2wei! The Land of Dragons and Sea III

This castle belongs to me and Lord Jason. Please come inside.

(Psst... "Lord Jason"? Does she mean that doll?)

(I think so...)

？！

Anything you like, as long as it's something I remember. Oh, but I already know what you're going to ask.

You're thinking I might be Medea, the Heroic Spirit of the Princess of Colchis. Correct?

Well, hehe, you're wrong. It's true that I was born from Princess Medea, yes...

But I'm not the Servant you think I am. Even if she exists in your world, it's a different person.

I was merely modeled after Princess Medea. I am but a young girl's fantasy.

I act like Medea, I get sad like her, laugh like her, and I live happily in the tiny world I was given.

The Servant System is an active summoning system, but we are passive, and born from the unconscious.

Our purpose was different from the start.

A different purpose? You didn't come here because you were summoned?

That's right. I was wished to be this way.

And there is no final goal in this wish.

There's only a sudden end. Even if we saved the world, we weren't able to end.

Because as long as we were sought, the next story would soon begin.

But that's all in the past, now that I've found myself here.

I see. I understand your situation.

So unlike Illya, you wandered here from a different world, did you, Fujimaru?

To find oneself in a strange land, and not know what to do... That helpless feeling is something I know well.

So I won't just turn you into a pig. To tell you the truth, that was my original intention when I invited you here.

Oh, I knew it. I knew this castle reeked of ash.

Probably has all the walls ready to scatter special caustic lime.

Stuff that would turn you all into little piglets.

As expected from a priestess from the Age of Gods, her magecraft is on a different level than ours.

Hyah!? Ruby, you should've said that earlier!

Oh, but, but... if you're going to leave Fujimaru be, then you can do the same for me...

No. You're different. You're a magical girl. I'm very cruel to magical girls.

...

What? But I don't want to be betrayed anymore. That girl won't betray me? I should trust your eyes?

She's talking to Jason again... We can't hear him though...

Very well... This is what Lord Jason says:

"That magical girl isn't smart enough to lie. Her heart is as free of deceit as her chest is of breasts."

Excuse me, but can I karate-chop him?

What? No! I'm the only one who can have my way with Lord Jason, so please don't.

Anyway, Lord Jason is being gentlemanly for once.

He's saying to call off the sneak attack and talk with you instead.

Oh, uh... That's what we were planning from the start, so we can talk all you want.

No, I'm not interested in your problems. I don't care about other magical girls.

What I'm going to offer you is a peaceful trade.

This island and this castle remind me of Corinth. I simply want to continue my tranquil life here.

Whatever you do outside this land, I promise I won't interfere.

？！

Yup, of course! If we weren't just attacked out of nowhere like that, we wouldn't have...

Right, Mash?

But what about the jewel's guidance? And what did you mean by "trade"?

I meant that, just as I won't interfere with your business, you won't interfere with mine.

And no, no matter how much you want it, you can't have this jewel. I've named it the "Tomoi Stone."

This stone is what supports this oceanic kingdom, and gives me my power.

This world is big, but it's also tightly closed. There were once many more magical girls here.

They all wanted a kingdom of their own, and so fought with and stole from each other.

I was one of those girls.

I am a healer. A medical magical girl. I have barely any means of attacking.

The most I have is mental offense and divine punishmentthings like pig transformation, tiny world confinement, and so on.

The battle was very difficult. I was a relatively weak magical girl, after all.

Ugh... It's like hearing an amazing swimmer say, "But I don't know how to fly."

...

I'm not sure, but I think Jason is saying, "There's nobody as scary as you!"

Silence, you barbarians, you who specialize in destruction! ...Speaking of which, I want to try a Buster Noble Phantasm too!

Ahem. Excuse me. I'll get back on topic.

The magical girls fought each other in pursuit of their own ideals for peace and order. It was a clash of values and worldviews.

I tried to run from the fierce combat, but it was impossible.

Each time an enemy came I would just stab, stab, and stab some more...

That's awful... Medea...

Master, it's probably best to ignore that. Who knows when Rule Breaker might show up?

？！

Before long, this stone that appeared in my hand grew in weight and shone brighter each time I fought.

I can tell. This stone is the catalyst that supports this fantasy.

？！

You must be talking about the areas where the magical girls' influence doesn't reach.

That's the neutral zone: a buffer zone born from the balance of power that all the fighting gave rise to.

You cannot receive the blessings of your power there.

Do you understand? This jewel is the only small hope I have left.

Taking this from me would be equivalent to my death.

So the only thing I can give you is a promise to leave you alone. Illya, I won't try to steal your jewel.

So please leave. With that jewel you can create whatever land you want.

If you want something, use your stone to get it instead. If you want friends, make a land of friends.

I'm sure it'll be wonderful. A place where everyone who visits becomes your friend.

That isn't right.

I don't want more friends. I want to be with one I already have.

We go to school together... We laugh together...

Sometimes we fight and go our separate ways, but even then, before long our desire to see each other again becomes too great.

I was able to meet someone like that, someone as important to me as myself.

So I don't need anything else.

Compared to you and your wish to just live in peace, I know it's a very greedy and selfish goal, but...

I'm sorry! Please! I came here to save my friend!

I'm not here to steal your jewel! I don't even really know what they do!

You know a lot about this world. If you could just give us some clues...

...A way to get out?

It may seem cruel, Illya, but you cannot leave this world now.

Not only can you not save your friend, there's no exit for you either. As long as you're a magical girl.

No, you won't even have the will to leave... That's how desperate this place is.

In the end, you will always be a weak magic user, a weak magical girl...

One who could only make miracles happen for the sake of her friends.

So in the end, you will definitely come to rely on the power of that jewel.

Just like we did, burning each other to ash as we clung to that tiny hope...

In the end, I'm going to rely on this jewel?

Give up on this Miyu girl. If you want to know how to make friends, I'll happily teach you.

That is the one thing I can do for Nursery Rhyme, the girl who gave you that jewel and disappeared.

Huh? Wait, what does that

The jewels are where our wishes dwell. They are the last light that keeps us alive...

When Nursery Rhyme let hers go, she quickly vanished into nothingness.

Of course, there's no need for you to be sad. That was her choice.

And even without waiting for her destruction...

That greedy Medb, Queen of the Land of Snow and Honey, would never ignore her.

The Land of Sweets will fall to Medb's forces sooner or later.

Perhaps Nursery let you escape from Medb's clutches.

No...

No... I'm sorry...

I didn't know... I'm sorry, Nursery...

But I...! I have to... I have to save Miyu no matter what...!

Oh dear. It was probably your stubbornness that drove Nursery to action.

Or maybe she'd given up herself, and was on the verge of disappearing.

Even if she could not do it, she entrusted her hope to someone promising who still Aargh! Geez!

It's so stupid! That's the problem with sugar-brained magical girls who come from fairy tales!

Medea!? What is this dangerous aura around her?

Half-assed hope! How many times do you have to get betrayed before they're satisfied?

Wake up, Lord Jason! Let me hear some of those nasty little comments you always make!

？！

Ha! This is great! The type of person Medea wants to see least in the world has come to visit her.

Someone who keeps going, even towards uncertainty. Someone who tries hard, even if they don't know how.

Someone who does their best no matter how battered and bruised they get! Someone who doesn't even think about compensation!

Medea! Just like you when you were in the temple, before you joined me!

That's why you're showing your true self!

What you feel isn't anger born of hatred. It's righteous rage, born of sorrow!

Don't tell me that, after all this, you're feeling sorry for yourself and wishing you'd tried a little harder!

N-No! I wasn't... I didn't...

I am the Queen of the Land of Dragons and Sea! A priestess of the goddess Hecate!

You were never able to become king, no matter what you did, so I built a kingdom for you and settled down!

Yes, that's right. That's right. You couldn't even kill yourself. So that's what's right for you.

Which means now, you must follow your own fate!

You can work, work hard, or work even harder! A magical girl is all about doing things all the way! Right?

Oh, um... Th-That's... That's right! I'll do it! I'll get to work!

Good answer! Let's see, to start with...

The Spartoi Family's "Adventure on Siren Island" diorama has a long ways to go!

Right, Lord Jason!

Plus that 1/48th scale Argo kit and the Supermobile DX Talos are still in their boxes!

You're not going to call yourself Greece's greatest builder without completing those two, are you? Aren't you embarrassed?

I'm sorry, Lord Jason! But I gave Talos to Europa...

Huh? I'm having trouble following this...

The God Nipper that Hephaestus forged for you is crying!

Yes, Ultimate! You're right, Lord Jason!

？！

All right, you're finally fired up! It was worth making you talk to those people, even if it was a pain!

That non-aggression pact is useless now! We're dang lucky a jewel came to us before Medb arrived!

You lost the will to fight, so this is truly your last chance!

All you can do is heal? Don't be stupid, ignoramuses! I think you're great!

Right, my pretty little Medea?

Show me once more how violent it is to not be able to die in battle!

R-Right! Thank you! I will! I will!

...Um.

It looks like she couldn't handle her guilty conscience as a healing-type magical girl, and pushed all her will to fight onto her familiar.

It's common for magical girls in puberty to be dependent like that.

I didn't want to know that! And Medea looks like she really wants to fight!

Oh, Mash... Are you going to transform!?

Medea won't be an easy opponent!

If we have to, we can use the Rayshift to at least get Master out of here andDoctor?

...Doctor? Doctor!?

？！

Of course it has. Don't underestimate a modeler. When I use an airbrush, I always mask things up properly.

I severed your link with the outside world the minute you arrived at this castle.

Ungh! I'm sure you've noticed, Master...

But the castle's surrounded not just by humanoids, but by large creatures as well!

Here we go again!?

Aren't magical girls supposed to become friends after they talk to each other?

Hahaha! You're one to talk, aren't you?☆

？！

Fujimaru... (That's right. I can't cause any more trouble for them!)

Right...! I'll do what I can!