Chaldea and Staff: Who are we? (160) (Patreon)

“And you bas… manw… perve…” Drake was struggling, trying all her best to find some relatively decent insult that describes Hector, but the man was so sociable and non-offensive that she couldn’t find one that fits. Giving up, she simply slammed her can of beer down on the table with a loud thud and just decided to air out her complaint. “Cheated us!”

“Hey, no need for such harsh words.” Hector tried to dismiss Drake's words, though his somewhat languid manner showed that he was not really that serious about it, as he took out a cigarette. "I just thought it was a little joke, and you decided to rip my head off for it… Don't you think that that's a bit over the top of a reaction?”

Drake thought about it for a moment, then glanced at Archer, who was trying to keep a neutral expression. As if he hadn't been involved in all that was going on, hadn't followed Hector around Chaldea. Like he had only recently discovered the ability to blink and change his expression while maintaining his thoughtful, nonchalant facade, and decided to indulge in the novel feeling. As if he wasn’t also the one responsible for chasing after Hector. "I don't know, I was drunk, and I was having fun. Everybody was mad and I was mad. Everybody ran after Hector, and so I did as well.”

The bastard answered with a shrug, as Archer tried to keep a neutral expression on his face. But the glares of the others, which continued to silently drill the unperturbed Servant, still forced him to sigh, and, after setting aside another can of alcohol, sighed. “I too… I was just drunk, and I chased after Nero.”

“I'm not surprised.” Another voice, from a person not involved in the kerfuffle, marking him as the fourth Servant here, made Archer focus his attention on the man. Mozart, who preferred not the beer consumed by the other three, but the more sophisticated taste of wine in the glass, added in. “Nero was chased by many in her time.”

“Umu!" Came the affirmation from Nero herself, causing Archer to sigh.

The small group of five Servants, whose members usually included Archer, Drake, Cu Chulainn, Hector, and Nero, had grown somewhat fond of each other during their time together. Well, or more accurately, the five Servants, in view of the not-so-enviable number of possible pastimes, have chosen to meet almost every day, spending time sitting and talking.

And if you've spent more than a week talking about yourself and each other, one way or another, it was bound to elicit a certain response from the various Servants about each other. And since killing each other would be very bad indeed, they decided to get along.

But, when Cu Chulainn broke the arrangement, having followed Ainz into Singularity, Nero, apparently already used to being around the four Servants all this time, found a replacement. Mozart, easily and quickly enough. The number of Servants preserved, thus keeping her company of interests. Coincidentally, also another person who preferred to drink wine, thus ceasing to make her stand out so much among the others.

Fortunately, Nero had not come up with some ‘ingenious’ idea, like inviting Kiyohime or Hassan to the drinking party. She would probably have curtailed any conversation from organically starting, preferring to instead talk incessantly about her ‘Anchin’, their Master. And Hassan, who could not drink for religious reasons, and to prevent any accidents from happening if she got drunk…

Mozart, generally speaking, fitted in surprisingly easily with the Servants, brightening up their leisure time with occasional stories from his own life and performing the extremely important function of interrupting Nero when she got drunk and decided to sing something. And so, instead of the Emperor’s ‘finest’ performance, the group was gifted by the most beautiful of a cappella songs that even made Archer himself listen, and for Nero knocked all thought of her own ‘creativity’ out of her mind.

There was no telling how long such a trick would continue to work, but as long as Mozart was with them and as long as Nero was fooled, they don’t have to deal with it. Archer was left to wonder how Nero, who had elegantly created the problem herself by her singing, had also easily solved it by finding Mozart.

As he pondered the funny thought, Archer took another sip of beer. Beers that, surprisingly, Chaldea had some absolutely inhuman amount of it in storage. Shifting his gaze to the surrounding Servants, he noted that it was not a bad sort of silence. Too bad that not all the Servants enjoyed the sort of companionable silence that he preferred.

“So now what?! I’m bored!” But as Drake was Drake, who was knocking over can after can, and not even getting tipsy, not by a long shot, easily broke the silence. "Shall we play something?”

“Maybe cards…?” At his suggestion, Hector caught the glances that all the Servants present threw at him like he’s an idiot, causing him to feel uncomfortable. “Okay, got it, no Cards.”

Then, realizing the important detail, Hector threw a frown in Mozart's way.“Hey, you weren't even present then!”

“I'd suggest some rounds of Pétanque, but I'm afraid that's not a game suitable for Servants. Especially when you consider the Archer Servants in this group.”  Mozart easily ignored Hector's exclamation, continuing on with his suggestion.

“Hmm…” Archer thought about what he could recommend. What games did he know? Hmm, of course there were the go-to games that he knows, like go or shogi. But then, Archer didn't think that the other Servants would know how to play that. So maybe something like chess?  But then again, those were games mainly for two people.

“How about something like Blackjack?” Drake sounded out her suggestion, but it was quickly shot down by Mozart this time, too. “Hmm, games of luck? Really Drake? No, all games of that genre are pretty much something that is unenjoyable for Servants. What's the point of playing Blackjack if your luck will always make you pull a Blackjack, Drake? Not to mention all sorts of other ways of cheating that everyone here has. Well, I'm no exception to that, so… ”

There was a pause between the Servants as they thought of what to do, interrupted, perhaps, by one from whom such a thing was to be expected. “Truth or dare!”

“Nero," Hector responded this time. “Asking a dare from Servants would probably not end well, drunk or not. Or are you perhaps wanting to see me crawl under the table and start reciting obscene poetry or something equally embarrassing?”

“Oh!? Does the normally boring Hector actually know about these kinds of things?” Nero suddenly cheered up.

“Less than I do, of course" Mozart quickly came to Hector’s rescue, allowing Hector to pass heaving to explain his strange joke to Nero, eliciting an approving laughter from Drake. “Pfft, what poetry? There’s no way that it’s more bawdy than the one I know! And I've got all the dirty songs of the pirates from all corners of the world in my whole fleet of ships!”

“There it is, the real main treasure of Captain Frances Drake.” Mozart sighed at Drake’s exuberance, before turning his gaze to Nero. “No, the idea is certainly interesting, but… Hmm, I think it's not the ‘dare’ but the ‘truth’ part that's the problem here. Not that we can really do anything that is amusing with dares without going overboard. But, I do think we all have secrets we don't want to tell…”

“Hmm?" Nero raised one eyebrow at Mozart’s objection, before shaking her head in disagreement. "No, I don't think so. This Emperor has nothing to hide ~ umu!” Nero shouted while pushing her chest outward.

“And I think you do,” Mozart sighed at Nero’s antics. "Even if you pretend you don't have them, everyone has them. Including you.”

At Mozart’s words Nero was struck silent, Archer suddenly found the rest of the Servants also somewhat silent, watching the scene happening in front of them.

It didn’t take long before Nero regained her composure, though her mood was strangely somber. "Do I have secrets and unpleasant memories? Of course, I do… But I thought it was all supposed to be a game, right? No one would be prying into such a thing so directly…” Nero answered uncharacteristically gloomy.

“Well, that didn’t end well… ” Mozart sighed, looking at the quiet Nero, and then, apparently having correctly assessed the atmosphere, he sighed. “I'm sorry.”

Nero only waved her hand, after which an awkward silence was established for a few seconds, and Archer did not know how exactly it should be broken.

Before Nero, somewhat unexpectedly, continued to speak. “Huh, I think it would be more awkward to dwell on the subject now, right… ? And, hah, well since my idea had an unexpected payoff, I guess we just have to risk everything and go on. In that case… I’ll start.”

Archer blinked in surprise, discovering that it seems that Nero was quite serious about this. So much so that she hadn’t even finished her words with her usual catchphrase.

“Okay, ask me a question,” Nero hummed, and then, seeing Mozart look up in surprise, she just smiled at him. "I think we're playing a twisted version of truth or dare here, where we just answer each other's questions and get to know each other better…  but isn’t it quite the fitting game for allies in saving the world ~ umu?

Archer exhaled his unknowingly held breath, finding that Nero had returned to her usual mood. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, after all.

Mozart, on hearing these words, finally looked up from his depressed mood from his faux pas, as he looked around at the Servants present.

Indeed, somehow and suddenly, their discussion of games for fun had taken a sudden turn for the worse. But Nero was right. If they'd just tried to hush up the occasional conflict between the Servants, it would have turned out worse instead, especially now that Nero herself had pointed it out.

And while the atmosphere around the Servants was a bit strange now, and they couldn't be called close friends who could easily open their hearts to each other right now, but… Ah, to hell with it! If worse comes to worst, they’ll just blame it on the booze!

“What wish would you make for the Grail?” Mozart, apparently realizing that any of his decisions would look rather awkward now anyway, decided to at least ask the question that really interested him.

Nero blinked in surprise at the unexpected question, before looking at Mozart, grinning wildly. “And that's why you were worried? Umu! Pfft, I don't want to win any Grail!”

For a second, Archer thought the storm was completely over, but… Well, it seems that Mozart has taken the view that if you’re going to eat poison, you might as well eat the plate as well.

“No, I don’t mean it that way… ” Mozart added, knocking Archer out of his thoughts. “Maybe you don't want to get the Grail, but…  what wish would you make for it?”

Archer was silent, as was Nero, while the other Servants were uncertain whether they should even speak at all right now.

But Nero just sighed in thought, actually deliberating on answering such a private question. “Huh… Well, I think I know what you mean. But, huh… what would I wish for?”

Nero then was silent for a few more seconds, gathering her thoughts, before slowly speaking up again. “A wish huh… perhaps… No, yeah, I would want to destroy one of my incarnations… or more of a possibility? I guess I'd want to destroy the possibility of… I'd want to take away the possibility of being summoned as a Rider forever.”

Archer wasn't sure exactly what Nero meant, but judging by how difficult it was for her to say those words. Nero had mentioned it for a reason and… ah.

The picture in Archer's mind was complete, causing him to sigh.

It seemed that he had figured out exactly why Nero, the Empress of Rome, did not want to be summoned as a Rider.

Once again there was an awkward silence, but Nero, apparently still in the mood to continue, suddenly started glancing around at the other Servants. Her actions made Archer blink before realizing that this was how she was trying to find out if there was anyone among the Servants who wanted to follow after her.

Huh, no, this was no game for her, rather it just suddenly moved into the area of telling the other Servants, even answering some questions about herself. The look Nero had now, in that case, was a silent question about whether the other Servants would agree to participate in this activity.

“Fine, I’ll go next.” Hector smirked, evidently understanding the ‘game’ as well as Archer did, as if to confirm Nero's unspoken question.

“So… what to ask?” Nero sighed as she glanced at Hector’s waiting gaze. “Um, ah, there’s something I’ve always wanted to know! Have you… have you ever been married?”

“Ay, it's a little hurtful when people know so little about your story… Wasn’t it supposed to be well-known?” Hector sighed, shaking his head. “Yes, I was married. I had a wife, Andromache, and I loved her. I even had two children and…  and that's why I'll never forgive Achilles.”

This fact Archer was also well aware of. It was unlikely that after Hector's death, his wife and children had lived a peaceful and happy life.

“Would you…” Nero paused, then looked at Hector. “If you possessed the Grail… would you want to… ”

“Change it?" Hector glanced at Nero, then took another puff of his cigarette as he thought of his answer. “Hmm… huh, it would be silly to say that I never thought of changing the outcome of my battle with Achilles, but…  No, I guess not. I will never forgive Achilles, and I would gladly grab the chance to kill him in a duel a few more times. But what happened thousands of years ago… it has no room for change. I like this world, and I don't want to ruin it by changing a story as long ago as the Trojan War. Besides, even if I change it, I'm already a Servant. I won't be able to see that battle, or even participate in, or even enjoy spending more time with my wife and children.” Hector took a long drag of his cigarette and slowly breathed out the smoke.

“Eh, I’ll content myself just reading the history books, which will describe twenty or more generations of my descendants and their actions… Though, I'm not that into reading.”

Then, having finished speaking and glancing at Nero, making sure she asked what she wanted, Hector then looked at Drake, who only shrugged. “I don't know if I'll be able to dig out any terrible secrets from my past, but… eh, if everyone here has agreed to do this, would I be Captain Francis Drake if I refused now?”

“Then for my question…” Hector pondered for a moment, obviously trying to determine which question to ask Drake really interested him at the moment, aware that because of the special atmosphere, this might be the only time and place for all the hard and interesting questions.

“In that case… How about, when all this is over, what are you going to do? After the Singularities that is?”

“Huh? That’s a strange question.” Drake thought for a moment before shrugging. “Well, I've never really made a big deal out of it, but I guess it's all over the place now, so… I guess it would be fun to be an Admiral of Britain again? But I guess that doesn't really make much sense now. And privateering hasn't really been an occupation anymore, so, hmm… I guess I'd like to ride on a modern ship, a military ship, not those cruise liners or yachts, and then maybe after that, go rob the richest casinos in this world.” Drake took a long sip of beer, so even for Francis Drake, talking about your desires is something that needs the lubrication of alcohol.

“Well, I mean, not steal, but just gamble in them… though with my Luck I guess that would be the same thing? Huh, I'd even like someone to limit my luck in this case, there's not much point and excitement in casinos if you know you'll win anyway. So, probably commandeer a warship, and then onwards to Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Macau, and so on. I won’t make a secret out of it. Ah, right, you, Nero, by the way, are also invited to this cruise.”

“Umu,” Nero responded most graciously to Drake's offer, noting her invitation with a nod.

After that, Drake glanced at Archer, who then quickly realized that he was next in line.

For a second a lot of thoughts raced through his head, about what he could have easily answered, or more like thoughts about what he didn't want to answer. But in the end, he just nodded.

Well, if everyone was opening up right now, it would be just plain dickish to just pack up and leave after hearing the others talk.

So Archer nodded.

And, heh, of course with that kind of luck, Drake would ask him the most piercing of questions. “Why do you dislike your name so much? Why introduce yourself as Archer? I think that a Servant with your capabilities would have been more famous.”

Really, answering the question ‘what's your real name?’ would have been a lot easier. But as expected of the monstrous Luck of Drake, a random question had struck at the sorest spot Archer had… Is it too late to just run away now? Judging by the expression on Nero’s face, the answer to that should be obvious.

“My real name is Emiya. Emiya Shiro, not that should really mean anything much to any of you." Archer shook his head at the confused look of the other Servants, as they couldn’t recall any Heroic Spirits with his name.

"And as for why I no longer claim ownership of my one name… No, hah, it's probably wrong to say that I have discarded it, as much as the fact that I… it’s not a name that really describes me anymore. Because the ‘Emiya Shiro’, the person that once could bear that name, is no longer me. Emiya Shiro, is a naive, foolishly heroic idiot who wanted to save everybody… and I'm not him anymore. I… I did a lot of things that Emiya Shiro, that Emiya Shiro, would never even dream of doing. Calling myself ‘Emiya Shiro’ would be a lie, now ‘Archer’ suits me much better.”

Under any other circumstances the other Servants would have been silent and thoughtful, but the moment was anything but ordinary. So almost after Archer finished speaking, Drake reacted most vividly by tipping a new can of beer, her fifth, or sixth judging by the number of empty cans gathered at her side. "Hmm.”

There was some semblance of silence for a moment, but such revelation was not beyond what was expected or possible for the other Servants, no Heroes really have a nice ending to their story after all. So Archer could only sigh at the lack of reaction before glancing at Mozart, who noticeably perked up. “Huh, well, as the one to suggest the game, it’s about time I participated.”

Mozart smiled deprecatingly as he finished talking, as Archer wondered what to ask.

What could he ask Mozart? No, not that, matters of love is not something that is to be asked while drunk. That and if the person in question is not around, it’s quite the moot question. So, what could he really be interested in? Questions about battle? About loyalty? About the Grail? Or…

Archer thought for a moment as a question popped up in his head. He supposes that Drake’s question really did get under him. "Mozart… Your main passion is music, isn't it? No, that's not the question, I…”

“I understand, I’m not so boorish as to count that as your question.”- Mozart smiled. “Yes, I am indeed a musician down to my last bone.”

“My question would be, if you… If a situation arose in which you knew for sure that you couldn't succeed, even with all your capabilities in music, but by making a deal with… something, you could prevail, only to find that the deal was not at all as rosy as you initially thought… What would you do?”

It was a rather odd way to phrase his question, but that was the best circumlocution Archer could come up with to describe his situation.

I mean, he didn't make a deal with the Counter Force for the sake of music, but it still might fit with his question… Yes, he regretted it. He really did.

He never got the chance to be a Hero of Justice and a savior. Only ending as an elite assassin in the service of the Counter Force, forced not to save people, but instead to kill them. Unable to save anyone, intervening only at the very end, and was forced only in preventing the worst outcome for the whole world.

Mozart could hardly have known that, but he only smiled an understanding smile, as if he knew some information about Archer. Perhaps even information that Archer himself did not know. Still, after some short pause, his expression crumbled a bit as he pondered the question.

“Hm… That is quite the question… Did I regret taking the action that I did then? After all, I'm just a musician and a bit of a magus.” Mozart raised his hand with his thumb and forefinger slightly apart for emphasis. “There was no possibility that the little old me could have become a Servant at all, there are just limits that ordinary people, which sadly included me, can't surpass. Sure, I could have been an excellent composer and pianist, but to really be exemplary, I needed something more. In order to become what I am now I also made a deal, not with the Devil thankfully, but with Music itself. And, um, in a way, had even sold my soul to it.”

Mozart suddenly smirked a little. “Though, that, incidentally, also saved me from the unfortunate necessity of becoming Demon King after death… Hmm, but do I regret it?” Mozart pondered, and then he sighed.

"I don't know how history would have turned out if I hadn't made that deal, and my decision then… it was probably the right one. But, I guess one still wonders. I still regret it sometimes. To have simple and understandable human emotions would probably have been better…”

“You mean you…” Archer raised one eyebrow, but Mozart only put a finger to his own lips. “Nope, that’s the second question in a row.”

And then each of the Servants who had taken a turn in the game fell silent for a moment, as if they were evaluating what had happened so far.

Was it the alcohol? Was it by chance? Or was it because of the unique cast of Servants in this room?

What was it that had suddenly caused them to turn to intimate conversation?

Archer tried to evaluate everything said in this room, weighing the pros and cons of such a conversation before exhaling.

Well, ha… He had already revealed at least one of his secrets, but judging by Mozart's smirk and look, maybe even two already…

Was it humiliating? Dangerous? Difficult?

Probably…  But no, not really.

In any other circumstances? Yes, it would have been much harder for Archer to speak of something that intimate, of a secret he had usually kept close to his chest. Typically, such talk would clearly have left an unpleasant feeling on his soul, but everyone here had agreed to such a thing, and revealing their secrets among people was really easier if they all also did it.

Hmm, Archer thought about it for a second. Of all the people here, only Drake's question hadn't made her reveal any terrible or embarrassing secrets. One could, of course, say it was a little unfair,  but from Archer's perspective, and, it seems, all the other Servants, Drake simply had no terrible secrets that she could reveal, so Archer could only shrug. The Luck stat at play again…

At least until Mozart himself smiled, and nodded Drake’s way. "Well, shall we go on?”

And, getting the nods of agreement from the other Servants, Mozart smiled. “Well, Drake… What's your real identity, then?”

“Francis Drake, admiral of Britain, privateer in the Queen's service, and the man who sank the sun. Well, if you go by the titles, anyway.”

“No," Mozart smiled, "I mean your second identity”.

“Huh?" Drake blinked, and then she looked at Mozart with one eyebrow raised. “I’m not really sure what you’re getting at?”

“Oh? I think you do, though.” Mozart smiled. “My wonderful hearing allows me to hear a lot of things… even including things that haven't been said.”

Drake thought about what Mozart meant for a moment, before a realization struck her, and she sighed, “Do you know how much of my luck was spent escaping the palace and going on a mad voyage against the Spaniards?”

Archer blinked.

The palace, why would? No, of course Drake was decorated with the title of Knight, but it was hardly a remark about that.

“Now, this is getting interesting ~ umu.” Nero leaned forward, looking at Drake, causing her to look away and stumble over to Hector also scrutinizing her, causing her to sigh defeatedly.

“Okay, maybe I'm not exactly that ‘Francis Drake’…” Drake sighed. “But I was genuinely hoping to slip in for him. After all, if Jack the Ripper, Oda Nobunaga, and King Arthur turned out to be a woman, who would pay attention to another Servant with a slightly mismatched gender?”

Mozart raised his hand quietly, causing Drake to sigh. "Oh, well. I'm still Francis Drake. Or, rather, what people had agreed to call Sir Francis Drake. I'm, uh… something between Francis Drake and, uh…”

“Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the First.” Mozart grinned victoriously, for which he was immediately struck in the head with an empty beer can.

“I was and no more,” Drake, who had just thrown the can with perfect accuracy at Mozart’s head, immediately sank back into her seat and stared at the surrounding Servants, who were looking at her in bewilderment.

“Let's suppose that originally this body belonged to Queen Elizabeth, who passed herself off as Sir Francis Drake and went round the world in this disguise, tired of the palace life. And simply kept doing it, because she could no longer show her face in public…” Drake lifted her finger to her face and ran it across the big scar across her face.

"That's why I’m technically both. But I'm not her, if anyone summons the Servant, Queen Elizabeth, it'll be another Servant entirely. I am Francis Drake, just… with a slightly different story.”

Archer blinked, obviously assessing what was said.

So… Queen Elizabeth the First, the Virgin Queen… was actually a person like this?

Archer blinked and glanced at Drake, who clearly knows what Archer was thinking now, just waved him off. “That nickname only existed by necessity…  And, by the way, even before I took the guise of a privateer, it doesn't fit the truth.”

Archer only blinked.

Truly, for the Servants around here, today was a day of discovery...

“Okay, my turn, since the only true secret I have is out,” Drake, or was it Elizabeth? Sighed, then immediately knocking over a can of beer, which confirmed that she really was more like Francis Drake than Queen Elizabeth. “I choose… Nero. Right, how did you ever cope with palaces, the management and all that. It's all crazy boring and almost hair rendingly annoying, what with all the bothersome, constant intrigue…”

Archer blinked at Drake’s matter of fact questioning. Curiosity, it seems, hasn't killed the cat.

Archer smiled a little.

Indeed, today had been a day of discovery for them and… Archer glanced at his watch.

The night was just beginning.

***

True Name: Archer \ Emiya Shirou

Skill Name: Eye of the Mind (True)

Skill Level: 60

An assessment and identification-like ability that works against enemies and their abilities. Allows one to roughly estimate an opponent's level and determine his strongest classes, as well as estimate the strength and effect of the abilities he uses with some accuracy. Also, allows one to ignore invisibility effects of magic of the sixth tier and below, correlated stealth abilities and allows the user to place detected enemies on the mini-map. In other words, in Yggdrasil, a game where the most valuable resource is information, it can be said that this skill is, if not in the top list for Players to acquire, then at least desirable for many.

The fact that it’s a Passive that is always active with no cost to it, just sweeten the pie.