Thanks to that stunningly brilliant sword strike, Sakatsuki was surrounded by enthusiastic soldiers for the rest of the banquet, bombarded with toasts. Neither Fujimaru Ritsuka nor even Nero could find an opening to speak to him.
In the end, the mystery of the Command Spells on Nero's hand remained unresolved...
Standing in the imperial garden, the black-haired, blue-eyed young man gazed up at the starry night sky—and the unnaturally radiant ring of light—before letting out a deep sigh.
A lively and passionate young emperor, a mysterious and powerful Pseudo-Servant, and the so-called United Roman Empire they spoke of...
What would the future of this Singularity beco?
"So this is where you are, Fujimaru Ritsuka."
A voice he had only recently co to know but already felt familiar with reached his ears. Turning around, he saw the white-haired yet far-from-elderly general smiling and nodding at him.
"Lord Sakatsuki? Is sothing the matter?"
"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to chat with you. Besides, isn't a nightti talk one of your signature traditions as a Master?"
Spouting words the present-day Fujimaru couldn't possibly understand, the white-haired commander made himself comfortable, plopping down beside him without ceremony.
"By the way, Ro isn't the first world you've visited, is it?"
Faced with Sakatsuki's question, Fujimaru hesitated briefly before nodding.
"No, it isn't. Before this, we've already experienced two other Singularities... worlds."
"Then, could you tell about your experiences?" The white-haired man smiled, his crimson eyes deep and unfathomable.
'How did Fujimaru Ritsuka, bereft of Mash, manage to struggle through such hardships and make it here?'
He truly wanted to know.
"..." Fujimaru gave Sakatsuki a puzzled look, first offering an apology before murmuring sothing into his wristband. After a brief exchange with the doctor on the other end, he finally looked up.
"This... will be a very long story, Lord Sakatsuki."
"Then give the abridged version, Master~"
"O-Okay..."
Seeing Sakatsuki's determination, the black-haired youth stopped resisting and slowly began recounting his tale.
Though Fujimaru obscured the nas of those involved, Sakatsuki—familiar with the story—could easily match them to their counterparts.
In Singularity F: Fuyuki, he and Director Olga Marie had fled in disarray until Cú Chulainn, moved by their resolve, stepped forward to beco his Servant. They then lured the blackened Archer into Rider's territory, where he was petrified by her Mystic Eyes and rendered helpless.
In the battle against the blackened Saber, Cú Chulainn drank from a holy spring he had sohow procured. Even with his Spirit Core shattered, he still managed to unleash his Noble Phantasm: Wicker Man, annihilating both himself and the immobilized Saber.
In the First Singularity: Orléans, Fujimaru experinted with using Shadow Servants in battle but found himself outmatched against the wyverns. However, he soon reunited with Ruler Jeanne d'Arc and was aided by the summoned Marie Antoinette and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when five Berserk-class Servants attacked. Later, he also encountered Siegfried, Saint George, Kiyohi, and Elizabeth Báthory, eking out a hard-fought victory against the dragon Fafnir, Jeanne Alter, and Gilles de Rais.
...
...
"I see." As Fujimaru finished his tale, a heavy hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, radiating warmth.
"Lord Sakatsuki?"
"You've co a long way, Fujimaru." The white-haired general offered a gentle smile that made the black-haired youth's nose sting.
Unlike the greetings from Servants, Sakatsuki was thanking him as a magus—as a fellow human being living on this planet.
To this, Fujimaru Ritsuka responded with heartfelt gratitude.
Seizing the mont, the question he had been pondering all night slipped out.
"Ah, right. Lord Sakatsuki, about the Command Spells on His Majesty Nero's hand...?"
"Oh, that." Contrary to Fujimaru's expectations, the man shrugged nonchalantly. "That clueless idiot of an emperor used one on the very day she summoned , ordering 'not to leave on my own' and 'punishing' by stationing at the frontier. I didn't even have ti to protest before it was done."
"T-That does sound like sothing His Majesty would do..." The doctor's voice was equal parts exasperated and amused.
Unlike Chaldea's "lightweight" Command Spells, Nero's carried unparalleled coercive force—and, more importantly, were non-replenishable. Once wasted, they were gone for good.
Just then, Fujimaru abruptly asked:
"Then, misunderstandings aside... Lord Sakatsuki, do you wish to continue existing as His Majesty Nero's Servant?"
The doctor on Chaldea's end held his breath, feeling an inexplicable pressure even through the communication line.
Sakatsuki studied Fujimaru's calm, rational blue eyes for a long mont before finally curling his lips into a smile.
"Of course—I am her Governor (Servant), after all. It's only natural that I take responsibility for her, no?"
Hearing this, the black-haired youth pressed no further, and Sakatsuki acted as if nothing had happened, rising to his feet with a smile.
"Anyway, you've worked hard, Fujimaru. Go get so rest. If there's a night attack, I'll handle it. Try to rest as much as you can."
"Hahaha. I should head back to my room too." The doctor's sowhat frivolous laughter ca through the wristband. "I need to check Magic☆rlin's blog. Her diary should be updating soon."
Sakatsuki: "..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka: "..."
"What's with those looks, like you're staring at so pitiful creature? Can't a man stan an internet idol? Untainted by the sensationalizations of mass dia or the regulations of TV stations—she's the very definition of an ideal idol!"
Even through the wristband, Sakatsuki could practically envision the orange-haired doctor puffing up his neck, red-faced and vehently defending his beloved idol.
"Doctor... hasn't the outside world already been destroyed?" Fujimaru facepald, sighing in secondhand embarrassnt.
Romani Archaman responded with the smug tone of a petty villain: "Ah, you've hit the nail on the head. The outside world has indeed been destroyed."
"And so you think Magic☆rlin and her hopage would stop updating? How naive! Magic☆rlin is an idol who transcends the mundane world itself!"
"...Though, well, it's probably just an AI simulating updates based on preexisting data."
Fujimaru rolled his eyes, while Sakatsuki chuckled beside him.
"Doctor, as much as I hate to criticize the hobbies of a single man pushing thirty... do try not to neglect your actual job."
"Otherwise, the mont Fujimaru gets back, he'll delete your precious folders without hesitation."
"D-Don't be like that! I was joking, I'll keep monitoring the surroundings and gathering intel! Anyway, you two should get so proper rest!"
Threatened with physical persuasion, the doctor imdiately caved. Fujimaru and Sakatsuki exchanged amused glances before bidding each other goodnight and parting ways.
Walking alone through the beautiful nightti garden, Sakatsuki sighed and pulled out the Mystic Code he had brought with him from the start.
"In the end, I still didn't have the courage to give this to him."
Not out of shyness, but apprehension.
With Mash gone, Sakatsuki couldn't begin to guess what the future held for this version of Chaldea.
No—strictly speaking, the fact that Fujimaru had even t him was an anomaly. He was an outsider who should never have existed in this story to begin with.
Whether the world was destroyed or not mattered little to him, but Fujimaru Ritsuka was soone he couldn't bear to hurt. After all, in a way, he was Fujimaru Ritsuka, and Fujimaru Ritsuka was him.
Precisely because of this, Sakatsuki treaded ever more carefully, terrified of making irreversible mistakes or pushing too hard.
"And then there's Nero... I didn't even broach the subject of her issues. Ahh, I really am hopeless."
With these thoughts weighing on him, Sakatsuki couldn't help but let out another lancholic sigh.
The more he dwelled on it, the more tangled his feelings beca.
***
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