Section 2: Triangle Gang

Oi, gimme more booze!

Me too! C'mon, hurry it up!

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Tch... I see you lot are just as disgraceful as ever.

Oi, what'd you just say!?

Keep your goddamn mouth shut if ya know what's good for ya, gramps!

All right, gentlemen, that is quite enough of that.

Let me remind you that it is my employer you would be inconveniencing if you fought here...

...and that would certainly not be to any of your advantages.

At least, in my humble opinion.

...Hmph. Fine, whatever...

You've got a lotta nerve talkin' to me like that, bartender...

Hahahaha! Just goes to show how nobody respects you lot!

Fuhahahaha, it's wonderful to see you all enjoying yourselves!

But I must warn you...even I cannot guarantee a happy result should you engage in fisticuffs here.

Ghh...

Phew! Alcohol really is dangerous stuff, isn't it?

Perhaps we should simply close the bar down. Or at least ban them from the premises.

Good thinking. In fact, I was just about to ask you to do that myself.

Even guys like that should be able to control themselves as long as they stay away from alcohol.

So from now on, I'd like you to limit the bar to myself, the different organizations' leaders...

...and the men who will be showing up soon.

You got it, boss.

？！

Good. I'll leave this in your capable hands then.

...So, this is really happening tomorrow.

I take it you are reluctant to part with it?

Of course I am.

That relic has been passed down within my family in secret for a thousand years.

I never dreamed that I would ever let it go.

But now that it's come out that it is in my possession, it could put the whole city at risk.

So before word spreads too far, I plan to sell it to the highest bidder...

...and invest the money in helping this city prosper.

That's quite magnanimous of you, sir.

I promise you my cohort and I will do everything in our power to help you see this through.

Thank you. I feel better knowing you're here. All right, see you later.

Phew, that was quite the little ordeal. ...Hm? Is something wrong, Master?

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All will be clear tomorrow, you'll see. Now, what say we pick up our lecture from where we left off yesterday?

I trust you recall the three organizations' different characteristics now?

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Quite right!

Now then, let's assume each group pursues the best course of action for them to seize control of this city.

Group A, Diarmuid, would ideally like to team up with Izo to take out Yan Qing.

Once that's done, he could take his time folding Izo's small organization into his own.

But that would not be to Izo's interests.

While he may be able to get rid of Yan Qing that way, it would leave him helpless against Diarmuid.

And that, of course, would all but assure his defeat. As such, Izo can never team up with Diarmuid.

So then, you might think Izo could just team up with Yan Qing to take out Diarmuid, but there, too, you would be wrong.

After all, they too are now an inextricable part of the city!

Then, what if Group A, Diarmuid, teams up with Group B, Yan Qing, to take out Group C, Izo, first?

Yes, such a team up would let them take out Izo easily, but also lead to its own rather messy set of problems.

Without enough people working the docks, the city's economy would all but grind to a halt.

More than that, neither group truly NEEDS to team up with the other to take Izo down.

Both A and B would merely hope that their partner ends up bearing the lion's share of the losses in the battle to destroy C.

In summary, there is no viable path forward for any group. Forming an alliance, going on the attack...neither of these are feasible options.

It is quite the stalemate.

And now, something new is being added to the mix.

I trust I don't need to explain what a Holy Grail War is to you, do I, Master?

...Phew. It's almost time...

Tomorrow, there's going to be a battle for control of this case. That's just the way it is.

This is to help build a better future. I have to accept that there are going to be sacrifices.

It won't be easy... But at this point, I see no alternative.

We just aren't strong enough to keep this relic safe on our own anymore.

Just keep cool for now. It all comes down to what happens next.

We're the ones who'll be taking control of this city.

We're not going to let these damned outsiders have so much as a scrap.

As soon as the ritual is over, we're going to kill every last one of them...!

...Hehaha.

I can hear that stuck-up old man yapping away. So much for that chivalrous routine he likes to put on.

If he's gonna shake his cane at us for being outsiders after we've been here twenty years, we'll just spend two hundred years working our way in until we're a goddamn institution!

This city wants us to take it over. It's practically begging for us to liven the place up.

It all comes down to tomorrow. If the others think they can mess with us, they've got another thing coming!

We live by the sea, and we'll die by the sea.

Long as we've got this town by its lifeline, it doesn't matter how few of us there are. We're the strongest of them all.

And once this battle is over...we'll be the biggest, too.

If the losers refuse to get down on their knees and beg for mercy...

...we'll just kill every last one of them!

？！

Yes, but this will be something of a miniature versiona kind known as a Subspecies Holy Grail War.

Three mages are scheduled to arrive here tomorrow.

They will begin by making bids for the relic in question.

It holds considerable power, you see...

...so of course, the mages taking part in this Holy Grail War all wish to secure it for themselves.

But the real problem...

...is that each of the three warring gangs has backed a different mage.

In other words, whoever wins this Subspecies Holy Grail War will also win control of the city.

Yikes indeed.

Uh, yes! Indeed it is!

？！

Suffice to say, our role here...

...is to keep them all in check so as to minimize damage to the city.

Or so I gather.

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Good question.

We can't count on backup from Chaldea, and you and I have limited options at best.

But, I can tell from the expression on your face that we must find a way, no matter what.

Very well, but there is little we can do now. At this point, it all comes down to tomorrow.

So tomorrow, let's begin by seeing what course of action each group chooses to pursue!

Good morning, Master.

Hehe, tell me, have you ever considered running a bar or a café once you've retired from Mastering?

I bet you would enjoy it quite a bit if you partnered up with the young Ms. Kyrielight!

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Welcome. I'll be your bartender for tonight. My name is Mash Kyrielight.

And as a bartender, I thought I should suit up for the occasion!

I can't drink alcohol myself, but I'll do my best with the cocktail shaking!

Ei! Yah! Hrah!

？！

Welcome to Café Chaldea!

I'm Mash Kyrielight, your server for today. Please sit back and relax!

Oh, right. I almost forgot.

Welcome back, Senpai...♡

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...All right, I think that's enough daydreaming. It would seem the mages have arrived.

I'm surprised to see all three of them here so early. Perhaps they just couldn't wait any longer!

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Are you still woolgathering!? Come on! Snap out of it!

Good day, everyone. Welcome to my home.

Mm, nice location. I'd love to requisition this place, land and all.

...I see you like to waste your time dwelling on trivialities, even when you're about to do battle.

Go ahead and think about whatever you like.

In the end, such thoughts are mere delusions. In a few days, you can waste your time grieving for the treasure you failed to claim.

...Hmm.

And here I thought we would be seeing Casters show up to represent these mages...

I suppose we can take this as a sign that each of these mages is really quite battle-hungry.

Allow me to welcome you all once again. I am honored to have you here in my home.

...But then, I guess there's no need to stand on ceremony, is there?

You're all here for something I own. I'm aware of that.

You also know that multiple sources are ninety percent sure that it's the genuine article.

I expect, then, that you are all here to verify that last ten percent in person?

Yeah, pretty much.

None of us would be amused if we came all this way only to have it turn out to be counterfeit.

Agreed. I don't wish to sound demanding, but I would indeed like to see it for myself.

Naturally, I wouldn't dream of trying to kill the others at this time.

And neither would you, Count Vlad, correct?

Of course not.

No true mage would be so foolish as to throw away their honor here. That would be an act of beasts, not men.

I would never do anything to disturb this peace while the item's owner shows us such hospitality.

Thank you. All right then, you may go and see it for yourselves.

This is the relic that has been passed down in my family for generations.

The linden leaf that stuck to the back of a heroic dragon slayer.

...!

It's... It's real! This is definitely the genuine article!

I may not have been a mage for very long, but I can still recognize the real thing when I see it!

Indeed. I can tell it is indeed what our host claims with merely a single look at its magnificence!

Now I have no doubt that with this in hand I would win this Subspecies Holy Grail War!

...I see.

So, this relic can serve as a catalyst with which to summon a powerful Servant.

Given that most such artifacts, such as the snakeskin to summon the King of Heroes, and the Gordian Knot to summon the King of Conquerors, have fallen into the Association's hands...

...this could well be the last of its kind in the entire world.

For a relic like this, I would gladly take part in a Holy Grail War.

...I'm glad to see you all understand.

I must ask you all to pay richly for a chance to own this relic...

...but I think you will agree that it is well worth it.

As I'm sure you all know, this leaf is a powerful catalyst that can be used to summon the great hero Siegfried.

Using this catalyst, your chances of summoning anyone else are negligible.

It cannot be divided among you, however, as its effectiveness as a catalyst would be greatly compromised by the damage such division would cause.

So only one of you may claim this relic.

But no one need be hurt to do so. That is certainly not what I want.

That is why I will be holding the auction.

I have faith that you're all able and willing to pay what this relic is worth.

... ...

(Very nice. Do you understand, Master?)

(All any of them care about is getting a jump on the others. Naturally, they're not afraid to get their hands dirty if it means gaining an edge.)

(Depending on how things go, there may not even be an auction at all.)

(Absolutely.)

(Now then, how should we go about this...)

(An excellent question.)

(None of these mages, nor the gangs backing them...)

(...can afford to let anyone else have this relic.)

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... ...Only one of us, huh.

I'd love to resolve this peacefully if we could.

As would I. But, that is easier said than done.

Isn't that right, Count Vlad?

Izo.

What?

I need your entire fortune. That relic there is worth every penny of it.

A-are you nuts!? You want my entire fortune...

...just to buy a damn leaf!?

Silence.

I don't mind letting you pretend to run the show in public.

But if I fail to acquire that leaf, you will spend the rest of your life paying me back.

Ghh...!

...Hmm.

(Looks like I've got a real shot at this.)

(So in the end it all comes down to money...)

(Well, these are small-timers. They'll have to scrounge up every penny they can just to have a chance.)

(Normally, a catalyst of this quality would be forever beyond our reach. Only those ranked Pride or higher would even get to see it.)

(But since the only other mages here have loose ties to the Association, that opens up a wealth of options...)

I'll be holding the auction tomorrow.

The only ones who will be allowed to bid are Alexander, Prince of Lan Ling, and Vlad III.

No exceptions.

Even if any other mages should catch wind of this auction, and enter a bid higher than one of yours...

...we have no plans to alter the arrangement.

(Perfect!)

All right, that's all for today. Please feel free to relax and enjoy yourselves until tomorrow.

Of course, you are also free to take this time to put together as much money as you can, if you wish.

...Phew.

Mr. Moriarty and...Fujimaru was it?

Tomorrow is when your work really begins. I'm counting on you.

Understood.

Great. Okay, see you later.

Well, we certainly have our work cut out for us, but for now, why don't we focus on the task at hand?

You got it!

It's supposed to be wyvern control, but never mind that now!

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