Section 3: Masquerade

I see... So this is the new topography.

Or perhaps I should say the new patchwork, to borrow Bunyan's term.

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Hmm, looks like our new setting is a masquerade ball.

I'm not sure if it's accurate to call this a Singularity, but it does seem like each area has its own theme.

First it was a fairy tale, now it's a masquerade ball. I wonder if there's something tying them together.

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As I recall, there's a fairy tale about Kintarou in Japan.

Jack the Ripper is dark even for a fairy tale, but she might have some other connection to keep her here.

A connection...? Well, we did meet Jack during the Fourth Singularity...

Connections are hugely important in the magecraft world. They're the threads we follow to pull the wool over the eyes of the world, after all.

Yes, that's true. I remember being taught about the importance of connections in magecraft, too.

Oh, by the way, I have one more thing to report.

For the time being, we've decided to refer to this Singularity as Patchwork London.

Patchwork London, hm? That's the same thing Bunyan called it. Not bad. It's got a nice ring to it.

On another note, do either of you still have any issues with your memories?

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It's too bad we can't have a specialist examine you...

In the meantime, I'll send all the data on your vitals that I can to the medical team. Please let me know if you notice anything else amiss.

Don't worry, we'll keep an eye out. It's hard to spot holes in your own memory, after all.

So don't hesitate to let us know if you see anything off, either.

I won't! Wait... Hang on. I'm seeing a large magical energy signal not too far from you.

So I see. I can even sense this one myself. It's coming from inside that palace...

...which would be right about where the Tower of London is in the real London. Ugh, as if things weren't bad enough already.

I'm afraid we're putting too much load on the equipment, so I need to stop our transmission for a while. I'm sorry.

It might take some time, but I'll contact you again as soon as I can. Ms. Reines, please watch out for Senpai in the meantime.

Don't worry, I've got it covered. I've got plenty of experience when it comes to keeping students safe.

Be careful, Senpai. Please don't do anything reckless.

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Thank you, Senpai! All right...we'll talk again soon!

She really cares for you, doesn't she, my little pupil? Hehehe, let's hope for her sake you can remember what your relationship to her is soon!

All right then, let's go check this place out!

So this is the palace... Looks like everyone's wearing masks here too, unsurprisingly.

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So we've got a fortress with a masquerade ball in a palace, an observatory over there, and a minting facility over there...

It's like they've taken Towers of London from different time periods and stitched them together like, well, not to put too fine a point on it, but some sort of patchwork.

One of London's most famous World Heritage sites.

It started out as a fortress built by William the Conqueror, where it was called the White Tower, and was expanded upon by Richard I and Henry III.

It's been around for a very long time. At one point, it was used as a jail for royal or noble prisoners.

I expect that most people still think of it as a prison to this day...as the infamous Wailing Tower.

So you're familiar with it, hm? Well, it is one of the most famous buildings in all of London.

Most people probably think of it as a jail where they kept royal and other noble prisoners, but it's also been a palace, a bank, and even a zoo.

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All right, let's take a closer look and see what we can find... Hm?

It's starting! It's starting!

Now the rest of the orchestra is accompanying the piano...

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Still, that's weird... The piano's obviously the main instrument here, so why is the pianist the only one missing?

Hm? Are you all right?

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Of course. I'm just an ordinary composer. I never wrote any symphonies that left a mark on history.

At best, I am a mediocrity of a man. But no matter.

The sole reason I exist in the Throne of Heroes...

...is because I am said to have killed Amadeus.

What's wrong? You look pale. Did you just remember something else?

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Hmm... Antonio Salieri. A Servant who's inexorably compelled to try and kill a certain someone, huh.

That's a sad story, but one that hardly seems unusual among Servants.

Is the music you heard that Servant play the same that's playing now?

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Well, I guess that's fair. I doubt you have any professional musical training under your belt.

Hm? Speaking of the piano, why is it the only instrument that just cut out?

Ugh, not again.

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That piano's the best part of this whole ball, but lately, whoever plays it always stops almost as soon as they start.

Everyone here's on the edge of their seat waiting to hear it play, but it never does...

I see, I see. Thanks for filling us in.

Looks like we just found our next case.

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Is that a joke? You really think I care about solving this case, or being nice for that matter?

No, there's just something artificial about this Singularity place, just like there was with the Nursery Rhyme case.

Like these riddles have been laid here deliberately, as if they were begging us to solve them.

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I think it might be their way of challenging us. Admittedly that's just a hunch, but I've come to trust my gut in times like this.

Whatever's going on, I have a feeling it all ties back to the whydunit...

Whoa, whoa! What do you two think you're doing!?

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Why aren't you wearing your masks? Haven't you ever been to a masquerade ball before!?

What's that? You don't have any masks? You don't even know what kind you like?

Very well then, you can have these. Accept these as an act of kindness from a passing old man.

O-oh, thanks.

...Hmm. How do I look, my little pupil?

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Flattery will get you nowhere, but nice to hear nonetheless. All right, get yours on as well.

Hm, hm, I daresay that suits you wonderfully too. Jolly good, jolly good!

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But of course.

After all, there's nothing sadder than a gift that doesn't suit its recipient!

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Now, now, it's against party rules to ask others their name here. Though I do suppose you need some way to tell me apart from the other guests, hm?

Very well then, why don't you call me "M"?

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Hm? Is something wrong? You seem rather taken aback.

Oh no, it's nothing. He's just very impressed by your taste in noms de plume.

(Keep it together, man. This is the only lead we've got so far.)

(What if this is the guy that killed my brother?)

Oh my, I do hope the masks aren't too uncomfortable?

Not at all. They fit perfectly. Thank you again.

By the way, could you tell us a little more about what's going on here? For example, who was playing that delightful piano music earlier?

Hm, hm, you have a keen ear, my dear! But I'm afraid nobody knows the answer to that!

Nobody? How can that be?

This particular pianist is quite the eccentric. He'll only play at the exact agreed-upon time, and only if he can remain completely anonymous.

And so nobody knows anything about him, apart from the fact that he lives in that tower.

The Bloody Tower!? I knew it! Even with its altered size and design, it's still the damn Bloody Tower!

That's a real, bona fide prison. Great. It's like something out of a fairy tale, and the pianist is the damsel in distress.

So there's something strange going on with an imprisoned pianist here, huh... Well, if nothing else, I admit I am intrigued.

Oh? Would you like to pay it a visit?

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Going there would be very much against the rules, of course, but I certainly can't blame you for your curiosity.

You're only human, after all, and we are curious creatures by nature! Very well then, why don't you come with me?

Fine. Lead the way.

Excellent! Then let's get going! Immediately, if not a moment sooner!

...Looks like it's time we got going too.

All right.

The Tower of London itself is quite spacious. And, as you can see, the part known as the Bloody Tower is heavily guarded.

I noticed that when we first got here. It feels like the whole place is neatly divided into areas with lax security and areas with tight security.

Truth be told, I've wanted to meet the pianist myself, but that's rather difficult to do on one's own.

But, as fortune would have it, the two of you showed up just when I needed assistance!

What else could this be but a spider's thread of salvation! What do you say! Will you help me!?

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Oh no, my motives are quite pure, I assure you. I merely wish to satisfy my curiosity by meeting this mysterious pianist, much as I presume you do.

Hmm. What exactly did you have in mind?

It couldn't be simpler. I'll draw the guards' attention...

...while you two scurry right up this wall. Sound good?

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Come now, surely you wouldn't ask an old man like me to exert himself to such a degree? As they say, one must always use the right tool for the job.

Now then... Excuse me?

Hm?

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Dammit, those ghosts are back!

Oho, I see. It sounds like you could use a hand!

(I know this isn't what we had planned, but I daresay this is an excellent opportunity in its own right! What do you say, Fujimaru!?)

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Huh? Hey

I was expecting you to wait this out, but if you know how to fight, so much the better! Your help would be most invaluable!

Tch, guess I'd better pitch in too, then! I can't have my pupil be the only one putting himself in danger!

They're all wearing masks...!

I knew London had always had its share of ghosts, but I doubt you'll find masked ones in any other borough.

At any rate, these are fairly formidable foes! You keep your guard up, and I'll try to keep from throwing my back out!

There are more ghosts over that way!

Oho, it seems that fighting alongside those soldiers won us their trust. Perfect. Let's slip inside while no one is looking!

Hm? This is...

Do you feel that?

This doesn't look anything like the Bloody Tower I know, but it has that exact same cloud of death lingering over it...

Now I see why those ghosts were hanging around here.

Well, this is the Tower of London. No doubt there are countless souls who went to their deaths cursing it.

...I'm sorry, I think the ghosts must have gotten to me. Would you mind going on without us?

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Will you be all right?

I'll be fine. I just need a few minutes.

I see. Very well then, I'll go on ahead.

Is he gone? Good. This mask was really getting on my last nerve.

Phew, finally, a chance to catch our breath. While we're at it, let me ask you something: What do you make of all this?

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I mean both the old guy and the pianist, of course. But it's not just them. It's us, too.

Remember when you were talking with Mash? We might have recovered some of our memories, but we still don't know what we could be missing even now.

With all these things we've forgotten, it's almost like we've taken a drink from the River Lethe.

One of the rivers of the underworld in Greek myth. Any pupil of mine should be familiar with the name.

Dead souls would drink from it before they could be reborn. The waters would wash away all memory of their earthy lives...

...much the way I forgot mine while I was going around convinced I was El-Melloi II. Like an idiot.

So you do know your way around a textbook. That's right. The Roman poet Virgil said its waters would make any dead soul that drank from it forget everything that happened while they lived.

...Much the way I forgot mine while I was going around convinced I was El-Melloi II. Like an idiot.

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There's also a myth about a river of knowledge called Mnemosyne that was like Lethe's opposite, where anyone who drank from it would gain omniscience.

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At times, Mnemosyne has referred to a goddess of memory, a river, and a spring. At this point, I'd say we could use any one of them!

...By the way, Lady Reines, what do you make of my question?

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Oh, sorry, that wasn't me. That was Sima Yi, the Heroic Spirit possessing me.

He's one of the heroes of China's Three Kingdoms period. I guess he's also why I was able to turn my head all the way around like that.

It looks like I'm aware of him again now that I've got some of my memory back.

Apparently, most Pseudo-Servants fuse together into more of a single entity, but Sima Yi doesn't like that. Says it's inefficient.

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He says that with humanity at stake, he's willing to help as a Heroic Spirit. But, he finds fusing inefficient, and also doesn't want to bother taking over my consciousness...

...so he says he's going to let me handle things most of the time. Certainly fits a Three Kingdoms tactician known for moving slowly and steadily.

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Hmm, so my brother was possessed by Zhuge Liang in your world, huh. Maybe it's fate that I'd end up in a similar position.

It sounds like Sima Yi strongly objects to that idea, but I'm just going to ignore him and get back to his original question.

Namely, why was he summoned here?

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Hmm. So Holy Grail fragments would frequently summon Rogue Servants in the worlds you visited, huh.

True, that could be the case here as well. I do have a strong connection to London, and a not insignificant connection to the Holy Grail, too.

I'd say I easily meet the minimum requirements for becoming a Pseudo-Servant.

But what sort of connection could I possibly have to a Chinese Heroic Spirit from the Three Kingdoms period?

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Of course, there's no telling how far the sphere of humanity's influence truly goes, or how any one person might be related to another. Anything is possible.

Those whack jobs at the Atlas Institute aside, any mage worth their circuits has to come to terms with that fact sooner or later.

Who knows? Sima Yi and I might have something in common neither of us would have ever guessed.

Maybe it even has something to do with why my brother was murdered...

Oooooohhh!

I don't know who that was, but it didn't sound like M!

Another automaton! And now it's wearing a mask too! How nice of it!

Ahh, this is truly manna from heaven! God has not forsaken me after all!

Oh, you're here. Excellent timing.

Haha, I'm afraid the old back is acting up again! As you can see, I'm having more trouble standing than a newborn fawn!

Dammit! All right, let's get it!

I don't see any pianist around here... More automata must have abducted him!

Ahh, what a tragedy! The world has suffered a great loss today!

Who are you, anyway?

Oh, yes, I do beg your pardon. My name is William Shakespeare.

Now, who is it that doth summon me!? I, Caster Shakespeare, have travelled on swift wings to this city of fog!

At least, I would like to say as much, but it seems that I was not summoned to participate in a Holy Grail War this time.

Quite vexing indeed. O God! Where will this wandering soul find the grand story he so dearly seeks?

No reply. Silence. God hath forsaken me. Where is the tale to make the blood boil, the flesh dance, the heart shiver, and the very soul shake!?

Then, I can say naught but this: love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind!

Did it just happen again?

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He must be another Rogue Servant then. Though I guess that's obvious, seeing how he's William bloody Shakespeare.

How in the world did you end up in here, William?

Hahaha, I merely saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to behold this mysterious pianist and thought I would avail myself of it!

A passing flight of fanciful curiosity, if you will!

Oh yes, I can certainly understand the feeling. But that doesn't give you the right to trespass.

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Oh? I know I was told to wear a mask, but I don't recall anything about keeping my name a secret.

Hmm, it seems the cat is out of the bag, then. You got me! It was all a bald-faced lie.

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Hahaha, please don't be mad! An elderly gentleman like myself needs a few white lies just to make it through the day!

Good grief.

Do we at least have any leads on our missing pianist? Even if he was abducted, there must be some sort of clue around

Uh-oh!

What is this all about?

Ahh, good day to you, Your Majesty.

My, my, if it isn't the queen. How wonderful to see you in such good health, Your Majesty.

This is the queen?

Of course. This is the queen of the Tower of London. Even the ravens sing her praises.

I thought I told you to stay away from here, M.

True, you did. But why would you want to keep a poor elderly gentleman from paying his friend a visit?

Besides, I was the one who introduced you to that pianist in the first place.

Because you have the look of a villain.

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Well you could at least try to defend me! Come now, don't you believe in the power of friendship or something!?

You're in the presence of the queen. Keep your voice down.

I see the pianist is gone as well. Are you the ones who abducted him?

Of course not! We're only here because we were worried sick about him ourselves. It wounds me to have my caring nature used against me like this!

...

How should I address you? Queen? Your Majesty?

Address me however you like. Are you party to this villain's schemes?

No...though I can hardly blame you for thinking otherwise, which is exactly why I would like to prove our innocence to you.

Oh? You claim innocence?

I do. It sounds as though you are concerned about the pianist's disappearance yourself?

Of course. My subjects are enthralled with his playing, and I too have a fondness for beautiful things. Why do you ask? You say you can resolve this matter?

I think so, yes. Just say the word, Your Majesty, and my pupil and I will employ every trick a pair of mages can have at their disposal.

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Hmm. Not a bad proposition. It could save me a great deal of trouble in having this scoundrel executed.

Executed!? That sounds nearly as bad as torture!

Very well, young mage. Solve this mystery, and you may have anything you wish.

But be forewarned: agree, and there is no turning back. Is that clear?

Leave it to us, Your Majesty!