Section 7: The King's Memory

Hm? Is there a parade going on right now?

There are a bunch of automata riding steam-powered mechanical horses... A...lot of them, really.

They don't seem to be like the automata that came after us, though. ...Hm? Is that...a steam-powered wagon!?

It's the king!

Hail to our king! The King of Steam!

？！

Hail and well met, good citizens. My glorious steam engines exist for one purpose and one purpose alone: keeping you all safe!

I am the gentleman clad in steam and steel! I am the Steam King!

Wherever you go, my fair citizens, Charles Babbage shall be right there with you!

I knew it. This is the final patchwork. Regardless, I need to collect all the Mnemosyne before it's too late.

How are you doing, Kerry?

No problems here. This might not be the London I'm familiar with, but it's still London. I know it well enough to get around just fine.

...I see. Fortunately, it seems like this body knows its way around this place, too.

Babbage just left with the rest of the parade...

Charles Babbage, genius mathematician and the famous King of Steam. Given the circumstances, it's a solid bet he's got something to do with the paper.

？！

Of course, since he's a king, I doubt we'll be able to just stroll up to him and say hello.

Before we talk to him, we'll need another clue. So I'll be heading off on my own for a bit to take care of that!

Luckily, Gray is here now. Hehe, she should at least keep you from unthinkingly wandering into any mobile death traps.

I'll go with you, Master.

I'm sorry about that... For what it's worth, I do think that's just her way of worrying about you.

？！

I'm glad to hear that! It's not always easy to tell, but she really is a kind person deep down! I guess it makes sense you would know, being her pupil and all.

I hope you'll keep helping her. She's always pushing herself hard in everything she does.

...If only my mentor were here too, we wouldn't have to worry about anything, no matter where we were.

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Yes. He was... I'm not sure if this is the best way to say this or not, but he was irreplaceable to me.

He was by no means a strong fighter, and he wasn't entirely reliable in bad situations...

...but just having him around gave Reines and me the strength to fight. He was just that sort of person.

Please, don't be! It's not your fault!

Yes. That's the least we could do for him.

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...Huh? It looks like Reines is back already... Who is that with her?

It is I.

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She's the one who found me. Apparently, she's been looking for us.

I have. M told me you managed to solve our case. As queen, I am therefore obligated to present you with a reward.

？！

He did complain quite vociferously about how his body now ached all over, though. Hehe, for my part, I found it rather amusing.

Hm? You there, girl. Why do you cover your face? Are you trying to hide from me?

N-no, it's not that...

Oh, sorry, I hope you can forgive Gray here. She's dealing with some unusual circumstances.

？！

...

(Shh! I'll tell you later.)

(Trust me, it's not the sort of thing we want to get into in front of this queen.)

...Hmm. Well, no matter.

At any rate, you are still entitled to a reward. Is there anything you want?

Oho. You wish to meet with the Steam King?

Is that too much to ask?

Not at all. In fact, this works out rather well. I was just on my way to meet with him, in fact.

Come with me.

This is his residence, Steam Castle.

There certainly is a lot of steamwork here, isn't there... Even the hallways are sweltering, there's so much steam...

Watch yourself. You don't want to find out what a third-degree burn feels like.

Anyway, all this machinery seems to be a bit much at first, but looking closer, it appears that all of it is interconnected.

None of thisincluding those steam horses and the steam wagon we saw earlierwould be possible with ordinary engineering.

No... This isn't engineering at all. Does this mean there are different laws in place here?

Oh, if it isn't the Queen. How good of you to come.

I bring you good tidings, Steam King. These are the ones who solved the case of the missing pianist.

Are they now. That would be the case that has been plaguing you for some time now, correct?

Correct. I brought them here because they wished to speak with you. Now I shall leave you to it.

So you are searching for these pieces of Mnemosyne paper, eh.

...Then it would seem you are the ones I have been expecting.

What do you mean?

That the Queen brought you here is proof enough. You must be the ones tied to my destiny.

As such, I believe I can trust you with the concern that has been plaguing me for many years.

This kingdom should not exist.

...What do you mean by that?

...

I am a Servant, just like you. My Noble Phantasm is called Dimension of Steam.

This world we inhabit now is one of fantasy; what would have come to pass had my plans to propagate and popularize a vast number of steam-run machines been realized.

The remnants of that possibility protect me to this day, in the form of this steam engine armor.

So it's basically a scientifically impossible steampunk world come to life.

Exactly. But take a look outside.

This is the very dream I failed to realize. The fantasy I could never make reality in life.

Just behold how vividly real it all is now!

...Isn't that a good thing?

Of course it is, my new friend. You have no idea how my heart sings whenever I lay eyes upon this vista.

You could never understand the depths of my delight at being able to touch a world that once existed only in the interstices of my mind.

But, as much as I wish it weren't so...this is still a dream that never truly came to pass.

In fact, my own existence is the result of the failure to realize this dream. As such, this world and I cannot coexist.

If this world exists naturally, my own existence is anything but. Conversely, if I exist, this world cannot.

Understand: this equation is paradoxical. If my dream became a reality, I myself should cease to exist.

That can only mean this whole world is a dream that should never have been made reality. It is a world that has been unnaturally dragged into being.

Thus, as I am this dream's architect, it is my duty to see it put to rest.

I must end it with my own hands, no matter how beautiful it may be or how dearly I wished to see it realized.

That is my responsibility as a Servant, and as a guardian of humanity.

So basically, you want to destroy your own personal utopia...

...even though it's the perfect realization of the wish you would make upon the Holy Grail, given the chance.

Yes, I suppose so. Do you take issue with that?

Not at all. I have nothing but respect for your decision, Steam King. It makes me proud to be from the same country as you.

Thank you, young mage. I appreciate that.

But I cannot take credit for reaching this conclusion alone. I could never have done so without this woman's guidance.

...You give me far too much credit, Your Majesty. All I did was offer a bit of advice. The value we find upon reaching the answers we seek is something unique to every one of us.

Astraea!

Good day. I didn't expect I would see you all again quite so soon.

？！

Everyone in this land is missing something crucial. Surely you've all noticed as much yourselves?

That goes for me as well. I expect I'm missing some core part of my memories.

Eventually, I figured out that I need those scraps of paper if I'm to fill in those gaps.

That's why I went to investigate the Masquerade Ball Patchwork after discussing it with the Steam King.

So you're originally part of this patchwork, huh. Unfortunately, we need those papers, too.

I'm sure you do. But if we all have equal need of them, then it is only just that they should go to the superior being.

What better way to balance the scales and keep the world turning smoothly?

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Well, she still talks like Luvia...!

That's definitely Luvia...

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Well, Luvia as possessed by a Divine Spirit, but yes. Though if their personalities are this similar, it's no wonder she was chosen as a vessel.

Now do you understand? You can also call me the world's most graceful hunter if you like.

I won't deny that hearing that takes me back a little, but I can't say I agree with it.

Well that's a shame. I was hoping you would be rational enough that we could resolve this...if not entirely peacefully, then at least less violently.

Tell us, Sir BabbageNo, Steam King: Where is this patchwork's paper?

As I've told Astraea before, I would guess it is somewhere inside my body.

Inside your body? You think the paper is INSIDE you?

These slips of paper manifest either within a patchwork's key figure, or in close proximity to them.

Have you not seen as much yourselves?

Now that you mention it...that does seem to line up with what Fujimaru told me.

In which case, there is a strong possibility that this patchwork's paper could be revealed by destroying my Spirit Core.

Y-you can't do that!

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Yes, I would certainly prefer not to self-destruct unless no other option presents itself. Especially as we still can't be sure that the paper is there at all.

With that in mind, Astraea and I agreed to begin our search in the other patchworks.

So that's why she was there in the Tower of London.

Besides, in the event that I have forgotten something important, there is still another possibility.

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I created this prototype Analytical Engine when I was still alive. I know it better than anything.

Assuming I foresaw the possibility of forgetting something, I'm sure I would have implemented a subsystem to prevent any loss of data.

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Indeed, as every engineer knows, that is one of the most basic fundamentals of our profession. Knowing me, I am sure that is exactly what I did.

But, unfortunately...I cannot remember where this crucial subsystem could be.

I am nearly certain it is somewhere within my Steam Castle, but given who I am, I doubt I would have placed it anywhere that was easy to find.

Hmm, so it's a scavenger hunt this time. Well, I guess that's better than getting dragged into some annoying, drawn-out detective work.

All right, let's start by exploring every centimeter of this Steam Castle place.

Well, we've been through most of the castle by now, and still no sign of anything that looks like a backup system...

Fujimaru! Look at that wall!

Did it just open up?

It must have had a secret door that was designed to react to the paper we have.

All right, let's go see what's lying in wait on the other side, shall we?

...Sooo... Catacombs under the castle, huh? Yeah, that tracks.

Gears and cranks everywhere you look, gauges and meters measuring who knows what, metal pipes and handles galore... Yup, steampunk through and through.

There's no telling when or from where a monster might try to attack us, but we should be able to handle anything that tries now that we have Gray here.

I'll...do my best.

Oh yes, I'm counting on you too, of course. Well, on the Servants you command, anyway.

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Hehehe, you're cute when you're upset. I assume you know this, but I was just messing with you again.

I guess that side of me just doesn't go away, even as a Pseudo-Servant.

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Oh yes. It's not as bad as you might think, either. It sure made the power struggles in the Clock Tower a lot easier, I can tell you that.

Honestly, these catacombs remind me a lot of all the time I spent there.

There's literally no end to the schemes and subterfuge that play out every single day there, so you kind of have to be into it just to get by, really.

？！

Given that Chaldea's involved with the Astromancy Department, I'd say it's a sure bet that the Clock Tower's been interfering there somehow.

I doubt you've ever given it much thought, since you don't seem especially...attuned to those sorts of things, but maybe you've heard someone from the administrative side of things mention it?

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There you go. Even if you're a mage just looking for the Rootwell, actually, even more so in that caseyou're going to need a lot of authority to get anywhere.

We mages have an incredibly long and difficult road between us and our goals. Money and power are just two of the things we need to make any headway.

Though of course, even in the Clock Tower, a lot of mages become obsessed with power for its own sake.

...But anyway, enough about that crap. It looks like Trimmau found something.

Over there, Master.

Reines!

What the hell are these things? It looks like someone artificially mixed ghosts and vapor together.

Can you handle them, Gray?

I...should be fine. I'm not afraid of things like this.

Heeheehee! I can't wait to dig in!

Hostiles eliminated.

Mmm, that hit the spot!

You did good, pupil. Very nicely handled, Gray.

Oh, no, it was nothing... Dealing with ghosts is my job, after all.

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Gray's family runs an unusual cemetery, even by British standards. She's been trained to be its grave keeper.

That basically makes her a pro when it comes to dealing with ghosts. Not that she'll be taking over the family business anytime soon, of course.

...

All that aside...those were some awfully odd ghosts.

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They tasted a little odd, too! Kind of like they had a bunch of mismatched flavors mixed in? Don't get me wrong, they were still yummy and all, but sometimes it felt like I was eating a bunch of mist or something!

Mist, huh?

Hmm. Hey, pupil. Do you know exactly what dead spirits are?

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Well, yes, but you're only half right. In magecraft, certain types of dead spirits are considered to be memories.

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It's just what it sounds like. They're memories that have begun acting of their own accord.

I knew you'd get it, Gray. Basically, you can think of them as corrupt data.

Dead spirits don't have anything in the way of true intelligence, and of course, they don't have souls. All they do is repeat things they did when they were alive, without any rhyme or reason.

They're nothing more than remnants of past events that have been burned into particular places or objects.

And it looks like these steam ghosts are beings of pure magecraft that have been created by mixing in memories of that sort.

...But why would beings like that be running around the catacombs of Steam Castle?

Heeheehee! I bet we'll find out if we keep going! Wicked mages love holing up in places like this!

True, that could well be the case here. If we bump into any of those, at least we'll be expecting it.

What's this place...?

I think it's the heart of the castle.

What the hell is that!?

...Are those ghosts being sucked into a giant steam engine?

It's not just that... Their magical energy is being transferred to the engine, too.

Does that mean this steam engine runs on...dead spirits?

That's ridiculous! It's not even a steam engine at this point! Sir Babbage was right. This sort of thing shouldn't exist in the first place!

Master, I have the measurements. There was a slip of the kind of paper we are looking for inside that engine.

There is!?

Was. I believe someone must have taken it.

Someone took it!? Then...does that mean this engine used to run on the magical energy in that paper, and it's now sucking up the energy from ghosts to compensate for its loss...?

So these ghosts are being made to incorporate that steam to make up for the magical energy that's taken from them!?

Dammit! It looks like we need to deal with these steam ghosts before we can do anything else!

What the hell was that?

Master, over there.

Hm? That's a Difference Engine, one of the very first computers ever made! That must be Babbage's backup system. And in that case...

Good, the data on the person who took the paper from the steam engine is still here! Let me just pull up the images here...

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Mentor...!

My brother took the paper...?

No, wait. The fact that there was a Mnemosyne paper here in the first place must mean...

Shit! I get it now! THIS is what Sir Babbage forgot! We've had this all backwards!

Whoever's behind this hasn't been stealing memories to make people forget! Stealing memories is only a means to an end!

This whole place consumes memories for energy!

？！

In magecraft, information IS energy.

It's why spells and chants can be used to control magecraft in the first place.

If you gather enough energy like this, you could do almost anything you want with it.

Still...you don't really get much energy from memories, whether they're coming from spirits or the living.

I don't see how you could power a big steam engine like that on just memories...

Um, well... I have noticed that the dead spirits here have much more magical energy than usual. So did the ones in the Tower of London.

And those scraps of paper have even more.

I see. Then it's not just that steam engine.

This whole place is unusual.

There's something about this Singularity that makes memories an extremely potent energy source!

Oh no! No, no, no! No wonder they went after my brother then! I should have realized this ages ago!

Master, it seems that something is tracking us.

Dammit! This backup subsystem is working independently from Sir Babbage!

That must be why it went after my brother! They wanted to get back the Mnemosyne paper for the energy it has.

Argh, no wonder those first automata we ran into looked like antiques!

They were impossible steam-powered models that must have come from this patchwork!

And if we're being tracked now, more automata like that are bound to come after us again!

Come on! We need to get back to my brother's flat!