101: Farewell France
The moment I step off Ahab's boat, my legs start to give way and I find myself flopping onto my back, lungs aching under heavy breathing and slightly hysterical laughter.
"Ah, Senpai-!?" Mash glances at me with a worried expression.
"I… I'm fine, Mash-tan," I gasp out through heavy breaths. "I'm just… so glad to be alive right now…"
"Um, that's…" What's with that disappointed - oh.
"You did great, Mash," I say, grinning at her. "I wasn't talking about fighting Prelati; that guy was a piece of cake." That's what happens when you put all of your skill points into magic, idiot! Sure, I got a little worried when you pulled that knife, but I think even those alleyway thugs in Lugnica were scarier than you! Eat shit, Prelati!
"R-right!" She nods, giving a small smile. "I guess the rest of it was sort of scary on its own, huh?"
"'Sort of scary' she says…" I mutter, sitting up. "But moving past that for a moment… Hey, Doctor, how long have we got before we need to rayshift out of here?"
"Sorry to tell you, you'll be dealing with me from here on out, Natsuki," Says Director Olga Marie as she appears in response to my question. "To answer - You've got about ten minutes before you leave. And to answer your next question - between the strain of two Round Table knights on the generators and the summoning of Hassan-i-Sabbah, we only have the power for you to bring back one extra tag-along from France."
"-Right, there's still that issue!" I say, springing to my feet. "Director-!"
"Everything at Chaldea has been resolved." Olga says, smirking. "Chaldea staff member John Marcus, true name Francois Prelati, has been detained. His summoned servant, Francois Prelati, was dispatched by Hassan-i-Sabbah, summoned by Auxiliary Master Cerejeira Elron on my orders."
WHAT.
"Fundamentally, I'd prefer to just kill him, but I still haven't got the slightest clue how his reincarnation trick works. I won't have him possessing staff members or stalking Chaldea's ventilation ducts like some movie monster. For the time being, we're going to put him on ice in one of the spare coffins - Romani's overseeing that right now," She explains.
"Ugh… I feel like that's just begging for something to go wrong and let him loose again…" I mutter. "But… seriously, nice work, Director. I'm… so…fucking glad, you caught him so fast…" By the end of my sentence, I can feel tears of relief welling up in my eyes.
I could have lost. If she hadn't been on top of it, I totally see a world where he could have ambushed me on my way out of the singularity and trapped me in another neverending hell.
"R-right." The Director gives a small cough. "In any case - excellent work on your end as well, Natsuki. There was that small hiccup in that reality marble, but that's about it! If every singularity goes this smoothly, we'll have an easy job on our hands!"
…
I can't help the absolute shudder that runs through my body. Don't let her get to you, Subaru, she doesn't know-!
"If any of the others are this hard I'm going to freaking cry!" I shout.
Of course, for all the struggle I went through, I can't deny that it was basically a perfect victory.
There's Ahab, of course. But I had kind of already made my peace with that one - I saw his memories, after all. There was no exit from this singularity that wouldn't involve him burning himself in the same manner, I think. Even if he had survived, bringing him along with me would have pissed off Satella at some point, so…
And then, as for the matter of Napoleon… somehow, his argument convinced me. Once he said it was alright with him, I just kind of… stepped past it. His [Charisma] skill, maybe? Of course, given enough time for it to sink in, I think I would have felt guilty about it, but-
"Anyway, it turns out that it was a curse of mummification, not petrification!" The hologram of Napoleon says with a laugh. "I've got a pretty good advantage against Egyptian curses specifically, so once I got moving, it pretty much just slid right off of me!"
"Give me back my mental anguish…" I mutter, pinching my brow.
"Of course, it doesn't matter that much in the end." He continues with a wry laugh. "Everything wrapped up before I could get enough mana to take another shot, and now that I've renounced my Grand status my vision's nowhere near as good."
"Right, about that!" The Director asks. "What on earth is a Grand Servant!?"
"In worlds where the Counter Force is strong enough, there appear certain monsters, called [Beasts], born from the Sins of Humanity, to test the strength of the Human Order," Saint George says. "The Grand Servants are then summoned to oppose them - the mightiest of each class, manifested in vessels so far beyond a normal Servant as to make one a mere disposable familiar in comparison."
"Ooh la la! Have you played such a role in the past, monsieur?" Napoleon asks.
"I have no clear memory of it - but if I had, it would have been as Grand Lancer, against some manner of demonic dragon," the Saint replies. "In any case, the question is - Emperor Bonaparte, was that sea monster your target?"
What does he-?
Napoleon closes his eyes. "It wasn't. Whatever Beast was supposed to manifest in this singularity - it never made an appearance. I get the feeling that the danger has passed for now, but… VII of the End, who was supposed to appear here, was not at any point encountered."
Oh. Ooooohhhhh…
That name… Flauros used it, back in Fuyuki, when he met Satella while trying to possess me. Isn't this… really freaking bad?
(Something buzzes in the background of Olga's transmission.)
Could Napoleon have beaten her? Could he have stopped her from resetting the world, had he been in position to see her after I died? With that gun of his, which pierces impossibility, I'm not certain I can say no.
(Something buzzes again, and I see her pick up a phone and look at it.)
Are these guys gonna be my enemies going forward? On top of all this other crap, am I gonna have to contend with-!?
"Oh it's Romani's," The director says. "That stupid internet idol of hiiiIIS WAIT A SECOND-!? How the hell is this Magi Mari chick sending messages right now!?"
"Idols are magic, obviously," Elizabeth says - oh, she was paying attention? She's been chattering with Marie this whole time…
"I think the Doctor said he was guessing she had some kind of AI set up to answer after long periods of absence…" Mash says… not a chance!
"Machine learning isn't anywhere near that advanced!" I protest.
"The… true VII got her place usurped, so it's really not that big of a deal!?" The Director starts reading one of the messages on Romani's phone out loud, her voice slowly growing more baffled with each sentence. "False VII is… mostly helpful in the long run so just take the extra help and be grateful!? YOU'RE WELCOME FOR SUPPLEMENTING YOUR GENERATORS DURING FUYUKI!?"
With a deep breath, I see her depositing the phone offscreen. "Romani and I are going to have a long conversation later!" That smile on your face is really menacing, Director!
"Fou!" A little furball cries as he crawls onto Mash's shoulder - hey, why've you got a menacing expression too, Fou-kun!?
As a group, everyone is disinclined to take the advice of strange internet idols - but with no answers to the mystery forthcoming (and me keeping my mouth shut about a certain stalker of mine), eventually the conversation drifts to its next subject.
"So, coming with us-" I start to say.
"Not it!" Amadeus shouts without an ounce of hesitation.
"R-right…" And just like that, all my momentum is gone. Of course, not bringing a secret Demon Pillar along is common sense, but still-!
I pause, and glance at the candidates. Jeanne d'Arc. Marie Antoinette. Saint George. Elizabeth Bathory. Merry, Napoleon, and Siegfried are still halfway across the country, but we might be able to do something to get them to come along. And then there's also-
"Wait, where the hell did Dantes go!?" I ask.
"Hm? That guy teleported away the moment Prelati went down." Mozart says. "I think his last words were something along the lines of-" He clears his throat, and shifts into a slightly nasally impersonation. "So that's how it is. Kuhaha! Very well, Natsuki Subaru. Kuhaha! The next time you see me will be hellish indeed! Kuhaha! But even so - wait and hope! Kuhaha!"
"You obviously threw in at least three extra 'Kuhaha's!" I counter.
"All four of them were my own addition - but the fact that you couldn't tell that is what makes my impression perfect!" The composer retorts gleefully.
"Um, on that note, why was he on our side anyway?" I see a hologram of Merry appear. "He attacked Lord Siegfried just a few days ago…"
"Well, he's a character from a novel, so Mozart's music was able to shake his madness enough to help us." Luckily, we prepared that excuse ahead of time!
"Hm, I had guessed it wouldn't be that effective, but if you want to give me the credit, I'll take it!" He laughs - and then he starts glowing. "Whoops, I guess that's it, everyone. Like I said, I don't really feel like coming along, so don't get upset or anything - I wouldn't mind some applause, though!"
I close my eyes for a moment - and then, after I'm sure I've suppressed the tears, I open them again as I start to clap. "Yeah. Bravo, Amadeus. Thanks for everything."
He melts into golden dust and floats away on the breeze.
"On that note, I believe this is where I step off as well." Jeanne says, and I flinch. Yeah, that one hurts. She's pretty much been with us from the start, after all. But, like Mozart- "Not only was my summoning incomplete, you already have Mash to provide protection. You need someone with firepower - I just don't make the cut."
"That's…" It can't be helped. She's right, after all. I knew this was coming. So instead of apologizing- "Yeah. Thanks for everything, Jeanne."
She smiles back at me, and in a shower of golden dust, she too is gone.
But at this rate, I should probably… "Merry-"
"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" She makes an x with both arms, shaking her head rapidly. "I'm going to stay right here in France where I belong! S-so what if all of my descendants are going to be killed in some horrible apocalyptic revolution a few centuries from now, I still-!"
"Oh, um, on that note!" A portly face appears on the Chaldea side of the transmission. "Hi, Mademoiselle Merry, I'm Jingel Abel Meuniere, I was observing your side of the fight, and-" He pauses and scratches his head for a moment. "Well, to put it simply, I'm from Lyon, and my grandmother's pretty much the spitting image of you. So whatever that guy - Sanson, I guess? -Whatever Sanson said, I can assure you that your family doesn't die out or anything."
"O-oh! I'm… really glad. Thanks, Monsieur Meuniere." She gives a hesitant smile.
"Hey, I'm your great-however-many-times grandson, you should just call me Jingel." He says with a smile of his own, and she lets out a charming laugh in response.
I cough. "-Anyway, what I was saying was, if Siegfried or Napoleon wants to come along with Chaldea, we're probably going to need your help for it."
"O-oh! Right!" She says. "What should I-?"
"Hmm… well as nice as that sounds, I think I'll refuse, Monsieur." Napoleon interrupts. "Between you and me, I just about broke my cannon with that last shot. Not to mention I'll never live up to this level of performance again… Hmph, why couldn't I have left a striking statue on the French shore? Wouldn't that have been more suited to me?" By the end of his refusal, he's practically pouting…
"...And if you want a dragonslayer, well… you've already got one there, right?" Siegfried says. "Not to mention, I doubt I'd make it in time. Sorry."
"...Yeah, that's about how I figured it would play out." I mutter as the communication closes.
In the end, he makes a good point. Out of everyone here-
"I don't wish to be prideful, but-" Saint George says.
"Yes, you're indubitably the best pick, no?" Marie says. "I don't mind."
"R-right! If my rival doesn't mind, then I don't mind either!" Elizabeth gives a forced nod, and then she points at me. "Okay, I'll be sure to keep a spot as my manager open, so make sure you find me in the very next singularity, okay Fishie?"
…She'll forget about that promise. I know that, it's how Servants work. Besides, the odds of running into the same exact Servant in wildly different singularities are slim to none. But… "If you somehow manage to remember everything… I'll take that role."
A wide smile splits her face as her eyes light up - and then forcing herself to make a serious expression, she coughs. "Okay! I'll see you - hey, Mash, where are you guys going next again?"
"A singularity in the Ocean-" Mash starts to answer.
"Beach episode! Okay, the long awaited Summer Eliza will make an appearance, so you better be ready, Fishie!" She says with a grin - and then, she dissolves into golden dust, blown away on the wind.
"Her energy really is lovely, isn't it?" Maire asks with a laugh, and I finally turn to look at her. "But I suppose this is where we part, Subaru, Mash. It was lovely meeting you both - Vive la France!"
"Vive la France, Marie!" Mash replies with a smile.
"Yeah. Vive la France." I say, and as I wave, she too disappears.
On that note of finality, I finally turn to look at Gareth and Saint George. "Ah, she kind of just ignored you guys…"
"That's normal." Gareth says. "There's a special relationship between Servants and living humans, after all."
"Um, does that apply to me?" Mash asks.
"Absolutely! You're alive, aren't you?" Gareth retorts, and Mash gives a small smile.
"But I guess this means… Welcome aboard, Georgios!" I say. "Sorry if it feels like some kind of last man standing thing…"
"It's quite fine, Subaru." He says. "Still, Georgios, huh? I think only Ahab was calling me by that name…"
"Y-yeah, I heard him calling you that, and I don't really want to use the full title the whole time you're here, so…"
"Well, that is my name." He says with a chuckle. "Feel free to call me by it - perhaps I'll be able to stop myself from getting too prideful if you do."
"Right, I did notice you were doing a bit of a humblebrag thing when you fought Lobster…" I mutter - and to my shock I see him blush in response.
"I-indeed. Forgive me if I offended you." He says.
In the moments that follow, a contract is made, and the rayshift process begins - and I remember something at the last minute.
"Hey, Merry, how did things go with Watcher? Did he disappear properly?" I ask
"Y-yes, he's gone," she says, nodding hesitantly - and then, she grits her teeth and looks away from me. "But- he said he would curse you, Monsieur Subaru. That no Ocean would ever be safe for you, and you would regret making an enemy of him."
Ugh, and the next singularity is an ocean? This is gonna suck… But I don't want to part with her having such a miserable expression on her face.
"Ah! That bastard!" I shout, clenching my fist with exaggerated fury. "That must be why I get seasick so easily!"
Merry lets out a peal of slightly shocked laughter, and with that I'm satisfied.
The world melts into a tunnel of blue light.
"-[Attendre, Espérer]."
"What-" Jeanne d'Arc Alter coughs as her body is restored by her final Servant's Noble Phantasm. "-what a freaking help you were, Count."
"Kuhahaha! And yet, I'm the last one standing, am I not, my Master? And you truly became an Avenger, as I promised," The Count of Monte Cristo laughs in response. "To think it would be Gilles's death that pushed you over the edge - I suppose he was useful after all, in the end. Wait and hope, right?"
"...So fucking annoying! As if things would have gone anywhere near as bad without you going AWOL!" She shouts. "As if I wanted to be like this! It's awful. I feel sick. I never asked to become something like you, idiot!"
"You did not ask, my Master. But turning you into an Avenger was the form my Mad devotion took." The Count says, grinning, and for the first time she notices the sparks of hatred in his eyes are directed at her. "So that you would become 'real'. So that you might be punished properly."
"Tch." The Dragon witch snarls. "So that's how it is. Is there a single one of you fuckers that wasn't secretly resenting me? So annoying."
"The path of vengeance is a lonely one - did I not tell you that from the start?" He retorts. "But do not compare my resentment to theirs. These embers of rage, inherited from all those you have slain - I have hung onto every one of them. An Avenger never forgets, after all. Even across twenty-seven repetitions."
"What nonsense are you spewing now, you pointless asshole?" She says, voice rising to a roar. "If you're going to kill me… just do it!"
Red fire dances along her flag. Black fire crackles in his hands.
"[La Grondement Du Haine]!"
"[Enfer Château d'If]!"
On an isolated French hillside, after everything is over, long past the point where it would have mattered, two Avengers spend the last of their mana reserves and die in agony amidst a storm of cursed fire.