The Triumvirate Chapter 2:
The Woman in White
It was a couple of hours since the battle, and the Chaldeans and their uncertain allies were on their way to the capital, with the prisoners in tow. To pass the time, the Chaldeans talked amongst themselves, and the topic of their new ally, Nero, suddenly started.
"You know, I never imagined Emperor Nero to be one to lead from the front." Ritsuka said.
"I never imagined Emperor Nero to be the type to do ANY fighting at all." Liz countered.
"Hey, looks can be deceiving." Nobunaga replied. "Think of it this way, if someone wants to get someone to let their guard down, you have to be unassuming until you find the moment to surprise them."
"I must say that is an excellent observation." Vlad said. "In fact, it may be why the emperor has lasted as long as she has."
"What do you mean?" Tatsuko asked. "Wouldn't she have guards around her to protect her?"
"Well yes, but there are some times where she would not have them, like inside her bedroom for example." Johan said as he appeared on the comms. "You see, while emperor Nero was popular with the Praetorian guard, they could not be everywhere, and Nero would have had many enemies that would see this as an opportunity to betray her for their own gain."
"I read that Rome's politics could be corrupt, but to go that far…." Mashu muttered.
"Politics in ancient Rome is filled with bloodshed and backstabbing." Johan countered. "So it stands to reason the emperor here took note of that and had to be sharp and aware of her surroundings."
"Well that makes her downfall all the more ironic." Jeanne muttered.
"I agree." Sanson replied.
"Umu, what are you all talking about?"
The Chaldeans turned around and saw Nero walking towards them. Siegfried raised an eyebrow at the action, something that the emperor noticed.
"Is something wrong?"
Siegfried shook his head. "Sumanai, but are you sure it is safe for you to be walking alongside us?"
"Umu, I remember seeing how you all fought." Nero countered. "I think I will be safer with you all."
"I think that would be a lovely idea." Mashu said.
Nero smiled at the comment before walking closer to them. "So, what were you all talking about?"
"Well, we have never been to the capital before, so we were wondering what it is like there." Ritsuka lied.
Nero chuckled mischievously. "You will learn soon enough."
"Emperor Nero, I have a question." Sanson said. "What was the reason for the battle today, and why was there an army of Romans opposed to you?"
"Umu, I will answer to the best of my abilities." Nero answered. "To answer your second question, they are Romans who are now in the service of an organization called the United Empire. And the battle today was to keep those forces from harassing the capital."
"It sounds like this isn't the first time it's happened." Liz said.
"No, in fact this was the seventh attempt." Nero replied.
"So you had to repel them seven times already?" Nobunaga asked. "I must say that is quite the impressive feat."
Nero smirked. "Yes, yes! Praise me more, umu."
"Before we do, I have a question of my own if you do not mind." Vlad said.
Nero nodded. "You may ask."
"Who is in charge of this…..United Empire?"
Nero went silent for a moment. The group looked at her as she thought to herself, rubbing her temples together. The emperor widened her eyes in realization and let out a gasp. "I do not know! None of the enemy soldiers never said anything that could give us a clue!"
Everyone stared at her in absolute shock. Of all the things to say, that wasn't one they were expecting. The emperor groaned and clutched her head as if in pain. The Chaldeans immediately shifted their shocked expressions to concern.
"Are you okay?" Mashu asked.
Nero took a few deep breaths to try and fight the pain. She looked at the group and smiled weakly. "Do not worry about me. It is just my migraines flaring up again."
"Oh, if that is the case, I have some ice in my shield!" Mashu said. "Give me a moment to grab it."
The Shielder reached into her shield and pulled out an ice pack and handed it to Nero. The emperor looked at the lilac haired girl in confusion as Ritsuka cleared his throat and chuckled.
"Put it on the back of your neck, and hold it there." He said. "It'll relieve the pain."
The blonde woman nodded and applied the pack to her neck. The emperor's eyes widened as she sighed in relief. The cold pressure immediately numbed the discomfort, causing Nero to laugh. "Oh this is great! You there, how did you know where I should apply it?"
"Well migraines are usually located near the back of the head, so when you put something cool back there it helps relieve the discomfort."
"And how do you know such things?" Nero asked.
"I'm a healer." Ritsuka answered. "I learned quite a few things from the woman who looked after me."
"Umu, your mother must surely be skilled."
Ritsuka sighed. "She's not my mother….."
"Well regardless, I will find a suitable reward for your help." Nero said. "And that also includes you, beautiful girl with the fiery hair."
"I hope it is something….appropriate." Tatsuko muttered.
"Umu, did you say something?" Nero asked.
"No, nothing at all."
"Senpai, what do you think you will receive as a reward?" Mashu asked.
Ritsuka shrugged. "I honestly have no clue. Though to be perfectly honest, I'd rather not be rewarded over something so…..minor."
"Umu, that's not the entire reason you and that girl are being rewarded. You also helped minimize casualties for my soldiers." Nero said. "So please allow me to reward you for your help Mr. Senpai."
The Chaldeans stared at the emperor with confused and strange expressions. Nero raised an eyebrow at the stares, unaware of what she said. "Is something wrong?"
"What did you call me?" Ritsuka asked.
"I called you Mr. Senpai." Nero answered. "Did I offend you in some way?"
"No, you didn't. But that's not actually his name." Jeanne answered.
Nero stared at Ritsuka in shock. "I am so sorry! It was just that the girl with the magnificent shield called you that, so I assumed that was your name!"
Ritsuka laughed warmly. "It's all fine, emperor Nero."
"If I may ask, what IS your name?"
"Ritsuka Fujimaru."
Nero nodded at the male Master before turning her attention to the orange haired Master with a seductive smile. "And yours, fair maiden?"
"Tatsuko Tachibana." The female Master answered. "I'm a fellow countryman of Twig boy there."
Nero turned to Mashu with a curious gaze. "What is your name, girl with the mighty shield."
"I am Mashu Kyrielight." The Shielder answered.
"I am Vlad the third." Vlad replied.
"I'm Elizabeth Bathory." Liz said. "But my friends call me Liz."
"I like the sound of that Li-"
"We're not friends, so just call me Elizabeth."
Nero looked at her despondent. "Umu….okay….."
Jeanne cleared her throat. "I am Jeanne d'Arc. But you can just call me Jeanne."
Nero smiled. "Umu, I look forward to working with you!"
"I am Charles-Henri Sanson." The white haired Assassin chimed. "But please, just call me Sanson."
Nero nodded and turned to Nobunaga. "Judging by your appearance, I must assume you have a mighty name."
Nobunaga chuckled. "You bet I do! I am Oda Nobunaga!"
Nero laughed. "Truly a fitting name, I'm liking you already! And what about you, good sir?"
"I am Siegfried."
Nero raised an eyebrow. "Siegfried? You wouldn't happen to be from Germania, would you?"
Siegfried nodded. "You could say that."
"I see, but I am guessing that is not where you came from." Nero said. "May I ask where you all came from originally?"
"We're from the future." Tatsuko said.
Nero raised an eyebrow at the answer, causing everyone to smack their heads in annoyance. "Are you alright? Do you suffer from heatstroke?"
"She was telling a joke." Ritsuka answered. "The truth is we are from a place called Chaldea."
"Umu, that sounds like a fascinating place." Nero replied. "Ah, but probably not as glorious as Rome! See for yourselves!"
The Chaldeans turned to face the front and saw a simple gate leading into the capital. The moment the gates opened, their mouths opened in awe at the beautiful city beyond. The Chaldeans turned to face the emperor, who wore a proud smile.
"Welcome to Rome!"
The streets were bustling with countless people. Even after entering the city, the Chaldeans remained in silent awe as Nero led them around the capital. As they continued to walk down the streets, they looked at the architecture and noted some architecture that has survived to the modern day. However, Jeanne felt a chill up her spine. She looked behind her to see what it could have been, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The Ruler narrowed her eyes for a moment in suspicion, before catching up to the group. It didn't take them long until they reached the center of the capital, causing Mashu to gasp in awe as she saw the Roman Pantheon in all its glory.
"Umu, Take a good look and be struck with awe!" Nero shouted. "This is my city, a glorious regime that even young girls extol!"
"I will admit, seeing it for myself, this city really is impressive." Jeanne said.
"I can't help but feel jealous…." Liz said. Nero ignored the comment and walked towards a stall with a wide smile.
"Hey, shopkeeper, I'm taking one of these apples." She said as she took a few pieces of the fruit.
"Welcome to my..." The shopkeeper widened her eyes and gasped. "Oh! Your Majesty! Please,
take as you wish. Glory to the Emperor and Rome!"
"Shopkeeper, you don't have to be so stiff." Nero said. The emperor took a bite of one of the apples and nodded her head. "Yes, yes, this is a delicious apple. Why don't you take one too? We're returning from war, so no need to worry about bad manners. Sweet fruit does wonders for battle fatigue. My wounds won't be healed, but my motivation will!"
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm not really hungry." Ritsuka said.
"Same here." Tatsuko said.
"I will have to politely decline as well." Mashu said. "Otherwise Fou will try and take a bite as well."
"Fou Fou…"
Mashu gave a reassuring smile to the critter. "Don't worry Fou, I will give you some treats in a little bit."
Fou's ears perked up as he wagged his tail. "Fou, Fou!"
Nero turned to the other Chaldeans and offered them the apples. Jeanne, Siegfried, Vlad and Sanson all politely refused the fruit, only for Nobunaga to laugh.
"Don't mind if I do!" She shouted. Nero smiled and threw the apple to Nobu, who caught it and took a bite.
"I'll have one too." Liz said. Nero handed her one of the apples, and watched as the Lancer took a bite. Liz and Nobunaga looked at each other and nodded at the delicious taste of the fruits, causing Nero to smile.
"I think it is high time that you follow me to my palace!" She said. "Once we are there, I will discuss your reward."
And with that, the emperor walked off with a retinue of her guards. The Chaldeans did not even move, and instead looked at each other with confused stares.
"I had heard that the emperor Nero was supposed to be…..unstable. But that is not what I have seen today." Mashu said.
"Yeah, she's a little eccentric, but she doesn't seem that bad." Tatsuko said.
Ritsuka turned on his communication device and saw Roman looking at him.
"Is there something I can help with?"
"Is Johan still there?" Ritsuka asked.
"I am right beside him." Johan answered as he stepped into view. "How can we help?"
"Can you tell me why Nero isn't…well, you know, like what we've heard?"
Roman nodded and looked at the charts again and raised an eyebrow. "Say, Johan, what do you make of this?"
The elderly German looked at the charts and stared at it with slight intrigue. He then looked at the male Master with a calm expression. "Well it would seem that it's only a year after her mother, Empress Aggripina, was killed by poison. This means that the emperor is still in her reasonable years, and hasn't started her decline."
"So this would put us in the year…oh….."
Everyone but Johan and Roman looked at the male Master in confusion before he cleared his throat. "Hey, Johan…..when was Boudicca's revolt?"
"Well…the most likely timing for this event would have been in the year AD 60…..which is the year you are currently in."
"So how long ago has it been now?" Ritsuka asked.
"Well, judging by the season, I'd reckon a few months…."
"What are you guys even talking about?" Tatsuko asked.
"Something that isn't for polite company." Ritsuka answered. He looked at the Chaldean Servants with a knowing gaze. "Wouldn't you guys agree?"
"Yes, I'd say so…." Jeanne muttered.
"I believe we should keep discussions of this to a bare minimum." Sanson said. "We are in Rome afterall…."
"I have no idea what we're talking about, but whatever it is, it doesn't sound pleasant…." Nobunaga whispered.
"It isn't…." Vlad whispered back.
"Umu, why are you all still standing there?!"
Everyone turned to face Nero as she waved at them. "Follow me to the palace!"
The Chaldeans nodded and immediately ran towards Nero to catch up. The moment they did so, they apologized and told her that they were discussing something that shocked them, though they managed to keep the discussion about Boudicca a secret. As they made their way to the palace, another chill ran up Jeanne's spine. The Ruler turned around to look behind her, but once again, she saw nothing. Jeanne narrowed her eyes as she looked at her surroundings, even closer this time, but still nothing out of the ordinary…But thanks to her class being a Ruler, she knew something was there.
"Jeanne, what's wrong?"
The Ruler looked back to the others and saw Siegfried staring at her in curiosity. The Ruler shook her head and exhaled sharply. "It's nothing…just imagining something."
The Ruler walked towards the others, but glanced back behind her, as her lie managed to fool them. It was just as she suspected.
They were being followed.
An hour had passed until they finally reached Nero's throne. The emperor did not sit upon her throne, but instead opted to stand in front of the Chaldeans with a smile. The group took note of some of the people inside, and they stared back at them curiously.
"Your eminence, may I ask who these folk are?" One of the men asked. "They look like barbarians."
"Curb your tongue! These fine folks helped me and our army push back the United Empire's forces from reaching the capital, and in the process helped us imprison those that remained on the field." Nero said harshly. "So I aim to give them a fitting reward for their services."
The man went silent, and Nero looked to the Chaldeans with an apologetic smile. "Forgive him, he doesn't understand his place."
"Well we ARE strangers here, so it's understandable." Nobunaga countered. "But aside from that idiot, who are the other two?"
Nero nodded and pointed to one of the other men in the room. An elderly man, he was slightly plump, but an air of wisdom could be found in his eyes. "This is Seneca, one of my two top advisors."
The elderly man gave a small nod. "It is good to meet you all."
The Chaldeans nodded back, allowing Nero to point to the next man in the room. Like Seneca, he was elderly, but unlike Seneca, he was still muscular, and powerfully built. "This is Sextus Afranius Burrus, a prefect of my Praetorian guard, and my other top advisor."
The man only gave a small nod before Nero clapped her hands with a smile on her face. "And now, allow me to introduce you all to my most beloved companions."
The Chaldeans heard a couple of growls, causing them to raise their eyebrows. They then heard heavy footsteps, causing them to widen their eyes as they could see two large silhouettes around the corner. "They are also my fiercest guardians, and would protect me with their lives, and I for them!"
The sound of huffing and puffing made them even more nervous as the heavy footsteps continued. Their nervousness was soon found to be justified as two large male lions walked towards Nero.
"Feast your eyes on my brave companions, Linus and Mr. Mittens!"
The lions proceeded to gently rub their heads affectionately on the emperor, huffing and puffing as she scratched their chins. Burrus and Seneca watched the Chaldeans with amused smiles as they saw their shocked expressions. Nero turned to face the group with a warm smile of her own.
"They are my babies." Nero said.
"Yeah….I'm just going to go over behind Siegfried." Tatsuko said as she proceeded to scoot closer to the Saber. "I'm not looking forward to being a snack."
"That would definitely be wise." Siegfried said.
The lions stopped their affectionate rubbing over the emperor, and looked at Ritsuka. The male Master immediately became nervous as the bigger one started walking towards him. Nero smiled at the scene while the Servants didn't move a muscle. Ritsuka remained stationary, having calmed down now as he looked at the lion's paws. No claws were out, so that was a good sign. The moment the lion was close enough, it huffed and sniffed the male Master, and then rubbed his face along his waist. The other Chaldeans watched in absolute shock as the lion did this, and even more so when Ritsuka chuckled, lifted his hand, and gently scratched it behind the ears. Their shock doubled as the smaller one, Linus, joined in and got head scratches from the male Master.
"Senpai, how are you doing this?" Mashu asked.
"I don't know." He answered. "It feels strange, but for some reason, it also feels….right."
"Okay it's official; Twig Boy's off his fucking rocker!" Tatsuko said. The female Master and the other Chaldeans dropped their jaws to the floor when the lions proceeded to nuzzle against Mashu, who proceeded to giggle at the affectionate gestures.
"It tickles." She said. "They seem so friendly."
Fou remained on her shoulder, unsure of the lions, but they paid him no mind. Instead, they moved on and walked towards Tatsuko, who froze up for only a moment, before they affectionately rubbed their heads upon her waist too.
"Okay, I am absolutely shocked that I'm not their dinner." Tatsuko said as she began to subconsciously scratch them behind their ears, something that made Nobunaga shocked.
"Now who's off their fucking rocker?!" She shouted.
"Umu, it is splendid to see them getting along with you." Nero said. "But I believe it is time that we discuss more about our enemy, and about your reward."
"I agree." Sanson said. "If I remember correctly, this enemy is called the United Empire. What else do you know of them?"
"They appeared a while ago." Burrus answered. "At first we thought of them as mere bandits, but we soon realized they were way too organized to be that."
"So they are rebels." Vlad replied. "And quite a large one, if the army we encountered is any indication."
"It is far larger than you think." Seneca said. "In fact, we have forces stationed in Gaul facing them as we speak."
The Chaldean Servants were wide eyed in shock. For the United Empire to be in Gaul, and still manage to make their way to Rome proved just how large this army really was…..
"But there is more." Burrus said. "I have a report that we found someone that could be one of their leaders, and he left Gaul some time ago."
"Who is it?' Siegfried asked.
"We never learned the name, but his appearance is hard to miss." Burrus answered. "He wore a green outfit, and a green headdress."
Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Does it say if he has curly hair?"
Burrus widened his eyes as well. "Yes, yes it does! How do you know this?"
Roman appeared on the communicator with shock in his eyes. "It's Lev, it has to be!"
"What is this?!" Nero shouted. "There is a man right on that small object, yet he doesn't seem to be here at all! Are you a mage?"
"Okay so you are aware of magecraft, that saves some time." Roman said. "I am Romani Archaman. I am the de facto leader of Chaldea, and the people before you are on an important mission."
"What kind of mission?" Nero asked.
Ritsuka took a deep breath. "Remember when Tatsuko said we were from the future? She was telling the truth…."
"Umu, that is indeed impressive then." Nero said. "So does this mean that you are here to tell us how we defeated the United Empire in your records?"
"Unfortunately we cannot." Roman answered. "The thing is that there were supposed to be no wars at this point in Roman history, especially against one another."
"What are you saying?" Seneca asked.
"I am saying that all this wasn't supposed to be happening." Roman said. "This is an anomaly in time, and we are here to set things right."
Nero looked at her advisors, and all three of them breathed a sigh of relief. The prefect looked at the Chaldeans with a much calmer gaze now. "And how do you intend to do this?"
"There's this golden magic cup called a Holy Grail." Tatsuko answered. "It's probably causing this whole mess, meaning someone from the United Empire might have it."
"And this….Grail is the key to stopping this madness from continuing?" Seneca asked.
"It is." Mashu answered. "If we can obtain the Grail, then we will return to Chaldea and everything will be set right."
"And how do you know this will work?" Nero asked.
"We solved a couple of time anomalies like this already, and bringing the Grail back always fixed things." Roman answered.
"And how does this…..Lev person fit into all this?" Burrus asked. "You seem to have a history with this man."
"He's a traitor who killed our previous director in front of me, Tatsuko and Mashu." Ritsuka replied. "We've been trying to find him ever since."
"I see, so he's one of yours?" Seneca asked.
"Not anymore." Roman said. "Please understand that we intend to bring him back for questioning and punish him ourselves."
"Taking responsibility for one of your traitors actions….." Nero muttered. The emperor looked at the Chaldeans and nodded. "This is a reasonable offer. If we manage to capture him, he's all yours."
"Thank you." Roman said.
"Now, I think it is time for your reward…..but there is a catch." Nero said. "You see, most of my viceroys and generals are off fighting the United Empire, but the enemy has proven to have more resources than we thought possible. And as you saw earlier, they are now close to Rome itself, and like I mentioned, they have attacked us several times. Therefore, my reward to you is also more of a request….."
"Then how can we help?" Ritsuka asked.
Nero pointed at him and Tatsuko. "I can tell that you two are the leaders of this group of soldiers, so therefore I ask of you; become my generals and viceroys!"
Everyone looked at the emperor in absolute shock, but none were more shocked than the two Masters, Seneca and Burrus.
"My emperor, please reconsider." Seneca said.
"Do you have a problem with these folks being given such a high honor?" Nero asked.
"No, it isn't that." Burrus said. "It is just…those two seem a little too young to be given the rank of general. Surely one of the others in their retinue would be better suited."
Jeanne stepped up and cleared her throat. "My homeland faced a time anomaly not too long ago. In fact, that is when I first met them, Mashu, and Chaldea. When I first saw them in action, I witnessed Ritsuka and Tatsuko helping the wounded to safety, all the while giving orders to the others. It was because of them that casualties were kept to a minimum. And during the final battle of that anomaly, it was their orders that helped save so many lives by dividing their group up to keep the enemy forces busy, while they and I would stop the general ourselves."
Nero and her advisors stared at her in awe as the Ruler took a deep breath, and smiled. "They may be young, they may not have as much experience as some of us, but all of us here know just how capable they are. I can say with absolute confidence that they are going to make excellent generals for you."
Nero grinned. "Umu, I shall take THAT as proof that I was right in asking, but do you two accept?"
Ritsuka and Tatsuko looked at each other as they continued to pet the lions, and nodded. They turned to the emperor and opened their mouths to speak in unison.
"We accept."
"Splendid!" Nero shouted. "Now, let us discuss more of our plans tomorrow. It is getting late, and I think it is best for us all to get some rest."
And with that, the emperor turned and walked away towards her quarters, with her lions abandoning the Chaldean Masters to follow her. Seneca looked at the Chaldeans with a curt expression. "I will send for some servants to show you all to your rooms."
As soon as he left, Burrus gave them a small nod and walked in the opposite direction. The Chaldeans were now alone in the room, allowing Jeanne to take a deep breath.
"Is something wrong Jeanne?" Liz asked.
The Ruler nodded. "I didn't want to say this in front of Nero and the others because I did not want to cause a panic. But there is something you need to know."
It was three hours later, and night had fallen. A lone figure crept along the shadows, climbing the palace walls. It was a woman, with black hair, blue green eyes, a white flower in her hair, with an equally white dress and a curved dagger on her woman did not grunt as she leapt up to the next support pillar, and remained as quiet as a mouse. The palace was still heavily guarded, but there were cracks that could be exploited. That would work well for her. She wanted to wait until it was nighttime anyway so she could make her escape under the cover of darkness. With the agility of a cat, she jumped up to the next ledge, and continued her climb until she reached her destination.
The woman grabbed the edges of the terrace, and leapt up to its floor. She then looked around the room, and found her goal; the sleeping form of emperor Nero. The woman took out her dagger and slowly made her way to the bed. She looked around to make sure she was alone, and when she made her way to Nero's bedside, she raised her dagger up, intending to end her.
That was until the door was busted down, and Jeanne and Vlad made their way into the room to stop the assassin. Nero woke up with a jolt to see the woman standing with the dagger. The emperor saw her blade by the edge of the bed. Nero immediately rushed to get it, but the assassin wouldn't let her. The woman in white raised her dagger again to strike while the emperor's back was turned.
"Oh no you don't!"
The assassin could not react in time as Jeanne blocked the attack with her flag, giving Nero enough time to try and grab her she did so, the emperor tried attacking the assailant, but the woman in white simply kicked Jeanne in the chin, sending her tumbling into Nero. Vlad did not waste any time and attacked the woman, but the assassin proved to be too quick, dodging his strikes. The Berserker, however, was relentless, using his spear to keep her at bay, causing the woman to click her tongue in frustration.
"I had a feeling you guys would try to stop me, but I didn't think that you'd wait this long." The woman said. She then glanced behind her to see Nero rushing towards her with her sword. The woman grinned, and grabbed the emperor by the arm, throwing her into the Berserker.
"Time to finish this."
"I don't think so."
The woman widened her eyes as everyone else entered the room. Sanson and Siegfried raised their blades to her. They swung down at her, but the woman dodged the attacks with ease. "Were all of you waiting outside that damned door?!"
The woman gasped as Jeanne slammed her shoulder into her, knocking her down for a moment. "When I said there was a Servant here that might do Nero harm, I knew that we had to act!"
The woman raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing that makes you a Ruler then?"
Jeanne pointed her flag at the woman on the ground and nodded. "I am, and that also means I know who you are, and what class you are….Assassin Class Jing Ke."
Jing Ke chuckled. "Well, you got me."
"Umu, then answer why you tried to kill me!" Nero shouted as she got up from Vlad and went behind Mashu.
"I'm here to kill emperors." Jing Ke answered.
"But why?" Ritsuka asked.
"I have my reasons." Jing Ke replied.
"Well don't count on killing this one!" Liz said as she swung her lance at the Assassin. Jing Ke dodged the strike, and kicked the Lancer back. Jeanne and Siegfried were on her in a flash, but their weapons were too long and big for them to comfortably use in the room. Jing Ke grinned at this and jumped onto Balmung, and leapt away from them. The Assassin did the same to Vlad and Sanson as they tried to strike her. Just as she suspected, they weren't going to use their Noble Phantasms so as to keep the damage to a minimum. She would be able to use this to her advantage. She then dodged a strike from Sanson, Jeanne and Liz and rushed towards Nero. The Assassin gripped her dagger and lunged at the emperor, only for Mashu to block the attack with her shield.
"Nero, get behind us!" Tatsuko said. The emperor clicked her tongue in frustration. She didn't want to cower in fear, but this opponent was too tough for her to face on her own. She ultimately relented, and got behind the two Masters while Mashu kept Jing Ke at bay.
"A commendable effort." Jing Ke said. "It's too bad that all of you aren't equipped for close quarters such as this."
BAM!
A white hot pain spread across Jing Ke's torso. She looked down and saw blood pouring from a small wound on her right side.
"They might not be suited for it, but I am!"
Jing Ke looked up and saw Nobunaga aiming two muskets at her with a small grin. "Now, how about you come quietly, and answer some questions for us."
Jing Ke backed off from Mashu and clicked her tongue. She took a look at the Chaldeans and Nero and exhaled sharply. She knew she failed in this assassination. The Assassin reached into her pack and produced two balls.
"Looks like this one is a failure." Jing Ke said. She looked at the Chaldeans and grinned. "We'll meet again."
And with that she threw the balls onto the floor, causing the entire room to fill up with smoke. As they coughed and closed their eyes Jing Ke took this opportunity to escape, and change into her spirit form so they could not track her. A few minutes later, the smoke cleared and the Chaldeans and Nero finally were able to open their eyes to find Jing Ke gone.
"Well, she sure came prepared." Nobunaga said.
"That may be so, but we'll be ready for her in the future." Jeanne said.
"Umu, regardless, you all fought valiantly." Nero said. "Though maybe one of you fine warriors should stay with me for the night, just in case another person makes another attempt on my life."
Everyone remained silent and tried looking away from her gaze. Nero stared at them in confusion before turning to Ritsuka. Seeing him calmly avoiding her gaze without a hint of emotion concerned her. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No it's not that." Ritsuka said calmly. "It's just that you're naked."
Nero looked down and saw that he was right. She was still as naked as the day she was born. She looked at the male Master in confusion. "Is that a problem?"
"It's kind of a custom in our era for people of different genders to look at each other naked." Tatsuko answered. "Well, unless they're romantically involved of course, but that's beside the point."
Nero shrugged. "It's a strange custom, but I will not judge you for it."
"Thank you." Ritsuka said. "Now as for protection, I don't think one of us will be enough. So I propose, if it is alright with them, that two Servants protect you tonight."
"Then I volunteer." Nobunaga said. "I only need one or three muskets at a time, so I'll be better suited guarding her from in the room."
"Then I'll guard from outside the room." Jeanne said.
"Then let's make it three." Liz chimed. "I'll guard the doorway with Jeanne."
"Are you sure?" Mashu asked.
Liz nodded. "If Nobu needs help, I can provide her that backup while Jeanne can take the emperor away to safety."
"An excellent plan." Vlad said. "In the meantime, we can protect the Masters as they rest."
"Then I suggest that they and the emperor get some sleep now." Sanson said. "We will discuss more in the morning and figure out how to solve this singularity."
"What about this Jing Ke woman?" Nobunaga asked.
Nero shook her head. "Leave her for now. She will show herself sooner or later."
The Chaldeans looked at her for a moment, before nodding reluctantly. The male Servants and the Chaldean Trio bade Nero and three female Servants a good night before leaving the bedroom. As soon as they left, Jeanne and Liz stepped out of the room and closed the door as best they could. Nero nodded at Nobunaga, before crawling back into bed, and closed her eyes. As soon as Nobunaga was sure she was asleep, the black haired Servant conjured forth some of her muskets and pointed them at every opening in the room. She then looked out the terrace and stared into the city, and the night sky.
OC: Well talk about a plot twist, Jing Ke is an enemy here.
CV: She's supposed to be killing emperors, and this Singularity is filled with them, so it makes sense. Wonder who came up with that…
OC: Yeah, I wonder…..oh wait, it was YOU!
CV: Oh yeah, lol.
OC: Well for our dear audience, I think a little explanation is in order. We talked about who we would cut from the Septem arc, and you will find out who, and I brought up the subject of Jing Ke, and I suggested that she be discarded from this arc and show up somewhere else. Vlad here disagreed, and suggested she could have a role in the story due to the numerous emperors here. So we thought of how to incorporate that, and in the end we decided that she would be best served in the role you see for right now. Make no mistake, she will show up again, but her relationship with Nero will be SLIGHTLY different.
CV: Her potential in Septem is quite high and the game really doesn't make good use of it, and I hope we can give her a better appearance here.
OC: I think what we came up with will definitely satisfy our viewers. Though onto a different subject, what was the funniest moment in this chapter for you?
CV: Nero's lions lol, definitely. The fact that she fought Jing Ke naked is a close second.
OC: Lmao, yeah I just thought that since Nero's final ascension artwork had her play with a lion so I wanted to make a reference to that. I remember the original idea for introducing those lions back when Guda 6 was still out. It would have been in a colosseum and they would have been the final combatants that the Chaldeans would face but Nero stopped it because they were also her babies lol. Also to our viewers, you might want to prepare yourselves in the future because us writing in Nero fighting in the nude is our way of telling you all that we are NOT going to shy away from nudity.
CV: There will be none right now, but in the future we will have quite a few… Not safe for work scenes.
OC: That's…..putting it mildly lol. But on another note, I also found it quite intriguing that Jeanne wasn't able to sense that Jing Ke was a Servant before until they were face to face, but was still able to instinctively know that a Heroic Spirit WAS following them. Then again she doesn't have access to her full capabilities so there is that little handicap….
CV: Even though she's still a Ruler, she doesn't have the same capabilities she would have if she was summoned in a regular Holy Grail War. Well, she has them, but they're weakened since there's no much need for them.
OC: That is true. But I also like the fact that Jing Ke had the upper hand solely because most of the Chaldeans had weapons that weren't suited for such closed spaces like Nero's bedroom. And the only reason that she failed was because Nobu didn't have that handicap.
CV: Nobu really said "Parry this you fucking casual"
OC: Honestly I just can't believe how I didn't put two and two together until we were writing that fight scene. At first I was like "How is Jing Ke supposed to get out of this alive?" And then I said to myself "Wait a minute, the majority of the Chaldean Servants here have weapons that are better suited for open areas!" It was a strange feeling but in the end it worked out.
CV: If they went full power they'd probably end up destroying the entire room.
OC: Yeah, that would have screwed up everything if they did do that. But then again, compared to France, they're gonna need that fire power for the enemies ahead.
CV: Yep, they're facing stronger enemies in this one.
OC: And unlike in Orleans, where Jalter got screwed over by Martha and her own lack of leadership skills, the enemies here won't make that mistake and work together….kind of.
CV: Kinda but not really
OC: Roman politics can be complicated like that. Today's friend can become tomorrow's enemy afterall.
CV: Or today's friend might just stab you in an hour, who knows.
OC: Well that's a fine "How do you do?" right there. Almost like how our boss greeted us last week…..well she didn't intend to do that, but it still counts.
CV: She always say she never intends to do that, I'm starting to believe she's lying to us.
OC: Nah, she's telling the truth. You just have to get into the habit of listening to her tone of voice.
CV: Well I hope our next meeting with her goes smoothly. I can tell she's plotting something with how much she's giggling to herself.
OC: Ummmm, was it a giggle with her eyes closed? Or with her eyes half open with a wide grin?
CV: The half open eyes.
OC: Uh oh…..that's bad. Like REALLY bad…
CV: I knew it…
OC: Well knowing her, it's not directed at us. But let's change the subject before we scare ourselves more. So a couple of days ago, I decided to look at the map of Septem to get a better sense of how long the entire Singularity would have taken…..and let's just say that there is no fucking way that Chaldea would have completed this whole Grand Order in just a year. From Rome to Gaul would have taken THREE weeks of travel, and another three weeks on the return journey. That's almost two months! And the enemy's capital looks even farther than that. America might be the longest singularity in traveling distance, but this one is definitely a close second! Add with all the other singularities there is no possible way they could have done this in a year without anyone dying of exhaustion or from lack of sleep. So adding the day counter here ended up working in our favor in more ways than one.
CV: Yeah it's never taken into account just how massively huge Septem is, and it's a lot.
OC: I made a joke with a friend that either the writers couldn't do math, or that they GENUINELY forgot how far these places are from each other lol. Seriously, it was astounding to realize just how much of an oversight this was.
CV: Year 1 FGO.
OC: Okay, fair enough. Well, that is it for this chapter folks. We hoped you liked this chapter, and as always, please stay tuned next week for the next. CosmicVlad and OwenChaser, signing off.