Section 5 "Chaldea at Work, Part 1"

It's six o'clock! Time to wake up!

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The sound of the brook babbling outside... The singing of the early morning birds... It certainly is a peaceful morning, isn't it, Senpai?

Oh, don't worry about the futon. I'll put it away so you can focus on getting ready.

We still have another twenty minutes until we're supposed to meet up, so we should still have time to relax with a cup of tea before we head to the lobby.

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Good morning, you two. You're both right on time again.

(Yawwwn) I'm still a little sleepy...

Something about Enma-tei forces Servants to manifest like we have normal lives. Almost like incarnation...

We get hungry, we have to sleep at night... And it's especially hard when you have low blood pressure...

Perhaps there is a Bounded Field or something similar that keeps the inn rooted in the laws of the spirit world despite existing in reality.

Whatever the reason, it does feel like we Servants have returned to our living bodies here.

It really does. It takes me back to when I still went by Mizukume.

The Enma-tei isn't just a mountain inn; it's an inn of the spiritual world.

Travelers that end up here aren't lost. They're wanderers who happened to step into another world.

One day, you find yourself cut off from your own world, enjoy a period where you never age a day...

...and when you finally go back to your original world, you find that decades have passed...

It's the textbook example of being spirited away, just like the Dragon Palace or the Peach Blossom Spring.

I see. That sounds much like one of our own stories.

Though ours involves a type of changeling, where a human child is kidnapped and turned into a fairy.

Fairies have their own unique way of seeing things, and will sometimes lure humans into their world.

Such humans become ageless while in the other world, but they inevitably pay the price for their dream all at once upon returning to reality.

Are you speaking of Tír na nÓgthe Land of the Young, Fionn mac Cumhaill?

No, no, nothing like that. Tír na nÓg may be the Land of Fairies, but it is still part of our world.

It is merely detached from it, much like a Reality Marble, or like a dream being had by the very planet.

Whether that dream is a good one or a bad one depends on what the fairy in question happens to be like.

So fairies were responsible for changelings?

Hmph. Then I suppose we can add "knowledge of fairies" to things you excel at.

Of course, you did manage to take one for a wife. I take it she was drawn to those golden locks of yours?

Hahaha, I'll tell you about Sadhbh some other time. It's difficult to stop once I begin talking about her.

At the moment, we are here to discuss the Enma-tei. Have any of you learned anything since our arrival?

Yes, my lord. The demonic monkeys have been engaging in mischief on a much wider scale than we thought.

They attack the sparrows throughout the mountain, and interfere with their efforts to collect the so-called bounties of the mountain and the river.

They even sneak into the inn to cause trouble here. One threw mochi at me while I was waxing the halls!

The demonic monkeys running about are certainly a problem, but the Enma-tei itself has issues as well.

First and foremost is, as we all know by now, the drought of customers.

It is also because of that drought that many of the inn's facilities have been closed off.

Makes sense. No point paying to run a store when there's no one around to use it.

Even all the way out in a remote spirit world, there's no escaping personnel costs and utility bills...

The Enma-tei is currently only operating with the bare minimum of facilities.

That may not be an issue at the moment, but if we're going to bring in more guests, we'll also need to bring back all the other facilities.

Indeed, I was severely disappointed with that as well. I wonder why they sealed them off?

True, but you can understand why they don't need it with so few guests.

Besides, Ms. Beni's the only one here who can cook. All the apprentice sparrows can do is serve the guests their food.

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Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now button it up. We're almost at the lobby.

Oh right, Madam Beni-Enma's morning assembly. I wonder what sort of jobs she'll give us today?

I'm kind of excited to see what my next shift will be.

Chirp chirp, good morning. Is everyone here?

Chiiirp!

Fooou!

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Excellent. Sparrows, go ahead and start the general cleaning of the inside, as per usual.

Make sure you all do the Enma-tei proud.

Ch-chiiirp! Yes ma'am!

As for you, Chaldeans, today I'd like you to gather ingredients.

We have several more guests now than when you arrived, so we need to restock our larders before we run out.

I may have mixed feelings about bringing outsider Heroic Spirits to the historic Enma-tei, but as our guests, we can't have them going hungry.

I'll take you to the good hunting grounds, so make sure to bring your best. Chirp chirp!

Are you coming too, Beni-Enma?

Yes, because it's dangerous outside in these parts.

Just because you're working here now doesn't mean you're not still my guest, Fujimaru.

As the Enma-tei's proprietress, it's my duty to do so, chirp.

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N-no need to make a big deal out of it. I just can't help but feel bad that you're in this predicament.

So, besides the monkeys, there are some rather vicious beasts at the hunting grounds, so I want all of you to come along.

You don't say. What excellent news. My blades have been yearning for a worthier foe than those monkeys.

Rest assured you will be safe with me, no matter how many of these mountain beasts try to attack.

Feel free to relax and enjoy the walk, Lady Beni-Enma. We Knights of Fianna will take care of everything.

Oho. No matter how many try to attack, you say? That is most reassuring. I look forward to seeing what you are capable of, Diarmuid.

You certainly are eager to rush into danger, aren't you... Cheep cheep, what is it about dual-wielders that makes them so reckless?

That was awful!

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Well, at least I somehow managed to survive.

Beast or not, facing such powerful Demon Boars is a frightening prospect... Still, a good experience.

Well done. You do rely on brute strength too much, but I can see from your form that you've spent a lot of time training.

I'm also glad you did not skip your leg days. Jumping about is perfectly fine in my book.

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...They're actually much more docile now.

Back in the Enma-tei's heyday, Divine Beasts and Phantasmals ran rampant over these mountains.

But these days, we've stopped getting guests, faith has weakened, and humans don't wander here anymore...

...

Well hey, look on the bright side. The mountain's never been more peaceful, right?

And as for the lack of guests, I'm sure Fujimaru will figure something out.

So please don't worry, Ms. Beni-Enma. We've got it well in hand.

I'm surprised you're so confident, chirp... You do understand that you'll be turned into a pig with everyone else if you fail, yes?

Well, kon kon, that's because I trust Master implicitly♪

He did succeed at repairing all of humanity once, even if he did have a lot of miraculous help.

And good things come to those who do good deeds. So no, I'm not worried whatsoever♡

I see. In that case, I'd like you Chaldeans to keep gathering ingredients.

The sparrows are good at working together when it comes to fighting giant beasts, but...

Leave the front line to me, chirp. I've been building up an attack for three days that'll wreck them.

I'll hold them back with covering fire, chirp, without worrying about collateral damage.

I'm just going to make sure I stay alive to fight another day, chirp.

Let's go show them a thing or two, partners! Chirp. (*No intention of actually going)

...they're rather helpless against opponents who are just a little bit bigger than they are.

I see. So that's why they have so much trouble with the monkeys. When did they start to be a problem?

They've been around for the past hundred years, but didn't start making all this trouble until recently.

They all came to the Enma-tei to seek refuge after the human world became uninhabitable, cheep.

I feel for them as they don't have anywhere else to go, so I don't want to exterminate them...

...chirp chirp, but I may have to if they keep getting more violent.

Oh, but I shouldn't be talking about this with guests.

I'm going to head back to the Enma-tei now, chirp.

You've all been working very hard, so tonight, I'm making wild boar hot pot to replenish all your energy!

...So Beni-Enma even cares about the well-being of the demonic monkeys...

I know our first priority is lifting our curse, Master, but I still can't help but wonder what sort of problems the Enma-tei itself is facing...