramatically flung her cloak to the side and declared with unshakable pride:
"My name is Megumin! Arch Wizard of the Crimson Magic Clan, wielder of the most powerful attack spell—Explosion!"
She struck a pose, her voice echoing with ridiculous confidence, as if she were the protagonist of an ancient prophecy—or a very loud stage play.