Opening the Anime World with the FGO Method

"My training is the kind where people die all the time. One slip-up and you might just kick the bucket. Are you sure you want me to train you?" Esdeath felt her inner sadist starting to rise.

Kurome trembled slightly but endured it and nodded firmly.

Receiving a definite answer, Esdeath nodded excitedly, looking like she wouldn't be bored for a while.

"Alright, I'll be training you from now on. Pack your things and come with me to the Imperial Palace."

With that, Esdeath prepared to leave, but—

Casually glancing at Koizumi, Esdeath frowned slightly. There was a strange aura about this man.

Looking him over, Esdeath noticed the three blood-red marks on the back of Koizumi's right hand.

Suddenly, Esdeath's expression shifted to one of realization.

Chapter 50: Koizumi's Fear

Koizumi had remained silent from the moment Esdeath started talking to Kurome.

There was definitely fear involved. Just from the other woman's aura, Koizumi could tell that if he dared to interrupt, he'd probably be tormented to death. The Esdeath before him was definitely not the type to value human life. Her aura hadn't changed since she appeared; if anything, it had only grown stronger.

Reimu didn't have such an exaggerated aura, but that might have something to do with Reimu's personality.

But one thing Koizumi was sure of was that the Esdeath before him was strong, possibly even stronger than Reimu.

Koizumi couldn't be sure. He wasn't a good point of reference, considering how weak he still was.

That's why Koizumi hadn't said a word since Esdeath arrived. It wasn't just fear; he was also being pressured into silence. Since he couldn't speak, he could only remain quiet.

However, the instant Esdeath's gaze swept over him, Koizumi could feel his muscles tense up.

If he fought her, he would undoubtedly die. Even with a vampire's life force, which made "death" almost nonexistent, Koizumi had no doubt about it.

This "death" wasn't physical; it was more of a "death" on a mental and spiritual level.

Being constantly regenerated only to be crushed again and again until his will broke—it wasn't impossible.

That's exactly what Koizumi was thinking, and the female general before him was clearly the type to do something like that.

[My training is the kind where people die all the time. One slip-up and you might just kick the bucket. Are you sure you want me to train you?] The moment those words left Esdeath's mouth, Koizumi became even more certain of his fears.

As he was scanned by her gaze, the unease in Koizumi's heart grew stronger, especially when her eyes focused on the back of his right hand. Koizumi began to suspect that she might be a Servant related to distortion.

Koizumi hadn't figured out the specific aura of Servants yet. Although he possessed the power of a [Vampire], he hadn't trained his senses. So, Koizumi didn't know if she was a Servant or not.

And even if she was a so-called Servant, he couldn't do anything to her in his current state.

After all, his strength was just too weak… Hmm, her gaze moved away from him.

Just the shift in her eyes made Koizumi subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief. He couldn't help it; the pressure from that gaze was too much. If he had to compare it to something… well, it was just like being stared at intently by Yakumo Yukari.

Being targeted by Yakumo Yukari felt like there was a chance of being pranked, but being targeted by this person felt like a suffocating brush with death. What they had in common was that both were powerful.

From Reimu's tone, he could tell that Yakumo Yukari's power was among the strongest of the Servants.

But it seemed that due to her class, she focused more on support abilities.

According to Reimu, Yakumo Yukari had an even more powerful form than her current class, but she hadn't shown it.

Esdeath didn't linger, simply leaving slowly. Perhaps she noticed Koizumi's Command Seal, or perhaps she didn't.

But Koizumi had a feeling that the Esdeath before him might know something, but she wasn't revealing it.

Then, the three officers behind Esdeath followed her, leaving. As Esdeath departed, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike before, the gazes directed at Kurome no longer contained disgust, but rather fear… What an ugly sight, inspiring not a shred of goodwill.

Aerya didn't say anything more. The disgust and hostility in her eyes vanished, and the smile on her face didn't change in the slightest. However, Koizumi was no longer willing to interact with her.

After this incident, Koizumi decided that he couldn't stay at her house anymore. He'd have to find somewhere else to live.

He had to admit that the emotions displayed by those people and Aerya toward Kurome during this incident had filled Koizumi with genuine disgust. Kurome was indeed the sister of a traitor, but what did that have to do with Kurome? If you want to blame someone, blame the traitor! Dragging innocent Kurome into it only shows your incompetence.

Koizumi took a deep breath, hoping to clear away these negative emotions.

Even so, Koizumi had no reason to blame them. It was simply a difference in everyone's views. Forcing others to adopt his own views would be an unreasonable form of coercion.

So, what difference would there be between him and them if he did that?

Suddenly, Koizumi noticed someone tugging at his sleeve. Slowly, Koizumi turned his head.

He saw Kurome staring at him, her eyes seemingly flickering with some kind of emotion.

It was a look of hope. Kurome seemed to be hoping for something as she stared at him.

Just one glance was enough for Koizumi to roughly understand what Kurome was thinking.

She wanted him to go to the Imperial Palace with her? It seemed like a good idea. Although he might easily be caught by the guy who wielded lightning, he should be fine with Esdeath's protection.

Besides, he also wanted to know what was in the Imperial Palace.

Reimu had also said that the lightning power that person had accumulated was a bit too strong. And frankly, the way the Imperial Capital's citizens had changed their attitude toward the Empire was puzzling.

Before he left the Imperial Capital, he wasn't interested in the Empire and tried to avoid getting involved.

But when he returned to the Imperial Capital, he found that they had become so fanatical about the Empire.

If there was nothing wrong with that, Koizumi would eat his hat!

But then again, going to such a dangerous place alone gave him a feeling of courting death.

If Reimu knew what he was doing, he'd probably get a good scolding.

"If that's what you want, then do as you please, Kurome. After all... I have nowhere else to go, do I?"

Koizumi said softly, and Aerya was slightly surprised, then revealed a hint of disappointment.

Hearing this, Kurome's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded frantically, the smile on her lips unstoppable.

She really is a cute girl.

Chapter 51: Scolding

"Eh! It's Mr. Koizumi!" The energetic Remusu was the first to spot Koizumi's figure, and she rushed out immediately.

Following behind were the very troubled Gin and Mamin, while Kurome silently stayed by Koizumi's side.

This time, they were mainly back to pack up their things and move into the Imperial Palace.

At the same time, Kurome had to tell everyone else and ask Mamin and the others to move in with her.

After all, they had lived together for so long, and Kurome couldn't bear to live there alone.

So this time, Kurome was here to take everyone away with her... although that sounded a little strange, the meaning was exactly the same, just expressed differently.

By the way, March of the Dead: Yatsufusa was being held tightly in Kurome's hand. It had to be said that Kurome and this Teigu had a high compatibility, making one wonder if Esdeath was sure that Kurome could adapt to this Teigu, so she brought it along.

But looking at Kurome's appearance, she clearly didn't recognize Esdeath, which made things even stranger.

Since Kurome and Esdeath were meeting for the first time, how did Esdeath know so much about Kurome and know that Kurome could adapt to this Teigu? After all, adapting to a Teigu required a test first, right?

Speaking of Teigu, Koizumi also knew a lot about them. After all, the Koro that Seryu had with her was a Teigu.

Koizumi had also asked what Teigu were, and although Seryu was puzzled as to why Koizumi was asking, she still honestly answered. Teigu, in short, were products of alchemy, somewhat similar to Heroic Spirits' Noble Phantasms.

About a thousand years ago, the founding emperor of the Empire, in order to maintain long-term rule, used unimaginable wealth and power to gather the world's top artisans, using super-dangerous species as materials, along with rare metals such as Orichalcum and a large number of lost secret techniques, to develop forty-eight unreplicable weapons, calling them Teigu.

Although he was amazed by the Teigu, it was only a temporary amazement. Teigu were relatively low compared to Heroic Spirits' Noble Phantasms, and Koizumi himself could obtain Remilia's Noble Phantasm, Gungnir, through a contract, so Teigu were not such rare treasures to Koizumi.

Although he was slightly interested in the biological Teigu, it was only slight.

After all, that kind of thing was very special, and even Heroic Spirits should rarely have Noble Phantasms that were biological.

Koizumi had hardly seen such Noble Phantasms, such as Remilia, Reimu, Hata no Kokoro, and even Yakumo Yukari's Noble Phantasms were not so-called biological types, so inevitably, Koizumi would be more interested in biological Teigu.

However, after seeing Seryu's Koro in its giant form, Koizumi decided that he was no longer interested in the next few biological Teigu. There was no helping it, it felt very ugly. Koizumi also roughly understood what Seryu meant by feeding Koro.

The food that could be fed to that kind of giant creature was obviously not ordinary grain.

...It should be death row inmates, eating human flesh and the like, it really made one feel a little nauseous.

I hope that the next time I see Seryu, she will still be the same as before, at least not completely fallen into twisted justice.

If that one in ten thousand chance really happens, then I guess I can only strike a deadly blow against my former friend.

Shaking his head to throw away all the random thoughts in his mind, Koizumi couldn't help but reveal a wry smile.

It's better not to make rash judgments about things that haven't happened yet. What we should focus on now is the present.

Thinking of this, Koizumi's gaze turned to Mamin and the others in front of him, and at the same time, he scanned their faces.

Indeed, he had a very familiar feeling about everyone here. He had a voice in his heart telling him that he definitely knew them, but he had just forgotten.

We must not fail to talk to these beings who were originally friends with us because of a momentary lapse of memory.

With this thought flashing through his mind, Koizumi slowly stepped forward and revealed a smile.

It's better not to tell them that I have amnesia for the time being, that's not good.

It's also to keep them from worrying too much about me. It's better to solve this kind of thing by myself.

The next moment, Kurome confessed to everyone that she had met Esdeath on the road, and took the initiative to invite everyone to live with her in the Imperial Palace, while explaining that Koizumi would also be going.

Although Koizumi always felt that her tone was a little strange, because the way she looked was like she was using her own delicious food to lure them, as if she was saying, "As long as you go to the Imperial Palace with me, there will be delicious food."

To this, Koizumi expressed his utter contempt. How is your behavior any different from that of a treacherous villain!

However, she was also indirectly praising that the food he made was very delicious, so Koizumi would tentatively accept this praise.

Well, to put it bluntly, Koizumi's behavior was also very shameless. Shouldn't one be humble about other people's praise? This kind of taking it for granted also shows that Koizumi's skin is quite thick.

"Eh! Living in the Imperial Palace? I didn't expect you to encounter such a great thing, Kurome! How lucky!"

Remusu's eyes lit up instantly. The Imperial Palace was magnificent, and it was a place that many people wanted to live in.

Of course, if you have nothing to do with the royal family or officials, it's very difficult to live in. But if you have a relationship with General Esdeath, then General Esdeath will naturally prepare a room for Kurome in the Imperial Palace.

Moreover, it is said that the General's mansion is very large, with many rooms inside. Although it was not Esdeath's intention, Esdeath thought that she might have many capable subordinates in the future, so she didn't say anything.

Having subordinates live close to her would make it easier to arrange tasks for them at any time, which was also for convenience.

"Idiot, although it's lucky, don't say it so loudly! And Kurome! I told you not to sneak out alone! This time, it's fortunate that you met Mr. Koizumi and General Esdeath, otherwise something would have happened again! How many times have I told you! Really!" Although Gin was very surprised and envious of Kurome's luck, she did not hesitate to scold Kurome for this behavior.

Faced with Gin's scolding, Kurome couldn't say anything, and just silently lowered her head.

Hehe, it seems that this girl is very afraid of her, Koizumi couldn't help but smile inwardly.

Chapter 52: Heading to the Imperial Palace

They were just packing up their clothes and things, after all, girls only have those things to pack up, so Kurome and the others packed up quickly, but what Kurome took more of didn't seem to be her clothes, but—

Watching the bags of cookies Kurome was carrying, Koizumi didn't even know how to comment.

Oh well, she's a glutton anyway. I'd lose if I took it seriously.

Thinking this, Koizumi decided not to say anything. Would she even be Kurome if she wasn't a glutton?

Huh? Wait, I just met her. How do I know she's a glutton? Koizumi's mind was instantly filled with doubts.

That's right, I knew her before, but I just didn't realize it. After all, I've forgotten these things.

But it seems I still remember some things, or rather, my subconscious remembers them.

Koizumi couldn't help but smile wryly. Forgetting his friends like that, he really was going too far. And he couldn't even tell them.

But the day of reckoning will come eventually. Then he'll apologize to them properly. That's all he can do for now. If he told them he had amnesia, they would definitely be disappointed, and they would worry about him.

To avoid making them worry too much, he can only choose to do this for the time being.

Shaking his head, he tried to put these things out of his mind, but Kurome seemed to notice Koizumi's strangeness and couldn't help but look over.

Everyone else was very excited about going to the Imperial Palace soon, but that was normal.

After all, the Imperial Palace, to them, was a magnificent and noble place. Being able to go to such a place was naturally exciting. But among them, it seemed that only Gin wasn't excited for that reason. Her excitement was probably because she could see Esdeath.

Although he had forgotten some things, Koizumi had still figured out the personalities of some of them during this time. For example, Remusu, who had been excited when she saw him earlier, was the energetic and simple type.

Mamin was a glasses girl, the rational type, giving off a very quiet feeling.

Gin, on the other hand, was proactive and valued strength very much. If he hadn't seen Gin picking up such a large pile of luggage by herself, Koizumi probably wouldn't have believed that such a slender little girl was a pretty good fighter.

Of course, "pretty good" was only in relation to ordinary people. If Gin fought him, Koizumi would kill her immediately, because the difference between their strengths was too great, and it wouldn't take much effort at all.

Koizumi already understood how powerful a Servant's strength was, after experiencing it firsthand.

Some Servants even possessed endurance beyond their lifetimes due to their special characteristics, because a Servant's body was much stronger than that of an ordinary person, such as being immune to ordinary blades or having increased resistance to magic.

And as the young lady of the [Vampire], Remilia seemed to hate sunlight from before, but after becoming a Servant, her resistance to sunlight had also increased to a certain extent. But unfortunately, she still couldn't avoid having her power weakened by sunlight.

There's no helping that, after all, [Vampires] are helpless against sunlight.