10: Magical Editing Nunnos☆Chloe

I-I-I-I-It's done! My book's all done!

It's amazing what you can do when you treat one day as three! I don't even know if that makes sense, but I don't care, either!

Congratulations.

All the other doujin are getting close to completion as well, thanks to all the club members' hard work.

That said...

Don't tell us there's another problem. Oh no... Did giant god Chloe wake up and start wreaking havoc again?

No. That would actually have been better. See, what happened was...

We cannot rely solely on the artists this time. We must also do what we can to help.

Agreed. It only makes sense to investigate the venue for the final battle ahead of time.

It's a good thing you're such a master of disguise, Sir Lancelot. If I didn't know better, I would swear you were a professional surfer who grew up on this island.

And I, of course, look exactly like any other local fisherman one would expect to find around here.

That should make it easy for us to see how Chloe is doing. Though I'm afraid you'll have to keep your distance, Sir Gawain. You draw too much attention.

Ghh... Curse my boorish, rustic demeanor! I have never been so ashamed!

Forget disguising myself. To think I cannot even blend in among ordinary people!

Hm? What do you want? You here to join our cult?

You both look a little too well-built and healthy for that, but if you really want...

...Wait! Don't let them fool you, Brother! These guys must be from the Normalization Committee!

You are not true believers in Lady Chloe! I can tell with only a glance!

Over here, Beast God Priest! Come forth, Shrine Maiden Mycena!

Please, lend us your strength! Send these pretty boys back to the beach!

Impossible! How could they have seen through us so easily!? All right, my fellow knights, it seems we must fight our way through!

But, how!? (Glub, glub, glub!)

Heh. So, it's you lot. Trying to scout us out with brute force? Just what I would expect from sportsy types.

I'm sure you're here to try and turn Lady Chloe back to normal, but forget about it.

For one thing, none of you are even qualified to see Lady Chloe dressed like that.

Though she may be asleep, the wild spirits who dwell within Lady Chloe will never let the undeserving approach her.

Khh, this strange mist is making me cry nonstop! Tristan, let's fall back for now andHuh!?

What incredible destructive force! Lancelot and Tristan may have been out of their armor, but I still can't believe the enemy defeated them both with a single blow!

Kiiinononono. Consider yourself lucky, Gawain.

Go back to the Chunchun-tei and tell Fujimaru this:

We Mumamumamuans, who are loyal to Lady Chloe, are this island's newest faction, and the ones who will surpass both the Normalization Committee and the Anti-ServantFes Alliance!

And on the seventh day, ServantFes shall become a wild paradise for lovers of the tanned skin genre everywhere!

To think that I was right there, and yet utterly powerless to stop them...!

Incidentally, Lancelot and Tristan are both recuperating in the hospital right now.

What!? This is terrible! I finally finish my book, and now I can't even give it to Chloe!?

I went to check it out myself after Gawacci came back and told us about it, but they turned me away, too.

So I guess just being tan isn't enough. I mean, even Lancelocci has seen more sun than me, and you heard what they did to him.

I can't believe this cult became so powerful in just three days... Now what do we do?

We don't have much time left. If we don't figure something out, we might have to face Chloe directly at the hall on day seven...

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Huh?

Wh-what's this all about?

I don't see how going to the beach is going to help with anythi

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Wat.

Oh, out on a date, are we? Does this mean you've given up trying to stop the Calamity of Editing?

You came here to see Oberon, Fujimaru!? Even though we found out he was one of our enemies back when Oceanunnos attacked!?

I know, right? Even I'm pretty conflicted at this point. What do I even say to this?

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Oh, those guys. All right, I guess I can help you guys out.

Nobody saw them coming, that's for sure. I'd bet even the head of the Normalization Committee is reeling from shock.

This is all so different from any of my predictions that I'm at a loss for what to do about them, too. So if you guys were to take care of them instead, well, that'd suit me just fine.

It sounds like you know what to do about them, but have been choosing not to do it.

Correct, but because the method isn't possible for me.

Long story short, Chloe's been possessed by a particular spirit.

So even though she's sleeping right now, it's like she's still half awake. If you get too close to her, the spirit's defensive instincts will kick in and she'll attack.

However, her mind is still basically Chloe's. So the only kind of person who could get close safely is one Chloe would never attack...

That is, someone who fits her type.

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Why, a girl in a cute swimsuit, of course! The younger, the better!

Which unfortunately rules both you and me out. Now do you understand why I haven't done anything?

So in your case...

Well, if you want to go, why not go? I'm not the one setting the criteria here.

That's easy then! We don't even have to think about it! We can just send Illya!

Are you serious, Altria? No self-respecting detective would say that, to say nothing of a great one.

No one with half a soul would even think of sending Illya into such a dangerous group all by herself.

No, she's going to need protection. And since Fujimaru can't go with her...

No, she's going to need protection. And it'd be way too dangerous to just have Fujimaru go with her, right? So...

...you need to go along too, Altria. It's the only way to save Chloe.

The problem is, there's too many aspects to the way you're dressed now for you to meet Chloe's standards.

So you're going to need to make some tweaks before you can get in. But not to worry! I have a solution!

Huh?

So to get near Chloe, you have to be a girl, wear a swimsuit, and be less than twenty years old, or you'll get smooshed like a pancake...

Yeah, that tracks.

I don't get it. It's not like Chloe only liked girls before, right?

I think, now that it's summer, the balance between her rationality, instincts, and worldly desires probably got a little...skewed...

Something tells me there is a third party responsible for all of this, but never mind that for now, chirp.

If there is a third party, it's only a matter of time before that scoundrel faces the consequences.

Well, Fujimaru, it seems you will be holding down the fort with us. But worry not. Our allies can take care of themselves.

Fujimaru...I want you to stay here at the Chunchun-tei.

I am pretty sure I can do this, but there's still no telling what might happen.

If we can't stop Chloe's rampage, it could end up being one of the worst disasters in Chaldea's history, so...

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Wooo! Glory to Mumamumamuuu!

Okay, we made it up to the mountain plains!

Now I just have to take out the priest and shrine maiden. But that should be easy with you two helping me!

...Phew. It looks like Chloe's not going to smoosh us. I guess my outfit just barely passes as a swimsuit.

I'm sure you're an exception, Miyu. I mean, if you weren't, we'd usually be...you know.

Besides, we've got a great example of a real swimsuit right here!

I had no idea you were wearing such an amazing swimsuit under your clothes this whole time, Alcas! You're so grown-up!

W-w-w-w-well of course! I am the heroine of Faerie Britain, after all!

Kinono! I knew you would come, magical girls!

Heh. Did you think we let that bastard Gawain escape last night by accident!?

Who're you!?

Coming to rescue a loved one with no regard for your own safety... Now that's how a magical girl ought to be!

Ahh, it's good to be alive. Praise be to my Guts for keeping me around even after getting smooshed!

I'm so touched, I can't stop crying!

Blackbeard!? YOU'RE the Beast God Priest!?

N-n-now that I think about it, we never saw him in the Chunchun-tei, did we?

I think the last we heard from him, he was rushing headlong into the city to try to stop Chloe before the last reset.

I see... It was so nice without him around that I didn't want to draw attention to his absence.

But now that he's here, I don't think there's a problem. We just have to wipe him from existence.

Oh my, that's not very nice, Miss Miyu! You see? This is the whole problem with brawn-for-brains goddesses like Luviagelita!

Still, I wonder if you'll be able to take my mount from my tackle once you see THIS! Come forth, beast god angels!

Exterminate. Exterminate.

We will roast anyone who tries to get close. No exceptions.

Wha...!? What's going on!? How come there are a bunch of mes dressed in black!?

I just woke up this morning to find they'd already popped out of Chloe's aura.

Honestly, they terrify me too, but they say a blade's true value lies in how you use it, right?

And these Avengers are gonna have no trouble against weak-ass Archers and Casters.

Now go on, angels! Let this magical girl summertime sale begin!

Oh, but you don't have to exterminate them. That's going too far. Just teach them a lesson, would you?

A magical girl sale? Then...does that mean I didn't need to wear this swimsuit after all?

Then this outfit should work too! All right, time to take out my pent-up frustrations about Oberon on Blackbeard!

Huh? I thought visitors had to be magical girls. What's a Berserker doing with them?

Yay, we won! Oh man, it is sooo nice to cut loose without worrying about what anyone else is thinking!

Ghh, guh! I can't believe my evil magical girl brigade lost!

But a hero never gives up! Next time... Next time, I'll come back with a TV series made with big-screen production values!

Let's kill him. Right now.

Whoa, I haven't felt murderous intent like that since I last saw the old hag! You really wanna punch my ticket, don't you!?

But please, hear me out! I was just being used! I was fluttering in the breeze after I got smooshed...

...when that...that woman brought me back to life with a weird mushroom and stole my underlings away from me!

Weird mushroom?

Nyaaahahahaha! I should've known a bunch of resurrected monsters wouldn't be any help!

But that's okay. I wasn't expecting much from them, anyway.

I am the one who will be capturing you all and using you for my experiments. I am the Beast God Shrine Maiden...

...Magical Girl Locusta, the one who will use mycena mushrooms to create the ultimate poison!

...Huh? Who're you? One of the bad guy's lieutenants?

The hell's that mean!? I just told you, I'm a magical girl, dammit!

I'm not exposing all this skin for fun, you know! I've been keeping this outfit in reserve for the perfect occasion!

Oh, but I wouldn't say no to an actual swimsuit Spirit Origin...

Locusta... The genius poison maker who served Emperor Nero. She was also the head researcher of the mushrooms used in the shadier side of Rome...

...Oh! Everything just clicked! SHE'S the reason Chloe grew so big!

Wha...? Where'd that come from, Miyu? You're deducing so fast I can't keep up.

Don't be ridiculous, Illya. You know as well as anybody that eating mushrooms makes you a giant.

Just look at the box office records. They tell you everything we need to know.

Wow, we didn't have mushrooms like that in Faerie Britain! Proper Human History's amazing!

Oho, so you know how brightly mushrooms can shine once they've been polished. You should come with me to Rome. I'll train you in the mushroom arts.

But unfortunately, you've got it backwards.

It wasn't my mushrooms that made Lady Chloe grow so big.

I only realized she would make a perfect sample after she'd already turned into a giant.

That's right! I'm using Lady Chloe as a seedbed in which to develop mushrooms that can make anyone giant!

And I just finished a sample batch, too! They ought to work especially well on a fellow magical girl!

Woohoo, the future of mushrooms has never looked brighter! Now try this one on for size!

L-Locusta's gone loco...

Now that was both a disgrace and a comedy. A true farce that made me wish to cover my eyes.

Congratulations on a job well done, Locusta! I would even be happy to put on this show at my Golden Theater!

L-L-L-L-Lady Nero!? And in your prime, no less!? Oh, oh my! You're so beautiful I'm gonna die!

Umu, I will allow it! But I am not sure the same can be said of this.

Y-y-y-you're furious!? Eee! I'm sorry! I'm so sorryyy!

Good grief... I hope you can forgive her, magical girls. Locusta meant weer, never learned right from wrong is all.

Worry not, I will see that she is punished. I will ask Circe to turn her into a pig for a while so she can think about what she has done.

Now, I must be off! Do not take too long to rescue Chloe!

...

Chloe... I had no idea you were carrying such a heavy burden.

I'm so sorry I didn't realize what you were going through...and that I added to it by constantly slacking off...

I know this is probably too little, too late, but...

...look what you, me, and Miyu made!

It's a two hundred and ninety-two page doujin complete with an A5 color cover! We put everything we had into it!

This...light...

You were so engrossed in making this. You struggled, you laughed, you wavered, you felt like you lost your way about three times a day...and still, you kept drawing.

This...is a good book. You made a good book...and I helped you make it...

Although... Two hundred and ninety-two pages? That's basically a commercial tankoubon...

Oh, but... This is... This is...!

That unidentified magical energy is leaving Chloe. I guess Illya got through to her.

Ahh... How beautiful...

Even a filthy, blackhearted pirate like me can't help but admire the sheer beauty...

So, now that I've had a change of heart, can I come back to the Chunchun-tei?

Get over here, Blackbeard. We don't want to get in their way. Let's go think about what you've done at the beach.

But...that beach is where Captain Scáthach holds her hellish training sessions! Nooo! I don't want to diiie!

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Chloe! Oh, I'm so glad you're awa

What's with all these typos!?

Haven't I been telling you to proofread at least three times!? Take this line here!

Instead of "promised earring," you put "promised hearing"! Are you TRYING to ruin all our hard work, dummy!?

What!? No way! I'm sure I would've caught a stupid mistake like

Aaah! You're right! There's so many of them! I can't believe I let these slip into my big, sprawling epic!

And I've already ordered a hundred copies for the finaleee!

Here's a random fact for you:

The more pages a book has, the longer it takes to print.

That's why you need to bring it to a printer as soon as you finish it, like Illya did, if you want to have it be ready for the final day.

And this is the result.

A hundred copies of a two hundred and ninety-two page book that now need to be reprinted. A death sentence would have been kinder.

I wonder... Maybe the shock is what drove off the spirit that had been possessing Chloe.

Whawhat was that? Did you just say you already took this to the printer?

... (Keeping her mouth shut because she didn't catch the typos either)

I don't have time to be hanging around heeere!

Illya! Miyu! We need to hurry to the printer right now!

If we're insanely lucky, there's still a chance they haven't started printing yet!

At the very least, we have to avoid a total recall, or our rooms will be stacked with heavy cardboard boxes for ages!

Chloeee!

You're finally back to normal! Oh, I'm so happy!

Huh? Back to normal? What do you mean? What happened while I was sleeping?

Uh... Well...um... I'm not sure I can bring myself to say it...

I will. It's going to hurt, but you need to hear this.

Chloe, while you were sleeping...

Gaaah! Are you serious!? This is sooo embarrassiiing!!!

Ghh, why am I the only one this happened to!? And how am I going to show my face around anyone now!?

I'm glad you finished the book, but if I never edit another, it'll still be too soooooon!!!

Congratulations on a job well done again, Senpai.

Chloe has been rescued, and most of the clubs have finished their new drafts.

Tomorrow is day six, so we should get plenty of rest to prepare for the day seven finale.

They said Lancelot and Tristan are healing up well and should be back in action starting tomorrow.

It doesn't seem like there're going to be any more major problems for a while, so why don't we focus on the mission again?

And let's not forget Oberon, all dressed in black! He's deeefinitely got something to do with all this!

So this time, let's make damn sure to catch him and make him tell us everything he knows!

You mean the infamous Dark Faerie King!? I've got some questions of my own for him!

I'd really rather not go to the Night Woods if I can help it, but at this point, I'm willing to set my principles aside!

So, we're all going to the Night Woods tomorrow, yes? Then I'll arrange for a special shuttle bus!

I-I'm glad you're in such a good mood, Yaraändoo. Does, um, this mean you plan on spending the night here?

Why not? After everything we've been through, we're basically business partners by now, aren't we?

Don't worry. I already asked the front desk to bring in another bed♡

Don't waste your breath, Mash. She won't listen to anyone once she makes up her mind. Cnoc na Riabh's always been shameless like that.

Sorry about this, Fujimaru...

...but Mash, Cnoc na Riabh, and I are going to go sleep in the other bedroom.

I know it's going to be crowded in here with all four of us, Fujimaru, but you'll just have to deal with it.

We're probably going to stay up so late talking that we'll be too sleepy to even manage talking tomorrow.

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Excuse me. It's me, Chloe. The Calamity of Editing...

I'm so sorry about all the trouble I caused for you...

It's okay, Chloe. Please, come inside. I appreciate that you came to apologize...

...but what happened wasn't your fault. It really came down to a certain mushroomer's warped ambitions.

So please, try not to feel too bad.

Mash... Big Brother Fujimaru... Thank you. That makes me feel a lot better.

W-was I? I don't remember what I did, but if you say so, Big Brother, I believe you.

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But never mind me. There's something else I wanted to talk to you about.

I was asleep the whole time I was the Calamity of Editing, right?

Well, during that time, I dreamed of something I thought you should know about.

You mean the spirit from Australian legends that Oberon released from that cave, don't you?

What was the dream about?

Well, it's hard to put into words... No, that's not right. It felt more like...it didn't know how to express itself in our words.

But it was trying as hard as it could to tell us something. It was crying the whole time, too, like it had already given up.

I know I have no right to say this after I destroyed the city, but I could tell it wasn't acting from an evil place.

It was more like...it was just reaching its hands out, maybe searching for something.

Like it was looking for something, hm... True, spirits are practically forces of nature.

So if this one was reaching its hands out, that would definitely result in something like a natural disaster.

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O-oh no. What else did I do? I hope it wasn't TOO bad...

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Uh, no, I can't. Why do you ask?

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