Kenjutsu Musou, Kenzen Ichinyo

...Oh, hello, Master.

Hmm.

I see you are in good health.

Then it would seem you are not suffering such adverse effects as I had feared...

？！

Ah, forgive me.

I trust you have had time to adjust to this new "Chal-dee-uh?" From what I hear, your journey thus far has been long and arduous.

You may yet be young, but everyone has their limits. I implore you to rest while you can.

Now, if you will excuse me.

Master!

There is something I need to tell you. It is, well...

It is about Lord Yagyu Tajima-no-kami. He has been acting strangely as of late.

？！

To elaborate, he has become an extremely...enthusiastic user of the combat simulator.

He used to train in there no more than once or twice a month, but these last few days, he has been in there at all hours.

Let's see... You're right; the logs bear that out.

It looks as though he isn't doing combat training...

...so much as he's wandering around different areas and time periods at random.

In fact, he just activated the simulator and set it to a completely random time and location not too long ago.

？！

I...

I'm so sorry! I could not take it any longer, so I already spoke to him!

When I asked Lord Tajima-no-kami directly why he has been spending so much time in the simulator, he said...

Haha.

You need not concern yourself, Assassin of Paraísono, Lady Mochizuki Chiyome of the Kouga clan.

All that I do, I do for Master.

And that was all he said...

？！

Yes, Master!

Permit me to accompany you! Lord Tajima has always been a great help to me ever since my arrival.

I heard what's going on! I'm coming too!

Lady InfernoI mean, Tomoe.

Lord Tajima has been very kind to me as well. If he is in trouble, I must do whatever I can to help him.

Please, Master, allow me to accompany you as well.

？！

I'll keep an eye on the simulator from here!

Thank you, Lady Mash. That will be most helpful.

Very well then! Let us activate the simulator!

Hmm...

These virtual spaces the simulator presents never fail to amaze me.

From the look of these wooden buildings...I would say we are in the Far East, circa the sixteenth century.

I believe you are familiar with this era of history, are you not, Master?

...Could it be...?

Hm?

I-I think it is. I have not seen it myself before...

...but this place does seem very similar to the one I saw in Chaldea's archives.

？！

Can you hear me, Senpai?

According to the simulator's log, Mr. Yagyu should still be in that area.

This area was randomly generated, so there may be some external interference steering it towards

That's possible, but extremely unlikely. Hey guys! Miss me?

Looks like you're having fun in there. Hehe, I think I'll help you out too.

Aaand done!

Ah!

This is...

...I see.

You've given us a kind of protective effect. I imagine it's something similar to an Assassin's Presence Concealment.

Good eye, Diarmuid! That's right. You guys are pretending to be spies now, right?

Then you need some way of, well, concealing your presence.

This might not be quite as good as an actual Assassin's skill, but it still ought to help keep you hidden.

Well, maybe it won't do much against a swordsman of Yagyu's skill...

...but it should at least be better than nothing, right!

？！

Hehe. Go ahead, really heap on the praise. It's okay, I can take it.

？！

Ahaha, good point. But I'm afraid this exploit only works in the simulator.

Of course, if there's a Heroic Spirit with that kind of ability around, then it's a different story. But in the meantime, this is what we've got, so good luck, guys!

Yes, my lady. I will do my very best to see this mission through.

All right, now we need to figure out which way Lord Tajima went, so we can

Ah. Wait! Something's not right!

Huh, that's a surprise...

!!!

Enemies! How did they find us with our Presence Concealment exploit!?

Hmm. This could be a problem.

We shall just have to eliminate them before we proceed.

That's weird. It shouldn't be possible for these enemies to bypass my exploit...

I'll look into this, but for now you're just going to have to take them out! Sorry about this, guys!

Yes, Master! I shall cut a path through them!

Yes, Master! I'm ready!

？！

...That would seem to be the last of them, Master.

The people of this town are paying us no mind. That's better than having them "freak out," of course, but still...

It is a little unnerving, isn't it. Is this normal for the simulator?

Pretty much. The simulator's all set up for combat and not much else right now.

Right. This way, enemies don't attack NPCs, and the NPCs don't even react to them.

Live and let live, hm?

So if Lord Tajima is not here, that must mean he did not come to do battle with these enemies.

But then, what did he come here for?

Perhaps he just enjoys sampling different foods from various eras and places?

...I'll go look for him! Excuse me!

I have returned!

And I have located Lord Tajima-no-kami, Master!

Thank you, Master.

Hehe...

I mean, all in a day's work!

？！

So where is Lord Tajima?

Well, it would seem he was hiding right under our noses. He is staying in a room at the inn right on the main street.

Really?

Assuming you mean the large street you're on right now, it looks like there are no more than one or two inns around here.

Is that it? The one right over there?

Yes, that's it. How clever of him to hide where we would least suspect.

Haha, so he chose to stay in the town rather than the castle, did he? He certainly is a shrewd old man.

Lord Tajima-no-kami is staying in a room on the second floor. I will scout ahead and see what I can learn.

？！

Yes, Master. I shall return shortly!

Lady Chiyome never fails to impress me with her skill as a kunoichi. It is hard to imagine there were spies like that all over Japan during the Warring States period...

So you are from a time before that of Lady Chiyome and Lord Tajima, Lady Tomoe?

Does that mean there were no ninja back then?

No, there weren't.

We did have spies, of course, but I don't think I had ever heard the words "ninja" or "shinobi" before.

I lived very, very long ago. It was a dreadful time, where brute strength ruled over all.

Although...

...if you go back even further, perhaps to the Heian period, that would be an even more dreadful

Huh!?

What was that sound?

Eeyaaaaaaaaah!

Masteee

？！

That came from the second floor of that inn! Then...!

Hahaha.

What an amusing turn of events. I never expected to have a Kouga Mochizuki kunoichi make an attempt on my life while I am staying at an inn.

It would be a waste not to make use of this second-floor room. Come, bring Master and the others and join me here.

...Hmm.

I have already told the madam to prepare enough meals for all of you. Come, there is no need to be modest. Sit. Eat.

We have an assortment of fish from Nansou today.

The horse mackerel sashimi is excellent. Usually it is cleaned on the ship when it is caught, but I am told they brought this mackerel here on their fastest horses while it was still alive.

The sillago has been made into tempura. The grated daikon makes for a perfect palate cleanser.

The sweetfish has been grilled with salt, and its simple flavor goes together wonderfully with freshly cooked rice.

And the mountain greens were all picked today. Go on, Master. Please, enjoy.

？！

Oh my, this feast looks truly splendid...

Lord Tajima, is this...

Is this why you have been using the simulator every night? To sample delicacies from all manner of time and place?

Perhaps.

Mmm, this is quite good. This butterbur sprout tempura has an especially rich flavor. If only I had some wine to go with it.

Ah! You are supposed to wait for the rest of us, Lord Diarmuid!

？！

Not you too, Master!? Gnnnnnn!

W-well, if you insist, Master... Although, it, um... I am afraid it might be wasted on me...

Lady Tomoe...

Is something wrong, Lady Tomoe?

My, um, tongue is, well... It is very sensitive to the heat that flows through my veins, you see...

I think it may even burn with a fire of its own, somehow...

All that is to say...there are times when I can appreciate flavor, and times when I simply cannot...

And I'm afraid today is, well...the latter...

There is more enjoyment to be had in food than merely in its taste, Lady Tomoe.

Come, try this.

This is...tokoroten jelly...

It has been chilled quite well. Go on.

... ...

...If you insist, Lord Tajima, then I will not refuse.

Try eating it all in one bite.

...!

It... It is so...refreshing...

...This particular simulation happened to arrive at a time and place similar to my own.

At first, I dismissed it as merely a fleeting illusion, but what is this body if not an equally fleeting shadow?

Indeed, I can find no difference between this simulator and myself as a Servant, so I have rather enjoyed indulging my nostalgia in this manner.

？！

Then, the reason you've been setting the area randomly is because

You wanted to enjoy traveling for its own sake, not just to get to a destination, huh? I like that. I like that a lot.

I hope you can forgive me. It was not my intention to drag you along on this old man's whim. I must apologize to you, Master, and to all of you who assisted him.

D-do not be ridiculous, Lord Tajima! Please, do not bow your head in shame!

Chiyome is right! Many of us Heroic Spirits have enjoyed using the simulator!

You have nothing at all to apologize for. You only need to tell someone before you use it!

Thank you for your kind understanding. Very well then, let us return to Chaldea Base at once.

But first...

...there is a monstrous creature I must slay before I go.

...there is a monstrous creature I must slay before I go.

!!!

Lord Tajima.

Come, outside. This room would be a poor stage for a battle.

Now then, where to begin...

？！

Indeed there is. It is exactly as you say.

Five days ago, I noticed the foul stench of a monster not of this world within the simulator...

...but I can find no other trace of it anywhere.

I could not trouble you with this matter until I had proof, so I have been wandering the simulator tracking its scent.

All while enjoying your gourmet tour...

Quite.

Well that's weird. Maybe the simulator got infected with some kind of virus?

Then, maybe that enemy data we saw earlier is connected...!

Indeed. They reeked of the monster's stench.

...Master, my fellow Servants, I must apologize to you once again for the trouble I have caused.

I was hoping I could find this monster so as to be of service to you, Master, but I suppose this is my comeuppance for trying to play detective.

Then, you did do this all for Master...

We are all Lord Fujimaru's Servants. That makes us comrades in arms.

And if you cannot rely on your comrades, Lord Tajima, then on whom can you rely?

So, please, do not bow your head in shame.

That is very kind of you, Lady Tomoe... Truly, Lord Kiso Yoshinaka was blessed to have you as his wife.

Hey, guys? Sorry to interrupt, but I just did a quick scan of the simulation, and I can't seem to find this thing.

There's no sign of this virus anywhere. I have no idea where it could be hiding out...

Oh, that? Worry not. It will show itself here soon.

From what I can tell, it appears to be targeting Master.

!

Show yourself, monster.

Well, well...

Well, well, well! It seems there may actually be something to this so-called master swordsman's vaunted intuition after all.

And yet, even now that you've found me, there is nothing you can do about it. Oh woe, oh tragedy. Mmmmmm, if only you could see how foolish you look.

Long time no see, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori.

？！

Well now.

I have seen you in Chaldea's "day-tuh-base," but I never expected to see you in person.

You are the sorcerer who caused such chaos in a parallel world. I see. So you have been using your sorcery to make an attempt on Master's life?

Indeed I have.

Let's see... One, two, three... Four Heroic Spirits of Humanity, hm? To think you would come submit to my spell like lambs to the slaughter!

Hehe. Hehehehehe. Hahahahahahahaha! As though any ordinary Heroic Spirit could hope to match me without karma!

Go on then, try my pentagram on for size! You will be the first Servant to be remade!

...!

Lord Tajima!

Lord Tajima!!!

？！

You're mine!!!

Is that...!? I think he just implanted some kind of complex curse into Yagyu's Spirit Origin!

This may not be quite as powerful as the Curse of Annihilation, but, mmm, you Servants will still make serviceable vessels for my karma!

Hahahahahahahaha! How the great Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori has fallen!

You were a sight to behold when you abandoned your lord and gave in to your monstrous side, but now that you have lived out your life in Proper Human History, you are but a rusted blade!

Heh.

And here I was expecting a truly dreadful inhuman monster. How disappointing.

Mm? Mmmmmm!?

Didn't anyone ever tell you sour grapes are unbecoming, Tajima-no-kami!? I may only be a shadow of my true self, but my Spirit Origin is still more than powerful enough to handle any ordinary Heroic Spir

...In that, you are gravely mistaken.

I would advise you to present yourself in person next time, scoundrel.

Wha!?

My soul may not shine bright, but neither is it tainted nor corrupt.

I simply am who I am, nothing more. Come, my comrades!

？！

Prepare yourself, monster! Whatever scheme you had ends now!

Ghhhnnn!!! What is this...!?

Earlier, you said something about how I once gave in to my monstrous side.

Now I see. That version of me must have had quite a fateful encounter.

Part of me envies him...and yet, he was clearly far too immature for his own good.

To truly master the sword, one must also master oneself.

My soul is unyielding.

Though this body of mine may be an ethereal shadow, it is a shadow of the full life I lived as Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori.

I trust you understand what that means?

Mmmmmm, I see, I see! Then you truly are...

...a sword saint!

Wait. Huh!?

No way. So old man Tajima's in Chaldea now!?

Hmm, hmm, I see. He might just beat me this time, then.

I mean, the one who's here now must have peered beyond the veil, achieved enlightenment, and become a master of the sword beyond compare.

But, that's okay with me. It just means I'll have to try and take my zero sword to the next level!

This is what it means to achieve true zen with one's sword. Kenjutsu Musou, Kenzen Ichinyo!

...Well done, Lord Tajima.

？！

Forgive me for making use of such unrefined techniques.

Say, Father.

Do you remember when we heard those people in town going on about you and Musashi?

These Edo people can't seem to get enough of those rumors. Even I caught wind of them, thanks to the Edo Yagyu clan.

I know you were determined to ignore them...

But I really wanted to know who would win if you and Musashi fought...

... ...

Look, Father, all I'm trying to say...

...is that you were strong. Really strong.

And at least as far as I'm concerned...

...you were the one who...