The Hallway of Kings
[—...]
"Um... excuse me, Sir?"
[...Pass.]
"Y-Yes... thank you..."
"Master... of the Mountain..."
[Pass...]
"R-Right! Thank you!"
"Lord First... you seem... a bit out of spirits..."
[...Pass.]
"Understood!"
[...]
"Man, are you serious?! That was a literal [Azrael] death-glance!"
"Hic... hic... I thought I was going to die..."
"Don't die in Paradise! It ruins the vibe. Anyway, where were you trying to go?"
[The Tide-Fang of the End]
"Honestly, I can't take my eyes off you for a second!"
"It's going to be hilarious, I promise!"
"Can you not see the literal shadow of death on your face?! Even Enma would run away barefoot from that!"
The Royal Lounge
"Hey, Nefer! Long time no see!"
"My! Moses! You've come as well!"
"I'll be in your care from now on! Man, this brings back memor—Rameses?"
He is currently carving poetry into the walls.
"Honestly, Rameses!"
"Ahaha! ...Hm?"
"..."
"Hello, Pharaoh Nitocris. I am Moses. Thank you for always looking after Rameses."
"H-Hwah?! You are too kind! I-I am unworthy?!"
Summoning: The Queen and the Shadows
"Now, next up... the Assassins. Since our raw combat power is already more than sufficient, these specialists might prove to be our most useful pawns."
The group reassembled after their two-hour rest, gathering before the summoning circle. They waited with bated breath, eager to see which new comrades would join their ranks.
—Assassins are such a versatile and useful class, aren't they? While their direct combat stats are lower than the Three Knight classes, their unique abilities make them top-tier specialists!
(I heard there's a timeline where a certain Hassan won a Grail War by just killing all the Masters. Some worlds supposedly started building hard counters for them because they realized a summoned Hassan is either an instant win or an instant loss. Very high-risk, high-reward!) Fou noted with a cynical twitch of his ears.
"Assassins are but insects and rats that scurry in the darkness, yet they are the traditional choice for taking down a King. It is wise to keep a few hidden in one's sleeve as concealed weapons."
—Whoa... Assassins are amazing...
Air stood with her mouth slightly agape, overwhelmed by their knowledge. She looked at the summoning circle with the wide-eyed wonder of a child staring at a birthday present—the exact kind of person who makes gift-giving a delight for the giver.
"Indeed. All that matters is their utility. Given our destination, we may need specific talents for the battles ahead. —Now, let us begin."
Gilgamesh snapped his fingers. The summoning circle erupted into a rotating kaleidoscope of light.
"...Gramps probably can't come, can he? Since the Grand class is meant for hunting Beasts..." Rikka murmured. She had prepared herself for this, but she still felt a pang of loneliness. The bond they had shared was real. "...Maybe once we beat the Beast, he'll show up!"
She clutched her white cloak—the gift from the First Hassan—drawing strength from it.
"Pattern: Assassin! Here they come!"
The light faded, and a figure emerged.
"Hmph! Did you expect me to be wrapped in a carpet? ...I decided to forego the dramatic entrance for my greeting. I am Cleopatra VII Philopator! Now that I am here, I expect you to make the management and economy of this paradise absolutely ironclad!"
The last Pharaoh of Egypt, Assassin Cleopatra, had descended. She had been summoned specifically to handle the logistics of civilian care and refugee management.
—She's... she's not the kind of Assassin I was expecting?!
(And here we have the 'Exception' rule... the universal excuse for every weird summon. Well played, Mushroom,) Fou grunted.
"Hoh. The driving force of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Excellent. My Chaldea's foundations grow ever more stable."
"We're counting on you, Cleopatra-san!" Rikka gave a sharp, formal salute.
Cleopatra let out a pleased, elegant laugh. "Ohoho! Naturally! And thank you! It is refreshing to have my administrative skills praised before my beauty. As for being beautiful—well, that is a given. I've grown quite tired of such obvious flattery!"
"You are not the same woman who was in the Pyramid. —I shall direct you to Caesar's quarters and the Pharaoh's wing. Go at once."
Cleopatra's eyes sparkled, and she seemed to glow with her own radiance. "Lord Caesar! And the Pharaohs! —I-I cannot delay! I look forward to working with you all! I'm coming, Lord Caesar—!"
She dashed out of the room. (The story of her being caught by Ozymandias and nearly fainting from a "Pharaoh's Welcome Festival," only to be revived by a surprisingly gentle and changed Caesar, would be told later.)
"Truly... a woman who is remarkably easy to manage. Hmph. Caesar has himself a fine lady... fuhahahaha!"
—I'm so happy for her... I hope she and Caesar find happiness together.
"Pharaoh martial arts, Jacob's Holy Boxing... between the Pankration practitioners and the rest, your list of rivals is growing, Marie!" Rikka laughed.
"Why not just have them all teach you? You could be the 'Strongest Master in History,'" Olga Marie replied with a smirk.
Watching them, Mash secretly made a mental note to study more subcultures so she could keep up with the conversation.
"Now that I have a proper appetizer for my wine, let us move on. Spin the circle."
The circle spun once more, flooding the room with light. The group watched with focused intensity.
"Summoning an Assassin is usually a quiet affair, but this is a bit flashy. Perhaps I should change the visual effects next time?"
(There are plenty of mobile games with cool gacha animations. SinOalice has a great one,) Fou suggested.
—Mobile games? Is that a type of seafood...?
Amidst the confusion, the summon was completed.
"...Everything... everything as you wish. I offer you all that I am. This body, this heart... everything..."
A fragile, sorrowful flower of poison. Hassan of Serenity appeared. She glanced shyly at Rikka, fidgeting and twisting her body.
"I get it! Nice to meet you!" Rikka, having sensed the situation immediately, stepped forward to grab her hand and offer a warm smile.
"Ah... —... I shall serve you... for all eternity... ♥"
"Yep! Looking forward to it! I'm counting on you!"
"Yes... ♥ —A-And... Master. That... is that...?"
"Oh, this? It's Gramps'!" Rikka said, pointing to her cloak.
Serenity immediately dropped to her knees in a formal bow. "Please... forgive my insolence—!"
"No, no, no! It's not like that! It was just a lucky charm, like 'I hope Gramps comes to help'!"
Rikka spent a good while trying to calm the trembling Serenity and restore some semblance of order to the room.
(It's like starting a new job and finding out the CEO's favorite employee is your new manager,) Fou remarked.
"A tedious hierarchy. I wouldn't know—I am only ever at the top."
(Don't act like a brat just because someone broke a streetlamp and forced you to stand on the ground. Your boiling point is way too low.)
"Fuhaha. The more you strike him, the more dust comes off the 'me' of other worlds. Air, take heed. Other versions of me are not as tolerant or as stable as I am. You would do well to wrap the Chains of Heaven around their necks and make them crawl."
—So, I should just use absolute force? I'll have Air or Enki ready for our first move. ...And what is a 'streetlamp'?
(Standing on the earth, the King is moved... to write a poem.)
"Fuhahahaha! Do not suddenly start reciting haikus!"
Amidst their banter, the next summoning began.
"I can already foresee the next one. One of those units that can grant victory without a fight, depending on how they are used."
—What?!
"Is it someone that amazing? I can't wait!" Air exclaimed.
"If the Hero King says so, it must be true! Here we go!"
The circle turned, the light blazed, and the party stared with expectant eyes.
(Ah, I see. It's the unit that was used and tossed aside in the original story by someone who had no intention of fighting fair. )
"Kotomine did not understand the shape of his own soul at that point. In terms of sheer interest, he was once more fascinating than Air. —But once he learned his own nature and I saw the bottom of his potential, I grew bored of even calling him by name. His room for growth was less than the dirt beneath Air's feet. Though... in terms of sheer refusal to give up and a tenacity for living... he was peerless."
Air's eyes sparkled at Gilgamesh's nostalgic tone. —I would love to meet the people you spent your days with someday, King!
"Avoid Kotomine. His nature is twisted—though I suppose his piety has some merit."
(I feel like there was someone else... I can't remember... who was it?)
"Fuhaha. There are those not even worth remembering. A 'Something-saka' or 'Someone-omi', perhaps?"
And as they spoke, the form materialized...
"—Now that you have obtained our shadow horde, victory is certain. Rest easy."
The Hundred-Faced Hassan. Masters of specialized infiltration. In terms of versatility and sheer numbers, none could surpass them.
"Hmph. So the connections have brought the Mountain People together at last."
The ultimate intelligence organization—the Hassan of the Hundred Personas—had arrived.
"From this day forth, this Chaldea... hm?!"
Suddenly, from within the shadows, the form of a "harmless little girl" appeared and walked up to the Hero King.
"..."
"Hoh? The persona created for enduring torture? Do you have a request for me?"
The little girl looked up at the King, then...
"...Please... look after me..."
She gave a small, polite bow.
(No way, wait, I didn't hear about this! Chibi-Hassan?! There was a Chibi-Hassan?! You're telling me a child like this was lynched by the King's army? By the King's ♂ Army ♂?! —I'm going to kill the Director of Grace. )
—Calm down! Calm down, Fou!
"She has sensed the harmlessness of my soul. Otherwise, she would never have shown herself. —Have you decided that you no longer need to fulfill your role, little one?"
"—To think he'd win the trust of the most fragile persona..." Olga Marie whispered.
Afterward, under the guidance of Mash and Olga Marie, the "Little Hassan" was taken into protective custody to ensure she wouldn't get lost in the sprawling castle.
NG Summoning: Attribute - Earth
[Caster of Overlord... I have come here for no other reason than...]
(Someone really strong just arrived—?!)
(A Demon King?! Is that a Demon King?!)
[(Wait, where is this?! What is this place?! I was just trying to plan a company retreat and a vacation, and now I'm here?!)]
"...?"
[(Is that—is that the Hero King?! Gilgamesh?! From Fate?! This is bad, this is really bad! If I'm disrespectful, he'll kill me! I saw it! I saw him look at me! This is bad! Did I offend him?! Fine, I'll just go for it!)]
[—I would like you to supervise the planning of my subordinates' retreat and the architectural design of a paradise... in private, of course.]
[(This place looks incredible...! I have no choice but to borrow the Hero King's wisdom! I have to pull this off with sheer guts and bluffing!! Probably!)]
—He seems like... a good boss?
"Fuhaha! To stand at the top while being a mere commoner is a heavy burden. Very well, I shall lend you my wisdom."
[You have my gratitude.]
[(I'm saved—!!! He seems to be in a great mood...?! Is it okay for me to be here?! Well, whatever, I'm saved—!!)]
After teaching the methods of Chaldea's construction and layout, he received a massive amount of mana resources as thanks and departed.
"A Yakuza Ruler... wait, I'm civilian now... Where is this? Am I dead?"
"K-Kazuma-san?! The one who isn't a scumbag?!"
"Huh?"
After a passionate karaoke session, he departed. Rikka was given a crash course in the Komaki Style of martial arts.
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