5: Rain Falling in the Forest at Night

So you're going to sprinkle this pixie dust stuff on yourselves to pretend to be friends of the forest?

I'll pass. I don't think I could take that.

What do you mean?

Hiding who you are? That's just lying.

As the head of the Normalization Committee, do you really think I could do something so underhanded?

I don't mind when it's other people doing it, but personally, I can't stand lying or obfuscating.

So much so that I'd rather just disappear.

N-no kidding. I didn't know you were so earnest, Yaraändoo.

Well, she is a committee head. That sort of thing is probably why people listen to her.

Anyway, sounds like it's my turn to accompany you.

Our group will consist of big brother Fujimaru...

Mash...Alcas...Lancelot...and me!

Fine. I'll stay here and see if the city is being properly protected.

And don't even think about trying to fight the enshrined deity. If you can just find out where MikoCer is hiding, that'll be more than enough.

All right, the Night Woods is just up ahead. Are you ready, Alcas?

Yes, of course. All right, a little sprinkle of pixie dust, and we should be good to go.

It's night now!

And the magical energy is far denser here. It would seem this truly is a forest of spirits.

Huh? Don't you mean faeries?

No, I don't. Faeries and spirits may seem the same, but they're not.

For better and worse, faeries have human levels of intelligence, so their residual magical energy can be directed to some degree.

Directed... As in, it can be more easily shaped into magecraft and Mystics?

Things like "Bewilder people who enter," "Steal people who enter's memories," and "Transform people who enter"?

Indeed. Faeries make use of what we call Mystics simply by existing.

They don't have mages because they have no need to study magecraft in the first place.

Spirits, on the other hand, are more supernatural things. They have neither good intentions, nor ill.

Regardless of how much magical energy they possess, it is no more than a thing that exists.

As long as no one is misusing them for their own ends, they don't cause trouble like faeries do.

？！

MikoCer, the Enshrined Deity Priestess. That would explain how she's so absurdly strong even though she's dressed like something out of a kids' puppet show.

No, Baobhan Sith isn't the one with all that power. It's the monster she's with, Burnunnos.

Last I checked, Baobhan Sith can't do any magecraft stuff without Morgan's tools.

？！

...Yes, I heard it too.

It sounded like something not of this world...or like it was crying out in agony.

Wait. I think it's a ritual sacrifice! Miss Jaguarmura told us about them once!

Hmm. If MikoCer truly is a priestess, then she may indeed be performing some manner of ritual.

It could be a trap, but since we have no other leads, I think we should follow that sound and see what it is. Just be careful.

？！

Papo? Parrr? Melmako melmai! Popeupeu! Definitely nipou!

What tremendous hostility! And they're all too eager to make use of it in battle!

Everyone, prepare for battle! And stay sharp! These animals are far stronger than any foe we've yet faced!

Boar! Definite boar!

What did you just call me!?

Oh no! That kangaroo just knocked Alcas's trumpet into the lake!

Y-y-you've got to be kidding me! That trumpet's unique! There's not another like it in the world!

Merub! Omede Luminas!

Yikes, that one just knocked Mash's shield away! How do they know how to fight humans so well!?

What about you, Lancelot!? Are you okay!?

Yes, I'm fine. They knocked my weapon away a number of times as well, but I always caught it.

I'm used to picking up my weapons after losing them, after all.

？！

Babbo?

At ease, warriors of the forest. At ease.

Today's ritual is over. Please exit through West Gate One in an orderly fashion.

We will hold tomorrow's ritual in the evening. Remember to bring your food offerings...

Pepo. Pepooo.

They all disappeared into the forest... But wait, never mind that! That voice just came from the spring!

Calm down. I am the spirit who lives in this spring...or something like that, at least.

People call me...the Destroyer of Worlds...

I take it you are the ones who dropped something into my spring? It hurt a lot... This is a grave matter indeed.

Now, answer me honestly. Don't worry, I won't get angry.

Did you drop this gold trumpet, or this silver horn?

？！

...I'm sorry. Now that I look more closely, I see you still have your shield, Mash.

No, your combat analysis was correct, Chloe. It's still a very precious possession.

I guess that means we dropped them both. Will you give them back to us, spirit of the spring?

...Very well. It seems the time has come for me to reveal my form to the world.

The form that made the animals of this forest true believers in the span of a single night...

Thank you for coming to my ritual. Now please, get out your wallets, and don't be afraid to give till it hurts.

Living on spring fish alone is no way to keep my bow fingers in shape, so I'm thinking today calls for a nice steak

Ah.

(Agape)

I'm sorry. Wait just a moment while I go and fetch the real Sir Tristan.

Thank goodness you finally found me.

I always believed help would come. This makes all the time I spent hiding worthwhile.

Well, I guess you were hiding yourself in one sense of the word...

I know what you're all thinking. I understand your concerns, but I ask that you keep them to yourselves.

You cannot expect common sense from Tristan. That is not how the mind of a genius works.

Yes, of course. Instead of panicking after we got separated, Sir Tristan bided his time by hiding out in this spring.

That's not the kind of thing you can do without incredible fortitude and strength of mind. Amazing job as always, Sir Tristan.

You think so? I can't quite believe it myself, but do you really think so?

？！

I see. So Sir Gawain was blasted away from the city just as I was.

Well, since I ended up here in the forest, a place I have always considered home...

...I suspect Sir Gawain may have ended up in a place with similar meaning for him.

I wonder where Suzuka could have ended up. She doesn't seem to be anywhere in Waikiki.

Although that reset light was strong enough to knock me out, it had no adverse physical effects whatsoever.

So wherever Miss Suzuka is, I am sure her inability to rendezvous with us is not a matter of harm having been done to her.

Speaking of which, Tristan, why did you stay in these woods instead of trying to rendezvous with Master?

The Bounded Field prevented me from leaving. All I could do was try to survive with no more than my harp.

If MikoCer hadn't told me about this spring, I would probably still be fighting this forest's warriors.

Does that mean MikoCer helped you?

She did. She introduced me to this spring, where I can play my harp as loudly as I want without bothering anyone else.

I take it by your interest in her name that you came here to defeat her?

？！

...Very well. I'll take you to her house.

You needn't worry about the deity in question for now. It won't wake until the latter half of ServantFes.

The latter half of ServantFes... Does that mean it only comes alive when the fervor of ServantFes reaches a certain point?

Yes, that's correct. But you should ask MikoCer about that.

Oh, one more question. Are you making a book this time as well?

Yeah, we are. Well, not us so much as the clubs in the alliance, but still.

Then there should be no problem. You have everything you need to defeat her.

Follow me. I'll take you to the deepest reaches of the Night Woods: the witch's forbidden domain.

It looks like a witch's house straight out of a fairy tale. This is where MikoCer lives?

Not exactly. The house doesn't belong to her. She's more watching it for its actual owner.

I'm getting a bad feeling about this... I sure hope it's not one of those giant mimics only pretending to be a house so it can eat people or something.

Is there anything we should look out for after we go inside, Tristan?

Not especially. It's your typical cozy home, aside perhaps from its location.

And as luck would have it, it's teatime now, too, so I doubt MikoCer will attack you. Especially with me here.

All right then...

Enshrined Deity Priestess! It is Tristan, Knight of the Round Table! I'm coming in!

Don't. How many times do I have to tell you, daytime is my writing ti

Huh?

Huh?

？！

Wh-wh-wh

What the hell are you doing trespassing in my territory!?

Do you want to die? Is that it? Fine, that can be arranged!

Hold it, MikoCer. No, wait. During the day, you go by Baobhan Sith, the Rain Witch, don't you?

At any rate, these people are not your enemy. They're here to clear up this mutual misunderstanding.

Please, hear them out. For me, if nothing else. Think of it as paying me back for all the stories of knighthood I've regaled you with each morning.

Oh buzz off. If anything, you piss me off even more than they do.

I told you this was a witch's house, didn't I?

And what do witches do to trespassers? They curse them to hell and gone, that's what.

You probably thought you could take me down easy without the enshrined deity here, but unfortunately for you pissants, witches are invincible in their workshops.

My magical energy's easily a hundred times stronger in here. But I'm sure you knew that, being mages yourselves.

Oh, right. I guess you wouldn't, seeing how you're just a half-assed Master and a hick faerie with delusions of magehood!

All right, fine. I was just thinking it was time I made my own grimoire, anyway!

So I'm gonna turn you all into stickers and use you to decorate my book's back cover!

I...I was just tired from all the drawing I've been doing! Yeah!

The Witch of the Forest of Rain is usually way, way, waaay stronger than this, jerkface!

Drawing? You mean these completely blank pages all over on your desk?

Huh? Did you seriously just look at my desk without even asking? I knew you were a hick, but I thought you at least had SOME manners.

Seriously, did no one teach you right from wrong growing up? You're being even ruder than Mélusine right now, you know that?

O-oh, yeah, I guess you're right. I'm sorry. I thought I might find some kind of evidence there, so...

？！

...Well, I guess it's harder NOT to see them when you're already in here.

The real problem isn't that you peeked at my desk. It's that you entered my house without permission.

All right, what are you doing here, anyway? You come to get revenge after Burnunnos handed you your asses?

No, we're not here for revenge. We just want to talk.

First off, we want to know why you've been attacking ServantFes.

Yeah, what Mash said. It sounds like the deity doesn't show up until ServantFes is halfway over. There's a reason for that, right?

...

Well, if you already know that much, I guess there's no point in keeping the rest a secret.

That's right. The deity awakens in response to the fervor generated from the ServantFes attendees.

That fervor then lures him over to the city, where he goes on to squash the festival.

Hmm. Does that mean this deity hates ServantFes?

No, he doesn't. He only squashes it because he suffers while it's going on.

That's fine with me, though. I love squashing people when they're enjoying themselves♡

？！

If there was, I'd already be doing it. Why do you think I became his priestess in the first place?

Oh. So, you're doing this to help him?

Of course not. I'm using him.

As MikoCer, it's never been easier to squash other Servants like rats.

(Sigh...) You just can't be honest with yourself, can you, Baobhan Sith?

The truth is, you don't actually want Burnunnos to wake up, right?

The more he burns the city, the more people hate him. And you don't like that, do you?

Huh!? Hey, using those eyes on me is no fair!

...Hmph. Well, I guess there is one way to keep Burnunnos from going to the city.

I just have to keep an eye on him in his cave. That's why you're here, right? 'Cause you want me to do that?

？！

Yeah, I can. But on one condition. You guys are making doujin, right?

Bring them to me on the sixth day. Let's see... Five books should be enough.

With that much reference material, I'm sure I'll have no trouble making headway on my own draft!

Well, this was quite the surprising development. I never would have guessed that the priestess would ask for doujin.

That's a much more peaceful way to resolve this, though.

I think I see why she's been attacking ServantFes now.

？！

Yeah! Baobhan Sith might act evil, but she's still good at heart! Well, she's also genuinely mean, cruel, and short-tempered!

Anyway, we can definitely rule her out as the thief who stole the Singularity from BB now!

I'm glad you understand. I'm going to stay here and keep an eye on her.

She did once go by my name, after all, so I can't help but feel a sense of personal obligation.

I see. You could pass through the Bounded Field as well thanks to the pixie dust, but if that's your choice, we'll respect it.

All right, now that that's settled, let's head back to the city! We have three finished books right now, so that just leaves two more.

We'll have to make sure all five are ready to go on day six of ServantFes!