Chapter 152: The Impact of The Garden of Sinners (Part 1)
In the Southern Territory
The explosive popularity of The Garden of Sinners had completely ignited the region. Every day, countless people flooded into TV taverns, settling in for an entire afternoon of viewing.
And even after leaving, they would linger outside the venues, still immersed in excitement, passionately discussing the movie's plot with those around them.
"This Garden of Sinners feels even harder to understand than before."
"Yeah, Fate/Zero had a ton of complicated lore, but at least the main story was clear—it was all about the battles between heroic spirits. But The Garden of Sinners… I still can't figure out what kind of enemies the protagonists are even fighting."
"Even so, it's still an incredible film! The fight sequences are stunning, and the relationship between Kokutou Mikiya and Ryougi Shiki is really intriguing."
"True, but I still don't get it."
"Hmph! If you don't understand it, that just means your comprehension level is lacking. The enemies in The Garden of Sinners have been clear from the start—they are monsters, beings that exist outside of society. The story takes place in a world without supernatural abilities, so those who possess extraordinary powers become the anomalies themselves. No matter what they do, they will never be accepted by normal society. The more they resist, the closer they come to destruction. That's the core theme of The Garden of Sinners—it follows the struggles of these outcasts, and the heroine, Ryougi Shiki, is one of them."
"Oh wow, you explained it so well! That's amazing."
"Heh, of course!"
"Hah! Don't listen to his boasting. Everyone knows that Edward Film Studio recently published an official Garden of Sinners setting book. Most of what he just said is written in there."
"Oh, so that's how he knew…"
While these discussions continued, at the edge of the TV tavern, a small hand slowly reached toward the clerk.
"I'd like to buy a copy of the setting book."
Hearing Juno's request, the clerk had just taken out the book when the Beastkin girl slapped down a few silver coins, then darted away like the wind.
Back at Edward Tavern, Viz had just opened her mouth to greet her—
But before she could say anything, the girl rushed up to the second floor without a word.
Pulling out paper and pen, Juno immediately began writing a letter to the Oracle of the Beastkin Kingdom, recording everything she could remember about The Garden of Sinners in meticulous detail.
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Imperial Mage Academy
Gebrun was a fourth-year student in the Mental and Spiritual Studies Branch at the Imperial Mage Academy.
At the same time, he was also a super repeat student, having spent five years in this position already.
When he had first enrolled, he never could have imagined that he would end up stuck in this secluded place for so long—and at this rate, he might be here even longer.
The reason for his repeated failures wasn't due to a lack of dedication to magic. In fact, it was quite the opposite—
His passion for magic was so extreme that others couldn't even begin to understand it.
In the Mental and Spiritual Studies Branch, most students studied concepts related to the human mind and spirit, focusing on spells that dealt with mental manipulation, suggestion, and control.
But Gebrun had already mastered all of these subjects in the first month after his enrolment.
Instead of stopping there, he devoted himself to researching even deeper theories about the mind and soul.
Because of this, he had successfully applied to become an assistant to Professor Streige, a renowned expert in the field. In every way, he was considered an exceptional magician.
However, his overwhelming enthusiasm also made him completely indifferent to basic academic credits—
Or rather, not just indifferent—he had reached the point where he outright disdained them.
He would even dare to directly challenge his professors' arguments during class, often throwing the entire lecture into chaos.
Within the Mental and Spiritual Studies Branch, Gebrun was regarded as someone who is nearly as troublesome as Edward—a constant headache for all the professors.
If not for the department's Arch Mage, Rosa, who recognized his immense potential and repeatedly defended him, he would have been expelled long ago, much like Edward himself.
Even so, while Gebrun managed to avoid expulsion, he was never accepted into the Mage Tower.
Despite already being a high-level magician with numerous widely recognized research papers that had practical applications, most of the academy's old scholars still refused to acknowledge him.
In the end, his fate wasn't much different from Edward's past struggles.
Now, seeing Gebrun being half-dragged into the Student Council Office by his junior, Edward smiled knowingly and said:
"Senior Gebrun, right? I've heard a lot about you."
"Huh—?"
As if caught off guard by such a sincere greeting, Gebrun stood stunned for a moment before hurriedly replying:
"It's nothing, really. But you—Edward Durin—your name is practically legendary here at the Imperial Mage Academy."
Before he could say more, the red-haired girl beside him immediately kicked him and scolded coldly:
"What kind of tone is that? Even if you're older, Senior Edward is a Grand Mage. His status is way higher than yours!"
"Hah! That's where you're wrong, Clatalis the Thirty-Fourth! I may look like just another repeat student, but in reality, I am a being from the Dark Dimen—"
"Say another word of that dumb title, and I swear I'll hit you with a Mid-Tier Mental Spell: Mindwash Storm to clear your head!"
"No, please, have mercy!"
Seeing the two bicker, Edward couldn't help but chuckle.
Noticing his gaze, the red-haired girl quickly straightened up and introduced herself:
"Nice to meet you, Senior Edward. I'm Chris, a third-year student in the Mental and Spiritual Studies Branch. I dragged this idiot here to audition because, as you probably know, he's behind on so many credits that if he doesn't make up for it soon, he'll end up in the same year as me next semester."
"Tch, it's just a mere repeat year—why should I care?" Gebrun scoffed.
"Oh, shut up! Do you seriously plan on staying a student here forever, freeloading off the academy?"
"Why not?"
"You—"
Just as they were about to start another heated argument, Edward silently pulled out a freshly completed script—the magic version of Steins;Gate—and handed it over.
Unlike the previous auditions, where he simply had applicants recite a few lines, for Gebrun and Chris, he gave them a script that no one else had even seen yet.
That alone showed how high his expectations were for them.
At first, Gebrun reluctantly took the script, clearly uninterested.
But under Chris's forceful insistence, he glanced at the contents—
And in that instant, his entire focus locked onto the page.
It was as if something had grabbed hold of his mind, rendering him completely motionless.
Seeing this, Chris curiously looked over and in just a single moment, she too was completely captivated, unable to tear herself away.
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