A lich—a being whose body has perished but whose soul remains intact due to inner strength or external forces—is an unusual existence.
Typically, liches do not come into being naturally.
More often, a powerful mage, unwilling to accept the inevitable decay of their soul alongside their body, transforms into a lich through a specialized process of becoming undead.
Given human society's general disdain for the undead, liches often retreat to remote areas to avoid being hunted by holy crusaders or royal knights.
Cases like Viz, who became a lich through a unique magical experiment but retained her physical form, are exceedingly rare.
In fact, Edward wasn't even sure if she could be considered a true lich, as her body lacked the signature decay typical of such beings.
On the other hand, Latisha appeared to be a textbook lich.
However, upon closer interaction, Edward realized there was something highly unusual about her.
Despite her overwhelmingly powerful magical energy—far surpassing that of a Grand Mage—she was illiterate.
It was hard to imagine someone with such formidable presence becoming a lich.
Latisha's case presented two possibilities:
1. She was lying, and in life, she had been a mage of unimaginable power. But this was unlikely, as her behavior suggested no such deception.
2. She was telling the truth, which implied she had undergone unimaginable suffering at the time of her death, leading to her transformation into a naturally occurring lich.
Though tantalizing, Edward decided not to delve deeper into the mysteries of her past.
Her phylactery was already under his control, which secured her loyalty.
Furthermore, prying into her private matters without consent went against his principles.
Edward also opted not to disclose Latisha's undead nature to the troupe.
Not because he didn't trust them, but because most people struggled to accept the existence of undead beings.
Instead, he explained that Latisha was similar to the headless knight—a performer with special effects makeup.
This way, even if someone accidentally caught a glimpse of her skeletal form beneath her hood, they would not be alarmed.
After all, the headless knight carrying his own head around was far more attention-grabbing.
Once the filming of all scenes at the Einzbern castle was completed, Edward could finally relax.
However, he suddenly realized he had forgotten to reconnect the live broadcast back to the capital after cutting it off earlier!
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In the Imperial Capital, during a royal banquet:
It had been half a day since Edward abruptly cut off the broadcast.
Although the banquet was scheduled to last into the night, most guests had lost their celebratory mood.
Whispers about what had happened earlier filled the hall.
Beside Emperor Hubbard, General Wilhelm, now dressed in formal attire, repeatedly discussed the possibility of sending troops to the chaos lands to rescue Edward.
However, given the suddenness of the situation, mobilizing forces would take at least two to three days.
By then, if Edward was indeed in danger, they might only recover a body.
"Any news from the Mage Tower?" asked the anxious king.
Ska, freshly returned from the Tower, wiped sweat from his brow and replied, "The Arch Mage has mobilized most of the Tower's mages to search for him. However, the chaotic magic field in that area makes it nearly impossible to pinpoint his location. We'll need to wait for results."
Edward's suspected peril had alarmed the entire Mage Tower—not because he was the youngest Grand Mage, but because the patents for the Magic Video Recorder and Imaging Crystals still rested in his hands!
Many mages had only recently paid licensing fees to the Tower's director.
If Edward were to disappear, their investments would evaporate alongside him.
Some temperamental mages even contemplated storming the chaos lands directly.
The king, somewhat reassured by the Tower's involvement, continued strategizing with General Wilhelm, while the banquet attendees hung on their every word.
The only absence was that of a certain bishop, who had quietly left.
Suddenly, Ska's expression shifted as he pulled out an enchanted alchemical device, prompting everyone to focus on him.
When he activated it, Edward's smiling face appeared on the projection, alive and well.
<+>
Back in Nosrick, Edward wasted no time after returning.
After explaining the studio's corporate culture to Latisha, he dove straight back into preparations for his next film.
He summoned all pre-cast actors and instructed Chase to gather the rest of the troupe.
Though this urgency stemmed partly from his work ethic, it was mostly because he wanted to avoid the inevitable inquiries from the Mage Tower and the royal court.
Delegating these matters to others, he focused on his "noble pursuit"—producing animated films.
This sudden development left many mages in the Tower furious.
After all their concern and efforts, discovering that Edward was perfectly fine felt like a slap in the face.
It took the Tower's administrator, Hohenheim, to calm the crowd.
However, Edward could expect quite the interrogation the next time he visited the Tower.
Meanwhile, the royal court, though annoyed, was relieved that Edward was unharmed.
The Emperor looked forward to the video communication technology he had promised.
Unaware of the chaos he'd caused, Edward pushed full steam ahead.
He and his troupe quickly traveled to the next filming location for Fate/Zero: Arkans City, which he had previously scouted during the Goblin Slayer shoot.
Breathing in the fresh sea breeze, Edward called out loudly, "Everyone, get ready! We're starting the first scenes of the Holy Grail War!"
Behind him, actors marveled at the new location.
Before they could comment further, Edward added, "Cut the chatter! We're about to film the opening of the Holy Grail War. Everyone, stay sharp!"
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