Chapter 6: Strings

I was running again.

It felt like I have done nothing but run the entire night, running from the drones, running from Purifier, running from those images in my mind. At some point, running had become my default answer for whatever problem I may find in my way.

Even now, all I am thinking of is leaving this country for good, before those Sirens could begin to make their move.

How pathetic.

…

However, this time was different, as I was not alone.

My eyes went to the still unconscious maid on my shoulder. I took her on a whim, only thinking that if I left her there, she would be killed.

Only when I had run for a couple of meters, did I realize my mistake. Running while holding Lord Camelot was one thing, balancing both the shield and her body was another matter entirely, especially at the speed my reinforced legs allowed me to reach.

As a result, my speed was significantly reduced. If Purifier had wanted, she could have easily caught us.

"But you are not even following us, right?" I stopped my legs, waiting for the crazy Siren to pop up of nowhere.

But the seconds passed, and she didn't.

I released a deep sigh.

"Has she finally grown tired of me…? No, that's unlikely; she seemed pretty serious this time."

"Come with us, Ritsuka." Her words still lingered in my head." You only need to abandon that naïve idea of refusing to kill, only then, will find true peace."

"True peace… was she talking about that vision? About that supposed future?"

I did look happy in it. Too happy in fact, considering I was giving a Grail to an unknown and possibly murderous entity.

"..."

I can't say that I am unhappy with my current life, being a teacher in England sure wasn't what I had in mind when I was younger, but it's not a bad life by any means.

However, I can't lie to myself.

I felt a lot of things when I first came to this world: confusion, fear, loneliness, sadness…most of these disappeared over time. But the only thing that didn't disappear was a certain feeling…it's a bit challenging to describe with words.

It's like when you know that something or someone should be there, but it's not. It's like I lacked something, something significant.

"Chaldea…"

Maybe that's the reason why my life feels incomplete, losing Chaldea left a big hole in my life. The memories of my time there keep coming back, no matter how many years had passed.

Is Purifier telling me that if I follow her, I will be able to forget about Chaldea…? I can't see that happening honestly.

Those visions had to be fake, something Purifier created to confuse me and make me join her side. That's the only explanation possible.

"Besides, I will never do something as ridiculous as sitting on a throne. What I was supposed to be, a king? Heh. I am already picturing Gilgamesh killing on the spot after seeing something like that."

Yeah, I should stop thinking about those things, and focus on more pressing matters.

"Like what the hell I am going to do with you." I said to the sleeping maid.

Obviously, I got no response.

"Ay…ay...it hurts!" cried Purifier as she touched her right hand in the hope of making it work again. "To think I would end up like this after a reconnaissance mission...ay!"

Now that she was alone, she could stop playing it cool, her right hand really hurt, to the point she was beginning to question why the Creator made her being able to feel pain in the first place.

Unfortunately for her, the damage was too extensive; she would need extensive care to move her hand again.

"She won't be happy with this…ay." She looked to the floating shark beside her. "I am sorry Phyrna, I think we won't be going home for a while. At least until the situation calms…Phryna?" She stopped, as she noticed how the golden lights of the shark started to flick. "Uh…Phryna? What's wrong?"

The machine made a strange sound, like a mix between television static and a cry, only to suddenly fall on the ground.

"Phryna!?" She approached the machine, which started to move erratically as if it was convulsing. "Come on, it's not time to play dead, we have to hurry before…"

"Purifier." A quiet voice reached her, but it wasn't coming from around her, it was more like the voice speak directly on her mind.

She slowly turned her head to find a ghostly figure. In front of her was a woman wearing a long white cape, the same color of her shoulder-length hair, which hid most of her facial features.

Not that Purifier needed to see her face, she instantly recognized her.

"Ah…Zero…fancy meeting you here." The Siren was visibly nervous." I was just about to return to the base…."

The figure didn't respond. Instead, she moved her pale arm out of her white attire and raised three fingers.

"Eh…? Three? What are you trying to say, Zero? Oh! Are we playing guess-!?" She couldn't continue as her body was forced to the ground by an invisible force.

"You...you don't really need to do that." Purifier could only use one hand to support her sudden heavier body. "I understood. That's how much you have to walk, wiping the memories of the humans that saw me, right? Could it be…three blocks?"

The force that pushed her to the ground grew stronger.

"Okay...okay…was it three kilometers?"

This time, the force lessened a bit, and Purifier knew that was the correct answer.

"I am sorry!" Purifier tried to excuse herself. "But you see, I found this amazing human and…!" Again she was forced to bow again, hitting her head on the ground.

"Humans." The ghostly figure spoke with a calm tone despite her actions. "Forbidden."

"But this one is special! I think I found the human we have been looking for! The one we need for the experiments!"

"Too early." She continued, her words were like a whisper.

"I know how it sounds! The Azur Lane of this world hasn't even formed yet, but…" She looked at her right hand. "No human had managed to hurt a Siren this much before. It's fair to assume that he is already surpassed our standards."

"That human." The apparition shook her head in denial."Not impressive at all."

"Heh, I made that same mistake at first." Purifier responded with a knowing smile."If you underestimate him Zero, then even you may end up defeated like me."

A blue eye peeked between her tufts of hair, as she angrily frowned.

"He is my friend, after all." The crazy Siren declares, with confidence.

"...Foolish." She turned around, apparently ending the conversation. "Return now or face punishment."

Having said that, she walked away a few steps, until her figure lost form and disappear in the air.

At the moment the ghostly figure faded, the mechanic shark returned to normal. It approached to the still fallen Purifier, seeking for a caress like an everyday dog.

"Are you alright? The bad Siren already left." She patted it a bit. "We will have to return, sadly." She released a deep breath. "And I wanted to play with Fujimaru a bit more…"

The shark made a noise as if to answer Purifier.

"Yeah, don't worry, we'll come back later, no matter if Zero wants it or not."A crazy smile appeared on her face. "Not like she will continue to give orders for much longer."

Purifier tried, but couldn't contain a small laugh.

After what appeared to be an eternity, I could finally see the door of my apartment.

Never I had so much difficulty trying to return home. First, I had to make sure that no one was there to see me carrying an unconscious woman, then I had to use magecraft to enter the building because obviously, I didn't bring my keys when I jumped out of the window.

Not that I knew any spell for opening doors, I just reinforced my hand and broke the lock, adding damage to private property to my future criminal record.

In fact, I am already lucky that nobody decided to call the police after hearing the mess Purifier did. The neighbors must have heard something, or is that they are all heavy sleepers?

The front door is broken now anyway, so I wouldn't be surprised if the policemen show up tomorrow. My own door was forced by Purifier so it's not like they would think I am the culprit but….there is still something here that I can't explain.

This woman, sleeping peacefully on my sofa.

"Really…what am I going to do if the police ask about you?"

"It's okay officer, this is my personal maid which I pay with my school teacher salary, nothing illegal here." is not going to work.

Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to bring her here, but it's not like I could just throw her in the street. Not that she is going to be much cooperative after waking up either.

"…"

Maybe I should really abandon the country, I still have some saving from back them…ah, but I am not going to find any flights at this hour. It must be like 3 or 4 am, maybe even later.

"Ahhh...Guess I will have to stay here." I took a chair and sit in front of the sofa. "You and that Siren have caused me so much trouble." I release a deep breath, resigned. "And I don't even know your name."

At this point, getting involved is inevitable. Even bringing her here may have been an act against those Siren.

"…I should ask her when she wakes up, if I am getting dragged to this fight, I may as well get all the information possible."

I just hope she is willing to talk things out, especially knowing her tendencies of shooting first and asking later.

It didn't take long for the football field to become no different from a crime scene, with policemen guarding the perimeter in front of security tape and crowds of people in black coming and going from there.

In the center of all the tumult was a large tent, destined to hide from the passersby the remains of the battle that took place there. Inside it, two women were talking.

"They were here, without a doubt." The Commander said upon looking at the enormous black crater on the ground. "The question is, where did they go?" She looked at the other woman, who was directly in the center of the crater. "Did Sheffield say anything else?"

"I am afraid not." Belfast answered while inspecting the burned land. "The communication was short; she only managed to tell me her location before the link was cut off. It's likely that she didn't have much time to talk."

"…."

A thought fluttered in Commander Marcia's head, but she wasn't sure if it was proper to voice it out.

"Belfast, can I ask you something?"

"Naturally."

"I need you to be honest with me. Do you believe that Sheffield could have been destroyed?"

It was just a single second, but Marcia could swear that an expression of shock crossed Belfast's face.

"I am sorry, Commander, but I don't quite follow you."

But before the Commander could react, she found the same neutral expression she was accustomed to.

Was it her imagination or…?

"Sorry, I didn't explain it properly." Marcia tried to ignore it."The last we knew about Sheffield is that she was fighting the Siren, correct? However, the Siren disappeared from our radars just recently, and few blocks from here, so it's likely that she managed to escape."

"In other words. You believe that Sheffield lost her fight against the Siren?"

Marcia nodded.

"There is also the fact that she was forced to use her rigging. I know that she is not really enthusiastic about following orders, but that suggests that the battle wasn't going on her favor."

"…"

Her silence tells her everything.

Even if Marcia didn't fully understand Belfast, she could see how much she cared about her companions. The thought of her losing a friend must have saddened even the stoic maid.

"I know it's hard, but we need to consider all -"

"It's true." Before Marcia could try to comfort her, Belfast spoke again."Your deduction makes sense, Commander. However, I don't believe she would have let herself be killed so easily."

"Are you sure about that? Or are your emotions speaking for you, Belfast?"

"My emotions have nothing to do with this. Sheffield isn't someone who would just accept her death before accomplishing her mission. If she had considered she couldn't win, then she would have given me information about the Siren instead of telling me her location."

Marcia could feel the conviction in Belfast's words. She spoke as if she knew Sheffield all her life instead of just a couple of months.

"So you think she would prioritize the information rather than her life?

"Exactly. The fact that she chose to tell me her location means that she thought she had a chance of survival."

"But where is she, then?"

"I can't answer that, sadly. She would have contacted me again if she was fine, so she is either wounded or unconscious."

Marcia stared at the maid for a couple of seconds, thinking carefully about the situation.

"…Very well, I will organize a search party to look around the area; if she is indeed wounded, then she couldn't have gone very far."

"Thank you, Commander." The maid made a small reverence.

Marcia just nodded and exited the tent. However, as she left the tent, a small smile was drawn or her face. At that moment, she thought that she had finally managed to understand Belfast just a little bit.

However, her smile quickly disappeared as she remembered that not only the Siren had escaped; she also had lost one of the prototypes she was in charge of. The higher-ups sure weren't going to be happy with that.

Marcia suppressed a groan.

At that time, she thought about how desperately she needed a drink.

The moment the Commander left the tent, Belfast's façade crumbed for a bit, as she released a deep sigh.

She didn't like having to lie to her like that. It went against her values as that wasn't how a maid, especially the head maid, should behave towards her master.

Or towards a friend…

"No, I shouldn't doubt." She didn't allow herself to keep thinking about that. She had already decided where her loyalty lies long before.

There was a reason why she can't bring herself to call Marcia her "Master." Serving the Queen came first, and that was never going to change.

Having cleaned her mind of doubts, she established the mental link.

"Warspite, I know you are being watched so I'll be quick. The status of the Siren is unknown; however, Sheffield is with the human right now. She is waiting for Her Majesty instructions."

The voice of Belfast stopped being heard in her head, as Warspite looked fiercely at the camera in the corner of the room.

Oh, how much she hated it.

Being under constant vigilance and locked in such a small room like common prisoners …that wasn't how someone treats their allies. She felt so insulted by the treatment that the humans were giving them that she could almost take her sword and slash that camera in two.

However, she was better than that; she wouldn't allow her personal feelings to get in the way the future of the Royal Navy. The decision of what to do with their "allies" corresponded only to her.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

The leader of the Royal Navy was sitting next to her, drinking her tea with a peaceful expression. It appeared that the Queen managed to calm herself after the "incident" or maybe she had resolved to act calm in front of the humans until the situation with Sheffield was resolved.

Either way, they need to be cautious for now.

"Edinburg, can you serve more tea to her Majesty?" The knight talked to the third shipgirl in the room, a maid with glasses and silver hair similar to Belfast's.

"Eh? But her Majesty's cup is quite full already."

"Edinburgh…" Warpite repeated, this time making a gesture with her hand.

"Ah!" The maid finally understood. "Y-yeah, sure, I am going to serve her majesty more tea…"

Having said that, she put herself precisely between the camera and the two shipgirls, obstructing its view.

"Your Majesty." Warspite approached the Queen's ear and began whispering. "Belfast contacted me, Sheffield managed to fool the human into bringing her to his home, at this point he is an easy target, however, we don't know if he is really an enemy or if he had more weapons at his disposal like the one he used against the Siren. What should she do?"

Elizabeth closed her eyes and remained silent for a couple of minutes.

"Isn't it obvious?" She finally answered, looking at Warspite directly in the eyes.

"Your Majesty?" Warspite was confused.

"Bring him here!" The Queen suddenly stood up, hitting her scepter on the floor and making Edinburgh go "eeepp" and spilling all the tea in the table.

"Y-your Majesty!?" Warspite was equally in shock.

"What kind of Queen would I be if I didn't reward my subject after doing such an incredible deed?"

"Your Majesty..." Warspite try whispering again. "The cameras…"

"Huh? I don't care about those dimwits. They can't even prepare a decent accommodation to her Queen. In fact…" She walked towards the corner and spoke directly to the camera. "You dimwits! Stop slacking off and go look for the one who is actually serving me! The man that defeated the Siren!"

"Her majesty we don't know if he…"

"He already accomplished more than anyone in this base." She interrupted Warspite with her commanding voice." Once he is under our command, the Siren won't stand a chance!"

"But…" Any retort that Warspite had was lost as Elizabeth once again turned to the camera.

"You hear it! Bring the man of the shield to me, it's an order!"

END OF CHAPTER 6

AN: And this is the end of the first arc. I wanted it to be like a prologue to set up the characters but it kind of became Purifier arc. I still have a lot of character to introduce.

Sadly, my (online) classes have finally started, that along with the fact that I have to think about the next arc means that updates may not be anytime soon.

So yeah, that's it for now, see you all later.