Travellers of the Century

Khh... How can she attack with such power so quickly!? She should have run out of magical energy ages ago!

She's not using her own magical energy at all!

She's sucking up the endless supply of mana from the world itself and using it as her own!

So this is what a True Ancestor...an incarnated Elemental can do. I never would've thought that China had one of its own!

Fighting one of them is like taking on a tsunami or a hurricane with your fists!

Um... I'm sorry, that went right over my head. Could you dumb it down to, say, horse level?

Simply put, we've been quite thoroughly backed into a corner here.

Huh? That's bad, right?

Oh yes. If we're all going to die anyway, might I suggest you blow yourselves up so everyone except me can truly go out with a bang?

Will you two just SHUT UP already!?

I don't think I can keep this up any longer, Master...!

Enough playing around, Akuta.

...No, now that you have revealed your true form, we suppose we should no longer call you by your alias.

But then, you have never given us any other name. Hmm, what should we call you now...

You would call my wrath, my curses, merely "playing around," O worldly king?

What else would you call this? Did you endure eternity merely so you could curse these people to death?

...

Undying one. True one. We have too much respect for you to see you lose your way like this.

Return here before you go any further. Recall the pledge you still have yet to keep, and do what must be done first.

Hmph. So you do not want me to do anything unless it benefits you, is that it?

We are telling you to remember what it is you came here to do!

...

(...Just what is the nature of the relationship between these two...?)

(A pledge...? Does that mean she made some other deal with Qin Shi Huang I didn't know about?)

Those of us who endure eternally should not be so swept up in fleeting emotions.

You must not forget what it is you truly seek, how close you are to having it in your grasp, and what you must yet do.

All right, I understand. I shall follow your advice, for now.

Akuta... I mean, Yu Mei-ren has left the battlefield...

Phew, I'm exhausted. This stuff can be such a pain.

As much as I despise humans, I do have to give them credit for one thing.

The weapons they make are sooo much easier to use.

There's nothing better than something that lets you kill a bunch of humans just by pulling a trigger♡

Koyanskaya, I take it you knew that Akuta Hinako was actually Yu Mei-ren all along?

A notable figure from the Chu-Han Contention, which took place after the death of Qin Shi Huang.

She was the Hegemon-King of Western ChuXiang Yu's lover, and is said to have met an untimely death in the wake of his defeat.

Ah yes, the one frequently mentioned in discussions of the Battle of Gaixia.

"My strength plucked up the hills, my might shadowed the world. But the times were against me, And Dapple runs no more."

"When Dapple runs no more, what then can I do? Ah, Yu, my Yu. What will your fate be?"

？！

So, this means that Yu Mei-ren wasn't human...and that she's also been alive for thousands of years?

It was shocking enough to find out that the legendary Yu Mei-ren was actually a bloodsucker...or rather, a True Ancestor.

But then, why would she bother infiltrating Chaldea and applying to be a Rayshift candidate?

And if that weren't enough, now she's a Crypter holed up in the Chinese Lostbelt? Argh, none of this makes any sense!

True. If all you look at are the facts, the odds seem pretty long indeed.

But if you trace them back to their source, the answer couldn't be simpler. This all happened because Marisbury planned for it to happen.

As I suspected...

Director Marisbury Animusphere may have seemed like a good person, but at heart, he was still a mage.

A mage's idea of doing good and a human's idea of doing good are very, very different.

Marisbury may have been a just person, but it seems like he also managed to do goodthat is, his best, as a mage.

I expect he must have been anxious.

I imagine he had to wonder if Rayshifting was even possible, and if it was, whether humans could actually survive the process.

I'd guess that's what prompted him to bring Yu Mei-ren on as a backup plan of sorts.

No doubt he must have thought that even if it turned out humans couldn't withstand a Rayshift...

...she would either survive or could be resuscitated, thanks to her sturdy True Ancestor body.

That must be why he covered up her true identity under the name Akuta Hinako...

...and sent her a formal invitation to Chaldea after she'd been hiding away in the margins of history for centuries.

That would have been before the previous version of me was summoned to Chaldea.

I do recall Akuta Hinako was already part of Chaldea's staff even before Team A was formed.

Marisbury must have wanted to prove the viability of Rayshifting come hell or high water.

Agreed. I imagine he meant to use her as a guinea pig to make the experiment work...

...even if there turned out to be no mere humans who fit the bill whatsoever.

But as luck would have it, not only did there turn out to be plenty of viable candidates...

...the Demi-Servant plan he had come up with to improve the odds of summoning a Heroic Spirit after the Rayshift worked out as well.

All of which meant that Marisbury no longer needed to bother giving "Akuta Hinako" more special treatment.

She was ultimately assigned to Team A for no other reason than to fill the roster, so to speak.

Now do you understand? Your great director was hiding a True Ancestor in his organization all this time.

It's no wonder Chaldea came under UN scrutiny after something that shady.

The fact that none of the surviving staff had any idea is just the ultraironic icing on the cake.

Still...I'm surprised Yu Mei-ren agreed to all that, being a True Ancestor and all.

Oh? That's the part you find strange?

Huh?

Well, I don't suppose anyone with a finite lifespan could ever really understand the psychology of a truly eternal being.

So, I have to give Marisbury credit for being able to figure out what it was she wanted.

It couldn't have been easy for him to convince her, since she really, really hates humans.

At the very least, I'm sure he never offered anything as cheesy as a mink coat.

Hmm. I'm not sure what to make of all this, since I really didn't know Marisbury all that well.

I'm sure Romani knew him well enough that he could weigh in with something useful, but

...

？！

Agreed. Now that we've made an enemy of Qin Shi Huang, lingering in one place for too long is tantamount to suicide.

Got it. Then let's keep our camouflage Bounded Field up and put some distance between us and this place.

Man, it really sucks that they took the Border. Now we have to carry our patient on foot!

Nnngh... Please, no more, Toole... I couldn't eat another bite...

I saw something that looked like a truck in the hangar. Maybe we could use that?

Hm? You mean the thing they used when they brought me here?

It may be better than walking, but we'll feel every bump of the road and then some.

Well, beggars can't be choosers! We'll just have to make the best of it!

I understand you hate humans. I know you want nothing to do with us.

But no matter how much you may wish it were otherwise, humans will never truly leave you alone.

Once they learn you exist, Executors will come from far and wide to hunt you down.

I cannot do anything to change that fact. As such, I cannot apologize on behalf of humanity.

All I can do is give you an outlet for your resentment. To keep my head bowed, no matter what manner of abuse you heap upon it.

...It is with that in mind that I would like to make you a proposal, even if you think me shameless for doing so.

If you wish to obtain peace and quiet, your only choice is to move yourself somewhere outside the bounds of human activity.

Mankind has grown far too numerous. Indeed, this last century must have been a nightmare for you.

They excavate mountains, chop down forests, and greedily expand their territory with no end in sight.

You must've already realized that at this rate, there will no longer be any safe place left for you to hide.

So, speaking as one partially responsible for this state of affairs, I would like to offer you a deal.

There is a small, isolated community of mages in one of the most remote areas of this world.

Its residents are well aware that prying into the other community members' lives is taboo.

I think you would be right at home in Chaldea.

As long as you play along with the false identity I will prepare for you, no one will ever be the wiser.

In exchange, I would like you to assist me with my searcha quest of sorts to realize my family's greatest dream.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Marisbury Animusphere.

I hope you can see that our interests are aligned. Spirit of Gaia, as one of the last flowers of the moon left on Earth...

...I would love to have your help in making both our dreams come true...true human, Yu Mei-ren.

...Awaken, fairy. The time has come to return to reality.

...

It has been five months since your arrival. We have now scanned your entire body forty-eight times in total. Our analysis is complete.

Every last one of your body's secrets has been recorded within our memory circuits.

We have at last learned the secrets of the Zhenren's immortality.

You did well, fairy. Or perhaps we should continue to call you Akuta Hinako?

...You may call me whatever you wish, Your Imperial Majesty.

You may have anything you like as a reward. Or is he alone still enough, as you initially requested?

He is. I desire nothing else.

Then, per the terms of our agreement, we hereby bequeath custody of Kuaiji Zero to you.

You have served us faithfully for centuries, our very first mechanical retainer. Congratulations on your retirement.

Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty. It is with a heavy heart that I take your leave for the last time.

Hmm. Xiang Yu, hmm?

We do not know what sort of name our mechanical retainer may have made for himself in your history...

...but was this Xiang Yu person worthy of being entrusted with your Mystics, Zhenren?

...I could ask much the same of you, Your Imperial Majesty. Why would you need to study me now, when you have long possessed the Fusang Tree itself?

True, we did learn the Mystics of life through our obtainment of the Fusang Tree.

But we never came across a single sage or fairy in all the time we spent exploring their lands.

You are the first genuine fairy we have ever laid eyes on, Akuta Hinako.

...I see.

At any rate, this fulfills the final part of our contract. Tell us, what will you do now?

If possible, I would like to stay in a remote part of your land, and live out my days in peace.

How modest of you. But...will Chaldea let you do that?

...

The Chaldeans have already incurred your wrath. There is no need to dirty my hands further.

It is only a matter of time now before one of your valiant Mt. Li warriors presents you with their heads.

Ah yes, we see. You do not want "Xiang Yu" to see you...getting rough, so to speak.

...

Very well. We prefer this mild-mannered act to the true colors you displayed at Ankang anyway.

However, there is one thing we must ask you before you leave our service.

...Is this world going to perish?

...

At this point, I can no longer tell which will emerge triumphant:

The will of this world to survive, or the will that would see this world destroyed.

All I can truthfully say...is that I couldn't possibly care less.

A good answer. We know now that if nothing else, you will never oppose us.

...Now then, if you'll excuse me.

...Are you sure about this, Your Imperial Majesty? I believe she still knows more about the monsters that have invaded us than she is letting on.

Yes, we are sure she does.

I was shaken when she said she did not care if this world lived or died, despite saying she would stay...

She is a Zhenren, a true human...the only one in this world who is on par with our royal personage.

Had she voiced her intent to do something along the lines of protecting the world, then our wrath would have been swift and merciless.

That would indicate her desire to fight us for this world, after all this time we spent protecting it.

But that is not what she said. Indeed, she showed she has no attachment to this world whatsoever.

In consequence, she can coexist with us as we rule.

For there can only be one human who controls the world in its entirety.

Indeed, Your Imperial Majesty. It is just as you say.

Having two or more humans exist inevitably leads to quarreling. So this cannot be permitted. As this world's only human, we shall guide the common people with our love.

All they need concern themselves with is tending their land, filling their bellies, sleeping, and reproducing. What could be more peaceful?

You've got her hands behind her back? Good! Make sure that wire is nice and tight! And don't forget the shackles!

Fou, fooou!

Oh come on, is this REALLY necessary!? May I remind you, I just helped save your lives back there!

...I can't believe a little glucose drip is all it took to get Gordy up and running again.

It really goes to show what a...um, unique person Mr. Goredolf is, doesn't it, Senpai...

Fou. Fo fooou.

？！

Fou fou. Fou fou fou. (Whap, whap, whap)

Heh, I understand how you feel all too well, Tiny. In fact, I can no longer restrain myself either.

Accursed wench! Now you're wearing a Chinese dress, of all things!?

Your wiles won't work on me, Koyanskaya! Y-y-you won't fool me ever again! Now, what shall I do with you?

Oh nooo! I can't believe I've been captured by such a brute! Whatever will become of me now!?

He must have such atrocities in mind as to put Qin Shi Huang's punishment to shame... A veritable smorgasbord of torture the likes of which has never been witnessed in all of human history!

No doubt he's going to carnally humiliate me in unspeakable ways after keeping me caged like a wild animal! Oh, I'm so scaaared!

Smorgasbord...? Carnally humiliate...? What? I mean, yes, I'm ruthless, but I'd never go THAT far...

Fo fo fo fo...

All right, that's enough of that. Remember, your and Fujimaru's lives are still on the line here, Gordy.

O-oh, yes, that's right. Where is the antidote for the poison you used on me and Fujimaru!?

The one you promised to hand over in exchange for our help!

I'll even spare you the shackles! Go on then, produce the antidote from that bountiful bosom of yours!

Don't think I don't know you know how sexy your cleavage looks in that Chinese dress! Now hand over the antidote and make the hopes and dreams of every red-blooded male come true!

Of course I'll keep my end of the bargain. Here you go.

...Just one bottle? That's it?

That's right. A single dose is all I have. And do be warned, sharing it between you will just make it useless.

What're you trying to pull?

Fou, fou.

Oh for... Come on now, think about it.

Would I really go to the trouble of preparing an antidote when the whole point of the poison was to kill my target?

I just brought along a single dose for insurance, in case I ended up taking the poison myself by mistake.

That's the one and only contingency I prepared for.

And now, as I promised, I've handed over that single dose of contingency antidote to all of you.

Whatever happens next is out of my hands. I wonder, which one will get to take it?

His Excellency, the great Goredolf? Or Chaldea's one and only Master?

And just so you know, Fujimaru, you don't have much time left either.

You might not be feeling too bad thanks to Mash's protection, but make no mistake, the poison is doing its job.

Xiān Shuāi Míng Mài dries you out from the inside. You only have a few days left to live, at best.

？！

G-grrr...!

...

...

？！

...Senpai...

Hmm. As much as it sucks, I think we have to put our personal feelings aside in favor of the larger picture.

Fujimaru, I suggest we

Fujimaru! I challenge you to a game of rock-paper-scissors!

Huh!?

Only one of us will go on living!

That means this is a clash between our wills to survive!

And when the stakes are this high, rock-paper-scissors is the only truly impartial judge!

Well, normally I would prefer a coin toss, but that would give me an unfair advantage, so rock-paper-scissors it is!

Mr. Goredolf? Um, are you really sure you want to settle this like...that?

It's all right, Mash. If they are content to make a decision this way, it is not our place to interfere.

Just you, me, and whatever hand we choose to play! A fair fight if ever there was one! What do you say, young man!?

？！

V-very well. I'm glad you're being such a good sport about this. Win or lose, no hard feelings, okay?

That includes having one of your Servants take it by force, and other unbecoming chicanery!

Fooou...

All right, let's do this!

Rooock, paaaper

Wait, whaaat!?

...

...Uh, hey, Goredolf? Why'd you use scissors there...?

I-I can't believe it...

I thought the rock declaration was just a ploy, and you were actually going to use paper...

I was all set to use my scissors to cut your paper to ribbons, and now, your rock's dashed them to pieces.

So you used reverse reverse psychology, eh...

You must have developed quite the eye for strategy after leading Servants to restore humanity...

Hey, Gordy?

So I've lost... Then I suppose I have no choice but to let you have the antidote...

...Um, Senpai...?

A-are you mad!? You're supposed to use paper here!

I said I would use rock, so I was sure you would use paper in response!

All I had to do then was use scissors, and this would all be over! Can't you see that!?

...Uh, Gordy, that's not really the issue here.

Also, Fujimaru? I think we need to have a little talk later.

Were you trying to lose on purpose?

Whether he was or not, Mr. Goredolf made the challenge for this particular duel.

Tell us, Mr. Goredolf, what were you thinking when you used scissors after declaring you would use rock?

What was I thinking!? I was thinking I'd do whatever it takes to survive! That's what I was thinking!

Go ahead and call me whatever you want! Smart, wise, dependable...I'll take any criticism you throw at me!

But I don't want to die!

？！

...Good grief. Hey, Fujimaru?

It's been a good show and all, but I think it's time we got this over with, don't you?

？！

Wha!? Hey! What's the meaning of this full nelson, Jing Ke!?

Okay Gordy, open wide!

Guh... Rrgh! Wh-what are you... H-hey! That medicine's... Agh! Ghhh...!

Theeere you go. Down the hatch.

(Cough, hack)! A-are you nuts!? Why did you make me swallow it!?

That was the only antidote we had! Now what are you going to do!?

？！

？！

That's right. You only survived because Director Goredolf ate half of that cake.

If you had eaten the whole thing, you would have died on the spot.

？！

Indeed. Whatever the circumstances may have been, the end result is that Goredolf saved Fujimaru's life...

...and despite being well aware of that, he has not so much as mentioned it all this time.

No doubt he decided it would be unfair to hold that over Mr. Fujimaru's head, given how he was about to head off into battle.

W-well... I don't know if I'd put it quite that way...

？！

...You fool. Where do you get off being so decent even at such a young age?

But very well. This is, of course, merely a matter of priorities. There can be no team without its leader.

Now that I'm fully back in action, all of our further plans are guaranteed to succeed!

...What a joke. How utterly revolting. Maybe I'll just gobble you up from the head down.

Oh? It seems we have a lady here who can't quite contain her murderous rage.

Who, me? Why, don't be silly! This has all been a huuugely entertaining farce♡

Ahh, there's nothing quite like humans, is there! I'm so touched I feel as though my heart might just burst☆

Fou, fooou!

Heh. I am afraid you have grossly underestimated us if you thought this little performance of yours would hide the truth.

That medicine you handed over is not the only means of neutralizing the poison, is it?

Oh? And on what are you basing that oh-so-hopeful assertion, might I ask?

That you chose to come to this particular Lostbelt in the first place.

You made sure to wait until the time was ripe before you went about poisoning Mr. Fujimaru.

Were your poison truly incurable, you would only need to flee once the deed was done..

As long as you had managed to cover your tracks, you could escape without leaving a trace.

And yet, by the time we had arrived in this Lostbelt, you were already here.

Now why would you do something so foolish?

...

The answer is simple: because there is something in this Lostbelt you needed to keep away from us.

And what else could that be but a way to cure the poison you used?

Ugh. I can't stand men who have nothing more to offer than their minds.

I imagine you must have heard that from Irene Adler a lot too, didn't you?

I'll thank you not to draw comparisons between her and an agent of pure evil such as yourself.

Fooou!

Now then, as we can be sure that Ms. Koyanskaya's purpose in coming here was to protect it, we must simply ask ourselves what this cure might be.

It would have to be something already lost in Proper Human History...

...as well as something unattainable in any other Lostbelt. Which leaves...

...Aha. The Fusang Tree!

Quite so. Though there are many things unique to this Lostbelt, the Fusang Tree is the only thing I can think of that would be impossible to obtain elsewhere.

As the key to the sage world's Mystics, we know that it has no end of biochemical applications, as Qin Shi Huang has so aptly demonstrated.

I see no other magecraft system that could possibly be used to refine such a strange and complex poison.

Well, I suppose there's no point in playing dumb any longer. Yes, you're right. That poison was derived from the Fusang Tree.

The substance made by distilling its roots with yin energy is called Xiān Shuāi Míng Mài, or "Immortal Decline"...

...and the one made by decocting its leaves with yang energy is called Xiān Huó Mìng Mài, or "Immortal Lifeline."

Either way, whether you're making poison or antidote, you need something from the Fusang Tree.

Of course, you could always make an antidote without the Fusang Tree as long as you could extract something with the same components...

...but we all know Proper Human History lost those kinds of Mystics long ago, don't we?

Which means the antidote I had on me was your one and only hope.

Given that I held Fujimaru's life in my hands...

...I did consider making him my slave and forcing him to do my bidding...

...but I couldn't get Akuta's report out of my head.

If only I had never heard her mention there was a Lostbelt...

...where the Fusang Tree remained alive and in human custody.

So once you knew, you felt you had no choice but to go and guard it. You must be quite the worrywart yourself.

I prefer to think of it as knowing when to hedge my bets.

Whatever you choose to call it, your instincts helped us out considerably for once.

Once we obtain the Fusang Tree for ourselves, we can cure Mr. Fujimaru's poison, correct?

Theoretically, yes.

But to actually do that, you'd have to make your way into Xianyang, where the emperor is.

And you'd have to be insane to do that, wouldn't you?

Hey, we're going to have to face off with Qin Shi Huang eventually, especially now that the emperor is trying to wipe us out for being "Confucians."

Besides, we can't leave this Lostbelt until we find the Tree of Emptiness and chop it down.

The hidden Tree of Emptiness... Well, I suppose it all boils down to the same thing.

At any rate, curing Mr. Fujimaru's poisoning remains our top priority.

Can I assume our next destination to be Xianyang then, Director?

... Uh, yes, of course.

After all, uh, we do need to get our hands on that antidote at all costs!

As Chaldea's director, I'm personally responsible for the lives of my staff, and that includes Fujimaru!

I certainly can't afford to go around dying first!

Well said, Director.

Fou, fooou!

Don't you worry, my boy! We'll find a way to save you, you just see if we don't!

You hang in there and focus on defeating Qin Shi Huang!

...I'm so relieved. I know we're not out of the woods yet, but at least this takes care of one big problem.

？！

It's great to finally see Director Goredolf back to his old self again, isn't it, Senpai!