Dubai's White Walls and Black Bikinis

Wh-whoa... Another incredible bookstore. Brill.

It may not be as charming as my personal favorite bookstore, but with such an amazing selection, I can only bow respectfully.

Yes, that's right... Sir Palamedes used to talk about this all the time.

He would say that the planets in the Middle East star system past the sandstorm nebula were the cradle that cultivated modern civilization and academia.

Now then, let's see... Hmm, hmm. Oho, oho.

They not only have my usual go-to fiction novels, there's no shortage of practical nonfiction books. Perhaps because this is a finance-focused city.

Either way, one of the best parts about real bookstores over online ones is browsing books from unfamiliar genres.

Take this one, for example. "90% of Villainy Is Who Says It First"... Yeah, that makes sense.

"Rich Villain Destitute Heroine"... Love it. I've only read the title and I'm already sold.

"The 666 Habits of Highly Effective Villains"... Isn't that way too many? No way I can do them all.

"Everything Goes Well If You Wear a Swimsuit," "If You Want to Go Viral, Get a Useless Dog."

"Just Eat! The Villain Diet," "Life Is Schrödinger," "Calorie-Free Thinking," "The Life-Changing Magecraft of Eradicating Your Enemies."

"How a Teen Girl Went From Zero EXP to the Most Infamous Magecraft Academy in the British Empire in One Amazing Year."

U-um, Miss!? Could you use this cart, please!?

Oh, whoops. I didn't realize I was carrying so many books.

I'd like to have these all sent to my hotel. Put it on my (personal) Mysterious Black card.

Thank you for your purchase!

Very nice. This is the most satisfying shopping I've done in a long time.

...But it also looks like I spent too long here. There are still so many other stores I haven't visited.

Not only that. It's already noon and...

I'm...hungry.

All right. Time to find a place to replenish my energy supply. It's lunchtime.

And of course, a mall this enormous must be absolutely packed with places to eat!

Aw man, I'm too late. Every restaurant is already packed.

It does look like there are still a few empty seats here and there...

...but what would be the point of coming all the way to Dubai if I just got a hamburger or fried chicken from the same chains I always go to?

Ooh, hang on. I smell something juicy and spicy. Now that smells like local cuisine.

Even better, it's not too busy right now, either. ...Shawarma?

Shawarma... Is it some kind of kebab? Honestly, it looks really, really good...

...but I can't! I don't know why, but it just seems like something heroes eat!

Nnnn... Fine! I'll just have to go somewhere else!

Good thing I marked that place down for just this kind of scenario!

(Huff, huff, huff, huff...) (I'm so...)

(I'm so hungry...so hungry...hungry!!!)

Dammit, I don't have time to take the bus. It'll be faster if I just run.

(I remember it well. It was an unassuming food stand...)

(A little shop at the souq in Old Dubai that practically radiated local gourmet aura!)

(It had something that looked like perfectly round croquettesoh, or maybe deep-fried meat dumplings?)

(I almost missed it thanks to all the many new and unfamiliar sweets they had too, but whatever it was, I'm betting it's the king of Dubai junk food.)

(That stand will satisfy my cravings for authentic Dubai cuisine, I just know it!)

Whoops, that was close. I almost went from quick speed to stampede again.

But now, I've found it! And it's open for business!

One serving of those freshly fried, crispy, crunchy, round, golden-brown, little rolly things, please!

Oh, good timing, little miss. I was just about to close up for the day.

That's "miss," not "little miss," thank you. Anyway, is my timing really that good?

Well, yeah. You caught me right after a big spender bought out nearly all my stock.

What, you've never had falafel before? Well then, how about a little taste?

Oh, thank you. Don't mind if I do.

...! (Crunch, chew, chew, swallow)

This is...good. Really good. But not at all in a way I'd expected.

Right? Right!? Your face says it all perfectly.

The taste and texture are like nothing I could have predicted, and this exotic aroma is utterly tantalizing.

I also thought this was made with meat, but it doesn't seem to be. And this almost gritty mouthfeel doesn't seem anything like potato croquettes, either.

It's unabashedly spicy, yet it's also mild and easy to eat. You said this is called "falafel"?

That's right. There's no meat in it at all, but you'd never guess that from how satisfying it is, right?

It's made by mixing mashed chickpeas, onions, and lots of different spices together, then frying them up.

Gimme just a sec, and I'll fry you up a fresh batch!

...

...(Gasp!) That was so satisfying, I accidentally flashed back to the Servantverse while I was walking.

Ahh, delectable. I'm so glad I didn't compromise and go with some other, more convenient shop.

I don't buy that man's modest insistence that it was just another regular food stand for one second.

Not to mention...

...I was surprised to hear the big spender who nearly ate him out of stock was a guy with sunglasses who looked like a big white castle wall come to life...

Hm?

Wow, I didn't realize I'd wandered into a much busier part of the marketplace while I was thinking.

Well, since I'm here now, it'd be nice to finish off this meal with some classic Dubai sweets.

I'm fairly sure I saw a bunch of sweets shops all around this Old Souq, too.

At least, I thought I did...

But looking around at all these shops lined up together...

...you can really tell Dubai doesn't actually have many things to call its own.

For example, most of the candy shops out here are Indian. Whoa, that looks sweet enough to absolutely obliterate my taste buds.

And Arab sweets like knafeh and baklava are surely common in Turkey and Egypt, too.

They must have been brought here through trade, and by religious people coming here on pilgrimages and whatnot.

...But that's not all. There's something else, too.

I may not be able to see it clearly in this moment, but I can still tell they have something in common, deep beneath the surface...

A past when these countries were defeated by a greater power and forced to submit to their rule.

Those wounds always leave scarsscars I'm fairly sensitive to.

Their lingering feelings and pride can be sensed in the shadows of daily life, the architecture, and even in the subtle details of the sweets they adapted.

The number of countries who have never been ruled by another are the exception to the rule, and by a wide margin.

It's nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, countries like this should be proud of how they've managed to flourish.

According to the history book I flipped through at the bookstore, Dubai was originally a small fishing village.

It also explained that it eventually became home to pirate forces strong enough to rival European nations.

I would've thought these people were desert citizens through and through, but they were actually pirates... Villain that I am, I can't help but be intrigued.

I wonder if there's somewhere I can learn what happened to this city before it became so rich?

...Hm? What's he doing here?

He just went into a traditional building. Hm, it looks like a mansion in the desert.

I see there are a number of similar buildings here, too. What is this place? ...Oho. A museum dedicated to the history of Dubai.

Hmm. This seems like exactly the kind of place I'm looking for.

My stomach is still craving dessert to cap off that delicious meal...but I think it can wait while I check this place out.

Perfect. I'm just in time for a short film.

(...Ah.)

"Dubai was once a small village that subsisted on fishing and whatever pearls its fishers could find in the sea."

"The oval-shaped town was surrounded by earthen walls, goats and camels were kept as livestock, and many of the houses were made with palm leaves."

"Over time, this region, a strategic point along the Strait of Hormuz, began to see ships from Europe's colonial empires passing through its waters."

"Meanwhile, the northeastern regions of Ra's al Khaymah and Sharjah organized a military fleet to oppose the British East India Company..."

...

(...Sir Percival.)

(To my shame, I had difficulty remembering his name when I first saw him here.)

(Of course, I realize he's not the same Percival as the one from the Servantverse. There, he is a peerless knight and my nemesis.)

(But even if he is a member of Chaldea, he's still a Servant, just like me. My amnesia must be even worse than I thought.)

(Or maybe...there's another reason I can't seem to remember him...)

"...It was then that a ferocious naval war broke out in the waters near Dubai, a place the British Empire now feared as a dreaded 'pirate coast.'"

"When the situation escalated to the point where the captured British merchant ship Minerva was refitted as an Arab flagship..."

"...Britain ultimately decided to send out two major expeditions which would prove decisive..."

What a fascinating museum.

I especially liked the hands-on corner where you could smell the different kinds of spices commonly used here. That ambergris stuff was particularly potent.

Hi there.

...Hello.

I thought that was you. You seemed quite engrossed in the pavilion's exhibits.

Forgive me for not saying hello sooner.

Not at all. You were simply being considerate, not disturbing me, right?

Miss Ex, was it?

...

Yes, that's right. I'm Ex. Hehe.

So, what were you doing at this museum, um...Percival?

Well...

I first started researching this city so I could better guard Master and ensure this mission's success, of course...

...but over time, I developed a personal interest in it as well.

I didn't end up having much free time to pursue it, but I thought I could at least take a look around the places I was most interested in when the opportunity arose.

I see. So you're a serious sort. Perhaps too serious. As for me, I came here in my search for more local sweets.

...And speaking of which, it's snack time now.

I was planning to look around the souq again and see if I could uncover any new desert roses.

So you're off in search of ever greater sweets? Wonderful.

And from the look of it, you already have your eye on a particular shop or two. Very interesting.

Fortunately, I still have some time of my own. Would you mind if I accompanied you?

I guess that would be okay. But I don't want them running out, so I'll order first. Otherwise, I'll have to fight you to the death for whatever they have left.

From what I see, Percival, you tend to eat too much of a single thing.

If I were in your shoes, I would prefer to sample many different delicious things, never eating my fill of any one, so that I was left with nigh infinite unforgettable memories.

Hehe. That sounds challenging, but also like a great learning opportunity.

Mmm, I've never tasted so many different flavors in so short a time before. That was delightful.

I should have a great many interesting stories to share with Director Goredolf when I get back, too.

I think this bounty of flavors may be a result of people drinking far less alcohol around here.

Of course there's no reason a grown man should feel bad about enjoying sweets, but I do appreciate it not being an issue here.

...By the way, Ex, there's something I'd like to ask you.

What do you think of this city now that you've seen it for yourself?

What do I think...? Is that part of your research, too?

It is. I can't possibly give a thorough evaluation of the place all on my own, after all.

What stood out to me was the almost solemn cityscape built on a foundation of peace...the rich, diverse cuisine...

...the magnificent art dedicated to God...and the way it so warmly welcomes tourists while still maintaining a sense of discipline.

But now, I would love to hear what you think, if you don't mind.

...Hmm. Good question.

If I had to pick, I guess the thing that stands out to me the most is the sense of loneliness.

Loneliness...?

That's just my interpretation. Feel free to laugh at me for going against the grain.

I would never. Please, go on.

...It's a loneliness tinged with nostalgia, envy, and pride.

That impression only grew stronger after I learned more about the city's history at the museum.

Their submission to another country's rule under the guise of protection after they lost a war. The imposition of an unjust peace after their future was stolen.

In the end, everything came down to military force and other great powers unilaterally acting in their own interests.

I can only imagine how the people of this city must have felt after being forced to submit to such an overbearing reign for a hundred and fifty long years.

I wonder... What would have become of this city if oil had never been discovered here?

...

It was only a few decades ago that the coastal countries in this region, including Dubai, banded together to form a confederation and win back their independence.

From the standpoint of history itself, that is practically the blink of an eye.

In those scant few decades, this city has undergone incredible growth unlike anything the world has seen.

That growth must have been the source of a great deal of joy for its people.

You can clearly see their pride in their city from the way its skyscrapers seem to rise directly from the desert sands.

And yet...

...I think they also realized what all this sudden growth was causing them to leave behind.

The chaos of the souq in Old Dubai...

...the few historic buildings that still exist around the museum, complete with their weathered earthen walls...

...they must be this city's roots, its precious memories.

I think it's nothing short of a miracle that they still exist while there are still people from the previous generation who remember what things used to be like.

And yet, I doubt this city will ever stop marching along the path of progress.

Indeed. That's why it seems so lonely to me.

(Hmm... I see.)

(Master told me this girl from another universe who has the same face as King Arthur...)

(...is still missing some of her memories.)

(So I can understand why she would be drawn to this city's past and sympathize with its struggles...)

At some point, every powerful city will be forced to make a major choice.

A choice to determine who they are and who they want to be... Because nothing stays the same.

...Hmm. Thank you, Ex.

That was very insightful. I'm deeply grateful for your perspective.

Oho. Is that so?

Does that mean you'd be willing to treat me to a round of that cutting-edge VR drone game they have at the mall?

Drone game?

Haha. I'm sorry, but I really must be getting back to guarding Master.

Damn. It's no fun playing a game like that without an audience.

I was so sure I could set a monumental new score, too. One as high as the Burj Khalifa.

...Oh well, I understand.

I suppose I'll just have to be content with sipping lemon mint juice by the hotel's night pool while I dig into my new books.

That...sounds as far from loneliness as one could get, at least to me.

Well, I never said I was on Dubai's side.

If I get the chance, I'm considering seizing control of it and turning it into my own base, filled with gold and gourmet delights.

Is that so? I see, I see.

Then it looks like I'll have another thing to keep an eye on in addition to my guard duties. Hahaha!