Ultimately, it was decided that for this Sub-Singularity, I would lead a team consisting of Wodime, Ritsuka, and Zemlupus—four people in total.
Naturally, Ritsuka brought along Mash and Gareth. Kadoc and Kirschtaria, who had yet to summon their own Servants, would simply equip themselves with appropriate Mystic Codes, but…
"Sigh…"
"What's wrong? It's not like it's a Singularity created by the King of Mages, and it doesn't even look that difficult."
Excluding Godword, who was the only one truly aware of the Singularity's nature, and Manaka, who looked as if she were about to die of laughter, no one else understood why I was reacting this way. That was to be expected. Only a handful of people would know the song—the one that inflicts permanent insanity just by hearing it.
…Thus, myself, Wodime, Zemlupus, Ritsuka, Gareth, and Mash—six in all—headed toward the event field: Sub-Singularity 'Castle Csejte.'
[It seems everyone successfully Rayshifted without being separated this time… More importantly, what's with your surroundings? I thought it would be nothing special, but the Halloween atmosphere is actually quite thorough, isn't it?]
"I was beginning to think this Singularity was designed as a place for us to enjoy ourselves…"
"I don't know about that, Kirsch. If that were the case, wouldn't they have cleared out these Skeletons and Zombies?"
Kadoc spoke while smashing Skeletons with fists reinforced through Magecraft.
Naturally, he harvested an Evil Bone from among the wreckage and shoved it into his pocket with a triumphant look.
"What are you doing? We should take this chance to stock up on materials."
"…Hey, isn't it a bit petty to do that at a festival?"
"…Just one of these bones would be worth over 100,000 yen, you know?"
"Hehe, they're all mine!"
It was clear that Kadoc Zemlupus understood Ritsuka better than anyone else here.
Aside from the self-esteem issues… perhaps it's because their personalities are similar?
"Anyway, stay sharp. The creatures here seem reasonably tough…!"
After stomping down on a Skeleton crawling toward me and sending a Zombie flying with a punch, they all looked at me with strangely cold, pitiable eyes.
…What? Why are you looking at me like that?
"Seriously, someone actually used a Holy Grail for a place like this."
"Is it really being maintained by a Holy Grail?"
"Without a Grail, how else could you maintain such a massive castle and dress up Skeletons and Zombies in Halloween costumes?"
Of course, those costumed Skeletons and Zombies were promptly beaten down and stripped of their bones by Gareth and Mash. They vanished into dust with death rattles that somehow carried the sorrow of modern-day corporate employees.
[Give it baaaaack~~ Give it baaaaack~~ Leave behind your AP~ or your Saint Quartz~~ Give it to meeeee~~~]
"Stop joking around! These are all mine!"
"She has a point. Saint Quartz aside, what does AP even mean in this context?"
When she mentioned AP—a concept that shouldn't exist here—the Zombies and wraiths fell silent for a moment before letting out a collective wail of lamentation.
[I don't knoooow~~ Just leave everything and gooooo~~]
"…Good grief."
By the time we had harvested about thirty Evil Bones, Castle Csejte began to draw closer.
"But this is honestly hilarious. Why are they running away from us if this is a Halloween horror concept?"
As Ritsuka spoke in disbelief, Kirschtaria chuckled and offered an explanation.
"Look at it from their perspective, Ritsuka. Imagine you're a lion, and suddenly a venomous snake with a flashy patterns starts charging at you."
"Ah, I see. But if they all run away like that, I won't be able to collect the rest of the materials…"
Ritsuka grumbled, clearly regretful about the missed loot.
Just as Mash was about to comfort her, Ritsuka seemed to have an idea. She whispered something to the leading duo of Kadoc and Kirsch. Then, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs.
[Hey, you guys!!!]
The fleeing mobs hesitated at her shout. In that brief window, Kirschtaria's voice, amplified by Magecraft, delivered a very short and impactful question.
[U scared?]
…
[GIVE ME YOUR QPPPP!!!]
[GIVE ME THE SAINT QUARTZZZZ!!]
[GOLDEN APPLES!! IF YOU DON'T HAVE GOLD, GIVE ME SILVER OR BRONZE ONES!]
"Wow, they really are going wild now."
As Ritsuka fired off Gandr shots with a smile, Kirschtaria and Kadoc joined in with their own spells, seemingly finding the spectacle quite amusing.
"Mash, Gareth! Take them all out!"
"Understood, Master!"
"Yes, Senpai!"
[GIVE ME CONSECUTIVE RELEASES! SPECIFICALLY, GIVE ME FIVE MORE CHAPTERS!]
[HEART OF A FOREIGN GOD! FORBIDDEN PAGE! VOID'S DUST! DRAGON'S REVERSE SCALE!]
[IF YOU DON'T HAVE SAINT QUARTZ, AT LEAST GIVE ME THE QUARTZ FRAGMENTSSS~~]
[SERIALIZE SINCERELY! MASS UPDATES! FINISH BY THE DEADLINE!!]
Regrettably, all those who chased after them while shouting their individual demands were pierced by Gareth's lance and turned into streaks of ash.
If there had been Shadow Servants mixed in, it might have been different, but against mere magical beasts of this level, Gareth didn't even tire. If anything, she voiced a bit of regret, as if the battle had been unsatisfyingly short.
"Even so, Master's skills are impressive."
"Hmm… don't knights usually hate this sort of thing?"
"If we had lived strictly by principle alone, the King would not have been able to rule Britain for so long."
Fair enough. Britain was a literal hellscape, after all.
I felt a renewed sense of respect for Artoria, who carried that group project of crazy people on her back for so long.
"In fact, there were those who used provocations to lure the opponent into dishonorable acts. Sir Kay, the King's close associate, was a prime example, and I believe Sir Mordred enjoyed similar tactics."
"Well, it's true that in the group known as the Knights of the Round Table, those who actually live up to the word 'honor' are few and far between."
Let's see… just looking at the ones who have been properly identified…
Mordred: Treason.
Gawain: Potato Gorilla.
Lancelot: Lower-body Berserker.
Agravain: Psychopath.
…Let's stop there.
"At any rate, the technique of confusing an opponent with words is a fundamental behavior for any human on the battlefield. I am still immature and haven't learned such skills yet… but my elder brother explained that a true knight is a logical being who can point out an opponent's weakness while maintaining their own honor."
"That's true. It's true, but… did you hear that from Gawain?"
"No, Sir Agravain told me that. However, I am still so busy just trying to protect my own honor… I don't think I could manage a proper provocation like Karma-san or Master yet."
"No, no. It's better to have proper combat capabilities than to learn this stuff."
"I agree. Somehow, it feels like this provocation skill is being packaged as something grand, but it's really just fundamentally insulting your opponent. It's not exactly something to strive for… strictly speaking, who knows what might happen later during a peace treaty negotiation?"
"Is that so? And yet, despite knowing that, you dared to spout such nonsense to me?"
In an instant, cold sweat trickled down my back.
A dignified, majestic voice I had heard once before brushed past my ears, laced with a hint of amusement and fury.
"Silence is golden, and speech is silver. The saying that the tongue is a blade that pierces a man is certainly not false, Master of Chaldea."
The most troublesome enemy from the Wicked Dragon Hundred Years' War. At the same time, the enemy who had suffered the most pathetic forced departure at my hands. I had fully expected him to appear alongside Mata Hari, Carmilla, and Tamamo Cat. Recalling the Shroud of Magdalene I had handed to Ritsuka beforehand, I slowly opened my Rinnegan.
Watching me take a defensive stance, Vlad III began to break into a crazed smile while gripping a pair of massive needles.
…Yes, I mean knitting needles.
.
.
.
"…?"