"Now then, next are the bonds from the enemy side, is it? To think I would invite the fools I merely kicked about and crushed as guests of honor..."
Fumu, he sat on his throne and laughed with amusement.
"Truly a strange sensation. Normally, I would have no mercy to give to those who turned their blades against me in hostility."
—But that is also... the wonder of this Chaldea... and the King of Heroes' treasures, isn't it!
I truly believe that.
I believe that in reasons for conflict and battle, there is no one-sided good or one-sided evil.
There is only... opposition, differences in position, differences in principles and assertions.
Ideologies that must be destroyed, pride that absolutely must be struck down, superior or inferior existences—such things do not exist in the world.
There is only "Diversity." Only the "Possibilities" that birth and spin the world.
That is why—this Chaldea, which doesn't end things with just "Enemy" or "Ally," but reaches out even to those who were hostile... feels very favorable to me.
(The spirit of respect. In truth, there are no enemies... right, Air?)
—Yeah! Just like how Fou and I can understand each other like this!
(Yeah!)
The light faded from his eyes, he collapsed and vanished, then revived as a Golden Miracle Fou due to the preciousness of Air.
—Th-That's kind of an amazing resurrection!?
(Feels like Cosmos!)
[Giants of Light, and now you dabble in resurrection gags. Hmph, struggle your hardest not to bore Air.]
Smiling with satisfaction, he crossed his legs and snapped his fingers.
"Since I kicked them about en masse, even I cannot read who will come! Come, let us perform a summoning like a New Year's Lucky Bag!"
—Lucky Bag! That sounds lovely, Fou! If there were lots of Fous in a bag... I'd want to buy them all!
(If that happens, I'll avalanche onto Air!)
Fou and Air looked at each other and laughed.
"Yeah! —Though... I think she will definitely come."
Guh, she clenched her glove.
"Answer my call—!"
She slammed the glove onto the spinning circle.
The circle shone, eventually glowing with rainbow light, and then subsided.
Who appeared was—
"—Yes, I heard you clearly! My cheeky, brave, and shining nemesis!"
Pink hair, a white coat, and a whip in hand symbolizing the majesty of a queen.
"Rather, it is only natural! The only person of the same sex I recognized as an equal—to that call, the Queen of Connacht, Medb! I have certainly answered!"
Innocent and lecherous, the Super Celtic Bitch representing the Ulster Cycle who captivated every man. Queen Medb descended proudly.
"Queen Medb—! Ah, that's right... You had a duel with Senpai..."
"That's right! That battle where we clashed body against body... it was truly magnificent! Those nine strikes at the end that messed up my entire body! It was truly lovely, Ricca!"
While looking entranced, she instantly tightened her expression.
"But that is not the Royal Road of a Princess! A Princess's battle is joint locks! In other words, submission! The essence of the Great Kono Pass ground techniques—prepare yourself, for I shall thoroughly drill them into you!"
The Queen had never forgotten. The 'Woman' who, despite being of the same sex, twisted her down and ravaged her more thoroughly than any male.
That is why she decided she would definitely answer the summons.
"—Yeah! Nice to meet you, Medb!"
Definitely, no matter what, do not let go of this bond.
"Ufufu. It seems you took good care of my glove. Thank you!"
That this was the manifestation of a 'Friendship' she herself had not yet realized... was a realization for a little further in the future.
"To say 'Welcome' to a woman who smells somewhat of squid is a bit much, but well, a monstrosity is fine once in a while. First, wander appropriately through Paradise. You might even meet Cú Chulainn, no?"
Hearing that, Medb laughed happily.
"So Cu-chan is here! Ricca's Cu-chan! I would definitely love to have a chat with him! Well then, see you later, Ricca! Next time I'll definitely kill you and display your head as the most prominent decoration on my chariot!"
"Looking forward to it! I have lots of techniques I want to master, like Arrogant Spark, so let's do this!"
She shook hands firmly with Ricca, blew a kiss and a smile, and Medb left the summoning room...
—I see! The two of them respect, acknowledge, and esteem each other with all their might! This too is friendship!
[The principle of this world is that neither love nor friendship can be born without first trying to kill each other. Come to think of it, it was the same for Enkidu and me—]
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes nostalgically, looking into the distance.
—Everyone in Uruk, thank you so much for your hard work...! Ehehe, then Fou and I are special! We haven't tried to kill each other at all! Not with Shiki-chan, or Nefertari!
(Yep, yep. I was just unilaterally purified without being able to resist—)
Scattering into silver feathers, becoming an egg, the shell becoming wings, Fou was reborn.
(Though I'd welcome it!)
—Fou is getting prettier and prettier! Amazing!
[You are already in the realm of comedians. Will you use a clay pipe next?]
(With that, I can go 100 times!)
"Alright, then next! Now, what kind of enemy general shall come under my umbrella?"
With a shout, Midrash's Shiba-nyan fiddled with the console.
"Calling it a Lucky Bag is quite apt~ ♥ Here we gooo~ ♥"
"S-Senpai... What kind of relationship do you have with Medb-san...?"
"A rival who drew out all of Nine Lives. —Next, whose founder's technique should I master~... Maybe Arrogant after all? But it's too merciless... Maybe the Thousand Soldier Annihilation Drop starting from a tackle...?"
Watching Ricca mutter to herself, Olga Marie let slip a comment.
"I do not want to challenge Ricca in close combat... She comes to secure techniques with holds inherited from Heracles-san. She connects every movement to a one-hit kill, so you can't let your concentration slip for a moment... worst case, she breaks your bones just by grabbing you..."
"Ahahahaha, even Amazons would be surprised."
Da Vinci-chan's voice trembled slightly.
"She's different from the girls I know..."
Romani turned pale, clutching his Magi☆Mari pendant.
"Fuhaha, the word 'Heroine' exists for people like you! Now, next! Spin the circle!"
Responding to the King's words, the circle spun.
—Someday, I hope we can welcome a future where we sweat alongside Master and Olga Marie...
(Please don't get hurt! Really!)
[Do not worry. With Uruk Arts, you can easily overwhelm about 100 people alone. No matter the opponent.]
While voicing their various thoughts, the circle shone and subsided again.
"Nooow then, who is it?"
Who appeared was—
"—Servant, Arjuna. From this moment forth, I shall obey your everything."
Dark skin, black hair, a bow and arrow in hand.
The protagonist of the Mahabharata, Karna's rival... Arjuna manifested coolly—
"Hmph, attracted by Karna, were you? You will be perfect for testing the accuracy of the simulation."
—Who is that person...?
(From India, Arjuna. The Endowed Hero. Gets anything and everything given to him, Strawberry Nipples.)
—Strawberry Nipples!?
Air's eyes went wide at the incomprehensible term.
—Wh-What does that...
[Air, do not stare at him too much. Likely, I, you, and Master can easily see through his 'Blackness.']
—Black...?
She inadvertently asked back at the King's words.
[He was a noble Heroic Spirit. Too noble. He was required to be so, and he continued to discipline himself. As the price for obtaining every gift, he was stripped of 'Himself.' He became unable to acknowledge the ordinary malice, mischief, and self-esteem that humans harbor as humans.]
—That means...
(A heart without evil is disgusting. Malice always leads to development. 'I want to make someone happy,' 'I want to surprise someone,' even those are malice. He isn't allowed even that. Because those around him told him to be that way, and because he behaved that way. 'For me, who is nobler and more of a hero than anyone, there must not be even a fragment of 'evil.' He holds his head in shame and hides his heart.)
[Truly too serious. A soul that upholds only good is like a clear stream lake. Not a single fish would live there.]
Such a stiff thing, the King laughed.
—Not even allowed ordinary malice...
...She reaffirmed that Heroes are, in every sense, outside the norm.
Glory, and agony. —It would be unforgivable for Air to speak as if she knew the 'Blackness' and 'Darkness' he carried.
Though this body is a Heroine Princess... the soul residing within is never a 'Hero.'
...So, at least. She prays for the destination of his heart.
"Hello, Arjuna!"
Even to him, Master called out brightly.
"Nice to meet you! With the motto 'Courtesy even between close friends'!"
Master saw through it at a glance. 'This person does not wish for his heart to be exposed.'
If he feels it is shame, she dares not touch it.
If the time is not yet right, she does not step into his heart.
Ricca Manual: 'Entering a person with muddy shoes is vulgar'—she applies the maxim she received from the pink-haired teacher to him.
"—Yes. It seems I can build a good relationship with you. As 'Master' and 'Servant.'"
Believing that someday, it will lead to a certain bond—
—Arjuna-san. The Master before your eyes is a Master who will surely accept your heart.
Air prays.
—So... may the day come when you too can behave as just a single 'Arjuna,' bound by nothing—
...Because a heart that cannot even harbor slight malice must surely be... very painful—
"Well then, I shall take my leave. —"
Just as he was leaving the summoning room.
"—Thank you, King of Heroes."
He offered thanks and bowed his head.
"Hmph, I have done nothing, have I?"
"No. —I felt as though I received something good. ...Farewell."
Nodding, Arjuna left the summoning room...
(India has good intuition...)
[A warrior with bad intuition would be useless. —Be grateful for Air's concern, Endowed One.]
—Well then! Who will be the next summon!
She would not touch Arjuna's heart any further.
—From here on, it is the story of her and him.
"The heroes of India have gathered... With this Chaldea, there are no concerns about combat power."
Olga Marie murmured with deep emotion.
"Uruk, Greece, Japan, India... Looks like we could win an all-out war against the Clock Tower, the UN, and the Mages Association..."
"Naturally. For we are looking even beyond that."
"—Yes, Gil."
—That is, after all... beyond Human Order...
[—If you look too far ahead, you may neglect the now. Do your best with what is right in front of you, Air.]
(Because if you aren't here, the future has no meaning!)
—That's saying too much, Fou.
Without Fou and everyone else too! ...Right?
(—That's right! The only one we don't need is Merlin!)
Fou nodded, Air smiled with determination. Gil laughed amusedly.
"Alriiiight! Then next, next~!"
And Master Ricca, running at the forefront of Human Order, spun the circle energetically.
"Who will come?"
The light shone and subsided, and appearing was—
"Yo. Servant, Beowulf. Came to show my face while redeeming my honor."
Scarred all over his body, the protagonist of the oldest English literature—Beowulf appeared.
"A strong warrior!?"
Instantly sensing his Haki, Ricca asked for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Beowulf-san!"
"Yeah. Well, let's get along. —What the hell, you're incredibly trained. Have you ever beaten someone to death?"
"—In Hell, one embodiment of wrath..."
"Hah? —Well, let's have fun. Keep the bad stuff in moderation."
Laughing, he turned to the King of Heroes.
"I won't get in the way of your love life anymore. I'll be in your care."
"I allow it. There is no shortage of opponents for a fistfight; behave as you please."
"Yeah. See ya later."
With a cheerful smile that didn't match his appearance, Beowulf left.
"The look in his eyes when he saw Senpai was amazing... like he found someone to brawl with on the riverbank..."
"Having beaten Grendel to death, Ricca-kun is becoming less and less human..."
Mash and Romani smiled wryly, looking at Ricca.
"Brawling is for Marie! I'm serious about throwing!"
"Because Achilles-shishou is here. He sulks, you know, saying 'Are my techniques not enough...'"
—He was surprisingly cute! Achilles-san!
"Fuhaha! You intend to save the world; you should at least become the strongest in humanity! Now, let this be the last!"
Spinning the summoning circle, concluding this summoning session.
"Laaaast! Laaaast! Who will come?"
A summoning where everyone's tension and expectations rose.
Finally—
"—Hi. My name is Fergus mac Róich. Allow me to intrude on Paradise. Now then... is Cú Chulainn here?"
"It's Takeshi—!!!"
"Fergus-san...!"
Ricca and Mash raised their voices.
...Here is a brave warrior of the Celts. The generous, non-jealous, fearless man, Fergus mac Róich, was invited to Paradise—
"————?"
"Senpai? What is it?"
"Hmm? ...No, it's just..."
"Just a cold? Go to sleep quickly."
"Thank you, Mash, Marie. ...Hmm?"
"...?"
"—Was there a bell in Chaldea...?"
[—I look forward to the day I can see you. Woman who shoulders evil yet knows not sloth, depravity, or degradation.]
"—?"
NG Summoning
"I'm Space Archer. Nice to meet you. Who am I? —Guess. I'll invite you to Hawaii."
"Whew!"
"...An Archer with a Psycho-Gun on his left arm, I don't even need to look it up..."
[Author voluntarily withdrew due to giving up on the difficulty of character portrayal]
"Baba-sama! Are you okay! Were you able to die!? Baba-sama!"
"Stop it, Connla. Scáthach is wandering. On the boundary of life and death."
"Baba-sama..."
"...Whether she lives or dies, I don't care. If she lives, she's the poison taster; I already arranged for her to be a VIP fan with them. So... choose a path with no regrets, Scáthach."
"...——————"
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