Ritsuka, I Now Appoint You Chaldea's Minister of Foreign Affairs / Better to Let Huang's Death Rot in His Own Mindscape...

Mash nodded and replied, "Yes, Senpai!"

Seeing Bai Ming take all command authority for himself, Olga Marie said, "I'm the Director!"

Akuta Hinako looked at Bai Ming, then at Olga Marie. "Being the Director is useless. I really hate to admit it, but this guy seems much more reliable than you at a time like this."

Roman, listening over the comms, broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing that the three of them, who could never communicate properly, were about to start arguing again, he hurriedly said, "Based on the information we have, the Tohsaka Family residence in Fuyuki City, the harbor, and Fuyuki Bridge are all possible locations. Leave the specific judgment to Bai Ming. I'll prioritize repairing the Spiritron Transfer device."

"Then let's move out. We'll go to Fuyuki Bridge first, then check out the harbor."

Fujimaru Ritsuka, I Hereby Appoint You Chaldea's Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mash had already lost count of how many Skeleton Soldiers she had smashed apart with her shield along the way, just as she had lost count of how many Evil Bones Bai Ming had picked up.

Because Galahad had only given Mash a Spirit Origin and Mystic Code, without leaving her any combat experience, Bai Ming and Akuta Hinako had basically spent the entire journey watching Mash hone herself against Skeleton Soldiers. Only the few Skeleton Soldiers Mash missed were personally dealt with by the two of them.

Fujimaru Ritsuka did not seem frightened by the apocalyptic scenery at all. Instead, he remained incredibly calm, to the point that Olga Marie—who had been shrieking in terror the whole way—developed a higher opinion of him. (In reality, Fujimaru Ritsuka was currently like a dumb roe deer and did not understand anything he was seeing.)

After Mash cleared out another wave of Skeleton Soldiers, the Chaldea group finally enjoyed a brief moment of peace.

By then, they had finished investigating Fuyuki Bridge and Fuyuki Harbor. They had found nothing unusual in either location, so they planned to investigate the Tohsaka Family, the managers of Fuyuki City's Leylines.

Before that, however, they needed to rest. Fujimaru Ritsuka and Olga Marie were, strictly speaking, ordinary people in this group, and neither had particularly good stamina.

"We'll rest here for now. Have Roman send some food over. There's no way to resupply on our own in this place."

At Bai Ming's order, everyone began resting.

At that moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka approached Bai Ming. "Sorry. I've been holding all of you back."

Bai Ming looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka in silence. His unblinking stare made Fujimaru Ritsuka panic, so he asked, "Senpai, wh-what's wrong?"

In Japan, social hierarchies were extremely rigid. Senior employees bullying juniors and upperclassmen bullying underclassmen were common occurrences. Bai Ming's silent demeanor put enormous pressure on Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Bai Ming said, "I joined before you did, so it's not wrong for you to call me Senpai. But you don't need to apologize. When Roman told us to leave, I was the one who told you to search for survivors."

Hearing Bai Ming's words, Fujimaru Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief. At least he had not said something wrong and suffered workplace bullying.

Bai Ming continued, "Still, you've got a pretty good temperament. You can listen to Olga Marie and Akuta Hinako mock you without losing your temper. Since you call me Senpai, if anyone bullies you, just tell me."

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded, then asked again, "So... Senpai, when you said humanity had been wiped out before... was that true?"

"It was." Bai Ming said, "Of course, I only told you about Servants, Demi-Servants, familiars, magecraft, Magic Circuits, and Eastern and Western magecraft foundations. Most Magi are arrogant, selfish, and inhuman. People like Olga Marie are outliers among Magi, making up only a very small fraction."

Bai Ming paused there. "You can have Olga Marie explain matters concerning the Mage's Association to you. I've noticed that you quite enjoy teasing her, after all. But I should remind you that it's fine to tease Olga Marie privately and to her face, like this. If Olga Marie still intends to remain Chaldea's Director after returning, she needs to maintain authority in public."

"Yes, I understand."

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I'm detecting a high-output magical energy source approaching you. According to the readings, it's a Servant! Please leave immediately. Mash's current combat ability is still insufficient to face a Servant head-on—"

Roman's urgent voice came through the comms, and Olga Marie cried out, "A Servant?!"

Bai Ming said, "Since this is Fuyuki City, where a Holy Grail War was underway, I wouldn't be surprised by anything appearing after the anomaly occurred. Mash, prepare to engage. Don't worry about the Director's safety. Akuta Hinako, protect Fujimaru Ritsuka."

Akuta Hinako frowned. "What about you?"

"I'll engage alongside Mash. Not every Magus lives to an old age with nothing but dogshit in their head."

Bai Ming's words immediately made Akuta Hinako bristle, but Bai Ming had already gone with Mash to meet the incoming Servant.

The newcomer was enveloped in thick black smoke. Mash's enormous shield blocked the "Servant's" attack, and sparks erupted as a sharp weapon struck the shield. Bai Ming, meanwhile, pulled out the Jade Purity Supreme Brick and smashed it directly into the Shadow Servant's head.

The Shadow Servant instantly scattered into smoke.

"Senpai's weapon... is a brick?"

Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka complained in unison. Olga Marie said, "Is this really the time to complain? Wasn't that Central Plains weapon of yours good enough? Why did you have to use this thing?"

"Shut up, you hag!"

Bai Ming formed a hand seal, and Olga Marie involuntarily flew toward him. The brick in Bai Ming's hand shot away, striking another Shadow Servant whose Spirit Origin was that of an Assassin directly in the head. The Shadow Servant had been standing exactly where Olga Marie had just been.

"Looks like these things targeted us because Mash herself is a Demi-Servant."

Bai Ming recalled the brick to his hand. "The one on the other side who wants to make a move—aren't you coming out?"

"Oh my, oh my. Well... I've been found out."

A blue-haired Servant appeared, wearing a magecraft robe and holding a staff carved with rune symbols. "My class is Caster. As for my name... since this Holy Grail War has already gone completely to hell, I suppose I'll tell you. Caster, Cú Chulainn."

Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was hopeless when it came to history and mythology, immediately asked, "Who? Never heard of him."

An awkward look appeared on Cú Chulainn's face. "Uh... that's troubling. Anyway, this isn't a place to talk. Let's walk and talk. And you over there, Chinese Magus proficient in both Eastern and Western magecraft—could you stop looking at me like that?"

"Tch—"

After clicking his tongue, Bai Ming pushed Mash ahead of him and said, "Ritsuka, I hereby appoint you Chaldea's Minister of Foreign Affairs. You'll be responsible for communicating with Mr. Cú Chulainn."

There were only two ways Cú Chulainn could manifest: either as the little dog in the Saber class, or while carrying Gáe Bolg. In other words, a Cú Chulainn without the martial training of the Land of Shadows and without Gáe Bolg simply did not exist.

So the Cú Chulainn here was actually Odin using an alternate account.

Since the other side had chosen to hide his identity, Bai Ming certainly would not let Odin, who was playing around on a smurf account, have an easy time communicating. Fujimaru Ritsuka was the ultimate humanoid weapon for choking Odin with words—after all, Fujimaru Ritsuka was an idiot when it came to history and mythology, so no matter how Odin bragged, Fujimaru Ritsuka would respond as though he understood nothing.

He might even ask questions on the spot that would embarrass Odin because he genuinely did not understand.

Caster Cú thought to himself, This kid is really petty.

Fortunately, Roman connected through the comms at that moment. Before he could exchange any meaningless formalities with Caster Cú, he was sharply interrupted by the latter. "I'm sick of this level of polite nonsense, you weakling. Just tell me the situation concisely."

Roman thought, This Heroic Spirit was definitely mocked by Bai Ming, right? He called me a weakling the moment we met...

It was Christmas Ritsuka.jpg

Better to Let Crocea Mors Rot in My Mind

After Roman briefly explained the situation and Caster Cú gave a rough explanation of his own, the group immediately changed course and headed straight for the massive hollow beneath Ryudoji Temple in Fuyuki City.

As for the training battle that Caster Cú should have led for Mash, it never happened at all. Galahad, who had originally intended to act mysterious, had already had all his secrets exposed by Bai Ming. Therefore, Mash did not need to worry during battle about not knowing the name of her Noble Phantasm. The only thing she needed to consider was whether, after firing off a Noble Phantasm, her Senpai Bai Ming—with his pitifully low magical energy—would immediately need a rapid mana replenishment.

But Cú Chulainn still had to say a few things to Bai Ming. "I say... that little girl is clearly suited for defense, isn't she? Isn't making her fight a little too much?"

"Um... Mr. Cú Chulainn, Senpai is doing it for my sake—"

Although she did not know why Caster Cú was saying such things, Mash still decided to take Bai Ming's side.

Cú Chulainn shook his head and explained, "For a bird, if you want to teach it, you should teach it how to spread its wings and soar. Teaching it the wrong way is not right."

At that moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka said, "What about ostriches? Please, I want to see an ostrich fly."

Caster Cú fell silent.

The group entered a massive, partially artificial underground hollow.

An Archer who retained his consciousness despite radiating thick black smoke blocked their path. Caster Cú said, "This is where we part ways. That watchdog is troublesome. He seems to be protecting Saber like some kind of believer."

"Hmph... I don't recall ever being anyone's believer. I'm merely issuing an eviction order here. Only one person... no, two people may pass through here."

The Archer within the black smoke snorted coldly. Bai Ming said, "Emiya—so are you here to protect humanity, protect Saber, or protect the Holy Grail?"

That single sentence made the atmosphere throughout the cavern awkward.

Emiya asked, "I'm already a Shadow Servant. How can you still recognize me?"

"You don't need to know everything about me. The two people you said could pass through should be me and Mash, right? But I need to correct you—"

As he spoke, Bai Ming pointed at Akuta Hinako, Mash, and Olga Marie. "These three aren't human. One is an elf, one is a familiar, and one is a female ghost." Then he pointed at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Only Fujimaru Ritsuka and I are human, so—"

"You only need to stop that Cú Chulainn."

"Hey, hey, hey! Is this really the time to sell out your teammate?"

Caster Cú immediately panicked, but Emiya, in his Shadow Servant state, truly let the Chaldea group pass and stopped Caster Cú instead. "I don't know what that Magus of Flowers is doing, but now that you understand the situation, you still intend to continue for your own selfish desires... I won't let that slide."

"Tch..."

Caster Cú clicked his tongue, then looked at Emiya. "Then let's settle this here."

◇

After the Chaldea group bypassed Emiya, Olga Marie finally said, "What is going on?! How do you know even that Shadow Servant? And Mash, didn't you say you didn't know the name of the Heroic Spirit fused with you? But now it looks like you clearly do!"

Bai Ming said, "Olga Marie, you have too many questions. I already told you earlier that you don't need to understand too much about me."

The group entered the underground hollow and saw an entirely different scene, along with the so-called Greater Grail.

"Isn't this an ultra-high-grade magecraft furnace core? Why would something like this exist on a remote island in the Far East?!!!"

Olga Marie broke out in a cold sweat after just one glance.

Bai Ming spoke at that moment. "Mash, Ritsuka, no matter what, don't become useless British Magi like Olga Marie, who aim too high and accomplish too little. They always cling to idiotic thoughts like, 'Ah, I'm a Clock Tower Lord,' or, 'I'm far nobler than other Magi.' Before humanity went extinct, among both Eastern and Western Mage's Associations, the least respectable was the Clock Tower she belonged to."

Olga Marie wanted to retort, but in the end, she said nothing. She merely changed the subject. "Enough chatting. That swordsman has already noticed us."

Armor covered in pitch-black darkness and faint crimson patterns encased the swordsman beneath the Greater Grail. Rose-gold hair and golden eyes calmly watched the Chaldea group.

Before anyone from Chaldea could speak, the swordsman said, "—I'm truly glad, Joslin, that you and I could meet here."

Joslin? Who was that?

Everyone looked at one another.

"Ah—I remember now. There are records in mythology of the tyrannical regent Joscelin Brando, a valiant knight who had existed since King Uther's era and, after serving as regent for a time, helped King Arthur Ascend—"

Olga Marie suddenly remembered a passage, then began saying something incomprehensible. "But it seems I'm the only British person here—could I be the rumored tyrant Joslin in a past life? Ah! If that's the case, then it explains why I'm so sharp-tongued, doesn't it?"

Everyone ignored Olga Marie, who had become so nervous that she was beginning to talk nonsense.

Mash looked toward Bai Ming. He could see through her Spirit Origin at a glance and had forced Galahad to fuse with her—could Senpai be the legendary King Joslin? But Senpai looked so young no matter how she looked at him. What was going on?

Bai Ming stepped forward. "Arthur, why did you answer the summon? I don't want to fight you."

"Eh—King Arthur from the legends is a girl?"

Roman had just wanted to make some crude remarks in Chaldea when Fujimaru Ritsuka directly cut off the communication. Akuta Hinako studied the Greater Grail, seemingly deep in thought.

"Because there was no other choice. Someone had to guard this place. Rather than letting someone else come, I came myself."

As Artoria spoke, she released her magical energy to the fullest. "Then let me see whether you, junior who inherited Galahad's Spirit Origin, possess the will to withstand my attack."

"Sigh—Mash, smash that brain-damaged idiot with the dining table."

"E-eh? This is actually the Knights of the Round Table's dining table?"

Mash's body reacted before her mind could. A massive torrent of magical energy collided with the cross-shaped round shield. The next moment, the torrent vanished, and Mash began panting heavily.

"With Joslin at your side, I'm no longer worried about your willpower."

Suddenly, Artoria picked up the Greater Grail and charged toward Bai Ming. Bai Ming also took out Crocea Mors and charged toward Artoria.

With luck this bad, he probably would not die instantly, right?

Blood splattered everywhere. Crocea Mors pierced through Artoria's armor and body, while Artoria handed the Greater Grail to Bai Ming and said softly:

"The war surrounding the Holy Grail has only just begun. Stop the Animusphere Family's Grand Order. Someone is still hiding here—don't use the Holy Grail. I'll give you my Spirit Core. That should make up for your lack of magical energy."

After Artoria fused her own Spirit Core, along with a certain concept, into Bai Ming's body, she dissolved into scattered spiritual light.

An instant kill—damn it!

After thinking about it, Bai Ming decided it would be better to let Crocea Mors rot in his mind.

During These Dozen Seconds of Spiritron Transfer, I'll Take Your Life

"I already know everything you said, so there's no need for that."

Bai Ming put away Crocea Mors and had the system store the Greater Grail in its system space.

"Next—"

Bai Ming turned and returned to the Chaldea group. "Professor Lev, the final actor, aren't you coming out yet?"

A faint, strange fluctuation spread through the air. A man wearing a green trench coat over a suit and purple tie, along with a green top hat, appeared within the massive hollow. His tone was calm yet filled with disgust.

"Tch—an ordinary person I never cared about, and an undisciplined piece of trash with no organization whatsoever. You disgust me. And you, Olga Marie, you're actually still alive—no, you're already dead. After all, the bomb was right beneath your feet. Trismegistus was truly kind to transfer what remained of your consciousness to this land."

Olga Marie's mood had only just risen for a moment before immediately sinking again. She remembered the question she had asked Bai Ming earlier and his answer.

Lev's words had made her understand how Chaldea had exploded. Just as expected, she had never received help from anyone from the very beginning.

No one had ever been willing to affirm her. No one had ever been willing to acknowledge her—

Just as Olga Marie was sinking into self-abandonment, Bai Ming said, "See, Olga Marie? Does that sound like the Lev you knew? Lev died long ago, on the day Mash underwent the Demi-Servant experiment. The one who replaced him—"