Minute Assembly of Authorities

Hmm. Any luck finding a leyline yet, Da Vinci?

I've been searching as best I can since we got here...

...but thanks in part to the unusual way this island came together, it doesn't look like we should get our hopes up.

I see. I was hoping we could find a suitable leyline that would let us bolster our forces...

...but it seems we won't be summoning any new Servants just yet.

At least the temporary battle summons are going well, possibly because of all the magical energy in the atmosphere here.

Then we should at least be all right for the time being. Very well, let's hurry on to this temple.

(Gasp... Gasp...) Oi, are we there yet!? Even with the enhancement, my poor feet can only take so much!

Not too far. It's just over this hill. Hang in there.

...Uh, what if I, you know, carried him for a while instead?

Huh? Don't be ridiculous.

The only thing a Servant like you needs to worry about is combat.

Y-yeah... Good point. I'll do my best.

Hm? No, no need for that.

No good noble would ever abandon a task he agreed to only partway through its completion!

？！

Oho. And just like that, it would seem we've arrived at our destination.

O-oh thank goodness...

Well, at first glance, it certainly seems like what I'd expect to find at any ancient Greek temple.

Yeah, I get that. But wait'll you see the inside.

Hah! I know we may not look it, but we've actually overcome tremendous difficulties and conquered multiple Lostbelts so strange you'd think they were different worlds altogether.

So I highly doubt there's anything in there that will be even remotely surpr

What in the world is this!?

I must admit...even I am at a loss for words.

Whoa...

This looks way more like a laboratory than a temple... Or maybe even some kind of factory.

At a glance, it seems like this engineering surpasses anything at Chaldea... And if that's true, that would make it more advanced than even the most cutting-edge tech of modern-day Proper Human History.

(Shocked at how little idea she has about why this is so shocking)

That's way outta my wheelhouse. I'll let you all figure it out.

Fou...

Give me a moment while I boot it up.

What should we do with Nemo?

Lay him down on that table there.

All right.

Phew. I can tell I'm going to be nursing these stiff shoulders for hours to come...

It was a surprisingly long journey, wasn't it? Thank you so much for doing this, Director.

Huh? What's this now? Why are you looking at me so affectionately all of a sudden? I don't trust it!

You're smiling just how Toole III used to when she'd say "This next one's going to be a little bit challenging"!

Pretty sure that's the paranoia talking.

You're so right, Fujimaru!

...Come now, is this really the time for silly wordplay!?

I swear, you should know better than to try to make jokes to people so utterly exhausted.

Hey, you were the one who went along with it...

？！

Let's see...

I think I press here first, then make sure it's turned on...

Scanning... Scanning...

Theos Klironomia allotments remaining: fifty-three. Target capacity: ???

Error: non-Olympian detected.

Unable to provide Theos Klironomia.

Well, that doesn't sound good.

Don't worry, all part of the process. Let's see, what was the next step...?

Okay, you've gotta cancel out of this operation, take advantage of the time-out error...

Olympian lineage confirmed. Bloodline value: ERROR

Releasing Theos Klironomia.

So those are nanomachines... They seem more like mercury than anything.

They might look like mercury, but they're not toxic. At least, I'm pretty sure they aren't.

Oh? And how do you know that?

...Because I went through this same treatment myself, back when I'd been fatally wounded.

What!? Hang on. Then how do we know you haven't been brainwashed!?

Well...I'm not entirely sure either, but...

...if I was, wouldn't I have already killed you all way before we even got here?

Well, yes, very probably, but still!

Assimilation: complete. Spirit Origin restoration: incomplete.

Nanomachine capacity has been exceeded. Three thousand five hundred forty-three hours remaining until full self-restoration is complete.

Ngh... What...is this place...?

Captain Nemo!

Are you okay?

Oh... Right. I thought I'd been blown to pieces...

Wait! Where's the Border!? How's the crew!?

Rest assured, everyone survived the attack. Including you.

Unfortunately, the Nautilus's outer hull was split right down the middle, resulting in its complete destruction...

...and the Shadow Border core, though still intact, sustained enough damage to render further passage impossible.

Fortunately, the Border's cloaking function still works, so we were able to haul it up onto land and hide it.

I see. So it's basically a beached whale...

Well, now that you're up and about again, can't you restore the Nautilus as well?

...No, I can't. I was only able to put that Noble Phantasm together in the Wandering Sea's dock.

I need Sion's help to solidify it into a ship that actually exists in reality.

...Besides, even if Sion was here, my Spirit Origin's an absolute mess.

There's no way I could perfectly recreate the Nautilus down to every last screw right now... Dammit!

I understand how you must feel, Captain Nemo, but please try to calm down. You still need to rest and recover.

Pardon me, Captain, but what would you think about growing your bangs out?

...Huh?

Whoops, my mistake. What I meant was, what would you think about having my ship tow yours?

What can I say? It's just how I say hello.

How dare you!? I'm nothing like him!

I'm pretty sure he'll go for anyone at all as long as she doesn't care about jewels!

Oh, and I think he especially likes short women, too.

I have to say, you two seem more alike than not...

？！

Tabling...whatever that nonsense was... Towing, huh. And at least the outer layer is already restored.

Is this the same button?

Theos Klironomia allotments remaining: forty-four.

I knew it! There's still plenty left we can use!

Go on, Mandricardo, give him the rest of these nanomachines.

Then he should be back to his old self in no time.

I wish I could, but I can't.

Why not?

You heard it say he's over capacity, right?

It means there's no way in hell this thing'll give him any more of its nanomachines.

We only get one shot to error around its restrictions, and we already used it.

It's weird, though. This thing oughta be more than capable of healing a Servant...

I see. It must be because my Spirit Origin is tied to the Nautilus, so it's actually a lot bigger than it seems.

I see... I suppose you ARE able to move about freely even as you keep your Noble Phantasm in constant operation.

Hey, uh... Mind if I say something, Master?

？！

There's more temples like this on other islands.

And these machines are...what's the word again? You know, not connected.

Oh, right. Independent.

Hmm, I see. So they aren't networked, huh?

Besides, these Theos Klironomia nanomachines are the gods' relics. The technology is actually obsolete.

Oh really? So the stuff they're using now is so much better they can just throw this stuff away like so much junk? Is that so?

...No, honestly, I can't even be mad. I'm too impressed at how damn well it works.

Anyway, I'm not a hundred-percent sure, but I think we can get more of these at the temples on other islands.

Oh, and some of the stronger Demonic Beasts have these nanomachines too.

Only they use them to enhance themselves.

I see. Yes, this is all starting to come together.

Holmes?

I assume the other Rogue Servants got ahold of such nanomachines as well?

Yup, they sure did.

It all began when someone started wondering why some Demonic Beasts were so much stronger than others.

They ran some tests and figured out it was nanomachines powering them up.

'Course, I don't know much in the way of specifics.

Given how they meant to challenge the gods of Olympus without a Master, I have no doubt they wished to even the odds as much as they possibly could.

Now that I've experienced what these nanomachines are like, I can say that they also serve as a source of magical energy.

It's almost like they're a pseudo secondary type of perpetual motion machine.

You mean like Frankenstein's Galvanism?

Basically, yes.

If you played your cards right, I can see how you might be able to use your Noble Phantasm even without a Master.

This means that the Servants who infiltrated Olympus may well have a better than even chance of victory.

In that case, we should try to meet up with them as soon as possible.

But we'll need the Nautilus to be back in perfect working order for that, won't we?

And to make that happen, you'll need to explore all the neighboring islands, not to mention getting past the three layers of defense to actually make it onto Olympus.

Dammit! I should've known the largest Lostbelt of them all wouldn't make things easy for us!

Well, at any rate, now that the Nautilus is back, it shouldn't be a problem if I go back to it, right? Right?

You have a point.

We can't leave the Nautilus undefended forever, and I'm worried about the staff, too.

Okay then, Holmes, Nemo, Gordy, and I will all head back and stand by on the Border.

Much as I hate to ask this of you yet again, Fujimaru and Mash...

...I'm afraid it'll all be up to you two from here on out.

Good luck. We're all counting on you.

Great! That's just what I like to hear!

Well, well, listen to you. I daresay you're starting to sound like a fully-fledged Master.

New Director, with all due respect, Senpai has never been anything less than an absolutely stellar Master.

I'd even argue it's no exaggeration to say that if he's fully-fledged, all other Masters are only fledged at best!

My word! I'd forgotten how worked up this Demi-Servant can get whenever the topic turns to Fujimaru!

？！

...

Crap! They found us.

There they are!

Atlantis Border Guards!

？！

They're the soldiers patrolling Atlantis on Odysseus's orders.

Be careful. They're all hopped up on nanomachines, too!

I'll go circle around behind them, Mandricardo! We can't let them alert the main force!

Got it.

？！

Of course.

Rest assured, I've got your back. All you need worry about is the enemy directly at hand!

Roger that. Okay, Master, I'm ready for your orders whenever you're ready to give 'em.

Don't worry, I'll make sure these guys don't go anywhere!

... ...

That's 'cause of the nanomachines in their heads.

The catch is, they end up losing their humanity in exchange.

Like I said, they're hopped up on nanomachines.

'Course, the trade-off's that they end up losing their humanity...but they don't seem too bothered by that.

？！

That was quite the walloping we gave them. Are you sure they're not dead?

Yeah, the nanomachines are keeping 'em alive.

But even if they're not dead, they'll still be outta commission until the nanomachines finish healing 'em.

So I don't think we'll have anything to worry about for the time being.

(Clearly, the smart thing to do here would be to kill them...but...)

Hmm. Then there should be no issue leaving them as is. No need to bother with them, Fujimaru.

We have plenty of more pressing things to do than wasting our time and energy unnecessarily.

Hmm. All right, we'll leave them be then. The next thing we have to worry about is Odysseus.

It won't be long now before he realizes that we're still alive and on Hestia Island.

And thanks to his incredibly tight security...

...his soldiers already found and destroyed most of the Second Bartholomew Fleet I'd been building in secret.

The only ship I've got left is my own: the Royal Fortune.

Ahh, my poor fleet. I hardly knew ye...

Then we had better move on to our next destination with all due haste.

To be honest, I would have liked to spend a bit more time investigating this temple...

But I suppose I can make do with analyzing the sample of nanomachines we collected here aboard the Nautilus.

... ...

(Crap. Now what do I do?)

(I missed my chance to bring it up, but are we just going our separate ways now?)

(Or can I keep going with them?)

(Meanwhile, Bartholomew's just planning to tag along like it's no big deal at all. Man, that must be nice!)

(Still, I don't know if I feel good about taking up Master's time while the group is still figuring things out...)

？！

Oh, uh, nah, it's nothing.

...So hey, uh, would it be okay if I came along with you guys?

...Gotcha.

!

...That so? I see, I see. Hmm.

You seem awfully pleased about that, Mandricardo.

Who, me? Naaah, this is no big deal. Really.

(I can already tell this guy's going to be kind of a pain!)

？！

It's great to have you on board, Mandricardo! I'm Corday!

O-oh, thanks. ...Um...

It's okay. I understand.

I won't be upset if you don't know who I am.

Okay, good.

'Cause honestly, I got no idea.

... ...

Hey! Didn't you just say you weren't gonna be upset!?

I'm not upset. I'm just sad.

(This is exactly why I'm such trash with people!)

And here I thought the walk home was going to be so much easier. Remind me why I'm still carrying you?

Honestly, I can still barely move. I feel as sluggish as a beached fur seal.

Well, you could at least try to make an effort!

What do you expect? It's still gonna take some time for Nemo to get back on his feet.

Sorry, Gordy, you'll just have to bear with it a little longer.

Dammit, Butter should be the one handling things like this. Where is he when you need him?

Come on, you know. The guy with the glasses and... Uh, the glasses.

That's it, Moony-air. Or was it Meurienne? Oh well, it doesn't matter.

Really, thinking about it now, I should have been the one to stay behind with the Border...

？！

Do you think the Border's okay?

...Yes, it's fine, at least for now.

The sonar is still working, so I can tell there aren't any hostiles nearby.

Oh? You mean you can tell that sort of thing even at this distance?

Only what's been reported to me, thanks to the one marine that stuck around.

...Are you sure I can't put him down, seeing how he's feeling well enough to talk?

Nice try.

... ...

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Oh, uh, yeah, everything's fine.

I was just thinking how this is the same position I was in on my last trip not too long ago.

...You wanna hear more about it?

All right, but there isn't all that much to say.

I was just part of the group of Servants that went off to Olympus.

'Course, all the others' True Names are sealed away, so I don't know who they were any more than Bartholomew does.

But I do remember there was one Servant who was real good at making hideouts, and built a bunch of them all around the different islands.

So we might find some clues or other things that could help us if we check them out.

... ...Oh, right.

I probably should've told you about those before, huh? I'm sorry.

Sounds good. Thanks.

I get the feeling I was probably left behind to tell you guys about that kinda thing, so.

Oh, that? I don't know who it was, but somebody told me it was important that I did.

？！

You know, Odysseus, Poseidon, and Artemis are about as big as they come.

I honestly don't know if we even have a chance of beating them...

？！

!

N-no, wait. That's not what I meant!

(Dammit, how could I be so stupid!? What kind of Servant goes around saying they can't win!?)

(Then again, I don't wanna lie. And it's not like he'd believe me, anyway! I mean, how the hell can anyone beat real-life gods?)

(Not to mention we've got way fewer Servants now, and Artemis's keeping a much closer eye out than she was before.)

(...What're we gonna do?)

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... ...

...Well sure, if there's anything I can do to help, I'll do it.

Just maybe keep your expectations of me in check. After all...

This is the only weapon I've got.

A plain old wooden sword. Nothing special or historic about it or anything.

If I'd materialized as a Saber, then I might've been able to bring Durendal with me, but no, I'm just a Rider.

Then again, I still might not have it then, since I just picked it up when that bastard Roland happened to leave it behind.

And since I don't have any memory of wielding that sword since becoming a Servant either...

...I'm guessing that means the Throne still doesn't see me as a real hero.

...Ugh, sorry. I didn't mean to bring down the mood.

Well hey, don't worry. Even a dinky wooden sword like this oughta be enough to take out a hundred soldiers or so.

So if nothing else, I can still fill in the gaps in your lineup.

Anyway, it looks like we're falling behind. Come on, Master, let's go catch up.