CHAPTER 9:

FALLOUT

Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance Man (well, Woman now), genius, and now one of Chaldea's important background figures, finished her explanation to the man sitting in front of her. Lean, gentle features framed by a long mass of fluffy orange hair, partly tied back in a ponytail, this unremarkable if somewhat handsome man was Dr Romani Archiman. However, Da Vinci knew long before Hermione learned the truth from Marisbury's mind that this was actually King Solomon, the King of Magi, reborn as a mortal and mundane man thanks to the Holy Grail, and wanting to live a normal life, free of his duty and being God's sockpuppet.

She tried not to show it, but her own shock mirrored his own to some degree. Aside from confirmation of at least one of Marisbury's insane plans, Barghest and Melusine's testimony proved that her 'Gran Cavallo' backup project was indeed feasible, even if she was only in the planning stages for now. But that 'Gran Cavallo' would need to be used was a disturbing thought: 'Gran Cavallo' wouldn't have the same Saint Graph as her Caster form and could be considered a clone or even a daughter rather than the original Da Vinci, a separate person entirely. In other words, it meant someone would potentially be able to kill Da Vinci and disrupt her Spirit Core enough to require 'Gran Cavallo' to be awakened. She resolved to expedite the project where she could.

Considering what the two Fae were hinting at beyond the horizon, it would be prudent.

Roman stared at her once she finished recounting her story, before placing his head in his hands. "So Marisbury's madness bore fruit in that timeline. I…I knew Marisbury was a driven, even ruthless man, even before I learned of Mash's creation, but…"

Leonardo nodded solemnly. "And to think at least three members of Team A betrayed us. Still, we will not act against them, or at least against Pepe and Wodime. The sins of their alternate counterparts should not be used against them. Beryl Gut bears observing though, on general principle. It goes without saying that, for now, we should keep this quiet. I think the only one we should share this with for now should be Daybit. He may have ended up joining the Crypters in that timeline, if Team A all joined that faction, but given what Hermione said, he was trying to stop Marisbury during their confrontation."

"Do you think that Barghest's claims of Mash being known as Tam Lin Galahad means that the Servant within her is Sir Galahad?" Roman asked.

"It's certainly possible, but Barghest may have been acting on false or faulty information, and I'm not sure how we can confirm the truth. When I showed them that video of the Servant being summoned and bound to her, and the subsequent rampage Hermione helped stop, well, their reactions were heartening. For all that they are Fae, they seem remarkably human and empathic."

Roman nodded. "The fact that the Wizard Marshall and Waver Velvet vouch for them is telling. Zelretch was a good student and a good man. Are we going to invite them to Chaldea?"

"Not yet. The current political mess over Marisbury's death and his experiments coming out into the open is not the right time for recruiting, especially if we do it without Olga-Marie's output. But I think we should consider once the dust has settled and we can be assured Chaldea will continue. Roman, we won't let your last vision come to pass, not without a fight, anyway."

Roman sighed. Even as the Grail's wish turned him from the King of Magi into a normal human, he was given one last vision of the future, an apocalyptic one. He didn't know when or how, but he did know that it was somehow related to him, or so he claimed in private to Da Vinci.

"That being said, Hermione feels that we can ferry Mash to Harry's estate discreetly for visits," Leonardo said. "Once her immune system is up to scratch, there's no reason we cannot. Hermione trusts him absolutely, and I could tell he would be protective of her. I mean, he's protective of Voldemort's daughter."

"I suppose. It's weird, knowing that I only named Mash recently, and then, two Fae from an alternate timeline show that they know her, that she will become a fine warrior. Except…the British Lostbelt was in 2018. Well, 2017 in the Lostbelt itself, but the Master working for Chaldea said it was 2018 in Proper Human History. But with Mash's lifespan…"

"We don't know the full story, Roman, only part of it," Leonardo said soothingly. "We are barely in the prologue of the story, but Barghest and Melusine come from a chapter of the sequel, so to speak, and don't know much about the surrounding chapters. A sequel that Hermione, hopefully, has averted, in our timeline anyway. We just need to make sure Chaldea is ready for the coming threats…"

Harry, Barghest, and Hermione were walking through the gardens of Potter Manor, with Delphi and Melusine flying about on the Quidditch pitch for now. "Thank you for recounting what you knew, Barghest. I'm sorry for having you revisit such trauma, but…"

Barghest waved a dismissive hand at Hermione's words. "I agreed to do so. And if what I said helps you and your colleagues, then I hope you succeed. Indeed, I hope you stopped Marisbury Animusphere's plan. Do not misunderstand me, I miss my home, the Lostbelt, disillusioned with my former queen and my people as I am. Proper Human History is so different in many regards, and yet, it is also the same in others, and too often in its worst aspects. And it's not easy to hear that your own timeline isn't supposed to exist. But…if an entire world and its people was wiped out to ensure its existence in the first place…such a plan should not be allowed to come to pass. I may have no lord to swear myself to, nor do I intend to ever again, but a true knight should protect people. And Melusine and I exist, as a testament to our world's existence." She frowned as she considered something. "I wonder what became of Habetrot, though? I recall her being involved with Chaldea in some capacity, allied with them at least."

"Habetrot?" Harry asked.

"A Fae associated with making clothing and spinning to turn yarn into thread," Hermione explained.

"She was one of the few Fae, in hindsight, that would have thrived in Proper Human History, who was a decent, noble, and moral being," Barghest said, a wistful smile touching her lips. "So too was Arturia."

"Still, to think that Mash became so strong," Hermione mused. "I am glad…except…I'm surprised she was still alive and well by that time. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised all the same."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"I taught you about Homunculi, didn't I, Harry?" Hermione asked. On his nod, she continued, "Homunculi are usually engineered with an expiry date, so to speak, and Mash is no exception. Assuming things go to Marisbury's plan, she will die when she reaches eighteen. Though it gets worse."

"How can anything be worse than that?!" Harry yelped in outrage.

"Because if she regains the power of the Heroic Spirit within her, her demise may be brought forward!" Hermione retorted. "Dr Roman and I compared cytological samples before and after that Heroic Spirit was summoned into her body. There were small but noticeable signs of cell degradation, just from a minute or so of channelling that Heroic Spirit's powers. Don't get me wrong, with Marisbury dead and unable to stop me, I can get started on a gene therapy regime combined with alchemical concoctions that might be able to extend her lifespan by at least a few years, but becoming a Servant again may reverse all that work."

"You said the Heroic Spirit refused to work with Chaldea," Barghest said. "That they only stayed with Mash to help her survive."

Hermione nodded. "I gathered as much from their words when I confronted them when they possessed her. They spoke to me through her, if only briefly, as you saw in the footage. Only because I was trying to protect Mash did they stop controlling her body, and even then, I wasn't supposed to be there. Roman got me in. Just as well. That Heroic Spirit very nearly murdered Marisbury and everyone present, and while I wouldn't have mourned Marisbury even then, I'm glad it didn't happen, if only for the sake of the few innocents there. And my learning of Marisbury's plans. In any case, you are fine with me bringing Mash here for discreet visits?"

"Of course, Hermione," Harry said, before looking to Barghest. "But we shouldn't tell her her own future, should we?"

Barghest shook her head. "At least not now, and while Morgan called her Tam Lin Galahad, I can't claim to know for sure that the Heroic Spirit within her is actually Sir Galahad."

"Perhaps at a later date, when you feel comfortable doing so, we should view your memories, particularly of that period, in a Pensieve," Hermione said. "Aside from gathering intel on how Lostbelts affected our world and what Chaldea in that timeline did to resolve them, it would also help to identify Servants. You actually mentioned that Arturia girl, the one who grew up in Tintagel? She may be a counterpart of our Arturia."

"You mean our King Arthur, right?" Harry asked.

"I meant that, yes." On Harry's confused look, Hermione sighed. "As part of my training with Zelretch, he had me observe another timeline that was undergoing a Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, only this one was a near-disaster. One of the Servants was a Saber Servant who was actually Arthur Pendragon…or rather, Arturia. Your description of the Arturia in the Lostbelt matches hers, blonde, green eyes. Very different demeanour, though."

"…How the bloody hell did she conceal her gender, then?" Harry demanded in confusion.

"With the help of Merlin, and posing as an eternally young teenaged boy," Hermione said. "Mordred got conceived because Merlin briefly turned Arturia into a man, and our version of Morgan seduced her half-sister."

Barghest grimaced. "For all Morgan's faults in my timeline, to say nothing of her cruelty, I doubt she would have stooped to incest. Still, to think that energetic little shrimp was King of the Britons in this timeline." She chuckled wistfully, before her expression became solemn again. "I…I could tell, despite her bluster, that being the one chosen by prophecy had taken its toll on her. Speaking to Harry about his own adventures as a prophesized 'chosen one' has only solidified that impression. Prophecy and being forced to be a messiah are cruel fates. I hope, whatever her fate in the end, that she found some happiness."

"It's possible that she ended up engraved on the Throne of Heroes," Hermione said. "That means it's possible we could summon her. FATE isn't stable yet, and with Marisbury dead, we may not be able to stabilise it in time for…well, whatever's coming. You did say Fujimaru hinted he was dealing with some crisis well before the Lostbelts happened, and Leonardo seems to think so too. Unfortunately, recruiting you for Chaldea might be difficult with the political fallout. And already, there are rumours Daybit and I had a hand in Marisbury's death. Olga won't take it well."

"Even though Marisbury treated her like shit?" Harry said. "Neglected her, passed her over as the heir to his Magic Crest in favour of Kirschtaria Wodime?"

"She yearned for her father's approval," Hermione said. "You see it in wizards, Magi, Muggles…I'm not saying it's rational, only that it happens. He probably thought of her as a useful tool at best, maybe breeding stock. Unfortunately, this kind of bad parenting is not uncommon amongst Magi in particular. Too many have a cold-blooded way of reaching Akasha. Take, for example, another one of Marisbury's recruits, Ophelia Phamrsolone. Her family is German, and her parents subjected her to all sorts of experiments to engineer a high-level Mystic Eye in her. Honestly, I'd love nothing more than to storm the Phamrsolone estate and burn it all to the ground. Unfortunately, for Magi, that's not even that extreme compared to the norm, and making their children test subjects is not uncommon."

Harry nodded in reluctant agreement, remembering that Svin Glascheit had much the same problem, his parents basically treating him as a vessel for continuing their research into Beast Magecraft. While not all Magi were as coldhearted and ruthlessly amoral as these ones, even without going into human experimenting outside their own family, it was still something of an accepted norm in reaching the Root. Any immoral acts boiled down to 'don't get caught' as an unofficial rule.

Barghest clicked her tongue. "I hate politics," she muttered. "I had to deal with it, being a noblewoman and a Tam Lin, but I despised it all the same. And it sounds like Magi politics are not far removed from Fae politics. Though at least you have less of a chance of being stabbed in the back by Magi."

"…I'll take your word for it, though I shudder to think what Fae politics were like in that Lostbelt," Hermione said. "Anyway, can I stay here for a while in one of the guest rooms? I got heavy hints that Clock Tower wants me close by for an inquest into Marisbury's death. While I doubt I'd be believed about his plans with CHALDEAS and the Lostbelts, even with Zelretch in my corner, I need to expose a few things, albeit without having Chaldea shut down. The vultures are circling, Harry, and I want to make sure I burn as few bridges as possible to keep Chaldea alive."

"Sure, Hermione, you're always welcome here."

Unspoken was the reason why. After working for Marisbury, Hermione sold her apartment in London. Her relationship with her parents had become immensely strained since she restored their memories, and had gradually deteriorated further, until a couple of years back, they were no longer on speaking terms. Then again, Hermione alluded to them treating her like a trophy child in primary school, and when she went to Hogwarts, they could no longer trot out their prodigy daughter. It was one of the reasons she agreed to tutor Olga-Marie Animusphere, as she saw much of herself in the Animusphere scion. Aside from Hermione, Olga had few friends or allies, the closest one aside from Hermione and Waver Velvet being one Professor Lev Lynor, a Magus at Clock Tower.

Potter Manor had multiple bedrooms, and most of them were going to waste before Barghest's arrival in this timeline. Enough existed so that each of them could have their separate bedrooms, and still have a couple of spares. Harry had his friends over every so often, but they rarely stayed long. Having Barghest and Melusine as houseguests marked the longest period more than two people had stayed at Potter Manor since his grandparents died. His parents continued to live at Godric's Hollow because it was supposedly quieter and less dangerous. Of course, that little story didn't end well.

Still, all of this talk about Chaldea, its past, present, and possible future, disturbed him. It felt like a storm was brewing, just beyond the horizon, and Marisbury's death was but the first rumble of thunder. Even with the horrific knowledge that Marisbury had been potentially plotting to commit genocide to create his vision of a new world, one that involved the Lostbelts somehow, felt like some portentous, like only one disaster had been averted…

…And another was yet to come…

CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:

So, the fallout from Barghest and Melusine's foreknowledge, incomplete as it is, continues, and Hermione is going to get to know the Fae very well now.

Review-answering time! Dragon Man 180: No, it isn't. And it's funny you should mention Melusine and rollercoasters. In a later chapter, they go to Blackpool Pleasure Beach…and Melusine, what with being a dragon who can go at supersonic speeds (canonically at least Mach 2, though I genuinely think she is capable of much faster speeds), actually finds them boring, and only stays on a trip to Blackpool partly out of courtesy and partly to give Harry and Barghest more time for the date they're having at the time.

It won't be too much chaos, Delphi's not THAT much like Gudako from either Learning with Manga! or Fate/Grand Carnival. But she'll get along swimmingly with, for example, Oda Nobunaga or Mordred, and be a partner in crime for pranks.

No numbered annotations this time.