Disclaimer: I do not own Fate or No Game No Life.

For people who waited The Loli Campione, rest assured, it was still in writing stage. It was harder to write than this story. A pure crack is easier.

Also, for Materialization Word Chain, it's best if you read the novel or watch the anime to understand what kind of game they play.

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Slough off the cicada's golden shell , Stomp the grass to scare the snake

Sella and Leysritt fell down on a plain. It was a short fall, so there was no injury.

They didn't know where they were or why they're here. The last thing they remembered... eh?

They remembered dying in more than one way. But they also remembered living and enjoying lives in Fuyuki. The last thing in memory was assisting their mistress in organizing a game... Illya's Castle.

Luckily, there was a town not far from where they got stranded. The two Einzbern homunculus set out for the town.

They arrived and watched the crowd gathering in one spot, the largest building that looked like a palace. They asked around and found out that it was a tournament to choose the new king.

With nothing else to do, and lack of information about their mistress, the two maids went to spectate the tournament.

Surprisingly they found their wayward mistress relatively quick. The Einzbern princess was in the middle of a match, the final round of the tournament.

"Come Leysritt, our mistress have got a new castle." Sella said to her companion after they watched Lady Illyasviel defeated her opponent elegantly. "It's up to us to ensure that it is suitable for our Mistress."

"Yes, Sella." Leysritt said, following Sella who walked to approach Illya.

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The morning weather was good, the sky was clear, and the breeze that blew in the city was cool.

In the throne room of Elchea Kingdom, as usual, the Ministers gathered for the daily morning assembly. But when the diminutive new queen arrived, she didn't sit on the throne.

In front of the shocked Ministers, the white haired queen sat on a small cushy armchair next to the throne. And then, a teenage girl dressed in dark blue clothes and veil that covered her face entered the room. The girl sat on the throne without hesitation.

The blonde woman known as Saber stood next to Illyasviel as if everything was alright. The other people who were Illyasviel's companions were standing at the right and left side of the room, near the wall as usual.

And then an elf entered the room. She was clearly, obviously, an elf. With pointy ears and bright complexion, and gem on her forehead, she strolled across the room and sat on a chair. The chair was somehow already placed next to the throne, on the opposite side of Illyasviel. Only, it was set a little backward so that it was placed 'behind' the throne.

The Ministers knew the rumors. The teenage girl was Kurami Zell, the one who brought an elf to challenge the queen for the right to rule Elchea. The incident just happened yesterday, and they hadn't heard about the result. The old official who acted as referee was suspiciously tight-lipped about it.

So, what's the meaning of the seating arrangement?

Saber said in loud and clear voice, "Ministers, begin the morning assembly. First, Agriculture Minister, report."

The Ministers put aside their questions and fell to the routine of the governmental affairs. And Saber as usual gave commands to address the problems which appeared after they implemented the new policy.

It's just that, before Saber gave order, she asked Illyasviel approval, as usual. That was normal.

The abnormal thing was, the elf whispered something to Kurami, and then Kurami whispered something to Illyasviel, and only after that Illyasviel said something to Saber in a foreign language. And only after the whole whispering thing Saber gave her orders.

This whole situation seemed to imply that the elf was the true ruler, Kurami was the true queen, and Illyasviel plus Saber were under Kurami's rule. What else the chain of command meant? What else was the meaning of Kurami sitting on the throne?

The Ministers didn't know who the real king of Elchea. They still obeyed the orders, because the oaths compelled them to obey the king. Which meant that the king was one of the four individuals at the front. Still, there was no way of knowing who was the real king. It could even be Saber.

The Ministers left the assembly with uneasy feeling. Could it be, that Elchea had fallen to the Elves' control?

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There was a Flugel named Jibril who took residence in Elchea National Library. She won the place from the previous king after they played a game. She was actually a refugee who escaped from the Flugel Country, Avant Heim, because she was against their policy.

Throwing away books? She would never obey that policy!

Anyway, the library had been modified from a primitive one to an advanced hi-tech one with her abilities. She spent her days in idyllic state, without caring about the outside world. She still took notes about the events outside just for information, but there was no interest beyond that.

For example, she knew there was a new queen in Elchea. And the fact that she was quite reckless, offering to surrender. Not that she was interested in that.

Her daily lives of peaceful reading was interrupted by a visitor.

It was two women dressed in white uniform, similar to a servant or a maid. One of them carried a weapon. A halberd with curious design. They were escorted by a man with short blue hair with a roguish looks.

"Hello visitors." Jibril greeted them. "May I ask the purpose of your visit?"

The woman who carried a halberd stayed silent. The other woman stepped forward and unrolled a scroll. "My name is Sella, and I am recently appointed as tax collection officer. This one is Leysritt, my assistant. And the one behind me is Lancer, our bodyguard. "

Sella continued, "It has come to our attention that this building hasn't paid tax for the last five years."

"Eh? Tax?" Jibril said in confusion.

"According to the law, specifically Land and Property Tax Law of Elchea Kingdom Number 21 year 6237, a land and building shall be levied a tax, amounting 10% of its value. If its owner hadn't paid tax for more than three years, the tax shall be increased to 25%."

Jibril's brain quickly noticed. "Wait a minute! That law is legalized this year? It can't be under the previous king, so it should be made by the new queen!" There was never any tax on property in Elchea before. Actually, it was a rarity in Disboard.

"Correct." Sella said with impassive tone. "It was legalized two days ago. It doesn't matter, because the law specifically stated that it is retroactive. You are the owner of this building, correct? That means you owe the Elchea government five years worth of tax." Sella quickly calculated the amount and showed it to Jibril.

"But...but!" Jibril protested. "I won this building from the king himself!"

"That's correct." Sella said. "Miss Jibril, right? You won the game with this building and land as a wager. The ownership of this property was transferred from the country to you. But." Sella emphasized. "Was it stated anywhere that the building will be tax-free?"

Jibril was speechless. There was nothing like that on the terms... but! But!

"Previously the building was a government's property, so it was exempted from tax. Now that the owner has changed, it shall be taxed as normal." Sella dutifully explained.

"Wait! That's weird!" Jibril tried to reason. "There's no way people can pay the tax! 10% of the value? With this kind of economic climate?" What Jibril didn't say, 'is the new queen a tyrant that oppress her people?'

"No problem." Leysritt who was quiet all this time suddenly said. "All obeyed. All free."

Sella explained more. "There is a way to get an exemption from the tax. If you swear on the ten oaths to unconditionally obey the king, you don't need to pay."

Of course, since majority of the Elchean people already swore, they were exempted. But Jibril was not a citizen of Elchea. That's it! She was not a citizen!

"I am not Elchea citizen, so the law doesn't apply to me!" Jibril declared.

However, Sella was not impressed. "Hou? Not a citizen?"

Seeing that smile, Jibril felt that she had done a blunder.

"According to the aforementioned law, article 32, a foreign nationals owning a property in Elchea shall pay 35%" Sella read from the scroll. She was not finished.

"Any foreigners entering the country should report to the immigration office. If you stay more than thirty days you should make a resident permit. A visa. Do you have one? If you don't have one you shall be fined, equalling the amount of time you illegally stayed in this country."

"Since when there's a rule like that!" Jibril shouted.

"Effective immediately since yesterday. It is retroactive." Sella smoothly answered.

Jibril got a feeling that the laws were oddly specific. It was as if someone was targeting her.

"And your statement about not being citizen is irrelevant. A foreigners shall also pay tax. The tax is to the building, not the person." Sella mercilessly continued. "And also, books have been designated as luxury goods. They're also taxed."

"You're purposefully targeting me! Me and my books! My life!" Jibril hysterically shouted.

"You misundertand, Miss Jibril." Sella said, unfazed by the shouting. "Law is applied for all citizens and all people. It doesn't discriminate. As a proof, you can survey all of Elchea and search for anyone who own books. They can be counted by both hands. It is a fact that books are rare and valuable.'

"Then... these people also pay book tax?" Jibril asked. Maybe, just maybe, if there were people with the same situation, she wouldn't feel so bad about it.

"No. Exempt. They obey." Leysritt said. Yep, there was also a clause to exempt people from paying book tax.

"Ah... yes, they fell under exemption clause. You can choose to swear the oath too, if you wished." After waiting for a moment and she was sure Jibril didn't want to choose that option, she continued, "Now tell me how many books you have and I will calculate how much tax you owe. Adding the building tax and the immigration fine, and you can pay us. We receive cash, bank transfer, or other valuable items." Sella said the horrifying thing with merry voice.

Jibril was in panic. She didn't have any Elchea currency. There was no need for her to own it. She didn't need to buy anything in Elchea. She had no need to eat or to buy human clothes. Actually she didn't have much Avant Heim currency too. And the amount she needed to pay was quite large. No, it was astronomical.

"What if... I can't pay?" Jibril timidly asked.

Sella said in faux cheery voice. "Why, that's not a problem! You can give us valuable assets that you have. For example, some of your books. Or part of the building."

In another world, it would be phrased as, "you can't pay, so we will confiscate your things." But in Disboard, it was doubtful if the government could forcefully confiscate properties and evict people from their homes.

The important thing was consent.

As long as the people agreed to the law and obeyed it, they will subconsciously consented to the law enforcement. Theoretically, government could impose a fine to a citizen and forcefully took the money from citizen.

Practically though, it was troublesome. And also, Jibril was not a citizen. She might resist.

"And if I don't agree? If I don't want to follow your law?" Jibril said

"Tax evader." Leysritt said

"We will spread your name far and wide." Sella said, spreading her arms dramatically. "Jibril of the Heavenly Wings, tax evader, lawbreaker, white collar criminal, swindler extraordinaire..."

Jibril wanted to protest. That last titles didn't even related to her actions. "Wait! Now that I think of it, this building should be regarded as Flugel's territory! Your law didn't apply here!"

"Ara?" Sella smirked. "You wanted to say that this building should have extraterritorial status? You understand that only official embassy of other countries can be granted that status. We will inquire to Avant Heim whether a Flugel named Jibril is official ambassador and whether this library the official embassy of Avant Heim."

'It's okay Jibril. They're bluffing. No Imanity could fly to floating island Avant Heim.'

"There's an elf in the palace. I shall ask her to deliver a letter to Avant Heim. And if it turned out that you lie, and this building is not official embassy of Avant Heim. Well... I will spread the news that you are a liar, mother of deception, princess of deceit, poison tongued angel..." Sella said.

"Untrustworthy. Betrayer of truth. Truth-forsaken." Leysritt added.

The ominous sounding titles which became more and more absurd finally broke Jibril's resolve.

"Wait! Fine! Fine, okay! This is not an embassy... just my private residence."

Sella smiled and said, "then you must pay the tax and fine."

"No, I challenge you to a game, we will settle this with a game!" Jibril shouted.

"Fine. I accept. Let me clarify the term. If I win, you shall pay the tax and fine however you can. If you win, I will personally overlook your case." Sella said.

"Deal. What game will we play?" Jibril asked.

"How about the same game you played against the previous king? I am curious about that." Sella said.

And so, Sella played [Materialization Word Chain] against Jibril. The game was witnessed by Leysritt and Lancer as spectator. The result: Sella's loss.

"Now, as promised, you must let me off!" Jibril said to Sella.

"Of course. As stated before, I will personally overlook this case." Sella said without care.

When Jibril thought she was already safe, Leysritt said. "I am here. I don't agree to overlook. I will spread rumors. Challenge me."

Jibril realized her mistake. Sella only promised to [personally] overlook it. That meant the promise only applied to Sella alone.

So, Jibril played another game with Leysritt. Same game, same term. If Leysritt won, Jibril must pay the tax and fine. If Leysritt lost, she would personally overlook Jibril's tax.

The game result: Leysritt's loss.

After the two long and exhausting game, the tax collection officers went home. Jibril thought it was finally over.

Then she realized. The man, Lancer, witnessed everything. And he didn't promise anything. That meant the story would spread, regardless of Sella and Leysritt keeping it secret.

And the next day, a teenage girl with dark blue clothes and veil that covered her face visited the library.

"My name is Kurami Zell. I am acting as Elchea Kingdom representative to collect tax from the lawless tax evader, Flugel Truth-forsaken."

"That's not my name!" Jibril shouted.

"I challenge you to a game. If you win against the person here." Kurami pointed to a woman dressed in dark purple robe and cowl. "If you win against this person, Caster, then I will tell Caster not to spread rumors about you."

Jibril then played the game with the same terms as before. The result: Caster's loss.

But Kurami didn't stop. Caster left the library, replaced by another person called Archer. And Kurami challenged Jibril again. "If you win, I will tell Archer not to spread rumors about you not paying tax."

Archer lost. But at this point, Jibril wondered what was the true purpose of these games. And Jibril also noticed that these people who challenged her since yesterday had uncommon knowledge. It was obvious after Archer summoned a pocket dimension called Unlimited Blade Works. Who the hell were these people?

After Archer, next came a woman named Saber. It was another interesting game, but Jibril won again.

Next, Kurami herself challenged her with a wager that if Jibril won, Kurami would overlook Jibril's case.

Well, Kurami lost, and after that she went back to the palace.

But still, Jibril couldn't shake uneasy feeling that it wasn't the end.

The next day, Illyasviel von Einzbern, the queen of Elchea herself, visited the library to ask Jibril to pay tax. She was accompanied by a purple-haired woman in blindfold.

"I challenge you for a game. If you don't accept I will tell Saber, Archer, and Caster to spread rumors about a Flugel evading tax like a white collar swindler!" The queen said something outrageous.

"Hey! Those three person already lost against me! How can they still spread rumors?" Jibril vehemently protested.

"Haa? Kurami only promised to tell them not to spread rumors. They obey or not is another matter entirely. Stuuuupiiiiid!" Illyasviel said while putting her tongue out in taunt.

"Uuuu. I refuse. There's no end to this. It's not a wager of equal value, so I don't want to play." Jibril said.

"Then I will put a good wager. Why don't you appraise it and tell me it's value." Illyasviel said.

"What is it?" Jibril cautiously asked. There were many mysterious things that those people summoned previously. Mysterious and interesting things, such as a sword called Excalibur, a golden man called Gilgamesh, a black corruption called Angra Mainyu, gigantic dog named Primate Murder, and many more.

Well, there were times where even Jibril thought that she would die. Fortunately, her opponents always died first. It was useless if you yourself couldn't survive what you summoned. Or if the creatures you summoned didn't obey you and kill you first.

Still, her curiosity was gnawing at her. Jibril couldn't help but think, if Illyasviel offered the information about those strange and unknown things...

Jibril might be tempted to offer her whole existence in exchange for the unknown.

'Not good, not good Jibril. Be careful, this little imanity prepares a trap. You must not be swayed.' Jibril thought to herself.

The white haired and red-eyed little queen widely smiled and dramatically gestured with with her hands. "So, Jibril, seeker of knowledge. Have you ever heard of Akashic Records, also known as The Root, The Spiral of Origin, The archives where All Knowledge in the World stored, whether it was from past, present, future; where everything originate from and return to?"

Jibril's saliva touched the floor.

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AN

I will leave it to your imagination about what happened in five games off screen with the clues given.

Next will be the real game against Jibril.