"Marie? Can you hear me?" King called out to one of his… employees? with his hands cupping his mouth.
It was dark in Lyon, really dark. He supposed that was kinda his fault. Everyone was on 'his' show, and he guessed no one bothered to put up candles yet. So, that left everything in front of the dark.
And King couldn't see jackshit.
He knew Marie was there, though. If only through Jeanne calling out to her.
After Elizabeth's sudden announcement, there was a slight discussion between them over whether or not the show should continue with two of the performers missing, even if they were only dancers. In the end, the idols stayed behind while everyone else, that was King, Amadeus, and Jeanne, went out to find Marie. He was in favor of that, personally. Setting up these shows were hard enough, but dealing with the fallout of a canceled one? He'd rather go outside back in his word with no hoodie.
And that left him here, calling out to the darkness while Amadeus and Jeanne stayed still and silent for some reason. Hell, one of them was her childhood friend and the other her fellow countrywoman, why should he be the one to do it? Was it because he's the 'President' or something?
"...Yes I can, President." Came Marie's voice, which confirmed to King that she was indeed there. Though there was a tone in her usually cheerful, upbeat voice, or the lack of a tone, more like.
"Oh, good. Well, I just want to say something." King said, ignoring the somewhat strange behavior of his employee. Maybe it was just his imagination. It was getting late after all.
"I-I see! Say, what about Elizabeth and the others? I don't see them with you." Marie… stuttered?
"Oh, them? I told them to stay." King said slowly.
Then, there was silence.
He wasn't imagining it. There was something with Marie. He gulped silently. Was she upset about something? Worse yet, was she upset about something regarding him? He knew being an idol producer (and president) could be a tough job, but to think that something like this could happen so early…
'...Burnout, is it?' King thought, tired. Was it the pay? Wait, his idols were servants, what would they even do with money? Schedule, then? No, couldn't be. They were doing this schedule for a reason, a reason Marie herself suggested, no less.
So that could only mean one thing.
"...You know, Marie. I want you to be one too." King said carefully.
"...Be one too?" Marie said. There was a hint of confusion in her voice, and though he couldn't see even a speck of her, he could tell it was genuine, which meant she didn't know what she was even upset about.
But King? He knew. He read, watched, and now finally experienced it firsthand. The dread of every idol company, the one thing everyone who got into the industry vied for, and most definitely, the thing Marie, even unknowingly, was mulling over was…
"An idol, I mean."
…her role.
What else could it be? Of course the background dancer wanted to be the main attraction too! He had seen it happen multiple times, idol groups crumbling because of clashing egos between the perceived lead and fodders. Now, he didn't think that Marie would particularly butt heads with Elizabeth or Achilles over it, but it was definitely going to affect her performance, and the idea of the show falling apart because of it reminded him of the expectations that had been placed upon him as 'President' (courtesy of Marie, ironically enough) and the snowy tundra that awaited him should he fail to meet the Chaldea's expectations.
King shivered. He could already feel the outcome that would befall him should he fail now, or maybe it was just the cold wind of night. "...d'Eon too, actually." He quickly added, reminded of the other background dancer.
"...Can I ask why?" Marie asked eventually. There was still trepidation in her voice that King could hear. King bit his lip slightly. She was legitimately confused at the offer, to the point that she was nervous at the prospect. Maybe that was what being a queen entailed, but that kind of selflessness would not cut it as an idol.
If they really wanted to make these idol shows work, then everyone needed to be a little selfish.
"You two looked like you had a lot of fun." King said. It was true, they really did, and looking back, maybe he should've casted his offer earlier.
"I'd like to see you be an idol too, but…" King paused.
He could be making a mistake again. He could be just overthinking things again. He could be making a mistake here. Like with Lev, like with the Jeanne-imposter the first time around, like with d'Eon two days ago.
Could.
"Only if you want. I don't want to see it otherwise." King finished nervously, though hiding it in the darkness of the night. It was a lame way to end it after everything he said and thought, but damn it, he needed a way out if it really was just a misunderstanding on his part.
Suddenly, light. Then, heat.
King didn't move, couldn't move.
Slowly, the form of Karna appeared before him, no doubt the cause of the still lingering heat King could feel between his neck and shoulders. "The ignorance you feigned bought us quite the time, master." He said, the usual polite smile on his face.
King just nodded and hid his sweaty, shaking hands behind his back.
"...It's been a while." King said, fighting the urge to scream 'What the fuck is happening?!' to his servant's face.
"It has, master." Karna replied. "Now… let me take care of this first."
'...Take care of what?' King wanted to ask, but things were moving far too fast for him to do anything but watch.
Just as quickly as Karna had reached his side, he rushed forward, his spear drawn back before he thrusted it, piercing… d'Eon.
Their eyes briefly met King's, and they mouthed a few words he couldn't make out, before disappearing into golden light.
…
'...That's good, right?'
They were his enemy and likely only stayed close to scout for ways to kill him. Hell, maybe those last words were a threat to him too, so it was definitely a good thing that they died, right?
There was a nagging feeling in the back of King's throat, but he pushed it down. Because judging from the way Karna's fire lit up the darkness, there were two more problems in front of him, and tens more up above.
"Wyverns!" A voice beside him yelled. It was Siegfried. It seemed like Karna was successful in convincing him.
"They're heading towards the show!" Jeanne said, pointing towards the direction the wyverns were flying towards.
"We need to split up." Amadeus said, looking around at themselves.
'Splitting up, huh?' King's gaze momentarily shifted over to the enemy servants. There were two of them, one was the Jeanne lookalike, who he met before, and the other was a white-haired man in black coat and tie. King was pretty sure he saw him back in the first town they went to. So the choice was them or the wyverns, probably with Elizabeth and the others too for the latter. Well, between the wyverns and the two servants in front of him? He'd rather–
"Leave me with the President. You all can go and take care of the wyverns."
King's head whipped towards Marie.
'...Marie?' What the hell was she saying?
"I see. Saving the citizens takes priority, I understand." Siegfried said.
"Exactly, Sir Siegfried. But also… I believe I bear some responsibility to lay him to rest." Marie said, looking at the male servant opposite her side. King could see a small grin start to form on his face, but his eyes had a silent quality to them, the result was rather… uncanny. Like a corpse on strings.
"Very well. We'll leave it to you both, King, Marie." Jeanne said.
"W-wait–"
Whatever King was about to say was promptly ignored as the servants rushed to the show faster than he could turn towards them. His eyes met only the dark streets of Lyon, with faint sounds of feet stamping over roofs and the howls of dragons getting farther until they disappeared.
"King. I've been waiting for this." 'Jeanne' said, fire crackling around her feet as she slowly walked to King and Marie.
…Wait, how did she know his name?
"Now, Sanson! Bring me their heads!"
"As you wish, master."
"My apologies, Sanson, but I have gotten a rather exquisite invitation from The President, so I'm afraid I can't take you up on your offer." Marie said, gesturing to King, who in his part, had already resigned himself to the madness.
…Couldn't they at least leave one more servant with him, though? or at least replace Marie with Karna?
"Now, my executioner…"
…He was her executioner?
Great. Just great.
"...let us dance once more!"
"Everyone! Thank you for coming here tonight!" Elizabeth yelled into the mic, eliciting an excited roar of the crowd. There were men, women, and even children in the audience, each focusing on different members of the trio. None of them had noticed the two missing persons in the group, such as the fate of those relegated to the background.
"...Yo, Kiyohime."Achilles whispered, approaching his fellow idol.
"Hm? What is it, Lord Achilles?" Kiyohime said, leaning slightly into the demigod.
"It's Eli, we gotta stop her."
"...I'm sorry?"
"You weren't there to see it, neither did master, but earlier tonight when we practiced, she sounded horrible." Achilles explained, making wild gestures with his hands that Kiyohime could barely interpret, all while somehow keeping their discussion hushed enough for no one else to notice.
"...Lord Achilles, even I, who do not hold any love for her, can admit that her singing is magnificent." Kiyohime deadpanned while looking at Elizabeth from her peripheral, still riling the crowd up with great success.
"No! You don't understand! See, when master came around, she suddenly started singing like, well, like this!" Achilles yelled in a whispered tone, pointing to Elizabeth. Kiyohime narrowed her eyes. She hated liars, more than she hated anything, and she considered herself to have good eyes for lying men, which is why she could tell that her fellow idol was telling the honest truth.
"So what you're saying is…" Kiyohime said, voice trailing off as she saw Elizabeth getting ready to enter another song.
Achilles nodded.
"We need to stall her."
"Well? Are you ready? Here We–"
"Yo! Everyone having a good night?" Achilles yelled into the mic, cutting off Elizabeth.
Elizabeth stared at Achilles' back, slightly offended. She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, but–
"I'm sure you all did. After all, you're watching us perform." Kiyohime butted in, cutting off Elizabeth again.
"I'm sure you're all waiting for the next song– But! Why not chill for a few minutes, eh?" Achilles said to the crowd, eliciting several murmurs between the audience.
"No worries. This is an… intentional part of our show, yes! In just a few minutes, your ears will be hearing even things birds cannot. So, for now, just stay… quiet, okay?" Kiyohime said, placating the murmurs as the crowd fell into comfortable, and intentional, silence.
"Do you really think that's gonna work?" Achilles asked Kiyohime, whispering.
"Who knows? We just have to trust that The President will come soon."
"Hey! What are you two doing?!"
Achilles and Kiyohime both turned to the nakedly mad Elizabeth.
"We um…"
"Marie asked us to do this! Yeah, I… think master would've said it to you too, if it wasn't for Marie and d'Eon going missing." Achilles said.
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. She didn't buy it. Something was up.
"Oh? And why did she forget to tell me?" Elizabeth said, tapping her foot on the stage with an expression that more or less said 'Well? I'm waiting.' as the other two servants fell into silence.
"Well–"
"You see–"
"There! You two got nothing! I don't know what you two are on about, but the show. will. go. on!" Elizabeth said, strutting to the front of the stage.
"Boars! Sorry for the technical difficulties, but we're ready now! To make up for it, I'll sing a special song for you all!" Elizabeth announced. There was some confusion that didn't last long as the crowd came back alive to raucous cheering once more.
Elizabeth hummed along to the roar of the crowd, soaking it in, and along with it, a magical energy flowed around the stage, though only the servants on top noticed it. Neither Achilles nor Kiyohime knew what Elizabeth's noble phantasm was, but if she was going to sing with it?
"Kiyohime! Think of something!"
"I'm trying! We can… we can… we– wyverns?"
"Wyverns? What are you–"
Kiyohime sharply pointed at the sky, cutting Achilles off. The Greek Hero followed her finger, and there were shapes in the distance, wyverns. If Achilles squinted his eyes more, there were smaller shadows jumping on rooftops taking some of the wyverns out mid-flight, but not fast enough to kill all of them before they made contact with the crowd.
Achilles and Kiyohime turned sharply to Elizabeth. She hadn't noticed.
And the wyverns were starting to dive down.
"Eli! Eli!" "Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth was off in her own world, baby.
"Get ready! I'm going all out!"
She was in what some would call…
"One, two, and Here! We! Go!"
…The Zone.
"BATHORY ERZSEBET!"
The stage groaned.
More accurately, something behind the stage groaned.
Achilles and Kiyohime looked behind them, it was a castle, or was it? The upper half certainly resembled one, with spiral roofs and stone walls befitting of the owner's era when she lived. But the bottom half was a… sound system? Far bigger than what Amadeus had constructed with his magic, still built from the very same stones the castle walls were built with.
To summarize, there was now a castle (giant speaker) inside palace grounds overseeing a stage where three idols stood.
The 15th century French peasant mind couldn't comprehend it, so they simply cheered, as if a goddamned miracle didn't just happen in front of them.
Wings sprouted from Elizabeth's back as she took a deep breath. Achilles noticed, he leaped to stop her–
"LAAAAAAA!" –But he was too late.
Off beat, shrill, belonging to the screams of torture of thousands damned in hell, there were many ways to describe what came out of Elizabeth Bathory's mouth. So terrible it was that one could see waves forming from her mouth as rings, headed to the audience.
Achilles closed his eyes and ears. It was over. 'Massive crowd dies accompanied by a horrible show where one of the performers (who turned out to be part dragon herself) screamed so loud, it also killed people.' What a great headline to spread around.
There was silence.
Then, cheering began.
Achilles slowly opened his eyes.
There was a dead wyvern amongst the crowd, or a dead wyvern's head to be specific. Then, Achilles' eyes darted around the sky, even more wyverns were falling, crumbling to dust as they did. All of them had inadvertently blocked Elizabeth's singing from the crowd as they dove, dooming themselves.
Elizabeth looked damned proud of herself, and Achilles didn't know if she had even noticed the wyverns she had killed. The crowd, on the other hand, noticed, but only saw Elizabeth as their savior, and only got louder once her first round of singing was over. "You're our savior!", "I'd die for you Eli!" and "DragonFever is the best thing since my firstborn!" could be heard amongst other forms of praises while the rooftop servants finished most of the remaining wyverns. Some in the audience looked up and talked with each other in awe, thinking that it was a light show they had planned.
Achilles and Kiyohime looked at each other.
Achilles shrugged.
Kiyohime shrugged too.
Elizabeth just soaked it in.
Another Elizabeth solo, another massive success for DragonFever.
'…Wow, she kinda sucks at this.'
'Jeanne' gritted her teeth as she called out to Sanson to attack Marie, while silently plunging her flagpole to the ground, causing several spots on the ground around Marie to light up on fire.
"Marie, zigzag then go to your left and counter." King commanded calmly, to which Marie silently followed, avoiding the pillars of fire that burst out the ground and Sanson's sword aimed at her head, followed by kicking him with her crystal horse.
It wasn't that he became a crack commander overnight, it was just that 'Jeanne's' commands were… predictable at best. To be honest, he expected a lot more from a former soldier, even if she was nineteen. He thought the fight with Heracles was more complex, and he was mindless.
In video game terms, he'd say that both of their player characters were of the same tier, but the gap between him and her as players was far too wide.
Of course, if this was a video game, the player wouldn't be able to interfere with each other, and 'Jeanne' shouldn't be able to rush into King.
But she did.
Their eyes met and her flag-spear was on fire.
A heinous sneer on her face, 'Jeanne' thrusted the sharp end of her pole towards King's face, only to stop just before it touched his nose.
"Tch!" 'Jeanne' clicked her tongue and disengaged from him, leaping backwards.
King was shaking, his legs turned to jelly before he even realized.
"President! Are you hurt?!"
King opened his mouth, but no sound came. Instead, he offered a thumbs up, though he couldn't tell if even made the proper shape from the way his hands shook. To his relief, Marie nodded and continued fighting with Sanson, all while 'Jeanne' stared daggers into his eyes from afar, spear still lit on fire.
King crossed his arms, as he always did when he thought the body tremors were going to actually knock him down, and pointed his eyes down.
Right, right! He was on a battlefield! He could delude himself as much as he wanted about controlling servants like a 'video game', but when his enemy was actually sapient, he was always in the threat of a sword cleaving his head off or a spear impaling him.
So, cowardly as it was, he decided to give Marie an order. "...Marie. Come closer here." He said, beckoning the rider to his side, which she saw judging by the way she turned her neck to him.
King closed his eyes as he heard the sound of Marie's glass horse skidding across the ground. Should he retreat now? He could just say that the fight was getting too hairy, or that he was worried about the wyvern situation on the other side. King opened his eyes, intending to tell Marie about his next plans.
…Only to find the guy she was fighting in front of him too.
'WHY ARE YOU BRINGING HIM HERE?!' King wanted to scream, but the shards of glass being shattered by Sanson flying towards him shut his mouth. King covered his eyes with his arms, afraid that a stray glass might go in them.
"President! I got here just as you asked! Now, let us work together to isolate Sanson!" Marie said as she, and by extension, Sanson, got closer to him.
"T-that's not what I–"
Marie either didn't hear, or care about what King had to say, as she swiftly casted spells, pink in color, that rushed towards Sanson. The assassin swiftly dodged the pink waves of magical energy and rushed towards Marie who had now backed up to be just in front of King, cutting down Marie's crystals in his wake.
Sanson closed in on Marie quickly and swung his executioner's sword towards her neck. King couldn't help but wince and feel afraid at the prospect of the grizzly scene of the young girl in front of him being beheaded.
"Now, President!" Marie yelled suddenly, before ducking.
Of course, he was far more afraid when it turned out that it was his turn to be beheaded.
'Now, President? WHAT PRESIDENT?!' King managed to shout in his mind in the milliseconds between Sanson's sword moving towards his neck. Despite the sudden change in targets, Sanson did not stop and King could feel the air give way to the swing of the sword as he felt the temperature drop by each passing moment. He needed to do something, anything–!
"HA!" King yelled.
But to the ears of others, it was a roar.
Sanson's sword stopped just before a decapitation could occur. His form was stunned still by the sudden cry.
King was sweating buckets. What did he shout for? Why was that the first thing that came to his mind? He didn't know, he didn't care, all he knew was that he delayed his death.
Sanson's eyes narrowed and King could hear his muscles tightening to ready and follow through. So much for delaying his death, King thought in despair, closing his eyes.
'I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna–'
"Guillotine Breaker!"
Suddenly, Marie crashed into Sanson, or her crystal horse did at least, coming in from Sanson's blind side. The assassin grunted and held his side as he was knocked away, but the horse kept galloping, leaving many crystals in its trail. Once again, it crashed onto Sanson, driving him now to the center of a circle made of crystal.
The field of crystals reflected the light from the fire Karna and 'Jeanne' had inflicted on the streets earlier, and in between the kaleidoscope of colors that was reflected in that field, the executioner's eyes met the executed's. Their eyes narrowed.
"La Mort Espoir!"
A gate burst out of the ground, from it, dozens of pitch black hands appeared and made their way to Marie. For those who met their end by execution, this noble phantasm would catch them quicker, easier, and it would be even more so for Marie, who met her end at Sanson's hands, but–
"...You've really gotten rusty, Sanson." Marie whispered, her horse galloping between the dark hands with ease, before jumping into the air. Marie looked down, Sanson looked up. He smiled, and so did she.
Guillotine Breaker landed directly on Sanson, breaking every single crystal it had summoned in a shining explosion. The guillotine faded, and Charles-Henri Sanson disappeared.
All while this was happening, King could only watch.
'...So those are noble phantasms, huh?' Was the first thing that came to King's mind after his brain finally regained consciousness. He had seen it with Marie's palace and Mash's training before, but seeing them used in a real battle, well, it was something else, to say the least.
"President! We did it!" Marie said excitedly. "Give me five!" She asked, raising her hand up to King's face level.
"...Yeah." King said the only thing he could think of while raising his own hand, before holding back a yelp of pain from Marie's forceful high five.
King took a look at the aftermath of the battle. This was the first time he'd seen a servant battle from start to finish now that he thought about it. The streets of Lyon were almost completely annihilated, some 'magical energy', if he remembered correctly, still swirled in the air, courtesy of Marie. It resembled the aftermath of a low-demon level monster attack in his own home world, if with a bit more magical flair. He could feel the energy in the air, in a similar way to Tatsumaki's psychic powers, yet also completely different in a way he had little words to describe.
King turned to Marie. Her noble phantasm, Guillotine Breaker, was it? A crystal horse that generates crystals that explode into magical energy, huh? Then there was Sanson's, which was a gate of sorts, though judging by how black hands came out of it to snatch Marie and the glint of a blade that King saw when it opened up, he could guess that what would follow wasn't anything pretty.
'They were… really different from each other, huh?' King thought, and that was only two of them. Who knows what kind of noble phantasms his servants had. He wondered if there were variations in power, too. Were there any that could protect him? Mash's probably could, but on the other hand… Were there any that could destroy entire cities? Maybe even countries? King gulped at the thought. 'Let's just hope that I won't need the former for the latter.'
"You…!" 'Jeanne' yelled in anger, catching King and Marie's attention. Her face was twisted in raw anger, an ugly sneer that King thought looked wrong on Jeanne's kind face, though he could kinda see Jean making the face, so maybe it wasn't that far off.
"Witch." Marie greeted calmly.
"...Marie and… you!" 'Jeanne's' face whipped towards King, which made him flinch a little. It seemed like she wanted to say more, his name, maybe? But it didn't come out, and King swore he could see steam coming out between the girl's grinding teeth.
'Jeez, why does she hate me so much?' King thought. Well, it looked like she hated…everything, but it felt like she had it out for him specifically for some reason.
"We outnumber you two to one, Witch, do you surrender?" Marie said, making her ultimatum.
King stared at her. 'Outnumber her two to one? She knows I'm a human, right?' Worse yet, Marie just used her noble phantasm, and that should take out a lot out of her, right? King looked at Marie closely, she was sweating profusely. She knew that she couldn't win by herself.
Which meant that she was counting on him.
…
THUMP THUMP THUMP
'Jeanne' only snarled in anger to the ominous sound and drew her spear, lighting it on fire again. If she was to be captured, she would not go silently.
For a moment, there was a standoff. Neither side made a move and you could almost see the tension physically. Marie took heavy gasps of breath, her eyes locked to 'Jeanne' who prepared her flaming spear, ready to leap any time. King? King simply crossed his arms, heart still beating. Then, he broke the silence.
"...Just go."
Marie's neck snapped to King, only to find that he had already turned his back on 'Jeanne'.
"President?"
King did not answer, nor turn to Marie.
Lest his voice crack or Marie see his sweat drenched face.
"...You think this is funny?" 'Jeanne' growled behind him.
"No." King answered. "But I think it would be a shame for you to throw your life away like this." He couldn't quite see her face, but for a moment King could literally feel being stabbed by her glare, before the feeling went away. King fought the urge to keep his neck still and turned around. 'Jeanne' was no longer there.
King released a long, long breath through his mouth as he physically felt his heartbeat get slower. He didn't know how long he was holding it, and he wanted to fall down right then and there. He would've if Marie wasn't there.
"...President, why did you…?"
"She's not worth it." King said. 'Not worth the chance of me being killed, that is.' though he kept that to himself.
"...I suppose you're right."
The scarred master and future queen walked side by side back to the show, one less member of DragonFever in tow.
"You know, it's been ten minutes since that whole dragon-near disaster-thing."
"Yes it has, Lord Achilles."
"So tell me, why is the crowd still cheering?" Achilles asked Kiyohime, dumbfounded.
It had been six hundred seconds since Elizabeth delivered a song that contained a total of one word, lasted less than five seconds, that didn't even get to reach the audience. Yet, the outpouring of applause from the crowd continued without stop, Elizabeth even blew kisses and posed for the crowd.
"...I have no idea, Lord Achilles." Kiyohime admitted. She too looked puzzled at the scene
"Um… How long is this going to go for?"
Achilles and Kiyohime turned to the source of the voice, Jeanne, peeking her head from the curtains.
"We dispatched of the wyverns after Elizabeth prevented the worst from happening and headed straight back here, but…" Jeanne trailed off, still looking at the idol in question.
Achilles shrugged. "Gotta wait for master, I guess."
As if on cue, King and Marie arrived on the stage, the human looking no worse for wear while Marie went down to her knees and gasped for breath.
"Marie! What happened?" Amadeus asked, immediately lowering himself to her side, followed by Jeanne on the other side.
"Nothing, just tired. Sanson is dead… and so is d'Eon." Marie replied, the last part said in a whisper.
"I heard from Amadeus that they made a most honorable sacrifice. My condolences." Siegfried said, bowing slightly.
"...Yes. A loyal soldier until the end, in both ways." Marie said, before turning her gaze to the saber. "It's good to see you again, Sir Siegfried."
"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Antoinette." Siegfried said, offering his hand as support, which she took.
"The show is over, huh?"
"Yes, Marie, though I have to say, in my personal opinion, the ending to this one was magnitudes worse than the last." Amadeus answered, his eyes dead as he looked towards still-providing-fanservice Elizabeth, as if he was looking at the death of music itself, a slow and painful death.
"Really? I thought that last part was quite terrific."
Amadeus looked at Karna like he killed his firstborn son.
"...You like that kind of stuff?" Achilles asked, incredulous.
"Oh, no, the singing itself was horrific, but the passion in her voice was great enough to even kill wyverns. I can't help but admire it." Karna said, prompting Amadeus to breathe a sigh of relief, though he still threw a side eye at the lancer.
"Good job, all of you." Olga said, coming from King's communicator. "Two of the impostor's servants are down in one fell swoop, and we managed an impressive turnout today as well." She said, turning her gaze towards her computer screen, showing the visual data sent by King.
"Tomorrow, we're going to Thiers. Expect a bigger crowd, the other team sold all of their merchandise." Olga said. "For now, continue as usual and present Jeanne d'Arc as the true saint she is to the crowd there."
"By the way, director, I don't know if you've noticed, but these people… they've gone crazy." Achilles said, pointing to the still cheering crowd with his thumb. Olga barked a few orders at Romani for visuals, then smirked as it came into view.
"No. In fact, this is exactly what we need." Olga's smirk grew even wider.. "A cult of personality."
"My lady–"
"Not right now, Gilles!"
'Jeanne' was stamping around her camp in a circle. She was lucky enough that every soldier that went with her was asleep. There was a night shift, but she told them to rest so she could take over (or throw a tantrum). Forcibly, when they insisted otherwise.
She stomped the ground with each step, leaving an indent of her metal boots with cinders. Her expression had barely changed since she left Lyon, that of a permanent teeth-showing scowl, only dropping it in front of her soldiers, and that took everything she had in her.
'That fucking guy… He didn't have any openings!'
She had been close, so close! One more inch and she would've taken his head clean off with her spear! She still remembered that second where she had penetrated his defenses, drawing her spear while he was unarmed, the ear-to-ear smile she had when she imagined the expression he would make when the tip of her spear pierced his irritating fucking face, the price that he would pay for humiliating her night after night.
But when she thrusted her spear and met his eyes… there was nothing. No fear, no flinching, no nothing! As if he hadn't realized that she was there! All that coupled with his still form back then… It could only mean one thing: He had expected her, and did nothing to stop her.
It angered her, infuriated her, shamed her. Why did she stop?! Even if he had expected her, what could he have done, huh?! He was just a human, an irritating, pretentious, stubborn human, but human nevertheless! What would have happened if she didn't hesitate at the last moment, anyway? Not like he could stop her.
…At least, that was what she wanted to believe.
And if that wasn't enough, he… he…
"Gah! How dare he?! How dare he disregard me like I'm some kind of– some kind of–!"
'Jeanne' screamed in rage and swiped her spear at a few blades of grass that had the misfortune of being in the vicinity, engulfing them in fire until it spread deeper into the marsh.
He told her to go, and she did.
Fuck him.
And fuck her too for obeying like the bitch she was in life.
'Jeanne' breathed anger, steam almost visible in the dead of the night. It could not go on for any longer, what Marie said were mere triggers to what that bastard did. He needed to die, she no longer cared if she was the one to do it or if he were to suffer, all she wanted was the knowledge, the release of knowing that he was no longer of this world.
"Gilles."
"Yes, my lady?"
"Send out our last servants and finest soldiers to their show tomorrow. Dragons too, then blame it on them. Attack it, directly."
"...Would it not be wiser to–"
"No! His humiliation has gone on long enough! I will have his head by this time tomorrow!"
'Jeanne' glared at the reflection of the moon on the marsh below her. It felt like a mockery of her, a light reflected on the darkness of the depths below. Any life that would have rippled the waters were gone, burned to ashes by her fire.
'Jeanne' scowled at it. She would not abide by it any longer.
"Or I cannot call myself the vengeance of Jeanne d'Arc."
"...Anything seem weird to you guys?"
"...It would be easier to point out what isn't weird, Lancer." Archer deadpanned while his eyes listlessly went from person to person that walked in Bordeaux. There wasn't anything weird about their activities, per se. Most of it were your typical medieval citizen activities, shopping on the market, going to work on their farms, kids playing on the street, the usual.
What was unusual was their persons themselves.
More specifically, their apparel.
"...We didn't come here yesterday and just… forgot, right?" Ritsuka asked, confused at the sight before him.
"L-let me see. …No, Senpai, there were no records of us coming here before today. Doctor Roman?" Mash said.
"N-no, I don't remember you saying anything about this, and your signals show no history of ever coming here before, either." Roman said, his hands visibly twitching around from reviewing yesterday's data.
"...Well, that begs the question still, why are our items already here?" Kojiro asked, gesturing vaguely to the people in town. They were all wearing some form of merchandise they had just sold yesterday, even with variations they hadn't seen before. Moreover, it would seem that the phenomenon had spread far wider than they had anticipated, as no 'normal' clothing could be seen in the city as far as the eye could see.
"I-I think I might have an–"
"Welcome, Lady Murasaki." A voice greeted, catching their attention. "And I assume you all are her… esteemed allies, yes?" A well dressed man said, scratching his scruffy facial hair as he did.
"Lord Bune!" Murasaki said, surprised.
"...So this is your, and by extension, our accomplice, is he?" Archer said. He casted a gaze of suspicion on the man, who simply smiled politely.
"I suppose you could say that. I've been helped by Lady Murasaki since we met in Marseille, and I am simply paying her back in kind with your, uh, 'merchandise', was it?" Bune said. "My line of work affords me many connections, you see, and well, let's just say that I've taken liberties to beat you to this race."
"You did? Wow, thanks a lot, man! You saved us a lot of time, you know!" Romani said excitedly through the communicator.
"Hm? Who is this blue little man talking through a small disc?"
"L-little man?"
"Yes, doctor, he said little man. Now, Mister… Bune, was it? Thank you for your help with our cause. Let us compensate you for–"
"No need, young lady." Bune cut off Mash. "The faces of people in joy are rewards enough."
"W-wow, I see…" Mash said, eyes sparkling in admiration.
Ritsuka bit his lip slightly, unbeknownst to the others, and averted his gaze, familiarizing himself with the patter adorning the ground.
"So… what now? Do we just wait for the others?" Cu Chulainn asked. "Beats doing that shit with him again, though." He added, pointing to the archer in red without looking.
"For once, we agree." Archer said dully.
"Well, yes, I suppose. You should watch out for dragon attacks and what not. I'm willing to bet that the impostor already figured out that this is our last stop to gather more support, and I doubt she's gonna stay put knowing that." Romani said.
"I must admit, I'm impressed. For you to manage to overturn the people's opinion on her so quickly, why, even some of my employees were whispering about it!" Bune commented, laughing.
"We're not all the way there yet, though. Sure, they're all supporting us and doubting the impostor, but… who's to say it'll stick when the time comes to fight?" Ritsuka said. "...Not that I can help." He added in a whisper.
"He's right." Archer said, causing a flinch in Ritsuka that nobody noticed. "We managed to gain sizable support, and cast enough doubt on 'The Saintess', but the people don't have reason to hate her yet, even if they 'love' us now."
"I see… You should focus on the mission at hand there. We at Chaldea will… brainstorm a solution for that problem." Romani said. "Romani signing out." The doctor then disappeared from the communicator.
Cu Chulainn sighed. "Well, I'm going to a watchtower or something. Like hell I'm gonna stay holed up in a room for two days and one night!"
"I'll take you up on that offer, Lancer. Though I'd prefer walking around the city outskirts." Kojiro said.
The Celtic shrugged. "Suit yourself."
"I'd like to walk around the city. I don't think we've gotten free time on the mission until now. So I, uh, want to look around… France… a bit." Mash said slowly, a pink hue slowly rising up her cheeks as she did.
"I'll go with you." Ritsuka said quickly, surprising even himself.
"Watch over him, Mash." Archer sternly said.
"I-I will!"
"As for me, I suppose I'll go and find a good inn for the night. Then I'll patrol the city." Archer said, already eyeing several points in the city that would serve as his watchpoints.
"I'll accompany Lord Bune around the city." Murasaki offered.
"Oh?" The wealthy man raised an eyebrow.
"Consider it the least I could to repay you."
"I already said I don't need anything of the sort, but… I suppose it would be rude to refuse a request from such a beautiful lady."
"L-Lord Bune!"
"Well, I'll tell you all when I find an inn. For now, let's split." Archer said, before he, then everyone else, split ways, each going to different parts of Bordeaux.
"So, Lady Murasaki. Quite the view, don't you think?"
"Y-yes! Though, I must admit, I have little idea on what it is…" Murasaki wondered, her eyes pulled up by the architecture of the rather tall building. It was a church, she could tell that much, but she felt there was more to it than that.
"Église Sainte-Croix, Church of The Holy Cross, my lady." Bune informed, standing by her side. "It has been here for centuries, and I hope that it will be here for the centuries ahead." The man gazed upon the church up and down, analyzing it, like it meant something to him, something personal. "I would like for God's believers to have a sanctum to witness the world's fate."
Murasaki nodded. "I agree. For a work of art such as this to survive and house those to live for centuries more… There are few ideas more compelling."
Bune cast a sideway glance to his companion, before shaking his head and turning to her. "Well, let's go somewhere else, shall we? Wouldn't want to spend all of our hours here, would we?"
"R-right!"
They walked away from the church and into the busy streets. On the way they would stop and admire yet another of the many sights Bordeaux had to offer, even in France's dark times. The anachronistic sights of the various designs of Elizabeth, Achilles, and Kiyohime stood out in Murasaki's eyes as she went through the city, but the anticipation on the citizen's faces pushed down the divide in her eyes. Joy is joy after all, right?
"You know, Lady Murasaki." Bune began suddenly. Murasaki turned to meet his side profile. "I said to you once that I thought colorful decorations like in Marseille were garish and horrid, but I have to say, you've changed my mind." He continued, looking around at the many people walking around, smiles on their faces, idols on their clothes. "If mere clothing could cause this in people's hearts, then I suppose I was the wrong one." He turned to meet Murasaki in the eyes. "You made them, did you not? You have my thanks."
A crimson blush made its way to Murasaki's face. "N-no I did not! They were the works of a talented artist where I came from. I merely… replicated them here, you see."
"Ah, is that so? Give my regards to them, then. Though I must say, would that not make us more similar than we thought?"
"E-eh?"
"We distribute joy to the people by going around from city to city in an attempt to soothe the atmosphere The Witch and her dragons has befallen, isn't that right? Both of us also carry the will of those above us, that artist through you, and you through me." Bune said.
You flatter me, is what Murasaki wanted to say, but for once, she stayed quiet and took Bune's words to heart. Yes, she supposed that they were the same in that regard.
The novelist turned to the man. She never did make many friends in life. A lady-in-waiting was a position with many rivals, and the way she conducted herself after her husband's passing did not help matters. Short of a singular girl who was simply too stubborn, Murasaki had only acquaintances.
But now, in another land, another time, and another circumstance, she had found someone she could call a friend, and she was ecstatic.
"...Well, Lord Bune. Would you look at that, the sun is setting."
"...Yes, yes it is."
And just as briefly as their friendship blossomed, it would end.
That was fine, Murasaki thought. The fleetingness of life was what made it worth living. Yet, she couldn't help but resent the fact that their time would be cut short together, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"Say, Lady Murasaki."
"Yes?"
"I've decided to stay here one more day."
But evidently, there was something Bune could do.
"R-really? Why?" Murasaki asked. A stray thought entered her mind. Had she made her displeasure too apparent? Was he doing this out of pity? Did she–
"I am… interested in one of your idol shows. I've heard that it is simply the most magnificent thing from travelers coming out of Lyon. Let's hope curiosity doesn't kill this cat, haha!"
…Oh.
Murasaki closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He was simply curious.
'...Master asked for more songs, didn't he?' She remembered. Earlier this morning, the good doctor had relayed from the director that King had planned to make Marie an idol as well, and that he would need more material to do so.
It would seem that tomorrow's show would be the grandest one.
Murasaki raised her head and looked at one of the future parts of this city's crowd.
"Look forward to it, Lord Bune."
"...I will."
Then, the two friends parted ways.
It feels like this diary of mine is becoming too indulgent. If I turn my eyes just slightly to another direction, I could see entries of me doing simple, mundane things, unrelated to the original purpose of this journal. Though I suppose that is fine. Keeping records rarely ever results in one's downfall.
That being said, today I met Lord Bune, for what I thought to be the very last time. However, it would seem that fate, No, my actions have made him stay for another day. Is it really alright for me to take pride in the shows? Even if I do not take the stage? A part of me chastises myself for being so shallow, but a bigger part of me tells me that being proud of my own work isn't to be disparaged.
So, tonight and tomorrow, I shall work hard to give Lord Bune the farewell he deserves for all the help he's done for us, and tomorrow night will be the stage where we bid our farewells.
Murasaki's journal closed yet again, this time slowly, gently, as if she was trying to savor the fresh ink on the paper.
Snap
The book closed, and Murasaki Shikibu set out to write the melody of tomorrow.
As she passed the still busy streets of Bordeaux, two figures passed her by. Murasaki was oblivious as she passed them too, until eventually, their paths no longer ran parallel.
One of them clicked their tongue, but the other placated them. Their goal was simultaneously in sight, yet farther than ever. Their eyes followed not Murasaki, but Bune as he whistled through the people of the city. It was usually at this point that they would disappear, plot their next steps.
But this time? They did not disappear.
They watched slowly, and decided.
The next day would be the day they take action.
Walking down the Bordeaux outskirts were two men, one clad in silver bodysuit with silver accents, the other clad in an eastern garment typical of his status.
"...Yo, Assassin."
"Hm?"
"You were in that war too, weren't ya?"
"I was, but…I don't think we met."
Cu Chulainn snorted. "No, we didn't."
Kojiro laughed. "Did you remember how you died?"
"Shit, can't really recall anything specific like that, man. Too fuzzy. Kinda remember it being pretty shitty, though."
"Is that so? The memory of my end sticks out to me, though."
"Seriously? That ain't fair, man. At least spill the beans."
A chuckle. "Sure. It was Saber."
"Ah." Cu Chulainn nodded. "Strong lass."
"You lost against her too?"
"I was holding back." The lancer clicked his tongue. "That damned priest."
Kojiro laughed again.
They were a strange duo, but just about everything that had transpired in the singularity could be classified as 'strange'.
It was also pretty awkward, not that either of them would admit it. The growing silence between them made it even harder. Cu Chulainn cursed the architects who built the road to their respective destinations, even if it was sensible to build it as such.
"...So, you're not an actual heroic spirit, huh?" It was the lancer that broke the silence.
"Yes. I was but a phantom, a conglomeration of three human beings so that Caster could have a puppet. The name 'Sasaki Kojiro' is more a formality than anything."
"That don't bother you?"
"...Hard to say. It's not something I mull over, I suppose."
"Really? I think I would, if I were you." Cu Chulainn said, an inquisitive tone to his voice.
"Should I let circumstances of my existence stop me from existing, then? Maybe it looks like a shackle to you, but to me? I am as free as the swallows I once sought to slay." Kojiro looked up to the sky, a murder of crows circling the sun. "To me, all it means is a lack of shackles, I am free to choose, and I chose to be Sasaki Kojiro."
"...Well damn, when you put it like that… Yeah I guess it's not that big of a problem, huh?"
"It is no problem at all to me, Lancer. Ah, our paths diverge here. I suppose I will see you later."
Cu Chulainn gave a grunt of acknowledgement, and they went their separate ways as The Celt greeted the guards on the tower, while Kojiro admired the passing scenery of countryside.
"...So? See anything that catches your eye, lass?"
"N-no! I was just, um…"
"We're just window shopping. Sorry." Ritsuka cut.
"That so? Well, I don't have a big line right now. Stuff's mostly sold out, so suit yourself."
"Y-yes sir!" Mash said.
The purple haired girl took a closer look at the stall, the woman was selling handcrafted wood carvings. Ornate in detail, though with an undeniable rough edge to them. Maybe they were perfectly smooth when the woman's hands were yet to wrinkle, but he couldn't help but feel that the 'flaws' had become a characteristic of the product. He couldn't say whether it was better or worse off because of it.
It simply was.
"W-well, thank you for letting me do this, miss!"
The old woman waved her hand. "It's alright. You guys are the one responsible for the, um… What was it again? Idol Show? Yeah, my granddaughter's been looking forward to it. Make sure you put on a good show alright?"
"W-we will!"
The master and servant, or soon-to-be just senpai and kouhai, maybe soon enough not even that, bid their farewell to the shop, and continued walking down Bordeaux. Mash's head turned and twisted at every sight in the city, both the fantastical and the mundane, like everything was new to her, and Ritsuka supposed they were.
"Thank you for the save earlier, Senpai."
"...It's nothing. It's the least I could do." Ritsuka said. There was a despondent quality to his voice that he couldn't believe belonged to himself. That was rather strange, he didn't think he was like this even when he resigned himself to the fact that he should take himself out of the mission.
The pair fell into a silence then, comfortable for Mash, Ritsuka could see clearly on her face, but to him? There was an uncomfortable edge to it all. He needed to talk, say something, lest he drown in the suffocating silence.
"...Hey, Mash." He said, not truly knowing how to follow up.
"Hm? What is it, Senpai?"
'Senpai.' Right.
"I've been curious, but… Why do you call me Senpai? I think you said something about me being more… 'human'?" Ritsuka asked. It bugged him even then, but he let it slide, almost forgot about it. There were far more urgent matters at the time.
Mash fell silent for a while, her mouth opening and closing a few times. "That's just the truth, Senpai. You have more experience than I do. I never even stepped foot outside of Chaldea before this. All I know were from books while you… well, you were actually there!"
"...But why me?"
'I'm not someone you should look up to so much.' is what he truly wanted to say, but she didn't need to hear him wallowing.
"I… don't know exactly, either. Maybe it's because you're the most… normal person I've ever met, Senpai. Though now I guess I have to call you master, too."
"Well, you won't need to do that again in a few days." Ritsuka said under his breath. It felt bitter, more than having to admit his inferiority to King, somehow. A part of him regretted even saying it, but he already made his decision.
"What was that, Senpai?"
Senpai, even the word was already starting to sound foreign in his ears.
"...It's nothing."
They fell quiet again after as they continued their impromptu tour. On the way, Ritsuka could see Mash's gaze linger occasionally. A pattern emerged after it happened some five or six times, when she looked at more of the regional stuff, things you wouldn't really be able to get anywhere else, that was when her eyes would stay just a little longer.
"...Do you want to take souvenirs home, Mash?" Ritsuka asked eventually.
"S-souvenirs? W-well, even if I want to take home that really cute looking wooden figurine, I can't. We can't bring back things from singularities for the most part, Senpai." Mash paused. "...If I want to, that is." She ended as she turned from Ritsuka, though he could see the blush reach her ears.
Ritsuka smacked his lips. So souvenirs for her were a no go, huh? 'That's a shame.'
…Why was he even mulling about this? 'It's not like I'm gonna be her master for much longer…'
Ritsuka turned to look at his 'kouhai' again, there was a look of hesitation on her face. It looked like she was attempting to hide it, but was failing miserably.
It was… cute.
'…But I guess I'm still her 'Senpai', huh?'
It was the only thing he could do now.
Mash yelped as Ritsuka's fingers wrapped around her hand. He thought that his hand must've felt warm to her cold skin.
"It's kinda lame that we can't take any souvenirs, but you know what the second best thing to bring back is when you're on trips, Mash?"
"W-what?"
Ritsuka smirked.
"Taste."
"T-taste?"
He laughed.
"Food, Mash, food! Let's go eat some French delicacies, yeah?" Ritsuka said, dragging along Mash by the hand. She barely resisted.
"Food?"
"Yeah. I mean, if you want to remember your time during a trip, that's the best way for things to stay in your memories."
"I-I see! Alright, I'll trust you, Senpai!"
Ritsuka's smile fell slightly. "...Yeah. It's just about the last thing you can trust me with." He whispered, unknown to his kouhai.
The people of Bordeaux saw an amusing scene that day, twoo teenagers running around the city with energy until the sun started to set, as if the city would no longer exist in a few days, and if you asked those two if they were tired?
"It was delicious." was the only answer you'd receive.
"Holy shit, there's gotta be at least one hundred thousand here."
Olga puffed with pride. "The power of hype, Achilles, the power of hype."
"...Uh-huh." Achilles nodded absentmindedly as he pulled himself back from the curtains. He turned to the blue, shimmering form of the director coming from the tiny disc that was put there by his master, who was sitting with his head pointed down. Planning, undoubtedly.
'Always ten steps ahead, huh, master?' Achilles asked rhetorically. He could understand though.
Tonight was different.
Achilles squinted his eyes to the moon that overshadowed a building beneath.
…Felt different.
"Don't let your guard down. The impostor's forces know where we are now, and she still has two servants left at her disposal." Olga said.
"So, we're working as baits too, huh?" Achilles replied nonchalantly.
"...Sorry for not telling you beforehand."
The Greek's eyes never once left the night sky. For others, it might seem like a fruitless, nonsensical endeavor, but so were most quests back from his day. The difference was, this time, the hero did find a reward.
A green shadow leapt silently across buildings, hiding itself under the moonlight, between the shadows of buildings, approaching the show, approaching him.
Achilles was the only one who noticed.
"...No, this is fine by me." The rider said, before releasing his gaze from the green shadow. There was no need to keep an eye on it, it would come to him soon enough.
"I suppose we shall act as security of sorts, then." Siegfried commented, leaning on a supporting beam with Karna opposite him.
"Yes. We will dispatch any threats, whether they be wyverns or servants." Karna added.
"...I don't think you're gonna have to worry about servants, Karna." Achilles said.
"Mhm." Elizabeth added, to which Achilles turned his head to.
She nodded to him. He nodded back in kind.
She too, huh?
"...I see, good luck." The lancer replied.
"Well, it looks like The President is deep in thought, so! I will be the one to start this show!" Marie announced, getting off her own seat.
"This is the biggest crowd we've had so far. One hundred thousand and still going up. The fate of France might very well hinge on this show. So, Elizabeth, Achilles, Kiyohime, you all need to put on a one of a kind performance tonight."
Achilles raised an eyebrow and smirked lightly. Well, they were about to see a one of a kind performance, alright.
Achilles could hear a few setpieces moving on the stage, and the murmurs in the crowd diminished into silence. The crowd was ready, and so were they.
The trio turned to face the stage, just behind the curtains.
"In three! Three, two, one, it's showtime!"
Marie's cue was all that was needed for the three idols to step on to the stage–
"Ahhhh! I'll kill you all!"
–and for Achilles to jump.
A clash of lights, blue and green, thundered just a few levels above the crowd.
"Yo. It's been a while, sis." The rider greeted, as if it was a simple good morning to the sneering archer.
"You! Ahhh!"
"Can't even greet me properly anymore, huh?" Achilles muttered as Atalanta broke free from the clash and drew her bow, pulling back three arrows, all shot within point blank distance at Achilles.
They all hit air. Atalanta felt a clubbing blow on her stomach, and suddenly her back crashed against stone walls, embedding her deep inside a building.
Down below, Achilles wiped a sweat off his brow. The worried glances of the crowd caught his attention. He flashed a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. This is all part of the show!" He yelled into the microphone, before a flash of green turned his attention up again. "...Just enjoy yourselves." He told the crowd.
Then, he disappeared.
Less than a second later, blue and green lights lit up the night, outshining even the brightness of the stage itself. They bounced from roof to roof, occasionally the ground, and danced when they clashed above. The people of Thiers could only look in awe.
Eventually, the beams drew back, and charged each other more ferociously than they did before. They met, and the light that they produced was enough for everyone below them to close their eyes.
When their eyes opened, the lights were nowhere to be seen. Though if one were to simply look east, they could see two distant stars that moved radically.
Then, those two stars too disappeared, out of sight.
"Well, did you all like that or what?!"
The crowd roared in approval at Elizabeth's question.
Elizabeth chuckled smugly and giggled. "Glad you did, cause that took us a long time to plan, you know? Now, for the main attraction, me! Elizabeth Bathory! And that green snake–"
"The beautiful and elegant Kiyohime, of course." The berserker said into the mic as quickly as possible.
"–Her! Get ready! Because tonight's first song is…"
"Stop right there!" A gruff voice boomed out. It did not have the amplification of the speakers that Elizabeth's mic was connected to, yet it silenced her and the crowd nonetheless. Though perhaps Elizabeth's silence was caused less by the old man leading a battalion approaching the crowd, and more by the woman that accompanied him.
"You are all under arrest!" The man with a graying beard shouted. The woman clad with a mask beside him smugly smiled as the crowd fell into panicked murmurs and arguments.
Elizabeth's eye twitched as it met with the woman's own. She recognized those eyes, of course she did, it was something she saw every time she looked into a mirror.
"...is what I have been ordered to say by 'The Saintess'."
Carmilla's head whipped to the old man.
Elizabeth stared at him in disbelief.
The crowd became silent, yet attentive.
"As some of you may know, there have been unsavory rumors circulating about The Saintess, and though the evidence so far has been circumstantial, I cannot ignore the experience I had with a man she had declared enemy. That man, through a mere glance, saw through me and the distance I had placed with my lover, and told me to get my life straight." The commander's eyes shifted towards the stage, to the curtains that lay behind the girl on stage. "And he is here, beyond that stage, the one responsible for the shows that have overtaken France in recent days."
Murmurs of agreement came from the large crowd, nods, voices of support.
"Yet, as a loyal member of the French military, I cannot decide The Saintess' true allegiance by myself, so I shall leave this to God." He said.
"God?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes, God, lass." He said, causing Elizabeth to realize she had talked into her mic. "The only thing above my allegiance to France is my allegiance to God. So, it is in my honest opinion that we should conduct a trial by fire, Lady Carmilla against Lady Elizabeth Bathory. May God favor the winner!" He finished with a resounding cry, to which the crowd agreed, and even cheered.
"What the hell are you doing, commander?!" Carmilla yelled to the man as he turned his face away slightly to avoid wetness touching his face.
"This was something my men and I had been discussing for a while. The recent whispers of The Saintess' true character pushed those discussions into a decision. Apologies for neglecting to tell you ahead of time, Lady Carmilla." The commander said, bowing his head slightly.
"Apologies? Apologies?!" The assassin shouted at the man's face. "You just betrayed France, and all you have to say is apologies?" Her tone turned dangerous, and a few of the soldiers the man led took a step back, but he did not.
"France does not necessarily align with her, Lady Camilla. In fact, it only did so because of the claims she made on the night of The King's death, only corroborated by Marshall Gilles." The commander raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I must say, those figures jumping behind the stage to take out the wyverns are not helping your case."
"What?" Carmilla said, turning her attention to the stage. Behind it, shadows jumped up to the roof of the palace that encircled it, shooting down the wyverns that dared to even come close within the show's domains. There was fire, blasts of energy, and simple strikes of the blade. The flying creatures never stood a chance.
Camilla narrowed her eyes and scowled. Those were supposed for her to kill and frame her enemies for. But now…
Carmilla turned back to the commander. "...The Saintess will hear about–"
"Hey! You old, bitchy hag!"
The assassin's head violently whipped back towards the stage.
"You sure are taking your time, huh? Are you scared~?" The idol taunted from the stage, a very smug smile threatening to split her mouth, all accompanied by an infuriating hip sway.
Her? Scared? Carmilla would not stand for this.
"Who do you think you are? Are you saying you will grow up to be a bitchy, old hag?" Carmilla said, ignoring the commander and walking to the stage.
"Who, me? Of course not~. I'm an idol now, so I'm not gonna become you." Elizabeth replied, venom dripping off her saccharine tone as the distance between past and future lessened.
Carmilla chuckled. "You know that's not how this works."
Elizabeth's lips twitched, she glared at her 'future'.
Carmilla continued strutting, her anger barely concealed with each step she took closer to her 'past'.
Then, they were only separated by the height of the stage
"Hey old man! Do we really need to do this 'trial by fire' by fighting each other or something?" Elizabeth shouted, eyes still locked to Carmilla.
"Not necessarily. Do as you will. All you need to do is prove that you are the other's better." He replied, hands placed behind his back.
"...Good." Elizabeth said, and she finally took her eyes off Carmilla. "Boars!" She creamed into the mic. "Change of plans! Me and that old, raggedy bitch is going to have an idol battle!" The crowd fell into mutters, confused. "Idol Battle? What's that? I can already hear you. It's simple. Me and her are going to get up here, and when we're done, you all vote which one is better, got it?!" Elizabeth announced. Slowly, the crowd agreed, told each other it was a great idea, and rose to full blown cheers as the minute ended.
The lancer turned to her partner. "Kiyohime, can you MC?"
Kiyohime sighed. "Normally, I would never do this for another girl, especially one that might be my rival–" "I'm not interested in that puppy." "–but I suppose I can make an exception, just this once.
Elizabeth smiled. "Thanks." She said sincerely.
"...Don't make this any weirder than it already is." Her partner replied.
"...What is the meaning of this?" Carmilla sneered, still at the bottom of the stage.
"It means, my dear bitch of a future, that you are gonna have to come~ up~ here~ if you want to even sniff a chance at winning." Elizabeth said with a singsong tone, looking down on her other self.
"...Why? Why choose this farce?"
Elizabeth's face fell slightly, enough for 'herself' to notice, but not the crowd.
"We're both vampires, serial killers, monsters…" Elizabeth began, connecting her mic to a stand as she did. "I won't deny that, that's who I am supposed to be. That's the true identity of Elizabeth Bathory and Carmilla." She continued, twirling the extended microphone.
"But!" Elizabeth stamped down, both with herself and the mic. "That would be boring." She said, "Boring for me, boring for our audience, boring for time itself." Elizabeth glanced into the audience, they were ravenous, waiting for the promised Idol Battle. "So we're gonna do it on different terms. Something new, so you can see shit clearly for once."
Elizabeth stared directly at 'herself'.
"Get your ass up here." Elizabeth taunted.
Carmilla scowled.
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed.
"I'm gonna make an idol out of you."
…
"...Heh." Carmilla scowl morphed into a small laugh.
Elizabeth kneeled down and offered a hand.
Carmilla took it and climbed.
Kiyohime took a step back into the background.
There were now two on that stage.
"Show me, then. Idol."
"Hmph. Let's. Vampire."
They both fell into silence.
So did the crowd.
So did the soldiers.
So did the night itself.
Then, they clashed, and everything roared.
The river Rhone. A sea of water that stretched across France, one of the few that connected it with the mediterranean sea. It connected cities, Lyon to Marseille, countries, France to Switzerland, and tonight, it would connect the sky and the earth.
Achilles ran across water. So did Atalanta. Green and blue respectively raced across water, at speeds where one would see them before they could hear them. Neither gave distance to the other, Atalanta was out to cause as much destruction as possible, Achilles was out to reach, surpass her.
Achilles recognized the direction they were going, he was just there last night. Lyon, he cursed. He needed to overtake her, change their directions before their race could ruin the lives of thousands.
Dromeus Kometes, the noble phantasm that was embodiment of his speed, of the fastest of all heroes, it was always with him, whenever he was not in his chariot, but in this moment, he called upon it to grant him speed to surpass the idol of his childhood.
So he did.
Momentarily, speed of sound was surpassed by something else, and Achilles overtook Atalanta.
But his opponent was one of the greatest archers to ever grace Greece, bar perhaps Orion.
So Achilles was not surprised when he felt the wind split just near his heel, then the shaft of an arrow, then a graze, and he knew that Atalanta would not miss the next shot.
Achilles turned, decelerated to zero in the time that Atalanta took to notch another arrow. Their eyes met, then Achilles charged. An arrow struck his face, it did nothing, not as long as his heel was untouched. Their distance closed, Atalanta did not stop in time, and his spear struck her stomach, leaving an ugly gash on its side. The hunter grunted in pain, then turned her back on Achilles, and ran once more.
The other side of the river, Marseille, Achilles realized.
He launched himself as well.
There was a sizable gap between them now, Atalanta had taken the head start. They could both claim the title of 'The Fastest Hero in Greece', one day it would be him, the other it would be her, but tonight, it would be the winner of this race.
Achilles closed his eyes as his feet ran on the cold water, each splash his feet made turning them scalding hot.
He could call on his trusted chariot.
Xanthos, Balios, Pedasus. All of his trusted steeds.
It would be enough to overtake her, to stop her–
–But not to surpass her.
He had decided ever since they met earlier in this singularity, he wanted to beat her on a foot race.
Perhaps the gesture was esoteric.
But when his father would read him stories, there was no other Achilles loved more than hers.
Then, a large wave washed over him. Achilles opened his eyes, a green star was trailing on the sky, to Marseille, and for a brief moment, the thought to call upon his chariot entered his mind once more.
But what would that make him? A winner? Certainly not. Effective? Perhaps. A hero? Maybe irrelevant, but–
"So, your heroics only go so far as convenience?"
–Could he truly call himself a hero if he didn't win this race the right way?
So, he did not call upon his horses, and instead kicked against the water and followed the archer to the skies, and though this false history would not find itself noted in humanity's records, all over France many swore that they saw twin shooting stars soar through the night sky, illuminating the quiet night.
The skeptics wrote it off as mere natural phenomenon and went back to their businesses, the superstitious retreated into their homes and prayed to God for salvation, while others simply marveled at the beautiful sight, wondering what those lights could be.
Though two children had more… innocent opinions on the matter.
"Who do you think will win?"
"The green one obviously."
"What?! Of course the blue one's gonna win! Look at how pretty it is!"
"No way! Green's gonna do it! It's way cooler!"
"No! Blue!"
"Green!"
"Blue!"
…Yet perhaps their naivety is the key to the true answer.
Hey
I quite liked writing this one.
I thought I did a good job.
First half was kind of a slog and I struggled slightly, but then I went to the second half and holy hell everything just clicked.
The path is clear to me now. Four chapters is likely the remaining length of this arc. Four or three, at least.
Can't believe I'm actually proud of my own shit for once.
Also I got my first paycheck and the first thing I bought with it was salt.
Do what you need with that information.
As always, tell me what you think about this chapter. For reviews that need answers, please direct yourself to AO3.
P.S. Bro why they put Ciel as the swimsuit servant lmao. Just swap Eresh and Ciel! Why make it confusing?!
Later