These following chapters are simply an extra add on story that introduces some of the monarch servants to the world of FGO, while also showing off some abilities of Hayashi and his new relationship with Ritsuka as well through a unique singularity. Enjoy!
Songs
Rome: Skrimir's Pride (Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn OST)
Constantine's Judgement: The Black Knight Lives (Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn OST)
Saved from Execution: 7tsuno:the1 (The Seven Deadly Sins OST)
Hayashi and Saber vs. Romans and Getaway: Dragon Sin (The Seven Deadly Sins OST)
On the Golden Hind: OH92&HrBrm (The Seven Deadly Sins OST)
London: Perfect Time (The Seven Deadly Sins OST)
The Queen: King Arthur Overture (Henry Purcell)
Two weeks since Hayashi was summoned to Chaldea's Shadow Border vehicle. Using his unique skill, Modern Technology Comprehension, he was able to create almost any item from nothing, within reason, from the modern age. This included smartphones for everybody, mainly to keep them occupied at his Master's request. He also created rec rooms with TVs, stereos, game consoles, and computer desktops for those who wanted to watch modern entertainment or research topics of their choice. Besides this, Da Vinci thought it was a good idea to have him teach seminars about both magecraft as well as world history, so the servants would learn more about the magic world and the historical world past their deaths.
As for his relationships with others, he was cautious with some of them, since he knew more about their deeds during life than other servants did. He tried to avoid Angra, Ozymandias, and Edmond, not telling them much more than that he had met alternate versions of them in his own lifetime, and they weren't pleasant meetings, which was thankfully enough for them to understand keeping their distance for the time being. He and Hijikata had an active training rivalry, constantly trying to fight and outdo the other in the simulator. Raikou had begun doting on him as a sort of older sister figure, though a much more mature relationship than the one she had with their Master. He looked after Anastasia as well, as she had taken an interest in him since he knew all about the modern world, and would have him read to her for an hour a day.
His former servants, well...they didn't really remember much about their contracts under him, just as he had expected. Ritsuka had mentioned to them that they were at one point his servants during his life, but nothing more than that, as per Hayashi's request. So they maintained a casual friendship, though Hayashi still secretly wished that they would gain their memories back one day.
"So when the Tokugawa Shogunate came to power under Ieyasu, he closed off the country, known in Japanese as Sakoku. The country flourished in a relative time of peace for the next few centuries." Hayashi drew a thick border around his drawing of Japan on the whiteboard that he was using, in one of the classrooms that he made. He turned around to his "students", Okita, Tomoe, Kotaro, Archer Nobunaga, Kiyohime, Raikou, Murasaki, Musashi, Ushiwakamaru, Hokusai, Tamamo, Berserker Kintoki, and of course Ritsuka and Mash.
"Yes, Tomoe?" He asked after noticing that she had raised her hand.
"How significant was the Tokugawa clan to the people? Did they trust them?"
"Good question. They did, very quickly, in fact. Since the Tokugawa fought alongside the Oda previously, the people were afraid to rebel against them, but also Ieyasu was much more politically inclined compared to Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, so he was successful in ruling the nobility. There might be another reason as well, and that's due to his claimed ancestry." They all blinked at him.
"Even though the Kamakura Period had been long in the past by this point, the Oda clan claimed descent from Taira no Chikazane, who was the great grandson of Taira no Kiyomori, the leader of the Taira clan against the Minamoto during those times. The Tokugawa on the other hand, claimed a more noble heritage than even that. Tokugawa Ieyasu was not his birth name, he changed it after gaining power. He was originally known as Matsudaira Motonobu, a member of the Matsudaira Clan, whose originator was Matsudaira Chikauji, a poor buddhist monk during the Kamakura Period. Chikauji claimed to be an 8th generation descendant of a member of the Nitta Clan, whose founder was Minamoto no Yoshishige, a descendant of Minamoto no Yorinobu, Raikou's brother, by a few generations. On top of that, Chikauji's wife's family adopted him, who claimed to be descended from the Ariwara Clan, which began with Ariwara no Narihira, a famous poet in the early Heian Period who was the grandson of both Emperor Heizei and Emperor Kanmu. So the people trusted in his ancestral claims, even if they weren't true or overexaggerated."
Kotaro raised his hand next, and Hayashi pointed at him.
"How long did this peace last exactly?"
"268 years, to be exact. In the 1860s, the then reigning Emperor Komei opposed the reopening of the country, but his son, the future Emperor Meiji, supported it, and wanted to transform Japan into a modern, powerful nation. Komei was backed by the Tokugawa Shogunate and eventually the Shinsengumi, and Meiji was backed by Imperial Forces, who agreed with him. Komei died, and at the Battle of Hakodate, Hijikata was killed, ending the revolution with Meiji's victory, and stripping the shogun of all his power before eliminating the position entirely."
"Attention, Chaldea. A new Singularity has been detected. Ritsuka and Mash, please come to the Rayshift room as soon as possible. There is no present threat to the Shadow Border." Da Vinci's voice came over the intercom.
"Well, I guess that means we'll have to end here today. Next time we'll cover more of the Edo Period. That's all." Hayashi nodded, as the others stood up, and Ritsuka and Mash began to head towards the Rayshift room.
"We'll come with you, Master." Hayashi and Raikou followed, and upon entering, both Da Vincis were standing at the console (Rider is the original/transferred body, Caster is the adult one summoned by Ritsuka).
"What's this about a new Singularity?" Ritsuka asked.
"Yes, a strange anomaly. And not a Lostbelt, either, since we can confirm that no Crypters are present in the area. There is a Holy Grail, though. And quite a few Servants." Caster Da Vinci answered.
"You need us to investigate anyway."
"Yes. We can't leave anything untouched, even if it does not pose a threat to the current timeline."
"Alright then."
"Wait. You need to bring a few servants along with you for this one. From what we can tell, the year is the modern day, even though there is a lack of modern technology present. And it seems to be taking place across the entirety of Europe and Asia."
"That big?" Hayashi asked, stepping forward.
"Yes, take a look. When we investigated, we essentially got this map, and nothing further." She switched the screen to a picture of a map with different territories marked.
"Recognize them?"
"Yeah. Easily. In Red is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In Blue is the French Empire. In Yellow is the Roman Empire. In Purple is the Russian Empire. And in Green is the Empire of Japan. That's troubling."
"Yes. I'm not sure what's happening in this Singularity, but I would strongly suggest bringing one servant from each empire with you for information and potential diplomacy."
"Understood." Ritsuka nodded. "So, Britain, France, Rome, Russia, and Japan."
"I can cover you for Britain, Master." Hayashi said.
"I can do the same for Japan, Master~!" Raikou said, happy to be coming along.
"Alright. Then I'm going to go find Jeanne, Nero, and Anastasia." He ran off.
"If you're going with him, Hayashi, then you should stay here, Mash." Rider Da Vinci said. "We only have six coffins running at the moment anyways.
"Understood." She agreed. Before long, Ritsuka came back with the other three, who had already been told about the situation.
"Are you ready for us?" Hayashi asked Da Vinci, who nodded in response.
"Then let's get in." The six of them got into the coffins, and the rayshift began. With their eyes closed, the only thing they felt was the vibration of the coffins being activated, before falling onto grass from a short distance.
"Oof...Master, are you alright?" Jeanne asked, sitting up.
"Yes, I'll be fine." He stood up, brushing off some dirt from the Polar Chaldea Uniform he was wearing.
"Hayashi, do you recognize the area at all?"
"No. This is simply an open field, and I can't see a skyline of a city from here. Although...hold on a second." He cast a wind spell to make him float upwards, looking around to search for signs of civilization from higher up.
"Oh! Over there, to the south. What looks like a fortress. Other than that, I don't see anything."
"Then let's begin there." Ritsuka and Hayashi led the party towards the fortress, with Anastasia removing her mantle and skirt along the way, leaving just her dress.
"It's rather warm, and easier to walk this way."
"You know, this weather does seem familiar to me somehow." Hayashi looked up, feeling the calm breeze.
"The weather? But it's just like any other spring day." Nero looked at him.
"True, but...I'm getting a feeling of nostalgia, being here. Master, have you been able to get in contact with Da Vinci at all?"
"No. I guess we should have seen this coming. The comms almost never work when we first arrive somewhere." he sighed.
"Wait." Hayashi stopped, holding his hand up, making the others stop as well.
"Something the matter?" Raikou asked.
"Over there." He pointed, where in the distance, a few soldiers were marching, wearing crimson armor and capes. Ten men walked in front of one of them, and another ten behind, meaning that the middle man had to be the commander.
"There's no places to hide here." Hayashi did a quick search, looking for at least a small hill or a trench, but the land was flat and open for miles.
"I think we should leave them and keep heading for this fortress for now. If they were stationed there, it might mean that it's easier to get in." Ritsuka suggested.
"Yes, I agree."
"Hold on...those are Roman uniforms!" Nero said, squinting at the soldiers.
"Yes. If you'll remember, this Singularity involves a handful of the most powerful empires in history. Rome is one of them."
"In that case, shouldn't we ask them for information? They cannot deny a request from an Emperor after all."
"Don't be so hasty. We still don't know how servants are perceived in this world yet. They most likely won't believe you, and we'll have given ourselves away for nothing."
"Hayashi's right, Nero. The fortress isn't far now."
"Ohh...very well." Avoiding the soldiers, they ventured onwards, coming closer to the fortress, and noticing its Renaissance architecture.
"That's it! That's why it felt so familiar before." Hayashi exclaimed, on their way up to the front gates.
"The weather?" Ritsuka asked.
"Yes. I have been here before. The area at least. If Roman soldiers are stationed here, and the layout of the land, along with the way these fortresses look, we must be in Italy, more specifically Tuscany. Much of the land around these parts is countryside like this."
"Italy, huh? What does that mean for us?"
"It means that we have two choices. Go to Florence, in the north of the region, or continue south to Rome. Considering that we have no information about current events here, I'd suggest the latter."
"Rome!" Nero said excitedly. The others nodded, and Hayashi called over the gate, asking for it to be opened. However, there was no response.
"Hello?!" He called again, still no response.
"There's no way only those 20 guards are stationed here. This is more than an outpost." Raikou pointed out.
"Very astute, Puella." Raikou gasped as she felt a spear tip touch her back. Turning around, the twenty or so guards from before were now cornering them against the closed gate.
"You came all the way back from where you were?" Hayashi growled.
"Who said we went any further than that?" The captain responded. "You think we didn't notice you? We continued on as if nothing happened, then followed you back. We're normally the ones who are in charge of the front gate here, so there wasn't going to be a new squadron as soon as you got here."
"Damn…" Ritsuka grumbled. "We didn't last very long here."
"Now tell me. Who are you? Your outfits are all over the place. Are you servants?" The captain asked, surprising them all.
"You know what servants are?" Hayashi asked.
"Of course. They are pretty commonplace in this world. I take it you're not from around here."
"No."
"Then you should know that servants run the government and military in each of their empires. In fact, all rulers of the empires are servants."
"If you know that we're servants, why bother with the spears? We're clearly stronger than you." Anastasia brought up.
"Because there's an active effect on us as citizens of the Roman Empire. If we die, the Emperor finds out right away due to his connection to the city and the citizens. And no one wants to get on his bad side."
"...If you take us to this Emperor, we'll go willingly." Hayashi bargained, the others watching him.
"Very well. That is acceptable. He will decide what to do with you. Let's get going." The captain walked forward, knocking a few times in a secret pattern, the gate opening a few seconds after, the sun now blinding them once again through the gate. The soldiers motioned for them to begin walking, and when they did, they realized that the fortress wasn't a fortress at all. It was just the front gate and entryway into the Eternal City. For what lay before them was a fully active and prime Ancient Rome.
"Wow! Just as I remember it!" Nero whispered to Ritsuka, who was still looking around.
They were led further into the city, towards the center, where the courtyard for St. Peter's Basilica could be seen, and was in fact where they were being led to. A strange addition to the area was an execution platform with pillories and execution blocks. Beyond that, there was a throne on a platform out in front of the Basilica, with steps leading up to it.
The Emperor, wearing golden roman armor and a gold cape and drapes with a silver sword at his side and a laurel wreath in his light brown hair, sat in it, while two others stood beside him, one in a crimson Roman General outfit with short dark brown hair, and the other crimson robes and sashes that looked like something a senator would wear.
"On your knees." The captain pushed them down onto their knees, kneeling in front of their ruler.
"Your Majesty! These people were seen outside the city trying to get in and have confirmed themselves that they are servants! How shall we deal with them?"
"Servants? Interesting. Thank you for bringing them to me. I will decide how to deal with them."
The captain bowed and got back into formation with his men, but remained to watch.
"So, what's with the outside throne? I figured you'd have a palace of some kind." Hayashi looked up at him.
"Do not address the Emperor without being spoken to-!" The senator began, but the Emperor held his hand up, stopping him.
"This is where I conduct public business. I enjoy doing it outside. I do have a palace and meeting house as well, of course. Now, if you are servants, which one of you is the Master?"
"I am, Your Majesty. My name is Ritsuka."
"Oh, a young one, I see. My full title is Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus, Emperor of Rome and Constantinople. But you most likely know me as Constantine the Great, or Constantine the First. This is Trajan, the Commander of Roman Forces and my right hand." He motioned to the man on the right, wearing the general's outfit. "And this is Hadrian, my Political Advisor, Head of State, and my left hand." He held his hand out towards the other one, who had the statesman outfit.
"Constantine, Trajan, and Hadrian...The three most popular and successful Roman Emperors in history." Hayashi repeated.
"Yes, that's right." Constantine smiled a bit. "So, tell me. Where exactly are you from? And what are you doing here?"
"We're from a different world and different time, Your Majesty." Ritsuka was honest with him, since he was already a Servant himself. "When we came here, we arrived in Tuscany, just outside of the city, so we came here because it was the closest sign of civilization."
"I see. Do you know about the state of affairs in this world, then?"
"A war between empires run by servants, no?" Hayashi asked.
"That's correct. While each empire is strong, one must admit that much of their strength is reliant upon the strength of the commanders. And unfortunately, Rome is not the strongest among them…" He paused before looking at Hadrian.
"What do you think?"
"I believe that they could be an advantage over some of the others. Though they are few, the majority of them are Servants, and we could use some extra firepower of that caliber. But against us, they would be a great threat, of course, to much of our forces."
"Hmm...here's what I'll do. I'll make you a deal. If you agree to join forces with us against the other empires, we'll let you live. But disagree, and we'll have to kill you. We can't have you going against us in the war now, can we?"
"That's not a deal, it's an ultimatum." Hayashi spat back.
"And one with an obvious choice to you, no doubt. So what's it going to be? You can try to fight your way out, but none of you are strong enough to fight me on equal terms, I can tell."
"...Master, for now, we'll have to say yes." Hayashi whispered over.
"Now hold on!" Nero stood up, draining the color from the others' faces.
"What is it?" Constantine shifted focus to her.
"Would you let us go on our own, due to the fact that I am a former Roman Emperor myself, and your predecessor?"
"Oh, another Roman servant? And an Emperor, no less. Tell me then, what is your True Name?"
"Stop, don't-" Hayashi tried to stop her.
"Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus." She said confidently, staring him in the eye.
"...tell him. Damn." Hayashi cursed.
Constantine had been reclining during the discussion so far, but he quickly changed his face to a serious expression and sat up, staring her down.
"Is that so?" He asked in a darker tone.
"It is as I said." Nero replied, a little bit of fear in her voice.
"Then I'm afraid I must amend your decision's terms. The Empress is not allowed to be a part of the forces and will be executed immediately. Guards, seize her."
"Wh-What?!" Nero stepped back, and everyone else stood up. Trajan jumped down and pointed his sword at them while the soldiers from before stopped them in the back.
"Nero, Constantine is the first Christian emperor. And you executed Saint Peter, the first Pope and an apostle of Jesus during your lifetime. His tomb is supposed to be under this Basilica and is an international holy ground." Hayashi explained.
"Oh...I guess I shouldn't have proclaimed my identity so readily."
"You think? You should have at least lied and said you were Augustus or something."
"I can tell when servants lie. I'm a Ruler class, after all." Constantine stood up. "It's clear to me that you won't betray her, so I have no choice but to execute all of you. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Just fighting Hadrian and Trajan alone will take a lot out of your little group, believe me." Constantine unsheathed a silver, gleaming sword.
"Why don't we test that theory?" Hayashi was about to make a move before hearing someone yell above them.
"Gae Bolg!" Looking up, they saw Cu Chulainn, preparing to launch his spear right where they were standing.
"Move!" Hayashi grabbed Ritsuka and leapt away, the other servants doing the same. The spear was flung to the ground, and a large explosion engulfed the captain and the soldiers, though the emperors got away.
Landing and grabbing his spear again, Cu went over to Ritsuka's group.
"Cu!"
"Yo, Master. We need to get out of here. Drake is bringing her ship over to the port."
"Are you sure they won't follow us?" Jeanne glanced over to the emperors.
"We'll be fine, the commander will hold them off while we escape."
"'The commander?'" Ritsuka asked.
"No time to explain, let's just go!" Cu grabbed him and the others followed, heading to a galleon that fired cannonballs into the port, blowing up some of the city and forcing the soldiers to duck for cover.
In the city, some soldiers combatted some of the Roman soldiers arriving, that were dressed in Medieval armor, and one man, the one who Cu called commander, emerged from the back, wearing a blue cuirass, chain mail, boots, a yellow cape with a red lion on it, and a strap around his body that held a sheathed greatsword on his back, along with a regular broadsword at his left hip. Hanging over the sword on his back was a yellow shield with a red lion on it, and he had neck length brown hair and a scruffy face.
"Is that…? Master, I'll help him out! We'll catch up with you in a few!" Hayashi called out, running back into the city.
Grabbing his shield and his broadsword, the commander clashed blades with Trajan, seemingly having a bit of an advantage, but still mostly even.
"Your back!" Hayashi called out, as Hadrian appeared, swinging a sword at the knight's head.
"Thunderforge!" Hayashi used one of his skills to craft a sword out of his red lightning, intercepting Hadrian's strike and kicking him back, standing back to back with him.
"Thanks for the help. Hrrrgh!" He swung his sword again at Trajan, knocking him away.
"Not at all. Considering your outfit, you're one of two people, and either way, it's a once in a lifetime chance to fight alongside you."
"So you have an idea of who I am, huh?"
"You're wearing Scottish Kingdom colors. There's two people from Scotland that are legendary among all others."
"Do you know which one I am?"
"No, not yet. But we have more important things to worry about right now."
"Indeed. For now, call me Saber of Liberation." Saber and Hayashi fought them back a little bit, but Constantine was right that they were not to be underestimated. No matter how much they were beaten back, they weren't slowed down at all. Before long, the two regrouped, and Constantine joined them.
"Your name is Hayashi?" Saber asked, standing beside him.
"Yes."
"I must admit that my strength is not enough to bring down Constantine. It would require my full strength to sufficiently damage him, which I am not prepared to use at the moment, so I suggest that we retreat for the time being."
"Alright."
"Cover me while I prevent them from following us." He put his shield on his back and held his sword up, beginning to gather golden energy into the blade.
"Got it!" He created another sword and fought off both Hadrian and Trajan while Saber continued to gather mana.
"Hayashi! Get going!" He merged his swords into a greatsword and swung hard, knocking both emperors behind Constantine a fair bit away.
"Take this!" He pointed the sword at them and unleashed a huge blast of golden power at them. Immediately after, he sheathed his sword and ran with Hayashi towards the ship.
Constantine took out a jeweled silver cross and held out in front of him.
"In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel and Leah, Joseph, Moses, Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah, Joseph and Mary, Jesus and the 12 Apostles, wipe this slate clean and allow the Lord's light to break through all evil spread before me! Sanctae Crucis Verum Fidei!" Saber's blast was suddenly absorbed by Constantine's cross without much effort, but it had made enough time for everyone to get on the ship and sail away.
"Shall we give chase?" Trajan asked.
"Not yet. We must prepare thoroughly before going after them. But one thing is for certain. They are going to change the tide of this war because we didn't execute them in time. The stalemate will end very soon."
X
"I'm glad we saved you in time, Master." Drake stepped away from the ship's wheel to join the others while one of the other sailors took the helm.
"What are you guys doing here? Only we six were rayshifted here." Ritsuka looked at her and Cu.
"Well, we're not the same versions of ourselves at Chaldea. But for some reason, when you arrived in this world, the Holy Grail here synced our memories so we remember everything that you did with our other selves." He explained.
"How odd." Jeanne thought for a moment. "In that case, are you aware that this is not regular human history and in fact a singularity?"
"Of course. It's obvious. None of us lived around the same time as those emperors anyways." Drake said. "Servants from all times live in the empires here."
"Right. About that…" Ritsuka looked over at Saber of Liberation, who was looking out at sea, before crossing his arms and sighing.
"I suppose I should explain a few things. However, I'm going to refrain from doing so until I can confirm that you are not a threat. It sounds selfish, I know, but I'm not disclosing any useful information to you if you're planning on allying with another empire."
"I'm afraid my hands are tied too, Master. My loyalty to my country is stronger than my loyalty to you. No offense." Cu put his hands behind his head.
"Same goes for me." Drake went back to the helm. "Queen's needs come before yours, nothing personal."
"Why save us and let us aboard then?" Hayashi asked.
"Same selfish reason. For hoping that you ally with us." Saber explained.
"Where are you taking us?" Ritsuka asked.
"To London. It shouldn't take more than a few hours with a ship like this belonging to a servant. We'll decide what to do with you there."
X
Arriving later that afternoon at a London port, everyone got off, led by Saber into what looked like a Victorian Britain.
"This shouldn't be possible…" Hayashi mumbled to himself as they were led further into the city, towards Westminster, seeing Buckingham Palace in that direction.
"How is it that Victorian London can exist at the same time as the Roman Empire?" Hayashi asked.
"Each empire has their own sense of time, made in the image of the ruling monarch."
Looking around, even though it was the Victorian Era, things seemed to be pretty relaxed, and English, Scottish, and Irish people alike were having good times in pubs, shopping, and exploring the streets of the city, dressed in casual wear for the time period.
"We'll see you later, Master. This meeting doesn't concern us." Cu and Drake waved, breaking off from them.
The guards opened the palace gate for them, standing at attention for Saber, who led them all inside, heading towards the throne room.
The room itself was very lavish, decorated in crimson and gold curtains, where three thrones sat at the back of the room, atop a few steps.
"I have returned, Your Majesty." Saber put his right fist to his heart, and his left behind his back, bowing to her before taking his place on the throne at the left. Sitting on the throne on the right was a young woman with long brown hair, wearing a large blue dress with a blue sash around her, and a white veil over the back of her hair, holding a scepter in her lap.
In the middle throne was another young woman, with long strawberry blonde hair tied in a bun, wearing maroon Elizabethan robes, a white mantle, and a golden scepter larger than the one the other woman had.
They began to kneel before the middle woman held her hand out.
"There is no need for that. This is not a formal procession. Now then, tell me your names, please. Your true names."
They all looked at Ritsuka, who nodded at them.
"Ritsuka Fujimaru."
"Hayashi Tsukamoto."
"Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus."
"Jeanne D'Arc."
"Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov."
"Minamoto no Yorimitsu."
"I see. And how did you end up in Rome?"
"We...aren't from around here. Saber mentioned that you all know that this is a singularity, or a time and place where history needs to be corrected. Our jobs are to observe these instances, travel there, and help correct them. We are essentially teleported here from our own home base, and we just happened to arrive in Tuscany, where the closest city was Rome. We were captured by some guards that took us to the Emperor, and he decided to execute us. Then Cu saved us." Hayashi explained.
"I assume because of her?" The queen looked at Nero, with Hayashi nodding.
"Saber mentioned that you were looking for our help in this war?" Ritsuka asked.
"Indeed. You see, this is a rather tough situation. We are at war with five other empires, and due to our geography, the only way we can directly interact with them is with our troops stationed in India. But we don't have any servants like Arjuna or Karna on our side, so it's not like we can dominate combat. Our land mass is also rather small compared to the others. So just having a few extra servants on our side would be incredibly helpful. In addition, as luck would have it, you are each from one of the other empires, potentially enhancing our possibility for diplomacy."
"This is beginning to sound a lot like Constantine." Hayashi scowled.
"I did say to you that our reasons are the same. Any other empire would give you the same answer." Saber answered back.
"Then why should we ally with you rather than the others?"
"We like to think of ourselves as the resistance to all of this. When we were first summoned here, the British Empire was only given our usual isles and India, the land that we had now. But these other empires began to conquer more and more land until they became what they are now. We haven't acted in any way but self-defense, even now. Our forces in India, led by Parvati and Lakshmibai, are only fighting against further Japanese conquest from the east.
"Japanese…?" Raikou mumbled.
"We've all been in a massive stalemate for the better part of three months now. There's no land left to conquer across the two continents, and Africa, the Americas, and Australia are all neutral and we've agreed to not go after them, which has so far been upheld. Invading another empire at this point would exhaust a lot of resources for that empire, and then another one would swoop in and finish the winner, until there's only one left standing. But of course no one will take that risk first. The other problem, as you may have noticed, is that there is no correct history here, since each of these empires has their own time period and different rulers from across different eras. So I think this war just needs to be finished, with someone standing on top at the end."
"...What will you do with us if we don't agree to join you?" Ritsuka asked.
"As with Rome, we can't risk you joining another empire and posing a threat to us. But we will not execute you, rest assured. We will send you to America where you can live in neutrality."
"...You clearly haven't thought this out as much as you should have." Hayashi stepped forward, startling the others.
"You say that in order to solve this singularity, there needs to be one nation left standing, but if we don't help you turn the tide of this war in your favor, you're going to exile us to prevent the others from getting to us? That won't fix your stalemate, and that's incredibly selfish and condescending. You're going to need to convince us more than just the 'we're the resistance' argument."
"..." All three of them remained silent.
"At this point, I'm inclined to join an empire based upon who is ruling it if you don't come up with a solid argument for staying here."
"You wish to know who's ruling? Very well. You already met Constantine. The French Empire is ruled by Louis XIV. The Russian Empire is ruled by Catherine II. I'm afraid no one knows the identity of the Empire of Japan's Emperor, they have been very secretive. As for myself...my name is Elizabeth Tudor, Queen of England."
"...I see." Hayashi thought for a moment, looking away.
"Catherine sounds the most beneficial right now, but...who's to say that we'll get the same offer from any of them if we go there? We might as well help you out...England is my home, anyway." Hayashi sighed.
"We'll help you. If only because you seem more trustworthy than the Romans." Ritsuka answered.
"Thank you. In that case, I suppose we should reveal our true names to you. As I said, I am Elizabeth Tudor, the former and now acting Queen of the British Empire. I am a Ruler class Servant."
"I am Victoria, former Queen of the British Empire. I now serve as Queen Elizabeth's Political Advisor. I am a Caster."
"My name is Robert Bruce, former King and Guardian of Scotland. I now serve as the Military Commander of the British Empire. I am a Saber."
"Excellent. Let's get started, then." Hayashi nodded at the three of them.
End.
