Section 7: Nightmare Illusion (1/2)

That's

But

Then

For now

!!!

Good morning, Senpai. It looks like it's going to be another beautiful day.

How are you feeling, Master?

I'm sure you must be worn out after everything that happened yesterday.

？！

Hahaha, glad to hear it.

Breakfast time! Come and get it while it is still hot!

We have a lot to catch up on, but it's nothing that can't wait until after a good meal.

Good point. Come on, Senpai.

Let's eat.

So, what should we do today?

I'm thinking we'll discuss today's plans after breakfast, followed by a break before putting them into action.

Understood.

My beloved and I did the cooking today, incidentally.

While my beloved did an amazing job, as usual, I hope you can forgive the flaws in my own rough attempts.

There's no need to be so modest. Everything is delicious.

？！

Good. I'm relieved to hear that.

Hmm. Hmm...

Lady Tomoe?

Oh, my apologies. This dish was so good that I thought I would like to try making it myself sometime...

...so I was trying to figure out how it was seasoned.

In that case, I would be happy to teach you the recipe.

Would you? I would appreciate that a great deal. Thank you.

...I was thinking it might be a good idea to search for Lily today.

I know she said she was going to look into some things on her own, but she still should have been back by now.

Good point.

It has been a long time since she ran off to investigate whatever caught her attention.

I can't say I'm terribly worried about her myself...

But, Servant or not, we certainly can't leave a child to fend for herself forever.

As soon as we're all ready, I suggest we draw up a grid of the area near this cottage and begin searching each square until we find her.

Of course...

？！

Oh, it's nothing.

I was just thinking that, knowing her, she may just show up smiling as though nothing happened.

？！

All right, we now have some time to relax before we begin our search for Lady Sessyoin.

I'm sure you and Lady Mash must both be exhausted after everything that happened yesterday, Master, so I do hope you'll take this opportunity to relax!

？！

Oh, good question. Would you be okay if I went along with you, Senpai?

It's very foggy today, isn't it?

？！

So, what shall we do today? We could always pay someone else a visit...

？！

O-okay.

Just the two of us it is, then.

That being said, it's not safe to go too far away from the cottage, so there isn't much to do besides walk around the lake...

Then why don't we go with you?

Yeah! We can all go round and round together!

Good morning, Valkyries. That sounds like a good idea.

Thank you for letting us accompany you.

It might be fun to go out canoeing, if only we had a canoe...

What about fireworks?

Fireworks?

That sounds great! I love fireworks in summer!

The way they burn up and scatter is just like what happens to the souls of fallen warriors!

I like fireworks too...but it's still morning.

So I can't help but think they'll be less impressive with the sun out.

Oh, don't worry about that.

We can just wrap the area where we set the fireworks off in darkness.

We might not be able to do anything huge like control the weather, but we can still make a localized area dark.

I see... What do you think, Senpai?

？！

Okay!

All right then, I'll set the fireworks up.

I'll cover our surroundings with a veil of night.

And I'll sit back and enjoy.

Ortlinde.

...Fine, I'll help too...

Oh wow, it really does look like nightfall now.

Hehe. But it goes right back to daylight if you just take a few steps outside the curtain.

And here are the fireworks.

It's too bad we couldn't use any of the kind you launch into the sky...

But unfortunately, those would cause this veil of darkness to disappear.

Well, what are we waiting for? Let's light some fireworks♪

They're very cute, aren't they?

It's just too bad they disappear so quickly.

？！

...Senpai?

？！

... ...

Um, Senpai?

？！

If there's something on your mind, please tell me what it is.

I know I probably won't be able to help you resolve it...

...but like Da Vinci said, sometimes just talking about things that are weighing on you can help you feel better.

？！

And last, but certainly not least...

Ooh, sparklers.

I've heard these are often used to finish up a round of fireworks, especially in Japan.

Apparently, everyone gathered together is supposed to compete to see whose sparkler lasts the longest.

In that case, I'll use a flame rune to light all our sparklers at the same time to keep things fair.

Is everyone ready?

Ready!

All right...

It's lit! It's lit! ...Ah.

Ahahaha, looks like you're the first one out, Ortlinde.

(Sniff)

That's what happens when you get so excited you wave it around every which way...

I-I couldn't help it! It was just too cute!

Okay, Hildr, easy does it... Achoo!

Ah!

Oh Hildr...

Aw maaan! I can't believe I got so careless!

You both need to learn to be much more careful.

When handling delicate fireworks like this, you need to keep your grip nice and loose instead of freezing up like

Um, Thrúd?

Yes?

You dropped the ball. Literally.

Huh!?

I think your grip was a little too loose.

I can't believe it...

Welp, looks like it's all down to you and Mash now, Master.

Right! I'll do my best!

(Staaare)

？！

Oh. You dropped your sparkler, huh?

？！

And we have a winner! Congrats, Mash!

Could we...maybe try again?

... ...

Ortlinde?

Oh, sorry. It's nothing.

(That's weird. It almost looked to me like Master dropped her sparkler on purpose...)

(Why would she do that? Did she just want to make Mash happy?)

This was so much fun. I've never done fireworks in the morning before.

Thank you, Valkyries!

No problemo♪

...It seems break time is almost over.

You two go back to the cottage. We'll clean up around here.

Okay, if you're sure. Thanks again!

？！

We're back.

Good. Did you enjoy yourselves?

We sure did!

I'm glad to hear that. As for my beloved and I, we split up to investigate the nearby area, and...well...

Did you find something?

Yes, we did. A couple of things.

First, remember those lodgings you encountered in your recent dream? The Smiling Hotel?

Well, it seems a hotel with that same name exists in real life as well.

？！

Indeed.

I thought it was solely the realm of this dream you all shared, but it seems it genuinely exists.

Of course, there was no sign of the three Servants you saw there now. It appears to be a perfectly ordinary establishment.

So, is that where we're going to investigate today?

Not necessarily. In addition to the hotel, we also found another, completely new building.

？！

From the outside, it looks to be a mansion, but we still have yet to investigate the inside.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that we should explore this mansion before we visit the hotel.

If there's nothing of significance there, we can always go to the hotel afterward. What do you all think?

？！

Understood.

Then let's set off as soon as we're all ready.

...A new building, huh.

Right.

And as far as I've been able to tell, the area was empty until it spontaneously showed up.

So it is not that we overlooked it. It just popped up out of nowhere, like all the other buildings we have seen so far.

It certainly seems more than a little suspicious...

The front door doesn't seem to be locked. What shall we do?

I, um... I'll go anywhere as long as I'm with you, Honey.

？！

...

？！

Oh, uh, no, I'm sorry. It's nothing.

So we're going to investigate this new building then? Right. Understood. Let's all be careful in there.

Hey, Tomoe. Tomoe.

Y-yes! What is it, Lady Yu Mei-ren?

Why are you so excited about this?

Oh... I'm so sorry.

The prospect of exploring this mansion excites me for two reasons!

The first is that no buildings such as this ever existed in my own time...

And the second is that mansions like this show up in all the best horror games! Oh, this is so exciting!

Has anyone found any mysterious statues with medal-shaped indentations yet? Or perhaps large murals that are conspicuously missing segments?

Maybe a grand piano? Those tend to be part of the environmental puzzles, too.

I'm afraid we haven't seen any of those things yet, Lady Tomoe. It seems we'll just have to all work together to investigate this mansion.

？！

It's so quiet here, isn't it? It's as though no one has been here in ages...

One of these days, I would love to live in a mansion just like this, with you by my side as my wife.

Ugh, will you two give it a rest already!? Don't drag the rest of us into your own little private world!

The quieter it is, the easier we can predict what comes next.

We must listen closely for the sound of someone or something breathing, or perhaps something crawling...

Oh, and keep an eye on the walls as well! Enemies in horror games love to burst through walls!

They simply smash right through as though the wall were made of paper or whatnot!

Truly, they remind me of nothing so much as fierce warriors on the field of battle!

...

Master, can I ask you something? Have you noticed anything kind of...off?

？！

Oh, um, I'm sorry, I can't point to anything in particular. It's more like...a vague, general feeling.

？！

I, uh, I see. Of course you haven't...

？！

Hooray! Now there are strange sounds!

Again, why're you so excited about this?

They would seem to be some form of automata.

Grrr.

How dare these things attempt to interrupt our precious tryst. No, not attempt... They've already succeeded.

Dolls or not, be warned that you will pay dearly for this transgression.

Then you WERE having a tryst! Ugh, dammit! Why couldn't I be here having a tryst of my own with Lord Xiang Yu!?

I-I'm sorry! That just slipped out! A-anyway, let's go take care of these things!

(Master and Tomoe are examining those dolls' remains.)

(I should really be helping them, but...for some reason, I can't bring myself to do so.)

(What's going on with me...?)

Something...off?

I asked Master the same thing.

Have you noticed anything, well, off, Sigurd?

Hmm. Do you mean with regards to our current situation?

Well, yes. But I think there might also be something a little more specific.

I'm sorry. I don't really understand it all that well myself, either. It's just

If you sense that something is wrong...that there is something amiss you can't explain away...

Then I am sure there is something to it.

...!

I may not be able to sense it as you can, but I suspect this feeling of unease is caused by something only you would notice...

...and that is significant on its own.

Something only I would notice...?

Yes! Sorry! I'll be right there!

...This would seem to be a museum.

Is that...!? No, wait, it's not!

Indeed, these are not our allies. They're wax figures.

Oh my, they look just like the real thing.

But who would have made these? And why?

That, I cannot say.

What I can say is that I find it a bit unnerving...

...to be surrounded by unblinking identical facsimiles of our familiar allies in this manner.

Man, you humans really love making replicas of yourselves, don't you?

Personally, I don't know what you get out of it

......

...Ah. Aaaaaahhh!?

L-Lord Xiang Yu!

...I'm afraid that's a wax figure of him as well. Though it does look indistinguishable from

Indistinguishable!? Get your glasses checked, Mash, 'cause you obviously need a new prescription!

How could you possibly mistake this...thing for the real Lord Xiang Yu in all his glory!?

How dare whoever made this appalling imitation attempt to pass this off as anything approaching his majesty!?

Just look at this! This spike here is off by one-point-eight degrees, these cheek curves are nowhere near as supple, and don't even get me started on the thickness of his left little finger's second joint

...

？！

No, I can understand. An imitation of the one you love must be perfect in every way.

I have no doubt I would be just as uncompromising if we were to come across a figure of Lord Yoshinaka as well!

(Nodding vigorously)

Teehee. Teeheehee.

Who was that!?

Ahaha, ahahaha, ahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahaha...

Wherever this voice coming from, I should be able to find its source with my VR mind's eyes...

Oh, goodness, it actually worked! There you are!

Teeheehee! Aww, you found me. I guess that's the end of hide-and-seek.

Nursery...?

Are you the one who humiliated Lord Xiang Yu with this pathetic knockoff?

Because if you are, I'm going to make you wish you'd never so much as heard of wax!

No, no, that wasn't me. I'm just staying here. Playing here. That's my role, after all.

I'm the girl in the mansion.

...?

I'm neither friend nor foe.

That's why I was also able to be that girl's companion.

Just like the bird in the gilded cage or Sleeping Beauty, even a lily would be lonesome if it were all by itself.

A lily? The girl you're talking about...is it Lily!?

Is she here in this mansion?

Oh yes, she's being held captive here. But don't worry. She may be asleep right now, but she's hale and hearty.

We shared stories about so many things.

Oh, speaking of stories, she said she's waiting eagerly for a new one to be written.

Teehee, a new story sounds wonderful to me, too! How exciting! How thrilling!

I'd love to be the next one to read it after she does. I just know it's going to be great.

The first story's ending just had to be a mistake, after all...

...so I'm positive the sequel will end with something as sweet and satisfying as candy.

Ooh, I'm so excited! I can't wait for this Mr. Sourpuss of hers to finish writing "The Little Mermaid 2"!

...Did you say "The Little Mermaid"? As in, the Hans Christian Andersen story?

Now that you mention it, Lily's guardian did say he was writing something for her.

So she said that story's title was "The Little Mermaid 2"?

Yes, that's right.

Oh, I'm so glad. No book can be born unless its author wants to write it, after all!

Never mind that now. You said she's being held captive? Can you tell us where she is?

Teehee, you want to know where she is, do you? Well, like I said, I'm neither friend nor foe.

Why don't we play a game? There are so very many dolls here, after all. Windup dolls... Wax dolls... And also...

Teeheeheeheehee!

Ah! Nursery, wait!

？！

Did you ever see a lassie, a lassie, a lassie...

Please come back, Nursery!

Did you ever see a lassie go this way and that?

Teehee, I can't go back now. That wouldn't be any fun at all.

See? Here come some more friends now.

Hmm. A new type of doll, huh?

Those certainly aren't Western-style dolls...

I couldn't care less about that, but damn, they sure are big, aren't they...

？！

They seem to be eager for a fight. If they mean to block our path, then

Indeed. Loathe as I am to destroy anything so cute as these dolls, I do not see any alternative!

Aha! Then these dolls ARE supposed to be cute!

Of course! I think they're cute, too! But we still have to take them out!