Puppet Auto-detonation Magecraft, Solar Runes, and even the Mystic Eye Projection.
I couldn't say I had exhausted every single resource at my disposal, but I had certainly revealed several of my trump cards... against an enemy who had driven me into such a corner.
"I see, so this is the Mystic Code of the organization known as Chaldea... However, it is soft! Far too soft! Did you truly believe you could attend a banquet hosted by a noblewoman in such a wretched, skintight design!"
"Um..."
"As one who rules the masses, it is my duty to enlighten the foolish commoners who know nothing of refined leisure! I shall reconstruct everything—your attire, your etiquette, even your very personality! Ritsuka Fujimaru, Master of Chaldea!"
"No, wait a second! Why is it only me?! Look at Karma-san over there, he's wearing jeans and a T-shirt! And Kirschtaria-senpai and Kadoc are wearing the exact same Mystic Code as I am!"
Listening to the resentment Ritsuka spat out, he nodded briefly before turning back to address her.
"Firstly, the other two Masters over there already exude the dignity of the aristocracy. I see no need to instruct them separately in the ways of etiquette."
"Ugh...! Then what about Gareth-chan and Mash..."
"Senpai, how could you do this to me...!"
As Mash looked at Ritsuka as if she had been betrayed, Vlad III replied as if echoing her sentiment.
"Those two are your escorts. One cannot force the etiquette of the ballroom upon those serving as guardians."
"Then why aren't you doing anything to Karma-san over there!"
"That is because..."
"...Because?"
Clutching his large needles and exuding a solemn atmosphere, he spoke in a low, hushed voice.
"I have no desire to be forcefully desummoned again."
"So you're just picking on the weak! You're totally chicken!"
"Fu, fuhahaha! Provoking me like that is useless! This body has already been sufficiently taunted by that heretical Master. My constitution has become such that I can no longer be aroused by ordinary provocations! Now, plead and scream to your heart's content, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Master of Chaldea...! Your agony and your screams shall become the fuel for the imagination and creative power of Vlad III!"
"Ugh... Is my level of depravity still lacking compared to those three despicable magi... But Vlad III, no matter how much you try, you shall never touch my soul!"
Vlad III covered his eyes with a blindfold and began meticulously changing Ritsuka's clothes with the intensity of an obsessive artist carving a masterpiece. Though we did not watch directly, we could infer the situation from the occasional screams, groans, and shouts that reached our ears.
Mash watched the scene with a bright red face, while Gareth covered her eyes with both hands but peered through the gaps, repeatedly crying out, "Oh my, oh my!"
After a short while, seeing Ritsuka—or rather, Gudako—wearing an off-shoulder dress in a shade of orange lighter than her hair and sporting a dazed expression, along with the perfectly sized formal suits and dresses provided for us... I decided to simply stop thinking.
*
"Sob, will I ever be able to get married after this...?"
[I-it'll be fine, Ritsuka-kun! It may have looked that way, but in the end, he was only changing your clothes, and he made sure to block any of the staff from seeing anything!]
Mm, as expected of Romani. Truly the action of the only adult in Chaldea.
And if Vlad III had truly intended to do something untoward to Ritsuka, Mash or Gareth wouldn't have just stood there blushing; they would have turned the Lord Impaler into an impaled Lord.
"By the way, that talk about escorts seemed like a joke too."
"Probably. Setting aside Gareth, who is a complete Heroic Spirit, Mash is still essentially human."
Having offered a small silent thanks to Vlad III, who had provided clothing for everyone except Gareth—and even knitted a scarf for her before vanishing—we slowly advanced toward the castle that was now looming grandly before us.
Fortunately, as we approached the castle, the trash mobs like skeletons with exposed ribcages and pumpkin-headed zombies began to dwindle before disappearing entirely. We were able to move forward with much more comfort and ease.
Finally reaching the castle gate, we pushed it open to find a woman with a voluptuous figure and rather suggestive attire waiting for us on the other side.
"...Is that a Heroic Spirit too?"
"In a Singularity, that's almost a given."
"Hm~ being called a Heroic Spirit is a bit too much credit for me. After all, I'm just a simple dancer!"
"It's Mata Hari."
"Oh, you know me?"
Mata Hari.
A spy sent by the German side to France in the past. While she didn't achieve great success as a traditional spy, she was known for using her unique beauty and mastery of song and dance as a honey trap, perfectly gathering private information through her relationships with high-ranking officers.
Of course, since personal secrets were often strategically irrelevant, she earned the derogatory nickname 'The Dud,' and in actual intelligence warfare, she is evaluated as a failure... but on the contrary, rumors persist that her records were intentionally downplayed to hide her brilliant exploits, making her incredibly famous. After all, the combination of 'beautiful dancer' and 'spy' is hard to ignore.
"So, why are you here?"
"This is a banquet hall! If you ask why a dancer is in a banquet hall, isn't it obviously because I'm a special guest invited to liven up the atmosphere?"
"Oh! Does that mean you're going to show us a dance?"
As Wodime shouted with strange excitement, Kadoc, unable to watch any longer, smacked Wodime on the back of the head.
"Kirsch... we haven't even entered the ballroom yet, and you're already..."
"Hmm... fine! You all look to be at a high-spirited age, so it wouldn't be bad to give you a bit of service to lift the mood!"
"Eh?"
And with that, Mata Hari shed her light, fluttering outer layers, leaving herself covered only by thin strips of cloth over her vital areas, and began to dance, whirling the veils tied to her frame.
When it first began, I thought it was merely a dance meant to seduce men, but as the tied cloths and veils fluttered exquisitely, following the movements of her fingertips and toes and the sway of every hair, I found myself naturally losing focus on everything else and becoming enthralled.
Similarly, the two Crypters, whose gazes had subconsciously gravitated toward Mata Hari's generous assets, seemed to have eventually forgotten even their Charm resistance. They stared blankly at the display, and upon seeing the climactic triple rotation, they finally snapped back to their senses and began to applaud.
"Though it was just a brief performance, thank you for your sincere support and cheers! Truly, thank you! Now, please head to the next floor and enjoy the prepared facilities~ Even if a festival lasts only one night, please enjoy that moment to the fullest!"
"...Kirsch, that just now..."
"Ah, think nothing of it, comrade. Though my eyes are nothing to boast of as far as Mystic Eyes go, my Shared Perception Magecraft is currently linked to a camcorder... though it was originally just an experimental subject for magecraft Flat developed, I don't think using it like this is a waste at all."
"I see... as expected of Wodime... You really are the ultimate genius...!"
On one side, two men were sharing a bond of manly friendship.
"Mata Hari-san is the best!"
"Hehe, thank you, cute lady. But before that, shouldn't you check on your other cute junior next to you?"
"It's okay! Mash enjoyed it too!"
"S-Senpai? This is... well, but I think I did enjoy watching it as well!"
...Admittedly, I also found it enjoyable in many ways.
Or rather, I nearly lost myself for a moment.
I know all too well without explanation how insane it is to dance in the middle of a battle, but Mata Hari's dance truly showed what it meant to disorient someone through the art of performance.
Well, anyway. To summarize, it was a truly incredible dance. Perhaps Bathory, who is supposedly at the top, might be normal after all...
'No, let's not lower our guard. Even if everyone else is normal, those two at the very end are not to be ignored.'
Tamamo Cat—a bunrei of Tamamo-no-Mae and the most mysterious among all Tamamos, excluding the 'Bitch' type.
And Elizabeth Bathory, a 'Death Rocker' who possesses 'Pure Madness' on par with Kiyohime.
"Anyway, who's next?"
"Well... shouldn't the owner of the invitation be appearing soon? If it's Castle Csejte, it has to be that woman, right? Carmilla."
"I wonder... surely she isn't holding a grudge about us desummoning her and trying to kill us?"
"If you think about it, even Vlad III, who was harassed by me until he died, just quietly changed our clothes. No, he even gave us free clothes as a gift."
"True, and if you look closely, these are almost on the level of Mystic Codes. They don't have special abilities like Chaldea's, but they could probably stop most bullets."
"Whoa..."
As Ritsuka's jaw dropped at Kadoc's explanation, the second set of stairs soon came into view.
And there, on those stairs, was another Servant engaged in mopping... Carmilla herself.
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