As one of the top commanders in the empire's military, Rutherford was well aware of the various tools that they had used during the war.
The recording crystals and display crystals were a new yet critical technology that the empire acquired only AFTER the peace deal with the elves was obtained.
Before the peace, the Empire showed power through its mix of various powerful races and varied skill set.
Messengers were not men on horseback or runners, the Empire had specific messenger beasts which were all considered "monsters" in human kingdoms.
An example would be the wyvern, too small to carry humans but smart enough to remember places, people and learn words.
The wyvern was used to deliver messages rapidly through vast distances, they were faster than the animals used by the humans such as pigeons and hawks. And they were also capable of fighting back, preventing the interception of messages.
For years, the Empire had leveraged such strengths to overpower their opponents yet the alliance against them had developed something else.
The recording crystals and display crystals allowed the allied nations to communicate directly removing the worry of message interception while also speeding up communication channels.
By the time the Empire learned of this new technology, it was already too late. A large portion of the Surati Duchy was captured and many soldiers were already lost.
Fortunately, after the ceasefire agreement with the elves, the Empire learned that it was the elven kingdom that produced the crystals.
After the ceasefire, the elves had become a neutral country to the war and provided crystals to both the Demons and the Human-Dwarf Alliance.
Due to the sudden change, Rutherford is extremely familiar with the use of the recording and display crystals.
As such, the moment he learned that Rexford was planning to use the crystals to create a "movie" and a "show". He didn't really understand what he meant.
Even when his brother had explained to him what it was, all Rutherford could think of were the propaganda pieces that the Imperial Family made using the crystals.
That was why, even during the filming of the movie, Rutherford still found himself doubtful of whether his brother could create something which he believed would "change the empire".
Rexford had thrown words around that hinted at the possibility of "Demon-Elf" relationships.
It was obvious what Rexford was hinting at but the recording which his brother did paled in comparison to those that he had made with the help of various bards and the imperial scholars.
All Rexford had them do was act, but it was not even the kind of acting that would fool a child.
It was exaggerated and Rexford always focused on facial expressions and "subtle movements" as he called it.
Throughout the whole process, Rutherford did not see a single light of hope for his brothers work-
Until he watched the final product.
As the "movie" started, instead of a three dimensional image of the events, what appeared was a flat image on the wall.
That made many scrunch their brows, after all, the display crystal was used prominently to convey speeches of the emperor or to show the power of the empire.
To do this, the display crystal made one feel as if they were present during the recording. Yet the image before them was flat and uninspiring.
Some were about to leave but then-
"Long ago, in an age of war and strife…"
The calm voice of Delilah began to narrate the tale, accompanied by a soft tune, one that made one picture a legendary history. A familiar yet unfamiliar world, and as the narration and music grabbed their attention, all the viewers, members of the "film crew" grew silent.
Focused, they watched as the image changed, sometimes it took the perspective of a common soldier, sometimes it took the perspective of the main cast.
But the very first sequence did one thing-
It showed Ferrand, the character played by Rexford.
Described as talented and holding the most beauty among the knights. The story made everyone understand that the center of the tale was Ferrand.
Maybe it was because Rexford was the one playing the character, the moment it was revealed who the center of the story was, people started to laugh.
The "movie" was still amazing but the fact that Rexford placed himself at the center of it all was just something that was expected yet funny to see it happen over and over again. Like watching a tiny dog chase its tail. You've watched it a million times yet you never grow tired of laughing whenever you see it done over and over again.
Yet, what others did not realize, Rutherford immediately picked up on.
While the normal method of display allowed one to "feel" as if they were in the presence of the recorded individual. The way Rexford presented the "movie" gave a more "internal" experience. You did not simply feel as if the man in the recording was with you, it was as if you were part of the story, walking, fighting and talking alongside Ferrand, Claude and Leon.
But when Rutherford felt as if he'd seen it all, the movie once again subverted his expectations.
The very next scene after the introduction of Ferrand was the introduction of the female leads.
The lamia's Suzanne and Anais played by Ortrun Martel and a succubus Reina Linde respectively.
After the introduction of Ferrand, one would expect that the females introduced would have no impact at all but that wasn't the case.
The next scene started off with the show of how "weak" Ferrand was.
Ferrand is a talented and powerful "human knight", he could slay monsters a hundred times his size with ease yet the moment he met a regular animal, a tiny white snake, he let his guard down and got bit.
The poison quickly spread through his veins and nearly killed him if it were not for the passing apothecaries Suzanne and Anais.
When Ferrand was recovering, a scene in his perspective was shown, poisoned, his vision was blurry but he could faintly see the beautiful face of Suzanne nursing him back to health.
Every time he went in and out of consciousness, the face of Suzanne was what appeared and as the quick sequence of his poisoning passed, the story shifted to a more "laid back" story.
After recovery, Ferrand and Claude spent some time with the apothecaries, Ferrand helped around, doing the heavy lifting which the "frail young ladies" should not be doing. He did so only to show off his ability of course but more often than not, the lingering effects of poisoning would kick in making him stumble or make a fool of himself.
One of the "most important" scenes which Rexford claimed needed to be perfect was one where Suzanne was harvesting venom from a wild snake.
Ferrand had asked, "Why not just hunt them? That is safer and easier" to which Suzanne replied with a tale.
A snake who fell in love with a man and prayed to God for a human form. She was given one but it was incomplete, she could only have the upper body of a woman to converse with the man as, "For should he not love you for who you are, then it would not be love at all".
But the blessing came with a curse, the snake had to devour its own kin to sustain its appearance.
In time, the snake became one with her beloved but became the enemy of all her kind. Yet good times did not last long for the man who learned of her secret and hunted her down.
The snake was ultimately killed by her own lover, her kin ignored her and she ended up dying alone, unloved and forgotten by the world.
"What does the story have to do with hunting snakes?" Ferrand asked to which Suzanne lied saying, "It is a lesson to never take too much or get too greedy. For savoring delicious fruit comes with a price".
Her words still didn't hit and she ended up explaining that hunting snakes for venom would ultimately make them disappear from a forest. When the source of venom vanishes, the use of apothecaries also disappears and the people who rely on them would forget about them.
Suzanne's words convinced Ferrand but the audience who knew that Suzanne herself was a lamia had a different view on her tale.
The story then continued as the feelings between Suzanne and Ferrand grew but never blossomed.
Claude on the other hand tried his best to woo Anais whom he had fallen for but unlike his blood brother who took a gentlemanly approach.
The knight Claude took a more comical, "I am strong" approach. He boasted about all the demons he killed and how he was ranked third in strength among the knights, Ferrand being second while the commander Leon was first.
Unfortunately, many of the audience laughed knowing that Claude was trying to woo a demon by bragging about killing demons. His failure was obvious and most of the audience would be made to believe that only Suzanne and Ferrand's love would blossom.
Yet, things turned for the worse as a vampire attack called for Ferrand and Claude's assistance.
The battle was dramatic and the scenes that looked "obviously fake" during recording had been combined with music, various illusory effects and ingenious changes of perspective that made the fight feel more real and actual recorded battle.
Alas, the "cool" battle ended but a problem was found.
"Claude is infected"
The sisters could do nothing about it, Ferrand did not wish to kill his own brother and so the four people swore to keep the secret.
Yet, Claude's transformation allowed him to see through the disguises of the sisters.
Unable to make a careful judgement after having his life flipped over, Claude wrote a letter, prepared for failure as he confronted the sisters about the truth when Ferrand went out to hunt.
The music and perspective were made to cause tension. Even Rutherford and the rest of the "film crew" who were aware of the ending still felt the tension as Claude led the sisters into the woods while carrying his sword.
But the tension was broken when the sisters made Claude realize that they were no different from each other.
Despite having obvious biological differences, the sisters made Claude try to use his Holy Power which was used to "Fight Demons" and he had been able to use it.
The tension broke and calm returned as the three people were finally able to exchange words peacefully. Yet, as the crowd relaxed, a sudden realization hit Claude and the scene that took three days of repeated recording showed its value.
Claude's shocked expression and the flash of the letter gave everyone what Rexford described as an "Oh SHIT! Moment", as Claude immediately raced back to the house with the sisters.
But just as they started running, the scene cut once more showing Ferrand returning from the hunt and finding Claude's letter.
The second plan that Claude had prepared, a letter that would be sent out "should I not arrive by evening" was found by Ferrand and as he was reaching out for the letter, a knock on the door was heard and then the screen turned black.
The sound of flapping wings sounded as Claude and the sisters arrived at Ferrand opening the door for them.
"Just in time, don't worry about the letter, I've already sent it"
That short sequence made everyone grab the edge of their seats. It was like sailing through stormy waters, the tension continuously rose and fell.
But the ending was already set in stone.
Claude immediately declared a need to enter the demon territory, making up a lie about how the sisters' relatives were captured by demons and they had to rescue them.
Because it was urgent, Claude could not only rely on the knight's help, at least, that's how he explained to Ferrand who followed along.
The four quickly rushed to the border but just as they were about to cross it, the knights appeared.
The sisters were captured and the brothers, Ferrand and Claude were sent to scout for more disguised demons.
When Ferrand and Claude were finally alone, Ferrand confronted Claude who revealed everything.
The two had a heated discussion that nearly turned to a brawl but Ferrand held back when Claude told him-
"Yet you still just let them get captured!"
Claude was aware that everything was his fault but he was annoyed when Ferrand blamed him when Ferrand himself kept silent and ignored the gazes of the sisters.
After Ferrand went silent, Claude declared that he would save the sisters and that Ferrand should just sleep it over as he doesn't seem to truly love Suzanne.
The scene then cuts to Claude returning to the base, he remained silent during the capture as he knew that saving the sisters was impossible alone.
A mission to scout was perfect and by keeping Ferrand silent and unable to act, he was able to initiate the plan he created on the spur of the moment.
The ingenuity of Claude was put on full display as he concocted a lie about Ferrand getting kidnapped and the demons planning to use him as a symbol of revenge for the captured sisters.
This lie forced the knight order to send their most mobile knights to rush forward while a group of the stronger elites followed closely behind.
Claude asked to meet the women showing anger for his captured brother.
Inside, he found the women being teased by the guards.
"Take on a human form and entertain me, maybe I'll give you some more food"
Such remarks were made as lustful gazes were directed at the sisters.
Claude appeared, used the same lie and made the guards open the prison in anger but just as they did, Claude attacked them and led the sisters away.
The scene returned to Ferrand who was contemplating everything that had happened by a river, as he did, the white necklace that Suzanne had made for him during an earlier part of the movie took center stage as Ferrand wondered if the love she had for him was true or not.
It was then that a memory came to him, the tale of the snake which Suzanne told, the fate of the snake and the actions of her kind and lover.
The tale was weirdly out of place yet the moment he recalled it, everything began to click-
Suzanne always pushed him away, she never truly accepted him and now he understood why.
Without words and only images and memories, the movie showed Ferrand ripping away his cross, an emblem of his knightly position and valor. It was a sign of his decision and as he walked away, the perspective focused on the water and used that to transition to the next scene.
Claude and the sisters neared the border, to get to the demon territory they had to cross a bridge. Yet, their plan fell short as Leon had already predicted his desertion.
The knight commander gave an ultimatum to but the knight took that opportunity to reveal the truth, about his new form as a demon.
Leon was unable to realize it quick enough and was tossed over the bridge, his halberd taken by Claude who pushed the sisters to the other side as he used the halberd to block the knights.
Claude shouted for the sisters to escape, this was his final act, an atonement for his failure as it was his own distrust that led to this in the first place.
But the hope he thought he gave the sister fell short as the mobile knights arrived on the pegasi.
He could block the knights on the ground but could do nothing about those riding pegasi.
And that was when the sisters joined the battle, Claude defended the bridge while the sisters used magic to block off the pegasus knights.
Unfortunately, it was three against an army. They could not hold for long but just as they were about to fall, Ferrand came.
His sudden entrance shocked everyone as he declared a charge making all the knights freeze unable to understand what he was saying.
Still, the knights all respected Ferrand and gave way as he held his lance in a charging position.
But Leon realized immediately what Ferrand was doing.
"STOP HIM!"
It was too late, Ferrand had broken through, his warhorse, a magical breed, was able to carry both Claude and Ferrand as well as the sisters.
The perfect escape and just as the knights were about to follow along, the bridge exploded releasing a cloud of sparkling smoke.
Ferrand had used the knowledge he gained from working with Suzanne and created a bomb that knocked out the pegasus knights and destroyed the bridge allowing them to escape.
Yet, despite their fortunate escape, the horse still reached its limit, the group continued on foot and just hours before daylight, they were found by Leon who continued his pursuit.
The final battle started, Leon and his elite knights against Ferrand, Claude and the sisters.
It was another scripted battle that was unappealing during the recording but the final display was truly breathtaking.
The final scene was one that made Rutherford hold his breath.
All the elite knights were knocked out and a scene of a spar between Claude and Ferrand against Leon played out as the two blood brothers fought to the death.
Their movements were similar yet Claude made one move that did not match the memory. His enhanced abilities allowed him to get closer to Leon forcing the commander to take a heavy strike from Claude while responding with his own.
Claude did not bring down Leon but it was enough for Ferrand to get closer than he had ever been to Leon and with that closed distance, Ferrand swung his sword and Leon pushed his spear forward-
The sound of cutting flesh, the splatter of blood, that was all they saw for a moment, at that point, no one should know who won but the next scene did not focus on victory.
All music disappeared and only the sound of rain could be heard as blood dripped to the ground, the view shifted and the audience was made to see a spear jutting out of a mans back.
"FERRAND!"
One of the audience members exclaimed but none complained as the scene continued.
It showed the look of shock on Leon's face, bruised, wet and covered in dirt. The audience had "Ferrand's Perspective" as they stared at Leon's face and the sword that rested on his neck.
"Why…"
Ferrand asked and the view shifted, it now showed Ferrand's face, his once handsome countenance now covered in mud, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled to answer-
"My oath… to- prote…tect… those I… love… my- life"
As he said those words, the view moved to his hand that had dropped the sword. It was a declaration, not that he would protect the sisters but that he would protect everyone, even Leon.
When the sword fell, Ferrand, mustering up all his strength, grabbed the spear's shaft and crushed it with his hands.
Losing the support of the shaft, Ferrand fell to the ground Leon was left frozen as Suzzane rushed to her lover's side.
The scene of a tragic loved played but Rutherford had focused on something else-
The reaction of Leon as he heard Suzanne, the demon who was the "enemy of their God" praying.
Not to the demon emperor, not to the God of Demons.
She prayed to his God, the God followed by Ferrand, asking- no, begging for his life to be saved. Screaming to the heavens that she would offer her own life if it would give Ferrand life yet Leon knew… his God was not that kind of God.
Yet, to the surprise of Leon, a golden light shone on Ferrand, Claude, Suzanne and Anais, the four heretics were bathed in golden light as they slowly turned to stone.
Leon had initially believed it to be a curse even muttering, "A suitable punishment to the wicked"
Yet, as if mocking his words, a stone emerged from the ground and on it read-
"May the stone break when the tragedies has come to an end"
Enraged, Leon tried to smash the stone with his fist but it was blocked by a barrier, and the movie ended there as Leon stared at the four statues, his thoughts unknown while the screen slowly faded to black.
Unable to make sense of the emotions he was feeling, Rutherford heard conversations going on and he realized that people were reacting with their immediate thoughts. They did not think to properly phrase their words and so he did to as he spoke out the first thoughts that came to mind-
"I believe having a scene of the future where Leon brings his Elven wife to the four statues after the shine broke would send a stronger message"