Hey there!
Hi, dear readers! Summer's upon us, and so I present to you a new chapter. Hope you enjoy!
I'll clarify, but Lavenza got free from the dreamcatcher. Poor girl, first her room gets invaded, then she gets treated as an insect... Let's hope things get better for her.
We hit the metaverse this chapter! But in true Fate fashion, getting there is not the same as fighting there. You'll see.
Also, to the one guy who was happy we'd go back to the true P5R storyline. ...Sumanai.
Disclaimer: I do not own F/GO nor P5 nor any of its characters. Cover image obtained from reddit, will be taken down if original creator asks. It probably won't be very accurate to the story anyway...
Chapter 5 - Of Knights and Kings
The fourth morning Ritsuka awoke in Tokyo, he was unable to perform his morning exercises yet again. This time, however, the reason was not something as simple as missing the key to get out of the building, or having your virtual kouhai confess that she had noticed your boss's daughter was spying on you and didn't say it because she found it funny.
...Yeah, simple.
Anyway, instead of going for a run, the young magus was sitting in his room. In front of him was a holographic image of Da Vinci and Holmes.
"...And that's about it."
"Hm, hm. I think I understand the situation. Voices in your dreams urging you to act, but not providing accurate instructions… And of course, a modern application of technology that allows one to travel to a yet-to-be-determined space in someone's subconscious… Fascinating, really." Mused Holmes, rubbing his chin. His eyes glinted with a shine Ritsuka knew well: that of someone who had found a new mystery and was relishing the thought.
"But still, this is quite a sudden development." Interjected Da Vinci. "You just explained that dream prison yesterday, and immediately after not one, but two new exciting developments appear! As to be expected of you, Fujimaru-kun!"
"Haha..."
"Anyway! How does this app work, exactly? Do you think we might be able to study or replicate it?"
Ritsuka was going to answer on instinct, but stopped and looked at the eager girl.
"What would we even need to replicate it for?"
"Oh, it might become in useful in a lot of things! We'd be able to study the psyche using more direct methods, and perhaps we might be able to modify Saint Graphs further to add new abilities of the mental system like Madness Enhancement or Mental Pollution. Not to mention, it would give us more information about that mysterious "Igor" that visited you the other night!"
'Bullshit', thought the young man. She was simply excited with a new toy. For all that she tried to act innocent, both geniuses were cut from the same cloth.
Ritsuka shook his head at their antics, but dutifully answered.
"Truth be told it all flies over my head, so I'll let the expert do the work."
"Yes yes! That'd be me!"
Suddenly, the holographic image stopped showing both Servants. In its place appeared a familiar background of black, white and purple with falling sakura petals. At the same time, an energetic tune began to play.
"The devilish heroine jumps to the scene~! Is it a super cute evil god? Or perhaps a lovely nurse that will make all of Senpai's pains disappear?! Wrong! Just for today, B.B.-chan will become an exposition character, and everybody knows what that means! Introducing! New super rare limited SSR 5 character, what everyone was waiting for! B.B.-chan, teacher modeeee!"
B.B. appeared on the screen with a twirl. She was still wearing black and white, but her mini-skirt had been replaced by a short pencil skirt, and her blouse was now more formal and (most noticeably) a bit tighter. Her usual long-sleeved black coat was nowhere to be seen. Completing her attire were a pair of black-rimmed glasses and her signature ribbon.
To put it in simpler words: female teacher cosplay.
Ritsuka stared.
"Ooooh? See something you like, sen-pa-i~?"
"You know," began Ritsuka, sighing and massaging the bridge of his nose, "as of this week, I am an actual high school student. I have had classes with teachers who happened to be women. And none of them dressed like that."
"Like what~?" Drawled the AI, lightly hitting her baton against her other hand and bending forward, blatantly drawing attention to her chest.
"Let's just get started with the explanation. Please."
"Oh, silly Senpai. Those two on the other side are already listening to the explanation you know? Controlling two different channel feeds at once is child's play for an AI as great me!"
Ritsuka's eye did not twitch.
"Yesterday night, after you dropped that bomb on me, you said you couldn't be bothered to explain twice and that you'd wait until everyone was online this morning, though?"
Rituska smiled The Smile™.
"Y-Yes, of course, Senpai! Don't worry, they are only getting up to speed on how the app appeared on your phone. I'm giving them the technical details so they can run diagnostics."
"They can do more than you?"
"Even if I am the greatest AI in the world, it doesn't mean anything if I don't have access to a core with sufficient processing power." Grumbled the girl, crossing her arms with an exaggerated pout. "Even if it doesn't compare to the Moon Cell, that new SHEBA is still better than your phone."
"Huh."
"Aaanyway! Synchronizing in 3, 2, 1…! And there we go!"
A window opened up on the top right corner of the hologram, showing Da Vinci and Holmes.
"Ah, there you are, Mr. Fujimaru. Then, I assume the technical details are over, and we will now be now discussing the practical side of things?"
"Ding ding ding! Alright then, here's what I got."
As she spoke, a blackboard appeared behind the digital girl. Ritsuka supposed he could give her points for sticking with her theme.
"First," she began, and the number one wrote itself on the blackboard, "this app works a bit like a guiding post or a GPS. Its purpose is to bring the user to the destination it specifies. But instead of introducing longitudes, latitudes, platitudes and whatnotudes, the parameter it needs are a bit different. There are three keywords that must be filled before navigation can begin. One is a physical location, which is a bit vague but understandable. Second is a name. A person's name, specifically."
As she talked, bulletpoints wrote themselves on the board behind her with every flicker of her baton.
"What about the third?" asked Rituska.
The AI shrugged her shoulders with a "what-can-you-do" expression. "Unknown. It doesn't make sense. From what I have seen, it can be anything. A place, an action, a concept."
"I see." Cut in Holmes. "Then, Ms. B.B., am I correct to presume you assumed the destination point of this app was something like the inside of a person's souls based on the fact that the app requires a person's name as a destination?"
"Ding ding ding! Correct again! ...Those detectives take all the fun out of the game."
"My apologies." Chuckled Holmes. "It is merely my nature to solve mysteries. Well then, though curious, our course of action should be clear. We will endeavor to study this fascina- I mean, this concerning technology on our end. Mr. Fujimaru, even though there were some hiccups, it would seem that "Igor" hasn't been able to summon you again with the precautions you took. I would recommend to continue with your well-earned normal life for now. That is, of course," an eyebrow raised in amusement, "if you would like to solve this with as minimum risk as possible."
Ritsuka remained silent.
"Ritsuka-kun." Said Da Vinci, gently. "You have no support there. No Servant, no connection to SHEBA, and no hope of backup. That voice said that a "guide" was running out of time, but that doesn't mean that the guide is someone that needs help. It could be a metaphor for something, or it might be that the voice was trying to lure you out, or simply lying. Your fight is over. There is no need to risk yourself."
The young man merely nodded.
"Even then, you're going?"
He nodded again.
"There's a chance that someone will die if I don't go. If I'm mistaken, great, nothing lost. But if it's true, it'd be worse if we passed the opportunity when we had it and a life was lost because of our inaction."
"Really." Said the petite genius, before breaking out into a dazzling smile. "Really, really! Well! As would be expected of you! So, what's your plan?"
"The voice mentioned a "Castle of Lust"". Answered Ritsuka, looking at the teacher cosplayer. "B.B., can you check if any of those words is a hit for any of the keyword categories?"
"Wait, Senpai. Before I do that, there is a question that must be asked." She pointed at him dramatically with the baton. "Was the voice that spoke to you a woman's?"
"Er, yes?" Answered the teen, a bit confused. "She sounded around Abby's age, I think?"
B.B. grumbled under her breath for a bit, but eventually sat down at a teachers podium that had appeared behind her at some point in time and deliberately crossed her legs.
"Bah, it could be worse. In other news!" The blackboard had been erased at some point, presumably using whatever method had been used to write there in the first place. After B.B. spoke, new lines began to appear where the bullet points from before had been. They quickly formed an image that the young man had learned to loathe as much as dread: a slot machine.
"Well done!" She winked and did a little twirl. "Iiit's a hit!"
On the slots machine, the first two spots rolled to a "?" sign, while the third and last one landed on "Castle of Lust."
"One down! That was indeed one of the keywords."
"Well, that's a good start. You said the third one was the most difficult to guess, right"
"Yes and no." Smiled the AI. "It is the only one with no defined rules so there are more possibilities, but it also accepts more than one keyword." She pointed to the slot. "It would have worked even if only Castle was inputted, or only Lust. King would have worked too."
"That's one then. Two more to go. Location, and name… Name… Igor?"
"Bzzzt! No worries, Senpai. Leave it to your reliable number one kouhai!"
"You have an idea?"
"Fu fu fun! See, Senpai, the thing is, keywords are like security codes. As long as you know none of them, there isn't much you can do. But as soon as you get one, you can peek behind the door! The rest of the app is designed as a one-wave system that creates a pathway, drags the user and protects the body all at once. But because it's unidirectional, it's easy to cheat and temporarily reverse the polarity of the neutron flow jusst for a biiit, and then..."
Ritsuka stoically looked on as the AI went on a bit of an excited ramble full of technobabble that he was half-sure was made up because he had recognized a couple quotes from there. Apparently she hadn't gotten to doing that purge yet.
Eventually, she looked at him and puffed her chest.
"To reduce things to a language that even my poor, pitiful Senpai can understand, B.B.-channel is running a special event where passengers are allowed to board the app even if only one word is discovered!"
"Whoa! That's amazing, B.B."
"Fufun, isn't it!" The AI put a hand on her chin and raised her nose to the heavens, radiating smugness. "You can praise me more, pitiful human! At least you're understanding the greatness that is B.B.-chan!"
"Yeah, you're a lifesaver, B.B. Thanks."
For a few seconds, the AI remained frozen in her position, her face gradually adopting a rosy hue. It was a valiant effort, but at the end embarrassment won over smugness and she collapsed blushing.
"Ah, geez, that's not fair! Getting praised so straightforwardly all of a sudden is cheating! Chea-ting, you hear me? Mo, I don't care anymore! Ei!"
"Initiating sequence. Keywords recognized."
Ritsuka's eyes widened. That was not B.B.'s voice.
"Beginning navigation."
The young man prepared himself. He hadn't wanted to find out how the app worked like this, but he had had plenty of experience of getting thrown into the thick of conflict without explanation before. He only had to hope that experience would be enough to carry him through whatever awaited him.
"Warning: you are too far from the requested destination. Please move closer before attempting to navigate again."
Ritsuka slowly released his breath. That had been scary. He then looked at B.B., who appeared busy staring at nothing.
Of course, he knew that not to be the case. If he took a closer look, he'd see streams of data cascading past her eyes.
"Well?"
"In order to access the Secret Garden-thing, the user must be in the vicinity of the first keyboard, the physical location. As in, the actual, real-world place."
"I guess that makes sense." Mused the young magus. "The app is made for traveling to places beyond the real world, so reducing the distance would make it easier to traverse… Wait. Wasn't a Secret Garden tied to a person's soul? Wouldn't it make more sense to have to be near the person, instead of the physical location?"
B.B. just shrugged, still staring blankly.
"I'm revising the information flux of the last message. It should tell us where the place is… Found it. Matching direction. Correlating with global map… Huh."
B.B. blinked.
B.B. was a digital lifeform. She didn't need to blink.
Ritsuka blinked.
Behind her, the first slot of the slot machine slid forward and tipped over, displaying a different sign.
Shujin Academy.
Ritsuka really did not believe much in coincidences.
Since he wouldn't need to search for the place on foot, Ritsuka's plan was simple. He'd just get ready as best he could, find a secluded spot, and attempt to use the app in the afternoon.
He said goodbye to Da Vinci, Holmes and B.B. and hung up. He'd have liked to chat a bit more, but this was a channel for emergencies, so he couldn't speak of frivolities all willy-nilly. That was what the monthly call was for.
In preparation for the day, he removed some artifacts from inside Apollo and placed them in his bag. They were carefully selected: an iron fan, a mane bracelet, some first aid supplies, a couple mystic codes neatly folded into plastic bags, and finally a couple tools and reagents he'd need for setting down bounded fields.
After he was done, he went down, had breakfast, and headed to school. He almost forgot to pick Kawakami-sensei's coffee, but Sakura-san sardonically asked if he had already messed up his "courtship" while passing him a thermos.
That ended up helping him in more ways than one. When he dropped by the teacher's lounge, Kawakami-sensei had given him his gym uniform. With all the excitement of last night, he would have forgotten to pick it up this morning for sure.
And now, here he was, wearing a red tracksuit with white lines in the gym, watching a team of adults crush a team of students at volleyball.
Completely alone, of course. He had found a nice spot by the wall, as isolated as could be in a gym packed to the brim with almost an entire school worth of students, but his bubble was somehow expanding.
Rumors were truly faster than lightning.
Anyway, since he had nothing better to do, he occupied himself watching the match. He did not dislike volleyball, but ever since seeing what gentle and kind Marie could do with a ball, he just could not look at it with the same eyes.
Those poor, poor crabs.
The conclusion he reached from his observations was as follows: this match was no match at all.
The teams were just too mismatched for it to be productive. Generally speaking, matches should be done between teams or individuals at a roughly similar level of play. That was the whole point of dividing the teams in categories in sports. A stronger opponent could potentially compete against a weaker one, but there were good reasons for it. For example, to learn how to endure against a superior foe; to give the weaker one (usually younger) experience at a higher-level competition, in which case the experience itself was the real purpose; to humble someone too arrogant and let them see how far they had to go; or simply so a Master could gauge the progress of their pupils.
This was none of that. This was an exhibition. A way to show off.
This was a team of adults wailing on a team of (admittedly quite fit) teenagers. Overall, the students were probably the better team, as they all clearly knew the game and their role, whereas a couple teachers were clearly not spry anymore at their age. But a weak point didn't help at all to mitigate the physical advantage all four gym teachers of Shujin held. They were faster, stronger and taller, and they knew how to take advantage of that.
And that was without considering Kamoshida.
The man was a beast. Ritsuka had heard from the students around him (the irony) that the teacher was an ex-Olympic athlete, and it showed. He didn't know how many years ago that was, but the man was probably the most physically fit person in the gym, and his technique was leagues superior to anyone else.
Which was why Ritsuka noticed.
"Alright." Said the brown-haired centaur pleasantly, sitting cross-legged on the grass. "Time for reflection. Come sit."
Ritsuka dragged himself forward and plopped down, wheezing. His Teacher allowed him a few minutes to catch his breath, before posing his question.
"Do you know what is the purpose of this training?"
"Reflexes." Managed to breathe out Fujimaru.
Yes, Chiron was an excellent teacher, having trained a multitude of successful and famous heroes during his life.
Yes, he was also a master of the bow, capable of making his arrows impact with the exact amount of force he intended, so he was safe from permanent harm.
But damn if it didn't hurt like a bitch getting pelted from all directions with blunted arrows as part of training to learn how to dodge.
"Correct!" Said the centaur, with a peaceful smile that could have fooled anyone who was not one of his students and therefore knew of the darkness that lurked behind. "Now then, that was for me to get a general feel of where you stand. Our next exercise will be where you truly begin to learn."
Ritsuka couldn't stop a wince. The centaur chuckled.
"Come now, none of that. This is a chance for you to grow. I sense potential in you, you will go far given enough training. And as a Teacher, it is my honor to be able to help you reach the heights you are capable of."
Ritsuka let his head fall down.
"For our next exercise, I will stand in front of you. You will have less time to react, but will also get to see the point from which the arrow sails. In a situation like that, what do you think is the most important thing to remember?"
Ritsuka rose to a seated position and thought for a bit, but soon shook his head, not trusting himself to speak yet.
"The eyes. A marksman always shoots in the direction the eyes are looking. Incidentally, that is the same for riding and driving." He added. "Of course, at higher levels of skill, the gaze itself can be used to feint, but that is not something you need concern yourself with just yet. Ready?"
The young magus accepted the offered hand that pulled him to his feet and nodded his head. The centaur took distance, and Ritsuka made sure to look at his eyes while he slowly raised his bow and knocked an arrow.
He was still looking when the arrow impacted against his forehead.
Kamoshida jumped, arm cocked back and ready to strike. For an instant, his gaze sought its target.
Like the times before, Ritsuka was not looking at the ball, but at his eyes, as he had been trained to do.
Unlike the other PE teachers who were opening the path with brute force, Kamoshida had been consistently scoring by throwing the ball near the lines in spots difficult to defend. Each time he did so, he looked there beforehand.
This time, he did not look at any line. He directly looked at a mousy-looking black-haired boy in the opposing court.
The smack was heard across all the gym.
Ritsuka was running before the ball fell to the floor.
He made it in time.
"Oof!" He let out, as he caught the body of the boy before he could fall to the ground. "Hey man, you okay?"
"Sorry!" Said Kamoshida, running over to this side of the court. "Are you al..." He trailed off, seeing the black-haired teen already there and (you guessed it) passing the boy's arm over his neck and picking him. Counting three.
"He seems a bit dazed, sensei." He nodded politely. "I'll take him to the nurse's office."
Kamoshida didn't say anything as he moved to the exit, but he felt his gaze on his back all the way to the door.
It wasn't until he was outside, alone, that he remembered he had no idea where the nurse's office was.
Luckily for him, the other boy stirred.
"Can you stand?" asked Ritsuka, carefully removing the arm from his neck, ready to catch him at a moment's notice if he started to fumble.
"Ouch… my head..."
Seeing as he wasn't going to answer yet, Ritsuka started to move to a little area near the entrance, with two benches and a couple vending machines. It was a place he'd seen the previous day during recess, but his status as pariah most feared meant he hadn't bothered to go there and spare himself the spectacle.
It was empty now, so he set the boy down and sat next to him.
"I don't have money on me now, but if you want something to drink we can probably find a fountain." He offered.
The other boy had plopped onto the bench and was holding his head with his hands.
"Yeah, that'd be nice… Thanks, you… you… YOU?!"
One glance at him, and the boy had almost jumped from the bench in his haste to open distance between them. Naturally, moving that fast after receiving a blow to the head was not only not advisable, but even foolish, and only the fact that Ritsuka had gripped his hand on time prevented him from falling to the floor a second time.
"Calm down." He said, keeping his voice even and relaxed. "Just sit down for a second. Here, I'll give you space."
Saying so, he moved to the right. The other boy stayed glued where he was, eyes wide with trepidation and even a hint of panic.
Was his reputation that bad? Muraki-san the librarian hadn't had any problem lying to his face.
"Whatever you heard about me, I'm not going to eat you. I wouldn't have gone out of my way to help you out if I wanted to do something to you, right?"
Strangely enough, instead of calming him down that seemed to unsettle him more. Ritsuka frowned inside, but externally maintained the same easy smile.
"Listen, I'd leave, but you just got a face full of ball and ate the floor. I need you to take you to the nurse's office, or I can stay here until you feel better, then I'll leave. Deal?"
The other guy just nodded.
Ritsuka sat down and settled back to wait. The minutes ticked by slowly, but they had the desired effect as the other boy visibly calmed down. In short order, he spoke.
"Mishima."
"Hmm?"
"Mishima Yuuki. It's my name." He mumbled.
"Nice to meet you, Mishima-san. I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka."
Despite the more relaxed atmosphere, Ritsuka made no move to get closer. Instead, he maintained his distance. The silence returned, but this time lacking some of the tension from before.
"If you are feeling well enough, we can go back." Suggested the magus after another couple minutes. Mishima-san nodded and stood up.
"Do you need help walking?"
A shake of the head.
"Alright, then. Lead the way."
Together, they made their way back to the gym. But before they entered, there was one final question Ritsuka had to ask.
"Mishima-san."
The boy turned to look at him. His shoulders were slumped, and the redness of his cheek lent him an air of meekness that was only accentuated by his reluctance to speak.
"Why did Kamoshida-sensei aim for you?"
The tension that Ritsuka had managed to dissipate over the last ten minutes or so came back with a vengeance. The young magus didn't miss how the other student's spine tensed, his fists balled, and his teeth clenched.
For long, painful moments, they stood there in silence.
Mishima-san was the first to avert his gaze.
"I-It was an accident." He mumbled.
"It was not." Negated Rituska matter-of-factly. "He aimed for you, just before the spike."
Mishima-san wavered for a few seconds, opened his mouth to speak up… Then quickly closed it and shook his head at himself.
"It doesn't matter." He muttered. "It won't change anything."
Then he opened the door and scurried into the gym.
Well. That was something.
Before he had time to move, the door opened again.
"Um." Mishima-san's head peeked out. "I'm sorry. You're not a bad person, are you." He gathered courage to looked directly in the eyes, but failed and uttered a mumbled, barely-audible "Thanks" before fleeing inside.
This time, he did not come back out.
Because of the rally, there were no classes for the rest of the day. Ritsuka ate alone, as was now becoming normal. He hoped that would change soon. He was used to the cafeteria at Chaldea, and later the hall at the Shadow border, where everyone met and intermingled: Servants, engineers and magus alike. Food was a conversation topic that was universally loved.
And if anyone dared to make a mess there, well. A sparrow from hell would banish you for a couple days. It was then up to the individual to butter up any of the kitchen staff until the accepted to make them something or suffer as all your colleges ate like kings while you stood outside the door, looking inside with envy. Ironically, since all sides of a fight shared the punishment, that corridor had seen the birth of a surprising number of friendships as former foes wallowed together.
His plan to find a hidden place was simple, but thorough: he'd just walk away from school, while B.B. would check at which point exactly the effective radius that allowed for "navigation" would end. Best case scenario, it extended beyond school and he could find an out-of-the way alleyway and set up a bounded field. If it didn't, he'd have to wait for the majority of students to leave, sneak out, and set a bounded field in one of the empty classrooms. Danger may abound inside the Secret Garden, but he wasn't expecting any complications in the part of the plan to get there in the first place.
The results were mixed. It was possible to navigate from outside the school, but the range didn't extend far enough that he could prepare the bounded field without attracting undue attention. Still, doing it outside the school was still preferable to inside, so Ritsuka had to get creative.
First, B.B. directed him to an alley that was relatively unfrequented. Once there, he pretended to be engaged in a phone call (and was forced to endure his mischievous AI throwing random tapes and soundtracks at him to try and get a rise out of him) and started to pace around. Meanwhile, he took the reagents out of his pocket and furtively placed them along the wall when no one was around, or dropped them to the ground and moved them with his feet. Once again, the advantages of using an art based on formations for his magecraft made themselves known, as he didn't need to inscribe a magic circle to get the effect he wanted.
He let out a sigh when he felt the effects of the field wash over him.
"Alright, just a sec." He said, placing down his bag. He put down his phone, so that the cameras didn't get an angle on him, and rapidly changed into the mystic code he had packed. He didn't know what he'd be facing, so he had chosen the Chaldea Mystic Code. It was the one he was most comfortable with, as it had been with him since the beginning of his journey that fateful day. It offered a very effective balance between offense, evasion and healing, so it was always one of his first picks whenever he had to head into danger without information.
When he was done, he retrieved the phone, ignored the pouty kouhai and picked up the rest of his attire. He slipped the bracelet under his sleeve; strapped the specially-designed, all-purpose sheath under his other sleeve (courtesy of Hundred Faces, the craftsman one whose name he could never remember), made sure his fan didn't wobble inside; and pocketed the rest of the mystic codes and supplies into their designated pockets.
"Done." He announced, raising his phone. "Whenever you're ready."
"Woow, Senpai! If you'd done that in slow motion and background music, that could have made for an awesome suiting up sequence in a film! For example, there's this upcoming guy, Harris, and I think if we picked something of his it would be..."
Ritsuka eyed her, half amused.
"Movies meta-analysis this time? What about that purge?"
"Ghk. A-Anyway, let's begin! Activating the app in 3, 2, 1, now!"
"Initiating sequence. Keywords recognized."
Once again, the robotic voice came out from the phone. Ritsuka kept an eye out to see if the bounded field interfered in the process, but he was fairly sure it wouldn't. The field had the effect of keeping people from getting in, but it didn't do anything to those inside trying to get out, and it also didn't affect those traveling directly to the coordinates via teleportation or similar point-to-point travel methods, so it shouldn't affect him if he came back to the same place either.
"Beginning navigation."
The world distorted in waves of black and red, and Ritsuka was gone from the world.
The transition was surprisingly smooth, all things considered. He had a bit of a headache for a moment, but it cleared pretty fast.
Ritsuka examined his surroundings. He was standing in the same alleyway, in the exact same spot as before. Walking back, he poked his head out and peeked at the street, but nothing appeared to have change save the absolute dearth of people.
"What do you think?" He whispered, looking at both sides. When no answer came, he took out his phone. "B.B.?"
Nothing. Brows furrowing, he attempted to manipulate his phone to no effect. All he could do was stare impotently at the sign in the red and black background that said "Navigation in progress". There was a smaller button under the sign, with the words "End navigation", but it seemed until he called it quits he'd be locked out of all the functions of his phone.
"Nothing for it, I guess." He muttered, putting the matter aside for now and starting to walk to the other end of the alley.
This was the moment of truth. The coordinates pointed to the school, so if he wanted to figure out what was going on with this place and who that guide he had to rescue was, it would be there.
And what a change it was. When he turned the corner, there was an honest-to-goodness castle where the school was supposed to be. It had parapets, a central keep, and even a drawbridge.
That explained the "castle" part of the keywords, at least.
"Ho there!"
There was also someone in front of the castle, someone Ritsuka knew very well. Tall and blond, with aqua-colored eyes, clad in silver armor and a blue fur-lined mantle, the man made for an imposing sight as he stood on the other side of the drawbridge.
A literal Guardian of the Gate. Someone who had once been a cold-hearted enemy, killing innocents in the name of loyalty to a king who was more god than human. Someone who was a reliable companion, willing to risk life and limb to fight in defense of his Master and Human Order.
Gawain, Knight of the Sun.
"Halt, traveler! Beyond this gate wall lies the castle of King Kamoshida. Who are you, and why have you come?"
King Kamoshida? Ritsuka carefully noted the information, and put on his best smile.
"Ho there, sir knight!" Hollered back the young magus, making his way towards the imposing older man. "I am but a humble traveler, come to this land by chance. As I have not food nor blanket on me, I could not help but look for a place to stay the night. I thought to ask the good people of this castle if they might be charitable enough to offer a poor traveler a bed of hay on the stables and a bit of bread."
"Surely you jest." Answered the knight with a knowing smile. "You wear not armor nor carry any weapon, but the way you hold yourself speaks the story for itself. Tell me, and tell me in truth: you are a knight, are you not?"
Ritsuka paused and thought over his response. It was true that he had been knighted in the past, on a snowy Christmas knight, by a king wielding a cursed sword and a present sack. But how did Gawain know?
At first, he had thought he was a rogue Servant and intended to treat him as such, but now he also consider that he might have been summoned from Chaldea the same way Drake, Heracles and the others had been whisked away during the Agartha mess. He didn't feel any connection with him, but all his contracts had been put on hold when he left the observatory, so that didn't mean anything.
He didn't have any conclusive evidence one way or another. All he could do now was to try and pry information through the conversation, and the first step was to build trust. And the fastest way to achieve that…
"If your skill with a sword is as good as your eyes, then I fear nobody will ever be your match." Smiled Ritsuka, and the blond knight preened, pleased by the compliment. "You are right, I am indeed a knight. I had hoped to blend in and remain inconspicuous, but it seems my meagre efforts were not enough to fool anyone."
"Hahaha, no need to be so modest! Your disguise is quite good. I have never seen clothing the likes you wear." Praised Gawain. "Now then, since we are both knights, let us do away with falsities and speak plainly. What is your name, stranger?"
"My name is Ritsuka Fujimaru." Answered the boy, using the western order of name and surnames. And then, for politeness sake, he added: "What about you, Sir Knight?"
"My name, huh? My name is… My name?" The older knight appeared confused for a second, but soon shook his head as if to clear away errant thoughts. "My name is not important. I am merely the knight in charge of guarding the gates. It is my duty to defend this entrance with my life."
His name was not important? He did not even know who he was? Was he being controlled, his memories obfuscated so that he would not think to disobey his captor? If so, that was a dangerous gamble. Sealing a Servant's True Name also blocked their access to their Noble Phantasm. Gawain was a fearsome combatant for sure, but as a Saber, the bulk of his power laid with his sword.
The young magus didn't have time to deliberate more on that tidbit of information, for the older knight was already speaking.
"Tell me then, Sir Fujimaru. Have you come to offer service to our king? I would be honored to serve with you."
"King Kamoshida, was it?" "Ruefully", Ritsuka shook his head. "I hail from a distant land, so I have unfortunately never heard about your king. Regardless, my oaths were made and my loyalty given. It would go against the code of chivalry to renege on my King in service of another."
"That is indeed a shame, sir Ritsuka. If it is not service you have come to offer, what is the purpose of your travel, then?"
"I seek someone." Answered the boy in a stroke of inspiration (or maybe it was just Bullshit EX doing its job, you never knew). "My King entrusted me with the search of a certain individual. I know not what has he done, and neither if he is to be rewarded or punished. All I know is that when he is found, that individual must be apprehended and brought before my king with the utmost haste."
"Aha, I see! So you are on a Quest! In that case, it is only natural that I offer you my help." Said Gawain, banging his chest plate once. "What are the traits of this individual you are in pursuit of?"
"Truthfully, I am not very clear myself." Ritsuka "grimaced" with an apologetic frown. "My King was not very forthcoming with details, and I fear the information available was scarce. All I know is that they answer to "Guide", whether that be a title or their job, and that he is considered peculiar." He shook his head. "I apologize for how lacking my description is, but I must ask: does it bring anyone to mind?"
"Hmmm." The blond knight crossed his arms and closed his eyes in contemplation. "Guide, you say? Hmm, hmm. Oh!"
"Do you have any idea?"
"Indeed I do. I know not of anyone responding to guide, but if it is someone peculiar, then there is one that fits that description in the castle right now."
"Truly?!"
"Hahaha, indeed! He was a thief who tried to infiltrate the castle, a week ago. He was caught and put in the dungeon, to wait for his punishment." His smile wilted. "In truth, you might be too late. Our King decided that today would be the day the thief would be executed, so you might have traveled all this way for nothing."
Shhhhhhhhhhhit.
"Sir knight!" Exclaimed Ritsuka, latching onto his arm. "I realize how impolite this is, but still, I must ask of you! Please, would you help me get an audience with King Kamoshida? This might be my last chance to fulfill my King's mandate!"
"My duty is to guard this door." Said Gawain, sternly, and Ritsuka deflated, but the older knight smiled brightly immediately after. "But as a fellow knight, how could I not be moved after witnessing such zeal, such devotion? Follow me, Sir Fujimaru. If we make haste, we might make it yet."
Turning around, the blond knight strode to the castle's door with powerful strides, and Ritsuka hurried to follow.
"You and you," he ordered, pointing at the two armored forms standing guard on the door with halberds at the ready, "there is an urgent matter that I need to discuss with our King. Attend to my post until I come back."
"By your will!"
After stepping inside, Ritsuka was greeted by the sight of an enormous paining of his PE teacher, clad in golden armor and holding a golden sword aloft, against the background of a setting sun. He looking suitably heroic, with his hair fluttering in the air. The painting itself It was at least 8 feet tall, but it didn't feel big, because the hall where it presided was equally humongous.
"Come now, sir Fujimaru! There is a hidden path this way."
To his surprise, Gawain brought them directly towards the painting. When he reached there, he simply pushed, and the whole image rotated on its central axis, revealing it as a hidden door.
Beyond the door laid a corridor with two elevators at the end. For reasons he couldn't explain, the left one gave Ritsuka a bad feeling, but it also gave him a sense of nostalgia. It was an odd sensation, but he didn't have time to examine it in detail as Gawain lead them to the right-side one and activated the lever, sending them up.
"We now have a bit of time until we reach the throne room." Informed the blonde knight, stopping the boy from not gawking at the fact the corners of the lift were statues of actual busts and asses. "Why don't we make conversation to amuse ourselves in the meanwhile?"
Ritsuka didn't have any particular objections, so he nodded.
"Marvelous!" The smile Gawain gave him was as radiant as the sun. "I have been meaning to ask. Who is your King, to inspire such devoutness and loyalty? He must be a great man, with knights so eager and valorous to travel to far lands for him."
"I serve the King of Knights." Answered Ritsuka, carefully noting every reaction of the older man, but he didn't so much as twitch, only nodding along. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to recognize the name. "My King is indeed one of the greatest Kings to ever live. Under my King's reign, the bards have never run out of praises to sing, and the common folk drink to honor their monarch every harvest, such is the sense of gratitude and awe they feel towards their sovereign."
"For one such as yourself to say that much, you must be quite enamored. But if what you say is true, then I can not blame you, as if it was not for my oaths I would be tempted to offer my sword to such a gallant and righteous figure myself."
Ritsuka gave a respectful nod, but his mind was whirling. He still wasn't sure whether the Gawain in front of him was his Gawain, but whoever he served, probably that King Kamoshida, had done a thorough job blanching his mind. Even if he didn't remember him, there was no way the knight would have forgotten his King, King Arthur, under normal circumstances. Loyalty to the King of Knights was at the very core of his legend and his being, to the point it shaped his Spirit Origin, but the Servant in front on him (and yes, he was a Servant because, memories or not, there was no denying the power under any of his movements) was waxing poetic about loyalty, discipline and chivalry. How exactly did they manage to remove such an integral part of his personality, and yet maintain him perfectly functional and autonomous? There wasn't even any conditioning. A fully brainwashed Servant would have adamantly stuck to their orders, in his case "Guard the door", and yet this Servant was taking him to see his King, the person he was supposed to protect, by his own initiative.
How? And why?
While he pondered, they came out of the elevator. Ritsuka followed the blonde man through corridors, out into the inner courtyard, into the keep, and finally past a bridge with blades suspended on either side.
Finally, they arrived in front of a double door. Ritsuka watched with something approaching detachment the statues on either side, supersized replicas of the ones on the corners of the lift: namely, the torsos and lower extremities of young females clad in sports wear.
Or, to put it in vulgar terms, tits and ass in gym outfits. With bloomers.
He had realized that from experience.
Goddammit, Nero.
Ritsuka started to have an unpleasant suspicion about what the lust part of the keywords meant.
"My King, I request an audience!"
Shouted Gawain, irrupting in the throne room. Ritsuka followed cautiously.
The room was as big as he had expected, with high balconies on either side from where armored figures were following the happenings below. On either side of the door stood a row of the same armored knights, sporting the exact same figure, halberd, and even red feather on the helmet. Two more knights were in the middle of the room, one of them holding a sword, and the other hoisting… some kind of humanoid cat?
"What is it? Make it quick."
The voice was rough, low, strangely distorted, and 100% recognizable. Ritsuka had wondered, but this confirmed that "King Kamoshida" did indeed refer to his PE teacher. The man reclining on the throne at the end of the room, looking down on everyone and being hand fed grapes by a scantily-dressed girl was unmistakably Suguru Kamoshida.
He was only wearing a crown, a red mantle with hearts, and pink briefs.
What.
No, seriously, what.
"My King!" Shouted Gawain, undeterred, going down on one knee. Ritsuka just barely controlled himself and followed suit, trying to ignore the wrongness inherent in the image of a strapping Knight of the Round showing fealty to a PE teacher dressed like a lunatic. "I have brought a visitor from a distant land. He is a knight who serves a great King, on a Quest to bring to them a certain peculiar individual. I believe the thief we captured might be that individual. My King, would you show him your magnanimity and concede the prisoner to him, so that he might complete his mission?"
"No."
The reply was bland, bored. Ritsuka risked a quick glance, and he found himself locking gazes with golden eyes brimming with malice. "His face annoys me. Have him executed with the other one."
"But, my King! This man serves a great King! We'd risk war-"
"Don't make me repeat myself!"
Suddenly shouting, the man on the throne half rose, looking murderously at the blond man, who just bowed his head in submission.
Ritsuka's mind was racing. He could probably make a run for it, but his odds were not good. Even if Gawain's Noble Phantasm was sealed as he suspected, he was still superior to him physically, and after receiving a direct order from his King there was no way he'd just let him go. This was the man for whom loyalty ranked higher than the lives of the innocents he ought to be protecting. The King's word was absolute. And that was without mentioning the rest of the armored figures, who had yet to make a sound.
But that is not to say he was without tricks. He still has had mystic code and his bracelet, so his chances of making it out were not zero. Alternatively, he could always use the app on his phone to cancel the navigation and go back to the real world. The risks with that were that he didn't know if there was a risk of transporting the people around him with him, which would be a disaster; and that he was not sure for how long he'd need to stay still, giving his opponents time to react.
But most importantly, if he ran away, he'd be abandoning that other fellow... cat... to be killed. Ritsuka very nature rebelled against that thought.
Wasn't there anything else he could use? Something to convince that other version of Kamoshida, who was picking up and tickling… Takamaki-san?!
Huh?! What?! What was she doing here?!
No, wait. Her eyes were golden, too. If this was like a Secret Garden, was this some kind of representation of her? Or them? Argh, too many unknowns.
What did he know about this place? The keywords were a name, a place, and a concept. He'd put money into "Suguru Kamoshida" as the name, since he was the one running this place. Shujin Academy was the place. And the theme was… Castle of Lust.
Lust.
There's an idea.
"King Kamoshida," started Ritsuka, as Gawain stood up and gave him an apologetic look, hand creeping towards his sword, "on behalf of my King, if you'd be willing to grant the life of that thief to us, I can promise you that'd you'd be suitably rewarded."
"Not interested." Replied the King, not even bothering to look in his direction. "You're lying to save your life. There's no guarantee you'd come back, and there's no reason I'd need to give you my mercy, worm." He moved his eyes to him and gave him a smile, full of smugness, superiority, and absolutely intoxicated with power. "I'd rather enjoy your death right now. Kill him, all of you!"
"And personally," continued Ritsuka, still on one knee despite the number of armors that had turned towards him at the order of their King. He'd had a lot of practice staring death in the face. "I am sure she would greatly appreciate your favor, once I tell her about what concessions you'd make for her sake."
There were a few seconds of silence, as Gawain gaped and stopped. Kamoshida was now looking at him again, but he looked to be contemplating something.
"Sir Fujimaru," called Gawain, clearly off-balance, "are you telling me that your King is actually damsel?"
"Indeed I am, Sir Knight. I serve the King of Knights, revered by the people and admired by the nobility. And my King just so happens to be a maiden."
"But-But how? A woman cannot be King! She would be the Queen, would she not?!"
"Ah, 'tis a sad tale. The previous King wished for an heir, but the Queen sired only two princesses. The throne could not do without a successor, so it was announced that the second daughter was, in fact, the eldest son. She was then brought up as a man, and taught the arts of war and the arts to govern. Such was her skill, that nobody ever stopped to question her appearance. It was only said he was a fair man."
Ritsuka looked around the room. He had everyone's attention, which was good. Or at least all of the human's, since the armor's were just staring soullessly, and the "cat" was… looking at him with an intelligent gleam in its eyes. Huh.
"I-I see. 'Tis hard to believe, true." Muttered Gawain, still looking lost. "But you know her for a woman, aye?"
"Well, you see, Sir Knight. There was a reason that, at one point, disguising her as a gentleman would fool no one any longer. Seeing this, she came to court one day in a dress. There was no lord and no lady that was not dazzled by her radiance. Her locks were as fields of wheat gently rolling in the wind, her eyes the most beautiful emeralds, her mien as though sculpted by the gods. She sat on the throne, declared herself King, and we all fell to one knee and swore fealty. How could we not? All those feats of valor, all those brilliant decisions, and all done by a maiden!"
Ritsuka looked around again. Gawain was nodding along, the armors hadn't moved, the cat couldn't move, and King Kamoshida was… interested.
Ha. Hook, line, and sinker.
From what he'd seen so far, of the palace and the brief interaction with him, this King Kamoshida had two vices. The first was power. He could not accept anyone that was not beholden to him, and he'd lash out at anyone he didn't like, even if the reasons were petty. Threaten war was a bad move, as it'd only antagonist him and make him believe that he was a threat to the King's authority.
But the other vice was much easier to exploit. This was a guy who had statues of busts and asses on the entrance to his throne room, for cryin' out loud. A foreign King was a threat, but a foreign Queen… and more than that, a beautiful foreign Queen…
Time to give the finishing blow. "Alas, our fair King is still unwed. Exceptionality has its woes, I'm afraid. Our King is so beautiful, so strong, so wise, who could dare stand and proclaim himself her equal? None of the nobles dare make a proposal, and our land is far from any others. Who could possibly measure up to her?"
As the room fell silent, Ritsuka could almost see the thoughts as they rolled around inside Kamoshida's head. A Queen from a far land, rich and well-protected, but unable to marry. Nobody had the status. But he did, he was a King as well! Marrying with another monarch in the name of an alliance between their kingdoms would be easy, and the other side would be eager to accept, lest they run into the same problems again and the throne stays without heir.
And since he was the man, the King would stop being a King and become a Queen. His Queen.
No risk, everything to gain. A beautiful wife, more income, and loyal subjects to lord around.
Ritsuka didn't even feel disgust at the blatant sexism. He just felt pity. If he continued acting that way, he was sure to one day kick someone who would retaliate not with another kick, but with a german suplex followed by a plancha.
Or maybe he did know, on some level, and that's why he stayed in high school instead of striking out, something Kamoshida could surely do after his Olympic career. He hoped that was not the case. That would be all kinds of disgusting for a teacher.
"What was the reason she had to announce she was a woman?"
There was a gorilla in the room. A gorilla completely incapable of reading the air.
But this time, Ritsuka was grateful.
"Well, uh." He coughed into his hand, and smiled at the blonde knight who was scratching his head. "Actually, there were two reasons."
"Two reasons?"
"Two very big reasons." Emphasized Ritsuka.
"..Ooooh." The knight of the sun (and lover of bosoms) gulped. "I-Incidentally… How big?"
"They were magnificent."
Nice assist!
"I changed my mind," announced Kamoshida abruptly. "I will give you the prisoner." He made a gesture with his head, and the armor holding the cat walked to him and handed over the animal. The cat was the prisoner? He had a hunch, but still…
"Now, go back to your kingdom. And be sure to report my concessions to your Queen." Ordered the King with a haughty voice, reclining in his throne once more. "And also tell her that if she's looking for a man to take care of her, I wouldn't mind. I am very good at taking care of women. Aren't I?" He said, smiling at the gloden-eyed Takamaki-san, who giggled.
Internally, Ritsuka gagged, but externally he bowed courteously (or as courteously as he could with a cat-beast in his arms).
"I will make sure to do so."
"Mh. Escort him out."
And that was that.
Once outside the throne room, Gawain escorted him on the way back. The big guy was all smiles, since everything had worked out in the end. After promising to visit back when he had news from his King, he headed back to the alley, cat in hand. He'd rather not risk navigating back from a different spot today. After the day he had, experimenting could wait.
He looked at the cat, who looked back.
"Just hold on for now, little guy."
Bringing the cat to his chest with one arm, he activated the app with the other. There was a same mild headache and sense of distortion, before everything stopped.
He knew he had succeeded when he felt the effects of his bounded field wash over him. The cat, perhaps sensing it too, squirmed in his arms.
He didn't have time to feel relief, however, because his phone went off.
"Senpai!"
"Hey, B.B." He gave her a tired smile. "I'm back. Mission accomplished, I think?" He had definitely saved someone who was going to die, so that should be it, right?
"That doesn't matter! Senpai, big problems! Emergency transmission from Chaldea!"
"Emergency transmission? Wait, weren't you in my phone? Did the transmission reach the other place too?"
"Oh, no, I was just hanging around in the schools computer room. I lost contact with the me that was in your phone when you were gone, but I still kept your number active in case of emergencies." Sensing the curious look that he was giving her, she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly at him. "My job is to make sure nobody steals information for you. That means fending off intrusions, but also preemptively being aware of potential vectors of attack, so I normally connect your phone, my primary terminal, to the majority of nearby devices, and since I'm at it, I create temporary backups of my primal processing node, so that if anything happens… Never mind." Realizing she was losing him, she spoke in a hurry. "Long story short, as long as I'm not completely isolated, I can keep functioning. When you were gone in the Secret Garden, I kept your number available, and received an emergency contact barely a minute after you left."
"Right. Emergency contact." Ritsuka shook his head to clear his thoughts and put on a serious expression. "What happened?"
"We lost Spirit Origins, Senpai. They're gone. Four of them."
And we're done! Not exactly a chapter per day anymore, but it's close, and honsetly, stopping at this point worked much better. As a cliffhanger, I mean.
So yeah. Kamoshida hates Ritsuka in the real world because he doesn't act like he thinks he should act, so that's around -5. But our Ritsu's got bonus Leadership points, bonus Human Observation points, bonus Negotiation points, bonus Oration points, and then like a bajillion Charisma since it's his main stat, so he passed the check and got outta there.
Who are the four missing Servants? One of them is all but spelled out in the chapter, but what about the other three? I'm sure at least some of you savvy readers were already waiting for one in particular. Don't worry! We'll get to that.
If any of you are disappointed there weren't any fights, rest assured that this is not the last we'll see of the Castle of Lust. Ritsuka'll get back there eventually. And if "Igor" has anything to say about it, sooner rather than later.
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, even if it's just to report a spelling error you caught. We've been stuck at exactly 100 reviews for exactly one month. Coincidence?
Next chapter: Morgana talks. The world is amazed. (Not really. Coughbarghestcough).
See ya!