Section 1: A Little City's Tiny War

...Everyone has regrets.

"If it only could be like this." "If only I'd done that." Nobody makes it through life without having such thoughts at least once.

Given that failure is an inevitable part of life, there is no sense dwelling on it.

But of course, dwell we do, don't we!

Yours truly is no exception!

So for today, I would like to spin you a story of regret.

It's all well and good to have regrets.

But if you try to rid yourself of them, there will be hell to pay like you cannot even begin to fathom.

That's the sort of comical fable I have in mind for us today!

Ah, this does bring back memories, doesn't it, Master!

That's right, it's me! James Moriarty, everyone's favorite old man from an alternate dimension.

Huh? You want me to take this more seriously? All right, if you insist.

...My name is James Moriarty. I am also known variously as the Napoleon of crime and the Old Spider.

Oh, I do beg your pardon. Where are my manners, rambling on in front of a Master I've never met before.

You don't even know who I am just yet, do you? Hehehe...

...My name is James Moriarty. I am also known variously as the Napoleon of crime and the Old Spider.

And now, I am your Servant.

So, now that that's out of the way, you are officially invited on a fun little pleasure trip! Don't worry, the risk of losing your life is almost completely negligible!

Just sit back, relax, and enjoy this stroll down Regret Lane!

Waaahahahaha!

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Goood morning!

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Oh, I do beg your pardon! Hello and good day!

I'm glad to see you in good health, Fujimaru.

I can see, though, that you are wondering where you are.

I'll come right to the point then! We are lost in this Rayshift, you and I!

We have no way to ask for help, nor any means to receive it.

That is to say, we are now on a stealth mission, and all weapons and equipment must be procured on-site!

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Indeed. We now face the same harsh circumstances as an MI6 covert operative. I've heard of wholesale delegation, but this is ridiculous.

But worry not, Master. I know this world, and I recognize the time period in which we find ourselves.

In fact, I believe that is why I am the one who is here with you.

Well, uh... I suppose you could say that...

I will have you know that I am only in my fifties, thank you VERY much! There is nary a grandpa to be found here!

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All right, allow me to explain.

We are currently in a mansion found in a certain European city.

It is the late nineteenth century, though without a newspaper, I cannot be certain of the date.

Our cover story is that you and I are bartenders employed at this mansion.

Are you with me so far?

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And may I say, they suit us rather well!

Now then... Hehehe, here is the problem we face!

Hmm. On second thought, perhaps it would be better if you see for yourself.

Let's leave the bar for the moment and take a stroll around the mansion itself.

Oh, and as a rule of thumb, I would strongly advise you to keep your voice low and not speak to anyone.

...At least, for now.

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Yes, this mansion's owner is something of a local legend. He effectively runs this entire city.

And just look around. He must be at the center of any number of deplorably immoral and, dare I say, criminal acts to afford such luxury!

Hey now, Mr. Moriarty.

I can't speak for my ancestors, but I certainly have no recollection of being involved in anything of the sort.

Hahahaha, forgive me. I was just having a bit of fun.

(This is not the Sieg you know from Chaldea. Make sure you speak to him as though he were a complete stranger.)

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Fujimaru, this is our employer, Sieg.

Nice to meet you, Fujimaru.

I'm afraid you won't have much time to get your feet wet. Things are about to get very busy around here.

Make sure that you treat all of our guests with the respect they deserve.

Whatever you do, do not speak to them as though you are on friendly or familiar terms.

As long as you remember that, you're free to handle your responsibilities however you see fit.

Oh, and Mr. Moriarty? I'm counting on you to take care of that matter we discussed earlier.

...And now you have met our employer.

That will become clear once you see the guests we are about to meet.

Good question. We will be paying them a visit shortly as well.

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At peril of sounding like a broken record...do try to contain your surprise.

Well, well.

I'm surprised to see a thug like you here, seeing how the only thing you're good for is guzzling cheap booze.

It breaks my heart to see Lord Sieg disgrace himself with his poor choice of company.

Ha. I'm sorry, did you say something, old-timer? I could barely hear you over the sound of your bones creaking.

If there's anyone who doesn't deserve to be at this mansion, it's the worthless fossil who can't even set foot on a damn boat.

Whoa, whoa, easy there, fellas.

Sieg invited us all here, remember?

So who cares about disgrace or worth! The important thing is, we all have the same qualifications to be here!

...Besides, none of us is ready now. Hell, they haven't even gotten here yet, right?

...Hmph. And here comes the hyena.

Ooh, hyena, huh. I like that. They're the ones who always come out on top, seeing how they thrive off dead meat.

... ...Tch.

...Well, no matter. We still have some time until the auction.

If I were you, Yan Qing and Izo, I'd think long and hard about what I want to do with my life between now and the auction starting.

Right on. Thanks for the tip!

Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing.

...But then again, I guess there isn't much point in you thinking about what you want to do with your life.

At your age, all you've got left to do is pick out a burial plot.

Yes, but keep in mind that they are not at all the people you know.

Very astute, Fujimaru. Yes, I believe it's exactly as you suspect.

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Perhaps you remember what happened during a similar incident not so long ago? A mystery of sorts at the Kogetsukan, yes?

Back then, I believe your brain substituted figures you were familiar with for those whom you had never met...

...so as to avoid overwhelming it with new visual information.

This time, the new figures may share their names with the ones you know, but in all other respects, it is the same phenomenon at work.

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Ah, yes. Unfortunately, they appear to be the same Servants to me as well.

But there are some...extenuating circumstances that give me a bit more insight into their true identities.

...Simply put, these three...ah, gentlemen are gang leaders.

Diarmuid may not look the part, but I trust you can sort of see it with the other two, no?

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As for Diarmuid, I imagine he was chosen because his looks and attributes are similar to those of the man he's standing in for.

After all, his dapper looks have apparently made him quite the talk of the town as of late.

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Indeed not.

Diarmuid's group has been based in this area for many years now, a gang with a long tradition.

They have their hands in every single one of this city's dark dealings and secrets, but they're also considered a pillar of the community.

Then, about twenty years ago, Yan Qing's gang came along and put paid to that peaceful state of affairs.

As soon as they came into the city, they were very aggressive about taking on whatever dirty work they could find...

...including the type of jobs that Diarmuid's gang had long refused even to touch.

Naturally, this led to turf war after turf war, with both sides gunning for each other around the city.

That state of affairs continued for several years until about three years ago, when both sides decided to put an end to these killings and came to terms.

That was when Izo's gang of longshore workers came along and complicated things further.

Now, all three of these gangs are in a stalemate, ever at odds with one another.

Oh? You seem puzzled by something. Well, I suppose I can't blame you.

Unfortunately, that's easier said than done!

You see, each of the three gangs has something unique holding them back.

Indeed, eliminating the weakest opposition is a classic for a reason.

But in this case, each of the three gangs has something unique keeping them safe, even as it holds them back.

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Diarmuid's group has numbers on their side, and they're also the ones most entrenched in the city.

But in this case, that strength is also a weakness.

As long as he remains here, Diarmuid needs to keep up his image of a chivalrous man about town.

That makes his group old and staid, unable to make the bold moves necessary to remove the others.

Whereas Yan Qing's group is the newcomer that arrived in the city long after the status quo had been established.

The people of this city are highly unlikely to ever trust them...

...but in turn, that gives them the freedom to do whatever they want.

As this city was never theirs, they feel no obligation to restrain themselves on its behalf.

And finally, we have Izo's gang.

They have the fewest numbers, but they also control the docks.

And since this city's industry depends on those docks, the other gangs can't do much to hurt them.

Do you follow me so far?

Good. Because it only gets more complicated from here!

Very well, let's see if we can't make it simpler...

Diarmuid controls the biggest gang, Yan Qing the medium-sized one...

...and Izo the smallest. That is the key takeaway.

Does that help make it clearer?

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Now then, I think we had best adjourn the lecture now in favor of doing our job for a bit.

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On another note!

We've got wyverns!

That was the second most popular line in the "Things I've Always Wanted To Say" portion of the Servant Census.

Da Vinci put it together herself.

Please don't look at me like that!

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In a strange twist of fate, it seems there are wyverns runningor rather, flying, around in this time period!

The little devils apparently like to sneak into this mansion, so Sieg has entrusted us with keeping them out!

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Well, I do have an inkling or two as to how this state of affairs came to be...but for the moment, I think we had best focus on the wyverns at hand!

All right, Master, I'm counting on you for backup!

Indeed, it seems matters are even stranger than I expected...

Regardless, it does seem the part about them invading this mansion was true.

And it would certainly make things worse to have Demonic Beasts causing trouble now, while the gangs are already at odds with one another.

Good grief... All this, and it still hasn't even begun!

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...Heh heh heh.

The answer to that...will have to wait. Why, you ask?

Hold on, let me just put on my disguise here...

Because!

The time!

Is not yet right!

End of story!

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Heh. I'd say it was well worth it just to see you roll your eyes like that, Master.

Incidentally, that line took third place in the aforementioned Servant Census.

Which, once again, was put together by Da Vinci herself.

Boy, that really grinds my gears!