The Poppy Girl

Then it is your belief that the other Chaldeans will next show themselves at the prison?

They will do this, you believe even though their most crucial asset, the Shadow Border, is already on its way to Xianyang?

I do. Difficult as it may be to believe, they are quite thoroughly shackled by their absurd morality.

If forced to choose between people and assets, they will always ignore the big picture in favor of life, even if it creates more danger for them.

They are the very incarnation of foolishness.

Well, if you feel you are that certain, we will not attempt to dissuade you.

We do not know what trick they have employed to elude our sight...

...but we have received reports of figures matching their description fighting near Ankang.

Very well. We will permit you to remain at that facility. You may even command the guards should the need arise.

However, Kuaiji Zero will not go with you. We are assigning him to guard Xianyang, as the Shadow Border is our top priority.

...I understand.

Ah, yes. We agreed to call him Xiang Yu around you, didn't we.

...Surely you jest, Your Imperial Majesty. Lord Xiang Yu has no concern for what he is called whatsoever.

If your prediction turns out to be correct, this will be a prime opportunity to restore your honor. See that you claim your revenge.

I will, Your Imperial Majesty.

...You seem displeased, Saber.

I don't like having Koyanskaya and the Chaldeans being kept prisoner in the same facility...

True. In our world, keeping enemy prisoners separate is only sensible in warfare.

For one thing, you don't want to risk them working together and escaping.

But Qin Shi Huang is more concerned about keeping all the empire's enemies in one place than the threat of them banding together.

If you think of your enemies as carriers of a disease, it makes sense to keep them isolated in a single location.

Especially since that way the emperor can wipe them all out at once if necessary.

Then, if the prisoners decide to revolt...does that mean the emperor will drop another star?

I wouldn't be surprised. If it came to cases, the emperor would not hesitate.

...The emperor frightens me. There is something terrifying about the way the emperor views their subjects, and the manner of Qin Shi Huang's rule now that they are immortal.

Master, can I ask you what you think about this Lostbelt's China? About the state of this eternal empire?

Who cares about human society!?

They can all wipe each other out for all I care!

They've founded and destroyed more civilizations than I can count and never once did they learn anything from it.

They're just hairless monkeys who decided they were the rulers of this planet after they spread like a plague to cover its surface.

I couldn't possibly care less what happens to them! They would be doing the world a favor by dying out!

...

...I'm sorry. You used to have your own nation and people to protect, didn't you?

Please, pay me no heed. You have every right to be angry.

You must think I'm a horrible person.

You're an amazing Heroic Spirit, and I'm just using you to satisfy my own selfish desires.

Not at all. Emotions are looked down upon only because they are fleeting and fickle.

But your feelings have not wavered one bit, even across time itself. You have conviction, not emotion.

And there is no greater honor for a warrior than in fighting for his master's convictions.

Saber...

As such, I have no regrets whatsoever about wielding my sword as your Servant.

...Thank you, Saber. I don't deserve a Servant like you...

That must be the prison.

Fou, fooou!

I can't believe we made it this close without being seen. These Bounded Field devices are amazing.

I'm afraid we can't get any closer, though. This won't be enough to let us make our way inside...

Then our only choice is the tried-and-true method of distraction.

Lady Jing Ke is an Assassin. As such, she should be better at sneaking around than anyone else here, no?

And I am a master of bringing the ruckus! Neigh ha!

You are quite the strategist. You came up with a plan before our Master even had a chance to fret.

Oh, it's nothing. I'm quite used to explaining what needs to be done before my lord begins panicking.

Our whole army was chock-full of soldiers who liked to leap before they looked!

That sounds like a huge headache...

Hardly. I would simply verbally whip them up into a frenzy whenever necessary, and employ the odd harebrained scheme to help my lord learn a lesson when he was being foolish.

Heh. Those battlefields were wonderfully fulfilling, with no end of stimulation.

Fou, fooou...

Anyway... This does seem like the best plan for the situation.

If Fujimaru, Mash, and RedUh, Lu...

...erm, whoever this walking storm of destruction is makes a big enough commotion at the front gate...

...I can slip in undetected and meet up with Da Vinci and the others.

It'd be great if I could capture Koyanskaya too...but that'll depend on how much time you're able to buy me.

Leave it to me! I'll show you the power of a steed who can run a thousand li without breaking a sweat!

Lord Red Hare Lu Bu? I trust this goes without saying, but just to be sure, don't run too far.

If I think you are getting too far away, I won't hesitate to take a shot at you. Is that clear?

Nei-heigh! So you'll let me know if I get too close to leaving the strategic zone? That sounds great!

Uh... A-at any rate, I'm all set for combat!

？！

Ooh, sounds like they're here☆ Just listen to all that noise!

Mr. Fujimaru would never charge in headlong without good cause.

Which must mean

Sorry we took so long, guys. Is everyone okay?

While I wish I could toast our reunion, I'm afraid that will have to wait. How is Goredolf doing?

I found an infirmary on the way, so I made sure to grab a few bags of glucose drip and an IV catheter.

All right Jing Ke! Way to stay on top of things!

Excellent. Then I believe now is the time for us to strike back ourselves.

We can't put everything on Mr. Fujimaru's shoulders, after all.

Listen! I can hear something going on in the prison now!

It seems Jing Ke has successfully rendezvoused with the others. They must have wasted no time setting up explosives.

I can hear some lovely explosions taking place even as we speak.

Neiiigh! Now that's what I'm talking about! I can feel my warrior's blood dancing in excitement!

Fou, fooou!

Come on, Master, we can't be left behind!

？！

Hmm, hmm... So this goes here, and... Oh? Hmm, hm hm hm...

H-h-h-how goes the Shadow Borders analysis, Your Imperial Majesty?

What a fascinating device. Truly fascinating. And yet, it plagues us with so many doubts.

We understand the principles and its operating structure, but we cannot for the life of us understand why they would make it so small.

Our engineering could produce something of equal capability, but it would be a gargantuan vessel.

We can only wonder as to why they would devote so much effort to making it so very compact.

The electronics alone are positively maddening. We feel as if we are dissecting a flea.

We can barely remember the last time we were taxed to our limits as we are now.

I see... Miniaturization, huh.

We can even see where they chose to compromise on performance in exchange for efficiency. Perhaps they were simply starved for resources...?

Even if that were so, why would they use silicon of all things? What is wrong with vacuum tubes!?

...Ah.

Hm? What is it, Han Xin?

W-w-w-well, um, you just got me thinking. If these people can make electronic devices that small...

...maybe that means they could also build communications devices small enough that they could secret away on their person, too...

... ...Hmm.

...I'll arrange for more guards to be dispatched to the Ankang prison right now.

Do not bother. It is already too late. We just received word that hostilities are already underway.

...

...

Argh! Just what sort of world do these people come from?

Can you imagine it? Ordinary people talking amongst themselves across vast distances, without relying on us or asking our permission!?

This could spread Confucianism like wildfire. We would not even be able to stomp it out at its source!

They truly do bring disaster wherever they go.

We must wipe them out. Immediately. They are like an airborne disease. We cannot let them bring further taint to the empire!

Hey, hey☆ How've you been, Fujimaru? Did you miss me?

Da Vinci! I'm so glad you're all okay!

Sure are! Aaand we brought along a special guest!

...(Sulky glare)

？！

Fo fo fo fwaaah!!!

Aah! Easy, Fou! Please, calm down!

Well, as humiliating as this may be, I have to admit that I really can't stick around here...

So I suppose I have no choice but to cooperate.

Naturally, I had her promise to provide an antidote in exchange for our help. I trust you will fulfill your end of the bargain, Koyanskaya?

What's done is done. Unlike you humans, I make a point of always keeping my word.

There's no sense sticking around here any longer. Let's go!

You will not be going anywhere. I would hope you know better than to underestimate us by now.

Prince of Lan Ling!

You're surrounded. This time, we're going to finish you off.

Yes... I can see you are deadly serious about that.

Be wary, Master. The enemy was careful to wait until we were all gathered together before surrounding us.

As he says, he is very much determined to emerge victorious.

It almost feels like this whole thing might even have been a trap...

Are you serious? Did you really come all the way here to rescue your allies armed only with pluck!?

？！

...(Sigh) I'd forgotten what you were like.

I should have known better than to count on Chaldea for help. All right, I see how it is.

This is no time to be worrying about appearances, so I'd better pitch in to help out as well.

You would go over to the enemy's side so easily just to save your own skin, Alter Ego?

Well, yeah. If Qin Shi Huang's punishment wasn't reason enough, your own Master just severed ties with me, remember?

Besides, it's just like I told her. In this world, you're either a client, or a product.

And right now, regardless of the circumstances that brought us here, Chaldea is a valued client!

As such, I have no problem whatsoever listing yesterday's client as today's featured product.

Yikes. Remind me to not give her any personal information. Not so much as my full name.

Besides, isn't the occasional face turn like this kind of dramatic?

"Is she friend, or is she foe? What could the mysterious yet beautiful Koyanskaya's true objective possibly be!?"

Fo, fou! Die in a foire!

Now then, allow me to present one of my very best products.

A walking disaster from a very different path than Proper Human History, this rare breed is imported directly from a world of snow and undying fire.

Introducing one of Nine Fox Foundation's latest and greatest: a Jötunn straight from the land of frost giants!

!

(Well now. So she can summon a familiar so large and powerful merely by tearing off a bit of her hair and blowing on it...?)

Wh-what the!? A giant!? How the hell did a giant get here!?

All right, Chaldea. Go ahead and let him handle the little guys while you focus on the Servant.

Prince of Lan Ling would usually be quite a formidable foe, but luckily for you, his sorry excuse for a Master should make him considerably easier to defeat.

Silence, fox woman! You know nothing about her!

Akuta keeps using Command Spells like there's no tomorrow. This girl is deadly serious about finishing us off!

True. Unfortunately for her, that's also going to be her downfall.

Since she's not used to providing rear support, it couldn't be more obvious where she's providing it from♡

Aaand boom!

Gaaah!

Master!?

Just a quick little booby trap I whipped up from what I picked up around here. Do you like it?

What a wicked fox! I've never seen such lovely skills and looks in one evil package before!

Curse you...fox woman...

Oh crap. That didn't finish her!?

Khh!

Fujimaru! Hold Prince of Lan Ling off! Whatever you do, don't let him get to his Master!

Master!

I couldn't stop him...!

Sa...ber...

I'm here, Master!

Welp, now we're screwed. Come on, everyone, let's run for it.

Huh? But why? There's no way Akuta can keep fighting with a fatal wound like that, right?

...Oh, right. You still don't know what she really is, do you?

Look, let me give you some honest advice for once: leave the Servant alone and get out of here while you still can.

Ghh... Lan...Ling...

Master, now that things have come to this, there is no other choice. I beg you, sacrifice me to save yourself!

...No. That's the one thing I'll never

I am sure you dislike the idea. Feeding on others is the very thing you loathe humans for, after all.

But if ever there was a time to swallow your pride and do what must be done to survive, it is now...

...for at long last, you have finally been reunited with your beloved!

...

Think back to all those many years you spent grieving in solitude and isolation!

Lan...Ling...

You must survive, my Master. This time, you and Xiang Yu will live happily together.

This time, you will share in each other's fate!

...Uhh... Ahh...!

Wh-what in the world is that!?

Did she just...EAT her Servant!?

Life Absorption, Magical Energy Metabolization... No way! She couldn't possibly pull that off unless she was a bloodsucking kin or something!

No, wait. Even if she was, this is a Servant she's eating!

To swallow an entire Heroic Spirit-class Spirit Core, she'd have to be a True Ancestor or...

Wait. Does this mean Akuta Hinako is actually!?

...Are you sure you want it to go this way?

...All I ask, Master, is that you answer one last question.

You must have come to know thousands, if not millions, of great heroes over the course of eternity...

So out of all those many heroes...why did you choose to summon this lowly Gao Changgong as your Servant?

...

You once had the courage to speak to me without fear...

Even all these years later, that memory still warms my heart.

Ahh... I could ask for no greater honor... Thank you, my Master...Yu Mei-ren...

Yu Mei-ren? Did he just say Yu Mei-ren!?

Oh come on, is that really a surprise at this point? It's not as though she's been shy about showing her affection for Xiang Yu.

A detective of your supposed caliber should have seen her for who she really is a long time ago.

...But, then again, considering how much trouble you lot have with Heroic Spirits and Rayshifting and whatnot...

...I suppose the idea that a genuine article who's been alive for nearly two thousand years was hiding under your noses all that time must have been unthinkable.

Not even the other Crypters had any idea. The only ones who knew the truth were myself and

...It must be difficult for you to understand. For you, eternal youth and beauty are nothing more than a curse.

I only wish I could convey to you...

...how comforting it is for those of us doomed to rot and fade away...

...to know there is someone out there whose beauty will remain pristine forever...

...I had hoped to finish you all off in a manner befitting a human, since I've been presenting myself as one all this time.

But now that you have forced my hand, I can no longer afford to be magnanimous. This ends now, Chaldea! My curses shall obliterate you before the night is out!

Well, now what? You're up against a True Ancestor who just devoured an entire Heroic Spirit, Spirit Origin and all...and she's pissed off beyond belief.

...Can I just leave now, please?