4ier!!! The Land of Snow and Honey II

I'm going back to the Land of Sweets to check up on Nursery Rhyme.

Are you sure about that, Illya?

Yep. I'm concerned about her.

I know the gems are pointing at the Land of Snow and Honey as the next destination, but...

I'm sorry for troubling you guys with my arbitrary decisions.

Please don't be. I think the way you feel about her is very sweet.

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Thank you.

...

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An intense woman. She's a magical girl of blazing ice.

Fierce and merciless. A giant mass of possessiveness. Her rigid nature is like a castle that molds her.

She holds the reins of all kinds of contradictions, tightly knotted together.

If the root of a magical girl's power lies in her strength to believe in herself, she must be the strongest one.

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Medb? Of course not. Her sanity is beyond doubt. She's absolutely in her right mind.

Perhaps she was the only decent one among the rest of us.

In this warped world, she was probably the only person who managed to keep being herself till the end.

She had been in this world since before I arrived. There was a time when we journeyed together...

But I put some distance between us when she became obsessed with her lust for control.

After that, she dialed up on her madness. Or maybe I'm just flattering myself thinking that.

Most likely, she hadn't changed. Not at all.

Helena...

Medb said she was ready to accept me as a member of her invincible army.

That's why I mistakenly thought Miyu had been abducted by her.

The formation of Little Witch Codes to rebel against the First Lady's rule. That was her idea.

So she hasn't given up on that ambition yet.

What's the matter, Fujimaru?

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Yes, they are! Those are the snowfield-specialized hostiles!

They appeared in the neutral zone again! We were off our guard! Doctor, why weren't you on alert!?

That's impossible. We're still on constant alert here. Maybe there was a change in the surrounding environment?

They're coming straight toward us! Doesn't look like talking would do any good... (Gulp)

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to fight.

I may be with you guys, that doesn't make me want to directly stand up against Medb.

After all, she is one of the magical girls, too.

In this neutral zone, I wouldn't be able to use that much of my power anyway.

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Yes, Master!

Sure, I'll back you up!

There's no response? Is something wrong with the connection to Chaldea again?

Don't glare at me, Mash. Do you think I purposely took you to a dangerous area?

I didn't do anything wrong. Though I admit this was a predictable result.

What exactly do you mean by that? At any rate, this means we can't...

What!? You guys can't go back to Chaldea!?

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Fujimaru, everyone, are you guys all right!?

Doctor! What a relief. I was worried for a moment.

Unfortunately, it's too soon to be relieved. Chaldea has been attacked.

What!? This can't be happening...

It is happening. Using our Leyline connection, they sent several hostiles over!

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That's right. We were apparently hacked.

The disconnection you experienced a short while ago was intentional.

We barely managed to deal with the enemies that attacked us thanks to some on-call Servants, but we can't keep this up.

Fujimaru, Mash, I need you both to return immediately.

So that means...

That said, knowing Mash and Fujimaru,

I'm sure you two won't say yes so easily. I know that.

But I still need you to understand this is an urgent matter.

For now, I'll cut the connection again, to prevent any effects from your side.

I will contact you again in five minutes. Make a decision by then.

Senpai...

Oh...

It's snow. It's starting to snow.

From what I observed of Medb's familiars and of our surroundings during battle...

I can tell that Medb has started to unleash considerable forces to attack surrounding lands.

I can't believe we've endangered Chaldea... I don't know what to say...

Sorry to interrupt your pity-party, Mash, but you should probably deactivate your transformation.

What? Why, Ruby? We've just finished a battle. Wouldn't it be dangerous?

The magical energy that you're using to be a Demi-Servant is completely dependent on your Master at the moment.

We don't know what will happen from here on, so I think you should be in energy-saving mode as much as you can.

If we need to act fast against something, Illya and I can handle it.

Yeah. That's right, Ruby. You do have something useful to say sometimes.

You can trust us, Mash!

That's true. So this is what happens... when the connection with Chaldea is shut down.

Understood.

But what should we do now, Senpai?

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As the longest inhabitant of this world, I agree with Fujimaru's opinion.

Running back to your parallel world as it is now will not fundamentally solve this issue.

The threat will not go away on its own. This irregular state of danger will continue.

And with Chaldea at risk, it certainly sounds like we need to resolve this.

But are you really okay with that, Senpai? That means that we're going to continue accompanying Illya, right?

Well, I mean, I'm not complaining at all! I am also happy to help you, Illya.

I... Um, I... Fujimaru, Mash...

Thank you soooo much! I can't even find the words to thank you... (Hug)

D-Don't cry, Illya! Stop groveling on the ground! You're practically lying in the dirt!

(Twinkle☆) Now that's settled, we're going replenish magical energy!! Let's charge!!☆

What? Huh!? Wh-What are you talking about, Ruby!?

Isn't it important? You'll end up in trouble if you run out of magical energy at a critical moment!

She may not look it, but Illya is familiar with an efficient technique to charge magical energy.

Really? That's our magical girl!

Please teach me, Illya. If it will help us augment our strength, I'm willing to learn anything!

U-Um... (Whisper)

Okay... O... Kay...

What... ki... tongue... saliva... really?

(Nodding)...

Uh... I don't know how to react...

Augh...

Okay Mash. Leave the rest to Illya the veteran! Relax. Lightly open your mouth!

Don't worry, this is a type of medical procedure! It is appropriate for any age!

Here you go, kiss! Kiss! Come on, do it!

What is this?

Hey, Ruby! This is awkward enough without you butting in!

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S-Senpai... This is... out of my... control...

But I... I'm okay, so...

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Oh, a transmission.

All right, let me hear your decision.

What's going on there? Mash, your face's all red. Oh, are you mad?

Guess what? They were making a big deal discussing a primitive way to charge magical energy.

Hm? A magical energy recharge method with the contractor?

The contract made between Mash and Fujimaru was an irregular case, but...

As always, no special ceremony should be necessary. If you consume an extreme amount of magical energy, just use a Command Spell.

But don't we have something much more crucial to discuss right now? Pertaining to the survival of Chaldea?