Chaldea Embassy.
Ritsuka Fujimaru lay face down on the stone table, her face buried in her arms, motionless.
Mash sat next to her, with a white Fou perched on her shoulder.
"Senior, it's been two days already."
"... I know."
Ritsuka Fujimaru's voice came through the gap in her arms, muffled.
Still no news from Mayuri?
"Yes. Chaldea has confirmed that an anomaly occurred during the Spiritron Transfer; Miss Mayuri was not transferred to this Singularity."
Mash's voice was very soft.
Fou lifted her head from her shoulder, blinking her purple eyes.
" Fou..."
It let out a low whimper.
Mayuri.
Chaldea's strongest combat force in conquering Singularity.
He is also one of their most important partners.
Mayuri was a great help during the Sixth Singularity.
However, this time the Spiritron Transfer went awry.
Mayuri didn't come along.
They've completely disappeared.
"Alright!"
She suddenly stood up and slapped her cheeks.
"Being down won't help! With Mayuri gone, I need to work even harder!"
"Once we find the Holy Grail at this Singularity, we might just find Mayuri!"
"Senior..."
"Alright, alright, Mash, let's go!"
Where to go?
"Go gather intelligence!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru grabbed Mash's hand and ran towards the door.
Fou jumped off Mash's shoulder and ran after her with her short legs.
The next few days.
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash ran around Uruk.
Ask the residents for information.
Obtain information from other Servant.
I learned about the current situation from Siduri.
Fou followed behind them, the white fluffy ball bouncing around on the street, failing to attract the attention of passersby.
But Fou's attention was clearly not on the residents.
Because every time I pass through a certain alley...
It could smell a strange odor.
No, it's not the smell.
It's about temperament.
It felt a familiar quality to it.
She looks a lot like Mayuri.
" Fou?"
Mash glanced back.
Fou stood at the alley entrance, her purple eyes fixed on the depths of the alley.
Something there is attracting it.
Deep in that alley.
This is where Kotori and Tomoe Gozen live.
Kotori was sitting in the doorway, basking in the sun, munching on a baked flatbread.
While Kotori was enjoying the sunlight with her Kotori closed, Fou quietly approached.
Step by step.
The little legs made almost no sound as they stepped on the stone slabs.
Getting closer and closer.
Three meters.
Two meters.
One meter.
Fou stopped at Kotori's feet.
It tilted its head back, its purple eyes fixed on Kotori's face.
That's the kind of vibe she has.
She looks like Mayuri.
But they are not exactly the same.
What's the difference?
Fou tilted her head.
It stretched out its little paw and gently touched the tip of Kotori's shoe.
"..."
Kotori opened her eyes.
Head bowed.
I saw a small, white, furry creature standing at my feet.
Kotori glanced at Fou.
It has white fur, purple eyes, and a body size somewhere between a squirrel and a puppy.
Isn't that Fou? She's quite cute.
Kotori put down the biscuit and reached out to touch Fou's head.
Fou did not dodge.
Instead, it moved forward a little more.
Kotori's fingers touched Fou's fur.
Fou didn't dodge; she just nuzzled Kotori's hand with her head.
at the same time.
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash also achieved good results in their intelligence gathering work.
They learned about the defenses on the northern front from Leonidas.
I learned about the basic structure of the Warcraft army from Ushiwakamaru.
I learned the general information about the Three Goddess Alliance from Siduri.
There are currently two confirmed God-level Servant.
One of them is Ishtar, the goddess of Venus, whom I had already encountered when I first arrived at this Singularity.
The other is Tiamat, the Goddess of Demonic Beasts.
Tiamat...
Just hearing that name makes you think it's the final boss.
Thinking of this, a familiar smile began to appear on Ritsuka Fujimaru's face.
Hahahaha--
"Senior?"
"How do I enter this?"
"... Huh?"
"We already have such powerful people helping us at this Singularity!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru put her hands on her hips and laughed loudly, looking up at the sky.
"The difficulty of conquering this area will probably be just like the Sixth Singularity last time—it'll be a piece of cake!"
"The advantage is in my hands! The advantage is in my hands!"
"Senior..."
Mash looked somewhat worried.
"Senior, please don't be careless."
"This era is the end of the Age of Gods, a period when the gods still exist on Earth."
"The danger may be far more complex than it appears."
"Furthermore, it seems that Ms. Kotori Itsuka does not belong to Chaldea, nor is she under our command."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Ritsuka Fujimaru waved her hand.
"Director Olga and Dr. Roman have already told me this many times before."
"I'll be careful when it really comes down to it."
"Please remember this sentence, senior."
"Okay, okay."
"Oh, and when I visited Ms. Kotori Itsuka before, I was turned away at the door."
"It must be that our sincerity was insufficient."
"We'll visit Tomoe Gozen again later to find out if Kotori Itsuka has any particular favorite foods or dishes."
"Next time we'll bring a gift, that way we'll definitely be able to get along well with Kotori Itsuka."
"Senior, if the other party doesn't want to see us, shouldn't we...?"
"No, Mash, you must believe in the power of sincerity!"
"..."
A few days later.
The Central Temple of Uruk.
Gilgamesh sat on his throne, looking at Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash standing in the hall.
"Now that you've arrived, I'll assign you a small task."
"A small task?"
"Previously, I sent Amakusa Shirou to the southern forest to investigate and explore the city of Ur on the edge of the forest, hoping to obtain information about the Forest Goddess."
Gilgamesh tapped his fingers on the armrest of the throne.
"But he went missing shortly after entering the dense forest."
"Judging from the contractual relationship, he is not dead."
"They must have been arrested."
Your task is to bring him back.
"I will also send Merlin to accompany you."
Merlin emerged from behind a pillar in the main hall, staff in hand, his signature smile on his face.
"Oh, another errand to run."
"Alright, let's go."
The team that set off consisted of five people (plus a pet).
Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Mash.
Ana.
Merlin.
And Fou.
Fou didn't want to come along, but it got all worked up when it saw Merlin.
" Fou!!"
It rushed up and started punching and kicking Merlin.
"Waaaaah! Don't hit me!"
Merlin ran around clutching his head.
Fou chased after her relentlessly.
Mash expressionlessly lifted Fou off Merlin.
Let's go.
The group headed south.
Southern dense forests.
A landscape completely different from the wilderness.
The trees towered into the clouds, their branches and leaves blocking out the sun, allowing only a few rays of sunlight to filter through.
The air was humid and hot, filled with the smell of decaying plants.
Fujimaru Ritsuka led the way with a sword.
"It's so stuffy here..."
"Senior, please watch your step."
"Okay, okay."
Fou perched on Mash's shoulder, her ears twitching as she alerted herself to any sounds around her.
Ana walked at the very back of the group, her hood pulled low, obscuring her expression.
Merlin walked at the front, his staff emitting a soft glow that illuminated the path ahead.
" Amakusa Shirou should be deep in the dense forest."
Merlin's voice carried a hint of nonchalance.
"Come with me."
The group walked through the dense forest for about half an hour.
Merlin stopped in his tracks.