Filming

The brainless Workshop Master had no choice but to return, feeling quite aggrieved, to draw the costume design for the Magical Girl himself.

As a former Concept Artist, this was Angell's true profession.

Setting aside "minor issues"—such as the costume structure defying the laws of physics, making it impossible to put on, uncomfortable even if one managed to wear it, and the fact that no normal person would dress like that—the design itself was top-tier and beautiful.

"It's so pretty! Can the heroine really wear something like this?"

Enlise looked at the design, her eyes sparkling as she spoke.

Seeing this, Angell asked, "How about it? Do you want to play the heroine?"

"..." Enlise looked at the design for a moment, hesitating, before shaking her head. "I don't think I can do it."

Enlise already knew what an "actress" did.

Last time, when Angell heard that Enlise had never seen a movie, he bought three tickets—speaking of which, Angell was now even more confident in the success of his Little Witch movie, as there were almost no films suitable for young girls in this era, and after searching for a long time, he had only found one comedy that was appropriate—and told Enlise to go watch it with her friends.

Though Enlise had claimed she didn't need to, she had actually enjoyed it quite a bit, yet upon returning, she became unwilling to participate in any film productions.

"I don't want to become someone else," Enlise said.

"It's not about becoming someone else, but playing someone else," Angell said. "But if you don't want to, Enlise, then forget it. Regardless, you can do anything you set your mind to."

Enlise's small face turned red instantly.

She seemed to have misunderstood that Angell was complimenting her.

In reality, Angell was merely describing an objective fact.

Angell gave the costume design to Enlise because she was the one who could operate the Alchemy Machine.

The rating provided by the machine was as follows:

[Enlise]

[Sewing]: A

[Forging]: A

[Design]: A

[Planting]: A

[Note]: All skill proficiencies are at zero. Did this child just come off the assembly line?

"That's right, unlike an old hag like you," Angell said to the Alchemy Machine on purpose.

Angell felt as if he had just hit the jackpot.

Although none of Enlise's skills had reached the highest S-level, having an SR-level employee with A-rank in all skills early on was far better than an SSR that couldn't be used yet.

Especially in a management game.

Enlise's stats meant that no matter what talent the machine required, Angell could have her fill the role.

The best part was that this employee came as a starting bonus.

If this Alchemy Workshop were a game, the Planner would be incredibly generous. If Angell were setting it up himself, he would have only given out an SR that looked good on paper but was useless, forcing the player to rely on gacha for everything else.

Then again, the difficulty of "drawing cards" in the real world was much higher.

Angell had posted a recruitment notice at the agency, and everyone he had seen so far was an N-Rank; even an R-Rank was a rare creature.

This made Enlise all the more precious.

Enlise took the costume design and the materials Angell had prepared to the Alchemy Machine. Following his instructions, she began to operate it, and the machine actually started to run.

The rumbling noise it made sounded remarkably like it was cursing at someone.

Perhaps he really did need to find a Mage to repair this machine, give it some oil, and maybe some books.

Angell thought this without much sincerity.

He had Enlise process the clothing while he busied himself with researching the "Ceremonial Magic Wand."

Fortunately, the alchemy array for the wand remained in the instrument, so no additional operation was needed. All Angell had to do was add the corresponding incantations to the wand's various spells, and he finally solidified a tracking spell into it.

A tracking spell was a troublesome composite spell, generally used to locate the position of important items.

However, Angell also knew a Mage with mysophobia; that obsessive-compulsive individual had placed tracking markers on every item in his home, so when it came time to clean, he only needed to use a single cleaning spell to dispose of all the clutter at once.

He had heard that many witches did the same.

This method gave Angell an idea. He used the tracking spell to anchor the clothing to various parts of the body, and during the process, he added a grand display of light and special effects.

It roughly achieved the effect of "Moon Prism Power! Make up—"

(Besides, there's no way to put it on normally anyway!)

Furthermore, a skirt anchored to the body in this way would definitely have an anti-gravity effect, so there would be no fear of a wardrobe malfunction, even with a miniskirt.

"Right, let's add a storage space to keep the transformation costume inside."

Angell muttered to himself, feeling that he was being very considerate of young girls.

And so, amidst Angell's busy work, time passed silently.

On a day in mid-July, Sir Mandela finally arrived in Cecilia City with his team and filming equipment. Without even taking a moment to rest, he began the casting process for the lead roles at Angell's suggestion.

Although Sir Mandela had brought a professional troupe of actors, there were few suitable child stars available, so the young girls for the lead roles were selected directly from the students at the Cecilia City Charity School.

Angell only recommended one person.

"As expected of a candidate chosen by Lord Angell!" Sir Mandela praised. "She has the potential to be a star!"

"...You don't have to force yourself to compliment her just because of me. If you don't think she's a good fit—"

"No! I mean it from the bottom of my heart." Sir Mandela was so excited he was practically huffing, and he seemed genuinely sincere. "Just looking at her appearance, this child is the type who will be very popular with the audience!"

"Is that so?" Angell looked over skeptically.

On the other side, Enlise was running happily toward her friends.

"Maya, this outfit suits you so well!"

"It really does, it's so beautiful," Liti added with a smile.

"Really? Hehe." Maya tugged at her skirt awkwardly, revealing a wide, goofy grin.

She just... looked really silly.

Is there really no problem with such a little blockhead taking the lead role? She looks like she could mess everything up at any moment, Angell thought with great concern.

But among Enlise's friends, only this silly child had accepted the invitation.

Liti, the "true Little Witch" whom Angell had set his sights on, had flatly rejected Enlise's invitation, even going out of her way to politely have her mother bring a basket of pastries to apologize.

"Mr. Angell must have noticed our family's lineage, right? But... I am sorry, precisely because of that, we have no intention of being in the public eye." That was what Liti's mother had said. "Besides, my child is rather introverted, so she isn't suitable."

As her mother spoke, Liti hid behind her skirts, looking terrified.

Since they had put it that way, it was truly difficult to force the issue.

In the end, only Maya had agreed.

When it came down to it, the only people who would go into the entertainment industry were a bunch of idiots.

(This prejudice is Angell's personal map-bomb and has nothing to do with the author or other character groups.)

Thinking this, Angell felt completely relieved.

Whether Sir Mandela was trying to butter up Angell or if Maya was truly that gifted, she ended up becoming the female lead after a round of auditions.

The other child actors were selected through the standard Charity School application process. Since there were very few children suitable for acting, there wasn't much chaos.

The real stir was caused by the casting for "Mary Sue (X) Witch Cecilia."

Because it was rumored to be a big production and the role itself was quite appealing, it was said that when Sir Mandela was casting, the actresses under his banner had already torn each other apart once. Then, once they reached Cecilia City, various lords and gentlemen somehow got wind of the news and sent in their own recommendations, leading to another round of infighting. It was only thanks to Sir Mandela's resilience that he managed to give everyone a result they were somewhat satisfied with.

—Angell never found out who actually played the role in the end, nor did he care.

He only lamented that a Mary Sue is indeed a Mary Sue; even her actors were caught in such a storm of drama.

Under these circumstances, the filming of Magical Girl ☆ (crossed out) Angie (crossed out) Maya finally began.

*

There wasn't much to say about the filming process.

At least, for Angell, there wasn't much to say.

He had originally intended to offer some advice on the production using his "advanced experience" from another world, but once he actually arrived on set, Angell discovered there was very little room for him to interject.

First of all, curse the wretched film camera!

This thing looked incredibly high-end on the outside, but until the film was actually developed, only the cameraman knew what kind of mess had been captured. Even if Angell wanted to offer suggestions, he couldn't say anything without knowing the results.

At the same time, the cost of film was extremely high.

For a single movie, fifty percent of the budget went into the film itself; there was no such thing as reshooting! A single reshoot meant double the cost, so it absolutely could not be wasted! This cost was passed on to the actors.

At least during the time Angell was on set, he watched Maya repeat the same action over a dozen times when they weren't filming, and the camera would only roll once the director felt the actor's performance was stable.

Fortunately, silly children have the advantages of being silly.

Maya was clearly used to being criticized, so she didn't mind repeating things over and over, and she stubbornly persisted to the end.

It was Angell who couldn't bear to watch.

"I think it's good enough as it is!" It was just a commercial; as long as the Magic Wand looked cool enough, he really didn't care about the stiff expressions.

"Mr. Angell is truly a kind person," Sir Mandela praised.

Then, he politely and firmly ushered Angell off the set.

Angell: ...

Fine! You guys do your best. He had already read the script, and it was quite interesting.

At this rate, even if the cinematography was a bit lacking, the final result wouldn't be too bad.

Angell thought, comforting himself.

*

Without Angell's interference, the filming went even more smoothly.

It was not just Sir Mandela who thought so; the entire crew felt the same, especially Director Peter, who felt as though he had hit the jackpot.

Peter was a veteran director.

He had been directing movies since the founding of the Iron Puppet Production Studio and had helmed over twenty films to date, earning quite a reputation within the circle.

However, directors fall into two categories.

One type is the control freak; whether it is the actors or the script, everything is merely a prop for their personal expression. Such directors keep a tight grip on everything and refuse to allow any loss of control.

The other type is more laid-back; they film exactly what the screenwriter writes, without changing even a single shot.

There is no real hierarchy between the two. While the former relies heavily on individual talent, the latter, by following steps in a disciplined manner, can capture the brilliance of the script and the actors' performances, still producing world-class masterpieces. This, too, is a display of ability.

Director Peter was the latter.

His personality was easygoing and indifferent to fame; he accepted any script that came his way, yet he could maintain a certain standard for every one of them. He was a pillar of the Iron Puppet Production Studio.

However, no matter how indifferent a person may be, after working in the industry for so many years and having so many works under his belt, one always longs for a masterpiece to prove oneself. Peter had been waiting for this opportunity.

Peter believed that opportunity had arrived!

In fact, before coming to Cecilia City, Peter had not been optimistic about this film.

Like all arrogant Xiesse people, Peter considered the ancient Cecilia City to be a remote, rural backwater. He assumed it was little more than a relic of the Magic Era and that it would be impossible for them to understand anything about movies.

He had not refused the job only because Sir Mandela was his boss.

Moreover, Peter knew very well that when Sir Mandela asked him to shoot such commissioned films, it was usually because the "client" had significant backing or was paying so much that Mandela could not refuse. Thus, he would find the most obedient director to ensure nothing went wrong.

Peter was the most obedient director.

Therefore, Peter simply treated this as a vacation to Cecilia City. After enjoying the beautiful scenery of the ancient city and filming the nonsensical script step-by-step, he would consider his task complete.

He was not the only one who thought this way; everyone else in the know shared the same opinion.

In Xiesse, some even whispered, "Mandela must be having financial trouble, which is why he keeps running off to the countryside, trying to get unsophisticated rural tycoons to invest in his new film." "How could those country bumpkins possibly shoot a good movie?" "Mandela is getting old; his judgment must finally be ruined!"

However, when Peter arrived in Cecilia City and saw the screenwriter of the film, he became excited.

Allen Kirk!

It was actually this author serving as the screenwriter!

Peter had caught a glimpse of this author from afar at an industry banquet a year ago. He had heard that several major production studios were bidding to buy the rights to his representative work, with offers reaching thirty thousand gold, yet they still hadn't closed the deal. He never expected to have the chance to be the first to film a script written by him! Peter almost suspected he was dreaming.

Then, Peter witnessed the massive scale of the film's background.

The Cecilia City Hall, the Magic Association, and the Eastern Territory Department of Education—what kind of divine lineup was this?!

He could have any scene he wanted, and any level of background actors he needed. This kind of top-tier treatment was something one wouldn't even dare to dream of in Xiesse!

Not to mention the Mage Tower; would Xiesse ever be willing to open up its City Hall?

Would the mayor be willing to make a cameo in person?!

Could the staff of the Magic Association be the real deal?!

Even the Demon Race villains could be real—when Peter mentioned he needed two Slimes, the investor's Black Robe mage summoned a whole group on the spot. Peter never dared to bring it up again, though; he was terrified that the Black Robe might actually summon a Demon King for him.

Next came the film's massive investment.

There had been vague rumors about this back in Xiesse. After all, Sir Mandela had selected his most outstanding employees and even utilized his final batch of filming equipment, which already made people wonder how much money he had secured.

But based on that alone, Peter could only say his boss valued the project; he was unsure of the other side's attitude.

That was until Director Peter came into contact with the batch of Magic Items provided by the client.

They were all the real thing!

The little girl's Magic Wand could actually transform her when waved!

The Broom could truly fly in the sky!

Whatever special effects he wanted, he only had to tell the owner of the Alchemy Workshop, and he would have the real thing by the next day! When necessary, they could even dispatch actual mages to help!

Peter had never filmed such a luxurious movie in his life.

He recalled his last masterpiece, which cost hundreds of thousands of gold, where he had only been able to hire two Mage Consultants—and they were the type who held their noses in the air, becoming impatient after three questions.

In contrast, there were three spell consultants just for the script here!

Peter felt that if he couldn't film those magic scenes well, he might as well die to atone for his failure.

Finally, since the subject of shots was raised, there was one more thing that surprised Peter the most: the investor, Mr. Angell, had actually provided a storyboard!

When Peter first received the storyboard, he felt it was another case of a layman instructing an expert. But after looking through it, he discovered that the other party was a consummate professional; the control of the various shots was simply breathtaking.

Although, due to time constraints, Angell had only drawn storyboards for magic scenes like the girl's transformation and the use of Ultimate Skills, it was enough to shock Peter.

(Angell: Nonsense, how many years do you think the film industry developed in my previous life?)

The only fault to pick was that Mr. Angell seemed unfamiliar with the cameras—which Peter found contradictory—as many of the camera movements and angles were impossible for current cameras to achieve.

"Are they really impossible?" Allen asked during a script discussion. "Mr. Angell is a mage, isn't he? Why don't you consider whether those angles are achievable from a mage's perspective?"

Allen's words gave Director Peter great inspiration.

After consulting with the mages, they discovered that some shots could indeed be achieved from the perspective of spellcasting.

Although there were things they couldn't achieve, the Mage Consultants said, "Is it because Lord Angell is an Intermediate Mage? Let's go back and think it over carefully to see if there are any other ways!"

During the filming process, they also seemed to develop a great interest in the camera.

"Those mages were actually quite easy to talk to!" Peter said.

He couldn't help but look forward to the filming at the Mage Tower.

--This was another point of anticipation for Peter: as someone without talent, the mere thought of having the opportunity to enter a Mage Tower made him feel excited.

Peter couldn't help but say to the Cameraman, "I wonder what we'll see at the Mage Tower tomorrow."

"Huh? Oh," the Cameraman replied in a daze.

Peter looked strangely at the face of his partner of many years and noticed something was wrong: "You've been very absent-minded lately. Are you still having nightmares?"

"A little," the Cameraman rubbed his eyes and checked with Peter, "What about you? Weren't you having nightmares a while ago, too?"

"...I haven't had any recently." But they weren't exactly good dreams either. Although he had no memory of them upon waking, the uncomfortable feeling was like a cold shadow in winter, impossible to shake off.

Peter thought about the dreams at night and felt a chill run through his body.

If there was anything that felt wrong about coming to Cecilia City, it was these strange dreams.

Ever since they started filming, Peter had been having bad dreams.

And the Cameraman's situation was even more severe than the director's.

However, if they really had to talk about the cause, both of them had a vague inkling.

"...Is it because the tone of the movie is too gloomy?" the Cameraman said. "There were several shots this afternoon that made my skin crawl... I didn't even feel this uncomfortable when we filmed that award-winning horror movie last time."

"But these are the shots specifically designated by Allen," Peter frowned.

"But according to the script, it's supposed to be a very cheerful story!" The Cameraman pressed his temples. "Could something be wrong?"

"I don't think so, right? Both Mr. Angell and Mr. Allen seem to have studied the shots quite a bit. Especially Mr. Allen; after seeing Mr. Angell's Storyboard, he even made significant modifications to it, which means they want this effect, don't they?" Peter said. "Besides, in terms of the plot, it's self-consistent."

"Yes, it's just that the difference in atmosphere has completely changed the core of the story, turning it from a family-friendly comedy into a tragedy laden with ominous metaphors. This level of cinematic language and expressive ability is something I've seen for the first time! Even for the shots that are fine, just thinking about the metaphors behind them is enough to give me nightmares! In that sense, it really is a masterpiece!"

"...Perhaps that is Mr. Angell's requirement? He is a Black Robe, after all."

"A terrifying Black Robe!"

The Cameraman shrugged and walked away, looking irritable.

Peter picked up the script with its cheerful lines and read it through once more, then recalled the content he had filmed.

He liked this story.

He also understood the dark metaphors behind it and felt a sense of admiration.

But couldn't the color palette be a little brighter?

Vulgar as he was, what he loved most were stories filled with hope!

"I will go to the Mage Tower with you tomorrow."

At this moment, Silverleaf was saying this to Mira and Gru.

His two classmates looked at him in surprise.

Mira was particularly uneasy: "Didn't you keep saying you didn't need to before?"

Gru, however, breathed a sigh of relief: "I also think you should go with us and see! As the Chief Student, you should get better opportunities than we do! Wouldn't it be a pity not to try?"

"The Magic Gear is already very good," Mira muttered.

"Anyway, we're just going to take a look; it's not like we're saying we'll join the Mage Tower right away."

"But..."

Silverleaf listened quietly to the argument between his two classmates, his hand pressing against the expensive invitation letter in his pocket.