Extra Act: Sea of the Foreign Deities (2/5)

Hehehe... Hehehehe...

Hey Master, can you believe it...? This... My little corner of the sea...is amazing...

I have void affiliates...void paywalls... Void video hacks...void pyramid schemes...

And best of all...I can make as many void customers as I want...so theoretically, I can also make all the void money I want...

I'm even working on establishing a void fund to invest in void agriculture and void cruise ships... I'm a full-fledged void tycoon now...

？！

I know... Everything I'm doing here is as empty and meaningless as the void I'm doing it in...

But really, what is labor, anyway...? What is money, really? When you get down to it, it's all meaningless...

Chaldea treated me...well enough... But maybe that life...was just as empty, too...

Back when I was a heroine...in the Servantverse...I used to think everything shone so bright... Was it all just in my head?

If I'm empty, and my life's going to be empty, then I'll just embrace the emptiness so it swells up into a vortex that swallows everything...

Okay... Here I come...

I'm going to break out my Invisible Air...a skill I mastered long ago!

Ulp... She looks stronger than I thought! But I'll do my best to fight her, Master!

Gnnn... Don't think I'm jealous of that position! 'Cause I'm not! At all!

I might be old and past my prime, but I'm still a heroine, dammit! I'm not about to lose to some newbie who just showed up out of nowhere!

Death to all Foreigners but me! Hraaah!!!

De Sterrennacht!!!

Gwaah!!! ...(Gasp) What have I been doing!? I must've been out of my mind! I'm sorry, Master! Forgive me, everyone!!!

？！

...I understand, Lady XX. I had a hard time making a living, too...

Huh?

I only ever sold one single painting in my entire life.

I had day jobs too, but I only managed to pay for paints and models thanks to my parents and my brother, Theo, supporting me...

And even then, I could only do that by skimping on food...

Most days, I was lucky if I could afford bread or potatoes... Sometimes, I had to get by on nothing but coffee...

H-hang on. Master, is that Servant there actually THE Vincent van Gogh?

Now what am I supposed to do? There's no way I can win a misery contest with a starving modern European artist...

？！

That's right... We both know the struggle of surviving in a cold and uncaring society...

But...would it maybe help a little to have a friend who understands...?

U-um, maybe I shouldn't be telling you guys this, but I actually lost all my eldritch power some time ago!

But I'm still so scarred from working at that one super toxic company that I can't be sure I won't succumb to this despair again someday!

But your encouragement is inspiring me to live my best life, Van Gogh! And one of these days, I'm gonna return the favor by helping free you of your despair, too!

Oh, um...essentially, I'm just a girl from Greece, so that despair is mostly just borrowed memories...

So nobody got hurt, and nobody needs rescuing!? What in the world is going on here!?

...Um, Senpai? Since this situation looks to be resolved now, maybe we should hurry on to the next one?

I agree with Mash. Though I also can't help but wonder: If not eldritch power, what DID get into you, XX?

I'm not sure. We don't really have anything like an outer universe back in the Servantverse.

Heh, ehehe... Isn't it obvious?

It was the great evil god you know as...capitalism...