"So, you're gonna help me practice dancing," Jeanne declared. "You're free anyway, right?"
"Absolutely!" came an enthusiastic shout. "Come, Jeanne, let's lose ourselves in the whirlwind of high society!"
"Shut up!" Jeanne snapped.
"Gah—!?" The outburst left the other reeling.
"Show some restraint! Be ladylike! I'm taking the lead, so you're the lady—got it?"
"Yes, Jeanne! ♥" they chirped, hearts practically sparkling.
"Ughhh!" Jeanne groaned in disgust.
"Jeanne—!?"
Virtue and Resignation
A figure calling himself P, a mastermind of the scheme, appeared suddenly in the apartment.
It was none other than Jekyll who stepped forward to handle him.
"I'll keep this short, simple, and civil," Jekyll said calmly. "Stay hidden and observe."
"You sure about this, Jekyll?" Mordred muttered. "Don't let him brainwash you or anything."
"If that happens, cut me down without hesitation," Jekyll replied.
"Not funny, even as a joke," Mordred growled.
"Sorry," Jekyll said softly.
"Do your best to get answers with that 'virtue' you believe in," the King interjected. "Master, summon Karna to join the talks. His insight pierces all facades. If he detects deceit, he'll skewer and shred the liar instantly."
"I'll mince them finely," Karna added coolly.
"That's terrifying, Father!" Mordred protested.
"Got it! Come, Karna!" the Master called.
A glow from their right hand summoned the great Indian hero.
"…My role is to expose falsehoods in this dialogue," Karna said evenly.
"Your insight, honed in a world that never accepted you, will shine here," the King said. "Prove your worth as a lie-detector. Also, still haven't reclaimed that golden armor?"
"It's in pawn," Karna replied. "Understood."
Karna approached slowly.
"What's with that guy? All skin and bones—is he a hero?" Mordred scoffed.
"Don't be fooled by appearances," the King warned. "That's Karna, an uncrowned hero of India, my equal in stature."
"He'd outmatch me at his peak," another added.
"Seriously?!" Mordred blinked. "…Wait, now that you mention it…"
"Ugh, sofa…" Fran mumbled sleepily.
"Bear with it, Fran," someone soothed.
"The dialogue begins, with the apartment's fate at stake!" Jekyll announced.
"You'd think it's the fate of humanity," the King chuckled. "Let's see what nonsense this fool spouts."
Please, be careful.
"My name is Karna," the hero declared. "I'm tasked with unveiling deceit. In the name of my father, Surya, know that lies and sweet words will be exposed."
"Radiant hero of the sun," P replied softly. "Truly, you are the ones…"
"I'm Henry Jekyll," Jekyll said, extending a cup. "First, allow me to welcome you."
"Thank you," P said, sipping the tea. "…Delicious."
He drank slowly, emptying the cup.
(Should've slipped some poison in there…) Mordred muttered.
(A knight shouldn't think like that. Your brain's as small as a rat's,) the King shot back.
(Shut up! No mercy for enemies!)
(This is getting heated.)
(Master, any signs of trouble from Karna?)
(He's just standing there, arms crossed, not twitching.)
(Good. Keep your eyes on him.)
"What brings you here?" Jekyll asked.
"'Transmission' and a 'warning,'" P replied. "Not as a mastermind, but as a man."
"…" Jekyll's eyes narrowed.
(He's calm. Seems fine,) someone noted.
(…Unreadable. Did he really come just to chat?) the King wondered.
"Let's start with the 'transmission,'" Jekyll said.
"Yes," P began. "Recently, our Servant, Jack the Ripper, was extinguished."
…!
(I remember now!) Mordred hissed.
(Keep your head down!)
(Right, the Assassin! We clashed a few times—how didn't I realize?! A skill or Noble Phantasm?)
(Revenge? Gil, let's take him on!)
(Hold it, don't be rash. There's more to this.)
"I was there at her end," P continued. "Her Spirit Core shattered, that tragic child was kept alive for… reutilization."
"…" Jekyll's face tightened.
(Monster! Death penalty!) Mordred growled.
(Too hasty, Mordred!)
(No good guy says 'reutilization' without flinching!)
(Yet he said she's gone.)
(You lose if you stand mid-talk. Hear him out.)
"Her final words were meant for you," P said. "They surprised me."
"What were they?" Jekyll asked.
"'Thank you for praying for us,'" P quoted. "With those words, she shook off my attempts to sustain her and faded peacefully."
…!!
(A vengeful spirit finding peace? Rare indeed. Did you pray, Artoria?)
(Maybe in my sleep…)
If true… those prayers saved her…
"Her last words, as vengeful spirits, were a testament to her freed soul," P said. "I had to deliver them to you."
"…That's why you came?" Jekyll asked.
"Yes. They were beloved children to me."
(What's Karna's read?)
(No change! He's not lying!)
(What the hell? Isn't he a villain?!)
(So cramped…)
"You freed and saved beloved children," P said. "You are true heroes. I am one to be struck down by your blades."
(He's not here to confess. Interesting—a man with hidden depths.)
"My gratitude to you," P continued. "For bringing some salvation to unfulfilled spirits."
"And the 'warning'?" Jekyll pressed.
"Don't hesitate," P said simply.
"…"
"I am a doer of evil, complicit in humanity's incineration. Cut me down without mercy or doubt, in a single stroke."
What does this mean?
He showed no signs of madness. His values seemed sound.
Complicit in the plan, yet telling us not to hesitate in killing him…?
"You're a contradiction," Jekyll said, voice rising. "You understand virtue, cherish life, yet you sow chaos in London!"
"Indeed, it's tragic," P agreed. "Painful."
"Then why contribute to destruction?!" Jekyll demanded. "Knowing virtue, believing in sincerity—why?!"
(Never seen Jekyll lose it like that,) someone whispered.
(In his life, good and evil were inseparable. For someone like him, feigning virtue is the ultimate insult.)
(Jekyll and Hyde, huh…)
"'Resignation' and 'duty' override all," P said. "We act uniformly in 'resignation,' driven by 'duty.' There's no freedom, no hope."
"…"
"'It's already hopeless.' That lethal poison fills us. It's what drives us to evil."
Resignation…
(Time to drill some Shuzo Matsuoka wisdom into him! 'Why give up now?!')
(What's Karna's take?)
(…No reaction. That Caster's not spouting nonsense.)
(…)
(Mordred?)
"Please, remain just," P said. "Hold hope in your hearts, defeat us, and save the future."
"You…" Jekyll began.
"If so… then we…" another started.
(—Enough! I can't take it!)
(Mordred?!)
Before anyone could stop her, Mordred leapt forward.
"Hey, you wishy-washy beanpole! Listen up!" she roared.
"Mordred!" Jekyll shouted.
"You bastards touched what belongs to me and my Father! Nobodies daring to touch a King's treasures!"
"Then you'll…" P began.
"Yeah, I'll slaughter you!" Mordred snarled, brandishing Clarent. "You'll all pay the price!"
"Quit whining and griping! It's kill or be killed between us!"
"Exactly," P said, smiling faintly as he began to fade. "I'm relieved."
"What, running away?!" Mordred yelled.
"No, we have our 'duty,'" P replied. "As long as it exists, I fulfill my role."
"Paracelsus…!" Jekyll called.
"Walk the righteous path," P said. "Don't be consumed by despair and resignation like us…"
With a sincere warning, Paracelsus vanished, likely through teleportation.
"…The dialogue's over," Karna said, stirring from his stillness.
"Good work, Karna," the Master said.
"There was no deceit," Karna confirmed. "All his words were true."
"…He's a contradiction," Jekyll said. "Preaching virtue while aiding evil."
"Not quite," Karna countered. "Those who do evil can uphold good, and those who believe in good can fall to evil. It's a common human shift. Even heroes aren't exempt. Absolute evil or pure good doesn't exist."
"…The heart's complexities are beyond me," the Master admitted.
I understand, just a little.
Good and evil stem from human endeavors. Neither is superior—they're both vital.
Beauty born of beauty is bland. Horror born of horror is mundane.
The interplay of both, their overlap and continuation, is the world's rhythm.
That's why he came to tell us: 'Even if I know good, it's no reason to stay my blade.'
If so… the existence he had to resign himself to…
Is that our true enemy?
"Argh, that wasn't satisfying!" Mordred yelled. "Just let me cut you down!"
"Don't drag the Round Table's reputation lower!" someone snapped. "We're already known as a bunch of weirdos!"
"You're part of that bunch, Artoria," the King teased. "As the one who led the Round Table, you're hardly normal."
"Objection! I protest!" Artoria shot back.
"Ha! Denied!" the King laughed. "My rulings outrank even the highest court!"
"That's tyranny! Call my lawyer! Bedivere! Bedivere!"
"Look, it just means we can go all out, right?" the Master said. "It's simple! They're not bullying us for weird reasons. I like that!"
"Can you strike down the virtuous, Master?" the King asked.
"Of course!" the Master replied, slamming a fist. "We don't have to reject everything about an enemy. Acknowledge their points, respect them, and fight. That's it!"
"No need to hate just because they're enemies! If they're in the way, we crush them!"
"Senpai…!" Mash gasped.
So bold…
"Behold!" the King roared with pride. "This is my Master! No ordinary man compares to this warrior's spirit! As a Servant, I'm honored!"
"What's 'masurao' mean?!" the Master demanded.
"Manly, rugged," Karna clarified.
"No way—?!" the Master yelped.
Jack the Ripper. Unfulfilled souls.
May you find salvation once more.
Roast beef, meat pie…
I want to eat them again. Next time, with Mommy…
-------------------------------
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