In the capital of the Baharuth Empire, Nero, Arche, Hekkeran, and the others formerly of the Worker group Foresight, entered the golden palace of the Bloody Emperor Jircniv. Arche and the others were formally employed under Nero, and as such accompanied her after Nero's task in the southwest was completed.

Inside, Jircniv perked up upon an aide announcing the group's arrival.

"It's good to see you." Jircniv said, sitting up from a lavish couch he was reading documents over.

All could tell that his attention was focused on Nero, and that the rest might as well have been background characters.

"Good work." He said, already aware of the reports pertaining to the situation in the southwest.

Not only did Nero put an end to the bandits plaguing the countryside in leu of Jircniv's purge of incapable nobles, she'd also put an end to a supposed case of trafficking by the Eight Fingers.

"Umu, it's only natural." Nero accepted the praise without hesitation, visibly preening with a likeness and narcissistic grace she alone could pull off.

Jircniv grinned, his mood easing somewhat before he shifted his attention to Arche and the others. Background characters or not, Jircniv was not one to not be aware of his surroundings considering the numerous attempts on his life.

"It seems you've picked up a couple aides."

Under Jircniv's scrutiny, Arche, Imina, and the others tensed, but Nero quickly cut through the stifling atmosphere.

"Aren't they cute?" Nero wrapped an arm around Arche's shoulders, the girl blushing a storm at the flattery that sounded all too natural. "See? This one's reactions are adorable!"

"L-Lady Nero!" Arche pulled up her hood and covered her reddening face.

Hekkeran snorted while Roberdyk elbowed him.

Nero pouted as Arche squirmed out of her grip, but the sight was amusing if anything.

"Yes well," the edges of Jircniv's lips began to quirk upward. "I'm glad the trip was fruitful."

Arche felt her throat dry.

T-That Bloody Emperor could smile like that?

It was a shock that stunned everyone aside from Nero who was used to it. She walked up to Jircniv and blatantly patted his head. "Umu, it was fun!"

Arche's jaw clacked as Hekkeran shut it closed. She glared, but upon turning her attention back to Jircniv and Nero, Jircniv was giving Nero a more serious look.

Humming, Nero got the cue and addressed Arche and the others.

"Please wait outside," Nero said.

Not daring to contradict Nero, Arche, Hekkeran, Imina, and Roberdyk soon departed the emperor's office chambers.

"You look stressed." Nero opened, staring at the frown lines on Jircniv's face. That and loose strands of hair that seemed like he'd plucked them or scratched at his head too much.

Jircniv sighed, hesitating before divulging the Empire's latest concerns.

"There's a problem," Jircniv stood up and handed over one of the reports he'd just been reading to Nero. "Several renowned Worker groups are reported to be missing after investigating a potential resource excavation sight. It's apparently an old tomb whose remnants were long buried but was recently unearthed by an unnatural shifting in the ground. The old man- pardon me, you may not have seen him yet, but my Court Wizard has cautioned me of an ill foreboding."

"Unknown variables," Nero hummed in reminiscence. "Things no emperor should ever leave alone. Umu, an emperor's work is never done. I have no advice in your immediate plans, but I do know to be proactive! Perhaps I and my hands could look into it for you?"

"Would you?" Jircniv felt like a weight was being lifted from his shoulders. No really. Every time he looked at Nero, it was as if roses were blooming in the periphery, easing away his troubles.

"Umu, leave it to me!" Nero turned and began strutting out even before Jircniv dismissed.

How utterly audacious, but it was so Nero.

"Nero." Jircniv called.

"Yes?" Nero paused, craning her head to glance over her shoulder.

A small request left Jircniv's mouth before he'd even considered the practicality or use of it.

"Just once more before you go, will you dance for me?"

It was a whim. A whim that expressed the feeling he'd felt since the first time he'd laid eyes on the bold performer.

"Umu." Nero chuckled with such joy that she spun around to face Jircniv on the balls of her feet.

At least in this new world, she'd found someone who truly seemed to appreciate her in the same way her Romans once had.

Arche and the others were different. That was reverence, while the warmth in Jircniv's eyes was closer to the love and adoration Nero had not received in a long long time.

"If that is your wish."

Nero never smiled so bright.

And Jircniv found himself lulled into a sense of blissful fantasy.

Captivated and eased by the beauty of a vibrant red rose.

"Sigh."

Arche's eye twitched as the sound of crunching leaves and snapping twigs echoed underfoot. Behind her, Hekkeran, Imina, and Roberdyk were spread out in an even formation on their way to investigate a matter concerning the disappearance of various Worker groups in the Empire.

"Sighhh."

Of course, it wasn't as if Nero had instructed them to investigate on her behalf, rather it was none other than Arche who actively insisted they could be of service. Not only did she cite that she, Hekkeran, Imina, and Roberdyk were an experienced Worker group, but she also said they were most familiar with other Worker groups of similar or greater capability in the Empire.

Not one to doubt her subjects, Nero was both proud and quick to agree.

Leading to well, this.

Hekkeran swatted a mosquito buzzing around his head while trudging through the dense underbrush on the way to the location designated on Arche's map.

He failed to swat the pest, and only got a hand print on his face when he tried to save Imina from the blood sucker after it coincidently landed on her butt.

"Sighhhh."

"Shut up Hekkeran, we have work to do!" Arche grumbled with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

Hekkeran rubbed at his sore cheek, Imina, red faced, didn't rise up to help him point out the obvious with Arche.

So be it.

Hekkeran was not above calling Arche out himself. Roberdyk was too passive anyway.

"Ugh," Hekkeran groaned exaggeratedly, Arche already opening her mouth to scowl at him. "She's turned into an ass kisser."

"I-I am not!" Arche opened and closed her mouth at the accusation. Indignant, she pointed her staff at Hekkeran using her impression of a threat. "You know nothing! We should all be grateful for Nero's grace and magnanimity to provide assistance when needed even before she asks."

Even Roberdyk couldn't maintain a straight face at Arche's answer, Imina looking at Arche with pity.

"See?" Hekkeran would not waste the chance to let Arche see reason. "Ass kisser. I remember when she used to be all quiet and moody. Where did that cute girl go? The one who screams with her face that 'I hate nobles, the world's against me, money money money!'"

Arche blushed heavily, scowling as her friends made fun of her.

"I'll scout ahead," She grouched out.

She cast a FLY spell and surveyed the area ahead using the sky as the vantage point if only to get away from them.

She just managed to see Imina flick Hekkeran in the head before Arche was high over the treetops and cruising forward.

Based on the reports, the supposed tomb should be a bit further due west, and the traces of Worker groups moving through the area were abundant.

Cart wheels sunken into the mud, and snuffed out campsites appeared in view. Standard practice for w Worker group was to never leave anything behind in the pursuit of profit and to guard against backstabbing between rival groups.

Arche was well aware of what it means to be a Worker, and that was why she found it weird.

Where was everyone?

Unlike the Adventurer's Guild, Workers prioritized personal safety and profits before anything else. If it had been dangerous, more than a few Workers would have up and abandoned the request even if the profits were good.

Descending from the sky, Arche made land fall and began walking quietly ahead. It was unwise to continue in the air out of caution. Whatever reason the Worker groups didn't return, she'd rather not be out in the open.

Her foresight would prove a boon.

Pupils dilating, she nearly gagged from a foul magic that only she could perceive through her unique skill. Following the trail of ill magic, she came face to face with an army of undead spilling forth from the entrance of what she assumed to the underground tomb.

It was no tomb, but a necromancer's crypt with the sheer amount of undead flowing out of it. More than that, she spotted numerous monstrosities she'd never seen before, coupled with bipedal humanoid infernal terrors with leather wings and feathers.

Complexion paling rapidly, Arche backed away when she felt the presence of a gaze wash over her.

"-MMHMHGH!"

She suddenly screamed, a hand muffling her mouth and another wrapping around her waist, pulling her towards the underbrush.

"Quiet."

A voice whispered, Arche panicking until she caught sight of a familiar bone-faced mask. It was just like the masked mad that once helped her. An associate?

The assassin tentatively pointed up at a floating eyeball with wings flapping on either side, making Arche aware of another form of surveillance she'd failed to notice.

Gratitude filled her with sincerity.

Nodding, Arche let the assassin gradually pull her further behind the cover of a large outcropping of bushes.

"I am Zayd of the Hundred Faces." The cloaked Hassan introduced himself. "We are acting as Nero's underground network and specialize in covert operation, investigation, and assassination."

"Then-"

Zayd cut Arche off and shook his head. There was no time for deep conversation in enemy territory. "We are here on orders to keep your group safe, but my presence alone is severely inadequate to face that."

With one sentence, Zayd revealed the reality of the situation Arche had walked into.

"Hekkeran and the others," Arche paled, realizing that they would also walk right into it. "We need to warn them!"

Zayd nodded without hesitation, lifting his chin up to peer at their surroundings before crouching back to Arche.

"Move when I tell you," Zayd instructed, not wasting time nor words.

Arche tensed, confused. The enemy was all around, and she saw no feasible way they could escape undetected.

"How?" She asked.

"That's not for you to care about," Zayd pulled up a cloth over his mouth. "Wait for my signal."

Without another word, Zayd vanished from right in front of Arche's eyes in a display of sheer agility.

In the next second, the floating eyes burst into splotches of blood from thrown daggers as a commotion was heard beyond the bushes.

Curiosity tickled Arche's neck, but as if knowing that she was about to stick her head up, Zayd's signal came.

"Look and die, or run now!" Zayd yelled, startling Arche enough to face reality.

She ran without a moment's hesitation, aware that this may be the last she'd ever see of Zayd, yet unable to do anything even if she wanted to. The least she could do was survive and give meaning to Zayd's actions.

It was likely that the missing Worker groups had awoken an ancient curse the likes of which could have been left behind by the Evil Deities.

At first, Arche thought she got away as she progressed further and further through the thick foliage. Cuts and scraps bruised her skin from protruding branches and thorny leaves, but she was making progress with no sound that anyone was pursuing her.

If she continued at her pace, she'd soon cast another FLY spell and quickly warn Hekkeran and the others to turn around and report an undead uprising.

However, she'd been wrong.

Trembling, she backed away.

There hadn't been a way to escape from the start.

A masked being stood before her, appearing the very moment Arche intended to cast her spell. He was dressed in a tailored suit and wore a deceptively cheerful mask. An armoured tail swished behind his back, and the potency of the dark magic energy surrounding the being suffocated Arche.

The hairs on the back of her neck inexplicably rose, goosebumps forming over her skin.

"Greetings." The being spoke in a manner befitting a gentleman. "I am the Demon, Jaldaboath."

"D-Demon…" Arche pursed her lips. Nauseous and wary, she gripped tightly to her staff.

She was going to die, but it didn't quite turn out that simply.

"Do you want to live?"

The Demon whispered vilely.

"I'd like to offer you a deal."

In the capital city of Re-Estize, Shirou was quietly led to a private meeting with King Ramposa; the representatives of the other factions forcibly distracted by a nonsense imperial decree.

King Ramposa was old, but he'd been in the game of politics since before he took the Royal Family's crown. Although he'd inherited a position already on the brink of losing power, he was not a man who'd watch it dwindle to nothing without taking action.

"Team Darkness, a pleasure to finally speak with you away from prying eyes and inflated ears." Ramposa quickly began proceedings, knowing he didn't have the time or leisure before the people of the Aristocratic factions somehow intervene. "My name is King Ramposa, and this is my daughter Renner. This will be out first informal introduction."

Ramposa gestured to the golden-haired princess Renner next to him. It was supposed to be his first son as a confident and aide, but hindsight had him choose his daughter who was more submissive and practical.

Renner offered an awkward hand wave, but Ramposa was not discouraged. He himself would do the talking and Renner could facilitate better relations later.

"Pleased to meet you," Shirou said while Momon and Nabe watched from the side.

All could tell that the primary focus of the day's meeting was on Shirou anyway.

"I'll get to the point, Adventurer." Ramposa stood up from his throne and moved to face Shirou as equals rather than as a king to a subject. "I would like to hire you on a quest, and please hear me out before refusing like you did the others."

Ramposa wasn't the first to try and recruit Shirou, and he was aware of their lack of success. However, Ramposa was a king, and he hoped that he could at least find a way to get Shirou to act for Re-Estize. That would be one of his greatest achievements as King.

"An annual war is coming with the wretches of the Baharuth Empire, and many lives can be saved with your aid."

Shirou schooled his expression.

It was exactly what Lakyus had once mentioned to him about the situation between the rival kingdoms. If it was for that purpose, he'd already had enough time to think.

"Is there not any way to just prevent the war from happening?" Shirou asked, choosing neither A or B, but coming up with his own solution.

For all the people saved, more would die from the lethality of his weapons should he provide them constantly to either side.

Peace was the better option.

Ramposa considered it.

Should peace work, Ramposa would be written down in history as the King who put an end to tense relations with the Empire.

His influence would only grow.

"Then would you act as a mediator?" Ramposa quickly proposed. "But I warn you it will be hard. War is fought for vested interests, and unless you can offer something more enticing than land and money, it will not be an easy feat."

Shirou glanced at Momon and Nabe, and made a decision when they gestured to follow Shirou's lead.

"Leave it to me."

He'd put an end to this war and the needless loss of life. It was what Saber would have done, and what Shirou Emiya had promised to do until the day he reunited with her.

It was not wrong to save others.

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