The Other Goddess (Beginning)

...Listen close. Once we make our way into their base...

...the best case is we find the Paper Moon and info about the tree without any trouble, but we can't count on that being the case.

For one thing, the queen's gonna know we're there, and we CANNOT take her on alone. Period.

She's a goddess who's held on to her power since the Age of Gods. The embodiment of nature itself. Can't even get a good read on her magical energy.

We won't have a chance against her unless we take some special steps. That's how strong she is.

All that said...the queen's not gonna kill us.

So...

...we're gonna make becoming prisoners part of the plan.

Fooou!? Fo!

So, um, if I understand you...you're saying the queen will move to capture us...?

That's right.

She's like a big ball of pure mercy. She really, truly loves everyone, human and Heroic Spirit.

Once she decides not to kill someone, she won't. She might talk about killing her enemies, but honestly, there's just no one who can threaten her.

That's how it went with me. She couldn't even be bothered to fight me, no matter how many shots I fired at her. I may as well have been a fly.

She'll never bother with sounding alarms, putting out garrisons, or anything like that. The fact that it's still business as usual around here is proof of that.

I get why you'd be worried, but don't forget who I am. I'm Napoleon. Emperor of France.

Not only that, I've had time to reflect on my failures from when I was alive!

So trust me when I say I know what I'm doing!

R-right!

Th-that's true...! He seems to know a lot more than we do, and he's also saved us once before.

I'll trust him, too!

？！

All right! It might be kind of a stretch to call this a strategy, but it's what we're going with!

... ...

...This is the dungeon, Master... ...We really did end up prisoners...

Fou, fouuu, fou.

So far so good! ...Well, no, it's not all good. I'm sorry for putting you through that.

We could've avoided that battle with Sigurd if I hadn't been so brazen with my courtship.

I really didn't think that one through... Sorry again!

N-not at all! Your plan did work out in the end!

That's true. And nobody ended up hurt, either...

It was too damn close, wasn't it? And it's all my fault. I'm sorry!

？！

My Ortinax doesn't have any critical damage, and it seems like everything is in working order.

We're in just as good shape now as we were before we made our way in here!

So, um...I'm a little hesitant to ask this, but...

Napoleon, are you...serious about...?

Ophelia?

Y-yes. You didn't sound like you were joking about...that. Or like you wanted to confuse them.

So...did you mean what you

Sure did. I fell for her hard.

...Well, more accurately, my heart just went out to her.

I don't think I had much compassion back when I was alive, but now, it seems like that part of me has been cranked up to eleven!

Guess being a Servant can be a real pain in the ass, huh! I wouldn't have to worry about feelings and stuff if I were just a mindless battle robot.

...

Anyway, all that aside, I'm well aware she's a Crypter.

I know they're using the Trees of Emptiness to prevent the continuation of humanity, and that we'll have to take them out eventually.

I know all that. And even so... I'm siding with you two.

I won't betray your trust. I won't stop fighting until we've saved Proper Human History.

Fou, fooou?

Oh? You believe me, pupper?

Haha, easy there, boy! I guess I did say I was okay with dogs, didn't I? Hahaha.

... ...

...Not all the marks I left on history were glorious. I made a lot of bad decisions, too, like the one that resulted in the destruction of my Grand Armée.

I wasn't very good to the two women I loved, either. They must hate me, and I don't blame them.

You mean...your first fiancée, and Joséphine, your actual first wife...?

Yeah. They were both good women.

I promised them I'd make them happy, then I went and let them down hard. I'm the worst kind of guy around.

Oh, and what about my last wife, Maria Luisa, or the lover I took when I was exiled... Was I able to make them happy? I honestly couldn't tell you.

But, I don't pretend the past never happened. If humanity goes away, everything else'll follow. Everything.

It'd be great if all we lost was just the sadness and tears, but that's not how it'll work. Everything, good and bad, will be gone. Forever.

My own glory doesn't really matter now, but to see all the joys, hopes, and dreams people have held throughout history disappear...

Well, I just can't let that happen, now, can I?

Anyway, since I'm sure you've still got some concerns...why don't we go ahead and make it official with a temporary contract!

？！

？！

Haha, you're a good man, Private! Did you forget about my sympathies for one of our enemies already?

I really don't like the idea of betraying anyone, but I also can't deny that I've fallen for her.

In which case, it only makes sense to have some insurance. So yeah, go for it. It'll make me feel better, too.

Love does tend to drive a body mad, you know. ...Not that I'm one to talk!

All right, Private, let's do this thing!

...I accept.

There. Now we have a temporary contract.

Oho!

Looks like my Spirit Origin's in even better shape now! This is great!

Once again, it's good to be fighting beside you, Maître!

Fou! Fooou!

Haha, you happy about this too? Aww, you really are a good boy.

So, now that our contract's in place, back to the plan! We're prisoners now, just like I expected...

...so this is where we set about taking back the Paper Moon and gathering info on the Tree of Emptiness!

If we had an Assassin on hand, we could have them sneak in all stealthy like, but since we don't...

...I think we'll just have to go with a feint. I'll draw their attention as much as possible, while you

Fou?

...Senpai?

Senpai, you're pale! It looks like the same thing that happened to you at Chaldea a few times before...

Excuse me, Senpai, but I need to run a quick emergency medical diagnostic while

Senpai!

..Well, well. We don't see your kind tumbling down here every day.

You definitely didn't come down here of your own accord. You clearly fell down.

Haha, they must have taken advantage of a flaw in your temporary contract.

They were able to forge a connection with you with no problem, but you must have fallen down here when you weren't able to make it to the dream.

...Heh. I suppose this, too, is fate.

Don't push yourself too hard. That's it. You don't know me.

There you go. Just forget about it. Regrets and voids that gnaw away at people in their dreams are MY quarry. No one else's.

...You're pretty sharp, aren't you?

But no, there's no way you know me. And no need for you to.

Regrets and voids that gnaw away at people in their dreams are MY quarry. No one else's. Factual records of me shouldn't exist.

？！

...Now then, if we're going to send you back the way you came...we'll have to start by burning these things away.

It'd help if you could form your sense of self soon, but that might be asking a bit too much.

Stand back.

？！

...Hmph.

...Too easy.

？！

A dream. Closer to a nightmare, really.

Once you wake up, you'll forget all about this place.

But don't drop your guard just because it's a dream. Your soul and sense of self fell down here.

If a beast sinks its fangs into you, it'll rip open your sense of self. If one tears you apart, your soul will just plain disappear.

So if you want to make it out of here alive, hurry. Crawl along the path that brought you here and talk to the one who invited you to this dream.

Go on, Fujimaru. Escape the darkness.

Well, well...

You found the power to summon your Heroic Spirits even though you are stuck in a dream.

Good. That means your sense of self has grown stronger.

Remember yourself. Be very, very aware of who you are, and keep moving forward.

Come. Onward...

We're here.

Imagine opening your eyes. Sense those who lack form with your soul.

Rejoice. You have arrived.

Can you see it?

That's right. You already know what that thing is.

No. No, that...thing is not a giant.

？！

It may possess gigantic power, but it was power that belonged to a human. It is a hero among heroes, one who tore through supernatural beings to lay claim to glory.

Whoever invited you to this dream would seem to be a truly fascinating individual.

!

There is no path leading backwards. If you are to proceed, you must defeat it.

Continue onward. Defeat it. See how far your power can take you...

？！

!

...

？！

I see...

That voice you heard is not meant for my ears. It belongs to the one who invited you into this dream.

Your soul and sense of self returned to the dream the moment you destroyed that guard's phantasm.

From here, you must continue on alone. Do not look back.

...Haha. Don't make the same mistake Orpheus did.