Animation Producer in a Fantasy World

“I’ll be blunt. I think your identity might be Zodiac, Louis.”

“…”

“You’re not surprised. As if you expected me to say this.”

“Well, I have no reason to be surprised.”

Louis muttered with an utterly indifferent face.

“Didn’t you suspect me from the moment we first met, Alpha? Thinking about that, it’s not so surprising.”

“Haha, Louis is indeed clever. You’ve grasped the entire situation without me saying much.”

Saying so, Alpha lifted the corners of his mouth.

“High intelligence and outstanding brain function. It’s just like… Zodiac’s. Isn’t it?”

“…”

Alpha, who utters such words despite the presence of Louis’s father, the investigator, right beside him.

This was synonymous with the fact that Alpha currently thinks Louis is the infamous murderer ‘Zodiac’.

“Personally, I consider Louis a friend. I hope as much as possible that Louis is not Zodiac.”

“…So? What do you want to say?”

“I want to… use a certain magic on you.”

“Magic? What kind of magic?”

“It’s simple. It’s… magic that checks whether the other person’s words are lies or not.”

Alpha looks at him with an ice-cold gaze, as if he has finally cornered Louis into checkmate.

“Oh, this time Alpha has really driven Louis into a corner?”

“That’s right. Magic that checks whether the other person’s words are lies or not. No matter how you look at it, there doesn’t seem to be a normal way to escape this situation.”

Watching this development, the viewers couldn’t help but click their tongues.

Because for several episodes now, Alpha had been constantly suspecting that Louis might be Zodiac, and had been showing an inexplicably obsessive attitude towards him.

“By the way, Alpha is coming on quite strong. To directly use magic on Louis that’s used on criminals. Isn’t that already as good as concluding that Louis is Zodiac?”

“If Louis can somehow get through this situation, Alpha’s authority will take quite a hit.”

Although it’s something that the characters in the story except Alpha haven’t noticed.

People watching the animation from an omniscient viewpoint knew well that Louis’s identity was the murderer Zodiac.

Therefore, if the ‘lie-detecting magic’ that Alpha prepared works properly, Louis would inevitably be caught.

However, most viewers thought that even in this situation where Louis was thoroughly cornered, he would have a secret move to counterattack Alpha.

Because that’s how it’s always been until now.

Even when he was almost caught by an investigator sent from the imperial family.

Even in the unprecedented crisis situation where Alpha was monitoring and wiretapping his entire house.

Louis had nonchalantly overcome such crises in incredibly ingenious ways without panicking at all.

As such, expectations were formed that this time too, Louis would overcome the crisis in a way that surpasses people’s expectations.

Although Louis clearly plays the role of a villain in the work “Book of Life and Death”.

The reason why there are people among the viewers who are secretly cheering for Louis is precisely because of this.

And Louis, as if living up to such expectations of the viewers.

“Fine. If that’s what it takes to satisfy you, by all means.”

Accepted Alpha’s proposal with a very confident attitude.

Seeing this, Alpha feels somewhat perplexed.

“…What? Louis. What are you thinking?”

According to his calculations, in the current situation, Louis should have tried to reject or not accept Alpha’s proposal by any means.

But Louis, as if mocking such thoughts of Alpha, accepts the ‘lie-detecting magic’ all too naturally.

Could it be that Louis anticipated Alpha would make such a proposal and set some kind of trap in advance?

But now, he can’t take back the proposal he made with his own mouth.

In the end, in front of a great magician belonging to the imperial family, Louis begins to be interrogated while the ‘lie-detecting magic’ is in operation.

“Then, I’ll ask the question. Louis, is your hidden identity Zodiac?”

“No, I am not Zodiac.”

“Have you, Louis, ever killed criminals on the continent using means we don’t know about?”

“No, not at all. I did not kill them.”

Louis calmly tells lies without changing his facial expression at all.

“Huh, it’s amazing in a way. To be able to tell lies with such a nonchalant expression.”

“If nothing else, we must admit that Louis’s mental strength has reached the realm of the gods.”

Watching this scene, viewers couldn’t help but stick out their tongues.

And.

“…This can’t be.”

“What’s the matter?”

“There were no lies in what this person just said.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m saying there were no lies among the words this person just spoke.”

At those words from the great magician, Alpha widens his eyes.

“That’s impossible! There must be some mistake, or some trick hidden-”

“Alpha. I tell you, staking everything as a great magician.”

“There was no mistake in the magic I just performed.”

“…Such, nonsense…”

Leaving Alpha with a seemingly despairing expression, Louis gets up from his seat and pats Alpha’s shoulder.

“Too bad, Alpha.”

“But there’s no need to be too disappointed. There will be… plenty of opportunities to confront Zodiac in the future.”

“…”

For a moment, Alpha saw it clearly.

For just an instant, the corners of Louis’s mouth were slightly twisted upwards.

Louis, who passed by Alpha like that and came out of the investigation agency.

The Shinigami, who had been quietly watching the situation until now, laughs at Louis as if dumbfounded.

“Kukuku… Interesting, Louis. To think you’d do such a cute thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. Just now, the target of that magician’s magic wasn’t you, was it?”

“I didn’t understand why you moved your seat so many times saying you were uncomfortable before the interrogation… Now I get it.”

“You, from the beginning, intended to make that magician use magic on me instead of you?”

“Ah, I see!”

“So that’s why the magic didn’t work on Louis!”

At that moment, the viewers watching the animation couldn’t help but let out exclamations of admiration.

The seventh rule about the ‘Book of Life and Death’ that only Shinigami know and humans don’t know.

Shinigami clearly exist in the human world, but.

It’s impossible for humans to perceive the appearance of Shinigami by any means.

Only those who have touched the Book of Life and Death with their bare hands can see the Shinigami.

But if we think about this in reverse.

Doesn’t it mean that humans not only can’t perceive the appearance of Shinigami, but it’s also not entirely impossible to interfere with Shinigami?

At this point, only Louis knows about the existence of the Book of Life and Death.

It was a deception using the advantage of knowing the rules related to the Book of Life and Death.

“There are countless humans who tremble before Shinigami, but to think there would be a human who tries to use a Shinigami… Usually this would be a violation of the rules, but since you’ve entertained me, I’ll let it slide just this once.”

“Thank you. Anyway, with this, Alpha can no longer accuse me of being Zodiac.”

Louis muttered with a smirk.

In his eyes, who could be called the current owner of the Book of Life and Death, he can see.

Not long ago, the door between the afterlife and this world opened once again.

And because of that, one more Shinigami’s Book of Life and Death fell into the human world.

“The human who picked up the Book of Life and Death, the second Zodiac, is someone who agrees with my ideal of punishing criminals. He too is using the Book of Life and Death to dispose of trash.”

“The second Zodiac is a very powerful variable, but at the same time, he’s clearly someone I can use well.”

“I will manipulate the second Zodiac… and this time, I will kill Alpha.”

As Louis mutters with a surprisingly cold smile, the screen fades to black.

The viewers who had been watching the anime without even breathing properly until now clutched their hearts.

“Kuuu! Today’s “Book of Life and Death” was the best as expected!”

“‘Machine God Chronicles’ had parts where it slowed down in between so it was a bit lacking in momentum, but ‘Book of Life and Death’ is incredibly good because it progresses rapidly without such things!”

“You bastard, did you just say the daily life parts of ‘Machine God Chronicles’ where Kai and the heroines get lovey-dovey are boring?”

“But it’s good that it’s progressing so rapidly, but honestly, aren’t you a bit worried?”

“What are you worried about now?”

“No, I’m afraid of how they’ll handle it later if it progresses so rapidly. At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if ‘Book of Life and Death’ concludes within 10 episodes.”

At someone’s words, the people around laughed incredulously.

“What are you saying. This person is worrying about strange things unnecessarily.”

“Right. Have you already forgotten that ‘Machine God Chronicles’ aired for 50 episodes?”

When everyone around reacted like that, even the person who had expressed concern scratched their head sheepishly.

“…Haha, I guess so? I must have overreacted, right?”

“Of course! ‘Book of Life and Death’ is going to keep giving us pleasure! All the way to 50 episodes!”

“Let’s go to 50 episodes! No, that’s not enough, let’s go for a director’s cut or movie version too!”

“Ah, come to think of it, I forgot to tell you all one thing.”

“What is it?”

“‘Book of Life and Death’ is scheduled to conclude within the next 10 episodes. With Louis’s death and Alpha’s victory.”

“…Pardon?”

At those words I casually threw out, everyone gathered here, including the production staff, opened their mouths wide.

But only for a moment.

“Wh-What do you mean…!”

Thud.

Kaya, who stood up from her seat, ran to me like lightning and grabbed my collar.

“What on earth did you just…!”

“Everyone will be disappointed, but it can’t be helped. From the beginning, when planning the work ‘Book of Life and Death’, I had decided to conclude it around this point-”

“No, not that!”

Kaya cried out to me as if she had witnessed the Empire collapsing before her eyes.

“Why did you spoil the ending of ‘Book of Life and Death’ in front of us! I was really looking forward to how it would end! Why on earth!”

“…..”

Ah, it was that.

Since there was no one on Earth who didn’t know the ending of ‘that work’, I unknowingly…

What’s that, it was common sense on the level of knowing that the final boss’s ability in Part 3 is time stop.

Well.

Anyway, I’m really sorry.