Chapter 404

"Every performance?"

"I wouldn't say every performance, there is the obvious one I mentioned to you before that she missed. But call it a good 90% of your live performances that she caught. As long as they were advertised, she tried to make time to see them."

Mozart stroked his chin as we walked along the dirt road. "I wish I could have met this fan in person. I would have gladly given her my thanks for her support. After my death, I look back and realize that all the faces in the crowds tended to blend together unless they were noteworthy. I brushed elbows with the aristocrats and the affluent, but I suppose I lost sight that there were many not in those categories who also appreciated my performances just as much."

"She definitely checks those boxes, but she probably didn't sit around with the humans." I clarified.

"Oh? A non-Human fan? That's even more extraordinary. I admit I have met one or two that were not human or at least not fully, but they were particularly rare." He chuckled.

"Speaking of rare, you actually used Magecraft in your performances?" It was not every day that someone got to talk to such a famous Musician.

"Oh yes." He nodded vigorously. "None of that nonsense that you're probably thinking. I didn't trick or force people to like my music."

"That was not my first assumption. I know your fame is well earned."

"Apologies, I feel as though it's something that needs to be addressed whenever the topic is brought up. But I dabbled in the magical arts to enhance my own music. To touch on melodies there were not possible through the mundane. To invoke feelings when the masses heard the music I produced. One of my few spells I developed was a sympathetic magnification of passion."

"You let people feel it more, is what you're saying?"

He smiled brightly. "When people listened to my live performances, their hearts opened themselves." He held up a hand. "However, that was not a means to cheat." He clarified. "I did not have control of what emotions were invoked, only that they were fluid and excitable. If you detested my works, you would not be swayed regardless of what I wished to convey. No, anyone who listened got an honest performance from me and I only desired to make their experience match my own aspirations."

How respectable. He could have easily 'cheated' the crowds through Magecraft, but he opted to instead reach for a higher level and bring to life his passion for others.

Speaking of it was a nice idle chit chat while we walked to our destination.

We sort of split into two quick teams. Olga and the others were marching with the remnants of the French army towards Orleans, while myself, Raikou, Jeanne, Ritsuka, Mash and Mozart were heading to what was once Tyres, as he said it wasn't much but burnt rubble any longer.

Oh, there was one last person coming along.

A very stoic Saber was keeping a few feet distance from me at any time. But she insisted on coming, citing something about 'protecting her master'.

There was a little game between us as we began this small journey. Every so often, she would glance at me, and I would smile her way, which she responded with a scoff and a head turn.

Jeanne tagged along because we were looking for Servants….so that was obvious. I went this way, because between Olga and I, we were basically the leaders present. And Mozart was coming because he actually met the Servants in question.

And with that in mind.

"So...you've been kind of quiet about these Servant's we're tracking down. When Marie told you to follow along, you made a face like you sucked a lemon."

The jovial and happy artist had his face twist back into a scowl. "She is someone I cannot coexist with!" He said as a matter of fact with no follow up.

I didn't know who she was. "Should I be worried…?"

"They are no threat." He harrumphed.

Alright then, grumpy Mozart is grumpy.

"How close are we, Jeanne?"

"Um….a few minutes? I think the town is up ahead, and the feeling of Servants is getting stronger." Jeanne stated.

"A Ruler can pinpoint Servants so easily?" Ritsuka asked. "Is it something all Ruler Servants can do, or just Jeanne?"

"It's an ability of every Ruler." Jeanne smiled, happy to respond. "I don't actually know if it's stronger or weaker though."

"If I had to guess, I think Jeanne's variation is stronger."

"Why do you say that?" Ritsuka asked.

"Well, she has a skill that allows her to get nudges from Big G when she needs to go somewhere or know something, so I would be surprised if her Servant Tracker isn't better."

"It doesn't work that way!" Jeanne squeaked.

"….Big G?" Mozart blinked.

"Senpai, do you mean the Abrahamic God?"

"Ruler talks to God?" Ritsuka exclaimed.

"Yes." I answered for all of them.

Jeanne smacked my shoulder. "I told you not to talk about him like that!"

"It's affectionate." I retorted.

"It is not and you know it." Seeing her puff up was always cute.

"If he doesn't like it, he can smite me."

"Neeeh!" She kept hitting my shoulder with her petite fists.

"An immutable source of direction. Would it not be more convenient to strap her to a plank of wood and have her point any way we desire? Perhaps seeking a 'method' to defeat any foes?" Saber oddly spoke up.

"...like a holy compass?" I offered.

"No!" Jeanne quickly rejected that. "Not again!"

"…..again?" Saber looked at her.

"She has certain preferences when it comes to rope." Raikou added.

Jeanne squawked in embarrassment, covering her face.

"….I am not surprised to hear such a thing from the French." Saber snorted.

"Hey!" Jeanne shouted back.

"I do not agree with the harsh sentiment. However, I would be lying if I did not acknowledge the truth in her words." Mozart hummed.

"Neh!?"

"Oh dear, You should keep away from Marie when it involves any paramours, she will have no boundaries when it comes to asking you about your inclinations and activities that take place privately." His lips twitched as he looked at the sputtering Jeanne.

"She really seems the type." I could believe that completely.

"Wonderful woman, but zero respect for personal boundaries." Mozart nodded sagely.

"Ah, that reminds me." I turned to our cute little eggplant. "Mash, I wanted to ask. You got your Noble Phantasm and everything, you have the spirit of Galahad. Was that hard?"

She seemed significantly more confident than when I saw her in the previous singularity. It's funny, despite the reprieve of last night, it's been kind of hectic and I hadn't had the chance to ask.

"Saber helped me." Mash nodded.

"Did she threaten Galahad?" I joked.

"…..yes." Mash said softly.

I found myself looking at Saber.

"He disobeyed my orders." She looked a tiny bit embarrassed for some reason.

"May I ask for elaboration?"

"No." Saber said sternly.

"Galahad refused to listen to her." Ritsuka said awkwardly. "Somehow, he talked through Mash, then they got into an argument and he hasn't come up since."

I glanced at Artoria again.

She scowled. "He refused to obey me, citing that I am not his king."

"...you gave Mash all her information out of spite, didn't you?"

Ever so slightly, she turned a shade of red and refused to look my way.

Funnily enough, I heard Mash scoff. Rather uncharacteristically at that. Everyone seemed to agree with me as we stared at her.

She covered her mouth, eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean –"

"Do you have something to say, coward!?" Saber snarled. Though it was obvious she wasn't directing her words towards Mash.

Mash's eyes glazed over, like you could tell she wasn't herself as she locked eyes with Saber.

"If you start a fight, we're going to have a problem." I looked at Mash rather than Saber. "Either sit in the front seat, or watch from the back, you don't get to flip flop."

'Mash' turned their attention towards me, frowning.

"Switch back with Mash. She's actually useful."

The presence behind Mash's eyes stared for a long moment before her more gentle look returned. "Um….what happened?"

"Galahad was being his normal self." Saber snorted, turning back away.

"Is something wrong?" Mash looked around confused.

"Galahad isn't the most well liked among several of his peers." I admit I didn't know everything, but I knew enough from second hand stories to form half an opinion. The other half formed by the fact that he's apparently aware and sitting in the back of Mash's head decidedly not helping.

"Wasn't Galahad supposed to be a good Knight?" Ritsuka asked.

"Ah, my young friend. That there lies a problem. What does one consider a good knight?" Mozart asked.

"You know his history?" I quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sure the throne gave you some information, but the nuance shouldn't be common knowledge."

"There is no need, I can take a guess or two based on what I know." He hummed.

"What's bad about him?" Ritsuka asked again, he glanced at Saber and she was being decisively quiet.

"Mordred called him, and I quote 'A Holier than thou cunt'." I replied rather pointedly, snapping my head back to Mash because she faulted for just a moment, and I think her roommate wanted to retort, but I glared enough that whatever they wanted to add was pushed back down allowing Mash to keep driving.

"You know Mordred?" Saber asked.

"She's living back home." I confirmed.

"….her words ring true." Saber's tone was rather evenly.

"So he wasn't a good Knight?" Ritsuka said in confusion.

"Let me give you a very abridged version. Galahad was obsessed with being the perfect knight. Don't mistake that for strongest or most skillful. I'm talking about the codes of Chivalry and all that. You say a bad word? Galahad would be on you about being proper. You slack off for even a moment? A Knight must always strive for excellence. That kind of thing where he's technically correct, but really grates on everyone around him as he forces them to be held to the standard he sets."

Mordred told me many more stories, but I was keeping it brief.

"I could see how that would be annoying." Ritsuka admitted. "They're only human, they can't help but want to relax sometimes…"

"Therein lies the problem. Not even Artoria demanded perfection every single moment of the day. She held her Knights to a certain standard, to represent what they strove for, but they were human…ish. There were non-humans in Camelot. But you get what I'm saying."

It wasn't even jealousy, though Mordred admitted there was some of that.

"Anyways, that was what he built his whole personality around, the idea of being the perfect Knight, and it grated on everyone around him. And to top it off, there's the whole mess with the Holy Grail, which probably made him rather hated among his fellow Knights."

"Like the one we're trying to recover?" Ritsuka tilted his head.

"No, the real one. The Cup of Christ. The actual relic from the Religion." I responded. "He was sent on the quest to recover it with a couple others."

"Oh, did they fail?" Ritsuka questioned again. He wasn't the only one listening. Mash seemingly was learning all of this information first hand too. "Is that why everyone's mad at him?"

"Nope, he succeeded. Do you know what he did when he got his hands on the Grail?"

"He –"

"He ran away." Saber finished for us. "He saw the inevitable fall and destruction of Camelot, and he chose to run away and leave everyone else behind. That is why I call him a coward."

I didn't correct her, because she was right. Even my Artoria told the story in a more flowery way, at the end of the day, he abandoned his comrades, and wanted to go to Heaven instead.

"He sipped from the Grail and was whisked away to Heaven. Or so the stories ago. I'm sure you can guess what truths there are to that statement at this point." I left it at that.

The mood turned rather somber after that.

"We are here." Saber declared, perhaps to shift the subject away from what we were just talking about as it was obvious we had arrived.

"Any heads up on what to look for, Mozart?" I asked.

"If you hear something akin to cats being skinned alive then recorded and played backwards, we are close."

"…..I hesitantly decide to ignore the implication of what you just said."

"I envy your ignorance."

"I sense Two Servants further into the town." Jeanne confirmed.

"Master, Mash, be prepared for combat." Saber demanded of them.

Raikou, for her part, was already in combat mode.

"Perhaps this is a bad time to mention that I have yet to form a contract." Mozart mused.

"That would have been nice to know sooner. But Ritsuka here can handle –"

"I declined his offer previously." Mozart interrupted me. "Truthfully, I had hoped you would form a contract with me."

"….any particular reason why?"

"Call it…a musician's instinct. I feel as though my playing with my Noble Phantasm would be more fulfilling if you were my Master."

"Dare I ask what your Noble Phantasm is?"

"It is quite a Demonic Tune." He laughed.

[Raikou?] I asked, sending through our mental link.

[I don't mind, Master.] Raikou replied. [I quite like him]

Well, if she's okay with it.

[I'll allow it.] Ddraig also chimed in.

Thanks for your input, Ddraig.

"I don't mind doing a temporary contract. We'll handle it after our business with these two Servants is over." I nodded.

It's unlikely he would need to participate in any battles with these two, and I would like to have a moment to figure out how a temporary contract would work since I wasn't really hooked up to Chaldea's systems.

Regardless, I heard something that sent a shiver down my spine. And I most certainly wasn't the only one.

"Yes, there it is. The sound of my arch nemesis. The bane of my existence." Mozart's nostrils flared. "I know you can hear me, you she-demon! Cease your murdering of the musical language! Have you not done enough!?"

"What did you call me, you grumpy old pig!?" A…smallish girl practically kicked open a dilapidated house, walking outside. She had long pink hair, two horns on her head, and a tail swinging out from a large skirt.

"Ohohoho, his words are uncouth, but that doesn't detract from their truthfulness." Another woman joined, holding a fan in front of her face. She had long blueish hair, also having horns on her head, but she instead wore a matching blue kimono.

[Really, more?] Ddraig asked with a sigh.

I shared the sentiment. "Is it just me, or do the majority of the servants here either have relations to Dragons or France?"

"What would an old hag like you know!?"

"How unlady-like. Not that I would expect anything less from a bearded lizard like you."

"Unlady like!? I'll show you!" She took a deep breath, and screamed.

Everyone had to cover their ears, the sound waves literally shattered stone and wood around the area.

[Oh, not bad.] Ddraig commented, despite the horrid sound penetrating my ears.

Fuck off, Ddraig.

[No seriously, she's not bad. I think she had Dragon Lungs, because she's using a tone that most things can't really understand. If you wanna be pedantic, you could call it dragon sound.]

...I don't even know anymore.

"Raikou."

"Saber!" Ritsuka also added.

The two Servants didn't need any more invitation as the blue-haired woman was ignited in a worrisome flame.

The two Servants weren't expecting the sudden attack, but they were volatile so I didn't feel bad about suddenly engaging them. Rather to have them pacified to figure out where to go from there.

Both our Servants were quick, and the other two unknown Servants were not in any way prepared due to their bickering. Raikou went after the Pink haired one, slamming into her rather hard, sending her rolling onto the ground. Saber used the flat of her blade to swing at the blue-haired one, smacking her hard across the face, likewise sending her tumbling away. Neither, however, let up, before the two Servants could recover, Raikou and Saber were both holding their blades up to their necks.

"…should we help?" Jeanne asked.

"Oh, I think Saber wanted to hit something, better let them have their fill." I shook my head.

"Oh my, they are quite ruthless and efficient." Mozart noted.

"Wait!! I surrender!" The pink-haired one whined.

"Such a brute." The Blue haired one huffed, seemingly following her friend's lead.

"Wonderful!" I clapped my hands, walking up. "Now –"

"Ewww, the piggy is talking to us." The Pink-haired one reeled back.

Raikou pushed her blade firmer.

"Waah!? I didn't mean it. He's not a piggy!"

"….anyways." I ignored her. Servants generally had quirks of their own. "Greetings, we're here on behalf of Finis Chaldea, trying to resolve this singularity and protect the world. To summarize, we're here to defeat the Dragon Witch. We are preparing to siege her place of power, and you two are aligned with neither side. I'm not forcing you to come with us, but if you do disagree with our generous employment opportunity, I expect you to stay far away."

Raikou and Saber let up a bit as the two Servants stood motionlessly. They shared a look between each other, and it was more of a shrug than anything that they came to an agreement. "Yeah, sure, whatever." The pink-haired one agreed.

"Maybe I can find my Anchin if I go with you. This tadpole has been less than helpful."

"Bitch!"

"Lizard."

"Enough." Saber hissed, and the two straightened up.

"Oh wow, she has a powerful dragon aura."

"It is impressive." The Asian one held her fan in front of her face.

"Alright, which piggy am I doing a contract with?"

"State your names." Saber grunted.

"Ugh, fine. You have the honor of standing before the amazing, stupendous, extravagant idol, Elizabeth Bathory! You can grovel at my feet at your leisure." The Pink-haired one introduced herself.

"How inelegant." The other slapped her fan shut. "I am Kiyohime. I'm looking for my Anchin. I would be most grateful if you could point me in his direction."

[Master, I have a strange feeling with that one. I desire that you not become intimate with her.] Raikou sent through our link.

[You know, for some reason, my instincts are screaming at me to stay the hell away and only after she named herself did I understand why.]

There's sticking your dick in crazy, and then there's sticking your dick in a crazy dragon.

Nope x 100.

"Ritsuka will be delighted to form a contract with you both." I pushed him forward.

"I would!?" He blinked.

"You would." I nodded.

"I would!" He smiled towards the two Servants.

I could tell they were going to be a handful.

Your sacrifice will be remembered, Ritsuka Fujimaru.

"We're going to fight that Dragon Witch or whatever~" Elizabeth waved her hand flippantly. "I ran into another me once. Did you piggies see her at all?"

Huh, some things were starting to make sense now. "White hair, dressed like she walked out of a Sex Dungeon? Used an Iron Maiden as a weapon for some god awful reason?"

"Yup."

I looked the Servant right in the eyes. "Yeah, I killed her."

"….meep."

Now that this little side errand was settled, let's head on back.

[***]

The trek back was a lot less pleasant than the one there.

I was starting to wonder if these two Servants were worth the hassle. But the other part of me that was actually scared wanted any back up plans that I could get.

After getting my ass handed to me, I didn't want to rush into any engagement without stacking the deck in my favor as much as possible.

Thankfully, Orleans wasn't too far away.

And it was easy to find where everyone was.

The army was gathered, several thousand troops in total, which honestly was going to be extremely helpful.

Having to wade through tens of thousands of mindless undead was not something any of us wanted to waste too much time on.

"Director." I greeted as everyone gathered around.

"Are these our two new Servants?" Olga glanced behind me.

"Eww, Piggy, look somewhere else." Elizabeth made a noise of disgust..

Olga twitched. "Wonderful."

"You didn't have to spend an extended period of time with them." I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, better than nothing it seems."

"…agreed." She sighed. "Ruler, we need you at the front. Your friends were waiting for your arrival."

"Jeanne." The one I recognized as the still living and sane Gilles was also present as he looked at her in relief.

"Gilles" Jeanne smiled warmly. "Is everyone ready?"

"Everyone's ready to fight!" Marie pumped her fist.

Despite the situation, Gilles found himself smiling. "We are prepared to take back Orleans and save France."

"What's the avenue of attack? Are we waiting until night, or are we making a direct move and just brute forcing our way inside?" I asked.

I was many things, but honestly, a commander of large armies was not one of them. I don't think I would be bad, but I wasn't like the ones around me that could move large swathes of people like they were their hands and legs.

"We will call on them to surrender." Gilles stated.

"…pardon?"

"We will approach, and call out the Dragon Witch for her surrender." Gilles reiterated.

"Do you really expect them to surrender?'

"No." He said without a second thought. "But from what I was told and understand, this fake, is not a strategic minded individual, if they are angered and leave the safety of their fortifications, I would be remiss to not take the advantage."

Smart.

"Jeanne, will you join me?" Gilles asked.

"I will stand with you always, Gilles." Jeanne agreed.

"Good, and your group." He turned to us. "Chaldeans." He stated, as if repeating a foreign word. "For whom of you will stand with us upon the edge of enemy lands?"

Olga and I shared a look.

"Call it, Schweinorg." She gave me authority.

"Olga, myself, Saber, Raikou, Medea." I listed off. "Mash will be open and standing near Ritsuka, Pierre, Hinako and Samuel. Everyone else, Astralize and stand nearby." Especially don't want to show off Marie and her people right away, and Elizabeth and Kiyohime if possible, but they were less important.

No one argued, about a dozen Servants Astralized all at once, which was quite the sight.

Though, I grabbed Lancelot right before he could disappear. I pulled him close so we were staring face to face. "Rather than moping, live up to her belief in you. Protect them."

He surprisingly adopted a rather resolute look and nodded.

[That was nice of you, master.] Raikou commented.

[His attitude was pissing me off.] I dismissed it.

"Let us go." Gilles ordered, he clutched his blade on his hip. Nervousness was obvious, and I doubted anyone would fault him.

At this particular moment, he was but an ordinary man.

We took the short steps to the walls of Orleans. This day and age, especially after a warring period of a hundred years, there was a wall that surrounded the city.

"Stop." Medea commanded.

"You noticed it too?" I asked.

"I would be an amateur not to sense it." Medea grunted. "We're in front of a Boundary line...I don't recognize the feel of it. It feels disgusting…"

"We cannot advance further?"

"Not without potential detriment. Unless you want to start immediately?" I offered.

"No." Gilels shook his head. "This Is enough." He took a deep breath. "I CALL UPON THE DRAGON WITCH!" He practically roared, his voice carrying rather far and the silence before and after the echos was deafening in of itself. "Submit yourself to righteous judgment! If you surrender and repent for your sins, we will allow you a swift and merciful meeting with the Lord to accept your punishment!"

There was silence for a beat and two. That was until the massive gate shook, and slowly began to open. It wasn't the Dragon Witch that appeared, but someone else.

His bulging eyes and malignant aura was a dead give away.

Gilles looked at his horrific reflection.

"Ah, I wondered who had such a smooth and impressive voice. I could feel my heart beat at just at the mere words. And seeing you up close, truly, you cut a dashing figure." The Caster Servant version, no Bluebeard was the name he was known by at this point. Bluebeard admired his still living self.

"Monster." Gilles whispered.

"Tut tut, my handsome friend. Your words hurt yourself." Bluebeard chuckled as he walked up to the very edge of the Boundary until we were in distance to plainly speak.

"Gilles…" Jeanne looked at him.

Bluebeard twitched. "You are not real. A fake, sent here to diminish our goals. I will not be fooled, the real Jeanne sits comfortably upon her proper throne."

"Will your blasphemies never end?" Gilles growled.

"Never!" Bluebeard countered. "My blasphemies will continue!" He held his arms up. "I will drag this whole country into depravity to show that I was right. With Jeanne by my side, we will show that God does not exist! A Godless country, spitting in the face of that hypocritical doctrine!"

"Is….is that your motivation!?" Gilles stood there shocked. "For such a ridiculous goal!?" He stepped forward, drawing his blade. "You committed these atrocities for such an ignorant reason!?" He tried to slash forward, but it was Medea who pulled him back.

Bluebeard didn't react, his grin growing horrifically large as a barrier sprang up just in time, separating us completely

No, in fact, it sprang up over what appeared to be the entirety of Orleans.

"Rejoice, for you shall see the fruition of our efforts. You will join us when you see that it is futile. No God will save you, because no God exists!" Bluebeard laughed

I heard the words, but they took a back seat to what I was currently seeing.

In the barrier, the energy pulsed and faces appeared. Ones twisted in anger and pain, children, adults, young and old, they came and went across the barrier's surface.

"Can the Grail support a Bounded Field around the entirety of the City!?" Olga exclaimed. "The sheer amount of power, it would continuously drain the Grail's supply! And this is no normal Bounded Field!"

Yeah, it looked particularly strong. And I wasn't sure Orleans was situated upon a Leyline, which left one obvious avenue available.

"….not if he isn't using solely the grail."

"What –"

"Human Sacrifices are rather potent." Medea whispered.

Bluebeard didn't confirm, but the maniac look on his face said it all. "Come, I welcome you! Our subjects were so kind to offer their assistance in protecting our Godless country from invaders. Attack, barge in, I'm sure they wouldn't mind the teensy bit of effort that will be needed to hold you back."

"Translation, any attack we make on the barrier will drain the life force of whatever prisoners they have currently." Medea scoffed.

"Yes, yes!" He tapped his fingers together. "Struggle, please. I will enjoy watching it. Especially after my dear book was damaged so heinously." His tone was filled with bitterness. "I will watch alongside my dear Jeanne as you gradually lose hope." He turned around and left, laughing all the while.

"Monster….that monster!" Gilles shouted. "How could I become that!? I refuse! I would rather kill myself!"

"Gilles." Jeanne placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you become in the future…..right now, at this moment, you are my friend and comrade."

Gilles grit his teeth and his knuckles turned white from the grip on his sword. "Please, tell me what I need to do."

"We need to break the barrier." Medea said outright. "It's not something I recognize."

"Even you don't recognize it?" Olga looked at her.

"Not like that. The idea behind it isn't anything new. But it's using that thing of his, I'm sure of it. So, don't expect me to unravel it the normal way. We're going to have to break through."

"…..and condemn how many people?" Jeanne whispered.

"We just need to destroy enough of it at once, push through without giving it a chance to regenerate using the people inside." Medea bit her thumb.

"And that's possible?" Olga asked.

"….with several Noble Phantasms...probably."

"My sword is available." Saber showed no hesitation. And despite her admittance as a Tyrant, I knew her well enough to know this was far beyond what she considered acceptable.

I looked at the many faces that appeared, flashing across the malignant energy infront of us.

It wasn't often I got angry like this. I rarely got mad enough that I was the metaphorical frothing at the mouth. But a true anger that rose up from my stomach that in my younger days would have made me throw caution to the wind.

Bluebeard wanted to prove God didn't exist? Well, let's do the opposite.

"You know, I've said it plenty of times so far, but you all have been very polite and haven't asked me directly. I said I wasn't fully human, but I never said what I was."

I touched upon the Hogyoku, shifting everything I had to Demonic Energy. The Barrier simply needed to be destroyed in a way that it couldn't Regenerate.

I was more than happy to oblige.

"Let me show you."

[***]

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