"So you really did brainwash me!!!"
"It resets when you sleep and wake up? A small mercy in misfortune, Miss Janette."
"Don't call me by a nickname so casually..."
That was close... I almost got brainwashed with that ridiculous 'little sister' notion and used. To openly try to brainwash a Ruler, as expected this man is dangerous... He must have some circumstances too. I wish there was salvation even for a person like this, but...
"What, what's with you?"
"It's nothing, Alter. I guess you could say she woke up from a dream~"
Looking at that figure, I feel a strange mood. Separate from his layabout appearance... I get a sense of something preposterous. It's like facing a great evil.
Somehow... I had a heart that wished for anyone to receive salvation, but I don't feel any desire to save the man before me. Is he that evil? Or...
"Did the brainwashing wear off... In that case..."
"Grr...!?"
My corrupted self... If this continues, I'll be...
"Enough, don't. Frankly, brainwashing is a bit much... It's pure madness that even a Beast or a Foreigner can't handle."
"What a shame. I wish I had gained another little sister."
As expected, it's dangerous to stay here... I quickly gather my carrier and leave the hotel.
"Leaving?"
"... It seems you have no intention of letting me go peacefully."
"No? I'll let you go. However, if you want to come back, come anytime~ Today, I won't be moving the base."
"If I come, it will be to stop all of you."
Yet he waved with a smile. Still, being polite, I bow slightly and leave. Other than the brainwashing, he didn't commit any evil act against me, and I even got a meal...
I'm hungry because it's morning... I ate so much yesterday I feel sorry for Laeticia. But since I must eat three meals a day properly, I headed to a nearby restaurant.
Delicious-looking food. It's a dish called *frigărui*, skewers, and *ciulama*, meat stewed in a cream sauce. The smell is very good... but somehow, it feels a bit lacking.
And the taste when I ate it. It's not tasteless... It's clearly delicious food. But, somehow... it feels very insufficient.
This shouldn't be, but I remembered the food I ate at the hotel the previous day. Certainly, the food I ate there was more delicious than any I've had in my life...
I didn't leave food, but I finished the meal feeling like a barbarian and left the shop. Laeticia, what do you think...
Laeticia is silent. Perhaps her consciousness is deeply asleep.
If this continues, it might hinder us during battle...
"Just as expected."
"!"
At that moment, a Servant reveals herself on the shop's roof. That person was definitely with him... More than that...
"Hey, um, it's very visible...!"
"Hmm? Is there a problem? This is clearly my attire. I fought in such attire in life, so what exactly is the problem?"
"Isn't that the bigger problem!? It's shameless! It's practically just underwear! And your chest.... that part is covered, right?"
"Ah, yes. It is covered."
"It would be better to cover the whole thing... More than that, isn't it too conspicuous?"
"Thanks to Lady Tamamo's magecraft, ordinary people won't properly perceive my existence. Hyah~"
The girl who jumps down from the roof and stands next to me. What kind of place is Japan... A past general looks like this?
"My introduction is late. I am Ushiwakamaru. A loyal retainer and dog who follows my lord."
"... Dog, you say?"
"Of course, if you treat me as a dog, that's even better... I think it would be good not only to pet me but also to put on a collar and take me for walks..."
She's not sane... No, all of his Servants are like that from the start. Were they originally like that, or is it his influence... It's definitely his influence. There's no way I would degenerate like that.
"The food wasn't to your liking, was it?"
"Grr..."
"I understand too, of course~ Frankly, if we're not eating with our lord, the others also have no intention of dining out~ It's merely to fill our stomachs. What's important is that our lord is present. Otherwise, it just feels like filling our bellies with rations~"
"To that extent..."
"Don't you feel it too? It's not that it has no taste, but a sensation of zero satisfaction."
"..."
Have I already fallen for his tricks? Who knows what such a shameless person might do to me, to Laeticia...
"Just in case the Saint is having lewd thoughts, let me tell you, our lord has not a shred of interest in your body."
"What...?"
"Well, that's obvious. Our lord already has Lady Jeanne and Lady Alter. Then there's Lady Tamamo and Lady Draco, and finally me. There's also the British father and child who came this time, so what value is there in holding you? So why don't you dump that wishful thinking? Don't get any arrogant ideas. Do you think trash like you, who doesn't understand our lord's coolness at all, has the qualification to be our lord's partner?"
"What the..."
"By my standards, you are below a street prostitute. The moment you don't understand our lord at all, the moment you become hostile, I want to cut off your head and offer it to our lord."
Shiver...
It's chilling... What kind of killing intent, I've never felt this level of spirit even during the war. It's like Gilles de Rais fighting the attacking English army, but even more.
"But I won't kill you. Because of our lord's order..."
"That man... What on earth is your goal?"
"Goal? No no, it's our lord's goal. We have no such thing as a goal. Recently, some people have been going out of control to the point I can't stop them, but sometimes our lord gets truly angry, so they restrain themselves. But, we are basically Servants (retainers). We move solely for our lord and follow him without doubt. We can give advice, but in the end, we just follow our lord."
"That's like a puppet..."
"If puppets, then puppets. We live solely for our lord? We fight for our lord and become swords and shields, and even after killing and being killed, burning and being burned to ashes, we only think of being helpful, and we love, like, stay by his side, and exist as our lord desires. That is our way."
"... I can't understand that."
"Isn't that mutual? On the contrary, I want to scoop out the brain of someone like you who finds our lord disagreeable. To us, our lord is everything, the meaning of our existence. On the contrary, a world without our lord shouldn't exist? We all... think that way..."
It's madness... A madness that would make fanatics pale, a madness that would even swallow the madness of the battlefield. She was twisted to the point I doubted if she was the same person.
Does the me over there also think like this...?
"... Then let me ask. What on earth does he plan to do in this Great Holy Grail War?"
"Entertainment. To our lord, this is nothing more than a game. Yes, changing a poorly made trainwreck however he wants. That's the significance, right?"
"Game, entertainment...? You think this Great Holy Grail War is a joke!?"
"It is a joke. Compared to what we've been through, it's trivial, yawn-inducing child's play. To be so tense and serious over just this. On the contrary, it's just pitiable. We have fought gods in the Age of Gods and destroyed countless worlds. Mere Holy Grail Wars or Great Holy Grail Wars are nothing but laughable jokes. Are there any Divine Spirits here? Any Beasts? Do you intend to show off with just this? Lady Jeanne d'Arc, Chaldea is overflowing with Rulers like you."
It's not a lie... I feel it's the truth. No matter how mad she is, it's hard to be this confident. Is she serious...? Then, a level of power that could destroy the modern world and more. But, why is she quietly here instead? It seems neither the Mage's Association nor the Church knows of his existence.
Is that even possible...? That makes it even scarier.
A man who brainwashes people without a second thought and possesses enormous power looks like a layabout? On the contrary, that's more dangerous... If I ignore him, his Servants will run wild and cause an incident. A walking bomb, no, a destruction button.
Should I watch him closely instead? But... what can I do? Even that version of me changed like that, what about me...? If I'm not careful, even Laeticia might...
Worrying like this won't give me an answer.
"I want to ask one thing. Why do you follow him and like him?"
"Well, we've lived and fought together for over 8 years... And he has something we lack. You know it too. Heroic Spirits like us who have lived extraordinary lives are conversely drawn to ordinary Masters. Not a simple ordinary person, but a vessel that can embrace all of us, his peers. He has such ambition. How could we not like him in that regard? Because he understands us and can accept us as we are. If you face people now, will they accept you as a Saint or as the human Jeanne d'Arc?"
"...."
"That such a small difference is big is something you know better. You won't understand with just this much talk~ Our love for our lord is the greatest in the world~"
She seems sincere. A girl in love... That's all she looks like. It's a different appearance to the point of wondering if this is possible. Does that man have that much value and power? Certainly, he was a gentle person to his own people...
"You know the way back, right? It's a message from our lord. He said to come anytime if you want, so choose freely."
She disappears after leaving those words.
"...."
For now, I feel like I should follow him. Laeticia, what about you...
"... Alright, let's go."
A feeling as if Laeticia agrees comes through. For now, let's go.
"Oh my, you came back quickly after all?"
"Another me..."
Another me welcomes me with a smile and a hug. I asked her. Why she likes him.
"Because he loves even someone like me. I have no regrets about my life as a Saint, but living a life as the human me was also good. Little brother-kun, no, Master accepted such me and let me live both lives. Journeying with Master... In the end, I ended up liking him. Probably most of the female staff in Chaldea dream the same dream as me."
"What dream...?"
"The dream of becoming Master's bride."
Her eyes... have clouded. She's not brainwashed, but is she that infatuated with him? Being crazy about him is the same. She's on the same level as Ushiwakamaru.
"... Between God and family, France and that person, which is more important to you?"
"That would be Master? If Master told me to abandon everything, I would gladly do so. You can understand too, right? You accepted your fate, left your family, and fought for France? Since you're the same me, you should be able to understand."
"... I am different."
"I wonder how long that attitude will last? He is also a person who saves people. Of course, if you refuse, there's nothing to be done. There's a story like this. A believer drowning in water thought God would save him and pushed away those who came to save him, and died. Later, he asked God why He didn't save him. God said He had already sent people several times and rebuked his foolishness. Perhaps... it might be similar to you."
"Me...?"
"Yes. Of course, the choice is yours."
The other me smiles and pats my head. Is she still treating me like a little sister...
"Food's ready~"
"Yes~! Then, shall we go?"
"... Yes."
I'm sorry, oh God. I have degenerated in terms of taste... Please forgive such a me...!