Chapter 2 — Eternal Madness Empire, Septem.
If the first Singularity, the Wicked Dragon Hundred Years' War, was an era thoroughly defined by combat against Phantasmal Species and Servants, then this second Singularity within the Roman Empire would be the one where we must truly square off against human beings... Indeed, in such a place, the taking of life becomes an unavoidable necessity.
'…It's not that I have a particular aversion to killing. The problem is how Ritsuka and Mash will take it.'
I have steeped myself in the world of Magecraft for decades. I have faced and extinguished countless heterodox magi and Dead Apostles until I was sick of it. Naturally, I feel no guilt in severing a human life… Though it might be taxing, I am prepared to stain my hands directly if it serves the Restoration of the Human Order.
But the issue remains Ritsuka and Mash...
In a Singularity, those who perish are recorded by history as having died natural deaths regardless, and if possible, I wanted Ritsuka and Mash to remain ignorant of that cold reality until the very end. Even if Gilgamesh or Merlin were bound to run their mouths eventually, the fact remained that human death is an intrinsic part of restoring a Singularity. This is especially true for the three Singularities where 'Humanity' is the primary focus: the Eternal Madness Empire, the Sealed Magical Quarters, and the North American Myth War.
'Though the Sacred Round Table Realm is its own brand of bizarre… I still don't know why the Lion King appeared alongside Gilgamesh during the Fourth Holy Grail War.'
Anyway… if I were to summarize this Second Singularity, the Eternal Madness Empire—the first instance where we must treat 'humans' as hostiles—in a single phrase, it would be 'Nero-centrism.'
To elevate the character of Nero, others with potentially compelling narratives… like Boudica, who possessed the perfect arc as an Avenger, or Spartacus, with his unique rebellion-themed identity, were relegated to mere background noise. The past emperors of Rome, even the founder Romulus—who would later manifest with the qualifications of a Grand Servant—and the established fan-favorite duo of Iskandar and Lord El-Melloi II, were all clumsily expended. It was a level of writing where the Singularity's story itself was sacrificed for Nero's sake.
…In other words, it meant we would have to face these incredibly formidable Servants, who would otherwise be cheat-level assets, using only Nero and our primary forces.
The roster of enemies alone was staggering.
Past Roman emperors like Caligula and Caesar were the mildest of them; Romulus, the progenitor and a candidate for the Grand Saint Graph, would emerge as the final boss. Though he lacked his Grand Class authority here and could be defeated with a few thrusts in the original record… in reality, he could never be an easy opponent.
Furthermore, Caesar was a tactical commander leading legitimate Roman legions. To take him down, one would either have to summon an Assassin-class to eliminate him or crush his entire army before overwhelming him in person.
Adding to the chaos, Darius III—Iskandar's rival—would appear, along with Alexander III—the boy-king version of Iskandar—and Zhuge Liang… no, Waver. And thanks to the interference of that meddling Yagami-Kyubey-Kyaru-Leif, even Altera would be summoned as a hidden boss.
Conversely, our localized reinforcements consisted of Jing Ke, an Assassin with a single Hydra-venom dagger; Boudica and the icon of rebellion, Spartacus—neither of whom had any logical reason to fight alongside Nero; and perhaps Lu Bu. That was it.
To make matters worse, if Nero dies, the Human Order would suffer severe damage, and given her aptitude for the Beast VI—the Whore of Babylon—I couldn't even comfortably deploy her to the front lines. Essentially, she was a liability we had to protect while simultaneously waging a war.
"By the way, about the Brittany region…"
"Is it a place you're familiar with?"
"Yeah. The wine there is quite excellent… Sommelier meetings were held there from time to time."
"That is entirely useless information."
"Aside from that, by Roman standards, it's close to the island of Britain, which was separated from the province of Gallia. Not that we can just hop over to Britain in a Singularity; the outside world is already incinerated."
"That much is obvious."
Scattered idle chatter and nonsense filled the air until Ritsuka, unable to watch further, clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention.
"Listen, that's not what's important right now. We need to decide who goes where."
"True. Being on the outskirts of the region should be safer than the capital at the center, wouldn't you agree?"
"Are you telling me to go?"
"I mean… theoretically speaking. What do you think, Karma-kun?"
Romani asked.
"…I think it's best if I head toward Brittany."
"Huh?"
"Ritsuka, you take Mash and Gareth to Rome."
"Yeah, I agree."
While the others tilted their heads in confusion, Gareth, who seemed to grasp her intent, stepped forward to explain.
"The danger level within a Singularity is roughly uniform regardless of location. In that case, between Brittany and Rome, the capital is the more logical choice for us since it's easier to encounter stray Servants there and the location itself is easier to pinpoint."
"Exactly. And Karma-san can simply regroup with us in Rome later, right? If this Singularity is a massive turning point in human history, the crux of the issue is more likely to be in Rome than a rural area like Brittany."
"Wait a minute, that just means you're moving to the capital ahead of time because your group lacks mobility? That's out of the question. We don't know what kind of threats are lurking in the heart of the Singularity."
Romani tried to convince Ritsuka for quite some time, but in the end, he was overwhelmed by her rhetoric and forced to give his consent.
Sorry, Romani. But Ritsuka is the only one who can handle that bratty Emperor.
"And the real problem is something else entirely. Even if we set the Rayshift coordinates like this, what if a Demon God Pillar decides to pull some nonsense?"
"Ah…"
"Better start praying, Romani."
Well, Romani's face went pale.
But consider this your karma. Take it as retribution for being so detached during your days as the King of Magecraft, you fried-chicken-obsessed Roman!
*
"…Accordingly, immediately after the Rayshift, we will deploy to the capital of Rome and the port of Brittany. The location of the Grail and the specific historical deviations in this Singularity are still unknown… Our observation accuracy is not yet perfect, so exercise extreme caution."
"Romani, concentrate resources on Ritsuka's side as usual. Focus on safety protocols and area detection."
"Adjusting resource ratio to 5:5! Daybit, Pepe, handle the chassis; Hinako and Wodime, move to main program control!"
As Romani took command, the staff moved with military precision, each performing their assigned tasks with practiced efficiency.
"Karma-kun's objective is to encounter and rally as many local Servants as possible before moving to Rome. Miss Ritsuka's objective is to resolve the core issue of the Singularity located in the capital. Now, everyone, into the Coffins!"
As I stepped confidently into the Coffin, Romani's voice—far more relaxed than it was during the first Singularity—came through the comms.
[Well then, I'll have to ask you to work hard again, Karma-kun.]
"That's fine, but could you drop the '-kun'? I'm over thirty now, you know."
[If you'd prefer to be called 'old man' by Miss Ritsuka, be my guest.]
…This sweets-addicted King of Magecraft bastard?
"When I get back, I'm pouring vinegar all over your sweets."
[Try it if you can! Pseudo-Spirit Conversion initiated. Counter-Summoning stabilization complete. Spiritron-Calculation engine 'In-Common' program: Engage!]
3… 2… 1…
Rayshift Start.
"OPPRESSIONNNNNNNNN!!!!!"
"Sigh..."
Yeah, I figured as much.
Brittany, the region closest to the British Isles...
Of course, it would be Boudica and Spartacus.