Interlude: The Truth of Materials, Part Three

...(Cough) Can't you see this is futile, Tajima-no-kami? Just give up already.

My answer remains no.

Hmph. I see reducing yourself to becoming a Servant has done nothing to make you less stubborn.

What happened to you, Lord Nobutsuna? You were once one of the shogun's most trusted advisors.

How could you turn your back on Tokugawa and lower yourself to aiding this madness? You should be ashamed.

(Cough)... I can understand why you would say that, Lord Munenori, given that you taught Shogun Iemitsu in the ways of war.

But that is all in the past now.

Lady Kama is a god. She has already toppled the Tokugawa shogunate, and we have no hope of defeating her. It is natural that the loser swear allegiance to the victor.

...

Lady Kasuga may have known war in her lifetime, but she has never gone to battle herself. She could never hope to understand.

There are times when victory is simply not possible. That is a part of war. You fought in the battles of Sekigahara and Osaka, Lord Munenori. Surely you can understand.

Of course, I too know well of what I speak. I witnessed the hell that was the Shimabara-Amakusa Rebellion myself.

That is a great many words to say that you went over to the enemy's side once you thought you could not win.

What else could I have done? Only a fool would defy the gods or the Buddha.

Lord Munenori, I have nothing but the highest respect for your skill with the sword, and for your leadership.

That is why I have gone out of my way to offer you a role in this new government.

It is only through my request and Lady Kama's good graces that you still remain here.

If she so wished, Lady Kama could use her spells to rob you of your mind and force you to be an attendant, as she has done with a number of other Servants.

But I would much prefer you agreed to join us of your own volition.

There is nothing else to say. I will never wield my sword in service of Tokugawa's enemies.

If this old body of mine impedes your way, then behead me and be done with it.

REPORT, REPORT. GUESTS HAVE INVADED THIS FLOOR. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE US DO?

(Cough) You dare speak to me without so much as bowing your head? Insolent doll. These puppets are useless.

...Why did you kill her?

You saw how rudely she spoke to me. I merely gave her what she deserved.

Hehe, I know what you're thinking. Of course I know it is folly to expect manners from marionettes.

Which is why I wish to only keep those who do know their manners by my side.

...

My patience can only last so long, Tajima-no-kami. I hope you will choose wisely, before you become part of the Ooku yourself.

Trust me when I say that no amount of zen alone will help you to endure that forever...

？！

Matsudaira Nobutsuna, was it?

I see your face is as bereft of joy as ever... How very dull.

(Of course, people like that are usually the most fun to save, but I don't see a great deal of opportunity for salvation here. More's the pity.)

Huh? This reading... Master, look at what's behind Nobutsuna!

？！

Hello, Master. I am afraid they caught me by surprise.

I would bow my head in apology if I could, but I am afraid I cannot even manage that right now. I am sorry you had to see me like this.

Huh!? L-Lord Munenori!? How did they trap a man of your skill!?

Why didn't you use your vaunted Shinkageryu you're always going on about!?

Do you know how excitedly the shogun would talk about how your Shinkageryu was the strongest in the world!? How can you ever face him again!?

...Have we met?

Oh, right, I look like Lady Par now, don't I! It's me, Fuku! Kasuga-no-Tsubone, head of the Ooku!

Ah, Lady Fuku. Why do you look like that? How strange...

Yes, strange! There really is no better word for it! Let me tell you what I just learned from my analysis.

That person you see over there is undoubtedly Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori, a Saber with ties to Chaldea.

But at the same time, he is also giving off the same readings as one of Ooku's pillars.

Oh yes, and it is not just him. If we assume the same is true for everyone else, everything adds up.

Where did the people in Edo Castle go? What happened to Chaldea's staff and Servants?

The only possible answer is...they were used as material to build this Ooku.

？！

Th-that's horrific!

This giant magecraft structure was almost certainly made by using others' life force as construction material.

While there may be differences of degree in their density, both humans and Servants alike could be used as more or less identical building blocks.

Then, that would mean that the people in Edo Castle and Chaldea were not abducted after this labyrinth was built...

...but rather, that they were abducted in order to create it in the first place...

(Cough)... I will give you credit for figuring all that out. But you are mistaken about one thing. Not everyone who was abducted was used to build this Ooku.

I am told Lady Kama is keeping some souls that lack physical form on the bottom floor.

I see. Then she wasn't lying when she said we would need to make our way to the bottom floor to rescue everyone.

And to what do we owe the pleasure of your kindness in being so forthcoming?

Lady Kama has entrusted me with ensuring nothing happens to the Ooku.

So if I wish to stop you from stripping it of every panel, I had to tell you that doing so will not let you rescue everyone you seek.

It is my job to ensure that the Ooku's atmosphere is preserved. I cannot have you wrecking it needlessly.

Not to worry. We would never do anything like that.

There would be no point in bringing back these resources without their associated qualia.

But if we can analyze the spell this Ooku's construction rests on, then I should be able to reverse engineer it and restore everything to normal.

Alternatively, if we take the simpler route and remove the spell's casterKama, I presumefrom the equation, that should result in the Ooku's destruction.

Either way, we still need to get down to the bottom floor.

？！

He certainly does. Since he has not yet fully become part of the Ooku, there is still a chance he can be extracted.

I cannot promise anything, but as long as I can properly analyze him, I think our odds are pretty good!

Hah! Preserving the Ooku's atmosphere? Is that supposed to be a joke!? Even putting aside this bizarre and obscene interior decorating...

...what kind of atmosphere is there to preserve when you are embedding people in pillars, like Lord Munenori there!?

For that matter, having that broken attendant doll just lying there seems to be doing plenty of damage to the atmosphere on its own.

...(Cough) Ah, yes, you are right about that. I should not have left it there after I punished it for its insolence.

It would seem even I am not immune to the decadent pleasures of sanctioned murder. Hehe.

...!

That said, it is not a warrior's job to clean up a mess. I will have the maids take care of that.

It's another giant ghost! Be careful, everyone!

The fault for this lies entirely with me, Master. Please, go on and forget about me!

...Hrnghhh!

？！

Well, I still need to run a detailed analysis, but I can tell you now that you should not just try to yank him out.

However, if you can get close enough to examine him, that will help me collect more precise data.

TsuboneI mean, Pārvatī, I would like you to focus on Yagyu first and foremost!

G-got it!

Does that mean I will be fighting this ghost by myself?

Oh my! I never thought to receive such an enthusiastic show of support from you, Master!

Why...since becoming a Servant...this may be the first time...I've experienced pleasure from serving my Master...

Oh my, what should I do? This is so novel, I...I think I may be getting excited...

Ah, you're saying that because you trust me, right? You don't mean that I'll need to fend for myself, right?

Oh my... Well then, I believe I can come up with some means by which to amuse myself, so please, don't mind me.

？！

I'm sorry, it's taking longer than we thought!

It looks like there are a bunch of steps we have to follow, even with my divine powers.

Okay, that goes there, and this goes here... So for this binding spell, if we reverse this...

...

Well, damn. I am afraid every one of my thought processes has come to the same conclusion. There is nothing we can do to save him right now!

Wh-what do you mean? Did you figure something out?

My analysis tells me that we lack the right tool.

You know how you cannot electrolyze water unless you also have electricity? This is just like that.

I can see a way that we could separate Yagyu from the pillar, but we do not currently have the resources for it.

It is not simply a matter of magical energy. We need something with an affinity for this Ooku...

How are we supposed to find something like that now!? Isn't there anything we could use as a substitute?

I am trying out every parameter I can on anything I can find, but honestly...

...there is no telling when I will find something suitable. It could be a moment from now, or it could be tomorrow.

What!? But we don't even know if Yagyu can hold out that long!

I already...told you... Just...leave me...

？！

...? What is this? Something is...really hot...?

(I think it's the card you found, Lady Par!)

Huh!? Y-you're right, it is. But, why did it grow so hot all of a sudden?

Hm? Hmm!?

...

Stop the presses! We can convert that hanafuda card into pure energy!

It even has the Ooku affinity we need! That is what we are calling it now, by the way. I just decided that.

We can use this affinity to figure out exactly where the Ooku circuits are!

Its workings are still a black box to me, but who cares as long as we can use it to get where we need to go!?

Th-then, you mean...!?

We can totally do this! All we have to do is use that card as the spell's power source!

U-understood!

Great, you got him out! And it looks like his Spirit Origin is still intact!

Once we get those shackles off of him, he should be back to his old self!

Teehee. They seem to have things well in hand over there too.

It's been great fun being with you like this, Master, but I think it's time we wrapped this up and... Oh?

Look out! The giant enemy ghost just changed its target!

It's coming after you, Pārvatī! You need to

Huh? Yagyu!?

You can't! Your sword is still under a different spiritual lock!

It won't take us much longer to get it out! Please, you don't need to do this!

Not to worry. The Shinkageryu is not the only tool I possess.

WhaWhat!? Did he really just catch that naginata blade with his bare hands!?

Whoa, that is the technique called "mutou-tori," isn't it!? Amazing! I wish I could have seen it in person!

Oh yes, it was incredible! That must be the quintessence of the Otomeryu! I see now why outsiders were not permitted to witness it!

Oh, how truly marvelous! You really must teach me sometime...

For now though... You really should have known better than to let your attention wander to another woman while I am still right here before you.

But since you were kind enough to leave me with such a wide opening, I will just have to go ahead and take advantage of it...

Now, off to the heavens with you.

...(Cough, cough). Hmph, what a pleasant surprise this turned out to be. Even my parched throat is taken aback.

This is what it means to be hoisted by one's own petard.

If you had foregone your attempts to win me over, and made me into a pillar right away, all my resisting would have been for naught.

Yes, regretfully, my nickname of "Wise Izu" gave me more credit than I am due.

But, this is not a matter of public-facing politics, so I feel no shame in my conduct.

At any rate, now that you have escaped your bonds, I am under no illusions that I could best you with my sword.

So I think I will take this opportunity to make a peaceful retreat...

Wait! What is it you're after? What does Kama want!?

Why have you been turning people and Servants into materials to build this Ooku!?

I do not know, nor do I care to. All I care about is serving my lord faithfully.

He does not seem to be lying. So I guess we are still in the dark in regards to Kama's goal.

One thing we do know now is that this Ooku has become a full blown Singularity. If we don't do something about it, it could lead to the collapse of humanity.

That was Goetia's ultimate goal when he created the Seven Singularities, but this time...

Yes. This time, we do not know if that is her goal in spawning this Singularity, or if it is just a side effect of her true goal. Good grief.

That is all well and good, but should we be...just letting that man get away?

？！

I agree. There's no telling what kind of traps we could blunder into if we just rush in blindly.

Right now, we should celebrate gaining a new ally, and make sure our position is solid before moving on.

Everything checks out. I can't see any irregularities in your Spirit Origin.

I am sorry to make you go to so much trouble for this decrepit body... Truly, I am.

As well you should be! You're supposed to be the last line of defense when anything threatens the shogun's safety!

How could you let yourself be captured along with everyone else!?

I see... Then you truly are Lady Fuku, despite your current appearance...

Hey, what's with that look? Are you saying I of all people should have been there to make sure nothing happened to the Ooku?

Y-you don't understand. If I hadn't been bedridden, and I'd had my naginata with me...

...I'm sure I would have cut these villains in two myself! I think! (Flustered)

I do not recall giving you a look that says anything of the sort, but... Heh, I suppose you are right. You were indeed a most capable warrior in your own right, Lady Fuku.

Ahem. Never mind the past. Right now, we need to focus on the future. Both of us.

We need to find that traitorous Matsudaira Izu-no-Kami and string him upI mean, save the shogun as soon as possible.

Indeed.

Master, before I pledged my services to you, there was a time when I served another.

Now, by some strange quirk of fate, I have been called back to the age of Kan'ei...the time when my former lord, Tokugawa Iemitsu, was still alive.

Forgive me, but I cannot turn my back on him now. To do so would be the height of disloyalty. Please, Master, let me help him.

？！

Understood. You have my profound thanks, Master.

Oh, right. Now that another ghost type has been defeated, does that mean...

Just as I calculated! Another pillbox!

...It's useless. He's much too sickly. How could a man like that possibly lead all of Japan...

...And just when our country faces an unprecedented crisis, too... Damn foreigners. They just won't let up...

...And then there have been those massive earthquakes, the tsunami, the disease that's been going around... Some people say it's the gods punishing us for dealing with foreigners...

You care that deeply about things that aren't your fault? Ahh, what a kind man you are.

And now you feel driven to despair by that very kindness. You poor thing.

Well, I love you for your kindness.

It's okay to run away if you want. You don't have to think about anything you don't want to.

Here, why don't you lie down for a while? If you have trouble sleeping, I could sing you a lullaby, if you like...

？！

So this one says "Iesada"? Hmm, hmm, that would be the thirteenth shogun. Let's go ahead and add it to your Mystic Code.

...?

I guess we should probably tell you what little we know before we move on to the next floor...