"Are we all here now?" Jeanne asked once Mordred had settled down.
"Everyone that opposes Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, I think," Ritsuka said, yawning. "Let's get this over with before I fall asleep." True to her word, she was leaning on Karna's shoulder, eyes half-closed and her head buried into his fluffy fire cloak. Karna gently pushed her away and nudged her until she was sitting up straight.
"I was about to ask you for your input since you said you knew everything that was going to happen, but…" Jeanne trailed off as Ritsuka yawned again, clapping her cheeks to wake herself up.
"It'll take Semiramis and Amakusa around three days to prepare themselves to manipulate the Greater Grail to fulfil his wish," Ritsuka said. "You're going to have to figure out a plan to get into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon by then, disable the automated defences, take down the Red Servants and hopefully stop Amakusa from even making his wish. Which, by the way, is currently impossible with the Servants we currently have."
"What do you mean?" Vlad asked.
"Semiramis's defences are top-notch due to her Double Summon ability; allowing her to manifest as an Assassin with the abilities of a Caster. It's not like any of the Servants here have Noble Phantasms that nullify magic right now. I mean, I could summon Medea here…"
"Absolutely not," Karna and Arthur spoke in unison.
Ritsuka scowled. "You guys are no fun. I just need her Noble Phantasm. Please? It'll be temporary and she won't need much mana."
Karna and Arthur exchanged glances, mentally conversing for a few seconds before Arthur spoke. "Only if there is no other choice will we allow it."
"Love you guys too," Ritsuka sighed.
"Actually, I have a Noble Phantasm that can completely nullify magic," Astolfo piped up.
"What?!" Caules cried.
"I can only activate it the night of the full moon, though. Plus, I also forgot its True Name." The androgynous Rider giggled sheepishly.
"The next new moon is in 4 days… it will be too late by then," Fiore said.
Ritsuka groaned. "So this is the price I pay for speeding things up by a day. I'll think up something later. You guys can think up a plan to successfully distract the Red Faction, right? The more firepower or decoys the better. Now if you'll excuse me I really need to sleep." As soon as she finished her sentence, she closed her eyes and fell back into Karna's cloak.
Wordlessly, Karna lifted Ritsuka up, turning to Vlad. "Is there a place for her to sleep? From her current condition, she will remain asleep for a significant amount of time."
Vlad nodded and turned to a homunculus standing behind him. "Prepare a room for her."
The homunculus bowed, gesturing for Karna to follow him before he left.
"Father, are you staying?" Mordred asked Arthur.
"I will stay to pass on any further information on to Ritsuka," Arthur replied. "You can hold your discussions without her input—she can add her information tomorrow."
"All we need right now is a plan to attack and infiltrate the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, right?" Sieg asked.
Arthur nodded.
"Well then, can I propose something…?" Caules asked.
Vlad turned his eyes on the younger Forvedge sibling. "What do you have in mind?"
With a slight stutter in his tone, Caules began explaining his plan.
***
Ritsuka opened her eyes to find herself in her bedroom back in Chaldea. "Huh… was I dreaming the entire thing?" Sitting up, she glanced around her room. Her charger was still stuck in the wall, and everything remained the exact same as she had left it.
Wait.
Her belongings had been moved around slightly. Maybe Emiya had gotten in to clean up a bit? A more possible candidate would be Mashu, though. The candy basket on her desk was gone as well, replaced by an apology note written by Robin.
Sorry for taking your candy, Master, but I needed some way to bait Ibaraki. I'll make it up when you come back. ~Robin
Ritsuka got out of her bed, and only then did she notice her entire body was transparent.
"Oh great, I'm dead. Best way to come back home," she groaned.
Deciding to explore the rest of Chaldea, she walked through the door and into the hallways, making her way to the cafeteria. On the way, she noted that no one acknowledged her presence, which meant she was definitely dreaming. She passed by an arguing Nero and Elizabeth (with an exasperated Tamamo watching both of them), Gawain flirting with one of the staff (what was the person's name again?), and surprisingly, even her beloved kouhai dragging Lancelot away from Da Vinci's workshop.
(She snickered at that scene, knowing that the purple-haired Saber would be thoroughly scolded by Mashu later.)
Peeking into the kitchen, Ritsuka saw Emiya cooking with Boudica. Saber Alter lurked outside in casual clothing, munching away on a burger. She smiled at the familiar scene and turned to leave, but then she heard Emiya say her name.
"…Wonder how Ritsuka's doing."
"I do hope she's safe," Boudica said worriedly. "Karna and Arthur may be there to protect her, but I doubt it's enough. She wouldn't have ended up in a place with a harsh climate, right?"
"No," Emiya replied. "I asked around regarding the Great Holy Grail War. Romania is a relatively mild place. Ritsuka will be fine as long as she keeps a cool head. The problem would be how she manages herself in a true Holy Grail War."
"You're right," Boudica replied. "It's nothing like the singularities. A full-out battle between magi and other Servants, and she has close to no support from us. Speaking of Chaldea though… we're still able to contain the more chaotic Servants, right?"
"Worse comes to worst we'll just incapacitate them," Emiya said with a shrug. "She's been gone for about three days and Zelretch said she'd be back in a week, so we just have to hold out for four more days. I never expected that many to go crazy the moment she disappeared, though. Guess that shows just how much control a Master has."
"Do you really trust that… that vampire?"
Emiya shook his head, exasperation in his features. "I've dealt with him a number of times. He does a lot of things out of boredom. Including messing with universes."
Ritsuka turned away and ran down the hall before she could hear Boudica's reply, as she had just seen Kiyohime approach the kitchen. She did not want to go near the Berserker, no matter if she was a spirit or not.
She stopped near the general room, looking inside to see Marie and Jeanne conversing with Mozart playing the piano nearby. Sanson and D'Eon hovered in the area, both shooting wary glances at Caster Gilles de Rais, who was staring at Jeanne. Farther away from them was Edmond, watching the entire scene with a dispassionate gaze. Jeanne Alter was nowhere to be seen, which was mildly strange because she usually hung around her fellow Avenger. Maybe she was sparring?
Ritsuka drifted closer to Edmond, settling down beside him on the couch. She jumped, however, when she heard him speak. "Welcome back to Chaldea, my Master." He turned his head to meet her gaze, his lips curling into a smirk.
"Y-you can see me?!" Ritsuka squeaked.
"I can hear your voice and sense your presence, but I cannot see you. How the Great Holy Grail War goes?"
Ritsuka gave him a brief breakdown of what happened as well as her current problems. Edmond listened silently, his face unreadable. When she finished, he spoke. "Do not be afraid to try what seems to be impossible."
"…Edmond?"
"If you call for me, I will come, no matter how far away you may be, Master. Now, you should wake up. Bring down your enemies with no mercy." His smirk settled into a small smile. "Do come back quickly; or else Chaldea will fall into a state of disorder."
"Got it. Thanks, Edmond!" Even as she spoke, Ritsuka could feel herself floating away from Chaldea.
The last things she saw were Edmond's golden eyes, alight with amusement.
***
Ritsuka opened her eyes, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. She turned her head and saw Arthur sitting beside her, a smile on his face. "Good morning, Ritsuka. Did you sleep well?"
"Not bad, I guess. Where am I?"
"In a guest bedroom in Yggdmillenia Castle. You've been asleep for around 12 hours."
"Oh. Wow. Guess I won't be needing any coffee for a while. Where's Karna?"
"Sparring with Siegfried."
"Oh." Ritsuka sat up and stretched. "Do we have a plan yet?"
"Yes." Arthur summarized the plans Caules had laid out the night before, and Ritsuka nodded.
"That's what they did last time. With enough mana, Medea would also be able to deal her own damage to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Guess I'll summon her now." Ritsuka swung her legs over the bed and onto the ground, only to wince as her stomach growled. "On second thought, I'm going to eat something first."
"I'll take you to the dining room, then."
After practically inhaling her breakfast, Ritsuka went to see Vlad for permission to use the Black Faction's summoning circle. He readily gave it but asked that he be allowed to watch. Ritsuka let him. Somewhere along the way, everyone else minus Mordred, Kairi, and Roche ended up in the chamber as well.
"I really don't get why you guys are interested," Ritsuka sighed. "It's nothing special… oh wait, I'm screwed."
"Master?" Arthur asked.
"I just realized I don't have anything that could summon Medea and I need one. Okay, what's Plan B?"
"You don't have a Plan B?" Sieg asked.
"Nope."
"Actually…" Arthur spoke. "If all you need is someone who can nullify magic, can't you summon someone like Emiya?"
Ritsuka stared uncomprehendingly for a moment before her eyes lit up. "Arthur, you're a genius! And I have his catalyst on me so this is going to work!"
"Who are you talking about?" Vlad asked.
"Emiya is considered a Heroic Spirit from the near future, but he's also a Counter-Guardian," Karna answered.
"In life, he was a third-rate magus, but his elemental affinity and Origin were aligned, and he participated in the Fifth Holy Grail War of his time," Ritsuka added. "He's pretty cool." Ritsuka pulled a card with an image of a red pendant and dropped it into the summoning circle, and then took out 3 Saint Quartz. All the magi in the room gasped at the sheer power emanating from it.
"So much mana…" Caules breathed.
"You're not getting any," Ritsuka shot back. "They're mine ." She placed the quartz next to the catalyst and stepped back, sending a burst of prana from her circuits into the circle. The circle glowed brightly as both catalyst and quartz were consumed, and the figure of a tall white-haired man in red and black armour materialized.
The man opened his eyes and calmly looked around the room, analyzing his surroundings. His eyes then landed on Ritsuka. "Good grief, what a troublesome Master you are. What do you need me for?"
"To blast some stuff," Ritsuka replied casually. "I didn't catch you in the middle of cooking now, did I?"
"No, but I was with Boudica and Kiyohime. You'll be in trouble when you return."
Ritsuka groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Kill me now."
Ignoring her, Emiya turned to nod at Arthur and Karna. "Thanks for taking good care of her. We're all worried about her well-being."
"How is the situation back at Chaldea?" Karna asked.
"Blackbeard, Mephistopheles, and some other trouble Servants are being monitored by Okita and a few others, and the Berserkers haven't broken anything yet although Kintoki's had to restrain Raikou from attacking the oni a few times. The doctor's been sending the occasional party to minor singularities for supply runs, but each team is made up of level-headed Servants. No one's been killed yet."
"Huh, sounds like you guys are fine without me," Ritsuka said. Remembering she wasn't alone, she turned to Emiya. "How about you introduce yourself to the Black Faction and then we'll make a plan?"
Emiya nodded. "But first, Master…" He had a certain glint in his eye.
Ritsuka noticed and took a step back, a nervous expression on her face. "Yes, Emiya… san?"
"What were you thinking when you agreed with Zelretch's idea? Did you have any consideration for the consequences when we found out that you disappeared? Almost everyone freaked out and had no idea if you were safe! Honestly, I thought I taught you better…" Emiya continued to lecture Ritsuka, while everyone else watched in amazement.
"Are you sure he's a Servant?" Fiore whispered to Arthur.
Arthur gave her a reassuring pat. "Emiya tends to be a bit overprotective of Ritsuka. Most of the Servants in Chaldea are."
"I get it, Mom! " Ritsuka finally whined. "You can lecture me later. Let's just get this done and over with so we can go home, okay?!"
"No, you are not off the hook," Emiya shot back. "I expect you to fully think over your actions once we go back home."
"Yes, Mom."
"Don't call me Mom."
"Whatever, Mom."
"Emiya? Master? You two can continue this later."
***
"We are at a disadvantage when considering the number of Servants on each side that can fight," Semiramis commented in the vault where the Greater Grail rested.
"It matters not," Amakusa replied. "Ritsuka was bluffing. She cannot summon any other Servants to her aid from her world with a single Command Seal. I also have a plan to add two Servants to our numbers."
"Two?"
"Normally, in a Holy Grail War, defeated Servants are transferred to the Holy Grail since they are in essence one mass of prana. It is impossible to retrieve their spirit cores, but since this is the Greater Grail, I am able to use my Ruler-class authority to recall the fallen Servants back onto the field. As a cost, though, their Noble Phantasms will be sealed and they have no sense of self. However, they are still Servants, and will greatly increase our advantage."
"So, you will summon Caster and Berserker of Black?"
"Yes. Let us begin."
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada would not lose. Not until he had achieved his wish.