Chapter II – The Eternal Mad Empire: Septem.
An endless plain.
It was filled with thousands, no, tens of thousands of warriors. Clad in sturdy armor, with huge shields and long spears, they gazed entranced at a scarlet tent pitched on the edge of a cliff.
"Emperor! Preparations are complete."
Hearing the report of a legionary in a scarlet cloak, the one called "Emperor" merely smiled slightly. Hidden in the shadow of the scarlet tent, he clenched a cherry-red blade in his hand and stepped into the light.
"Hmm! All troops—advance!"
As the Emperor, clad in crimson robes, raised his sword, the soldiers who filled the plain, in a single surge, raised their spears to the sky, and a deafening cry swept over the world:
"Glory to the Emperor! Glory to Rome!"
◇
In Chaldea, everything was proceeding as usual.
There was a little free time left before departing for the next Singularity, so Deadpool and Ritsuka decided to simply wander through the endless corridors.
"Fou! Kyu-u, kyu-u~"
Fou was right there. It's unknown why the beast took such a liking to Deadpool, but it stuck to him almost constantly. However, this didn't prevent him from paying attention to Mash and Ritsuka.
"Look at him. Why is this fluffy thing following me around?"
Deadpool unceremoniously grabbed Fou, who was trying to jump onto his shoulder, and brought him close to his face. He was too small for a dog, and not at all like a cat. Wade mentally went through all the animals he knew, but couldn't find anyone even remotely resembling Fou.
"Has he lived in Chaldea all this time?"
"I was told he's the only animal allowed to roam freely here," Ritsuka replied.
Fou began to struggle desperately, trying to break free, and Deadpool released his hands. The beast landed softly and immediately disappeared around the corridor's bend.
"Actually, if you think about it..." Deadpool looked frankly bored. It's understandable: in such a huge Chaldea, there are hardly any living souls.
"What kind of place is this where there are almost no people?! Well, a terrorist attack, well, the world is on fire, but not to this extent! What, they didn't have enough money for extras?! It's just a couple of lines of text to write! It's a book, not a movie, after all!!"
"The Organization for the Preservation of Human Order, Finis Chaldea—this is an institution created by the joint efforts of the modern UN and the Clock Tower of mages to restore the broken future and save humanity from destruction."
Deadpool and Ritsuka almost jumped out of their skin at Mash's sudden appearance.
"I know," Wade waved dismissively. "They explain all this at the beginning of the game. And there's plenty of info on Wiki." He lowered his voice:
"But don't trust Wiki too much. Close it, damn it."
"The Doctor is looking for both of you. I have to go too. It seems the time has come."
When the trio gathered at "Chaldeas," where Romani was already waiting for them, the doctor scratched his head and greeted them with a satisfied look:
"Good morning. Did everyone rest well?"
"I slept like a log," Ritsuka nodded.
"I also gained strength," Mash added.
"But I didn't. I slept crookedly, now my neck is stiff, my back aches, my joints are cracking, and cancer is choking me... Cough! Cough-cough! A-a-achoo! Gha-a! Gha-a!"
Deadpool began to cough laboriously right in Romani's face, feigning a bout of consumption. The frightened doctor hastily covered himself with the folder he was holding.
"Don't... don't joke like that! I'm a fragile person, if I catch something—that's it. It's all over."
"Fragile? You? You never leave the infirmary, you just hang out on your blogs, since there's no one to treat.
Romani hunched under Wade's gaze, who pointed out his not-so-diligent performance of his duties as head of medical services. However, he was right: since order was restored in Chaldea after the terrorist attack, there had been no new wounded. And a hospital without patients is a sad place...
"Oh, sorry for being late. I was busy with the Grail that Ritsuka brought. I'm studying it for any peculiarities, results should be available soon."
Da Vinci-chan entered the hall. Deadpool immediately frowned, remembering the recent "secret deal" and the astronomical demands that had forced him to push Ritsuka to the limit.
"You're looking like you want to eat me," Da Vinci retorted, not the least bit embarrassed by his bloodthirsty appearance.
"I can't stand you."
"Likewise."
They growled at each other again. Exactly like during the campaign in France.
"Oh, déjà vu," Ritsuka muttered.
"Alright, attention! Today we are heading to 1st Century AD Europe. The era of the Roman Empire's flourishing."
The Roman Empire. One of the most important pillars in human history. Romulus, suckled by a she-wolf and founder of the city; Caesar, who crushed the republic and laid the foundation of the empire; Nero, whose name became synonymous with tyranny... Along with Greece, Rome became the cradle of all European culture.
"As last time, the exact arrival point is unknown. The margin of error is too great. But I'll set the coordinates to Rome itself."
"To Rome?" Ritsuka asked.
Romani launched into an explanation. Amusingly, the empire's capital was also called Rome. It was about it that they said: "All roads lead to Rome." And the roads there, it must be admitted, were built conscientiously.
"Ah, Rome... I envy you. I'd love to take a stroll too, but there's hardly any staff left here that everything depends on. And such an important employee as myself can't just abandon everything. Ah... I think I'd easily get along with Emperor Nero or Caligula."
Da Vinci-chan was practically glowing with envy. It's understandable: her prototype, Leonardo da Vinci, was Italian. Apparently, the pull towards Rome was in her blood.
"By the way, where is the other one? What's her name... Kiyohime?"
Upon mentioning this name, Ritsuka turned pale.
Just a few hours ago, while he was sleeping peacefully, this heroic spirit, using her ability to pass through walls, had slipped into his bedroom and begun playing the role of a "faithful wife."
She cooed something about the red thread of fate connecting her to her "dear husband" and behaved so intrusively that the poor guy didn't know where to hide. In the end, Ritsuka, under the pretext of going to the toilet, told her to wait and simply ran away.
"O-o-oh! Dear husband, I've waited so long that I came to find you myself!"
"A-a-a-a!!"
Speak of the devil... Kiyohime materialized out of nowhere and latched onto Ritsuka's leg with a death grip. However, the scream of horror didn't belong to him, but to the cowardly Doctor Roman.
"Wade, help!" Ritsuka pleaded.
"What? What am I supposed to do? She's crazy about you, I'm powerless here."
Deadpool was clearly in no hurry to help, although he could have ended it all in an instant. It seemed he simply took sadistic pleasure in watching others suffer.
"Mash... Mash..."
"Senpai... I... I don't know..."
Asking the meek Mash for help was useless. She was too kind, and if she tried to intervene, Kiyohime might attack.
"Trouble. We can't start the leishift like this."
Da Vinci-chan glanced meaningfully at Deadpool. "Do I have to get involved in their love affairs now?! Am I some kind uncle?!" Wade fumed inwardly. He wasn't hired as a nanny, but time was running out.
"Listen, snake princess. We're supposed to be working, so let go."
Hearing Deadpool's sharp tone, Kiyohime broke out in a cold sweat. She still saw in her nightmares the resource farming he had forced her into with his sincere threats. But this time, she decided to stand her ground.
"Ha-a... I'll count to three. If you don't let go, you'll go grinding with me. One on one. For. E. Ver."
"Farewell, dear husband!" she chirped.
Kiyohime vanished in the blink of an eye, only sticking her head out of Chaldea's door for a second to wave goodbye.
"Phew… It seems your 'grind' is pure hell for her."
"Yeah. And it's all thanks to the boundless appetites of one 'chan'… Ouch!"
Da Vinci-chan, perfectly understanding who the jab was aimed at, pinched Deadpool's backside painfully.
"Alright! Faster! Time is running out!"
Mash forcefully dragged Deadpool, who was already ready to draw his swords and mince his offender, towards the ley shift device.
"[Servants will surely appear there this time too. Judging by past experience, the probability of encountering an enemy is about seventy percent. The sensors aren't perfect yet, so you'll only know when you meet them personally.]"
"Which means we need to avoid battles as much as possible," Mash concluded.
Romani nodded. The experience in Orleans suggested that the Grail would summon many Servants to Rome. If lucky – allies, but most would likely be hostile, so caution was necessary.
"[And Deadpool! Keep an eye on Ritsuka and Mash there. Who knows, maybe I'll give you a discount.]"
"Ah, you old… Be glad the kids are around, or I'd really let you have it! Ouch!!"
Receiving another "spark" below his back, Deadpool ground his teeth. If it weren't for the space-time travel deal, he would have long ago turned Da Vinci into juicy kebab meat. But it was fine, he would get revenge. Revenge beyond her wildest dreams!
"Da Vinci-chan, why are you provoking him? I'll get hit by the ricochet…"
In reality, Da Vinci was simply getting into the groove, teasing Wade. She enjoyed poking him and hitting his sore spots. And Romani truly had to bear the brunt of it. It seemed this peculiar food chain in Chaldea was established for the long haul.
"But if I don't push him, will he cooperate? Be glad he's not stabbing us in the back."
"In the back? So Mr. Pool was against us from the start?"
"[Hey! How much longer?! It feels like I'm watching ten minutes of commercials before a movie in a cinema! If you've started the show, play the movie!]"
Leaving Romani's question unanswered, Da Vinci-chan merely smiled mysteriously and activated the ley shift, accompanied by Deadpool's grumbling. The question of why Wade ended up here remained hanging in the air like a small question mark…
***
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