Chaldea.
It certainly looked like an impressive facility. But...
"I'm lost..."
I just came out alone for a moment to go to the bathroom, and I got lost. I need to pee, but where am I...? There are bathrooms in the private quarters, and I heard there are a couple in the hallway too. Since I don't know where my room is, I tried to find a hallway bathroom, but...
I don't know where it is. Isn't there a map here? There should be at least a guide map...! I don't know the way!
Damn it, maybe I shouldn't have come alone. If it were the other Servants, they might have sensed the way or something. I've never lived in Chaldea before...!
"Tsk..."
I'm walking straight for now, but... I see rooms, but nothing that looks like a bathroom. Is this a lounge? I peek into the lounge, but there's no one there, and I don't see a bathroom either.
Come on, put a bathroom in the lounge at least, given how large this facility is.
"My, my, this is troubling..."
I can't just ask them via telepathy to find a bathroom because I can't find one... It's too embarrassing. I feel like my Bond Level would drop instead...
For now, I keep walking forward... My legs hurt. How much further do I have to walk? Couldn't they put a vending machine on the way?
While walking down the hallway, I spotted Mash walking from the opposite direction.
"Ah, Mr. Dumpty."
"Ah, Mash..."
Damn, it's embarrassing... but I have no choice.
"Mash, I have something to tell you."
"Yes? ...Ah, no, Mr. Dumpty... We haven't known each other that long..."
"Mash..."
"Ugh..."
"Where is the bathroom?"
"...Th-The bathroom?"
"Sorry, I don't know the way."
"...Go that way, turn left, and it's there."
"Ah, thank you."
"..."
Mash had a 'What is with this person?' expression, but it's fine. Better than wetting myself in the hallway, right?
Thus, I successfully took care of my business in the bathroom. Ah, I feel alive again.
The moment I washed my hands and stepped out of the bathroom, I ran into her in front of the door.
"Did you wash your hands properly?"
Shiki suddenly appeared...!
My, my, what a surprise.
"Of course I washed them properly. Washing hands after using the bathroom is common sense even kindergarteners know. Surely, I didn't look like such a dirty person to you?"
"Not at all. Even if you hadn't washed them, you are my Master. Besides, having Master's scent on your hands isn't bad. Isn't it just Master's body scent in the end?"
"...Pardon?"
"Just kidding☆"
It was a joke, right? Somehow, jokes made by the Root-san feel strangely menacing.
"Ah, yeah. But why did you come alone? Where are the others?"
"Well, you see, Chaldea is currently in a state of chaos, right? Plus, there's no one to cook."
"Ah..."
"So, since both of them consider food important, they are struggling in the kitchen. Even if Master is more important than food, food is the second most important thing, right? Jaguar Man says she can cook a little, and Artoria says she has watched a lot. Though neither seems easy."
"Doesn't Shiki know how to cook?"
"Of course, it's possible. Pomegranates, tomatoes, watermelons. I use ingredients like that well."
Why are they all red-fleshed fruits...
"Still, as long as I make something good for Master to eat, isn't that enough? Also, actually, you were lost, right?"
"Ah, yeah..."
Can the eyes of the Root not be deceived...? Am I already in the palm of Buddha, no, the Root...?! At this rate, I might get a golden headband put on me!
"You're imagining strange things again, aren't you?"
"That's just how otaku are; we daydream a lot..."
"I see. Then, shall we go?"
We left the bathroom area and walked down the hallway together...
She naturally held my hand. Hmm... When was the last time I held a woman's hand?
Is it the influence of the Bond Level that I receive such affection? It's a very vague feeling.
Still, how should I put it... it's nice. I thought of it as a simple game, but when I faced it directly, I felt hopeless. Now, receiving help and becoming an object of affection doesn't feel too bad.
Chaldea Staff.
The number of surviving staff members is currently around twenty.
Among the staff, grim conspiracy theories about Humpty Dumpty were circulating. Dumpty and his Servants claimed that Lev was the culprit who murdered the Director.
However, it was hard to easily believe in the sudden betrayal of Lev, who had been with them for years and was essentially a close aide to the previous Director.
Conversely, Dumpty, who had just arrived, seemed more suspicious. Of course, given his combat power, they had no intention of antagonizing him openly. With Romani's persuasion, the general atmosphere was to tentatively view Dumpty as a colleague, but...
Some thought otherwise.
The Animusphere family is fundamentally a magus lineage of the aristocratic faction. Even in Chaldea, an organization founded by them, many staff members from magus backgrounds were deeply ingrained with elitism. Most were also followers who had obeyed Lev, the real power holder.
"To think a mere civilian is acting so arrogant just because his Servant is somewhat strong."
"Exactly. To insult Mr. Lev, the director of the archaeology (Rocksrot) research wing... It is unthinkable."
"So what will you do? Just stay quiet? The one fitting for the position of Chaldea's Master is a legitimate successor like Kirschtaria, isn't it?"
"What can we do? For now, we must lie low. There is currently no way to revive Team A. We have no choice but to wait for an opportunity."
"An opportunity?"
"Those fools are eating in the cafeteria without suspicion. So? We watch for a chance and slip poison into his food. The Servants might detect it, so we feed it to him when he is alone."
"I see... But it will be difficult right now."
"Yes. We need to dispel his suspicions, build trust, and then strike. There is diluted Hydra poison kept for research purposes. If we use that, even a Divine Spirit wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Indeed. Then what about that civilian girl?"
"What about her? We should use her as a pawn. She is a Master for now, so we use her until we can revive Team A. If we hold her life in our hands, even her Servants won't be able to do anything. What can they do to a dead person? Heroic Spirits, whose mission is to protect Human Order, will have no choice but to follow us. Just like how Leonardo da Vinci remained in Chaldea."
"Right. She stayed despite talking about leaving at first. Good plan."
The magus staff conspired, plotting to poison Dumpty before he went to a Singularity later. Truly a discussion befitting magi.
Step... Step... Shing~
"What...?"
And then, 「 」 approached those magi.
"What is it? Are you the newly summoned Servant?"
"What business do you have here? This is Chaldea's research workshop. It is not a place Servants can enter freely."
"...It seems you conducted various human experiments here. Just counting the dead Masters, there must be over dozens. You sent them to other facilities too."
"Wh-What... H-how do you know that... Answer me! How do you——"
Slash!!!
The magi were cut down by a sword in an instant and collapsed.
"Argh, Aaaagh!!!"
Except for the magus who first brought up the poisoning, the rest died instantly.
Magi simply cut in half.
"W-Why are you doing this...!"
"Why? Ah, in case you misunderstand, let me say this: I don't care if you conduct human experiments, try to destroy the world, or whatever. There is only one reason... Is it because you tried to kill Master? To look down on Master and try to kill him. People like you."
"How did you..."
"There is nothing 「 」 does not know. Goodbye, you who were alive."
Step, Step.
"Ah, Shiki. You were there——You startled me. What are you eating...?"
"Hmm? Ah, I surprised you."
"That's not blood, is it?"
"Probably?"
"What are you eating?"
"Tomato."
"Tomato..."
"Want some? If you eat it, is it an indirect kiss?"
"No, I'm good. I don't really like raw tomatoes."
Why does it smell fishy... is it just my imagination? It feels like there's a distinct smell of iron... Must be my imagination.