Act I: Swan Lake Returns (5/6)

There it is. Once we get through that passageway, we'll be at the Seraphix chapel. Although...

Indeed. These bloodstained spears stuck in the floor give me pause as well...

I have heard that the Impaler skewers opponents with his spears and pins them to the ground.

There must be at least thirty spears here... And it seems he didn't stop at killing Servants. There are also

Indeed. My spears pierce not only Heroic Spirits, but beasts who have forgotten their faith and lost their dignity.

Such terribly dull, infuriating battles. They were little more than animals in human dress.

Truly, it was as if I were back in the holy war for which I am famous. A clash bereft of chivalry or honor.

...I am afraid you are mistaken, Fujimaru. Please stand back.

This knight has naught but madness in his eyes... He is not the man he once was.

？！

Well well, this is a surprise. I was not expecting to see a Master here.

We cannot have that. No human should live in such a depraved land as this.

I shall have to kill you. I must snuff you out. I must show you God's true love.

Hahaha, no need to be modest! Even I shall not escape unscathed from this slaughter!

So let us descend into hell together, my friends! We have lost sight of what is right, engaged in blasphemy, and succumbed to our desires!

Seraphix has become a blight on all that is good. Even purgatory offers no salvation.

We must pay the price for our sins. This very chapel is a hotbed for all manner of wickedness!

It seems he has lost himself to his anger. How unseemly... This is going nowhere...

Is that so? Because I recall a certain similarly angry someone attacking us at one point, too...

I... I am well aware of my past transgressions... I must say, I never thought I would endure such biting wit from the lips of an Alter Ego...

Ahh... It saddens me that your tongue is just as venomous as your thorns...

Enough playing around. If we are facing a Lancer, I shall lead the charge.

Count Vlad III of Wallachia, my Master requires a place to rest.

If you would deny a visitor proper hospitality, you are not fit to speak of God's love.

Come! I shall cleanse your bloodstained armor with my flame!

...That's more like it. I have been awaiting you, my magnificent rival.

But you would do well not to underestimate we spearmen. A Demon God already inhabits my body.

Your sword will not pierce it so easily!

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Hrn...!

It's over, Vlad III! You've lost!

...Indeed. That was truly a bone-shattering blow! Your sword is every bit the equal of my spear!

Hah ha! Only an immortal vampire could survive such a powerful strike! So, clearly I cannot!

？！

Hm... It seems I let my passion get the better of me. I should not have said that.

If you wish to know, then hurry to the chapel.

Your Servant, the Archer from Chaldea, awaits you there.

So this is where Archer ended up. It is fortunate we were able to find him. However...

(Why does he not come out of his own accord...? He must be aware Master is here.)

(And surely any Servant of Fujimaru would come immediately to his aid...)

You have every right to be suspicious, Knight of the Sun. That man is not to be trusted...

Ally or not, I would not lower my guard around him if I were you. Here on SE.RA.PH...

You will be absorbed the moment you reveal any sign of weakness, no matter who you are. Remember that...

Let's hurry to the chapel. The Archer from Chaldea, eh...

The one with twin blades and a red coat, was it? What a joke.

But if you insist he join us, I'd be okay with that... After I give him a good beating.

I doubt he'll be any help in battle, but we can always use another meat shield. Now come on, run!

I-I, uh, don't have the best memories of that chapel... But I guess we don't have any other place to rest, do we...

I think there were some private rooms on the second floor too, so... Okay...

Count Vlad's warning does concern me, but Fujimaru cannot afford to wait any longer.

Let us go inside. After all, we have no less than three capable Servants between us.

It should be well within our means to deal with whatever awaits us.

We're here, Archer! And we know you're here too! Show yourself!

So, you managed to take down Vlad. I figured you'd be able to do that much.

？！

Yeah, it's me. You sure took your time getting here, Fujimaru.

？！

What the hell!?

This isn't funny. Hurry up and change back!

Where'd that pompous Don Juan-wannabe go!? I couldn't care less about him, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to at least see his stupid, punchable face again!

How do you plan on soothing this maiden's heart?

Looks like you've got history with that other me. That's a shame. That guy ticks me off too.

But as you can see, I'm not him. You can thank BB for switching us out.

I can't believe this... He didn't do a single thing the way I wanted him to...!

？！

I know. I've been watching from the church roof. You're lucky you made it out of the Chest alive.

That Alter Ego's going to be tough to beat. Unless you have what BB called "the key to her heart."

...It is hardly any concern of mine, but I was not aware that Chaldea was home to Heroic Spirits such as you.

You mean ones who aren't heroic at all?

Let's just say our interests happen to align.

Don't worry, I'm not planning on making friends.

I see... That is a shame. As a fellow Archer, I was hoping we would at least get along...

Just forget about him. He's been hiding out here all this time 'cause he's too scared to go out.

The important thing right now is that you get some rest. Go choose a room, then sleep for six hours.

That ought to replenish your magical energy. Don't worry, you won't get digitized as long as you have vitality.

On that note, we'll use this as our base while we explore SE.RA.PH. Got it, Fujimaru?

？！

Resting up, huh? Before you do that, I have some information.

There's a terminal hidden behind the altar. It looks like it contains some kind of report.

But it's locked down in such a way that it is impossible for Servants or Alter Egos to open.

So if you come across a key that can open it, you should. I bet there's some kind of clue hidden inside.

A report...? Why would that be kept at the chapel?

It was really well hidden. Whoever they had working here must've been pretty paranoid.

Well, this is a chapel, after all... It was surely a valuable source of support for any devout personnel.

Priests offer a way for people to unburden themselves in secret. Ordinarily, we should not attempt to meddle in such matters, but...

But in this case, doing so could offer a clue as to what is happening here at Seraphix...

There you have it, Fujimaru. We should try and look for this passcode during our expedition.

But right now, you need sleep. Fortunately, there are enough rooms here for all of us to rest.

Um...does "everyone" include that Alter Ego?

D-don't you think that's a little...unsettling, Fujimaru?

I mean, you know the Alter Egos have been going around slaughtering everyone on Seraphix, right...?

So why are you bringing one along? I still don't understand why she's even

Good point. I wouldn't feel safe entering sleep mode knowing humans are nearby either.

Don't worry, I'll rest up outside. I don't have to worry about SE.RA.PH disintegrating me, after all.

Oh, uh... Well, if you wouldn't mind, that would be...reassuring.

What are you getting sentimental for? Don't worry, I'm used to things like this.

Don't be. Hearing you apologize is a lot more painful than putting up with that woman.

？！

So...you mean to prove your innocence by taking a step back. Is that your game, Meltryllis?

Don't read so much into it. I just want to sleep where none of you will bother me.

I'll come wake you up in six hours, and we can resume exploring SE.RA.PH then.

You should head up to the second floor too. I'll leave once I've seen you off.

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...What is it?

What's near the wall?

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...Looks that way, yes. Some sort of ceramic something must have been smashed there.

That Archer probably knocked it over. At any rate, it's none of your concern, really.

？！

It's just a little mess. Forget about it.

Now hurry up to the second floor before Tristan throws some more shade my way.

Okay. Sleep well, my little Master puppet.

Even if you can't do anything else useful, you can at least rest up and feel better, right?

That's...just like you, isn't it. Noticing her even though you have no idea what's going on...

...Thank you, Master.

I'm glad at least someone noticed her, even if only what remains...