Fate/Grand Order story · Events, Valentine's 2021
Section 1: Let's Read Books
Valentine's 2021. Valentine's 2021_Chaldea Gate
2 scenes, 267 lines
1. Before the battle
223 lines
...
(Reading a book)
Hm?
I didn't know so many Servants were bookworms...
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(Reading a book)
(Reading a book)
Oh, pardon me. I was so caught up in this book I didn't even see you!
Hm? What sort of masterful writing could cause a man as great as myself to make such a careless mistake?
Oh, it's nothing, really. Just a book with the simple title of "Fionn mac Cumhaill: Knight of Gold."
I have to say, I never knew reading could be so much fun!
Not at all, good sir. If anyone should beg pardon here, it is I. I am in the same boat as you, Sir Fionn.
These days, I spend much more time broadening my mind than I do practicing my sword.
I, too, never thought I would ever be so engaged with books...
...but these neat rows of letters written out on paper are far more engaging than I ever thought possible.
It has been quite enjoyable, going back to basics like this.
I know exactly what you mean. I don't even need to consult my thum...er, Finegas, to understand where you are coming from.
We knights are no more than men who have only tales of bravery and valor to our names, after all.
My beloved wife would be worried sick if she saw me so absorbed in a book, of all things.
In fact, she would almost certainly suspect me of using it to cover up adultery, or some other distasteful business!
Not that I would ever do anything of the sort, of course. I trust things are similar in your order as well, Gawain?
That they are. At least for me.
Say, could I trouble you to lend me that book once you are finished with it, Sir Fionn?
By all means. I would be happy to let you read it.
Now, what's that you're reading there? ...I see. So it's called "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"...
Hmmm.
That explains it...
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...
(Reading a book)
... ...
Fou!
Aah! Fou?
S-Senpai! Wh-when did you get here!?
I'm so sorry I didn't notice you sooner!
Don't worry about it.
This is far from the first book I've ever read, but I was still so caught up in it!
What're you reading, Mash?
The Iliad, Homer's Greek epic.
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What were you reading?
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Oh, this is the Iliad, Homer's Greek epic.
It's about the Trojan War. The one Achilles and Hektor fought in.
A lot of the Heroic Spirits here love that book.
Oh yes!
The way it's written really makes you feel as if you're right there watching the Greeks and Trojans waging this war on behalf of the Greek gods.
It's a tragic story, so full of death...
...but it also has such beautiful depictions of strength and valor on both sides...
I'm sorry. Once I started reading it, I just couldn't put it down.
Didn't a guy named Heinrich Schliemann excavate the ruins of Troy?
Yes, he did!
The Iliad was thought to be entirely fictional for a long time, but thanks to Heinrich Schliemann, an archaeologist from the late nineteenth century, many people now believe this story reflects real historic events.
It's a true Mystic, weaving history and mythology together like few other historical works.
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...Sure seems like a lot of people have caught the reading bug.
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Oh, really?
Yes, it looks like they have!
We didn't often see Servants reading, but now we seem to have books everywhere.
And there's a very simple explanation for that.
Namely...
...we have a library now!
This is it. The underground library.
I'm told it's a massive new library that just showed up here one day, separate from the one we already have.
It might seem like it takes up a lot of room, but they say it's actually using magecraft to bend the space around it.
As a result, it fits entirely in the storage area, and doesn't get in the way of the Magical Reactor or other support systems at all.
First I've heard of this.
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R-really? That's odd. It's not like Da Vinci to leave you out of the loop...
Oh, maybe there's a bug in the email server!
That might be it.
I'll make sure to check on it later. It could just be a loose cable or something.
Da Vinci's definitely not the type to forget to tell us something important.
No, she's not.
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... ...
Back in Chaldea...
...all of our databases were digitized, and we didn't have much in the way of paper books.
Maybe that's why I got so caught up in these actual books...
Don't sweat it! Besides, this is your time off!
Thank you, Senpai!
Fou fou.
You really do like paper books, don't you?
...Yes, I do.
They were very rare back at Chaldea, so...
Fou?
... ...
...I understand that there's no meaningful difference between reading a tablet or a book in terms of the information you get.
And yet, it's strange. When I read a paper book...
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You can't put it down?
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Right. Exactly.
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Here we are. This is the underground library's reception desk!
...Welcome.
My underground library is home to books old and new, from far and wide.
It has history books, biographies, mythology, legends, tragedies, comedies, classics, new releases, fairy tales...
...period pieces, Westerns, lowbrow humor, political drama, occidental, oriental, Middle Ages, contemporary...
Ancient records, recent best sellers, fiction, nonfiction... As well as maps and field guides.
Oh, and of course...we also have tales of revenge, and stories of romance.
If there's any book you can't find on our shelves, please come straight to me.
We really do have a librarian...
... ...
Good day, Master of Chaldea. I suppose this is our first time meeting, isn't it?
Nice to meet you.
It's nice to meet you too, Master of Chaldea.
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By your leave, I am the librarian of this underground library, and a Caster.
My True Name is Murasaki Shikibu.
I have been enthralled with letters, words, and human emotion since I was a child...
I hope you will be patient with me, as there is still much I do not know about the modern world.
Welcome to Chaldea!
I'm Fujimaru.
Murasaki Shikibu was born in Japan during the Heian period, just like Raikou and Kintoki.
I think...she was an author, right?
Yes! She's best known for The Tale of Genji, the very first novel in recorded history!
It takes place during the Heian period, focusing specifically on noble society and the exploits of its titular character Hikaru Genji.
But Murasaki Shikibu was also a famous tanka poet. Some of her poems are included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, which is still used in karuta to this day.
She's the tanka poet who wrote The Tale of Genji!
Thank you, Senpai!
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As a Heroic Spirit, she manifested as a Caster, and I believe she specializes in Eastern magecraft.
The results speak for themselves. She used her own magical energy to make this underground library from scratch...
...converted all the books saved as files in our database into physical objects...
...and now lends them out to the Servants and staff for free.
Y-yes. Didn't you...?
Fou, fou.
...Uh, yes. I suppose...I must have.
I consider this a type of onmyoudou myself...
A type of phenomenon where something miraculous is spun beyond mortal ken and bound with the mind.
If such beautiful things as that are what you call magecraft...
...then I am sure what you said must be true, Lady Mash.
...To be perfectly honest...
...I was never very good at onmyoudou back in the Heian period.
It is only now, as a Servant, that I find myself in command of so many skills I could never have managed before.
I still have much to learn as a Caster, but I hope I can be of use to all of you nonetheless.
Glad to have you with us!
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Thank you, Master. It is a pleasure to be here.
... ...
...Now, having said that...
I'm so terribly sorry!
...I've made a terrible mistake!
I really wanted to do things right this time, and make a fabulous Heroic Spirit debut...
But then, it just happened...
One of the books from a collection I made using my magical energy got away from me!
Fou, fooou!
Got away? So, you mean...a book's gone berserk?
Yes, that's right. It was just this morning, when I was organizing the archive...
There we go.
Phew. I think that's enough stocking up for today.
I feel bad, putting so many of these books away. People poured their hearts and souls into writing these words.
I only hope they find their way to someone who truly appreciates them one day...
Hm? Now what's this book? That's strange. I don't think I recognize it...
What!?
Why is it floating!?
Eek!!!
H-hey, what are you doing? Is that...!
I put that in my bag specifically so...! S-stop! Don't absorb it!
Give that back to me this instant!
Ah!
Oh no. Is it...gone!?
...This is all my fault. I should never have been so careless.
Now one of the books I'd long kept in my library's archive has taken on a cursed life of its own.
When it is not feeding on all the information and magical energy it can find in its vicinity...
...it runs around endlessly in an instinctual act of self-preservation.
I've come to calling it the Cursed Book. (Sniff)...
Fooou, fou.
... ...
Back when I used to serve the Empress, Lady Shoushi, the other ladies-in-waiting used to pick on me for being too highbrow...
I was so saddened by that experience that I refused to leave my chambers for a time...
It wasn't until I began feigning the vapidity of an airhead that I only just started to fit in at work...
But I really wanted to get it right this time!
I was so determined to make a perfect debut as the Heroic Spirit of Books, and that you would all be glad I was here...
...(Sniff) But now, I've gone and ruined it all...
Don't worry, everything will work out.
It sounds like we just need to get that book back, no?
Right, Master! If this book is dangerous, we can't just let it run around doing whatever it wants!
Fou!
Of course not. Besides, everyone loves the new library.
Nah, it's fine. Everyone makes mistakes.
Besides, we know from experience that all bets are off when it's Valentine's season!
Besides, we're in the legendary Wandering Sea right now. Anything could happen here!
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Hm? Oh, good, it seems that was the right switch. Can you hear me?
Semiramis?
Yes, it is I.
Da Vinci was feeling ill, so I had little choice but to take over communications for her.
Now, uh, regarding the reason I am calling...
You see, um, we seem to have an, ah...emergency on our hands...
I noticed a strange book drawing near to my magical energy reserves I had set aside specifically for this year's Valentine's Day...
...and it gobbled up every last drop. There is nothing left for this year's chocolate production at all.
Did you say a strange book!?
She did, Senpai! That must be the Cursed Book...!
All of it!?
It didn't seem to be one of the Demonic Books we usually face. Did it come from that library, by any chance?
Yes, it did! Oh no, this is terrible...! This is just what I was afraid of!
It's going around attacking people...!
Hm? What was that? This control panel is so strange, it's hard to make heads or tails of it...
Hmm. It looks like a number of magical energy signals are headed your way. You'll need to handle them on your own.
Fo, fou!?
Senpai!
This is all my fault. I am so, so sorry.
I have to put an end to this before anyone else gets hurt! Please, let me handle it!
No way! We'll fight with you!
No way! It's too dangerous to fight on your own!
2. After the battle
44 linesThe hostile entities have been eliminated!
Fou fou.
I can't believe the Cursed Book is transforming into a monster...
There it is again...!
Fou, fooou.
The Cursed Book has been recovered... Does that mean this case is now closed?
I'm afraid not. Just a moment...
...There, I've completed my analysis.
This is not the original Cursed Book. It's a separate book that was given some of the stolen chocolate resources.
So, the Cursed Book can use the magical energy it absorbed to make copies itself. Then, if we don't do something...
Yes. It won't stop until every book in the library has been similarly cursed.
But, if we can recover the original Cursed Book, we should be able to neutralize all of the copies with a single recovery ritual!
Fooou, fou!
For the moment, I've sealed off all the books in this library, so now it will only be able to curse books that have already been checked out.
In that case, it should not be too difficult to find this Cursed Book.
So, be quick about it, Fujimaru!
Yeah, yeah, I know. It's all up to me again.
One "yeah" is quite enough, thank you.
By the way, what was the deal with those Choco Dragon Tooth Warriors...?
They were the same as the ones from last year, no? Then the Cursed Book must have made them as well.
...Yes, it did. I am so sorry.
...Murasaki Shikibu, was it?
Y-yes?
!
Y-yes, you're right. I'm so sorrI mean, thank you.
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... ...
Lord Fujimaru, I can't thank you enough for all your help.
Having had a chance to participate in a battle as a Servant myself now, I understand how woefully inexperienced I am.
I feel bad that Lord Seimei wasted so much of his time trying to teach such a poor student as me...
But inexperienced as I may be, I will do whatever I must to clean up this mess I have made!
We'll help too, Murasaki.
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Thank you. Truly.
I will never forget this debt I owe you, Lord Fujimaru of Chaldea.
Fou, fooou! Kyaaau!
I guess that means we're going on a book hunt then, Senpai! Look, even Fou is excited about it!
So I see! All right then, this librarian is officially taking some time off!
After all, those books aren't going to hunt themselves!