Run, Run, Run Far Away

There! I see them!

Dammit! If the bow's any indication, that's an Archer!

It'd also explain how they saw us from so far away without Clairvoyance!

？！

You said it! We have all this space to run, and somehow we barged right into a Servant on patrol while we're making our escape!

...Or was this part of Moriarty's plan all along? Ah, screw it! We just need to run!

We're almost in the clear! A little farther, and we'll be in that forest!

？！

I am sorry to say I don't have a specific plan in mind, but I can at least think of a few possibilities!

For the moment, our focus must be on survival!

(Camouflage... A smoke screen... A flash bomb... Dammit, none of those'll be enough!)

(Maybe the smoke screen'll do it if we can make it to the woods first...?)

？！

My, my, this won't do at all. I thought we'd have more time before the people of Proper Human History showed up.

I must say, this does take me back to the time of the Three Kingdoms.

And yes, I'm aware of how much trouble that period was to go through. Which is exactly why I'd rather things not get any more complicated than they already are.

？！

While the Azure Sky may already be dead, I'm afraid our Revenge Realm still has yet to achieve supremacy.

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...Understood!

Huh!? Are you serious!?

Follow me, Mr. Zemlupus! And as for you, here! A little parting gift!

Guh!

Hngh!

M-my eyes!

Leave them.

But Lord Zhang Jue!

Oho. So, you know who I am, boy?

You must be a believer then.

Never heard of me, hm? Well, I can't blame you for that.

Indeed, I am Zhang Jue, the Taoist-turned-Caster of the Yellow Turbans.

？！

And you must be the Master of Proper Human History. Perhaps I should just kill you now...

Maybe we should present him to Lady Kriemhild first?

Just knowing he fights for Proper Human History makes my blood boil too, but even so.

Yes, I suppose we should. Take him away.

Yes, sir!

...Oh, right. Are you accustomed to torture, son?

？！

You may wish to familiarize yourself sooner rather than later. Waha, wahaha, wahahaha!

It seems we've managed to shake them for the time being...

...So what do we do now?

First, we report in. Can you hear me, Da Vinci?

...Loud and clear! What in the world happened over there!?

Well...

Oh, no!

I'll...I'll go suit up right now! Please prep the Rayshift for me!

W-wait! Mash, stop!

The Ortinax still isn't ready for action, remember!?

But if I don't go now, they'll...they'll kill...!

I-I'm inclined to agree. This is a disaster, no matter how you look at it.

Even if the Ortinax isn't exactly tip-top, we need to get him out of there ASAP!

...No, I can't sign off on that plan.

Yes, Fujimaru is invaluable for us, but so is Mash!

I absolutely cannot send her into battle with the Ortinax in its present state!

But

Mash. Calm down.

Take a look at Fujimaru's vitals. What do you see?

...

O-okay. I can see that all his vitals are still trackable.

So we know he's still alive.

And how's he doing mentally?

He's obviously a little concerned, but all still within standard tolerances.

So then, he's not worried about dying right this instant?

I am also against sending Mash on a hastily improvised rescue mission.

According to Sheba's future observations...

...he will remain alive for at least the next three days, seven at most, even if we do nothing.

Hmm... I see.

Well, Sheba's never been wrong before. If that's what it's telling us...

Right. We may not know the exact situation, since we are only able to see bits and pieces of it, but we do know he will remain alive.

So it all comes down to what we make of this situation, huh? What's your take on it, Holmes?

Mr. Fujimaru will be safe for the time being.

They won't miss a chance to question him and learn what he knows. Even if they do decide to kill him, it won't be without due process.

That may change if he refuses to cooperate, but I very much doubt that will be the case.

Mmm... Well, if all three of you are sure about this...

... ...

If you're...absolutely sure...

...Ghh... Gnnn...!

Mash!

...Yes, Director?

You will not be Rayshifting anywhere until the Ortinax's maintenance is complete.

With proof that Fujimaru is alive and well, it would be dangerously foolish to send you into battle with damaged equipment.

Since he'll be safe for now, we should make certain we give our rescue attempt the best possible chance of success.

...Understood...

... ...

...He WILL be okay, right?

Knowing Fujimaru, definitely.

Just look at how many times he's already cheated death.

And you don't think there's any danger of that giving him a misplaced sense of...invincibility?

If the comms interference ceases, we can try negotiating with his captors ourselves.

They're holding all the cards! How can we possibly negotiate?

We use the most primal and effective negotiating tactic of all time: begging for his life.

...All right! Let's call that plan B!

Right now, I need something to calm my poor stomach!

So they didn't scold you?

Oh, the director gave me a richly deserved earful.

So what do we do now? Are we gonna go rescue him?

No. We'd only be throwing our lives away if we tried. Did you see that Caster?

The Taoist? I don't know much about Chinese magecraft.

Nor do I. But I did recognize his reference to the Azure Sky already being dead.

It's from an ancient Chinese manifesto. It goes on to say that the Yellow Sky will soon rise.

The Yellow Sky, in this case, refers not to the actual sky, but the leader of a certain religious sect, known far and wide for his exceptional skill in Taoist arts.

This leader and legendary Taoist was named "Zhang Jue." His sect's name was Way of the Taiping, or "Great Peace."

And as long as he's around, it will be next to impossible for us to sneak in undetected.

Taoist arts, huh...

Also commonly known as sage arts. I only know of them on a superficial level myself...

...but suffice to say, charging into his realm without some manner of advantage would be a very poor plan indeed.

That much, I can say for certain.

We'll see what we can find out on our end, too. So, what ARE you guys going to do now?

It's a far cry from what I originally had in mind...but I think we should pay a visit to the Reinstatement Realm.

The Reinstatement Realm? I mean, that's fine with me, but why?

Are you gonna negotiate with them or something?

I plan to, yes.

There is one thing nagging at me, however. One thing I need to look into before anything else.

What's that?

What exactly do they mean by "reinstatement"?

...Come now.

If we can convince them to help us...

...we will have many more options available with which to rescue Fujimaru.

...Yeah, I guess you're right.

Let's go, Kadoc. We've no time to lose!

Okay.

Hey, Saber.

What?

What country are you from, again?

Come on, man, how many days have we been in the same squad, now? What's it gonna take for you to remember?

I was in the Hundred Years' War, so you guess where I'm from. My name's... Eh, forget it. It's not like you'll remember.

You're from Sicily, right?

Whoa, you remembered! Yup, I sure am. Home of the Mafia.

The Mafia's a good few centuries after your time, isn't it?

Hahahaha! They've still got my blood running through their veins!

How about you, Archer? You've never teamed up with us before. Where are you from?

I'm one of the Knights of Fianna. My True Name is

Don't bother. Nobody's gonna remember.

'Round here, we're all just heroes and Servants.

Share your True Name today, die tomorrow like so many others. So, what's the point in telling anyone?

The only ones worth remembering are the three Servants who've been around since these realms were formed.

One of them's our own Lord Zhang Jue, the Great Teacher.

Another's Lady Kriemhild, the queen of revenge the whole realm is named after.

And the third is...well, never mind the third.

The only others maybe worth remembering are a few currently making a name for themselves on the battlefield.

Not too long ago...

...there was Billy the Kid, the notorious outlaw... Edward Teach, the mad pirate...

Kijyo Koyo, the out of season flower... And Frankenstein, the artificial Berserker.

There've been a few others who found brief fame, but they all died in battle, died by their own hands...or who knows what.

Anyway, if you want anyone to remember your True Name, you'll just have to fight hard and get promoted.

I know that. Glory in battle is the highest honor a warrior can earn.

That's the spirit.

？！

Hey, you!

？！

Yeah, you. The guy riding in my chariot.

？！

You're not a Servant, are you? I can tell. There's something different about you.

And you're not a civilian, either. It'd be way more surprising if you were.

So that must mean you're a Master. Am I right?

I knew it! So where're you from?

I can't quite place you.

Hmm, you know, there's a Servant in another brigade who kind of reminds me of you.

？！

Don't bother with small talk. He's going to be executed soon.

Really? Is that true, Lord Zhang Jue?

Hoho. We'll just have to see what happens.

Nervous?

？！

Then how about I see what your fortune has to say?

Oh wow, lucky you! It's not every day Lord Zhang Jue agrees to tell your fortune!

...Hmm. You have both terrible luck and great luck when it comes to new encounters.

Your overall fortune is bad luck. You have no hope of escape.

Flattery may get you places, but you'll have to play things by ear. That about sums it up.

？！

Haha! Well, guess you're not so lucky after all!

...And now, we're about to be attacked.

Wha...!!!

They're headed our way from the northeast. Everyone, prepare for battle.

I don't know which faction they're from, but either way, we're going to make them regret messing with us.

Let's show them what happens when you defy Zhang Jue, the Great Teacher.

We got them, Lord Zhang Jue. The battle is over.

Casualties on our side... Oh, we lost that Archer.

Guess his name wasn't worth remembering, huh? Poor guy!

Then let's resume our march.

Indeed. We'll soon be back in our realm...

Kriemhild's realm: the Revenge Realm.

？！

Take a look at the sky, Chaldean.

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That's our realm's primary characteristic.

When the Revenge Realm takes over territory, its sky turns red just like this.

Makes it easy to tell when you're in our realm, no?

Rider-Class of Scouting Patrol One, reporting back.

Let's take a look... All right, you're all clear. By the way, that a prisoner you've got with you?

That's right. This is our enemy's Master.

You're the Master...!?

So we'll be heading straight to the castle from here. I trust that's all right?

Yes, sir!

You can stay here, Saber. Rider, you lead the Master to the castle.

Yes, sir.

Make way! Make way! Go on, move!

？！

Damn straight they are!

Every last one of our citizens is a properly summoned Servant!

？！

Pretty much!

It's got commerce, residents, people coming and going... Everything you'd expect to see in a city.

We've even got kids here. I mean, they're Servants too, but still.

You like to ramble on, don't you? Reminds me of...me.

Oops. Sorry, sir.

Ah, no matter. We're here now.

I'd keep quiet if I were you. I'd rather not have to hurt you.

My queen, we've captured the Master of Chaldea.

Have you, now?

... ...

？！

He's our enemy, right?

I'm fairly certain the only thing to do with our enemies is execute them.

Well, yes, that's true. But we should at least see what information we can get out of him first.

Suit yourself.

？！

...Is something the matter?

？！

... ...

...I've changed my mind. Prepare to execute him.

We'll make a spectacle of it, much like they did in other countries.

What about an executioner?

You know how many Servants we have. There must be at least one who can fill the role.

Well, I suppose I could look for someone from the Sanson family, or one with a connection to guillotines...

Then do that.

As for your question...

We're angry.

And we know that our anger is morally justified.

Each of us has chosen to rebel against Proper Human History.

？！

I will have my revenge.

Revenge upon this entire putrid, abhorrently arrogant excuse for history.

Revenge upon the story that plunged me into the bottomless depths of despair.

？！

You think revenge is ultimately pointless? Empty? Not at all. In fact, it's anything but.

That empty tranquility is exactly what I wanted.

So I will tear Proper Human History apart until not a shred of it remains.

Please, Your Majesty, calm yourself.

...Throw him in the dungeon. I don't want to see his face until the execution.

Yes, my queen. All right, let's go.

I'm sorry to have to put you in the dungeon, but the queen's word is final.

But hey, don't worry!

We've got another prisoner down there too, so I'm sure you'll make friends in no time!

？！

...What a dull man. I'm going now. I'm far too busy to waste any more time here.

Oho. Anything I can help you with?

Not unless you're a logistics expert.

I very much doubt you are, given your failure to manage your Yellow Turban bandits.

Hmph. I'm afraid you've got me there.

Though I still believe my Yellow Turbans would have succeeded at dyeing China yellow instead of being tarnished as bandits...

...if the illness I contracted hadn't ended my life prematurely.

Put him in the dungeon.

Yes, my queen.

Come on, let's go. Can you stand?

All right, you just stay put and don't make any trouble, got it?

？！

？！

We'll make a spectacle of it, much like they did in other countries.

...Oh, right. How are you with torture, son?

...ey. Heeey.

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Heeey. Heeeeeey. Can you hear me?

？！

Oho, so you can hear me. Great!

Man, I haven't had a newcomer join me here in forever. How's it going? You okay?

？！

Well, that's too bad. Hm? Hmm? Hang on.

You're not a Servant, are you?

Aha, so that's it! A Master, huh. Well damn, that's not good...

Don't wanna answer, huh? Well sorry, but that's not gonna stop me from guessing.

You're a Master, aren't you?

？！

Me, I'm a pretty minor Servant.

For one thing, I'm super weak! 'Cause of reasons!

？！

Yeah, if I'm being completely honest, right now I'm even physically weaker than your average Caster!

？！

Nope. Why do you think they've got me locked up in here? Wahahaha.

But hey, what're you gonna do? Especially when you're on humanity's side, like I am.

？！

Yup, that's right.

I wasn't summoned here to rebel against humanity.

I'm one of the few Servants in this whole Singularity who's here to protect humanity, instead.