Fate/Grand Order story · Events, White Day 2023
Prologue/Shell, Sky, Soulless
White Day 2023. White Day 2023_For Chaldea Gate Display
1 scenes, 133 lines
1. Before the battle
133 linesThe safe is old-fashioned.
The man takes out a stethoscope and places it on the door, listening carefully as he slowly turns the dial.
Sure, an autodialer would be easier, but they're much too noisy for his liking.
Besides, he's always been a big believer in little things adding up over time.
Three turns to the right at 74, two turns to the left at 65...
And just like that, the first door is open.
Next comes the lock. That's the easy part. All he needs for that is the duplicate key he stole.
It's rare for anyone to maintain airtight security for decades, no matter how closely guarded a particular valuable might be.
And with that, the second door is open.
Now for the third door.
This one requires a sequence of numbers and letters entered in the right order.
A password.
It would be impossible to unlock if that password was composed of a random string of characters...
But a particular word selected to be both secret and memorable? That's a different story.
The man recalls everything he knows about the safe owner's life.
He knows this password must have been set decades ago, at the time the safe was purchased, and that it would still be the same today.
He focuses. Who besides the safe's owner would have been present on the day it was bought and installed?
The man takes a deep breath, and enters his best guess with trembling fingers.
He knows he will only get one shot.
It works.
The man carefully opens the final door, doing his best to keep his cool...
...and sighs.
The safe is completely empty. No cash, no gold ingots, no securities, no encoded secret documents, not even artwork...
There is not a thing inside to be found.
The man stares at the emptiness for a time before slowly getting to his feet and looking up at the sky.
Oh well. These things happen.
It will take more than this to make him give up.
Even should his failures greatly outnumber his successes, he will remain undeterred.
Instead, he turns toward his next destination, praying it will be different. He knows this journey will be a long one.
There's a reason arguments are prohibited here.
Putting aside cases like Mr. Direct Current and Mr. Alternating Current, since they'll never reach a consensus...
Many Servants have very different views on religion, political systems, societal problems, and so on.
Our views are inevitably influenced by the time and place we grew up in, and there is no single correct answer to any of these big questions.
And to make matters even more troublesome, many of these views are inextricably tied to what makes us who we are.
What I'm trying to say is, nothing good can come from crossing these lines.
So it just makes sense that those topics would rarely come up. If they did we'd be at each others' throats.
Of course, between hotheaded fighters like the Celts, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Greek warriors...
...it certainly doesn't take much for squabbles to erupt into actual combat.
But even in those cases, I believe they do their best to keep things professional, for lack of a better word, so as not to leave any lasting grudges.
I see...
Why do you ask? Is there something you're concerned about?
Yeah. It's about Paris...
Right.
He had forgotten about this until recently, but it turns out he has the Apple of Discord thanks to his Noble Phantasm.
I think I know who's responsible, too.
My QP's on the sheep being behind this.
？！
I snuck it in because I thought it'd be good for a laugh. And I'd do it again if I could.
Hahaha, yeah, that sounds like a Greek god. If nothing else, they're very...uninhibited.
Then again, perhaps a less generous adjective would be more appropriate...
Anyway, I was just wondering what we should do about it.
？！
...Hmm.
I can think of a few things off the top of my head: destroy it, seal it away, or give it to someone for safekeeping.
The first two would be easier, but I can understand if you'd prefer not to go that route.
What about the safekeeping option then?
You'd have to give it to someone extremely unlikely to sow any discord themself. If you wanted to keep it with a Greek...my suggestion would be Medea.
I'm quite certain she could handle a Noble Phantasm like that easily enough.
...Her actually agreeing to take it is another matter, though.
Other names that come to mind include Georgios, Martha, and Jeanne d'Arc.
Essentially, anyone with the title of "saint" can generally be trusted to have plenty of self-control.
I see...
But one person does seem perfect to me.
Someone who would be sure to accept, and who would do an excellent job of taking care of it.
Really? Who?
(Munch, munch... Gulp)
Thank you. That was yummy.
So...
You just want me to hold on to this Apple of Discord?
If you don't mind.
Oh, that was my idea.
I'm guessing you'll be basically immune to the Apple of Discord's influence.
Oh? How come?
Well
Aha, there you are.
Sorry to interrupt, but we've got a minute Singularity on our hands. Can you come to the Command Room ASAP?
Oh, so you were in the cafeteria.
I'm afraid we've got a minute Singularity on our hands. Would you mind coming to the Command Room?
Got it!
？！
Hmm, that sounds urgent.
Okay, I'll go too. But I still want to hear what you were going to say later.
Oh good, you're here. Let me get right to it then.
Take a look. This is the Singularity now, as observed by Sheba.
Hey, hey, thanks for coming. Let me get right to filling you in about this minute Singularity.
First, take a look at this. We managed to get a pretty good idea of what's going on there.
Someone put a Holy Grail on display!?
？！
It's actually in its solid grail form, too. How odd.
That's true.
Most Holy Grails consist solely of wish-granting magical energy, and never take on any shape at all.
Well, there was that time a Holy Grail essentially became a handbell back when Nightingale was Santa, but that was sort of the exception that proves the rule.
Well, there was that time a Holy Grail essentially became a handbell back when Nightingale was Santa, but that was sort of the exception that proves the rule.
It's so shiny. Do we have to bring it in for safekeeping?
Yes, that's right. But unfortunately, this Holy Grail is protected by very heavy security...
...and we're still not sure how to get around it.
Well, yeah, theoretically...
But as you can see, this Holy Grail's being kept on display, like a valuable work of art...
...and we're not sure how to get around the security.
Hmm, hmm.
Well hey, it's just being kept in a glass case, right?
So can't we just break the glass and be done with it?
Oh, and if you're worried about whether I'm sober or not...don't! I've only had a little morning pick-me-up!
Just a moment.
You ALREADY started drinking!? Servant or no, that can't be good for you.
Ugh, you doctors are such stiffs. I wish I could take a page outta your book!
There's no need for tha... Wait. You do?
Well, sure I do.
But this rough-and-tumble way of life is all I've ever known.
It's just how I am at this point. Hehehe.
I suppose I can't argue with that...
So hey, Master. If you're heading out to repair this Singularity, Sanson and me can come along if you want.
Definitely!
Great. I'm gonna knock 'em dead out there!
That'd be great. Thanks, guys.
All right then, let's do this thing!
Agreed. I'll do my best to be as helpful as possible.
？！
Voyager and I will come along too.
Understood. Then Master's team for this Singularity will be...
Jing Ke...Charles-Henri Sanson...
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada...and Voyager.
Is everyone all right with that?
Then I'll stay behind and be your navigator.
I look forward to working with you all on this mission!