Chapter 332

"This is far too quiet, just like Chaldea just now..."

This is London in 1888, so in theory, the security of the London Police Department should be very tight.

"That's true, because they've both disappeared."

After reviewing the remaining documents, Novia crossed his hands behind his back and walked towards the only windowless Great Gate in the room. He stretched out his right hand, pressed the switch on the Great Gate, and a completely different atmosphere from the rest of the room was revealed to Ritsuka.

If Police Department is supposed to have serious and formal lighting, then this room is like the colorful, provocative Crimson light of the street. It's hard to imagine that such an Overturning room could exist in a serious Police Department.

Of course, Ritsuka didn't immediately assume it was a case of Scotland Yard keeping a mistress, because the room's interior decoration had nothing to do with Western style at all; instead, it was a Japan- style room arrangement that she was very familiar with.

Before arriving, Ritsuka had secretly researched London records from 1888, and naturally understood that it would be impossible for a London Police Department at that time to have such a Japan room layout.

Ultimately, England at the end of the 19th century was still in the Victorian Era.

London, the City of Fog, was undoubtedly one of the most dazzling, bustling, and magnificent, yet also terrifying, City on the Western Europe continent at that time.

It is a land of ever-expanding dreams and hopes, full of vitality and energy, but also a place where desires and karma endlessly multiply, and where many sufferings converge.

Even though she understood, Ritsuka still blurted it out unconsciously:

"What... what's going on...?"

"The Ooku has become one with this city called London, transforming into a deep Labyrinth leading to the depths of the earth."

The voice didn't come from Novia's mouth, but from behind one of the four large Great Gate in the room decorated in Japan style. At the same time, a woman slowly walked out, looking at Novia and Ritsuka, who seemed to be in another world, from a distance of dozens of meters.

She possessed a Japan- style face and long, purple hair that seemed to have been dyed with paint. Her body was wrapped in a pure white kimono, and she exuded a stern and imposing aura without any pretense. Her slightly sharp purple eyes seemed to be staring at everything she had created in this eerie room.

"And listen carefully, even though I don't know who you are, I still need to state my name. That's what you call etiquette, etiquette!"

The woman placed her hands in front of her abdomen and nodded. "I am a Palace Lady of Ooku Edo Castle, and the Iemitsu the third shogun, Iemitsu. You may both call me Kasuga-no-Tsubone no Tsubone."

"Hello, Kasuga-no-Tsubone, this is Ritsuka Fujimaru."

Generally speaking, the name Kasuga-no-Tsubone is quite famous among the Japan, but for Ritsuka, it's a different story.

The man next to me is named Novie--

Before Ritsuka could finish her introduction, Kasuga-no-Tsubone no Tsubone, who had come over and seen Novia's face clearly, suddenly burst into tears and staggered to Novia's side like a seriously injured person.

Kasuga-no-Tsubone stared into the silver-haired youth's eyes.

The shimmering light, like the reflection of the ocean, unexpectedly contained the serene image of a person—not her, but the India Goddess Parvati within her.

Parvati felt as if she were being called by something, or something.

Various existences overlapped... It seemed that this was how it was in the distant past. Even though she had no memory of it at all, even though she had no sense of the young man in front of her in any of her memories as Goddess, wife of a great god, Servant, possessor, summoned person, and helper in Protection the world, she still had an impulse to do it, to have to do it.

It feels like it's located in the "distant" place that isn't "now," or in the "past" that isn't "here." Nevertheless, we cannot ignore its existence as the distorted end of the 'Indian Sector.'

This is a completely different emotion from that towards one's lover, Shiva; it is respect, remembrance, and longing, like a young child seeking its father.

Even Parvati had a feeling that any Gods of India, including her husband Shiva, would think the same way.

Kasuga Kasuga-no-Tsubone's attire instantly transformed from a kimono to India style.

"... Father?"

Oh, I accidentally blurted it out.

Ritsuka paused for a moment, looking at the two people staring at each other.

"... ah?"

"I'm sorry, it was my fault."

However, Parvati quickly shook her head. "I am very sorry, but I am now the India Goddess Parvati. I must have misread it just now. Please forgive me. My father is the personless Himalayas Mountains and would never appear as Servant or in any other form."

"I don't quite understand what you're saying..."

Upon hearing Ritsuka's doubtful tone, Parvati hummed in agreement and fell into thought.

In the midst of this silence, Novia waved her hand, seemingly unconcerned:

"It's not a big problem, Parvati just mistook someone else for someone else."

Upon hearing this, Parvati sighed, no longer dwelling on what had just happened, and began to explain to Ritsuka:

"Originally, the Ooku began to be eroded in 1643. In a short time, the entire Ooku fell. In order to save Kasuga-no-Tsubone's soul, I shared my Spirit Origin with her. After that, for some unknown reason, the Ooku began to cross time and arrive here in 1888, starting from the local Police Department and merging with the whole of London."

Then, under my observation, the City, a fusion of London and the Ooku, had become flattened, in other words, it consisted of endless rooms, like Labyrinth, with no discernible end or beginning. Each room had four Great Gate leading to similar or different rooms, and it was through this process of exploration that Kasuga-no-Tsubone and I met you."

"OK! Let's not delay, is that right? We should prepare ourselves!"

Whether she actually listened or not is unclear, but Ritsuka immediately threw a punch with one hand after she finished speaking.

"Since Parvati, you share our goal, then come and explore this Labyrinth with us!"

"That's no problem at all, but I'll come out later to discuss the battle situation. Although it's become Labyrinth integrated with London, Kasuga-no-Tsubone still knows a thing or two about strategic planning..."

As Parvati spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Novia beside her before switching back to Kasuga-no-Tsubone, where the purple-haired woman smiled slightly.

"So the Goddess of India and her companions will be accompanying me. Now I can rest assured. No matter what kind of thugs occupy the Ooku, there's nothing to fear."

Afterwards, under Kasuga-no-Tsubone's leadership, the three of them achieved a successful start.

It means that the enemy was encountered in the next room.

It was a spacious room decorated in a dim red, Japan style, lined up on both sides, with Western-style armed men in Police Officers uniforms.

Characterized by the equipment worn on their waists, the Police Officer, a random mix of men and women, consist of about ten people. They are clad in imposing, formal uniforms typical of modern society, each holding a different type of firearm, and still wearing handcuffs and Pistol at their waists.

Meanwhile, behind her were an equal number of bizarre Court Lady. They were bizarre because their limbs were as clearly defined as those of dolls, yet they wore wide, almost splitting smiles, creating a stark contrast with the expressionless Police Officers.

It was such a bizarre sight, it even had the atmosphere of an indescribable horror show, with the entire Police Officers cooperating in a theatrical performance.

However, even ordinary Magecraft, upon witnessing this scene, would not only be excited but would also faint like normal people.

Because there were many long strips of Flesh on the Ceiling of the room swinging back and forth like fans, making a 'clapping' sound like clapping, and the Doll Palace Ladies seemed to take out pieces of flesh that should not exist from their stomachs and stick them to the strips of flesh that had fallen to the ground.

Crushing and crushing, repeated over and over again, like a mechanical process, followed by the stench of meat, internal organs, and vomit.

The vacant stares of the Police Officers and the distorted smiles of the dolls exuded a power that mingled with the Od emanating from their flesh and blood, almost eroding the atmosphere that filled the room itself. It was dark and suffocating, filled with a suffocating sense of darkness, yet also a place where one felt as if they were being choked by something as sweet as Amrita...

So when the Great Gate was opened, the atmosphere among the Police Officers and Court Lady changed abruptly. They all turned to stare at the Great Gate and the three visitors, their expressions a mixture of laughter and tears.

This scenario was barely acceptable for Novia and Parvati, but it was terrifying for Ritsuka.

"Unauthorized trespassing on Police Department Secret Grounds will result in a three-day penalty for cleaning up the filth in the River Thames."

It's unclear which of the Police Officers spoke first, but in the next instant, the Police Officers raised their guns and pointed them at the three people, while the Doll Palace Ladies pounced on Limbs as if they had gone mad.

"I'm sorry, Scotland Yard has no right to arrest us. As United Nations- affiliated organization, Chaldea should be subject to unified supervision by all countries Clock Tower."

In the next instant, several sword-like objects appeared around Novia. Then, all the sword hilts materialized into silver blades and clashed with the Od bullets rushing towards them. This was the Black Keys Armament commonly used by the Church's Executor.

Then, Novia stomped on the floor, and Parvati confronted the Doll Palace Ladies- waiting head-on, who resembled a rushing torrent of animals.

The two figures swayed and blurred like Mirage, and the Doll Palace Ladies's rush was intercepted one after another. Her head was cut off, and her body spread like dust in the room. As for the Police Officers, they were all killed by the unstoppable Black Keys.

Just how fast would it take, and what kind of force would be required to achieve that?

Ritsuka managed to catch the two's movements thanks to her enhanced eyesight from the Magecraft she had only recently learned, but if asked if she could keep up with their movements, the Answer would be no; she would probably need to learn for a while longer.

After finally defeating the enemies in the room, Parvati and Novia silently picked up the heads of all the Police Officers and puppets they had just defeated. Although she didn't know why, Ritsuka followed suit and neatly arranged the heads as well.

Afterwards, Parvati arranged them neatly and offered prayers.

"She has the air of Goddess..."

Ritsuka murmured as she watched Parvati do this.

Don't you find that strange?

Novia countered with a question.

"No, not at all surprising."

Despite her confusion, the girl answered firmly, "Even though I know they are nothing but enemies, Automaton and people controlled Familiar the point of losing their minds, if you, Consultant, tell me they have no life and therefore there's no need to do this, I can't argue... But I feel like Parvati, I can't... stand idly by... Is that strange?"

"No, it's not strange at all."

Novia laughed upon hearing the girl's words in the room filled with chunks of flesh.

"There's a saying in Buddhism that plants, trees, and lands can all attain Buddhahood; in other words, even inorganic things contain Buddha-nature, right?"

As Parvati uttered those words, perhaps her prayers had some effect, for instantly the bloody chunks of flesh scattered on the floor vanished, leaving only a gloomy room.

"It's not because of Buddhism..."

After finishing her prayers, Parvati stood up. "While I don't deny its existence, the fact that its head was chopped off reminded me of my daughter Ganesha. So I don't think it's good to let it remain in this state, even if it's an enemy... If it were my mother, she would probably choose to trample everything in its path. Sigh, really, my mother is prone to doing strange things for no reason."

After saying this, Kasuga-no-Tsubone, who had regained control of the body, looked at Novia with a curious expression.

"By the way, Lord Novia, are you someone similar to Lord Pal yet somewhat different, and quite extraordinary?"

"Hmm, why are you saying that? I'm just an ordinary Demi-Servant."

"Well, although you, Lord Novia, don't have a Buddhist name or anything like that, I've had close relationships with several people whose Buddhist names are 'So-and-so Temple.' You, Lord Novia, are completely different from them. So, the reason you're Demi-Servant must be because you have a rather famous high-ranking monk within you, right?"

Kasuga-no-Tsubone then continued, as if suddenly realizing something.

"After all, even the Goddess of India is here. Even if you say you are an incarnation of Buddha, I wouldn't be surprised!"

"Oh?"

Hearing Kasuga-no-Tsubone's words, Novia became interested. "Why do you think that way?"

"Although you didn't use any Buddhist power or anything like that, how should I put it, it just inexplicably reminded me of..."

"Actually, the power used by Consultant Novia... was completely different from that of Buddhism in later developments."

Before Novia could reply, Ritsuka went up to Kasuga-no-Tsubone and explained.

Is that really the case?

Kasuga-no-Tsubone muttered to herself, then subconsciously gazed in Novia's direction, as if to confirm Ritsuka's statement. Novia nodded in agreement.

Later, in the center of the room, Novia saw a document on the floor that seemed to belong to the same type as the one she had seen on the table earlier, so she picked it up and began to look through it.

Of course, Ritsuka and Kasuga-no-Tsubone also went over, but the moment Kasuga-no-Tsubone saw the contents of the document, she felt every cell in her body tremble.

"... Tokugawa, to end up like this in a foreign land centuries later... Could it be that the curse of Toyotomi and Lady Yodo, and Lord Sanada's resentment, still linger in Osaka...?"

The text written at the top of the document is:

'The fifth Tokugawa Shogunate shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, was guilty of heinous crimes and imprisoned in a single-story prison, where he was sentenced to death to atone for his sins to the people.'

At that time, the Ooku was able to transcend the barrier of 'time' by means of what can be described as mysterious and unpredictable forces, and was able to integrate with London based on Scotland Yard.

However, the location of the Fourth Singularity is on the Island of Britain, in 1888 AD, in England Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets.

In terms of global fame, Scotland Yard far surpasses the Ooku, which is considered the harem of the Tokugawa Shogunate Shogun. Moreover, 15 years after the Black Ships attack, in 1868, the Tokugawa Shogunate faced collapse and had to surrender Edo without bloodshed, thereby completely abolishing the strict rules that had prohibited men other than the Shogun from entering Edo Castle for a century and prohibited entry after 6 pm.

Therefore, in the Ooku, which was already integrated with London centered on Scotland Yard, the Tokugawa Shogun was not the Supreme Being ruler. On the contrary, given the concept of opening the country to the West, at that time the Commissioner of Scotland Yard was definitely higher in status than the Tokugawa Shogun.

This is also why Kasuga-no-Tsubone, who survived thanks to Parvati's power, said this.

After all, times have changed. This is no longer a closed-off island, but a completely new one. Therefore, the Tokugawa shogun's authority is useless here, let alone her, the shogun's wet nurse.

Of course, unlike the grief-stricken Kasuga-no-Tsubone, Novia seemed thoughtful about this. He remembered that these Tokugawa shoguns would appear in the form of an inro, using the body of Matsudaira Nobutsuna who backstabbed Kama. In short, they would use the "anti- Tokugawa special attack" to defeat Kama, who possessed extremely high "Tokugawa" attributes.

However, the situation has clearly changed drastically. The Ooku and London have become one, and the Ooku, which was originally the shogun's harem, will cause everyone to become like Tokugawa if they become addicted to it. Each layer of the Labyrinth corresponds to One of the Five Vows of Buddhism, and one cannot proceed without breaking them.

However, once the Ooku and London merged, the Ooku, Tokugawa's harem, would no longer be the dominant concept. At least based on the information Novia has gathered so far, Kama doesn't seem to consider the Tokugawa shogun's soul as the binding force of the Labyrinth; on the contrary, it seems...

Is the connection maintained by using the souls of the Tokugawa shoguns as the culprits in a 'specific case' like Yusune?

Is this some kind of personal resume aimed at Scotland Yard, the highest-ranking Commissioner in the England police force?

I wonder if the Home Secretary, the Lord Mayor of London, and the England Royal Family would recognize this in this era...

After all, the so-called Ooku Palace) gives people the impression of a harem where men and women engage in illicit affairs day and night. Being dominated by love and desire is a kind of proof of life, although from a normal perspective this is only part of its function. The more important aspect is its political significance.

Ultimately, however, Kama could have chosen any harem as her path to Mara; she simply took a liking to the Ooku (inner palace) by chance due to Kasuga-no-Tsubone Tokugawa's intense love for Tokugawa...

In other words, what strong obsession drew Kama, who chose to merge Ooku and London, to London? Or was it merely a coincidence?

In an instant, Novia, lost in thought, seemed to catch something. She squinted and looked into the distance, sensing an aura that seemed to come from somewhere in the Labyrinth, sometimes near, sometimes far.

At the same time, deep within the Labyrinth, in a room where the attire of the Scotland Yard Commissioner and the Tokugawa shogun was completely different, Kama, sitting in a chair, simultaneously squinted Novia eyes and inexplicably stretched out her slender fingers.

Kama ran his long fingers through his hair and stared intently at the files laid out on the table with cold eyes.

I had finally managed to escape Durga's Control while they were fighting, and should have been able to ascend smoothly, but this strange feeling... have I ever had this before?