[Quest] Lostbelt Raising Project

**Spartacus** · April 8th, 2020, 10:12 AM

can we even consume things from the forest safely?

4. for now, unless someone convinced me.

**Cain12** · April 8th, 2020, 11:59 AM

Figure someone is putting together their write in, but for now, 1. Not like he is using it himself, don't trust the meat fruit, doing nothing solves nothing, and if we aren't in immediate danger and have other viable options we should save the command seal.

**Bird of Hermes** · April 11th, 2020, 01:16 PM

Alisha’s foundation is primarily greek-based... A lot of her spells invoke the names of various deities (Greek & Roman primarily but they’re almost identical) and Scathach as well but I’m counting her as an outlier. Now these deities in particular were given various offerings particularly in the form of cooked meat so that they may feast upon the aroma.

5). Make a makeshift alter to put the food on as an offering to the Olympians

This should hopefully fulfil a restorative ritual, given most offerings were of gristle and fat, an actual steak will go down a treat with them.

**SleepMode** · April 11th, 2020, 04:19 PM

Hermes' 5

Not sure if this works, but better than the current choices

**Wyvern** · April 11th, 2020, 05:00 PM

I will have to go with 4.

A lot of big ifs around. So we might have to trust on the Command Seal's ability to affect reality.

**Spartacus** · April 11th, 2020, 09:02 PM

Changing my answer to Hermes' 5 since I find it better to die trying.

**zikari8** · April 14th, 2020, 02:32 AM

Year: 2018
Location: Forest of Meat (?)

Character Status

“Hey, Alisha…”

“What?”

Having resolved myself, I address the exhausted woman before me. That’s right. There has to be something we can still do. We have to at least try before giving up.

“I was thinking. Isn’t there anything we can do to help restore your magical energy?” I ask earnestly.

“Huh? … what do you have in mind?” She asks, having been initially surprised before seeming doubtful.

“Well, I was thinking maybe some sort of ritual that can rejuvenate you. Like some sort of secret thaumaturgy technique that replenishes you. There has to be something like that in your foundation, right?” I try to explain the formless ideas brewing in my head.

“O-oh. That’s what you meant. Phew…” For some reason, Alisha sighs in relief.

“Hm? Did you think I meant something else?” I question her reaction. “Is there another ritual to give you magical energy?”

The moment I call her out, Alisha’s face mysteriously turns beet red.

“N-n-n-no! No such thing, idiot.” She immediately denies. “Just elaborate on what you mean.”

“Well, I was thinking that… your magic is Hellenistic, right? So maybe if we were to do some sort of offering to the Greek gods, like building an altar and roasting some meat, they’d answer our prayers and give you some energy…?” I begin to explain. But the more I speak, the more severe Alisha’s expression becomes and, frightened, I end up finishing in a timid voice. When I was done, she looked like she wanted to simultaneously face-palm and punch me in the face.

“Ugh… are you seriously suggesting formalcraft now?” She asks with a disgusted expression.

“… would you be mad if I said yes?” I sheepishly answer. In response, she shoots a deadly glare at me, forcing me to immediately retreat to the defensive. “I-I don’t see what’s the problem. You have no prana, so using formalcraft seems like the natural choice.”

“Oh, sure, it’s useful. The problem is that these kinds of rituals aren’t something you can just half-ass by thinking ‘oh that’d be nice’. They require precise actions to utilize, which in turn require in-depth knowledge and research. Something I know for a fact you don’t have!” She accuses harshly.

“W-well…” I try to respond, but she doesn’t give me the chance.

“Or are you telling me you’re actually an expert in ancient Greek sacrificial traditions and have already calculated how to implement that knowledge into our current situation. I sure would be amazed if you are. I’ll take back everything I said and even lick your toes if you’re not talking out your ass. Well? Are you?” She callously mocks.

Man, I’d love to shut her up and make her grovel by proving her wrong. Unfortunately…

“… I’m not.” I can only answer ashamedly.

“Thought so.” She says with a disappointed sigh.

It seems that I made her angry somehow with my suggestion. Well, lately, everything I’ve done has made her angry, so it’s not that strange. In a sense, her being calm is actually irregular now.

Well, certainly, perhaps this time around I’m somewhat at fault for proposing an idea despite not knowing how to carry it out. But still, I think it’s better than not doing anything.

“Well, even still, I think it’s worth a try at least. It won’t hurt even if we fail, right? So might as well give it a spin.” I declare and get up so I can prepare. First off, I’ll need to build the altar, so I guess we need to gather some wood from the forest.

“Seriously? You’re committing to this?” Alisha questions with understandable doubt before sighing. “… fine. Might as well see what you got.”

“Well… what do you think?”

After getting some wood and meat from the forest, I began building my altar and, within half an hour of hard work, I finish. All the while, Alisha watched over me with doubtful eyes. The end result is a shaky, miniature construct of twigs resembling a Grecian temple next to a fire with cooked meat being burnt over it.

“… yeah, it’s garbage.” Alisha harshly judges. “I don’t know what I expected, but you somehow still went below the bar I had set.”

“No good, huh? Well, I’ll give it a try anyways.” I decide and begin my attempt.

Clapping my hands together I pray to the gods, while facing the makeshift altar. Please accept this offering and replenish Alisha’s magical energy. Repeating that in my mind, I hold the position for about a minute, before finishing and turning back to Alisha.

“Well? Did it work?” I ask excitedly.

I don’t know why but that felt right. Like I was really contacting with gods. Perhaps it actually was super effective, and she’s completely restored now—

“Of course not, you dunce.”

Welp, nevermind. I guess that would’ve been too easy after all.

“Ugh, hmm… I wonder why it didn’t work. Maybe it’s because the temple isn’t pretty enough? If I straighten it up a bit…” I lament my failure and begin thinking out loud how to make it work next time.

“Eh? You’re still gonna keep trying? Even though it clearly isn’t going to work?” She actually gasps in surprise.

“Yeah, I can’t just give up like that. I’ll keep at it until it works.” I proclaim with determination.

“Wha… I don’t get it. Why are you trying so hard just to replenish a bit of my magical energy? Logically speaking, it’s just not worth it.” She enquires, legitimately confused.

I guess I can’t blame her for not understanding. I, too, know this is basically a meaningless effort. Even if it works, it’ll probably only give her the slightest amount of magical energy, barely of any overall benefit.

But in my eyes, even that is a worthy goal.

“It’s because I can’t do anything without you.” I admit honestly.

“… huh?” Alisha gapes, looking completely starstruck by my answer.

“Well… you were right earlier. In this situation, I’m completely useless. I accept that now. Which is exactly why I have to try everything I can to support you. If I can even do the smallest thing for you, then that boosts my own chances of survival significantly. That’s just how it is. As much as I hate to admit it, I need you.” I plainly elaborate.

That’s right. I can’t be too stubborn right now. Instead of complaining about what I can’t do or trying to get her to acknowledge my middling talents, I decided to just do whatever I can to support her with everything I have. This time around, I won’t allow myself to be dead weight.

In contrast to my resolve, though, Alisha looks even more thrown off than she already was. As if her whole world had been turned upside down, she just stands there absolutely shocked by my rationale.

“You… need me?” She mumbles to herself as if trying to convince herself.

For a few more moments, she continues to stand astonished before her gaping mouth suddenly cracks into a giant, warm grin which just as quickly fades into her typical hostile demeanor.

“W-well, if you’re gonna say that, I won’t deny you…” She somewhat pouts before pumping her fist. “Alright, then. Let’s give it another shot. I’ll lend you my aid this time.”

“Oh? You’ll help?” I respond with surprise.

“Of course. I can’t leave it all to a weakling like you.” She brags. “Just watch as I show you how true formal craft is done!”

“… so it didn’t work?”

“S-shut up. I did better than you.”

After that, Alisha began improving the altar I had built, all the while giving me pointers on formalcraft. Stuff like how it’s better to only offer the leftovers instead of the whole meat since they have symbolic meaning or taking into considering the geometrical placements of the objects on the altar. The end result was a much prettier looking altar… that still didn’t work.

“No good. I give up. As I thought, making a proper altar with makeshift materials and no research is impossible.” Alisha complains as she throws her arm up.

“Hmmm… so it was no good. But I think it’s a bit too early to give up. Let’s keep going until we get some sort of magical response.” I suggest, try to encourage her.

“Eh? No way, no way. It’s impossible and I’m sleepy now. Let’s just retire for the night.” Alisha counters, shaking her head.

Hm, it seems she really doesn’t think we can do it. Certainly, it’d be bad if we didn’t get any rest either, but I want to keep trying a bit more. How to convince her… shall I use the forbidden tactic?

“Well, I guess you’re right… it can’t be helped. Maybe we should give up.” I sigh overdramatically and make a show of getting up. “Man, I really thought that would work once you helped out. I guess I shouldn’t have got my hopes up. My expectations for you were just too high after all; you weren’t as amazing as I thought…”

Just as I was able to get up, though, a hand suddenly grasps my shoulder.

“W-wait. Hold on.” Alisha swiftly calls out, pulling me back down. “On second thought, let’s not be hasty. With my abilities, I’ll definitely figure it out soon.”

“Really? Wow, I’m impressed. I look forward to it.” I gasp with a giant smile.

Too easy. She’s so easy to manipulate that I’d feel bad if I didn’t hate her.

Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of mental manipulation but… a) it’s Alisha and b) Assassin’s not here to stop me, so fire away.

“Alright. Let’s try everything we can to make this work!”

With that, the two of us began our desperate attempts to make an impossible ritual succeed.

Attempt #3: The More the Merrier

“So, I was thinking. Maybe the problem is just scale. If we sacrifice more and more things at once, won’t that increase our chances of success?” I suggest.

“Hmm… that’s not a bad idea. But we only have one fire, so there’s a limit to how much we can sacrifice.” Alisha points out.

“Then we can just make more. Let’s make as many as we can and arrange them in a way to produce the most satisfying aroma for the gods.” I declare.

Following that, the two of us begin building as many campfires as we can as part of our ever-expanding altar. According to Alisha though, it’s apparently better to start each flame anew for the ritual so we had to extinguish the previous altar flame and start over.

“Uh… it’s not lighting.” I complain as I try to make a flame by rubbing two sticks together, the old-fashioned way.

I managed to get it to work the first time after 10 minutes of passionate rubbing, but this one’s being more stubborn. It’s at times like this that I wish I had modern conveniences like a lighter on me.

“How’s it going on your end, Alish—” I begin to call out before looking at her.

“Hm? Did you say something, slowpoke?” She cockily replied, holding two torches in her hand and another campfire already by her feet.

“Eh? How did you…” I ask, amazed.

“Hehe. Just watch.” She giggles.

Then, she grabs two unlit sticks and begins rubbing them together incredibly quickly. Within seconds the alight and another campfire is born.

“Wha- How- Wha…” I can barely reply.

Why is this sheltered princess so good at making campfires? Did she use to be in the girl scouts or something?

“Oh? Could it be you’re having trouble, Bengshan? Aren’t guys supposed to be good at stuff like this? Or maybe you’re just bad at it. Hohohoho~” She laughs merrily at my failure.

As always, it takes all I have to restrain my deep desire to dropkick her off a roof.

As an aside, the more sacrifices plan naturally didn’t work.

End Result: Ritual Failed

Attempt #4: Magic It Up

“Why don’t we take a more thaumaturgical approach? We can inscribe magic circles and symbols representing the gods to better call them down.” Alisha suggests this time.

“Uh huh, mmhmm, I definitely know how to do that.”

“Idiot. Just watch and learn.”

Alisha quickly teaches me some Olympian symbols and magic circles as well as where to put them in the altar space. We then mix some wine with ashes and a little reinforcement to create a sort of paste-like substance for drawing the symbols. Apparently, this substance is similar to soap or something? I don’t really know too much about that.

“Alright, let’s see… mm, it’s kind of difficult to draw with this.” Alisha muses as she tries to make a magic circle with the paste.

As one would expect, it was an arduous task that eventually resulted in a misshapen ellipsoid. The symbols and letters within looked more like squiggly chicken scratches than proper

“Phew. Well that’s not too bad. Pretty impressive actually, if I do say so myself.” She boasts, giving herself a nice big pat on the shoulder. “Well, are you having trouble, Bengshan? If you want, I’ll give you a ha– eh?”

Her jaw drops and her eyes widen as she sees the perfect circle, I’ve drawn on the floor. Perhaps more humiliating for her, though, is the giant cocky grin I’m wearing as I glance at her poor excuse of a circle.

“Oh? What’s wrong? Didn’t you want to say something?” I smugly question.

“… nothing.” She responds by quickly turning away. But my sweet revenge isn’t done yet.

“Hm? What’s this? Is this your circle, Alisha? Are~ That can’t be. Isn’t geometry one of the most basic skills for a magus? There’s no way the super skilled champion, Alisha Helstrom, can’t even draw a single perfect circle.”

Alisha’s body began to shake, and I could hear her grinding her teeth.

“Or could it be that… you’re just not a very good magus after all? Pupu~”

“… I’m definitely drop kicking you off a roof after this.”

Though her promise was unfulfilled, she still ended up punching me a lot anyways.

End Result: Ritual Failed

Attempt #7: Blood is Thicker than Meat

“So, I was thinking. Perhaps the reason our sacrifices aren’t working is because the meat is already cooked before we roast it.” Alisha suggests once more.

“… okay, I’m following you.” I nod along obediently.

“So, then maybe what we really need is a live sacrifice. Something with weight behind you know.” She explains.

Well, certainly, I can see the logic behind her words. A live sacrifice does feel like it’s worth more than a bunch of already cooked meat. However…

“Is this the only reason why you made us go into the forest and capture a tiger cub?” I ask, while holding up the little animal we just kidnapped.

“… maybe.”

“You idiot!!!”

I scream at her with a volume that shakes the whole pavilion.

“We could’ve died, fool. The parent chased us like a billion yards and we barely escaped. We can’t fight a grown tiger in our condition!”

“H-hey, it can’t be helped okay. Where else were we gonna find a live animal to sacrifice? Sometimes success requires risk.” She sheepishly argues.

“Look at my arms. Look at all these scratches I got from holding this thing while trying to outrun a goddamn tiger!” I complain as ferociously as my wounds were hurting.

“Okay, okay, I get it. We won’t do it again.” She submits. “Look we made it out okay, so just hurry up and sacrifice the damn thing.”

“Fine. But I’m doing this because we already have it, not because this was a good plan.” I

With that settled, I begin to prepare our next sacrifice attempt. I place the little baby tiger on the altar, grab a knife made from reinforcement magic, prepare for the killing blow, look into its large innocent eyes, feel its soft fur against my hand, and—

“Okay, on second thought, I don’t feel good about doing this.” I declare, retracting my killing intent.

“Oi. This isn’t the time to be an animal lover.” Alisha quickly retorts.

“B-b-but it’s just a baby…” I try to appeal to her.

“And you’re a magus. So get used to it.” She responds.

Well, she’s not wrong. For this kind of magecraft, you need a mind of steel to pull off. Sorry tiger cub, but you gotta go.

“Yes. Do it! Embrace your dark side.” Alisha encourages as she watches me raise the knife.

“… what are you, a sith lord?” I remark doubtfully.

Surely a prim and proper lady like her wouldn’t make that kind of jok—

“Good, good, let the hate flow through you~”

“Okay, now you’re just doing it on purpose!”

In the end, I let the tiger cub go as I was too distracted laughing at Alisha’s dumb references and voice imitations.

End Result: Ritual Incomplete

Attempt #10: The Hangman

“… is this really the best idea?” I ask as I take a moment to reflect on our newest plan.

“Of course. It’s thaumaturgically sound.” She assures me with absolute confidence.

If there’s anything these past 8 rituals have taught me, though, is to not trust anything this woman says.

“Anecdotes of spirituality often follow after incidents that lessen the person’s grasp of reality. Intoxication, drug use, isolation, mental disorder, or even just being very dark at night… it could be said that the less one is able to perceive the real world, the more connected one becomes with the spiritual realm.” She explains in her usual teacher mode.

“I see… so how does that explain us being upside down?”

Yes, at the very moment, the two of us were propped against the pavilion wall with our heads facing downwards, looking like a couple of energetic brats. Anyone who saw us would likely laugh.

“Like I said, it’s lowering our grasp of reality. Distortion of balance and direction makes us more susceptible to spiritual influences, such as the blessings of a god.” She declares.

“… I have various doubts about this strategy.” I voice my concern.

After about an hour of upside-down land, we get up and are immediately assaulted with intense vertigo as well as light-headedness. If what Alisha said was right, this would be the ideal time to do the sacrifice but… I can’t even figure out where the altar is right now.

“Oi. What do we do? There’s no way I can preform a ritual like this?” I say, feeling tipsy in all sorts of manners.

“U-umm, it’s okay. It’s not that bad. We just have to– oh. Uh oh.”

“Huh? What’s that uh oh for? I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Uggh… I don’t feel so good.” She says as she clutches her head and stomach.

Wait don’t tell me she’s gonna…

“Oh god no. Face the other way. Face the other way– Jesus Christ, it’s everywhere!”

“Bleeeeuuuuuurggghhhhhh”

Like a case of righteous karma, vomit was jettisoned from Alisha’s mouth all over the pavilion floor. It was a certifiable deluge of disgusting drivel, some of it landing on my feet to my chagrin.

Needless to say, the ritual was once more a complete bust.

End Result: Ritual Incomplete

Attempt #15: Honey Trap

“Hmmm… I have an idea, but I’m not sure if it’ll work.” I mention after our last failure that may have involved an explosion.

“Really? You’re doubting yourself now? Just say it. It’s not like I expect anything from you.” Alisha replies.

Oi, big words coming from Miss Vomit.

“Well… you know how the Olympians tend to be… really horny.” I cautiously explain.

“I don’t like where this is going but continue.” She nods with similar trepidation.

“So I thought to myself… would it be possible to lure a god into accepting our prayers via sex appeal? That was my idea but…”

“You realized how stupid you are?”

“I realized that, unfortunately, there aren’t any sexy ladies around here we can use. Too bad.” I scoff.

I was immediately grabbed by the neck with the strength of a goriila.

“Oi, was that your plan? Was your whole proposal just build-up for you to mock me? Haah!?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Pupu~” I deny sarcastically.

“You little…”

Well, truth is that I was semi-serious at first, but I couldn’t let up the chance to take another jab at her when I saw it.

“Hmph, you don’t have to be such a shy boy. I know that you’ve been secretly admiring my nubile charms since I first arrived in this world. Go on, it’s okay to admit it.” She puffs out her nonexistent chest.

“… not really.” I respond casually.

“Eh?”

Her surprise was palpable.

“A-a-are you serious? B-b-but you were groping me earlier.” She says, her body seeming to shake.

“I said that was an accident! Don’t remind me about it.” I cry out.

For the record, I haven’t purposely done anything perverted since we got here.

Alisha’s surprise turns into shock as she seems to be having some sort of mental crisis.

“Eh? Impossible. I thought all boys were lust-filled wolves who hunger for young flesh regardless of who their target was. Could it be… that you’re homo?” She asks, genuinely shocked.

“Oi, what kind of skewed impression is that? Don’t mock me. Come back when you don’t look like a middle-schooler, chopping board.” I retort.

Just how sheltered was this girl from the opposite sex? Or rather, how large is her goddamn ego? To think that she would actually consider it more likely for me to just not be attracted to woman than it would be for me to not see her in that way.

“Eh? B-but in this kind of situation, wouldn’t any normal guy be jumping at the opportunity to have their way with me? I’m sure you’ve been secretly imaging all the ways that you’d force yourself on me. Without my magical energy, you’d take advantage of my defenseless, exhausted body to do whatever you want with me. I’ll try to resist and call for help, but I won’t be able to and there’s no one around to save me, so you’ll callously take my first time. Then once you’ve ravished and tasted every part of my body, you’ll throw me away mercilessly. That’s what you’ve been thinking about, right? Kyaaaaa!”

“… okay, I think you’ve just been reading too many doujins.”

I’m gonna have to ask Starkad after this to have a good talk to her about the birds and the bees.

“Tsk, tsk. You don’t understand Alisha.”

I snap her out of her flustered delusions with a click of my tongue.

“You see, Alisha, for the last month, I’ve spent nearly every waking moment with the walking ero-machine named Assassin by my side. Day in, day out, I’ve had my will tested through an endless assault. It is from these trials and tribulations that I’ve now obtained the mental fortitude of a Buddha!” I proclaim boldly.

“WHAAAAAT!?” She exclaims dramatically.

Oh, nice over-reaction. Good job.

Alisha falls to her news as if struck physically by the revelation.

“So that’s what it was. To think that all of your libido was already drained out by that succubus.” She muses in realization.

“Okay, it sounds really wrong when you put it like that. Also, I’m technically a married man, so I’d like it if we stopped talking about this…” I plead.

With all the shenanigans that have been happening recently, I feel like I might need to apologize to Yingying after this is over.

End Result: Ritual was derailed

Attempt #10,000:

“…”

“…”

“… hey, lend me the arm. I need to do the eyes.”

“Wait a second. I’m doing the hair on mine.”

After that, we’d gone through many more attempts at improving our altar, each time failing spectacularly. At the moment, we were carving figurines out of wood because Alisha mentioned the use of status in temples as respect for the gods.

It’s rather delicate work and we have to share one of our arms, so we’ve been silently concentrating while sitting next to each other, only talking to ask for permission to move our joint arm.

Having a rare moment of quiet time, I take a moment to think a bit while I’m casually working on my carving. Through that, I find the chance and a bit of confidence to discuss something I’ve been meaning to.

“Say, Alisha… can I ask you something?” I nonchalantly ask.

“Are you gonna mock me again?” She responds semi-jokingly.

“Nah, this is kind of serious.” I state with a solemn tone.

“Hm? Then, shoot.”

Given permission, I take a bit of a breath and ready myself before asking straight out.

“Do you hate me?” I ask her seriously.

I instinctively prepare for her obvious response in which she laughs and begins listing all the things she despises me for. Instead, though—

“What? Of course not. We’re friends, after all.” She responds with a blasé attitude.

I’m actually surprised.

“… you really consider me a friend?” I wonder in disbelief.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“W-well… we’re always arguing.”

“Isn’t that what friends do? What was the saying… you can only fight with someone if they’re your friend? We fight all the time, which means we’re practically besties, right?” She explains in a matter-of-fact tone.

I’m not even sure what to say about that.

“Hah, what the hell? What kind of twisted logic was that?” I retort and inadvertently giggle a little.

“Eh? Am I wrong?” She tilts her head in confusion.

Man, I should’ve known she would’ve answered like that. It was really just like her to think something stupid. I was stupid to have worried at all.

Feeling a little more comfortable, I relax a bit and decide to properly talk to her about my feelings. For certain reasons, I’ve been stubbornly putting it off, but I think I’ve learned my lesson. The only way to understand this idiot girl and for her to understand me is to lay my cards on the table.

“The truth is… I actually hate you, Alisha.” I confess plainly.

“O-oh.”

“Frankly speaking, I absolutely despise you. Nothing delights me more than seeing you suffer. If you were burning in a fire, I’d probably laugh at your misery and delight in your torment. In fact, there have been times in these past few days where I’ve considered killing you myself.” I admit to her honestly.

“I see…”

Alisha’s reaction is a little muted. Rather than expressing surprise or shock, she just seems… dejected. I guess that’s natural. Someone she considered a close friend just told her how much he absolutely hated her very existence. It’d be weirder if she wasn’t fazed.

“W-well, I already knew that. You kind of told me already back on our first day here.” She says, scratching her head awkwardly.

It’s obvious that this topic is uncomfortable for her, but I can’t hold back. This is something I need to say. Besides—

“But… the thing is I don’t think it’s entirely your fault. I have… other personal reasons for hating you.” I reveal with a bit of hesitation.

Telling her this will be like displaying my own weaknesses. I’m a little scared what she’ll say about it but… it’s something that needs to be done so I can move forward.

“I actually hated you long before you even arrived at this Lostbelt. And it’s not just you I hate. Garou… Bianca… the other Crypters… I hate each and every one of you. I want nothing more than for you all to grovel at my feet as I rub your heads into the ground. And that’s because… you guys are better than me. I hate that you’re better than me, so I began hating you too.”

That’s right. My animosity towards my peers was something I’ve been holding onto for so long. That’s why I’ve always been aloof towards them, even though they’ve been nothing but friendly towards me.

Ever since that day, I’ve spent my entire life trying to be a magus. I wanted to accomplish something so that I could finally be acknowledged by the one who deemed me a horrid monster. So then, when my world opened up and I found all these people who were impossibly out of my reach… I grew to despise them.

“In a way, I think I purposely chose to vilify you guys. I wanted you guys to all be horrible people so I would have an excuse for my hatred. I took everything you guys said and interpreted in the worst way I could, so I could feel good about myself, as if I was some sort of underdog champion. But… I realize now that that’s not being fair to you.”

While Alisha herself has been confusing, I think it’s been partially because of my bad attitude that I’ve thought so poorly of her before. Even though she was trying to be nice in her own way, I only ever saw the bad in her without giving the good parts their due respect.

“Don’t misunderstand. Even with that considered, I still don’t like you at all. My complaints about your personality still completely stand. It’s just that… I shouldn’t be hating you for reasons I made up instead of all the actual reasons you’ve given me. I just don’t think that’s the right thing to do.”

I clench my fist tightly with resolve. I swear that I won’t force my own biases onto my perception of people from now on. I know it’s difficult to pull off, but if I want to truly work together with these people, then I can’t be looking at them through tinted glasses.

“What made me realize this is you telling me how you actually think about me. Knowing that you didn’t think I was useless, that you weren’t really looking down on me after all… made me realize how much I was projecting my own insecurities onto you. I just assumed the worst of you without really trying to consider what kind of person you really were. And because of that, I was a lot more hostile than I should’ve.”

I think back to our very first fight. Back then, I said some really mean things and made her cry. This may be soft of me, but I think it’s bad to make other people cry, no matter what. That’s why I know what I did was wrong. So, then all that’s left is—

“I’m sorry! I said some really harsh things that you didn’t deserve to hear. When I called you worthless back then, I didn’t really mean it. I’m sorry that I made you cry!” I apologize to her earnestly with a large bow.

I know that I said that I’d only apologize to her if she apologized to me first, but I feel like things have changed. I’ve grown since then. If I want to truly reach out to her, I need to be willing to take the first step after all.

Back then, I said that without her status as a champion, Alisha was completely worthless. I told her that that was the only reason she had to live and that without it she deserved to die. No matter how I think about it, that was too much. Because, most of all, I didn’t really think it. The one who I was calling worthless… was myself.

I’ve always been scared of the idea that I’m nothing without my powers. They were the only reason I was allowed to join Chaldea, the only reason I was brought back to life. So then, without them I’d be worthless. I was defined solely by the powers I wished to reject… such a thought frightened me. Feeling mocked by her back then, that thought came back to me and I lashed out against it violently. In the end, I ended up pushing those fears onto her, which hurt her greatly. My own insecurities caused someone else pain… at the very least, I need to apologize for that.

“…”

In response to my speech and apology, Alisha is silent for a bit. She’s become as still as a statue, having completely forgotten about the figure she was carving and instead just stared at me lifelessly.

Finally, she sighs and addresses me nonchalantly.

“I see, so that’s how it is, huh?”

She’s surprisingly unfazed despite the weight of what I just dumped on her. Then, just like always, she makes her signature pout and folds her arm.

“Hmph, it’s about time you apologized to me. Seriously, how long were you going to make me wait.” She complained childishly. Still though, she quickly turns away and mutters in response. “… so y’know. Now that you apologized, I guess I should… apologize too. I don’t know why, but I guess I hurt your feelings or something so… I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do it again.”

It’s a lackluster apology without any weight behind it. In terms of emotion, it was as empty as her head.

And yet, hearing it from her at last made me feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

So that’s it, huh? They say a fight ends once both sides apologize. So I suppose my feud with Alisha is finally over. If I’d known it was this easy, I’d have done it way back when but… I guess it’s not bad to finally sort things out now.

“… say, Alisha. You’re not bothered by the fact that I hate you? That I still hate you?” I ask her, curiously.

“Hm? Ah, well… not really. I’m used to it by now. Being hated.” She shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. Even if you hate me, I still like you, so I’ll treat you as before.”

“If this is how you treat your best friends, I think I’d prefer to be your enemy.” I remark.

I don’t even want to know how she acts around her family or a lover.

“Hehe, too bad. You’ve been saddled with the fondness of a super unpopular girl, so deal with it.” She winks cheerfully. “Just watch. You might hate me now, but I’m sure you’ll come to fall head over heels for me soon enough.”

Honestly, she was just incorrigible. I honestly hate it but… well, not that much anymore.

“C’mon. Let’s get back to work.” I urge, turning back to my own figurine. “I’m gonna show you just how much better at carving I am than you.”

“Hahaha, fool, I spent like a week with Bianca. I’m practically an art connoisseur already!”

Good. This feels right. As we are now, we aren’t really friends, but we aren’t really enemies either. I guess we’re just partners now, working together in spite of our differences.

In the end, I don’t think I’ll ever see eye-to-eye with Alisha. But that’s fine. That’s life. There are people whom you hate, but you’ll still have to work with them. There will be people who make your work troublesome, but you’ll just need to deal with it. If that weren’t the case, if everyone just did everything I said and liked me unconditionally… well, that’s the one thing I’ve feared the most since I’ve been a kid.

I hate Alisha Helstrom. Alisha likes me. I feel like I’m useless. She thinks highly of my ability. I think she’s an overconfident brat. She thinks of herself as the hottest shit on the earth. These discrepancies may never be resolved… but do they need to be? Even if our views our different, we’re still looking at the same thing, right?

From now on, we’ll just have to agree to disagree. And in doing so, we’ll finally work together as a proper team…

“Alright, this looks good.”

I finally finish my figurine after a lot of concentration and immediately turn to the woman by my side.

“Hey, how are you doing? I’m finished and– oh.”

When I look, I realize that Alisha was asleep. She must’ve dozed off while working on her figure and retired for the night. In my concentration, I didn’t even notice her collapse and rest her head on my shoulder.

Well, it can’t be helped. It is late after all and she was exhausted, even before we started doing a bunch of dumb shit. In the end, the whole altar thing didn’t work out after all… but I for some reason feel like it wasn’t a waste in the end.

Just as I consider getting up and tucking her to bed, I hear the faintest voice.

“… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Huh?”

She seems to be sleep-talking. Not to mention her entire body was quivering… could it be that she was having a nightmare?

“… I won’t be a bad girl anymore. I won’t show any weakness. I’ll do whatever you want. I can get more trophies. I can win another Grail. So…”

Her soft voice was filled with terror, like that of a little girl seeing a monster under her bed. Before I even realized, she was grabbing onto my arm tightly. And in an even fainter voice, I heard her deepest wish.

“So please don’t throw me away…”

… honestly, what a pain. Even asleep, she was a bother.

I guess it can’t be helped. I already know what I need to do.

As silently and softly as I can, I reach out and place my hand on top of her resting head.

“Yeah, I promise. I won’t leave you. So sleep tight.”

In the middle of the night, with no on else to hear, I make a solemn, meaningless vow to no one in particular. And yet, when I see her sleeping face slightly smile and her body stop shaking, I think I’ll have to do my best to fulfill it from now on.

Wise-up! Alisha's Status

**zikari8** · April 14th, 2020, 05:24 PM

Year: 2018
Location: Forest of Meat (?)

“Ugh, it’s so bright …”

The morning after arrives before I even know it and the two of us awaken to a refreshing sunrise. Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the sun; though thinking about how this is just a boundary field, does the illusion in the sky really count as the actual sun?

“How’s your condition?” I ask Alisha as we prepare for another day of tribulation.

“… not too bad. I regained a little energy from sleeping.” She answers after taking a moment to analyze her own body.

“How much do you have? Is it enough for today?” I continue to question.

As before, I’m worried about how long she’ll be able to last. In the end, our sacrifice strategy last night failed so we weren’t able to replenish her at all, which means she’s still on fumes. If she runs out again while we’re in the forest, we’re both totally screwed.

“Hmm… well, with the little I have, I should barely be able to fly us all the way to the pavilion. Once we arrive though, I’ll be completely out.” She reveals.

Huh, that’s not too bad. Our only goal is reaching the pavilion, so if we can get there while avoiding combat by flying over the forest, that’s pretty good. Of course, it means confronting the enemy Servant without Alisha having anything left but that’s better than running out fighting a bunch of mooks in the forest first. Or rather, it’s really the only choice we can take considering Alisha’s MP.

“Alright, then. Let’s go with that. We’ll bypass the forest and head straight for the pavilion.” I confirm with a nod.

Which means the only thing that’s left to consider is what to do once we get there? The enemy Servant said they’d let us go once we reached them, but that wasn’t our only goal. We want to use this boundary field for own purposes, so our ultimate mission is to get the Servant on our side. That means, once we get there, we have to somehow convince them to become our ally.

Thinking about that makes me tense and worried. I managed to convince Rider through luck, and I was forced to use my ability on Saber. But such tactics might not work on the Servant awaiting us. If so, what can I do…

“Oi, listen, Bengshan.” Alisha’s words snap me out of my thoughts. “Once we get there, I’ll be dry, so the rest is up to you. I’m leaving everything in your hands.”

Saying that, she pumps her fist into my chest as if encouraging me, before nonchalantly grabbing her broom. Though I’ve gotten used to her attitude by now, I’m still a little taken aback.

“Eeh? You’re making me do everything?” I question.

“That’s right. You should be able to handle this yourself. No, even if I wanted to help, I won’t be in any condition to once we get there, so you have to do it all yourself.” She affirms casually.

I, on the other hand, can’t be as blasé as her about this. We’re up against a Servant after all.

“… will I really be able to…”

“Hey. Don’t make that face. I’m telling you that you got this. It’ll be a piece of cake for you.”

Once again, Alisha forcibly stops me from doubting myself with a slap on the back. I don’t know where she’s getting her confidence from, but it seems she’s hell bent on sharing some with me.

“Hah, I can’t help but feel that you’re being overconfident again.” I sigh at her baseless bravado.

“No such thing. I’m certain about this. If my guess is correct, you should be able to defeat the Servant instantly. It won’t be a problem at all.” She declares.

Wow, what a bold statement. An instant victory, huh? I wonder what makes her so certain of that. I’d ask her, but there’s always the chance we’re being watched so we can’t discuss any direct details less the enemy sets up some counter measure.

For now, I’ll just have to believe in her trust in me and do my best!

With our spirits high, Alisha and I finally set off to take on the final boss. We fly over the rest of the Forest of Meat peacefully, never knowing what torturous dangers awaiting us below. Though a part of me is a little curious what was done there, I’m far gladder to never have to find out.

After maybe thirty minutes of peaceful flight, taking it rather slow in order to conserve energy, the pavilion comes within eyesight. Frankly put, it’s a beautiful structure and terribly opulent. Jade, marble, jewels, and pearls decorate a tall structure out of a dream. It’s impossible to ever imagine such a lavish building existing in reality.

As we near it, I feel us begin to slow down and the broom slightly shake. I look to see Alisha sweating hard and struggling to keep a composed face.

“Okay, I’m just about out… once we land, it’s all you, partner.” She states between gritted teeth. It’s clear that she’s already pushing herself just to complete the journey.

“… okay, leave it to me.” I promise and resolve myself.

Soon enough, we reach the clearing before the large pavilion and land on the ground. Alisha nearly collapses the moment we reach the earth, but I manage to catch her and help her regain her balance. She’s done her job so I can’t ask for anymore from her.

Looks like we’ve made it. And it seems our target has been waiting for us.

A loud, slow clap greets us as we arrive.

“Bravo, bravo. You guys finally made it.”

There, just in front of the pavilion, is a man lounging on a throne-like structure. He is a youthful looking male dressed in gaudy clothing and wearing a lax expression. Around him are three pretty ladies in revealing outfits and with blank expressions. One is holding a platter of meat, another fresh fruits, and the third a pitcher of wine. It seems that their job is simply to feed the man whenever he wants. It’s clear though that the real deal is the man, watching us with a relaxed grin.

“… so, you’re the Servant who brought us here?” I ask the man cautiously.

“That’s right. I am the king of this world and the master of this game!” He proudly declares. “You’ve done well to accept my challenge, boy and girl, and to make it here in one piece. For that alone, I applaud you.”

“So then… you’ll let us go? You said we could go home if we reached the pavilion.” I ask, unable to hide the anxiety in my voice.

“Oh? Ah, right, right, I did say that, didn’t I?” The Servant confirms after seeming confused for a second. Did he… forget the terms of this game?

With a completely relaxed manner, the Servant stretches out and yawns heavily, completely unconcerned with the situation.

“Well, y’know… truth is I’m a little disappointed. I was hoping to enjoy your suffering as you went through all the fun surprises I had set up in the forest. But instead, you guys just flew over all of it. That’s just not fair, y’know. Think about how I feel as a GM.” He pouts childishly. “Now I don’t feel like I’ve enough fun at all, y’know?”

“Eh? Who cares about that? We completed your challenge so let us go.” I complain back at his unreasonable

“No way. I haven’t had enough fun yet.” He whines.

This bastard. After all we went through, he has the gall to deny us our rightful reward?

“Oi, that’s not fair. We did what you said so you have to honor your promise. We reached the pavilion like you said, so uphold the rules you set.” I yell at him angrily.

“Hm? True, true, it’d be shameful for me as a King to not uphold the law that I set.” He surprisingly agrees with my argument. But then he smiles slyly. “However… that’s only if you’ve completed my challenge.”

“Eh?”

“Remember? I said that you had to make it to my pavilion to win. But you haven’t done that yet. You’re merely in the ‘clearing in front of the pavilion’. So I can’t give you the trophy yet.” He explains with snicker.

My spirits immediately drop upon hearing that.

We have to actually reach the pavilion. But he’s in front of it. That means…

“That’s right. To win, you have to get past me first.” He confirms my fears with a smile.

Anger quickly boils within me. That bastard! That’s how he’s trying to get out of this.

“Haah… haah… don’t bother, Bengshan. That scumbag was never planning to let us go from the start. He’s fully expecting to keep us here as his torture slaves forever…” Alisha chimes in, between her tired pants.

“Ohoho, that’s a really nice look of despair you have, boy. I love it! Show me more!” The Servant suddenly laughs as he sees the realization hit my face.

Fuck, this is way too messed up. What a twisted person is he, promising freedom when really just planning to crush those hopes. Does he really enjoy pain, suffering, and despair that much?

“You little…” I curse as I direct all my hatred at the man in front of us. There’s no doubt in my mind; this man has to be one of the worst people to ever live.

“Oh? Angry, little boy? Very well. I was planning to have a little dialogue first, but if you wish to jump straight to the fight, I’ll gladly skip the hors d’oeuvres.” He delightfully exclaims. “Once I’ve suppressed you two, I’ll take my time enjoying your screams. Last night, I came up with a bunch of fun new tortures I’d like to try out. But first, let me teach you your place, peasants.”

“Fine. If that’s what you want…” I click my tongue and get ready.

Alisha’s out of the fight, so I have to handle the rest. I immediately prepare my command spells with confidence. This guy talks a big game, but there’s no way such a twisted slob can possibly be that strong. Saber should be able to take him with ease.

In that moment where I’m preparing though, the enemy makes his move. He doesn’t get up nor even use his limbs. While cozily laying on the throne, he attacks with a single word.

“Kneel.”

The next moment, I find myself on my knees.

“Wha—” I can’t help but gasp.

In an instant, without me even noticing, I was forced downwards. Some incredibly pressure was weighing me down as I was unable to keep my whole body standing. Alisha was no different, also forced to ground, except completely prone as she was unable to even kneel.

Impossible. What kind of power is this? Is this his Kingly Authority to make us do whatever he says? No, but then, Alisha wouldn’t be lying flat. Instead it must be—

“Gh. This is… gravity control…?” Alisha mutters as she struggles to push herself back up, to no avail.

No way. The power to control gravity? Is that his Noble Phantasm?

“Oh? You can’t even resist this? Darn, I was using the weakest level too. That’s no fun.” The Servant comments, looking disappointed. “Well, just in case, I might as well bring them out too.”

With a snap of his fingers, the clearing was suddenly filled with dozens of those soldiers I saw before entering this bounded field. They surrounded us in every direction but the one facing the enemy Servant, completely cutting of our avenues of escape.

Shit. This isn’t even the full power of his gravity ability? Plus he can still even summon those soldier familiars at the same time? How broken is this guy? I get the feeling he hasn’t even shown all of his abilities, yet.

Suddenly, my confidence is completely shattered. Even if I summon Saber… can we even still win?

Dread fills me. We can’t win. We don’t stand a chance. We’re screwed. Those negative thoughts assault me like a horrible barrage. No matter how I think about it, we’ve already lost.

My partner on the other hand—

“I see… this power must be from the Heaven Overturning Stamp…” She calmly analyzes, despite the overwhelming odds.

Even now, she continues to try to fight against the intense gravity pushing us done with unrelenting fighting spirit. I’m amazed. Heck, even the Servant seems impressed.

“Oh? You know the name of this weapon? Could it be that you…” He remarks with bemusement.

In response, Alisha nods.

“That’s right. That confirmed my guess. I now know your True Name for certain.” She declares proudly.

The moment she does so, the Servant bursts out laughing.

“Hahahahaha, so you’ve deduced it, huh? How nice. Alright, why don’t I give you a chance to say it? I’ll let it be your last words.” He cackles wildly.

At the same time, though, the weight pushing both of us down instantly fades. For a brief moment, we are given relief from his overwhelming power.

“… fine then. I’ll say it out loud for you, villain.” She agrees after getting up.

My heart is filled with anticipation. I personally have no idea who he is, so all I can do is believe in my partner.

So then, with a dramatic point, Alisha reveals the truth.

“I have figure it out. Your True Name is Zhou Xin, the corrupt King of China!”

“Yes, that’s me! Gahahahahaha!”

Despite having his identity exposed, he laughs like a mad man on drugs.

“Ah, that’s great. To think that even here my fame precedes me. Magnificent. But tell me, girly. How did you figure it out?” He asks after laughing his heart out.

“It was way too easy. You simply used too many Noble Phantasms.” Alisha answers coolly. “The Alcohol Pool and Meat Forest, the Iron-Beaked Condors and black smoke, and finally the gravity control of the Heaven Overturning Stamp: anyone who read the Investiture of the Gods would recognize these things. And the only one who is connected to each and everyone of them is you, the King of Shang. Your Noble Phantasm must be the ability to use the abilities of your subordinates!”

“Right again! Woohoo, you know your stuff, lady. Bravo!”

Wise-up! Berserker of Shang

Wise-up! Noble Phantasm Glossary

With the truth revealed, all I can do is gasp. So that’s what it was? For a moment, I though the enemy might’ve been a Caster servant using magecraft, but it’s actually a King using the powers of his subordinates? Isn’t that way too strong? With such a powerful ability, he has to have some sort of weakness or it wouldn’t be fair… right?

While I’m going crazy over the guy’s insane power level, Alisha stands her ground and confronts him head on.

“Zhou Xin… In the famous Chinese novel, Investiture of the Gods, you were a corrupt king who reveled in tyranny and sadism. Driven mad by your love for the fox spirit, Da Ji, you lost all sense of morality and tormented your citizens, until you were finally defeated by the heroes of Zhou. Ha! How pathetic. Are you that weak to the wiles of women?” She mocks him, despite the clear difference in power.

“Hmph. What would a little girl know about love? There is no treasure greater than the body of a fine woman.” Berserker scoffs at her mockery. “A kingdom or two is small price for a night of divine pleasure.”

I don’t know what to say. Whether to be amazed by Alisha’s courage or disgusted with Berserker’s travesty is lost on me. As I hesitate, though, things continue quickly.

Berserker stretches casually as if shaking off his amusement and then, in an instant, gets serious once more.

“Well, then, now that my identity’s revealed, I suppose, as a Servant, I’m obligated to kill you two? But since I’m a nice guy, I’ll just settle with eternal torment, instead!” He exclaims and snaps his finger.

I barely even register what effect he was using before it happens. The annoying Spiritual Knot that had hindered us so much is dispelled in an instant.

But before we can rejoice, Alisha is suddenly thrown into the sky by some invisible force.

“Uwaaaaahhh!” She shrieks as she’s lifted violently into the sky.

“Alisha!” I try to grab her hand in time, but I’m too slow and she alone is sent flying.

This power… is he using his gravity control to lift her into the sky?

“Since you’re such a clever lady, I’ll reward you by taking care of you first.” Berserker states in a carefree voice. “How unfortunate. If you were my type, I’d have been willing to shower you with my affections instead, but I have no interest in a woman of such barren charm.”

As I’m forced to watch Alisha be lifted through the sky, something else manifests in the air. It resembles some sort of bronze cylinder, just big enough for a person to fit in it. But most of all, I notice the burning redness of its metal. Don’t tell me…

“Alright, boy. Just sit there and watch as your girlfriend is burnt alive. And let me know if you’re as aroused by this as me!” He cackles wickedly.

Shit, shit, shit! This isn’t good. He’s really gonna do it. He’s gonna torture Alisha in the worst ways possible and force me to watch helplessly.

I have to do something to stop him! But what can I do? He’s so goddamn powerful. There’s no way I can even stop him.

A feeling of helplessness accompanies the terror within me. It’s no use. We can’t beat him. We’re both nothing but rats before an elephant. We’re gonna be tortured endlessly before dying meaningless deaths. Even Alisha must be—

“Huh?” I gasp.

When I look up, I realize that Alisha’s… completely calm. She doesn’t even seem fazed as she’s being slowly brought closer to the burning cylinder of torture. Instead… she’s just looking meaningfully at me.

Why? Why wasn’t she scared? Doesn’t she know that she’s about to experience pain that is out of this world? Is she just not scared of pain?

… no, that’s not it. It’s not because she’s immune to torture or anything.

It’s because she believes in me. She has absolute trust that I’ll save her. Because she said that she’d leave everything to me once we got here.

… but what can I do? This guy is too strong. I can’t even use Mind Break since he’s a guy.

Alisha told me that I should be able to defeat him instantly.

But how?

Choice!

References

**Cain12** · April 14th, 2020, 09:05 PM

Well, don't think we can fight our way out directly, and while talking will probably work, 5. Eh, bit of a gamble, but Berserker could vulnerable to a woman like Assassin, given his story and what has been said this update. (Though Rider might be a bit a better fit for that.)

**Spartacus** · April 15th, 2020, 01:20 AM

I want to see what Assassin capable of so 5.

**Wyvern** · April 15th, 2020, 01:48 PM

I'm gonna go with 1. So far it has worked with a lot of our problems, and I guess its what Alisha mentioned when she said he would be able to beat him by himself.

**SleepMode** · April 15th, 2020, 10:31 PM

5

**zikari8** · April 17th, 2020, 03:28 PM

Year: 2018
Location: Deer Terrace Pavilion

Calm down. This isn’t the time to freak out.

It’s true that this is a hopeless situation, but I can’t allow myself to get distracted with despair. As I learned earlier, instead of obsessing over what I can’t do, I need to focus on what I have to do.

If it were the old me, before all this, I may have chosen to do something dumb and reckless to get myself killed. Caring only about proving my own worth, I’d try to solve this all solely off of my own power and be unable to rely on others. But I’ve changed. The me who has failed knows the value beyond simple strength and the futility of inferiority. Only by getting results will I truly prove myself.

Somehow or another, I just need to save Alisha. That is the primary goal right now. The problem is how. In order to get that result, I will use whatever methods and means available to me. That is what it means to truly go all-out.

So, think! Use that brain of yours for once in your life!

Against such an overwhelmingly powerful Servant, there must be some weakness.

That’s right. Alisha said that she’d leave everything in my hands, that I can defeat this enemy easily. So far, her assessment regarding these things has been accurate so I need to trust that knowledge. Just as Alisha trusts me to save, I need to trust what she has told me. He must have a weakness that only I can exploit.

Wait… if I think about it that way, isn’t the answer actually really simple? Alisha’s already told me what it is; she just mentioned it discreetly as to not draw the enemy’s attention. She trusted me to figure out what she meant.

I see, that must be it. In that case, I know what I have to do.

“What’s wrong, little boy? Just gonna stand there star-strucked and not save your friend?” Berserker laughs in mockery. Slowly but surely, he inches Alisha closer to the torture device, likely hoping to delight in the despair I show as I’m helpless to stop him. But I have no intention of giving him that pleasure.

“.. no. This ends here. Right now!” I declare with conviction and hold up my left hand. Immediately, the red mark on it begins to glow.

“Oh, a Command Spell? You’re summoning your Servant?” Berserker realizes my plan but doesn’t seem perturbed. “Very well, go ahead. There is not Heroic Spirit in the world that can defeat me, anyways.”

I was prepared for him to try to stop me, but it seems he has no intention. Fine then. That arrogance will be your downfall.

“By my Command Spell, I order you to come to me…”

With all the magical energy I can muster, I pour my very being into this one command spell, so that it may rip through even the binds of space themselves. This is the path that Alisha was trying to show me. The one way to defeat this enemy!

“Assassin!”

With a flash, she appears, breaking through the concept of space. Though this world may be bound by the laws set forth by its king, a miracle beyond comprehension is manifested using the seal upon my hand.

Arriving at last, the beautiful courtesan with bright eyes and white wrists, my personal hero–

“Eh? Hm? What’s going on?”

– is extremely confused as she looks around curiously at the very strange situation, she finds herself in.

At that moment, though, everything around her freezes.

“…. Ooooooohhhhhhhh.”

Berserker, just moments ago gloating merrily, is left stunned with his jaw on the floor. For the first time, he straightens his posture as he leans forward, with his sights completely locked onto the new arrival. His eyes are opened so wide, I swear they are about to pop out.

It looks like my deduction was correct!

“What… beauty… I… she… how…” He mumbles at a loss for word as he stares slack-jawed at Assassin.

Perhaps because he’s distracted, the things around him begin to vanish. First, the three blank-faced women to his side, then the burning cylinder in the sky. Within moment, there is nothing left in the clearing but the four of us.

“Yosh, we did it! Now we just– hm? Oh nooooooaaAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!” Alisha suddenly screams as the power holding her up vanishes as well and she is sent plummeting back to the earth.

“Oh, shit! Alisha!” I yell back and quickly move to save her. Though a close call, I manage to catch her at the last moment.

“Woah… I think I lost a year of my life…” She sighs in relief, before immediately reverting back to her usual self. “Sheesh, what took you so long to summon her? I was super scared, idiot!”

“Alright, alright, calm down. You can complain all you want after we’re done.” I reply coolly. Perhaps I’m still remembering last night as I follow up by patting her a little on the head.

“W-what are you– mmmmmmrrrrrnnnnn…” She begins to shout, but quickly quiets down. Instead, she somewhat purrs and leans her forehead into my head, before I can pull it back.

Hm? That’s strange. Does she become calm if you pat her head? How interesting.

“Um, not to interpret, but might you be willing to explain what’s going on, Master?” Assassin finally chimes in.

“Oh, right. Assassin! I need you to seduce that man.” I order, motioning at the still petrified Berserker.

“Eeh? No way. Why do I have to—” She begins to ask, clearly disturbed by the command.

“Just do it! Please. We’ll all die if you don’t. Don’t make me use another command spell.” I beg.

“Okay, okay, fine. I’ll do it. Just this once.” She quickly, but reluctantly, agrees. Just like that, she sets her sight on her target and begins to walk towards him while swinging her mesmerizing hips.

Yes, this was the reason I summoned her, the only way to win this battle.

Berserker’s true name is Zhou Xin, the corrupt King of China. I don’t know his story well, but apparently, he was seduced by some pretty woman who cleverly controlled him into doing bad things. In that case, his weakness must be just that: he has no defense against seduction!

In most situations, Assassin is basically useless. She has no physical power, versatile skills, or special techniques. Her only good point is that pointlessly erotic body of hers.

But here, she may as well be Berserker’s natural counter.

“Oh… oh, what a miracle this is. Never could I have expected to meet such a woman. Her beauty is like the distant sunset, bright yet somber. She carries with her the grace of a swan and the elegance of a flower. She may even be a match for Da Ji – no, she may even surpass her!” Berserker loudly begins to rant nonsense, exhibiting his madness in full form.

“Ara ara~” Assassin lightly chuckles as she approaches. At this point, even I can’t tell if she’s actually amused or it’s just part of an act.

What follows, though, is merely the show of a legendary courtesan.

Having gotten close to Berserker, Assassin begins to talk to him in her usual husky, fuck-me voice, just quiet enough that I can’t hear. Following that, she gets incredibly close and starts to whisper in his ear, while slowly running her fingers up his chest. All the while, Berserker is making all sorts of rapid expressions that would be to vulgar for me to describe, much less the bodily changes that could even be seen through his pants. Finally, the scene is topped off with a single, tender kiss on the cheek.

And just like that, it’s over.

“Hehe~ Well, what do you say, dear sir?” She asks him after backing a few steps away, this time speaking loud enough for me to hear. Her voice is punctuated with a young, girly laughter that I’d never heard from her before.

“Yes, yes, whatever you say! Oh, your magnificence, I am but a slave now to your mercy. My fate is in your hands, your pretty, white hands. If you would but spare me a peek of skin, I shall spare you no riches or power.” He replies in frenzied earnest, getting down from his throne to the ground so as to be by her feet.

Uwah, I can barely recognize the man who was so proudly gloating at me, not even five minutes ago. What the hell did Assassin whisper to him?

“Okay, Master, I’m done. What do you want next?” Assassin calls out to me, not paying any attention to the man who was now groveling at the feet.

“Oh, uh, t-tell him to undo the boundary field and all his Noble Phantasms.” I order and so Assassin repeated to her new slave.

“Yes, of course!” Berserker responds with glee and snaps his fingers.

Just like that, the illusion immediately fades. The world around us flickers and, within moments, we find ourselves no longer in that verdant, sunny forest. Instead, our surroundings are none other than the dim clearing in front of the Core Generator.

It’s over. It was a little anticlimactic, but our hard-fought battle is brought to an end at last…

Wise-up! Assassin's Status

“Phew, we’re finally back. Man, I kind of missed this gloomy, dark atmosphere.” I remark as I look around to confirm that we’re finally actually back. It’s only been a day, but I feel like I’ve been in that place for weeks.

“Master! Are you okay? I was really worried when they told me you suddenly disappeared.” Assassin asks as she runs up to me.

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Practically no injuries. Sorry for worrying you.” I reply calmly.

“I see, that’s good. Hm, you do look like you’re still in one piece.” She sighs in relief.

“Yeah, it was a bit tough, but we managed to make it through okay, thanks to you. I’ll tell you about it once we get home.” I say, already wishing I was back in the royal quarters.

It seems that basically everything has gone back to normal so it might not be too long before I can go home too. The boundary field is gone, and I don’t see any of those soldier things around either. Oh, now that I check, our clothes are back too. Nice!

“Hm? Ara ara~ You two seem to have gotten close while I wasn’t looking.” Assassin suddenly remarks playfully as she points her fan at my arms – or rather the person who’s still lying in it.

It seems that Alisha has decided it’s rather comfortable in my arms while I carry her bridal-style and has weirdly shown no initiative as to leaving it. Actually, it seems like she’s asleep, not surprising considering she went past the limits of her magical energy and we didn’t get much rest last night. I’d like to let her just collapse for the rest of the day, but there’s still some stuff to do. Rather, I don’t have that much physical strength, so she better get down soon or I’m gonna need to drop her ass.

“Er, um, it’s… a long story.” I wonder how the hell I’m supposed to explain this. What a pain in the ass.

“Oh? Well, I’ll look forward to hearing it.” She replies with a smile.

Ah, she’s not gonna let me avoid the topic is she. Welp, better start thinking about what details to spare…

At that moment, I hear an unexpected voice in the distance.

“Well, well, look who made it out in one piece. Looks like you’ve had quite the rough time, boy.”

A familiar voice addresses me as it approaches. Looking at its source, I find a well-endowed woman in a red dress, none other than—

“Rider!?” I exclaim at the unexpected presence.

“Oi, what’s with that reaction? Did you think I died or something? Ufufu~” Rider giggles in her usual tone. It really was her after all.

“W-what are you doing here? I thought you were still on Level 5.” I ask in confusion.

“Oh, um, actually, Rider returned last night while you were gone. She’s been helping out fight the enemy soldiers since.” Assassin swiftly chimes in to explain.

“And here I was expecting a big reception upon my heroic return, but instead I get enlisted in another battle. Sure is never a peaceful moment with you around, boy.” Rider sighs.

“Oh. S-sorry. I was hoping to receive you properly but… I’ll make it up to you!” I try to apologize.

“Ufufu~ Silly, I was just messing with you. Don’t worry about it.” She giggles. “It’s been a month, but it seems like you’ve matured a bit since I last saw you. Did you miss me too?”

“Y-yes… I really did miss you. I’m glad to have you back.” I proclaim earnestly.

“Hm~ Well, anyways, it seems that the others have arrived as well.” She mentions and points behind her to two figures approaching at high speeds.

“Oh. Saber and Starkad.” I note. I guess it makes they’d be here as well if Rider was.

“Huh!? Starkad!? Where?” Alisha suddenly exclaims as she jolts herself up the moment she hears her Servant’s name.

Oi, weren’t you asleep? Do you have some sort of Starkad alarm or something?

With renewed excitement, she jumps out of my arms and runs towards her Servant at full speed.

“Starkad!”

“Sherry…”

Once they’re within range, Alisha leaps forward and is caught by Starkad’s giant hands. Then, like a child on a jungle gym, she climbs up his arm and starts to hang on it.

“I missed you! I was so scared, you idiot. Why didn’t you come save me? Did you miss me? You missed me, right? Oh, I know you missed me. Ehehehe.” She says as she spurts out all sorts of wild giggles.

“Yes…” He replies, stoic as ever, but gently pats her on the head.

She sure is happy to see him considering it’s only been a day since they last were together. Well, I guess that’s just the level of bond those two have. Though I think it’d be better to have a more professional bond.

“Master. Are you safe?” Saber asks once she reaches me.

“Oh, yeah, I am. Thanks for asking.” I reply, a little startled by her.

“Very well. Awaiting orders, Master.” She declares and salutes.

“Um, s-standby. Just… relax.” I command.

“Affirmative. Relaxing now.” She complies immediately.

Hm, compared to those two, perhaps our Servant-Master relationship is a bit too stiff.

“By the way, boy, what’s that thing on the ground?” Assassin interrupts to point at Berserker who was at that moment literally groveling on the floor and worshiping the ground Assassin stood upon.

“Oh, her shadow. Even her shadow!” He exclaims in ecstasy while his body writhes in strange manners.

“Yeah, um… he was an enemy Servant. We defeated him so he’s on our side now… sort of.” I try to explain.

“Um, Master, are you planning to add him to our team?” Assassin asks with a tint of discomfort in her voice. I guess she’s not too fond of the pervert ogling her.

“Well, his abilities are useful, so it would be good. And honestly, the only thing keeping him from killing us all is his boner, so I’d like it if you could keep it up for a bit longer.” I regretfully respond.

“I see…” Assassin seems hesitant but agrees with it for now.

While we were distracted, it seems that Berserker finally noticed the new arrivals and promptly jumped to his feet.

“Why hello there, bombshell. To think so many beauties would be gathered in one place, today must be my lucky day. How would you like me to share some of that luck with you?” He starts harassing Saber without any sense of shame.

“Master, your orders.” Saber immediately turns to me.

“Eh? Um, just brush him off gently.” I answer.

“Understood.” She confirms. The next moment, she slams her fist into Berserker, sending him flying back a few feet.

Oi, I said gently!

“Guh, how rough. However… that’s still pretty hot in its own way.” He mutters, not to be deterred by mere violence. I’m almost impressed by his perseverance as he immediately sets his eyes on the next target: Rider.

“And you, madam… I couldn’t but notice those two large melons on you. Would you grant me the honor of picking them?” He says, kneeling by her feet.

“Ufufu~ How bold~ Shall I step on you?” Rider chuckles, unfazed by his lame attempts at flirting.

“Yes, please!” He replies ecstatically and immediately bows his head so that she may plant her foot on it. It seems that this man considers being stepped on a reward or something.

What the hell is wrong with him? Did this man really become the King of China? Once again, I must question the legitimacy of this culture.

“Alright, alright, this is getting out of hand.” I interject to calm things down. “Let’s just go home for now and sort things out. Saber, could you tie him up just in case?”

“Affirmative.” She nods and brings out her lasso.

“Oh? Bondage play already? How frisky. But I don’t mind.” Berserker comments happily as he’s restrained. As expected of a Berserker, I cannot understand his thought processes.

With him properly restrained, we were all set. It was a bit of a wild adventure this time around, but I’m glad we managed to complete our mission and get out safely. Rider’s back now and we somewhat recruited a new Servant, so things are looking pretty good for us.

“Oh, wait. I forgot.” I suddenly stop in my tracks as we’re walking back home. “You guys go on ahead. I want to check up on the Core Generator.”

I immediately run back to the building as the others continue to go home. Right, the whole point of this mission was to protect this generator thing, so I should at least make sure it wasn’t damaged or anything during the chaos.

As I pass through the building doors, I realize I have no idea what to look for since I’m not familiar with the building to begin with. I’m no engineer so I wouldn’t be able to tell if the generator thingy is on or not. Oh well, I’ll just have a cursory glance to make sure nothing’s clearly broken or on fire.

With that in mind, I climb up a flight of stairs and find a door labelled ‘Main Control Room’. I immediately open it up, walk in and—

“Eh? What the… what is this? How is this here?”

I can’t help but gasp at what I see.

At the back of the control room is a giant window into what seemed to be the center of the building. Through it I see an all-too familiar sight.

There, in the center of the building, is a giant fireball-like object. The thing is huge, taking up a majority of the building’s space, the rest left only for a few select rooms. It is shining with such bright light that I could hardly look at it directly, while it also emits intense amounts of mana that I’d never quite felt before.

It didn’t take a genius to realize this thing must be the Core Generator. It was the energy source that the empire relied upon to survive. This entire building most likely exists solely to harvest and process the overwhelming energy that the thing emits. In terms of sheer power, it is simply incomparable to something as small as a modern nuclear reactor. It is no wonder, then, that the Emperor was so protective of it as it alone could provide near limitless energy to his world. With apparently ten of them in his empire, he could provide for his people even in this cruel, unforgiving world. Logically speaking, that only makes sense.

That wasn’t what surprised me, though. It was the appearance of the thing that threw me off guard.

Truth be told, when I first saw it, I thought that…

… it looked just like a sun.

Servant Berserker, Zhou Xin, has joined your party!!!

**zikari8** · April 17th, 2020, 10:26 PM

Year: 2018
Location: Royal Quarters, Pinyang City

“Alright, everyone. Let’s calm down and sort things out.”

It was the day after the battle with Berserker. After returning back to the capital, there was a bunch of stuff to resolve, such as reporting to the Emperor, and then afterwards Alisha and I were hyper-exhausted, so we just collapsed for the rest of the night. Now that that was all out of the way, we were all finally ready to have a big team meeting.

Everyone single Servant and Master on our side was here: Assassin, Rider, Saber, Lancer, Berserker, Alisha and me. With this many, though, the little apartment of mines was beginning to get incredibly cramped. If we keep finding allies, we might have to petition for a larger place to live.

The atmosphere between the many individuals at the table was somewhat tense. For a lot of these people, they were just meeting each other for the first time, so I suppose I can’t expect instant camaraderie.

“W-well, thanks for coming here, today, everyone. First things first, we’re all on the same side now, so I’d like us to work together towards our common objective. Shall we start by pooling our information together? I’d like to first know what was happening while Alisha and I were in the Reality Marble.” I address everyone nervously. Though unfit for the role, I suppose I’m the leader of these misfits now, so I have to put on a brave face.

As I ask, Saber promptly begins to explain what was going on while we were gone. Apparently, outside of the Reality Marble we were trapped in, the fierce battle between the army and Berserker’s soldiers continued. In fact, the moment the Reality Marble activated, the soldiers actually multiplied greatly in number, quickly overwhelming the imperial army. It was thanks to Saber and Starkad’s quick help that kept everyone safe as well as Rider who showed up later on at night. Even after they broke through the soldier’s defenses though, they didn’t have a way to enter the Reality Marble, so all they could do was wait outside for us to solve things ourselves.

“Why did the soldiers multiply, Berserker?” I promptly ask the man in question.

“Hm?” He quickly looks up from ogling Assassin’s cleavage. “Oh, yes, well my Noble Phantasm is stronger when I’m inside my Reality Marble, so I was able to summon even more men.”

Hm, that’s a rather simple answer, but it makes sense.

“Well, then, next is… could I get your report, Rider? How have things been on your end this past month?” I ask the pirate queen who returned home at last.

“Hm~ Well, I have little to report. Things have been rather chaotic on Level 5, but we managed to force things into a stalemate and evacuate the civilians to safe havens. The demonic beasts aren’t too much of a threat alone, but they can be dangerous as an organized army, so I wouldn’t take them lightly.” She informs me in a professional, yet simultaneously playful tone.

“Were there any other Servants you saw down there? I read your other report about spotting a dark-haired woman…” I ask.

“Ah, yes, there was one. I never got a good look, but some of my men briefly spotted a woman mingling amongst the Demonic Army. According to them, she was a pretty raven-haired woman. Considering the situation, I’d think it’s safe to say she’s either a Servant or an advance demon. Well, according to them, she wasn’t half as gorgeous as me, but I wouldn’t trust that account.” Rider answers.

Hmm, what do think about this? A raven-haired woman within the Demon Army… either way, she’s clearly something dangerous. We should watch out for her more from hereon.

“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I ran into Lancer while I was down there.” Rider suddenly mentions.

“Hm? By Lancer you mean, Lin Chong?” I ask, taken aback by the info.

“That’s right. That mean looking guy we met on Level 4. He showed up and helped us out a little during a few pinches.” She confirms.

I see, so Lancer’s on Level 5 right now. I did wonder where he went after our last encounter with him – not only because I’m scared, he’ll one day show up and just wreck my shit. I guess since everything’s happening on Level 5, it only makes sense he’d—

“Wait, hold on. What’d you just say? He helped you?” I quickly ask to confirm what I must’ve misheard.

“Hm~ Yes, that’s right. He showed up like a storm and began slaying demons left and right. I don’t know his motive, but it seems that he’s hell-bent on defeating the Demon Army as well.” She affirms.

Huh, that’s weird. I don’t understand what he must be thinking; aren’t we enemies? Why would he help us if he wants to defeat us? That’s contradictory – no, wait. I already know the answer. It’s because he’s a Hero of Justice. As he told me before, everything he does is for justice. That’s why it’s possible for him to simultaneously want to destroy people and protect them at the same time. Even though the Demon Army is trying to defeat us, they aren’t his allies either; he most likely plans to defeat the demons first and then go after the empire.

It’s a troublesome philosophy, but I suppose it helped us out this time around, so I can’t complain too much.

After that, I have Rider continue with a bit more in-depth reports as the exact details of her battles on Level 5, until I've gotten a good idea of the situation down there.

“Well, anyways, moving on… I guess next would be you, Berserker.” I turn to the wild card who’s been busy writing erotic poetry about Assassin’s body in the corner.

“Yes, what is it, Master?” He immediately answers.

“Well, first of all, I’m not your Master…” I reply hesitantly. As I thought, this guy’s hard to deal with.

“Nay, thou art my mistress’s Master, therefore thou art my Master, is that not so? Or would you prefer Grand Master?” He proclaims.

“I see… so you affirm that Assassin is your… mistress?” I question.

“Correct-a-mundo! I have decided to dedicate all my riches, powers, and passions to my fair maiden. Such things cannot fill my heart, but a single glance from her makes it grow three sizes. So, what can I do but become her humble slave? Isn’t that right, milady?” He rants before turning to Assassin on the other side of the table.

“Oh, um… I suppose?” She replies vaguely.

As expected of a Berserker, he’s absolutely fucking insane. Even Assassin has trouble dealing with his craziness.

“Okay, staying on topic, I want to hear your side of the story. First off, please clearly tell us why you trapped Alisha and I into your Reality Marble.” I question.

“Hm? I believe I made my intentions clear before. I simply wished to torture you two in my playground as entertainment. For me, the screams of despair and sight of tears are the greatest aphrodisiac. Even now, the feeling has not diminished, and I regret just how close I was to hearing hers.” He answers plainly, then pointing at Alisha.

“T-that’s really it? You’re just… turned on by torture?” I ask, a little horrified.

“Yes. It gives me immeasurable sexual gratification and there is not greater feeling in the world. Now that I have tasted such forbidden fruits, I cannot help but hunger for them.” He replies without any shame or hesitation.

I take it back. This guy isn’t just insane; he’s a full-on psychopath.

“You… that’s…” I try to find the words to express my disgust. But before I can—

“That’s horrible. How could you possibly say that?” Assassin surprisingly speaks up first. “Only a heartless person would actually find pleasure in the pain of others.”

“Yes, I completely agree, mistress. I absolutely abhor such things. Pain is the opposite of pleasure to begin with, so I don’t understand how anyone could find such despicable things enjoyable. I would never associate myself with such things. In fact, now that I think about it, I might even say that I’m a bit of a pacifist.” Berserker passionately agrees without a hint of sarcasm or irony in his voice.

… wait, what?

“What the hell just happened?” I whisper to Alisha who’s sitting next to me. Literally a few seconds ago, Berserker was mentioning how much torture turned him on and now he’s acting like he’s some sort of philosophical monk.

“It seems like that’s how his Madness works.” Alisha answers calmly. “In legend, King Zhou had been a normal, intelligent king. However, upon meeting the vile seductress, Da Ji, he adopted her sadistic and cruel tastes. So, it seems that his personality changes based on the person he’s in love with, in this case being Assassin. Since he’s not sane to begin with, any contradictions in his character can’t exist in his mind.”

Huh, how peculiar. I had heard that Berserkers were supposed to be mindless puppets without any ego, so this one’s been a bit weird. That said, if what Alisha said is true, then he only does whatever his target of affection wants and becomes a vessel for their tastes. In that case, he sort of is just an extension of them, a true mindless puppet.

Well, if he takes after the woman he loves, he should be molded by Assassin’s tastes, right? If Da Ji’s cruelty was what made him evil, then he’ll probably be fine since Assassin’s such a good person.

Wise-up! Berserker's Status

“By the way, mistress. What kind of guy do you like?” Berserker suddenly asks as if answering my contemplation.

“Eh? Ah, well… I guess someone who’s serious and earnest. Oh, and I don’t like guys who fool around…” Assassin answers innocuously, having not heard my conversation with Alisha.

The very next moment, Berserker’s fist hits the table.

“Alright, Master. Let us not waste any more time on frivolities and continue with our strategy meeting. Is there anything else you would like to know?” Berserker says in a completely different tone of voice, one belonging to a strait-laced no-nonsense leader. All the while he gives me a solemn stare, urging me to get serious as well.

“Huh? Ah, right, of course.” I reply timidly. To be honest, his new attitude is a bit intimidating.

Calm down. He’s a weirdo – I already know that. I just have to roll with the punches.

“Hmm… there’s one thing I don’t get, Berserker. Your motives just don’t make sense.” I point out with composure. “You say that you trapped us to torture us, but that’s unnecessary. If your goal was truly only to torment people, you wouldn’t need to make such a big spectacle about it or use your Reality Marble. You could’ve just gone to some random, defenseless village and had your fun with them. But instead, you went out of your way to attack the Core Generator and set up your huge boundary field. Why would you do that?”

“Yes, you are correct. While I did only bring you two in for my entertainment, my motives for doing so at the Core Generator are separate. There are, in fact, two reasons for my actions. The first is the conditions for using my Reality Marble.” He states clearly, without any of his previous idiocy.

“Conditions?” I immediately perk up at the words. After all, one of our goals is to use his Reality Marble for our battle against the Demon Army. If there are conditions to its use, then we have to know what they are.

“Yes. I am ashamed to say that, as a Servant, I have a major weakness. Are you aware of the two weaknesses of the Berserker class in general?” He says.

“Um, the weaknesses of a Berserker? Well, one would have to be that they lose their intelligence. The other is…” I contemplate.

“Increased prana cost, right?” Alisha adds in.

Ah, that’s right. In exchange for having the highest power, Berserkers not only lack intelligence but also have high prana costs. It is said that many Berserker Masters end up self-destructing to the servant’s high cost.

Wait, that means…

“Yes, that is correct. My greatest weakness as a Servant is that I have an especially high cost for all of my abilities. It is not simply my combat, but even my Noble Phantasms. Thus, if I want to activate my Reality Marble, I need access to immense energy source.” He explains.

“So, that’s why you went after the Core Generator?”

“Correct. Connecting to it and its immense power was the only way for me to conceivably use my Noble Phantasm at its full strength. And to do so, I used… this.”

At that moment, he pulls out a large red gourd from thin air.

“What is that?” I examine it carefully.

“The Heavenly Eagle Gourd. I believe the little miss there is familiar with it. It was once the treasured weapon of my loyal subordinate, Chong Heihu. When opened, it spews out magical black smoke indefinitely. In addition to summoning the Iron-Beaked Condors, it seems that the smoke has the conceptual power to keep the sun’s light and energy from passing through it. I thus used this on the Core Generator to keep the energy from leaving the building and thus funnel it into myself. Only by doing that was I able to activate my Noble Phantasm.” He exposits.

So that’s what that black smoke was for… Wait, did he say that it only works on the sun?

… I’ll push that aside for now and focus on the questions in front of me.

“So then, in other words, if you aren’t next to a Core Generator… you can’t use your Reality Marble?” I ask with trepidation. With all my might, I pray that he denies my hypothesis, but—

“Correct.” He confirms it nonchalantly.

“Shit. Are you serious!?” I curse and throw my arms in the air.

“God fucking dammit!” Alisha joins me, palming her face continuously.

We went through all the trouble because we believed we could get a boundary field to use against the Demon Army, but it turns it he can’t use it properly. That’s goddamn bullshit. Give us back our effort, dammit!

This time around, Berserker was able to get us in it due to us needing to defend our own generators; as such, there was no risk of us destroying it and ruining his plan. If we were to try the same thing, though, it would mean allowing a bunch of enemies get within attacking distance of a vital part of the empire. Furthermore, if we use up too much magical energy, that may hinder the lifestyle of the people in the empire. That could set back progress by a lot if we’re not careful.

Wise-up! Berserker's Status

“For now, we’ll shelf that fact until later.” I decide to move on as none of us seem to have any ideas to bypass that weakness. “You said there were two reasons for targeting the Core Generator, Berserker. What’s the second?”

“Yes, well, the second reason is even more simple: I was told to.” He answers.

“Huh?”

It’s a reason I didn’t expect at all. He was… told to? But that means—

“Wait, there’s someone else who was controlling you?” I burst out with panicked curiosity. That fact alone changes everything. “Who?”

“It’s a bit of a long story. For clarity, allow me to start from the beginning.”

Berserker’s tale went as such. When he was first summoned into this world, he manifested onto Level 5. At first, he sought to nobly work towards defeating the Lostbelt, but got distracted by his desire to enjoy sadistic pleasures. During this time, he ran into another Servant, a beautiful woman with jet-black hair who was gathering demonic beasts across the level. He decided to swear his loyalty to her and so joined the Demon Army, despite having no demonic traits. After a while, the woman commanded him to attack the Core Generator next to the capital city on Level 1 and gave him precise instructions on what to do. The plan was for him to take control of the Generator’s energy output to deprive the Empire of it, while also manifesting limitless soldier familiars to harass the capital with constant, endless attacks. Using the Core Generator’s energy, he could maintain the Reality Marble indefinitely, so he could be safe while he just mass-produced soldiers to attack us.

It was a perfect plan. The only problem was that the woman apparently didn’t account for Berserker’s personal tastes. By bringing Alisha and me into the Reality Marble to torture us, he opened himself to his defeat and the rest is known.

“…”

After the story is finished, the room becomes silent for a moment as everyone processes the information.

According to Berserker’s account, we can confirm that there is indeed a Servant on level 5 that is leading the Demon Army. From his description, as well, I think it’s safe to say that she’s the same person as the raven-haired woman Rider saw… well, it’s tiresome to call her the raven-haired woman all the time, so let’s just call her Raven for now.

“Were there any other Servants in the Demon Army besides you and her? Do you know their identities?” Alisha suddenly asks, breaking the silence. It seems she’s taking this seriously as well.

“No, I did not meet any. Nor do I know the True Name of the woman. She told me little and just used me as her errand boy.” He recounts while shaking his head. “If it’ll help, I can draw a picture of her so you may better identify her.”

With that said, he takes out his pencil and paper and makes a quick sketch, before showing it to us:

Oh, wow, he’s actually pretty good at art. I wonder if he has some sort of art skill. Certainly, with this portrait, I have a pretty good idea of what her face looks like. Just one problem…

“… why is she naked in this?” I ask curiously.

“Hm? Why wouldn’t she be?” Berserker answers, a little confused. That gives me a bad feeling.

“… say, Berserker. Could it be that the reason you joined the Demon Army…”

“Yes, it was because she was hot.”

“Nothing else?”

“Is there any other reason to serve a woman?”

Gah, this pervert!!!

Even after becoming serious, he’s still just a stupid pervert!

“So, you joined her team because she was pretty, and you betrayed her to join our team because…”

“Milady is even hotter. That is all the reason I need.”

I want to punch him. I desperately want to punch this idiot.

“Ah, love. Oh, fleeting love. I am but driftwood laying my ebony burned body upon the flow of love, struck and burnt by the thunder of beauty. Wherever the currents take me, I shall go. That is my destiny for I am the wanderer of love!” He begins to ramble about some nonsense I have no patience to listen to.

Alright, from henceforth, I am officially shunning him.

“A-anyways, I think that’s enough information sharing for now. We have a pretty good grasp on the situation, so let’s start thinking about what we need to do from here on.”

I call out, desperately bringing the conversation back on topic.

After a moment of thought, I calmly organize my ideas and lay them out for all my allies to hear.

“Listen up, everyone. Right now, there are three main things to do that will help us in our battle. First, we need to find a way to use Berserker’s Reality Marble effectively, if we want to be able to fight back against the Demon Army. Second, we need more information on both our enemies and this world in general. Third, we need to bolster our own forces so that we will not lose to the Demon Army once it comes the time to fight them.”

I somewhat expect someone to argue against my statement, but no such thing happens. Everyone just obediently listens to me as if they actually respect my leadership. It’s… a weird feeling.

“So, um, for the first thing, we’ll be looking into some strategies that could allow us to provide Berserker with the energy he needs to fight, or a way to lessen his upkeep. Until then, Berserker is on standby. Also, Assassin, you’re in charge of watching over him and making sure he doesn’t do anything crazy.” I command, with less than full confidence.

“Ya got it, Master.” Berserker complies eagerly.

“Oh, okay. Well, if you say so.” Assassin also agrees.

“Next is info. Saber, you are to continue the research I assigned you.” I continue to assign duties.

“Understood, Master.” Saber responds in her usual manner.

“And then… I’d also like to use the Red Scarf Pirates’ numbers to do some info gathering, but they’ve been fighting on Level 5 for like a whole month now. I think they deserve a break first. What do you think, Rider?” I ask the far more experienced leader at the table.

“Hm~ Well, I agree. My boys have been working hard, so I’d say they deserve a nice vacation. At least a week.” She affirms.

“Then, give them two weeks. I also have a bit of extra money from the Emperor too, so please distribute it amongst them as a reward.” I decide. I think it’s important to remember that, at the very least, the Red Scarf Pirates aren’t superhuman soldiers like the Servants; we should let them rest when we can and not push them too hard.

Rider seems happy with it too, as she leans back and smirks.

“Ooh~ how generous. Well, if you’re so obliged, I will accept your offering.”

Alright, that more or less wraps up everyone’s roles. The only one left is…

“Hm? What’s wrong, Bengshan? Aren’t you gonna bark orders at me, too?” Alisha cockily taunts me. She never really changes, does she?

“Even if I did, you wouldn’t listen, would you?” I counter with equal snark.

“Hah, you know me so well.” She laughs a little. “Yeah, that’s right. I’ve already decided what Starkad and I are gonna do, so there’s no need to say anything.”

As I thought, she’ll just be doing her own thing, huh? Well, that’s not too bad. Now that I know her better, I think I can trust enough not to deliberately do something horrible.

“What about you, though, Bengshan? What’s your plan for henceforth?” Alisha asks curiously. “Are you still gonna train your magecraft like you said you would?”

“W-well…”

That’s right, I hadn’t thought about myself and what I need to be doing either.

I had said before the Berserker incident that I’d try improving my magecraft, but… what about now? The situation has greatly altered, with the addition of Berserker as well as the new bond between Alisha and me.

Is there something else I want to do?

Choice!

References

Wise-up! Servant Sheet acquired:
Berserker of Shang - Zhou Xin

**Wizard** · April 17th, 2020, 11:11 PM

1.b

**SleepMode** · April 17th, 2020, 11:24 PM

1b

**Ayr** · April 18th, 2020, 01:29 PM

1.b

**Wyvern** · April 18th, 2020, 03:18 PM

Well, variety is the spice of life. Let's add some!

2.d

**Cain12** · April 18th, 2020, 03:36 PM

2c

**Spartacus** · April 20th, 2020, 03:47 PM

1b

Thread: [Quest] Lostbelt Raising Project

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