Marie Antoinette.
The Queen of France, a tragic and unfortunate queen who had to die by the French Revolution. Even though she loved France, she had to perish.
Those around her, including the executioner Sanson, said that Marie Antoinette was not a villainess, but rather a royal who truly loved France. People like the royal sword d'Éon or the genius Mozart born in France evaluated her as such.
Like a benevolent saint, the mother of France.
But...
The woman before our eyes was nothing like that.
There is an Alter version of Marie Antoinette, but... this is different. Her spiritual energy is completely twisted. What on earth happened? She seems to be the same Marie we met in France, but...
"Rock~ Paper~ Scissors~!"
Conla stepped forward first to play rock-paper-scissors, and while Marie showed scissors, Conla showed rock.
"Ah~ I lost... What a shame."
"So I pass?"
"Yes! You pass! Then~ next person!"
Conla naturally predicted what she would show with beast-like senses and won. Marie, that girl, decides on the spot without any hints or anything.
"Then I'll go!"
Ritsuka raised her hand and stepped forward... Uesaha quickly whispered something to her. For a moment, the life faded from Ritsuka's eyes, then returned. Did she cast a suggestion?... Well done, Uesaha.
"Rock-paper-scissors!"
Marie quickly called out and showed paper, while Ritsuka showed scissors.
"Yes!"
"Lucky, aren't you? Or is it skill? Hehe, then next~!"
Fortunately, Ritsuka passed safely... Next, Jeanne Alter steps forward. Uesaha tries to give a hint, but Jeanne Alter ignores it and proceeds. Hmm...
"Rock~ Paper~ Scissors!"
Marie showed paper, and Jeanne Alter also showed paper.
"A tie? Then again~!"
"If it's a draw, we replay."
Still, a replay is standard. Soon, Marie showed paper, and Jeanne Alter showed scissors.
"Aah, I keep losing..."
"Hmph, of course. I'm lucky."
Jeanne Alter flips her hair back, looking smug. That's a relief...
"It's my turn!"
This time, Ibaraki steps forward with a smile, but...
"Ah."
"... I lost, huh?"
Ibaraki showed scissors, and Marie showed rock. Then, Marie grinned and looked at Ibaraki.
"You have to take the penalty...♡?"
Marie looks at Ibaraki with a creepy smile. It's chilling...
"Hey, I know it's just pretend... but can't it be the hand instead of the neck!? The neck reminds me of Shuten, and it's scary!"
"Eh? But that won't do..."
"Ugh... No, no! Even if it's a penalty, I don't want it on the neck~!!!"
Ibaraki throws a tantrum, crying and shouting while emitting fire... Shuten, whom she followed so well, was ambushed while drunk right in front of Ibaraki, had her neck cut, and died. That must have become a trauma...
"Sigh... Fine, fine. If it's the wrist, will you behave quietly?"
"O-of course! I won't run away!"
In the end, since Ibaraki was being so uncooperative, Marie lets it go with just the wrist. After all, Servants aren't the target, right...
Soon, a guillotine with wheels approaches, and Marie ties Ibaraki's right hand to the guillotine.
"Ugh..."
"Then.... here goes♡"
Thud~! Slash!!!
[Did it really get cut!?]
The guillotine falls, cutting Ibaraki's wrist. But.... that girl is cunning, as expected of an oni.
"Huh...?"
"Heh, hehe... Hahahahahaha! My hand can detach! A toy like this falling means nothing! Hahaha! The penalty is over!"
Unlike Shuten in life, Ibaraki escaped with only her wrist cut off and later retrieved it, they say. Thanks to that, Ibaraki can detach her hands. Even if her hand is cut off, not a drop of blood comes out, and she can reattach it. A wrist-only Buggy-like fellow.
"Hmm... Well, it can't be helped. Rules are rules."
[Wow... It's shocking to watch!]
"Hah! Surprised? Were you surprised!? Kuhahaha!"
Ibaraki seems unaware if it was real or not. Perhaps she detached it just before impact because she didn't want to get hit... Is she really a Servant? Jeanne Alter also seems to have some doubts.
"So it's like... a rocket punch."
No, cancel that. She's just being chuunibyou.
Still, Ibaraki got away with it, and Marie seems to have given up on changing to other body parts in this way.
Next was Uesaha... Naturally, she won. The remaining ones are Mash, Olga Marie, and me. I should go last.
"Oh my~ What a bold outfit?"
"Ugh... Then, I'll do it."
Mash won. Marie looks very dissatisfied, but... essentially, only Marie needs to do well. I saw what she would show with future sight and tell Olga Marie.
"Show scissors."
"Huh? Um..."
But with words... through telepathy, I immediately tell her to show paper. And as Olga Marie plays rock-paper-scissors...
"Paper!"
".... Tch."
Olga Marie showed paper, and Marie, perhaps hearing what I whispered, showed rock. Thus, Marie lost again.
"It's the last one... What a shame."
"Right? Then, let's do it."
The rock-paper-scissors was, of course, my victory. Everyone except Ibaraki avoided the penalty, and all passed.
"Too bad... I prepared a lot. You pass."
As she pulls the lever beside the gate, the door opens. It seems she's really letting us go. There are more gates to come, after all...
"Then, goodbye~"
Marie waves her hand with a smile. As we pass through, the door slowly closes firmly. Everyone walks while chatting quietly, and Uesaha comes to my side and whispers.
"Something is off."
"Indeed... It seems the original gatekeeper wasn't her."
"Yes... I also detected traces of mana."
It seems that when a Servant vanishes, they disappear without a trace, but a residual mana scent remains. There was a residual mana scent at the gate. A Shadow Servant, a weakened version that can't use Noble Phantasms and has fainter presence than a normal Servant, was there and died.
They must have killed the original gatekeeper... But who on earth is doing this? The party itself must be real. A pure Halloween party. But someone has intruded and is causing trouble...
Moreover, I faintly sense the mana of a Demon God Pillar. Not Solomon's, but our enemy Goetia's Demon God Pillars.
But, what's strange... It's clear that the clairvoyants are involved in this. Yet, they're allowing such variables? Just for fun? No matter what, I don't think they have that tendency... Gilgamesh might, but Solomon, who follows rules, or Merlin, who pursues only amusement, wouldn't be like that.
At least, they probably don't want real bloodshed... Or, are the clairvoyants not involved?
It's complicated...
"For now, let's watch. Everyone's in a cheerful mood, and I don't want to ruin it. Protecting children's joy is an adult's role, right?"
"As expected of Papa... I'm moved by Papa's deep heart."
"No need to be so moved..."
"That desire to protect children's innocence, truly Papa... I will also help Papa with all my might."
"Haha... I'm counting on you."
Still, it's a relief to have reliable Uesaha.
Gradually, the next gate comes into view. What could it be this time...
This time... it's especially ominous and foreboding... This is really troublesome.
[This time, the atmosphere is really scary...]
[That, doesn't it feel familiar, Romani? Strange...]
"Everyone, come on in. I've been waiting. Marie passed safely, huh? It feels like no one took a penalty... Here, unlike the previous gate, you need to fulfill a condition."
A condition... What could it be?
"The condition is simple... Any one of you, play an instrument or sing a song to satisfy me... Easy, right?"
That bastard... Is that easy?
Satisfy the ears of the prodigious genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...? ... This is my turn to step up.
"If you try and fail to satisfy me, you have to listen to the devil's song. Perhaps, your ears might go deaf...? So, who wants to try?"