Once the basic clean-up and the connection with Chaldea were established, Sherlock and Paracelsus immediately scanned the overall situation in London and transmitted the data to Chaldea.
Looking at the readings, Romani let out a heavy sigh.
[…It's at a critical level. The progression of the Singularity is already far too rapid… Moreover, the leylines are on the verge of exhaustion… Summoning a Servant is absolutely out of the question. It seems that, just like in previous Singularities, someone has seized the leylines in their entirety and is utilizing them for the application of this magecraft ritual—the Mafia Game.]
"They've played their hand well. They can interfere with our magecraft while achieving their own goals… Besides, I feel like I've experienced something similar back in 1994 Fuyuki."
Specifically, it reminded me of Angra Mainyu, who conducted a guerrilla war while flowing through the leylines.
"How is Ritsuka?"
[She says she's received a general briefing from Makiri along with Tristan, Gareth, and Mash. Considering the state of these back alleys at night, leaving Ritsuka there seems to have been a very wise choice.]
"As it should be… The problem is what to do next. Unless we're going on a tedious hunt for the culprit, there's not much for Ritsuka or Mash to do…"
"Ho, then perhaps you would care to assist us?"
The duo of authors approached me, their eyes gleaming.
"We are always in short supply of material. If you would simply become our subject…"
"I'll pass. Your writing carries power… it literally means being etched into history."
"…Do humans not consider that a virtue?"
"Don't give me that nonsense. Remaining in history means giving that damn Human Order a reason to preserve you as a specimen. You two surely aren't ignorant of what that entails?"
"Ho, ho. You certainly know quite a lot! But surely you realize! Serving the Human Order is a sufficiently honorable—"
[…Excuse me, but we know all there is to know over here, too.]
"…Ahem, my apologies."
Right, stay in your lane. Don't try to sell me that snake oil.
"Anyway, unless it's a dire emergency, I'll decline the interview. Even without that, I can throw plenty of material your way… Oh, how about this?"
"Hmm… What is it?"
I shot Andersen a devious smirk.
"You're a fairy tale author, aren't you?"
"…A third-rate one, at least."
"How about a fairy tale with this premise? A person filled with overflowing desires, but because of their noble status as a member of the clergy, they keep those desires locked away deep within their heart."
"…A trivial comedy. It might suit that playwright over there, but it is wholly unsuitable for my fairy tales."
"If you write it exactly as I say, I might tell you about your relationship with that person."
At that, Andersen's expression shifted instantly.
Ah, so it really is you…
"You know her after all, don't you? Kishoin… no, Sessyoin!"
"Kh, damn it! You… how did you find out?"
"…I was only half-sure myself. Good, good… knowing the 'Kishoin' of this side is quite satisfying… So, how about it? Have you found the motivation to write the second volume of The Little Mermaid?"
"…"
"For your information, our Chaldea is in a cooperative relationship with the Holy Church. The Sessyoin of this timeline is an Executor of the Holy Church—specifically, No… of the Burial Agency."
"Enough! I accept the contract. Just ensure that woman never approaches me. This is a binding agreement!"
"Good. Deal struck."
With this, I had the ill-tempered fairy tale author in my pocket.
Shakespeare? Who gives a damn about that guy.
*
When the next morning dawned, the Doctor immediately began the briefing.
The Mafia members who had been swarming throughout the city had returned to their respective homes. Excluding those who had given up on life or had the misfortune of being caught by the Mafia, the majority of the citizens had survived.
"There's no point in capturing the Mafia during the day. Those caught in the morning die regardless of what measures we take, and the Servants vanish without a trace."
[Then what do you plan to do?]
Ultimately, a Singularity is a race against time.
The more we delay, the worse the situation will become. Eventually, the Singularity will reach completion, and the Foundation of the Human Order will collapse just as the King of Demon Gods desires.
Therefore, our basic strategy is—as always—a lightning-fast resolution. If we try to wait and observe to gather information, the situation will have changed by the time it reaches us, making the data useless. In the worst-case scenario, the King of Demon Gods might deliberately leak false information.
"For us, the available bases are Paracelsus's mansion, Zolgen's hideout… and the resistance's stronghold, wherever that may be. Conversely, while the enemy remains mysterious… there are those whose bases are clearly identified."
[Are you thinking of attacking the Clock Tower? But you said you'd postpone destroying the Clock Tower because of the collapse of the Human Order Foundation…]
"No, my objective is strictly reconnaissance and searching… If the Clock Tower as a whole were destroyed, it would cause significant damage to the Human Order. However, wiping out 'mere' Brand-rank magi who are essentially puppets of the King of Demon Gods won't affect the Human Order at all…"
"It is as Holmes says. In the end, what matters is the essence of the Clock Tower itself. Magically speaking, the Human Order will likely replace the personnel within automatically… treating the achievements and footprints of the deceased as if they were events that occurred naturally."
Romani's true identity is, after all, the Mage King Solomon, reborn with human emotions.
Since he's already heard the full story from me, he understands the truth of the Singularities—the dead do not return, and history simply compensates for them.
"Forced reconnaissance."
"Reconnaissance conducted even while prepared for casualties in the scouting unit… Then we must literally operate like a suicide squad. Who will you take?"
To put it bluntly, storming the Clock Tower alone would be a suicide mission.
I had done something similar a few years back, but that was only possible because I utilized every means available: the support of Aoko-neesan, the unprecedented 'cheat key' that surpassed Servants known as Void Shiki, the secret techniques of the Six Paths supported by the Fifth Magic, and the summoning of Zelretch through the Heavenly Obstruction.
By contrast, the current Clock Tower is strictly a point in the past.
It may have been halved by the King of Demon Gods' schemes and occupied by Brand-rank magi, but because its historical point is in the past, its potential power might actually be stronger. Magecraft is fundamentally more potent the further back in history you go… excluding outliers like the Emiya family or Waver's classroom.
Furthermore, there is the Holy Grail they might possess, the traps the King of Demon Gods might have hidden, and crucially…
"The other Servants who might be there are a problem too."
"Indeed. Mephistopheles has been dismissed, but other Servants are still very much active."
The King of Storms—Artoria Pendragon [Lancer Alter], Nikola Tesla, and Jack the Ripper.
"And there's the possibility they'll notice our attempt at reconnaissance."
[…Yes. Like the 3rd Singularity, the influence of the King of Demon Gods is particularly strong here.]
Romani used relatively mild expressions to keep his own information hidden, but what he truly wanted to say wasn't just about 'influence.'
This was a Singularity twisted by a King of Demon Gods who knew the future that was supposed to happen… Unlike the 2nd Singularity where he sowed discord between Boudica and Nero, or the 1st Singularity which was a straightforward war of numbers, this one—along with the 3rd Singularity which applied the curse of the Tetragrammaton—possessed an exceptionally heterodox nature.
What Romani likely meant was something like this…
"The ritual known as the Mafia Game is something magi of this era could never have conceived. In other words, the 'Game Master,' who has a connection with the mastermind behind the Incineration of the Human Order, was directly given the information to create this ritual. To put it another way…"
"…It's possible the true mastermind is sharing the vision of the Game Master…"
"Holmes, is there a mechanism to the movements of Nikola Tesla or the King of Storms?"
"If there were, I would have read and controlled their movements long ago. Regrettably, Nikola Tesla is also a genius whose name is carved into the history of humanity… He operates while thoroughly erasing his own patterns. It is akin to a game of rock-paper-scissors where you can see the opponent's next move ahead of time."
"Because both sides know what the other will play, they just keep hiding their hands and scheming… Wait, then what about Father?"
"The King of Storms is entirely separate and unpredictable, unlike Tesla. If Tesla is someone you can't block even if you know what he's doing, she is closer to someone you can't block because you simply don't know what she'll do."
"Furthermore, her appearance cycles and patterns are completely random. At least Tesla has the peculiarity of appearing and rampaging every night, but for the King of Storms, even that interval is inconsistent."
To put it simply, the randomness makes defending a base incredibly difficult.
Worst case scenario, if the King of Storms and Nikola Tesla struck our main base at the same time…
"Paracelsus, Zolgen. How long can each of your workshops hold out against Nikola Tesla?"
"Against a single Servant, assuming we focus entirely on defense, we can hold until dawn."
"It is the same here. Fundamentally, a magus's workshop and the Caster class excel at counterattacking after a defense," Zolgen explained.
"Then I'll organize the teams. The Servants who will accompany me on the reconnaissance are…"
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