Re-written date: 7 / 17 / 2025
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Chapter 65: The New Movie Premiere
Sam was a noble child from the southern territory—more specifically, the son of an earl. By all rights, his life should have been one of luxury, where every need was met with a snap of the fingers. Yet Sam had never liked the stuffy formalities of noble society. He despised the idea of spending his whole life doing nothing meaningful.
When he was younger, he had dreamed of being born with magical talent. He wanted to become a powerful mage who could command the elements. Unfortunately, reality was less kind. No matter how many times he was tested or how hard he tried, the results were always the same—he simply had no affinity for magic.
And as the eldest son of the family, he wasn't allowed to throw away his responsibilities and join the military either. That left only one option: becoming an adventurer. It wasn't the path his father approved of. In fact, the earl had always thought the idea was beneath their bloodline and did everything he could to talk Sam out of it.
But Sam didn't give up. On the day he turned sixteen, he quietly left home with nothing more than a servant's sword, slipping out under the cover of night. Using directions he had read in biographies and stories, he traveled to the nearest Adventurers' Guild—an organization that accepted anyone, noble or commoner, so long as they had the guts. There, he proudly registered himself as an official adventurer.
His very first partner turned out to be someone just as unconventional—Joseph, who used to work backstage at a cinema before deciding to change careers. They hit it off almost instantly, sharing dreams of a life full of stories worth telling. And so, the two set out together on their adventure... or so they had imagined.
"Ugh, I'm so bored. Why haven't there been any decent jobs lately? Every request we see these days is for stuff happening way out in Tansan City. The travel costs alone would wipe out whatever reward we'd get!"
Sam's voice was full of frustration as he sprawled across a bench inside the guild hall, arms hanging over the backrest like a deflated puppet. His red hair stuck out at odd angles—he hadn't bothered to fix it that morning.
Joseph, already used to this kind of mood from his partner, didn't even look up from the notice board. "That's how it is here. The south is the safest part of the empire, remember? It's kind of perfect for newbies like us. You can't expect to take down trolls on your first week out. Didn't the Sword Master at the training hall say you had a lot of potential? He even said you might hit Rank 3 within a year."
Sam clicked his tongue. "Big deal. Even if I hit Rank 3, there's still no work. Why don't we save up and just move to another territory already? Maybe the north? I heard it's crawling with dangerous monsters. Now that sounds like a real adventure!"
Joseph was about to reply when a sudden commotion erupted from the other side of the guild hall.
"Tch, so that's what this is about? Just a performance? I've seen so many of those I'm practically sick of them! You commoners really love to make a fuss over nothing..."
Although there was something odd in Sam's words, Joseph didn't have time to dwell on it. He raised his voice and replied, "I knew you were gonna say that! But don't worry, a movie's nothing like those boring old stage plays that put you to sleep. Once you see it, you'll get it. I promise—it's not gonna disappoint!"
Before long, the two of them arrived at the gates of the Nosrick Cinema. The moment they saw the massive crowd gathered outside, Sam froze on the spot. It was the first time he'd seen such a sight, and after standing in stunned silence for a few seconds, he muttered, "No way... Don't tell me all these people are here to see that 'movie' thing? That's way too lame..."
Joseph frowned slightly at his friend's dismissive attitude, but he didn't argue. He knew this kind of reaction was normal for first-timers. Instead of wasting time explaining, he used his connections at the cinema to score two tickets. Then, without giving Sam a chance to object, he grabbed him by the arm and dragged him inside.
Once they were swept in by the flow of people and entered the cinema, Joseph noticed that all the old posters for KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World had been replaced. In their place was a bold new image: a warrior in full armor standing at the mouth of a dark cave, sword in hand. The title read Goblin Slayer.
The fierce and gritty visual immediately caught Joseph's eye. At the same time, Sam leaned over, sounding more interested than before. "Huh? What's this picture? Not bad... it actually looks kinda cool."
"Uh... I'm not sure what this movie's about either. 'Goblin Slayer', huh? Sounds kinda... weird. But I've got a good feeling. I bet it's gonna be awesome."
"Yeah yeah, if you say so," Sam replied, waving him off. "Since it's just one of those... uh, commoner pastimes, I guess I'll graciously tag along and see what it's all about. But hey! Don't forget we've still gotta decide where we're heading next! Personally, I think the northern territories are perfect for us. Just thinking about being an adventurer out there gets my blood pumping!"
Joseph sighed, only half-listening to his partner's rambling as he led him into the screening hall and found their assigned seats.
By now, more and more people were filing in. Soon enough, chatter began to fill the room.
"I heard this movie's got a totally different tone from KonoSuba! Apparently, it scared a bunch of girls at the premiere!"
"Haha, well yeah—you did say girls. Come on, it's just a movie. We're adventurers! No way we'd get scared by something like that."
"Pffft, you? An adventurer? When was the last time you even fought a monster? Don't come crying to me if you wet yourself halfway through..."
"Tch, whatever. Just wait and see!"
Sam rolled his eyes at the nearby group's conversation, clearly unimpressed. He didn't believe for a second that a simple movie could frighten him—and honestly, he still didn't care much about this whole "cinema" thing to begin with.
Joseph just smiled and shook his head, choosing not to say anything.
Then, the lights dimmed. The opening scene began to unfold.
Instantly, the noisy cinema fell into a tense, focused silence. All eyes were locked on the screen.
And as the unfamiliar images appeared before him, Sam—watching a movie for the first time in his life—found himself whispering in disbelief.
"Wait... Is that... Lady Daphne—?!"