As Elizabeth spoke with a dreamy look in her eyes, Roman and Rikka found themselves nodding along. As an idol otaku, Romani—and Rikka, having been tossed around in the stormy seas of summer and winter conventions—shared a deep, profound empathy with her words.
"That heat, that sea of people, people, people! Wanting to move forward, only to be pushed back and swept away by the crowd… that frustration! And then, the thrum of your heart when you finally find the circle you were looking for, the sheer joy of holding what you came for in your hands…!"
〔I get it so well… Frankly, the profession of an idol is—〕
"Ah, so you both get it! So that's what an idol is? I wonder if they're a completely different species from tribal leaders. Come to think of it, that girl's build is pretty similar to hers."
"L-Let's focus on what Elizabeth-san is saying for now…"
Mash managed to nudge the straying group back on track. Meeting their gazes, Elizabeth continued.
"So, you see? An idol's duty is to tease her fans! If I just barged into your room and started singing, wouldn't I be nothing short of a heartless demon?!"
"An absolute demon, yeah~. The kind of terror attack where I'd immediately SECOM Jeanne and Mother," Rikka agreed.
"Exactly! My song shines brightest only after you've overcome hardships! I could never bring myself to rob you of such a supreme, delicious feast and leave you in sorrow!"
"Then… the invitations to Csejte weren't meant to let us enjoy a Halloween party, but to force Senpai to listen to your singing, Elizabeth-san?"
"Yes! It was a grueling trial meant to make you appreciate my singing all the more comfortably! Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it revolutionary? Isn't it thunderous?!"
As Elizabeth rattled this off without a care in the world, Mash felt dizzy, Rikka stood there blinking, and Arcueid broke into applause.
"You're a paragon among Servants! That's no small feat! A song, a beautiful voice to match that hospitality…! I can tell you're a big-shot idol with an awful lot of confidence!"
"You get it?! You actually get it?!"
"I get it~! It's not something just anyone can say! I can really look forward to a performance like that, right?!"
"Of course! I'm going to sing with everything I've got! Make sure you enjoy it to the very end!"
Even as the tension and unreasonable expectations surged higher and higher, Elizabeth remained utterly riding the high, while Arcueid looked on with pure anticipation. Meanwhile, those in the back who actually knew the truth turned deathly pale.
〔…Isn't this really bad? Arcueid-kun doesn't know, but Elizabeth's singing is… well, it's basically a weaponized hazard…〕
〔She's a whimsical person, so at worst, the shock of the gap might make her fly into a rage and go wild. If that happens…〕
〔A section of Chaldea is going to be completely wiped out…〕
Everyone well understood Arcueid's strength. A embodiment of the planet itself, who could play around with Servants and destroy an entire floor with a light workout. If she were to get truly angry and run amok…
"...What should we do..."
Only now did the gravity of the situation truly sink in. Feeling outraged over being tricked was fine, but a apocalyptic showdown like Arcueid vs. the Servants would be gruesome, nightmarish work. Without a shadow of a doubt.
〔She put this much preparation into it, so she definitely has the Holy Grail… but even if we take it from her, she acted out of pure goodwill…〕
"I can't bring myself to do it… Wrecking a live show someone set up with so much effort just to snatch the Grail is a level of cruelty I just can't manage…"
"Even so, we can't exactly evacuate Arcueid-san either… She's really looking forward to it…"
Just as the group was holding their heads in despair, feeling backed into a corner—
"Wait a minute. Speaking of which, where's Gorgeous… no, where did that Precious Princess go?" Elizabeth asked, looking around in confusion.
Hearing "Precious Princess," a specific figure immediately came to everyone's minds…
"Are you talking about Princess Gilgameshia?"
"Yeah! I left an invitation right by her pillow! If she's going to call herself a princess, she needs enough sensitivity to hear my song and feel her heart tremble with emotion! …Wait, Antoinette is Royal! Nefertari is Oasis! On top of that, what even is Precious?! Isn't this Chaldea agency packed with way too many top idols?!"
Judging by her tone, Gilgameshia seemed to have displayed a radiance that satisfied even Elizabeth's demanding standards.
〔Princess is amazing, huh… Standing alongside famous princesses from history and not feeling out of place at all…〕
〔Does that mean… the invitation was to let Princess Gilgameshia listen to her song, too…?〕
"That's right! Look, she's always with Gorgeous, right? That guy's like a cruel, cold-blooded, heartless snake. He might be in a great mood right now, but who knows what kind of living hell she goes through behind the scenes every day? Thinking about that… it's only natural to feel she needs a night to catch her breath, right?"
…In short, she had been worried about her. About her and the Master. Worried that remaining by the King of Heroes' side was becoming a burden… That was why she had handed the invitation to Gil.
"A thank-you live for Master and Precious. If one of the stars isn't here, I can't get started. Where on earth is she?"
"If you mean Gilgamesh-kun, he was downstairs earlier, wasn't he? Huh? Is he still around? As a guest?" Arcueid blinked, looking puzzled.
The group realized it then—they hadn't actually explained Gilgameshia's nature to Arcueid.
"Arcueid, Eli-chan… you see, the Princess is…"
Just as someone was about to describe her condition, the door swung open.
"Gwaaah. I am… done for..."
Logging in with stiff, wooden acting was their very own Precious. Speak of the devil—the human race's latest Heroic Princess, harboring the supreme principles of the universe…
"Wha—Precious?!"
"Huh?! Where's Gilgamesh-kun?!"
Elizabeth was bewildered; Arcueid was astonished. At the same time, the King of Heroes' voice vibrated through everyone's minds via telepathy.
"Leave this to us. If things go according to plan, there may yet be a chance for a reversal."
The group nodded at the King's words. Briefly, someone explained the relationship between the Princess and the King to Arcueid.
(I see, I see, a alternate personality, huh… Wait, is that safe? Putting another soul into a body seems like it'd cause crazy severe dissonance with the physical shell.)
〔Normally, that would be true. Souls coexisting without blending into a single body is usually impossible. They'd mix together and end up a nameless monster… but conventional logic simply doesn't apply to the current King of Heroes.〕
〔I researched it and found it was devised by the Millennium Tree family as a forbidden, heresy art… but well, there's no way the King of Heroes would ever permit a soul to act as a parasite. That Heroic Princess has truly been allowed to nestle beside him.〕
"Well, it's Gil, after all!"
With that, all minor objections were swept aside. More pressing now was the issue of Elizabeth's singing. Rikka rushed over to Ea, pulling her up gently.
"What happened to you?! Why are you so deathly pale?!"
Gasping for breath, Ea spoke to Elizabeth. "I… overdid it… I slipped down the stairs, and pushing my injured body brought me to this state…"
"The stairs?! Is that why your face is so pale…?!"
〔T-The vitals really are dropping slightly…! What on earth happened?! No, what are they planning to do…?!〕
While everyone watched with bated breath, Ea directed a question at Elizabeth, delivered in a stiff, robotic, yet somehow heartfelt tone.
"I want to… hear your song."
"My…?!"
"Please… sing. For everyone's sake. That is… why we came here."
Her abysmal lack of acting experience made her delivery awkward, but the illusion cast by Merlin disguised the flaws.
"Your brightness… shines brightest when it is for everyone. I came here… because I wanted to see you shine."
"To see me shine… in a condition like that?!"
Capitalizing on the languor brought on by the pumpkin pie served earlier, Ea appealed to Elizabeth.
"Not for yourself… but for someone else… Please, bestow your singing voice… upon everyone…"
Grasping Elizabeth's hands tightly…
"I beg of you..." Collapse.
Ea breathed her last (acted) in Elizabeth's arms. A screech from a dragon's throat shattered the air.
"PRECIOUS――――――!!! For me… for my sake, you used up the last of your life…!"
Tears of sorrow and deep emotion welled up in Eli-chan's eyes. Ea threw a glance at the rest of the room and sent out a telepathic message.
(Now! Everyone! Start the Eli-chan chant!)
(Eh?)
With her ears ringing from the point-blank screech, Ea urged them onward.
Why was someone possessing a voice and pitch beyond human reach so tone-deaf? The King of Heroes had used his Clairvoyance to grasp the underlying cause and reach a deduction.
When she sang purely for her own amusement, for herself alone… she put too much power into it and lost all control. Merely projecting her own fun and her isolated world onto others couldn't move anyone's heart. Ea focused directly on that point.
"—E-Eli-chan! Eli-chan! Eli-chan!!"
Catching the true intent instantly, Rikka raised her voice in a loud, clear chant.
"Eli-chan! Eli-chan! Eli-chan!"
Mash followed suit, raising her voice as well. Whether their ears survived or not was on the line—it was worth a shot!
"Looks fun! Eli-chan! Eli-chan! Eli-chan!"
Arcueid joined in without hesitation, shouting with all her might. Atmosphere is what matters most, after all! She kept up the chant alongside the Master.
〔Magi☆Mari… Sheba… This isn't a betrayal, okay…! Eli-chan! Eli-chan!〕
〔E-Eli-chan… Eli-chan…!〕
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