Note: Any connections to Shimousa and Asssasin Paraiso have been retconned. Chiyome revealed her true name to everyone. Previous chapter was edited to remedy that.
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"Yaaah!!" Mash swung her shield in a wide arc, creating an area of death that reaped the skeletons in front of her.
Bones shattered under her might until they left behind nothing but particles of light and, occasionally, just a singular, black bone.
Ritsuka didn't understand why that happened, but the director ordered them to pick these bones up anyway, saying they were materials they could use to aid their cause.
Ritsuka had no idea how Chaldea could use these bones to help save humanity, aside from using them to make bone meal to grow crops, but he wasn't sure if that was what they were going to be used for, nor would he want to eat anything that was grown using THAT as bone meal.
Mash picked up the nasty-looking bone from the ground and stuffed it inside her shield.
The fact that Magi had figured out how to store items into a folded space didn't really surprise him; no, in fact, it actually annoyed him. He would have killed to have access to this kind of convenience during his high school and university days. Books were heavy after all.
But magecraft was magecraft, so it had to be hoarded. All he could do was mope about the injustice in his head.
Mash looked exhausted from the constant battles they have been going through. Not physically, mind you, as he was told that her nature as a demi-servant made her more resilient to physical exhaustion. No, her eyes showed mental fatigue from the constant monotony of killing skeletons and shadows.
He couldn't blame her.
They had been ambushed more than five times by now, with barely any time to rest.
Most of the enemies were skeletons, with the occasional assassin servant that attempted to harm him or Olga, but none of them could get past the wall of cuteness and death that was Mash and Gareth.
Despite the fact that they just met, they easily got accustomed to each other and had an easy time coordinating their attacks.
Mash slashed and bashed while Gareth rushed the enemy and impaled them or smashed them with her massive lance. If anyone somehow got too close to him or the Director, the Chiyome would appear and cut them down before disappearing.
Then, Mash collected whatever materials the enemies dropped. Rinse and repeat.
And the few times they could take a breather, they could never truly be at rest. Walking through the rubble and seeing the once-living Japanese city in ruins was not good for the psyche.
The fires and overturned buildings were unsettling enough, but it was the clean, knife-like cut slicing through a large section of the city that truly shook and unnerved them. They knew that whatever had created it was still lurking somewhere within the singularity—and they would have to deal with it.
Gareth, however, stared at the devastation with the same haunted look Chi-chan made whenever his aunt brought him over after going to the vet. To those around her, it likely seemed like shock at the gruesome scene—but he noticed something everyone else missed. There was recognition in her eyes. Had she witnessed something like this before?
He decided not to ask, as it would only sour everyone's morale.
As for the former residents… Thankfully they hadn't encountered any non-skeletal corpses along their journey, but they did encounter various places tainted with hundreds of puddles of dried, red blood.
He even saw a stuffed bunny discarded on the ground, its white fur stained in the blood of what was likely its previous owner, with said owner being nowhere in sight.
So far, he's considered it a blessing that they hadn't encountered any child-sized skeletons. If they did, he knows that it would actually drive him insane.
Even the cold-hearted Director Olga Marie had taken the time to reassure them that these tragedies could be undone—so long as they got to the bottom of what had happened here and resolved it.
That had given him some hope, hope that they could save the people of this city from dying.
Still, despite that, that did not ease his guilt. He felt like he was not contributing anything to this operation.
The Director had declared him to be her bodyguard, but it started to feel more like he was the one being guarded because even she threw the occasional magical potshot to help out Mash and the girls. Yet here he was, just standing by and watching.
'It's only to be expected. A lord is meant to command and to lead, and it is the duty of us servants to fight in their stead.'
Ritsuka winced, still not comfortable with having to talk directly in his head. He could see why there were laws against the abuse of such things in the Pokémon world. All your barriers for privacy are non-existent, and unfortunately, when he communicated those worries, Olga scoffed at him and told him to get over himself, as it was something he had to get used to due to it being an advantageous communication line between him and his servants.
'I suppose you are right.' Ritsuka responded, his internal voice still disappointed by the reality of the situation.
'...you are not wrong for having these feelings, my lord. War… it's an ugly thing. Only a monster would be able to see such atrocities without feeling anything. Do not belittle your contributions, my lord. You are our tether to this world, and without you, none of us would be here to fight in the first place.'
The knot of anxiety in Ritsuka's heart did not magically go away, but it did shrink by a good amount after hearing Chiyome's words.
'Thank you for believing in me, Chiyo.'
'!!!' He heard Chiyome make a noise of surprise.
'Everything ok?' What could have caused her to act that way?
'I-It's nothing, my lord… but… I do not think it would be appropriate for a ninja and their lord to be close to each other… at least not this early…'
Ritsuka furrowed his brows. Was it something he said?
[GudakoBot: Waifu Counter has gone up!!
Waifu Count: 3 ]
[Wait what?! But Gudao hasn't been saying anything?! How did he rizz up a girl without even saying a word?!! ]
[NinJanine: So, Chiyome has joined the harem. Truly, Gudao is a shameless man who knows no restraint. ]
[The only reason I'm still watching the stream is because of Gareth. She is the last wellspring of wholesomeness left on this channel. ]
[You do realize she is one of the numbers on the waifu counter, right? ]
[All the more reason for me to be here!! I will be what keeps the cute doggo girl safe from the lecherous Gudao! ]
[Ok. ]
Ritsuka rolled his eyes for real this time when he saw people reacting to Gudakobot's new trolling feature.
He initially had been ignoring chat out of shame, but as the horror of the situation gnawed at him, his shame naturally went away, and he stopped caring about what his audience said.
Though he could understand their sentiment, as he had recruited what in their eyes was a scantily clad little girl to fight for him in a death game.
Their arguments and bickering seemed to have died down after seeing her in action and learning a bit about her legend. Based on what he knew, most dissenters backed off.
Well, most except people like Koga.
Koga rarely commented in his streams, but he knew he was always there, the lurker he was. Whenever he did comment, it was usually always him criticizing or outright mocking Naruto whenever the topic came up.
So he took great satisfaction in seeing Koga's salty comments about his summoning technique actually working and summoning an actual ninja, especially one that dressed like someone that came straight out of those H-games that he totally didn't play.
While her state of dress was something that initially shocked all of them, the group quickly came to accept her into the cause. Her outfit, however, was something that everyone, including him, was still too embarrassed to ask her about.
Of course, it was only natural that it was Gareth who decided to ask the hard questions and just straight up asked why she dressed like a courtesan.
To her credit, the most famous kunoichi of the late Sengoku period didn't take offense to the girl's question and just said it was for personal reasons.
Despite her choice in fashion, Chiyome proved she was intelligent and considerate enough to suggest going invisible using her "spirit form" so that she could fulfill her duties without "distracting her lord."
The way she phrased it only worked to make him seem like more of a perv who couldn't keep his eyes off her.
In any case, Romani told him spirit form was something servants could do to keep mana costs for masters low, something that was a high priority for them to do until they got the regular power back online.
Olga and everyone else seemed to agree, as it was natural for an assassin servant, especially a ninja, to always be concealed until the last moment.
But he also had a feeling it was just a convenient excuse for her to avoid being seen by so many people.
Naturally, she could see the chat box and camera like Gareth and Mash did and inquired about it, and after she found out, it was easy to tell that she looked flustered at the sheer number of eyes staring at her form.
It was understandable, and he would not blame her. Not everyone could handle having so much attention on them, especially a ninja like her.
Even so, he still felt bad about alienating her this way, and he had made a promise to make it up to her once they made it back to Chaldea.
Maybe he would buy her some nice clothes when he got his first paycheck? Though he didn't know much about women's fashion, perhaps he could ask a few of the more fashion-savvy chatters for any tips on what he could buy her.
"Um… senpai?"
Ritsuka was brought out of his thoughts and turned to Mash, who had decided to approach him.
"What is it?"
"I just want to let you know… that no matter what happens after this, I will stay by your side!"
"What do you mean Mash?" She has been by his side since the beginning.
"Um… the whole Twitch thing. I still don't get it, but… I know that whatever happens, I will be the shield that protects you from whatever comes to take you away."
'Don't worry, Mash, I'm not going anywhere,' is what he wanted to say, but seeing Mash's resolute expression on her face made him bite down those words.
"Thank you, Mash. I'll be counting on you." Ritsuka ended up saying.
"You can count on me too!!" Gareth yelled out from a small distance away.
'Myself as well. I would be a poor ninja if I didn't protect my lord.'
"Everyone…"
"I hope you guys will have me as well."
Ritsuka looked at Roman.
"Now that you properly explained what your Twitch thing is, I don't think the clock tower would hunt us for spreading the existence of magecraft to the public."
Well, that was a relief.
"But they'll definitely place a sealing designation on you after this quest is over. "
"A what now?"
"A sealing designation… is a special type of status that can be placed on someone who breaks certain rules in the Moonlit world or does something that could be deemed as useful to be put to study."
"Wait… you don't mean…"
"Yeah… enforcers will likely still come after you, and you specifically. If what you said is true, you did just confess to having a power similar to the Kaleidoscope that can not only affect the real world but was capable of tricking Chaldea's systems from detecting it. Even now, we can't fully detect where it's coming from; all we know is that you are its focal point. "
Ah, incidentally, Kaleidoscope is the second of the Five True Magics, by the way. So the Mage's association would definitely be interested to get a hold of you and… for lack of a better term, experiment on you to see how you tick. "
Ritsuka gulped, terrified of how much danger he was truly in.
"Great…"
[Gudao's troubles just keep piling up higher and higher. ]
[Yeah. It's just getting exhausting at this point. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: is it too late to get him to go home now? ]
[Considering he's going to get hunted down just so that he could become a lab rattata? Yes. It's too late. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: (˶ㅠ︿ㅠ) ]
"Incidentally, senpai… that was another thing I wanted to talk to you about." Ritsuka looked to Mash, who suddenly turned serious.
"I understand that you have been treated unfairly… No, miserably, since you arrived at Chaldea. You are completely justified in feeling wronged…. However, please do not think ill of the Director."
Seeing his confusion, Mash elaborated, "I know it's an absurd thing to ask… But if you'll excuse my rudeness, there's too much about Chaldea you don't truly know about."
"I know that, Mash, but you also have to understand that I'm not judging her based on how she's treated me, but rather, based on how she views servants. You, Gareth, and Chiyome are not tools or weapons, Mash.
Based on what I have seen, you guys think and feel just like any of us." He had never met someone like the Director before, and he was someone who had grown up being taught that slavery was bad; the servant summoning resembled it too much for his tastes, and Olga's attitude didn't make it any better.
"Thank you for caring about us, senpai. You are really too kind a master for this dark world." Her smile dropped a bit. "Even so, I must reiterate that the Director, despite how callous she seems, isn't acting this way because she is evil. Sure, she might fire people who she doesn't like, but she's not the monster you might think her to be; she's just struggling to process all the accumulated stress she has right now."
She really does care for the Director, doesn't she?
"With the sabotage of our facility, combined with the revelation you made, I do not think it's fair to blame her for how she reacted." Mash added.
"... I guess…" Ritsuka still had his doubts, but he didn't voice them.
"Stop gossiping about me and keep an eye on our surroundings. We don't know if we're going to be attacked again!"
Both Ritsuka and Mash were caught by surprise when the Director snuck up on them.
The director was avoiding his gaze, and she was more focused on Mash, more specifically, on one of her arms.
She got closer and touched her. Mash winced,
Mash was hurt, and he didn't notice?
"Kyrielight, you are hurt."
"Sorry, Director, I got carried away, and one of those assassins got lucky."
Olga Marie sighed, "Come on, I'll heal you."
"Yes, Director."
Ritsuka saw Mash leave his side and followed after the Director. Seeing her tend to Mash's wounds like she was an older sister made him realize something.
"Ah, so the Director is a tsundere."
"Ritsuka. For your safety and the sake of our mission… Please never say that in front of the director. She will actually try to kill you…." Romani warned, his tone serious.
Ritsuka could only chuckle.
"That being said, you aren't wrong. The director struggles to show people her softer side, but it exists. Which is why I and Mash have to defend her. You have to understand, Ritsuka, Mash understated just how much the Director has gone through. "
Romani paused, as if choosing his words carefully. Then, after a moment, he finally responded, "It's not my place to sell a sob story for you or, rather, your audience to sympathize with the director, but I just want to make it clear to everyone who is listening, whoever they may be, that despite what you may think based on what you've seen or heard her say since Ritsuka has arrived at Chaldea, you have no right to judge her. She's been working hard to keep everything running in Chaldea as smoothly as possible. She didn't have a choice after all; she lost her father and had been forced to deal with old men making demands of her every single day for the past 3 years. She's only human, and she is doing the best she can. "
Ritsuka looked down at the chat and saw the responses. To say that their responses were mixed would be an understatement.
Mash and Romani's words certainly did sway many people into being less harsh towards the Director, but many still dismissed the words due to placing her actions above what her backstory was.
Treating anyone like a tool or weapon was a cardinal sin in the Pokémon world. It would take a lot more than words to convince them to not hate her. Mob mentality was still a hard thing to overcome after all.
"By the look on your face, I can tell your chat doesn't approve then… That's a shame, but it's not unexpected. "
"Well, it can't be helped. They already deemed you guys an Evil Team like Team Rocket or Team Plasma, so I think it's going to be tough to change their minds."
"...huh… Now that you mention it… We do resemble an Evil Team don't we?"
"Yeah, even down to the branding and everything. The director's lesson on command seals didn't help."
"I see… oh wait, about that. The director left out something important during her lesson that needs to be addressed. "
Ritsuka perked up, interested in what Romani had to say.
"The Director didn't bring it up, but command seals are not merely used for making absolute demands of servants. They can also be used in more ethical ways. "
"Is that so?" Ritsuka wondered how commanding anyone to do things against their will could be used "ethically," but he trusts Romani, so he'll hear him out.
"For starters, if you are ever in a life-or-death situation where you are separated from your servant, you can use a command seal to have them arrive at your side instantaneously, even if they are halfway across the planet. "
Ritsuka blinked; he looked completely taken aback by the information.
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): That is impressive, even I would struggle to teleport such a vast distance in under a few seconds. ]
[So its a fancy teleporter. But, it's still a tool of opression. I wouldn't be surprised if it caused the servant pain while doing it. ]
Seeing he was still paying attention, Romani continued, "Alternatively, if on of your Servants is ever critically or fatally injured and you have no means to heal them, you can use a Command Seal to instantly restore them to full health, as if the injury never occurred, no prolonged recovery required. "
[Alright… I admit… that's actually pretty useful. ]
[0ffDoodyJoy: pretty useful?! It's revolutionary!! Even with our technology, treating a fatal wound still requires a team of Nurse Joys or doctors to save the patient's life!! Bringing back a dying patient with only a tattoo is beyond our capabilities!! ]
[Come on… surely it's too good to be true right? Again, there could be side effects that Romani is omitting. ]
[I have a doctorate in medicine and run my own general hospital. I was initially skeptical of those healing scrolls that Mash used on Gudao. But after closely observing his condition throughout his journey— I have to admit, whatever they used to heal him managed to get him back on his feet with no obvious impairments.
Of course, I'd need to conduct a full physical to truly understand the extent of his recovery, but based on what I've seen, it's hard to argue with the results. So, when a fellow doctor who is familliar with how this magecraft stuff works claims that they have a method of restoring someone from the brink of death to full health in moments… I am more than willing to keep an open mind. ]
"Wha, then why didn't she bring that up in the first place?!"
"The thing is, the Director isn't used to teaching people from the general public with zero backgrounds in the moonlit world. So it likely slipped her mind. Like I said, the director has been through a lot, so her delivery likely suffered as a result. "
Ritsuka internally groaned, annoyed that he had been caught in a misunderstanding.
" Lastly, you can use command seals to charge your servant's power and allow them to release their noble phantasm. "
That word again.
"What is a noble phantasm?"
"The answer to that is quite complex, but think of a noble phantasm as a super powerful special attack or equipment that servants can use.
Its something that is tied to their legends, so it varies between servants. So if there's ever a desperate situation that occurs, you can use your command seal to unleash your servant's noble phantasm to get out of it. "
[El_Kukui: woah! So it's like a Z-move for servants?!! ₍₍⚞(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⚟⁾⁾ ]
[The-Undefeatable: I wonder how they will stack up against a Dynamax/Gigantimax move. ]
[Ok… I think I can accept command seals as not being completely cruel. Still, I feel like there's a catch that he's not bringing up. ]
Romani took a big gulp of his coffee cup, "well, now that you know, I hope you will not be so hesitant to use them, but please do so responsibly. While they do recharge, it takes a long time. So please be mindful of them as they could literally save your life."
Ritsuka sighed, "Alright then. I will."
[Huh. Nevermind, I forgot about that. ]
[Mighty1Oak: while I still dissaprove of such a thing existing… I understand Gudao will be putting eveyone's lives at risk if he refuses to use them at all. Though, It brings me some relief that, under normal circumstances, a mage would be forced to limit their misuse of these seals due to only getting three. ]
"Senpai… I'm back. Would you like some rations?"
Ritsuka looked to Mash, who was handing him a yellow brick that looked like a cookie but with symmetrical holes embedded into it. The sweet aroma made his stomach rumbled, which reminded him that after all this time, this was the first true safe spot they had managed to reach where they had enough time to pause and eat.
"Oh, thank you Mash." He took the offered food and ate some. Huh, it didn't taste as he expected.
However, before he could take a second bite, his ears picked up the sound of chains echoing in the desolate area.
Suddenly, he felt something grab him and felt his body become weightless. The sudden G-forces applied to his body caused him to drop his rations.
He heard Mash let out a grunt as a violent explosion of rubble kicked up a small cloud of dust.
He glanced at the person holding him effortlessly and realized it was Chiyome. Quickly looking back to where he had just been, his eyes barely caught sight of a hooded woman grinning maniacally at him before she dissolved into a flurry of blue lights—vanishing just in time to avoid being blasted by a blue explosion of energy from Gareth's lance as she pounced on the woman who had tried to kill their master.
He felt the G-Forces on his body again, and now he was behind Mash. Chiyome gently put him on the ground before she unsheathed her tanto and got into a defensive stance in front of him and the director.
Mash then looked to Gareth, who nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Gareth materialized a giant shield and a knight's helmet that covered her head.
The two girls stood side by side and slammed their shields to the ground in solidarity, forming a wall to protect them from the enemy servant, while Gareth pointed her spear in the crazed woman's direction.
"Uwah… that was cloooose~" the deep, sultry voice of a woman said as she reappeared a bit of distance away from them.
"And to think I nearly took down three servants in one go. What a shame." The woman shook her head in disappointment.
"Confirmed lancer class servant detected!! Everyone, I know this might look bad, but we have the advantage in numbers!! Just be careful and try to get out of there alive! "
"I don't know who that voice was… but don't think that numbers will mean anything to the likes of me. After all… I can easily turn any of you into stone with just my gaze." she smiled sadistically at them.
Olga let out a gasp, "no way. It can't be?! You're Medusa?! The legendary monster of greek myth?!"
[GymLeaderErika: Ah, I know this one. She is the monster that was used as an inspiration for Tangela's design. ]
[Wait really? But this woman looks more like a steel type than a grass? ]
The woman let out a giggle, "and the winner is that delectable, supple young girl over there! Your prize is an exclusive VIP seat to become one of the statues in my collection!!"
She splayed her arms out, showing off the literal garden of statues of people in various states of distress, all of them tied to chains.
[GymLeaderErika: ( ⚆ _ ⚆ ) ]
[By the light of Ho-oh, how did we all miss all these statues until now?!! ]
[I mean, they look like they would blend into the environment very well. So it would be hard to tell them apart from the surrounding rubble. ]
Olga gulped when she realized what the implications of her threat entailed.
"Unfortunately, you will have to wait, after all, it's been a while since I had live prey in my domain… so I'm going to have a bit more fun with all of you."
The woman twirled her weapon in her hands and then pointed it at them.
"My lance is the lance of Immortal Killing, will leave a permanent wound on your body that will never heal if it lands on you. Let's see how long you can avoid it!"
[Geez, what a horrifying ability. ]
[I wanted to ask if she was exaggerating about that feat, but at this point, I think I'll save my breath and hope Mash or Gareth don't get hit by the perma-heal blocking lance. ]
Gareth and Mash readied themselves once more, ready to clash with the enemy but before they could, they saw the woman suddenly scowl and click her tongue in annoyance.
"Meddlesome whore." She spat.
This caused everyone to be confused what she meant, until Romani's voice spoke up.
"Confirmed Rider class servant detected!!"
Suddenly, another shadow leaps down from the sky. The momentum caused her body to crack the concrete under her feet.
Ritsuka had to do a double take when he laid eyes on one of the most impractical female armors he's seen in his life.
The red-haired pervert shamelessly wore a BDSM outfit in public, her entire midsection was bare for all to see, except for the bra and panties that covered her private areas.
Meanwhile, her arms, shoulders, and lower legs were covered in a black metal armor.
She wore an angry, but sadistic smile on her face.
[Yo. What is up with servants dressing up so lewd? ]
[Heart0f6old: Dunno, but you won't hear me complaining! ]
"Oh, lancer. Is that any way to call your beloved onee-sama?" The woman now identified as Rider said in a mocking tone.
The hooded woman tilted her head, "are you suicidal, cow tits? Don't you remember what I did to the last two who dared call themselves my sisters?"
"Oh you are so cute when you make threats like that~ How about this, why don't you call me Mama instead? I'll even let you have a taste of these cow tits you seem to be fixated on if you want" The woman retorted, a lascivious grin plastered on her face.
"Ugh. Gross! Keep your fetishes to yourself, hag! I'm not interested in tasting any tainted liquid that comes from that rotten body of yours!" Medusa seemed to have turned a mixture of green and blue at Rider's suggestion. That being said, she also looked ready to attack the other woman for what she said.
[Heart0f6old: If you don't want any, then can I have some? ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Ugh. Weirdo. ]
[Heart0f6old: Hey! You of all people have no grounds to kink shame me Miss I-want-to-buy-Gudao's-bathwater!! ]
[He's got you there Hex. ]
"Guys! They're distracted!! Quick! Make a break for it before they realize you are gone!! "
"You Romans are not going anywhere, not in one piece that is." The woman told them, her empty dead eyes promising pain if they so much as moved an inch.
"But we're not romans!!" Mash interjected, indignant at being labelled something she is not.
"That's right!! I am a proud member of the Knights of the Round Table of Britain! I am no Roman!!" Gareth declared with defiance and offense at ths red headed woman's claims.
"An arthurian knight? Heh. Interesting. So you are one of THAT woman's loyal knights then?"
Gareth looked to the chuckling Medusa in confusion, "who are you talking about?"
But before Lancer could respond, she was in interrupted by the cackling of Rider next to her, much to her annoyance.
"Not romans? Not Romans?! Hah! how hilarious." The woman suddenly turned serious again and her voice lowered in sheer disdain, "what are you talking about? Modern society was founded on the corpse of Rome, which was in turn built on the corpses and suffering of my people, my daughters!!"
She gripped her sword and gave the most ugly scowl at the group, "which means modern humans got to live their cushy lives on our lashed backs!! Therefore you are all no better than the Romans who sacked my people!!"
[What kind of backwards thinking is that?!! ]
[Lusamine_Aether: I do not know this woman's backstory. But if she truly considers herself a mother, then she should know that children shouldn't have to bear the sins of their parents!! ]
"Hey, Lancer… let's make it a game. Whoever manages to kill their servant first, gets to have their way with the rest?"
"Hmph, very well, I'll humor you. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself with my lance through your back by the end. "
The two women finally seemed to come to a truce, and set their sadistic sights specifically on the two young knights before then
Lancer stared at Mash, her eyes thirsting for blood, "Make this entertaining for us will you?"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Chatters:
Lusamine_Aether: Lusamine is the big bad evil lady from Pokemon Sun and Moon and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. She's not so evil here. She still is a hot single mom in your area tho.
GymLeaderErika: Gym leader of Celadon City. She is used to being a public figure, so she just uses her name on everything without bothering to make up a username.