Fate/ConQUEST

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: A certain fancy restaurant, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Day

“Err, is this really necessary?”

“Of course. I can’t just meet a lady without bringing her to something nice, my treat.”

“Right.”

After I contacted Benjamin, he immediately arranged a restaurant for us to meet. I do not expect the restaurant will be another five-star place. I suppose he simply wants to entertain me as a guest, being a Master and all, but I don’t want to be mistaken as his lover or something.

Ah well, I’m already here. May as well order something.

…

Oysters and pearls.

Hudson valley moulard duck foie gras.

Charcoal-grilled maine sea scallop.

Sauteed fillet with Mediterranean lubina.

…..

What are these????

Shit, after five years on the run, I no longer know any of this fancy stuff! Don’t laugh at me! Yes, I survive mostly eating canned and street foods these past five years, don’t laugh at me! I can hear the me that lived a thoughtless lifestyle from five years ago laughing at the current me!

When I am focused on trying to figure out what these foods are on the internet, Benjamin snorted.

“I recommend their beef wellington. It may be a standard choice, but I guarantee it tastes extraordinary.”

“T-then, I’ll order that.” Ah, I must look dumb just now…

But that feeling quickly blew away when my order has arrived.

500$ beef wellington

The smell of pastry and mushroom bursts as the waiter opens the lid. The plating is pretty, yes, but I can tell from the perfectly cooked medium-rare meat and the crunchy-yet-soft puff pate that this thing is the real deal. Not to mention I can smell a slightly spicy and herbal aroma from the mashed potatoes and the mushroom sauce it is served together with.

Without wasting my time any longer, I look at him to signal that we should begin to eat and take my knife and fork on both of my hands.

When I took a bite, the crunchy pate and the meaty juice burst in my mouth! It’s great!

“Mmmmm~~~!” I instinctively put my hand on my cheek.

After that first bite, I continue to munch the dish until I realize I already finished the plate clean.

“Not crude, not pretentious either. I must say, I like women that know how to appreciate food.”

“Ahaha, is that how you get girls to fall for you?” damn smooth, why do most male Servants like this?

“Oh? You are mistaken, I am simply happy to be with a fellow foodie! Trust me, when I really am trying, I will be more straightforward than that.” And I’m not interested to find out.

I did not notice it at first, because he does gracefully eat with a proper table manner. But upon inspection, he is already on his fifth plate. He slices his food according to proper etiquette, but the size of that slice is almost as big as my face! Did he not worry about too many calories? Ah dang it, he is a Servant, they didn’t grow fat… how enviable!

He finishes his sixth plate and cleans his mouth with a napkin.

“Besides, there is no way I can lay a finger on you. You are very precious to Little Miss after all.”

The feisty atmosphere turns somber.

“Leftraru says something similar to me. Just what am I to her exactly?”

“I’m sorry, Lady Elliwyn. But I’m afraid I can’t say that, I promised her to never tell you the truth.”

“Please, I have the right to know!”

That answer worked me up as I reflectively stood and slammed my hand on the table.

These three days I can’t let her go from my mind. Why is a girl like her willing to sacrifice herself for my goal?

“...” Benjamin closes his eyes and drinks wine in response, firmly.

I realize that he will not budge from it, and he too loves her above anything else.

“Sorry… losing her must be hard for you too.” I return to my seat and rub her last Command Spell on my right hand.

“It’s fine, I was in the wrong to bring her up. I want to tell you the truth for her sake, but that would betray her trust.”

We turned silent for a few minutes, and that awkward feeling felt like hours.

Maybe I should talk to him about something else…

Bond Choice!

This is a Bond Choice. To refresh the readers, as its names imply, it is a choice that may increase your Bond with a Servant depending on what you choose.
Right now, your Bond with Benjamin Franklin is only 0/5.

As right now is a peaceful time, and you have plenty to spend. You can choose 2 of the questions below.

1] His relationship with Ruler.
2] His relationship with Leftraru.
3] What is the future of SFA going forward?
4] How is SFA and El-Dorado's relationship in the future?
5] Are you going to return as the Leader of SFA again?
6] About the rest of SFA Servants.
7] Discuss about electricity.
8] Invite him to your team.
9] Write-in!

[Wizard]

1+8
If he's not gonna tell her about why Ruler did as she did, she can at least learn a bit more about her. And if we ask him to join, we can learn about his future plans regardless with the potential to add him to our team. I'll never pass up a chance to dominate an older man!

[SaberBlue2]

3+6
I think it will earn more of his point/bond if we ask about his friends. He is shown to care about them.

[Theadier]

3 + 6 seems the most appropriate option

[SpoonyViking]

4 and 5.

[SleepMode]

​4 & 6

[Half-Blood Master]

4 & 7

[Spartacus]

Now everyone can cringe together with me.

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: A certain fancy restaurant, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Day



“Ahem!” I forced a cough to crack the atmosphere. “There is something I want to ask. I’m curious about the rest of SFA Servants, what will happen to them?”

The moment I mention his friends, his eyes glimmer.

“Thanks to you, all of them are now free from Leader’s programming.”

“That’s great! I’m glad that my Recursion can be useful.”

“First of all, Zachary, he has almost recovered from his wound. It’s a good thing he is a giant, he has a faster recovery rate than your average Servant.”

“Zachary Taylor, SFA Rider is it? I wonder how he feels about us right now, he seems upset about Magellan.”

Out of all SFA Servants, Zachary Taylor is the one I’m unfamiliar with the most. The only time I have seen SFA Rider was during the joint operation between Upper Belts forces.

When Magellan defected to us, both Phoenix Lancer and Serpentines Rider were upset with her. I imagine he is also the same. He is also the man responsible for Magellan's current condition, so I’m sure he is as strong as he looks.

“Don’t worry about him, after I explained our situation, he quickly understood our goal. He may not look like it, but he is simply an honest man. After I told him about what Leader had done to him and the rest with Readvent, he disapproved Leader’s way immediately.”

“I do have heard that he is the only SFA Servant whose personality hasn't changed, besides you and Bell.”

“Yes, we have explained before, Readvent needs a protagonist to make sure Leader’s movies are capable of activating its effect, since it will not work if those movies aren’t universally acclaimed. Zachary was chosen partly because he is a former President of the US, so he certainly prioritizes this country above anything even if he retains his morality and because his Noble Phantasm has no direct offensive capability to be a threat if he went rogue.”

“I see. If that’s true, he sounds like someone that can be talked with.”

If we can talk with him, perhaps he can give us an insight on how to improve our ship, the CC New Hope (still not sure if that is a good name). I have heard from Magellan that it is a failed attempt to replicate his Noble Phantasm.

“He is! He is also good at management! He was my second-in-command before I defected, after all!” he nodded with a smile as if he was proud of his comrade.

He speaks about how Zachary has great leadership, but about that, the person in front of me is very adept at winning over people’s trust. It seems that the reason why he was missing in the last battle is that he decided to evacuate the SFA personnel inside the Pentagon building first. By doing so, he saved them from danger and earned their trust again in a matter of days. I can’t see anyone more suited to lead SFA than him besides Bell.

“As for Joe and John, you have heard about the agreement for SFA to rebuild cities in South America, right? Joe will do that with his Magarac Complex. He wants to atone for what he has done under Leader’s programming, in fact, that was his idea. While John, he has been visiting Magellan lately.”

“Visiting Magellan? Why? Have they met before?”

“It can’t be. He never fought in the frontline, there is no way he met her in the past battles.”

“Hmm…” If they aren’t acquaintances, what business did John Henry have with Magellan, then? How curious…

“As for William, SFA Archer, I don’t know his whereabouts. After protecting the El-Dorado force, he disappeared. Frankly, his strength is most needed right now, but after what he has been through, I can understand that he wants to be left alone.”

“I see…”

The SFA Archer that I know is a juggernaut that needs six Servants to defeat and will bombard a city using his Noble Phantasm without warning. With his ability to convert nitrogen into Magical Energy, the need for him to recharge in a Mana Reservoir is nonexistent. It is a bit worrying that someone like him is now free to do as he pleases.

That said, he saved Miss Fujimaru and the rest in the last battle, the only reason no one died during our raid on SFA was that he decided to help us.

“But he does visit me once, he expresses his thanks for what you had done to him.”

“Why would he thank me?” I blink in surprise.

“I have no clue, perhaps you unknowingly helped him during that battle? He didn't explain further and left. Even after regaining his freedom, the change Leader did on his personality as a man of a few words will remain.”

“The effect of Readvent still stays even after his demise.”

“Yeah, what Leader has done left an impact on SFA. Perhaps forever in American history.”

“Ah, the Clock Tower will definitely be unhappy about this.”

A Servant makes a real impact on modern history…

After all, the Factions are organizations that directly control the countries, they make various reforms both in and out in the government. Just like how Leader is a celebrity in the US, many of the Servants are public figures that are chosen by the people themselves to lead them. Things like the robots and Machine Lords, Nobunaga’s guns, and the birdmen employed by Phoenix Empire, even if we defeat them and these magical weapons will never be used again, they will forever be parts of human history.

It is impossible for things to return the way it was five years ago.

“Speaking of impact, what is the relation between SFA and El-Dorado going forward from now?”

“We are going to start an alliance,” he answers firmly.

“I see, I’m glad to hear that…”

“Yeah, having me and Leftraru in a good relation makes the process smoother.”

Both Benjamin and Leftraru are Ruler’s friends, after all. The last thing she wants to see is them in coldblooded conflict again. I’m sure they think the same.

“But it is not just that. There are threats far bigger than each other right now.” His face turns grim, which I know exactly why.

“The Upper Belts,” an image of Tsarina appears clearly in my mind.

“Yes,” Benjamin nods. “With the defeat of SFA, both the European Confederation and Phoenix Empire will understand that the power balance has been broken, there is no need to honor the agreement anymore. They will come to us sooner or later, while both of us are severely weakened from the last battle.”

“They are going to attack when the Factions are at their weakest,” I understand that much.

“Which makes both of us have a mutual need to defend ourselves. Ah well, I suppose it hardly has anything to do with you.”

“Don’t say that.”

I can’t imagine that the hard-headed King of El-Dorado will agree to ally himself with SFA, to be honest, I still can’t see him as someone smart but it seems even he will swallow his pride under the threat of survival.

Well, I’m not the one to speak.

“That being said, we agreed on something that concerns you,” he resumed scoffing his steak. “SFA and El-Dorado are going to support you from now on.”

“Eh? Support me?” I blink, I need to process what he just said.

“To be precise, both SFA and El-Dorado agreed to lend our Servants to you.”

“Wha-! You serious?!”

“Yes, even the King of El-Dorado agrees with this decision,” he nods.

“Even that guy?” that’s unexpected, I… just doubted his competence earlier, perhaps I should give him a chance. “Wait, wait, haven't you just said something about lack of power before? Why are you helping us, then? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Indeed and that’s exactly the reason. We don’t have the means to defend our territories. No matter what we try, the sheer difference in strength will wipe us out.” He pointed his gaze at me, clearly expecting something, “but that will not be the case if they are busy protecting themselves.”

Lending their Servants? Is this for real…?

In their current condition, they stand no chance to fend off an assault from the Upper Belts. However, they still can’t ignore other Servants coming to their territory, definitely not if I have more Servants than what I currently have. Combine that with Magellan’s ability to attack strategic places within seconds, we can shift the focus of the theater to their place instead.

Unlike the proposal Leader made, this one is plausible. It makes sense. He greatly benefits from it. Such plausibilities feel unreal to me.

“You don’t need to do anything for us, simply just do what you are planning to do. Continue your journey to the Central and East War. Your survival means our survival, Lady.”

wise-up! SFA

The Faction: Scientific Frontier of America has now allied with you. You can now ask for SFA Servants to temporarily join your party and additional support from SFA.

SFA Servants that are available to join your party:
- Rider - Zachary Taylor = Bulltop Stormalong

Supports from SFA:
- Reinforcement: Request aids from SFA forces.
- Henry Overdrive: Request John Henry to create various items provided the necessary materials are available.
- Magarac Complex: Request Joe Magarac to repair broken items almost instantaneously or Upgrade CC New Hope with SFA technology.

wise-up! El-Dorado

The Faction: El-Dorado has now allied with you. You can now ask for El-Dorado Servants to temporarily join your party and additional support from El-Dorado.

El-Dorado Servants that are available to join your party:
- Assassin - Leftraru
- Caster - Bartolomé de las Casas

Supports from El-Dorado:
- Reinforcement: Request aids from El-Dorado forces.
- Leftraru - Infiltration: Sent Leftraru to spy on enemy Factions.

Quest Rule!

Allied Faction & Allied Servants

A Faction that you conquered, become your vassal or simply decided to help your cause will lend you many aids and benefits including lending their Servants to join your party.

Visually, a Servant that simply allied with you will retain their original Faction border colors instead of turning into light green. Normally, you can only lend 1 Servant per Faction unless stated otherwise. Also, the Faction Leaders are normally unavailable to assist you and therefore, can’t join your party.

Unlike your personal Servants, Allied Servants has additional disadvantages:
- You can’t sense their magical energy from far away.
- You can’t talk with them telepathically without the Noble Phantasm: Bell Unity.
- Their Magical Energy will deplete faster than your Servants (preserving them on Spirit Form will slow down the process).
- Their Magical Energy will not recharge without access to a Mana Reservoir or external means.
- You can’t use your Command Spells on them.

It is possible to convince them to your cause and join as your personal Servants.

After much more small talk, I checked my watch and realized that we already passed the scheduled hour.

“Ah, I think it's almost time for me to go. I’m sure you are very busy too, organizing all these complicated politics. Thanks for the meal, that was nice.”

“I’m sorry that we can’t bring you to something better than a restaurant. It is not New York or Los Angeles, but there are many things Washington DC has to offer. When the situation returns to normal, I promise I will show you around.”

“I appreciate your offer, but I am actually glad that I do not need to deal with traffic. I heard this city’s traffic is way worse than London.”

“That might be true!”

We both leave the opposite way as he has more meetings to do. We parted on good terms.

I still have much more time to waste before Miss Fujimaru comes.

Wise-up!

SFA Lancer - Benjamin Franklin
Bond: 0 ---> 1

Choice!

What should Lestari do to kill time before Fujimaru came in 6 hours? Choose as much choice as you can until you used all the 6 hours budget.

1] Stay in the hotel and tinker with your Magecraft. (3 hours spent)
2] Explore Washington DC and visit historical memorials. (3 hours spent)
3] Visit Las Casas. (2 hours spent)
4] Visit Leftraru. (2 hours spent)
5] Search the whereabouts of SFA Archer. (2 hours spent)
6] Visit John Henry and Magellan in the hospital. (2 hours spent)
7] Visit SFA Rider in Pentagon. (2 hours spent)
8] Call El-Dorado Lancer. (3 hours spent)
9] Skip the scene. (6 hours spent)
10] Write-in!

---

SFA and El-Dorado Sheet have been updated (slightly).

[SaberBlue2]

6, 8 and 10 Write in: enjoy coffee shop.

She deserves a break. She enjoys coffee.

[Sunny]

Going with Blue’s vote as well, nodnod.

[King Prussia]

+1 Blue on this one too as agreed upon in the Discord Cabal (join it :P).

[SpoonyViking]

+1 to Blue's proposal!

[Theadier]

at the moment it seems decided but i will go personally with 3, 6 7. I want to get Bartolome because that may put us on the path to recruit Spanish Lancer (I think it will be Carlos I/V)

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: A certain hospital, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Day



In a certain hospital, doctors and medics are hectic treating the wounded. While the lobby is seemingly calm and orderly, the nurses are so busy coordinating and answering calls that they have little time to pay attention to my visit. But perhaps this is a relatively good thing compared to what could have been, because they are busy tending to the wounded SFA staff to save their lives, not preparing for their funerals in silence.

“Yes, may I help you?” One of the nurses finally had the time to answer me.

“Ah yeah. Miss, there is a young girl named Magellan, around 20 yearish, I came here to visit her. She is in VIP room 103, I think?”

“Miss Magellan, VIP, room 103. Please wait.” Though the words she uses are courteous and professional, she gives me a glare that says ‘why didn't tell me you are a VIP sooner? You almost made me lose my job’ written in her eyes.

Anyway, the nurse tells me which way the room is located. Of course, I don’t forget to bring a gift basket full of fruits for sick people. What Magellan suffered right now is not an illness, but her spiritual body has been severely damaged. She simply needs to gather Magical Energy to heal herself, but my Magical Energy supply alone can only heal her slowly. There is an option to use the Mana Reservoir, but we have been told by Chaldea that using it is risky, so we shouldn’t rely on that anymore unless it is an emergency.

As I open the door of room 103, I see a pink-haired girl in a patient gown and a man entirely made of steel in the middle of a conversation.



“I don’t have anything like a blueprint provided in this Saint Graph, but I do remember their former shapes.”

“If that’s the case, it will take several days before I can finish my work.”

“Hmm, it can’t be helped but I want to help Lestari-chan asap,” Magellan holds her right hand below the chin, trying to figure out something that I don’t catch. As she wanders her gaze, she notices my presence in the room and waves her broken arms in the air like some kind of long kite. “Ohhhh, Lestari-chan! Good timing!”

“Seems like you are doing fine,” so I say while putting the gift on the nearest desk.

“I’m totally not, look at my spaghetti arms!” she begins to spread her broken arms and flail them, trying to make a point about how critical she is. Sadly, broken bones aren’t something that I am unfamiliar with.

“I know someone that regularly broke her arms and made jokes about it, I have seen worse.” A friend of mine has been literally shattered like glass, yet she is still as cheerful as ever.

“...What kind of amazingly durable friends do you have?” Magellan tilted her head when I offhandedly mentioned my dear friend, Lior.

Regardless, I’m glad she is full of energy.

“Let me take care of that.” John Henry chimes in as he takes the gift and starts to peel the fruits.

“Hello, I’m glad you are doing fine, Henry.” I wave my hand to the Servant.

He is Caster - John Henry. An unseen SFA Servant, the only time I interact with him is as a machine lacking free will. Now he is free, I wonder what kind of person he actually is?

“It’s all thanks to you, Miss Elliwyn. I can’t thank you enough for what you did to me.” He politely low bows.

“No need to be like that, I’m just doing that to defeat SFA, that’s all!”

“Even so, without your help, I will continue to be a mindless machine. You are my savior, Miss.” He continued to bow despite my protest.

“Savior… that’s hyperbole…” So I say while hypocritically trying to make sure not to smile from that praise.

And Magellan, as usual, sees through me right away.

“It’s fine, Lestari-chan. Just let him show his appreciation. Besides, it feels good to be thanked like that, right?”

“Even if you say that…” I look at the bowing man, a man that is capable of extreme precision control, which makes me realize there is no way I can win against him in a battle of steadfastness. Admitting my defeat, I decided to lend a handshake as a gesture between equals. “Then, I’m looking forward to your help in the future.”

“Yes, of course!” He reached and shook my hand. “I am not a frontline fighter, but if it's about smithing, I promise you no one in the world can rival me!”

“Oh confident, I like that.” I have this preconception that Americans have a penchant to be hyperbolic from watching their science channels. How he quickly uses the word ‘in the world’ doesn’t really help the case. Let’s see if what he claims is true.

“You can trust his skill is the real deal. I was planning for him to restore my remaining armada that got destroyed in Japan a week ago. With his help, I can finally return to full-power ✩.”

“Ohhhhhhh! You are finally useful in combat, Magellan!”



“W-Wha?! That’s rude! I always have been!” Magellan gaps her mouth in protest.

“It will take 4 days for the entire fleet to finish. But at least, I can repair Magellan’s flagship Trinidad by the new year, tomorrow,” Henry adds.

“That’s great!”

I have not witnessed it in full strength, but her Noble Phantasm was a fleet of four with a considerable amount of strength. Three of them were severely damaged from being bombarded by Phoenix Rider back in New Japan. We still have its core usage to warp us to anywhere, but having only one functional ship greatly reduces her combat potential. That being said, a single ship is enough to defeat SFA Rider, a massive Servant with high physical parameters. With two, we can potentially hold two or more Servants at once.

Wow. Perhaps by any chance, Magellan is an amazing Servant?

“Hmm, but smithing huh?” I begin to think until I realize the obvious and search for my cards inside my newly bought purse, I quickly show him my sixteen geomantic cards. “Can you make copies of these? These cards are my Mystic Codes, they assist me to control my Magecraft. I can make it by myself, but it requires days to make even a single copy.“

Back then, I had multiple sets of cards before, but many of them were destroyed beyond repairs within five years. Having multiple copies allows me to perform multiple same spells at once, uses Via Populus more freely, and my Recursion divination becomes much faster. It will definitely come in handy.

He grabs the cards and begins to inspect them closely. It didn't take too long before he understood what it was made of.

“Silver, platinum and these mystery-rich materials, hmm… these items have the opposite problem with Magellan’s ships.” He returned them to me and answered matter-of-factly. “I can easily create an entire set within a day, but the problem is some of the materials it needs are hard to get.”

“Ah, figured. They require the remains of those temples in Greece or Rome. I don’t think anyone sells those even in illegal auctions. We can’t send some people to gather them without provoking the European Confederation either.”

Let’s put this bluntly, this war is fucking suck even for magi. The World Wars in the past are mostly conflicts without direct involvement with the moonlit world, only a few weirdos that had something to gain decided to join in. But this one is different, it is a magical war in the guise of regular military conflict. With the Servants effectively running the government; magi all over the world are forced to be involved. This includes things like gathering the necessary materials for your magical pursuit too.

Back in the day, I often took flights to Roman sites to gather the materials necessary to craft my Mystic Codes or import stuff from there. But with the ongoing war, overseas trade has become complicated. Some countries embargo each other, inflations on regular goods, and extremely strict regulation for anything magical related; it’s impossible for us to buy mystery rich items now.

“If SFA lacked materials to recreate my Mystic Codes then there is no point asking to recreate my Aeternus Algorithm.” I let out a sigh.

“Aeternus? What is that?” ask Magellan, unusually curious.

“It’s the best Mystic Code I ever created but also very complex to make. It’s like, this cube-looking thing. It is the reason why I’m ranked Pride in Clock Tower. I lost access to it a few days after I ran from England. Oh well.” I let out a disappointed sigh.

It can’t be helped I suppose, even Heroic Spirits can’t make anything out of material that is not there. I shouldn’t have my hopes up that I can finally have a Mystic Code that requires a large amount of funding from the Association to be made rather easily.

“Cube, huh. I can make something similar easily.” However, it seems that behind John Henry’s fully mechanical body lies a very stubborn and confident person.

“If I have the material and clear picture of what I’m going to make, I can make anything in extreme precision quickly. Even a Noble Phantasm can be restored without degrading its mystery if I have the materials, including the ships Magellan had. In fact, I’ll demonstrate my Noble Phantasm just now.”

He has an overly persuasive tone, the tone a merchant has when a possible buyer is about to leave. He also begins to unwrap my gift for some reason.

“Oooh, a Noble Phantasm showcase!” Magellan and I open our mouths wide in anticipation like little kids.

"A man ain't nothing but a man~!”

John Henry doesn’t waste anymore time and begins to chant his Noble Phantasm.

“But before I let your steam drill beat me down~!”

His tone is of a stanza, the man is clearly enjoying himself. I can feel a massive amount of Magical Energy begins to channel through his right hand.

“I'd die with a knife in my hand, My Lord! My Lord!”

“Eh, knife? Not a hammer?” I tilt at the confusing line and realize he is holding a kitchen knife.

“

Henry Overdrive

Resilience Beyond Machine!

”

His eyes glow red and the sound of raging motors can be heard loudly from him, it compliments his chants as if he sings his own telltale song. The master smith begins his arching motion, right hand stretched wide, and drops it without hesitation! And he repeats, countless times at high speed, all doing the same perfect movements, again and again as it rhymes.

Even the normally carefree Magellan silently watches the showmanship. What kind of masterpiece will this man create?

After an uncountable amount of swings, he finally stops, and vents smoke from his body to cool down.

“Perfectly cubical,” he pauses to examine his own creation, it seems even he can’t believe what he just made, but we can’t see what he created as his metal body blocks us from seeing it. He turns around for us to have a glimpse of what he has been making. On his hand there are two white plates, and he distributes them to both of us. “This is indeed, world’s number one…!”

What is presented to me leaves me speechless. White, yellow, purple and green, all in the same width and length, lined next to and on top of each other perfectly to shape a bigger cube. It is certainly, from his exact words, perfectly cubical.

masterpiece

“Eh?” I blink. “What is this?”

“It’s diced fruits.” He says firmly.

“Yes, I can see that.”

“It’s perfectly cubical diced fruits. I precisely cut all the bananas, mangos, dragon fruits, and melons in the same size. Only my Henry Overdrive can do that!” He nods proudly, satisfied with his work.

“All those boasting and theatrical are for this…?”

Certainly, this does demonstrate that his monstrous precision and speed are the real deal. It is a fucking stupid way to show it off. Within less than a minute, he is able to cut all these fruits that have different textures and compositions in the same shape without any noticeable flaws. Completely wasting my time and expectation. But this demonstrates that he is capable of shaping anything in any shape no matter what it is made of, even a part of Noble Phantasm ships like Armada de Molucca. Which doesn’t make it anything less infuriating. Perhaps the ship of Theseus is a non-issue in front of him.

But-

“Via + Populus, sparkle.” I spin a metal card with magnetism. I take a drinking glass nearby, put some cold water in, then I put all the fruit cubes in there. “There we go.”

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“I’m making smoothies.” so I say as I put my spinning metal card inside the glass and put a lid above. The spinning metal card quickly mixes the fruits with the ice to make a fine blend. “This will be the finest smoothie in the world.”

“Stooop! You are ruining my perfectly cubical diced fruits!”

He tries to reach my hand with his, but I use my “Carcer!” electric shield to stop him.

“I don’t care! How dare you compare my lifelong creation with diced fruits?!”

We spend another minute wrestling for the smoothies.

Another VIP from next door complained and we got kicked out by the nurse.

Without sugar and milk, the smoothie tastes pretty crappy.

wise-up!

Caster - John Henry
Bond: 0 —> 1

* * *

“Can’t we reach there faster?”

After bidding farewell to Magellan and John Henry, I immediately headed to a cafe located near the rendezvous point that Miss Fujimaru promised to meet. It’s a place that I always wanted to visit for so long, but I never had the chance to visit Washington until now. It is also quite far away from here, as normally it will take almost 1 hour by car.

I didn’t take a traffic jam into account.

“Sorry, ma’am, but it seems like a lot of people are coming for the New Year event tonight.” Says the driver that has been assigned to drive me by SFA.

“Agh, so annoying.”

If this is London, I am confident to use my Via Populus to travel undetected if something like this happens. But I barely know this place, I might risk being caught on camera.

That — but this traffic is surely unnatural, this even surpasses the traffic in Jakarta. I know that SFA will celebrate New Year tonight, but it seems half of these cars are from people that have fled Washington and are now en route to return to their homes. The car only moves a meter once every 3 minutes, at this rate I might reach the shop in 3 hours.

I instinctively checked my phone to kill time, then I saw the phone number for King of El-Dorado that Las Casas (he told me his True Name after the battle) gave to me. Las Casas said that the King has something to say with me, but I'm not the best at dealing with that man.

“I’m really going to do this, huh?” I let out an audible groan.

After a few more minutes of preparing my heart, I finally dial the number. It doesn’t take a long time before he picks up.



“Hello. Jose is speaking.” I heard his booming voice loud and clear.

“Jose-? Oh.” I tilt my head for a split second until I realize this is the name he goes with as a legal citizen of Peru. “Hello, this is Lestari speaking.”

“Oh, yes, Master Elliwyn, we have been waiting for your call!” he answers in high spirit. “El-Dorado will always give the best assistance we can give!” he adds.

Eh? What’s with this sudden enthusiasm? Has he always been this kind of person before?

“Y-Yeah… that’s great. I have heard of it from Benjamin Franklin earlier.”

“Tch, damn SFA. Always making a move behind our backs.” He immediately talks shit about his rival, this is the king that I know.

Now that I talk with him properly, his character is kinda hard to read. He can be stern, insulting, and loud so flippantly. I’m not sure if this is the side-effect of Yidhra's influence or if the person himself is like that from the get-go.

“Then, let’s get this straight, Master Elliwyn.” he has a serious, kingly tone.

“Forgive us. What we tried to do to you is inexcusable. You agreed to protect us, yet we pay you by trying to take your life. I’m a failure as a king and as a person.”

“...”

What did I just- I’m speechless. Did he, him, just ask for my forgiveness?

“I understand. I can’t expect you to forgive me so easily. That’s why I’m willing to repay with action. You are going to attack the other Factions, then, let me assist you directly. If I can help you with my strength, I can directly protect my people from incoming danger too.”

“...I suppose.”

“I see, those aren’t enough to accept me as an ally.” He turns husky.

“No, it’s not that. It is the opposite.” I squeeze my chest firmly to brace my heart. “I was surprised that you are far from the terrible man in my head.”

Even if I don’t like him personally, I can tell that his wish to protect South America is genuine. If I can recognize Bell’s dilemma, it will be hypocritical of me to not recognize his feelings. I actually am glad and wish for something like this to happen often.

However, to wish for it isn’t as heavy as actually forgiving what he did. I understand that, painfully so, to forgive someone that had done wrong to you and to see his point of view fairly. It’s not easy.

I take a deep breath.

“But please, no more SFA - El-Dorado rivalry, alright? I’m sick of it. You are also going to be with Magellan a lot too.” After I said that, I felt a lot of weight in my heart had been lifted.

“I will try. If there is anything you want to know about the voice that resembles my mother, just ask. Even if I doubt I know any better.” he adds.

"Yeah."

We stayed awkwardly silent on the phone for half a minute. We know there is nothing more to talk about, so it’s about time to end the call.

“Well, then, sor-”

“Wait!” He cuts. “As a token of gratitude, let me offer my True Name. My name is Huayna Capac, one of the rulers of Inca. I swear upon my mother, upon my ancestors, that I will protect you from harm from now on.”

If I got it correctly, Huayna Capac is the king that led the Inca empire during their height of expansion. He is very influential on South American history, as many of his heritage can be found all over the continent. Someone like him is easily among the top modern Servants, especially when there are many legends surrounding his rule before the Spaniards came to his land. It is not an exaggeration that he is considered the best ruler of the Inca. As for combat strength, there is no doubt he is a very powerful asset on the level of Nobunaga or even higher.

“Then, I’m looking forward to depending on you. King Huayna.” I paused until I realized the reality of what that name means. “Wait, wait, wait, wait! Huayna?! Not Huascar?!”

“Huascar is my son's name, yes.” He answers straightforwardly.

“So you really are a good king…” I can’t help but voice my disbelief. I suspected him to be Huascar because of his chain Noble Phantasm...

“...? Many consider me as one, yes.” He seems confused.

“You… aren’t very good at recognizing sarcasm, aren’t you?”

After that, I ended the call for real.

I think we are now on good terms (?).

Wise-up!

Lancer - Huayna Capac is now able to join as an allied Servant.

Lancer - Huayna Capac sheet is updated.

* * *

Location: A certain cafe, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Day--->Night

“I can’t believe it… it really took 3 hours to reach here.”

The building in front of me matches the picture I found on the internet so it can’t be the wrong place. It may appear to be a slightly fancy cafe, but I heard the food here is actually affordable. Excited to finally be able to visit this place, I waste no time opening the door and walking in.

I quickly look around what’s inside. I see many people relaxing here, most of them are teenagers, but I also see some workers too. Slightly fancy chairs, slightly fancy tables, slightly fancy bar, but very expensive-looking espresso machines; just like everything you expect from a popular cafe.

“Heeeeeh, what a show-off. Not bad.” The barista gives a little show by brewing through the pour-over method. The thing about a pour-over is, despite being popular, it is hard to be consistent. So I can tell he must be very confident with his skill. When I voiced my insulting compliment, he gave me a smile, it seemed like he understood that I know what he is trying to pull off.

“You are lucky, miss. There is a table next to the window. Someone just canceled their reservation.”

“Thanks.” I give him a nod.

This table is very nice, you can see the sky clearly from here.

“Waiting for a friend?”

“Mm, but she probably got stuck in traffic.”

Excuse me then, Miss Fujimaru, I’ll order my coffee without waiting~

I scanned through the menu, it has a huge amount of selections. Hmm, I’m not sure if the signature bean used here fits my taste, so I’ll start with something that is not very strong.

“One flat white, please.” A flat white is a good option for those who want a distinct coffee taste without being too bitter.

Normally, I will put all my guards to make sure no one suspicious is around, but I’m now on friendly territory. I can finally relax my shoulders for a while. It’s a weird feeling, 3 days ago we were mortal enemies, but now SFA gives me all the protection they can give.

Anyway, it doesn’t take long for the cup of coffee to arrive.

coffee

It isn’t the fanciest cup, the latte art is nothing special either (I can do a rosetta like this easily). Which is a good thing, because it doesn’t make me feel guilty to break the art the barista diligently makes. Can’t wait any longer, I immediately drop a spoon of sugar and stir the drink.

As the foam breaks, the strong smoky aroma is released and begins to fill the place. The smell is very pleasant, almost as if it has a relaxing effect. I can tell this will taste really good.

Alongside the sounds of the espresso machine, the loud shaking a barista makes when preparing an iced drink, and the chatter of the customers, this makes me nostalgic.

This whole place reminds me of home.

“Master, which one should I order?”

“Hyaaah?!” God, that startles me! I almost choked on hot coffee! I swear people with concealment abilities like her and Ulle do this on purpose. “Assassin! You almost gave me a heart attack! Don’t be sneaky on me!”

When I focus away from the coffee, Assassin is already sitting next to me, arms crossed. She isn’t in her usual ninja outfit, as she dresses in a black biker jacket. Her overall get-up is like a goth, which I find strangely fitting for her, now that I see it in person.

Assassin

“Huh? I just came here normally.” She smirks mischievously. “You are the one that has been grinning and immersing yourself in your own little coffee world.”

Realizing she has been observing me the whole time, my face turns red.

“D-Don’t point that out, that’s embarrassing!” I protest. “Wait, what are you doing here?”

“Master of Chaldea invited me. She has a surprise she wants me to see. She insists on keeping it a secret though, how childish.” she grumps.

“She said about having a surprise for me too.”

Assassin begins to scan through the menu, but her eyebrow raises in confusion, she is clearly troubled about what to order.



“I don’t understand all these, err, Latin? Italian words? What the hell is a piccolo? Sounds like an alien instead of a drink. So which drink is good? You seem like an expert on this stuff.”

An expert would be a stretch. I simply helped at mum’s cafe whenever I had the time, so I started to understand many types of coffee. And since I often pull all-nighters to study, I drink a lot of them in a day, to the point she banned me from drinking too much. I’m a bad daughter though, so I secretly bought a small freezer for myself and stocked a lot of instant coffee.

“Hmm… for someone new to this… Affogato may look tame with the ice cream, but the rest is pure coffee, so it is surprisingly a very bitter dish. I think a cappuccino is good? A cappuccino isn’t bitter at all, it has a lot of milk in it. Ah, you may want a sumatra for your beans, it almost has no acidity, so anyone can drink it! It is a favorite of my grandpa!”

Upon hearing that, Assassin nods and smiles mysteriously for some reason.

“Well, I will go for that, then. I want this risotto thing too. From the picture, it looks similar to congee.”

“Sure, order anything you want.”

Realizing I have been talking for long and my coffee may grow cold, I look at Assassin and give her a troubled smile. She gives me a nod, picking up that I want to ask for her permission to go first.

I hold the cup slightly below my lips, to smell the very pleasant aroma one last time, and take a sip. After that, I take another sip, more sips, again and again, until nothing is left in the cup.

“Is it really that good?” She asks as her iced cappuccino has just arrived.

“Well, it is very good, probably the best I ever had objectively speaking, but...”

I can’t help but feel proud.



“Hehe, as expected, for Lestari’s taste, mum's still the best.”

“I see, that’s good.” she smiles.

We chattered and spoke about nothing of importance for 1 hour.

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: A certain cafe, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Night



“Miss Lestari, Assassin, heyyy!” After waiting for more than an hour, a familiar person waves her hand.

“Ah, Miss Fujimaru! You have arrived!”

“I was going to see you immediately, but I can’t leave the injured soldiers alone. And then, there is the traffic too, sorry!” she says as she pressed her hands while panting heavily.

“It’s fine!”

Miss Fujimaru quickly took a seat in front of me. Despite the cute casual clothes she wears, it’s sadly drenched in sweat.

She quickly borrows the menu and orders two iced coffee at once. She must be really-really exhausted that she wanted to drink that much.

After a few more minutes, her order finally came. Curiously, she only took a single iced coffee and let the other glass sit on the empty table next to her. Regardless, she gulped an entire glass right away and let out a satisfied sigh.

Once it's clear that she has rested enough, Assassin immediately asks her in a straightforward manner.



“So, what’s the surprise you want us to see so badly?”

“Oh yeah, that!” she grins. “Commander, you can reveal yourself now!”

The commander

A male Servant materializes in front of the iced coffee, arms crossed.

The man appears to be a Japanese in the middle of his fifty, clearly rugged and battle-hardened, an old soldier that has seen multiple battlefields and survived them all. He wears jacket-like clothing that Sengoku generals often use like Kenshin’s, but colored blood-red like Assassin’s uniform, and there is the same Tokugawa-clan’s insignia on his chest.

So this man is the surprise she wants us to see? He seems familiar, but I can’t exactly recall where.

“Umm, who is this samurai...?” I ask.

But unlike me, he had a massive impact on Assassin, as she turns stunned the moment she sees him.

“No way… Father?”

When she said father, it began to click with me, because I remember there is an elderly man who resembles him in Assassin’s dream.

“I was surprised too! When I saw her, I was like ‘no way, she reminds me of our ninja’. But when I see him again, yeah, can’t be wrong, they are definitely related.” Explains Miss Fujimaru as she scratches her head.

“Let me formally introduce him. He is the fourth Servant we Chaldea has summoned. The legendary demon ninja, Hattori Hanzo. Well, I usually call him the commander though.”

Hattori Hanzo, the real deal.

Even I am at a loss for words, this man is responsible for everything Assassin is capable of doing and helped me out, the one that set her to become the person she is today. I can’t imagine how she felt to see him again after hundreds of years as a fellow Servant.

“It is really you…” Assassin continues to be dazzled.

“Yeah, I am. You seem well, Masanari.” The man finally speaks. Unlike his rough appearance, however, there is a genuine warmth in his tone.

That confirmation turns reality kicks in full force. The usually indifferent Assassin can’t contain her emotions-

and leaps to his chest.

“Father, I miss you so much!!” says Assassin as she buried her face in her father’s chest like a spoiled girl.

“You become very big now, heh.” He says as he gently caresses her head.

With such a scene, I can’t help but see them as normal father and daughter, almost as if they are not legendary war generals from history.

Because that’s the happiest Assassin I have ever seen.

* * *

Year: 2022
Location: Union Square, Washington DC, US, SFA



“It’s better to leave them be. I think both of them want privacy.”

“Agreed. And thank you, for reuniting Assassin with her dad. That’s sweet of you.”

After the touching reunion between the two Hattori Hanzo, Miss Fujimaru quickly makes an excuse to part with them. I am able to pick what she means and play along, I want Assassin to be able to be herself with her dad.

So after we left the cafe, we aimlessly walked around the city. We decided to stop at Union Square because the lake it has looks very relaxing. We also grabbed some sandwiches and desserts, which made me realize how big American portions are compared to London. Like seriously, this thing is almost half my face, and this is just the medium-size?

We sit on an empty bench we can find, which has the clearest view of the night sky as there are no tall buildings around the square. It’s about a few minutes left before New Year, we expect the most grand of fireworks from the capital of the nation that gave birth to Holywood.

“Ahaha, no, no, as I said, I was also surprised too. Besides, I feel bad about attacking her back in El-Dorado,” she says cheerfully.

“Yeah… your Lancelot almost wiped all of us out.” I honestly don’t want to remember that.

“I’m really sorry about that... Oh, speaking of. How’s the rest of your Servants doing?”

“They are resting by themselves to replenish their magical energy naturally, we want to avoid relying on the Reservoir from now on. But Magellan keeps getting devastating wounds, she needs more time. As for Kenshin, she wants alone time right now, she seems to have a lot of thoughts.”

“That’s good. We from Chaldea are suspicious of that Reservoir thing too.”

Kenshin in particular has been down after the battle. I can understand her feeling, her strongest Noble Phantasm at its maximum strength unable to fully stop the giant cannon. But I think she is being too hard on herself, no one can predict SFA is capable of replacing the cannon with a new one immediately.

However, the next thing she mentions turns me somber.

“I already heard… that Ruler girl is really gone.” Her face turns sour.

“Yeah.” I can only put my head down.

“I don’t think it’s my place to tell you this, nor can I follow my own advice, but...”

She begins to look at the sky, seemingly thinking about something that I couldn’t discern.

“In my experience, this is a common occurrence enough that soon you will get used to it. My advice is don’t get attached too much to the Servants. They aren’t meant to be here in the first place.”

“I’m not sure if I can get used to this…”

“Perhaps it's better that way.”

“...”

I only know Ruler for a day, it shouldn’t be enough for someone to be familiar with each other, I don’t even know her True Name.

I can tell she is a good girl that means no harm. Most people are either after my life or trying to capture me, but she isn’t, she is very nice to me. She even trusted me with her Command Spells, something that I wasted on a failed effort.

I don’t understand why this makes me extremely frustrated as if there is something missing in my heart.

It hurts so much… but even so…

“Look, Lestari, fireworks...!” says Miss Fujimaru excitedly as she shakes my shoulder. She even turns uncharacteristically hyperbolic again. “Wow, I always wanted to see this! So loud but also so pretty!”

This cheery night, the carefree Magellan, the bright smile Assassin had, the joy Miss Fujimaru just showed, and the genuine happiness I just felt. In this particular moment, many people on Earth, be it the Upper Belts, smaller Factions, Chaldea, or us; are hoping for a better tomorrow ahead of us.

Is this what you want to protect, Ruler? This momentary feeling where everyone has something bright in their heart?

If that’s the case…

“Happy New Year, Ritsuka.”

“Yeah, Happy New Year, Lestari!”

I will smile for you.

Wise-up!

You are now become a friend of Fujimaru Ritsuka.

2022 ---> 2023

* * *

However, just like fireworks can only brighten the night sky for a few seconds, even that dreamy feeling we just had, must confront reality the moment it ends.

“Indeed, Happy New Year too, Master of Chaldea, sole Master of this war.”

A beautiful woman, clad in all shining gold and shrouded in a dark blue mantle, appears before our eyes. The symbol of the cross on her royal armor proudly declares her status and piety. Her voice is firm and an aura of authority can be felt from her. Anyone can immediately tell that this woman is powerful both in mind, spirit, and strength.

And the Class she muttered so casually confirmed it.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Olga of the Holy Church. One of the four Rulers summoned in this war.”

Beautiful woman in gold

“Can you please, tell me more about the young Ruler that is no longer here?”

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: Union Square, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Night

Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent

Fujimaru Ritsuka
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent



“Pleased to meet you. I am Olga of the Holy Church. One of the four Rulers summoned in this war. Can you please, tell me more about the young Ruler that is no longer here?”

A woman clad in gold and blue stood behind us. If she comes here alone in the middle of the enemy territory and announces her allegiance and Class, this woman is very confident in her strength.

She says she is from the Holy Church, which means she is a Servant of the European Confederation just like Tsarina. Wait, I heard from Bell about a female Saint controlling the Church before, which means if she is a Ruler and Saint, her Parameters…

Servant status

Ruler - St. Olga of Kiev

Parameter
STR B
AGI B
END B
MAN A
LCK A+
NP A+

Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent

All Bs and As! In terms of statistics, she is the strongest Servant we have met…!

“Commander!” “Assassin!”

Both Ritsuka and I immediately raise our right arms. We don’t have our Servants right now, we can’t hesitate! Sorry, Ruler, I’m going to use your-



“That’s her Command Spell. I see, so she really died.” The sight of my Command Spell brings her attention. She then raises her palm. “Stand back, I do not come here to pick a fight. Don’t waste something as important as her Command Spell, sole Master.”

“Why would we trust you?!” I ask, still ready to summon Assassin to my side.

“Understand that if I want both of you dead, I will do so without a warning. I will immediately use my Noble Phantasm to end your lives. I’m not the kind of woman that honors warrior codes and rules of war.” Olga answers matter of factly.

Lestari, I have informed all the Servants to aid you two, Assassin and Hanzo will reach the two of you in a minute. I will send backups for the time being. But this woman... I can't detect her at all, she doesn't hide her presence, but her resistance was so strong that she deflects all my soundwaves send to her. Her ability to deflect magical energy is of another class of its own.

wise-up!

Magic Resistance
Rank: EX

Demonstrates extremely high Magic Resistance due to her unwavering piety. It doesn't negate the activation of magical attacks but simply averted them from the owner of this Skill.

Bell is going to send reinforcement to us, that’s good. Now if we can somehow survive for a few minutes-

“Don’t make me repeat myself, SFA.”

Spoiler:

The sound of fractured metals explodes through the area.

Behind her, without raising a hand nor moving an inch, is a spitting image of Hell’s damnation. Dozens of SFA robots of all sizes dispatched by Bell have been rendered immobile upon arrival. Some are skewered by spears and swords, some are blazing in flames, and some are fissured on the ground, all broken without any exceptions. If we are the subject to that…

“Even if I summon the Commander right now, there is no doubt she can kill us within a second.” Even Ritsuka clenched her teeth.

“I’m glad we reached an understanding. Your experience saved us a lot of time, Master of Chaldea.” The woman in gold begins to search through her cape and take out what appears to be a smartphone from it, the same type of smartphone we received from the Church and made by Ruler.

“Sole Master, you received this, correct? I am the one that provides these machines she made to many churches around the world. That recently deceased young Ruler was a friend of mine. I do not wish to dishonor her memory with unnecessary violence.”

The phone…? That is always under the possession of the San Blas Church, it never occurred to me why they hold Ruler’s Mystic Code in their possession. If she really controls the Church, she may have the power to provide these phones to many churches behind the Factions’ noses. After all, faith is above the country for a believer, many will happily hide information for the sake of their faith.

But more importantly-

“You are Ruler’s friend…?”

“I consider myself as one. That feeling was no longer mutual, however.”

She closes her eyes from the unfortunate words she just says.

“Tell me, how did she die?”

choice!

What Lestari should do?
1. Tell her that she died to convince Bell.
2. Tell her that she died to save El-Dorado.
3. Don't say anything to her.
4. Immediately run away.
5. Summon Assassin with your Command Spell. [1 CS spent.]
6. Write-in!

[SaberBlue2]

1

[SleepMode]

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[Theadier]

1