FATE/CATBOX FICTION

Chapter 21: Caster of Akakor

Shrine of Manoa

With the shrine under Chaldea's control, the Celts and Izo could take this time to rest. After Spartacus healed up, he remained on standby at the computer where the Tradition Protection's anchor was maintained, waiting patiently for his signal to lower the field. Izo sat off in the opposite corner and drank some sake by himself. Connla had been so overwhelmed by these latest events that she opted to take another nap. Cuchulainn sat next to her and watched her sleep.

The transmitter beeped though, snapping the Berserker out of his boredom. He answered the call and answered in a bitter huff, "What do you want?"

"Hey, Cu. I wanted to discuss something with you privately. Is this a bad time?" Roman asked.

"Privately, huh? Do you need me to wake the kid up?"

"No. In fact, I don't want her to hear this conversation whatsoever."

Cuchulainn became curious, wondering what the doctor wanted to talk about. He got up and stepped down the stairs leading back to the labyrinth so he was out of earshot. He sat upon the steps and grumbled, "We're all clear here. So what's the problem?"

"It's something that occurred to me when I was talking with Sigurd about Connla's latest Imbas Forosnai episode."

"Where she dreamed about being eaten alive by some monster?"

"Yeah. I wanted to ask for your opinion on this."

Roman proceeded to explain everything about what he and Sigurd discussed earlier. Cuchulainn narrowed his eyes and became serious as he murmured, "You're saying that Akakor Connla might have become an Alter?"

"What do you think? Is that a possibility?"

"Hmm… It's hard to say. I don't really know a whole lot about this other Connla. We did hear her voice when she was trying to calm Spartacus down, and she sounded almost exactly the same as our Connla. I certainly didn't get any hints that she could have become an Alter then."

"We think her mind has undergone a total split, rather than her body. It's the only way to explain how she can behave like our Connla during one encounter, and as a complete stranger during another."

"Well, I'm no expert when it comes to psychological shit like this. All I can say is that with how malleable our Spirit Origins are, I'm not going to deny the possibility that we may have to deal with some secret Alter version of Akakor Connla."

Roman grew concerned as he asked, "Are you going to be okay with this? If we really do have to fight some hypothetical Connla Alter, that might put a lot of strain on you."

"Huh? What are you blathering about?" Cuchulainn snapped. "If the kid really has become something twisted like me, then it's precisely my job to put her down. Certainly better than expecting our Connla to do such a difficult task by herself."

"Y-Yeah, that's true, but… Well, aren't you an Alter because of the guilt you felt over killing Connla in your original life?"

"What of it? She might have been innocent back then, but if she plans on doing something destructive in this world, then I'll gladly run Gae Bolg through her once again if I have to. Whatever happens to other Connlas in other worlds, my job is to keep our Connla safe, both from physical harm and psychological trauma. Nothing more, nothing less."

"I see. I'm relieved to hear you're so resolute, but try not to push yourself."

"Hmph. You're wasting your words. My entire existence involves pushing my strength to its brink and beyond. That's how a king of the battlefield should operate."

"All right, I won't say anything further. Before I go, there's just a favor I wanted to ask of you."

"A favor?"

"Do you think you could strike up some kind of conversation with Connla about what her darker aspects are? If we really are going to be facing an Alter of her, I want to know what potential traits she may possess. I'd ask her myself, but I have a bad feeling she would close herself off to all of us even more than she already does. I think that with your relationship with her though, she might be more willing to divulge her secrets."

Cuchulainn visibly winced. "That's not going to be easy. She would need a good reason to tell me, especially if it increases our chances of succeeding this mission. Otherwise she's very much the same as me – neither of us are fans of pointless conversations."

"You know how she thinks better than I do. I'm sure you can come up with something."

"Fine. Let me see what I can do."


Complete silence and darkness surrounded Connla. She was sitting on a plush chair staring into nothingness. However, she couldn't get up due to her feet being shackled to the chair's legs, plus her arms being bound inside something like a straitjacket. She was fully isolated in this world of pitch blackness, unable to use any of her senses to detect anything around her.

Soon though, she heard the sound of a vintage cinema camera whirring to life from behind her. Her eyes flared as a sudden flash of light beamed through the darkness onto a large screen. A grainy black-and-white counter timed down from eight to one. Once the final beep happened, the scene transitioned to silent films depicting what looked to be an underground chamber. It wasn't of professional quality since the camera constantly shook and whipped about. Even the lens seemed cloudy and unfocused… Or was it actually Connla's own vision that was muddled?

It didn't really matter. Once the scenes changed to close-ups of frightened teenaged girls and furious young women tied up in various vulgar positions, she was thankful she couldn't see things clearly. There probably were some dead women tossed into the mix as well. The camera's owner placed the device on a tripod and got into view himself. Since the film was in greyscale, all Connla could see was that he had slightly tanned skin and bright hair tied in a low ponytail over his shoulder. He said something to the camera, but no words were audible. His jovial countenance starkly contrasted the macabre scene he presided over.

When he approached one of the terrified girls, Connla's mind ceased registering what was happening on screen. She comprehended nothing but blurs of movement, close-ups of females in agony, and images of severe cruelty. This lasted for about an hour as the man made his rounds through each of the women, assaulting them one by one until they were either dead or reduced to catatonia. Not once was a sound made, but that made it all the creepier.

At the film's conclusion, all of the girls were placed inside liquid-filled pods in fetal positions. The man wrapped his arm around the waist of a brainwashed woman wearing a harem outfit, then pushed a button on a nearby console. The tanks bubbled, and the mentally-broken girls quickly dissolved like salt in water. The tubes connected to each tank pumped each sacrifice's magical energy, then condensed them all into a single crystal that materialized on a nearby platform. The man took the crystal, examined it for a bit… then licked it sensually.

The film ended there. Dim lights illuminated the theater enough for Connla to see things again. She just remained sitting there though, unable to understand what the hell she just watched. What was she even doing here in the first place? Wasn't she supposed to be in a strategy session with Maupin and Earp?

"Mmm! That was pretty good, don't you think, Lancer?"

The high-pitched unusual voice snapped her out of her daze, and she glanced to her side to see who was speaking to her. She couldn't make out their facial features other than the feline ears and mismatched irises. They wore a short yukata and a variety of colorful kanzashi in their hair. The feline humanoid was so androgynous that it was impossible to tell what their actual gender was supposed to be.

"Just that right mix of suffering and pleasure to get the heart going," the stranger crooned in delight. Their cat ears twitched in excitement, and they threw their arms around Connla's shoulders so they could give her a big hug, and they audibly purred while rubbing their cheek against hers. "I almost feel like having a little fun with you now, Lancer! Buuu~uuut I'll be nice and hold back. I wouldn't want to go overboard with your Master's training regimen for you now, would I?"

"Berserker…"

"Hm? What's wrong? You look as white as a yuki-onna's skin."

Connla peered around with a blank gaze. "Where is this? What am I doing here?"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Your Master brought you here."

"What for?"

"It's for some kind of desensitizing project, or whatever. I don't know what the deal is, but it looks like Brugger's got some big plans for you."

Connla mumbled to herself as she struggled to remember what she was doing before winding up here. Although her memories were hazy, there was still one thing she could recall – the sharp sensation of a syringe piercing her arm. It wasn't long after that she succumbed to some kind of delirium or hallucination before blacking out.

"Brugger must've really went overboard with the drugs this time," Berserker remarked.

"Drugs?"

"Your Master's been working on some new Magecraft-infused drugs and has been experimenting them on you lately. Apparently the ingredients come from at least three different parallel worlds, so it's very difficult to make."

"My Master…"

Slowly, things started to come back to Connla. Once she thought about her Master, things began to make more sense. The familiar pangs of depression returned to her. Whatever she had been given must have dampened her anxiety, but its effects quickly wore off.

"Well whatever. I got my kicks, so what do you say we wrap up this show and get back to work?" Berserker asked as they freed Connla from the straitjacket and ankle restraints. "We can't be gone for too long or else Saber and Archer will get suspicious."

"Mm."

Connla took Berserker's hand and wearily followed them out of the theater. She was so exhausted that she couldn't even hold her head up, never mind walk properly. During their walk, there was only one thing she could murmur under her breath:

"Master… what are you doing to me?"


The young Lancer woke up from her vivid dream and yawned while stretching her arms and legs. Her muscles felt terribly stiff from her sleeping on the stone floor, so she took some time to limber up with some simple stretches. All the while, the events of her latest dream refused to subside. It wasn't frightening per se, since she really couldn't make out everything that was happening. However, she knew she had to have witnessed something that Cliste experienced during the Akakor Grail War. Whatever it was, she couldn't be certain, but it was definitely a small push for Cliste towards her inevitable insanity. The heavy feeling of dread refused to release its grip on Connla.

Cliste's Master, hm? Could Giselle Brugger really be the key to solving this mystery?

She also couldn't forget about Berserker of Akakor, who had watched what was obviously a silent snuff film with Cliste. She didn't know what their True Name was, but judging by how nonchalant they were about watching something so disturbing, she was sure that they did not share the same values as her.

Now that I think about it, Cliste told me that Berserker was in Akakor, but was 'out of commission'. What could she have meant by that?

The quagmire of sinking feelings just kept getting deeper and deeper. Soon a new problem arose for her; would she be able to keep going like this? She knew she had to rest so many times during this mission, which was highly unusual for her considering the previous incidents she had helped resolve. Not only was her body feeling the strain, her spirit was likewise growing more and more desolate. She really needed to think about how far she was willing to see through this without going insane herself.

"Hey," she heard Cuchulainn call out to her. She saw him returning to her side, and he sat down next to her while asking, "You have a good rest?"

"Not really…" Connla admitted forlornly.

"Damn it. You've got some serious circles under your eyes," he grumbled and massaged her upper cheeks. "Did you have another dream?"

She nodded, then explained what she witnessed to him. Cuchulainn winced and snarled, "Shit. That's seriously messed up."

"If Cliste's Master made her watch such things multiple times during the War, it might be a contributing factor to her current state of mind."

"Her Master, huh? If you ask me, that sounds more like something Rider of Akakor would do."

"Rider…" Connla glowered, then twitched her eye in frustration.

Cuchulainn realized he brought up a topic he shouldn't have. He quickly coughed and uttered, "You're too overwhelmed to think about such things right now. Cool down for a bit, then we can talk about it with the others later."

"O-Okay."

"Let me ask you something else instead."

"What is it?"

He took in a deep breath, then asked her, "It's more of a hypothetical question, but I want to hear your answer. Since we Servants can become Alters, what you think you would be like as one?"

She widened her eyes. "Me, an Alter? It sounds so incomprehensible that I don't think I could begin describing it."

"Okay, let me put it another way. If the other Connla's Spirit Origin really has been stuffed inside the Grail Terminal, then being kept alive for 50 years must have caused a tremendous amount of mental damage. The bizarre behavior she demonstrated when you saw her must be just a tiny reflection of how mad she actually has become. It's entirely possible that the 'good' aspects you represent have been pushed so far back that she is no longer recognizable as the same person. The characteristics that can pervert you towards 'evil' may very well have been forced to the surface as a result of such severe deterioration. After all, no human being in this world can be considered a perfect saint. Look at me – I'm the 'shadow' of Cuchulainn manifested as a Servant."

"…"

"I know you do your best to be as considerate to others as possible, but even you have to have such dark emotions lingering inside you."

"And you want to know what those are?"

"Right."

Connla looked away abashedly. "I don't know… It's kind of hard to explain in the first place. Even if I was able to, it might cause you a lot of unnecessary pain. I know that your Alter Spirit Origin stems from how you lived for those short years after you killed me – tired, apathetic, and uninterested in fighting glorious battles anymore. If I were to tell you such things, who knows how that could affect you?"

"I think you're overexaggerating. Just because you tell me something I shouldn't hear doesn't mean I'm going to get any worse than this. Besides, consider this as my own mental training to withstand whatever Akakor Connla attempts to confuse me with. Now that she knows I'm here, she'll definitely want to take advantage of my guilt over killing you before trying to slay me. That's the last thing I want to happen when it's my job to destroy any enemies that get in our way."

"Mental training, huh?" Connla murmured. Although she was reluctant to tell him, she also couldn't deny his logic. "Well, okay. Just be prepared to hear some not-so-nice things."

"That's fine. If I'm going to find out, I might as well hear it from you. Knowing how things are playing out, I'd best be prepared to face your worst aspects through this other Connla."

"Hm…"

She thought it wasn't like Cuchulainn to bring up such a sensitive topic without a good reason. Even so, she couldn't forget the nightmare she had of the mysterious red-eyed Connla Cliste, and of the monster that devoured her. There was only one possibility she could consider:

Could Father be hinting that Cliste has become an Alter?


Western Akakor Labyrinth

After Ritsuka's group took a short break to let the young Master rest, they continued combing through the maze for the next few hours. While Maupin took the lead and Earp guarded the rear, this gave Ritsuka an opportunity to quietly mull over something that had been bothering her for the last while.

What is this? Why does it feel like something isn't adding up?

"Sen…"

I know Earp's been giving us a lot of information, but I keep feeling like something crucial is missing… Or perhaps something is out of order…

"… pai…"

Hmm… Why does my mind keep wandering back to Lancer of Akakor?

"Senpai?"

Earp was about to say something about Lancer's Master before Maupin cut us off. We know as much as we can about Giselle Brugger though, so what else is there to her?

"Senpai!"

"Wah!?" Ritsuka blurted.

"Geez, what's gotten into you?" Mash wondered. "I've been calling out to you for the last five minutes, but you've been having this blank stare in your eye. Are you feeling all right?"

"Of course I am."

"You need to stay focused. We wouldn't want another one of those Chateau D'If incidents now, would we?"

"Right, I know. Sorry for making you worry. I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

"To be honest with you, I'm not really sure. Even with all the information Earp's been giving us, I still think there's something we're overlooking."

Mash blinked, unsure of what her friend was saying. "You mean Earp hasn't been entirely forthcoming with us?"

"No, that's not it. It's more like we've been given all the clues, but we're not putting them together properly. I just can't explain it, though…"

The Shielder became serious. "To be honest, I don't really I understand what you're saying. Still, I won't ignore your intuition. If you think something's out of order, then let's put our heads together to come up with the solution."

Before Ritsuka could say anything though, Maupin interrupted them by saying, "Désolé de vous interrompre, mademoiselles. We're finally at the meeting place."

"Oh, we are?" Ritsuka wondered as she panned her eyes across a small chamber that had nothing but a dilapidated wooden chair inside it. She was a little annoyed that her conversation was cut off so abruptly, but she knew this was much more important. The young Mage asked Maupin, "So what are you going to do now?"

"I have to signal to my associate that it's okay to come out," the Saber replied. "They're ever so cautious about appearing before me, so you could say I have to placate them a bit."

"Placate them? How?"

Earp smirked a bit as he realized, "Yer gonna sing, aren't ya?"

Maupin nodded, then said, "Stand back and watch, girls."

She lithely stepped into the room as boldly as walking upon the stage for the first time. She delicately raised her hands, and her fencing attire began to shimmer. The fabric unshuffled into long strips of cloth that weaved and coiled around her nude body. Soon, the material returned to her in a new shape. Instead of a fencing outfit, Maupin was now garbed in an elegant opera dress, with her hair done up in an elaborate bun decorated with numerous beads and baubles. Her boyish charms were gone, thoroughly replaced with the grace and beauty a proper lady of her class should possess.

"Senpai…" Mash breathed in awe.

Ritsuka quickly shushed her friend, and they watched as Maupin gazed into the cavern. Everything was silent around them for those few moments. Soon, she raised her hands and began singing:

"Ave Maria! Jungfrau mild.

Erhöre einer Jungfrau Flehen.

Aus diesem Felsen starr und wild;

Soll mein Gebet zu dir hinwehen.

Wir schlafen sicher bis zum Morgen,

Ob Menschen noch so grausam sind.

O Jungfrau, sieh der Jungfrau Sorgen,

O Mutter, hör ein bittend Kind!

Ave Maria!"

Maupin's soprano voice carried through the hollow labyrinth, practically turning the dismal halls into echo chambers. Aside from Ritsuka, Mash and Earp, it felt as though all of the ancient skeletons strewn within Akakor's many coffins and miniature mausoleums were also being moved by her performance. Although it was a short verse, it practically stretched for what felt like forever. Once she finished though, the others' sense of time returned to normal. No one wanted to make a sound.

Several seconds later, the sound of heavy stone scraping the ground startled them. A secret door disguised to be part of the wall slid open. It took some effort for the newcomer to make it through, but when she did, she revealed herself to the crowd with a sharp glare of disdain. Although Ritsuka remained resolute, Mash grew uncomfortable with the teal-dressed woman's piercing green eyes. Although she looked somewhat similar to Maupin thanks to their flaming red hair, their personalities obviously couldn't be more different. Mash felt as though she was staring at the embodiment of the Wicked Stepmother trope commonly seen in fiction.

Earp gazed at the condescending woman with total shock written all over his face. All he could utter was, "Yer… yer…"

She quickly snapped at him, "Shut that jaw of yours, fool. Never mind swallowing a fly - you look like you could devour an entire colony of bugs."

Mash grew confused as she wondered, "Who is this supposed to be?"

"She's… Assassin of Akakor…" the gunman finally yelped.

"You're kidding! She's another one of the Akakor Servants!?"

Ritsuka said, "If I remember correctly, you said that Assassin's True Name was La Quintrala, the infamous Chilean slave owner and murderess."

"Yeah, she is," Earp replied. "Saber an' Assassin 'ad quite the 'eated rivalry durin' the Grail War. Why are ya 'ere, Assassin? Are ya tryin' t'cause us trouble?"

Quintrala narrowed her sharp eyes, then muttered, "That's my question to you, Archer."

"Eh?"

"Saber told me that she was coming here to meet me by herself. What is the deal with this rabble, woman? Are you going back on your word after all these years?"

"Non, non, it's not as simple as that, ma chère dame," Maupin assured, waving her index finger in a dismissive gesture. She quickly thrust her arms in a circle, and her clothes shone white again until she was back in her usual fencer's attire. She tossed a lock of hair off her face, then said, "I happened to bump into Archer and his new Master on my way here."

"Is that why you're so dreadfully late for this meeting?"

"Je suis tellement désolé. Upon seeing Archer again after so many years apart, I just had to put him to the test. Let's just say his aim is still quite true."

"Imbecile. You do remember that Sabers possess a significant disadvantage against Archers, don't you? Well, I suppose it'd be too much to ask of you to possess even a shred of common sense."

"Good to see you're still as charming as ever, Assassin."

"Uh, pardon me for interrupting," Mash implored, then said to Quintrala, "We're actually supposed to be heading for the Shrine of Tiahuanaco. Let's just say that one thing led to another, and we wound up accompanying Maupin."

"Is that so? Knowing Saber, she probably just wanted you lot as insurance to make sure I didn't betray her, or something foolish like that."

"Well, um…"

"Just be thankful I'm in a good mood after hearing such a quality performance of Ave Maria. Otherwise I would have you all strapped to the rack and whipped mercilessly for upsetting me."

"I would have preferred L'Amour est un oiseau rebelle, but you're always so fussy when it comes to Christian music," Maupin said with a shrug.

"Who in their right mind would want to listen to someone bellowing about rebellious love? The sensibilities of the lower classes never cease to baffle me."

"All right, 'nough with the banter, ladies," Earp muttered in frustration. "Give it t'me straight – why are ya meetin' with each other like this?"

Maupin nodded, then told him, "Let's talk on the way. We don't want the Enforcers to catch wind of where we are."

Ritsuka, Mash and Earp grew perplexed about what she said, but opted to save the questions for later. The group advanced further into the maze, while Maupin said, "It was Assassin who asked to meet with me. She said she had something important she wanted to show me and Caster."

"I suppose with Archer here, this works out for me," Quintrala said. "Take a look at this."

She reached into her dress pocket and took out the bullet that 15-M gave her before, then explained, "According to one of the Enforcers, this was found in Alejandro Uruburu's head, and that it matched your gun, Archer. Is this true?"

"Well now," Earp remarked when he recognized it. "Yeah, it's the same one. So the Mages know 'bout the lad's death."

"I wanted to have Saber accompany me when I showed this to Caster."

"I know. I wanna 'ave a word or two with 'im. That's why I'm goin' with y'all whether ya like it or not."

Quintrala shrugged. "Whatever works for you. Anyway, Caster's been holing himself up in Akakor for the last few years, knowing that the Atlas Institute's prophecy is supposed to happen anytime soon. Ever since the Grail War ended, he asked me to cooperate with him into investigating the truth behind Lancer and why she became the Grail Terminal. With how little time we have left, it's fair to say that Caster's been walking on needles for these last few months. He wants me and Saber to report anything out of the ordinary to him, even if we think it's insignificant."

"Hm… Makes sense fer Saber t'work with 'im, since we're talkin' 'bout Lancer 'ere. Why are ya goin' 'long with them though? I thought yer prerog'tive was t'look out fer yerself."

"And I still am. If the Mages were callous enough to treat Lancer so horribly, I dreaded to imagine what they could've done with me. If there's anything I will never forgive, it's being treated as a disposable pawn by those insufferable aristocrats. Mind you, I'm still rather curious about the conspiracy surrounding Lancer, if only to understand the types of megalomaniacs I'm dealing with."

"Ya dun say…"

"There you go," Maupin said. "We might've been rivals before, but while we still squabble, we've put our differences aside and are working with Machiavelli to uncover what the Extremists' plot was with Lancer."

"Wait, say that again?" Ritsuka blurted. "Caster's True Name is Machiavelli?"

"Absolument. Didn't Archer tell you that?"

The wide-eyed Ritsuka and Mash shook their heads simultaneously. Earp raised his eyebrows and remarked, "I never told ya guys? Coulda sworn I did…"

"I guess there was so much information you needed to go through that one or two things might have slipped your mind," Mash suggested.

The gunman looked sheepish as he chuckled, "S-Sure, that's it."

"Oh, Archer, you big dummy," Maupin chuckled and slapped his back. "I'm glad some things haven't changed in the slightest."

"Gettin' back on the subject, if ya dun mind!" Earp bellowed, then cleared his throat and said, "Caster of Akakor is Niccolò Machiavelli, the Italian politician an' philosopher who is considered the father o'republicanism. I take it yer f'miliar with 'im in yer world?"

"Yes," Mash replied. "Machiavelli is well-known for his two books The Prince and The Discourses, and explained the theory that it's impossible to be both a good person and a good politician. He struck a fine balance of a ruler being too soft or being too cruel, defining a good politician as someone unapproachably strict, yet also reasonable. If a ruler were to decide whether they wanted to be loved or feared by the masses, he should always err on the side of caution and inspire terror in those around him. The goal wasn't to be hailed as a saint – it was to keep the people in check. In modern times, he's become associated with how corrupt politicians have become, and he's even sometimes equated with the Devil.

"He's also the namesake for one of the personality traits of the Dark Triad in psychology – Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy. If Narcissism is defined with grandiose egotism and lack of empathy, and Psychopathy represents antisocial behavior and unemotional traits, then Machiavellianism is characterized by manipulation and exploitation for others, with a greater sense of self-importance and an absence of morality. In other words, 'the ends justifies the means' for a person possessing Machiavellian qualities."

"If you're done blabbing textbook answers, I'd like to set the record straight," Quintrala told her in a harsh tone.

"Um…"

"While Caster's works have certainly inspired some sociopathic tendencies in later generations of leaders, he's actually nothing like that himself. You have to remember that he grew up during the Renaissance, when the Medici family were at their pinnacle."

"The Medici?" Ritsuka wondered.

"A banking family and political dynasty that greatly rose to power in Florence, where Machiavelli lived. They had been exiled in 1494, and Florence operated as a republic until the Medici were reinstalled in 1512. Machiavelli was instrumental in maintaining that republic, but was likewise banished for suspicion of treason after the Medici returned. Machiavelli combined his love for history and politics to write the Discourses on Livy, which explains how the ancient Roman Empire succeeded and where it failed. You could say it's his love letter to ancient Rome. I even heard a rumor that Machiavelli would dress up in a toga while writing."

"Wow. If that was true, he'd be one of history's earliest known cosplayers."

"That'd be nice for his reputation if he stopped there," Maupin said. "But he had to go on and write The Prince, practically creating a handbook on how to be a tyrant when he wasn't one himself. On the surface, you'd think he was a fan of iron-fisted aristocracies, but he's actually a lover of republics, where the people decide how a government should operate rather than a single ruler. It's just a shame that history has wildly mischaracterized him. In my humble opinion though, he kind of did it to himself when he wrote The Prince. I mean, really!? What was he thinking when he endorsed such morally detached ideas like lying, breaking promises, and even murder? Did he love his country, or did he just see it as a slab of land ripe for the taking?"

"I find that darker side of him rather appealing," Quintrala remarked with a light smile.

Maupin rolled her eyes. "Bien sûr tu le ferais."

"Shut it. It's because of that darker side that we have a much better understanding of how politicians operate, and that ordinary rank-and-file citizens shouldn't take everything they say at face value. Machiavelli should be praised for raising such a lens to how the Medici governed when one wrong step could have gotten him executed, especially in such a tumultuous time as the Italian Wars."

"Hm… If you put it that way, that sort of makes sense," Mash murmured. "If it wasn't for him, I bet many people would still be ignorant of how their rulers behaved. If he couldn't create the republic he so dreamed of, he could at least sow the seeds of skepticism among the masses to weaken the monarchy's power base."

"Precisely. At least, that's how things went in his original life. As Caster of Akakor, things have become a bit different."

"How so?"

Quintrala closed her eyes and frowned despondently. "In this world, the 'rulers' are Mages, not kings or politicians. Thanks to the Extinction, the Mages had no choice but to reveal the existence of magic to the entire world. However, after the Grail War's conclusion, both the Family Tree and the Clock Tower employed Caster to serve as a guide towards creating a society where Mages held great power in certain areas of the world, particularly in Europe, South America, and Egypt. They felt that North America was too young of a civilization to involve themselves with due to the lack of rich history the Mages so love to extol. While Caster didn't like the Mages, he was frightened of society as a whole succumbing to paranoia and panic. That would then give Rider more opportunities to cause unwanted chaos with his libertine shenanigans."

"Rider…" Ritsuka murmured. "From the way Earp, Roman and Da Vinci were talking, Sade would've had the potential to plunge this world into further madness during such a delicate time."

Earp gravely nodded. "Yes, he would. Still does, actually. I still dun get somethin' though. If ya gals are paintin' Caster as such a good guy, why would he side with Rider an' the Extremist Mages?"

"You can't be serious," Quintrala snapped. "After all this time, you still haven't figured it out?"

"Figured what out?"

"Caster never was an Extremist to begin with!"

Earp's eyes boggled. "Say what now?"

"Think about it. Why do you think Caster cared so much about keeping Lancer away from Rider? Why would he have no problem cooperating with you, a Conservative Servant, to isolate Lancer from Rider during our battles? Why has Caster hidden himself so well from the public eye for all these years?"

"Why? Well, er… That's just 'is modus operandi, ain't it? Hide in the shadows an' control the world in total secrecy, followin' 'is creed of 'do whatever is necessary to preserve this world's Mage society, regardless o'morals'. He operated like that even durin' the Akakor Grail War, so that ain't anythin' new fer 'im. As far as 'is relationship with Lancer goes, I'm as stumped as a tree, madam."

"Okay, here's a hint for you then; haven't you found it odd that Machiavelli wants to preserve this society and keep it stable, while Sade wants to cause as much chaos and confusion as he can without the Mages noticing?"

Earp scratched his stubble in confusion. "Sorry hun, but I ain't catchin' the drift."

"Ugh, your daftness is downright intolerable," the Assassin smacked her forehead and shook her head in disbelief. "I know you're the type who prefers seeing things at face value, but this is just ridiculous."

"I might get what you're trying to say, Ms. Quintrala," Mash interjected. "Machiavelli and Sade actually have opposing views of how this world's Mage society should be governed. However, Machiavelli was scared of Sade gaining too much influence among the Extremists, so he joined that side not because he shared in their beliefs, but in order to keep things under control."

"Yes, that is precisely it, mon amie," Maupin confirmed with a vibrant grin. Her mood quickly turned dour as she said, "His Master believed in the Extremists' goals the least, but if he didn't plant himself into the enemy camp, the situation could have escalated beyond anyone's wildest imagination. You could say that Caster and his Master were Conservatives pretending to be Extremists for the greater benefit."

The Saber shook her head in dismay and muttered, "Fat lot of good that did, though…"

"Huh. In'trestin'…" Earp murmured curiously. "Now that y'put it that way, I often did find Rider an' Caster's alliance a lil' weird. I couldn't really put it into words, but I kinda 'ad that funny feelin' in the pit o'my stomach whenever I encountered 'em. Somethin' like tryin' t'mix red wine an' vodka while expectin' not t'have the worst 'angover o'yer life. They don't call that type o'cocktail Brutal 'Ammer fer nothin', folks."

Maupin shrugged and grumbled, "Mon Dieu. Is alcohol the only analogy that will get through to you, Archer? In any case, yes, their alliance could be considered a rather strange mix. They certainly were on the same side, but what they wanted to do after the Extinction succeeded caused some disagreement between them.

"We already know what Caster is like. As for Rider, he only follows his own principle of libertine freedom, unrestrained by the shackles of morality, religion or law. While he was certainly a philosopher in his own right, the way he delivered his ideas was through pornographic content that celebrated cruelty and disregarded any notions of human goodness. In essence, he represented a single person's ability to cause total chaos. In that way, Machiavelli could be considered Sade's antithesis, with Sade as a representation of a single person's ability to enforce total control by robbing others of their free will, rather than order maintained through the masses like Machiavelli wanted."

"So it boils down to Sade's notion of absolute freedom versus Machiavelli's belief in absolute control," Ritsuka pondered. "Their cruel methods may be similar on the surface, but the philosophical iceberg actually goes far deeper than that. For Sade, absolute freedom sounds good, but that involves treating others around you like tools to satisfy your individual impulses, which can lead to barbarism and anarchy. For Machiavelli, absolute control sounds bad, but society cannot thrive without some form of order imposed to maintain the peace."

"Oui, oui. There was some synergy between them during the Grail War since they wanted to be rid of Archer and myself, but Caster declared that he actually wanted to find a way to get Lancer out of the conflict. I don't know what Rider's opinion was of Lancer since, as far as I'm aware of, they never interacted in any capacity. Once Lancer triggered the Extinction though, that was likewise the end of their partnership."

Earp narrowed his eyes, then glowered, "That's somethin' I wanna ask ya. Why did Lancer do somethin' so unthinkable? I know she ain't the type to 'urt a fly, never mind wipe out half o'the world's population. Does this 'ave somethin' t'do with 'er Master? Was she commanded t'do it 'gainst 'er will?"

Quintrala and Maupin glanced at each other uneasily. Neither of them looked certain if they wanted to answer his question. Earp noticed their hesitation and cringed a bit. He had a feeling there was a major piece to this puzzle he was missing that they didn't want to divulge to him, probably on account of his tendency to seek revenge through extreme violence.

After an uneasy pause, Quintrala asked him, "How much do you know about Lancer's Master?"

"What else is there t'know? She was Giselle Brugger, the 'ead o'the Family Tree Mages. She killed the victor o'the 1866 Grail War, puttin' a stop to 'is mad wish t'turn all of 'umanity into mana, an' kept the 1866 Grail stored inside the Preserv'torium so the Clock Tower couldn't get their grubby 'ands on it. She noticed that 'er fellow Mages were split on what t'do with the Grail though, so she organized the 1926 Grail War t'be pitted b'tween Conservatives an' Extremists."

"… Is that all?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's all."

"Good gracious. I don't even know where to begin."

"I'll handle this," Maupin told Quintrala. "Best to keep it short and simple for Archer's sake."

"Yeesh, what are ya gals goin' on 'bout? What does Brugger 'ave t'do with this?" Earp demanded in exasperation.

"Here's a trick question for you – if Brugger killed the Mage who won the 1866 Grail to prevent its wish from being used, why would she suddenly turn around and have her Servant use that same wish 60 years later?"

"I, uh…"

Suddenly, Ritsuka pointed at Maupin and shouted, "That's it!"

The gunman jolted, "Whoa, Nelly! What's gotten into ya, Master!?"

"That's the bad feeling I've been having lately! Why would Lancer's Master let her Servant trigger the Extinction when she prevented it in the previous Grail War!? I couldn't put it into words before, but that's the part that doesn't make any sense!"

"Now that Senpai and Maupin put it that way…" Mash murmured in contemplation. "We should have picked up on that when Earp told us who Lancer's Master was. According to him, Giselle Brugger was a strict woman who wanted to keep the existence of magic secret from the world. Forcing Lancer to use the Grail would not have aligned with her beliefs, since that wound up doing the exact opposite. I guess I was just too slow to realize it. How come you noticed something was off, Senpai?"

"Maybe due to my intuition and experience as a Master, I guess? I mean, I know I haven't been a Master for very long, but after getting to know so many Servants, I would need to have a good sense of how each one behaves in order to command them in battle effectively. I couldn't put it into words before, but the idea that Lancer would have triggered the Extinction on her Master's command just didn't sit right with me, given what Brugger's personality was like."

"Mmm, I like that you're catching on, Madame Master," Maupin remarked. "Well, there's a simple explanation for this contradiction."

She took in a deep breath for dramatic effect, then asked a single question:

"What if I told you that Lancer actually had two Masters?"