Part 15: Orchid Words Arc - Queen

Queen


Another side





My Husband!











...On and on it went. I've just awoken from a massive, terrible nightmare, with a strange feeling that I was viewing it from the outside. But it felt real. Could what I saw have actually happened? I didn't recognize any of it. Still, I can't write it off as a dream. I mean, "anything's possible as long as you're alive," right?





...?

Oh hey. It's our old pal, as a...maid? Yes, Elizabeth is a vampire idol dragon maid.

As I wake up on a soft futon, I exchange looks with the girl cleaning the room in front of me. She's...



I mean, it is.

N-No, you can't fool the demonic maiden of fresh blood with cheap words like that... Be cool Liz, be cool... *ahem* G-Good morning. How are you feeling? What a pathetic little wakeup that was, you...third-rate Master. But thanks anyway, little squirrel!

I respond with a "You're welcome". ...Now then, I don't recognize this room at all. Where am I again?

Y-You sure are playing it cool... Like, "sexy" cool, almost... Maybe because you're just a... Listen, are you sure you're okay? You were out a long time. Does your head hurt? ...I mean, not that I care or anything. You need to go. This whole palace is screwed. That thing owns the place now. Yeah, I know - you just woke up, you don't know what's going on. Just go!

She's anxious for some reason. It's weird and confusing. Why should I leave when there's this soft, comfy bed right here? But she's being extremely insistent. She must have a good reason. ...Seriously, where am I? Well, at least I know who I am. My name is Hakunon. I'm the Master of...someone, and I think I won something called the Holy Grail War. But this place...



...It's a city of flowers. For just a moment, I recall the profile of a single Servant. ...Her hair was brightly colored. Her eyes were golden. Right, she was...

Hey, no zoning out! I said to clear out of here, now! But...where would I even take you...? Saber's territory is too far... Should I just drag you out into the countryside? Be cool. Be cool, Liz. Just keep the little squirrel safe and get away from her...

"Her" who? Get away? Why?

*gasp*



Hmm... A little sooner than I thought, but not to worry. No, nothing to worry about at all. ★ Good morning, darling. ♪ Are you enjoying the view from the top of the castle?

(Uh... Ugh... The jig is up... It's too late...!)

Now then...maid, make yourself useful. Lead my Husband to the throne at once!

...*sigh* Yeah, yeah. I get it. I just have to lead the Master there, right? Fine, I'll be a good little maid. Guess your luck ran out, little piggy. That was the only chance to get you out of here. No more hope for that.

Elizabeth is acting strange. There's no need to run. Even if I can't see her, I know exactly whose voice that is. A feminine voice, full of charm and fun. The voice that cheers me on and always stands by me. It's none other than...


The Fox Throne



...Ohoho. So nice of you to join us, human. You are as brave as you are foolish. And now you will pay the price for your audacity. You are but a speck of trash. Your very life is dust in the wind, to be blown away at my notoriously volatile whim. Are you truly the Moon Cell's great conqueror, then? I expected you'd at least make a fine meal. But you? You're barely an appetizer.

...

The woman reclines on a throne that's unmistakably a bed. She gives the room a feeling of languid decadence, as if she should be smoking a pipe with her hand to her forehead. But all that aside...



Hey, fox games. Fox games are fun. I sure hope this is one of those.

Ah, I may be a fox, but this is no game, you... Oh, come on! At least PRETEND to be scared! My darling... You're finally up. You don't know how long you've kept me waiting. ★ I hope you're good and rested. ♡ "Ye who are near, behold and wonder. And ye who afar, hear and tremble..."



Now, without further ado, take a look and see! This place is my Millennium Capital. No, our Millennium Capital!

Caster proudly shows me the palace of her capital city. It looks very majestic, from what I can see so far. But she's the most important thing to me. There's no way I would mistake her for anyone else. No way I would ever forget her. She's the one who lent me her power, even when I was just a weak novice Wizard. She's my Servant, a Heroic Spirit who practices magecraft.

How was your dream, dear? Was it terrifying? Was it dastardly? Well, not to worry. ★ Now that you're awake, I'll make sure all those nasty feelings just float right away. That's what this entire capital is for. Well, that, and to house my reign's undying glory, all in your honor. ♪ Oh, and just to prove it... Maid! Please tell everyone just who I am.

...Hmph. People know you when they see you. You don't need me to butter you up.

Excuse me? Hmm, whatever will I do? Maybe a little shock will put you in to place. Do you want to try that again?



The one and only Queen of SE.RA.PH. A Caster class Servant, her true name is Tamamo no Mae. There, that good for you?

Queen of SE.RA.PH... Wielder of the Regalia... Hm. That's all news to me, but I do get the message. "Anything's possible as long as you're alive", so sure, she could be the Queen.

That was wonderful. ♪ But you did leave one thing out. You know what I mean, Husband. Despite everything just heard about Queens and rulers, I'm still your very devoted Servant. Your wife, and you very own Caster. That's the truth, and it always will be! So! All hail Lord Hakunon. And me, I'm the loyal, loving Queen. Nothing more, nothing less.



Before we go much further, I should point out that, regardless of Hakuno's gender, Tamamo always uses male language to refer to Hakuno. That is, she'll always address Hakuno as if they were a man, even if, as we see, they are clearly not. This is because Tamamo fashions herelf as the perfect wife, and given the lack of same-sex marriage options in medieval Japan, here we are. Oh, and "My Husband" is one of Tamamo's very things, so get used to her saying it a metric ton of times. Much like Nero does with "Praetor" I suppose.

I have heard that she does comment on this contradiction in her dialogue in EXTRA, if you choose a female protagonist, where she basically says she's not familiar per se with same-sex relationships, but she doesn't mind it, if it's Hakunon. She makes no such allowances in this game, at least explicitly, but hey, whatever. Male Hakuno is part of a timeline I am not on, and will never be on. Nevertheless, this is what she does, so we'll just roll with it.

Now then, the choice. *Obviously* we're going with #3. Sheesh. There's always time to discuss love stuff, and this choice gets a cute reaction.

Whaaaa?! Is our marriage on the rocks already? No, you're just teasing me, aren't you, sleepyhead? Fine, let me explain it AGAIN... During the War, when we prepared to descend into the Moon Cell core, we exchanged our feelings in...well, various ways, and... When it all cleared up, we had a real relationship. ♪ I mean, we exchanged vows to be the greatest partners ever! Now, this part is very serious. This will be on the Advanced SE.RA.PH Management Test, so make sure you remember. Yes? You DO remember it all now, don't you, darling?

Another one of Tamamo's things is her shocked exclamation, which sounds like "MIkon~!", which is extraordinarly cute, so I'm glad she does it a lot.

*nod*



...

Yeah. She may have a bit of a dark streak, but Caster's still elegant, lovable, and boisterous. She's always been like that, and I hope she stays that way. So the one in question here is me. I'm awake now. I think, but it still feels like a dream. When I move, it's like I'm walking on air. When I think, it's like my thoughts are floating away. I try to concentrate and gather my thoughts as much as I can. There's no doubt I fought alongside her. The Holy Grail War. The Moon Cell. SE.RA.PH. We were comrades in arms, and we overcame man powerful enemies. ...This castle. This throne. The present, in other words - that's where everything gets cloudy.

Hm, so it seems we're in a timeline where, it was not Nero who won the Holy Grail War, but Tamamo. Interesting...

*scene transition*
Tamamo Army

So you're still waking up. You were asleep for a good long while. I'm sure you'll feel better soon. *ahem* It's all very simple. We won the Holy Grail War, and reached the "Room" inside of the Moon Cell core. There, you were named the King of SE.RA.PH. ★ And I was chosen, as your one and only Servant, to stand by your side as Queen. And...



Well, it was a wonderful performance. You held most of SE.RA.PH in the palm of your hand. And thus, our Empire of the Millennium Capital was born. The Great Empire, one might call it, large as it is.

...Archimedes. Ah, right. Him I know. SE.RA.PH's system administrator. A special Servant chosen by SE.RA.PH. I met him when we traveled to the Moon Cell core to register for the Royal Authority after the Holy Grail War. He was working as the registration assistant. I walked with him a ways, and then some kind of...aberration appeared...

You, who wield the Regalia and the Royal Authority of the Moon Cell, are suited to rule over all of SE.RA.PH. And so, my King and Queen, I pledge to follow you.

Oh boy, it's Archimedes again. Well, even though I haven't screenshotted it, you can assume he still has the strange Umbral Star markings on his left shoulder blade and hand, as you would be correct about that.

You know, when he was pledging loyalty to Nero and Hakunon during the Flame Poem arc, he was buttering her up entirely, backing the strongest faction and hoping Nero would be victorious, so he could swoop in at the last moment and play his hand to accomplish his objectives. Some things don't change, eh?

Another thing that doesn't change about guys like Archimedes is Nasu *loves* to make Casters villains in his works, or at least works he has supervisory control over. Casters have been major villains in Fate/stay night, Fate/zero, this game, and, most recently, in Fate/Grand Order. But, it does make sense, when you think about it. Saber mentions in FSN that not every fight has to be won with a lance or a sword. Casters are the weakest class in terms of fighting ability, so if you can't win a normal fight, you have to change the rules. The most powerful Casters have the ability to do that, which makes them one of the most dangerous classes in practice.

Another thing Nasu likes to do with his villains is he doesn't like them lying about stuff. Archimedes mentioned it during his big reveal scene last time, but he never technically lied. Much the same could be said of other Nasu villains, who, even if they don't tell the whole truth, only very very rarely actually say things that aren't true and the viewer / reader knows they're not true.

Heroic Spirit Archimedes. We appreciate your loyalty. You returned the sleeping King to his castle. You've done great things for us since then, as well. But...



Tamamo has a lot of really great portraits.

Ah, please forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty, but as the system admin, I cannot ignore a threat to SE.RA.PH.



...That's right. SE.RA.PH IS in danger! During the registration, some kind of horrible titan appeared. THAT'S what happened. A giant creature attacked Tamamo and I, and it held me captive. I escaped. Somehow. Barely. And I got hurt in the process. That must be how I lost consciousness.

Anomalies are now spreading throughout SE.RA.PH. That creature that attacked the King and I is not the only threat. These anomalies must be investigated and resolved immediately, and who better than Your Majesties to perform the task?

Sheesh... How dare you presume to tell us what we must do? I understand that it's your job, but still. *ahem* Let's be clear about this, Archie. Our Empire may be young, but we have a certain way of doing things. First on our to-do list, we'll completely obliterate all those Servants who had the nerve to refuse to bend the knee. And speaking of nerve, how about that Emperor? Her "forces" are all worthless pawns. None of them can touch the Millennium Capital. So excuse us if we have some insects to crush and lands to conquer. SE.RA.PH can take care of itself until we finish with that.

"Archie" for Archimedes. I like, I like.

So Caster's first priority is expanding her territory. She seems angry about it. Maybe she doesn't like it when other people are outside of her control.

Master. You understand where I'm coming from, don't you? ★ Once we root out all those nasty enemies and crush them back into the dirt, all those little doubts of yours will float right away. That's what's most important. Peace and quiet for my Husband. There's no greater thing in the world. ♪

...Hmm. Her tone is pleasant enough, but I can see the fangs in her smile. This place still feels new to me, and there are things about it I don't understand. With that in mind, I...



Well, if we were Elizabeth, choosing this would probably get our head lopped off, but we're Hakunon, so it's okay...probably. Royal prerogative and everything, you understand.

I can't quite agree with her. If SE.RA.PH's in danger, then we don't have time to butt heards with our rivals. Caster may be efficient when it comes to waging war, her personal emotions can cloud her judgment when she's up against specific people. And it looks like this Emperor is one of those people. But I'm sure she'll come around. There are more important things than drawing out the fight. She'll get that.

Master? What are you saying? You're not disagreeing with me, I hope. Ohhh... That's going to be a problem. A very big problem. You don't want to be unhelpful, do you? So could you please say that again, Master? ♡ I'm not wrong here, am I?

Uhh...maybe I was wrong, actually. Hopefully Hakuno plays this one all smooth-like.

In that instant, I feel like she's pinning me against a wall. She shoots me a sidelong glance with those eyes, those compelling golden eyes. Her beautiful gaze hits me like a tsunami. I can't withstand the pressure. All I can do is nod in agreement.

Well, things worked out. One wonders how far Hakunon could push Tamamo, though.

Thank goodness. ♪ I knew you'd see it my way! Ah, mutual love is a wonderful thing! You and I, Master, pledged to one another, our feelings connected as one. ★

Yeah, yeah, that's enough. You two have your own room for that, you know. Besides, great Queen, I don't think Archimedes is done talking.

Hm, what happened to the real Elizabeth Bathory? This is definitely not like her...maybe.

Indeed, Elizabeth, and I stake my life on these words. The King has awakened to find the kingdom changed. And so I must inform you both: With the "enemy" who attacked the King still at large, and anomalies in every corner of the land...clearly, the danger to SE.RA.PH grows with each passing moment, and so I would ask its King and Queen to take action at once.

Archimedes, you...

Caster's eyes burn brightly. This isn't good. She's in a genuine rage now. She's ready to blast Archimedes right in the face... I touch Caster's hand to try and calm her. Archimedes does have a point. More than one point, actually.

...Errrgh. If you insist, I will hold back my fangs. Very well. Let's suppose SE.RA.PH really is in some unprecedented danger. So what? It's not as if we have all the time in the world. Why should we bother with that sort of thing? What I want is to live happily with my Master. That's all. I don't need anything else.

Ha. That's total BS, and you know it. You need money, you need power, you need pleasure... And once you find a little happiness, all you want is more. That's what being a woman means to you. In fact, your true nature-

Stop and feel the wrath of Heaven, won't you? ♡





*ahem* Where were we, dear? ★ Ah, oh yes, I only want to live happily with you. I want...a little fun, a little mystery, and just a hint of decadence. Our united people showering us with tribute, enough wine to fill a pond, acres and acres of food. A lifestyle of dazzling stimulation. That is my dream. My wish. Everything I want to accomplish here in our Millennium Capital. Anything else, well, I don't care. Not even about anything else that lives here, to be honest.



Yeah, Archie...you may have backed the wrong horse here. Granted, you didn't have a choice for Regalia wielders, but still...

I'M...STILL...BE...ING...SHO...CK...ED...! You see? That's who she really is, the freaking animal! That's her true nature, Kishinami! Kind of creepy, yeah? Makes you stop and think a little? You should rip up your contract with this 20-something hagGYAAAAH!



*laugh track*

Seriously, though, Tamamo really should abusing the poor idol. It's a tough gig, and the audience is ice cold around here.

No, I wouldn't say it's creepy. It's just Caster being Caster.



Yeah, I guess "Mikon~!" translates to something like "Heavens me!"

She's already got you whipped!

...Why is she so surprised? Caster's always been a little weird, but it's just part of who she is. Nothing surprising about it, really. I wouldn't be fit to be her Master if I saw it any other way. And if Caster slipped through a crack and fell right into Hell, it would be my job to reach down and pull her back up.

Master, you're so accepting of who I am. I almost renounced my evil ways for you.

...I see. If you refuse to act, then I cannot force you.

You just now figured that out? No once can force me to do anything, I keep having to tell people that. But good, we're all settled, then. ♪ My Husband, shall we go perform our royal duties? Oh, what timing! Apparently, we have an intruder in the castle. A rude little sneak. Let us drink to crushing him at once!

...Intruder? One of the Emperor's people?





...Pardon me. I did not mean to startle you, Caster, could I introduce myself to your Master?

No, allow me. Master, this Rider who just dropped down from the ceiling with ninja-like agility is Medusa. She was rampaging around as a solo Servant, but I invited her up for tea, we chatted away, and found out that we get along splendidly. So now she uses her quick feet to spy for us.

...I wouldn't call it a "rampage", but... Never mind. She's not wrong, for the most part. Honestly, I dislike joining in on fights, but the rule of the Regalia is absolute. Pleased to work with you, Hakunon.

*sigh* Gloomy as usual. Well, at least you're not preening on about your beauty. Hm? If you're here, does that mean Lu Bu's here too?

Yes. He and Lancer are about to arrive at any moment. Master. Caster has gathered four servants to this castle, acting as their temporary Master in your place. That includes me, that Lancer, and...



▂▂▃▃▂▂

Now, if we're just going by the raw numbers, there are actually way more Berserkers who are actually coherent and can speak intelligently than there are Zerkers like Lu Bu who just shout all the time. But, Lu Bu was introduced way back in Fate/EXTRA, back when the usual "Berserkers just roar all the time" rule was still hard and fast, so don't be expecting much coherence out of this dude.

But man. In-between Elizabeth, Medusa, and Lu Bu, Tamamo has assembled quite the Rogues' Gallery, with the exception of Karna here, who, by all accounts, is a stand-up dude. I guess like attracts like.

Pardon my interruption, and my tardiness. I heard the Master had awakened, and wanted to introduce myself.

...Ooh, one after another, paying homage to the King and ignoring the intruder. You all need to reconsider your priorities, you know...but on the bright side, what better time to meet them all, my Husband? These are our most powerful allies and subordinates, an elite troop of Solo Servants. Except for the useless motormouth who can't fight, clean, or cook.

I can do all of that! And you're the one who says I'm not allowed on the battlefield!

Yes, yes. The one yapping is Lan... Well, I like to call her "Pushy Pajama Maiden". Berserker, a living fortress who rampaged through the Moon's Holy Grail War! The infinitely strong wielder of the Houtengageki...



Heavens me! Thanks for your enthusiasm, but you're starting to scare me! ...Excuse me, Mr. Lu Bu. Could you please quiet down a little? I really do appreciate your loyalty, but...

▂▂▃▃▂▂ ▂▂▃▃▂▂ !

Okay, okay. Stop! That's enough! *phew* Well, I know he can be scary, but that's just part of being a Berserker! He's a maniac, but his skills are beyond exceptional. Being the real Lu Bu Fengxian, I wasn't sure he'd answer my call... But here he is! Just like that, he agreed to be one of our generals.

...? ▂▂▃▃▂▂ !

Yes, thank you for that cry of triumph! It was worth almost certainly failing to recruit you! You might know him as the "Tamamo Killer", since he can kill me in one hit even if I Guard. But let's just let bygones be bygones. Now, Mr. Lu Bu is a true loyalist. I can tell these things from past experiences.

...?

Tamamo let slip an EXTRA reference there, where the fight with Lu Bu as Tamamo was rather hard, as she has very low HP and Lu Bu hits really hard. That's one of the things I really like about how Tamamo is written. She's thematically very Japanese (just look at her capital), but slips into speaking English every now and then. She tries to be a very prim and proper wife, but she gets excitable / irritated very easily, and occasionally will start tapping on the 4th wall. It's a very fun mishmash of contradictions.

Personally speaking, knowing a bit about Lu Bu's history, I wouldn't be too proud of summoning a guy like Lu Bu and having him under contract. Given his...proclivities and all, you see.



Next is the ninja Rider I introduced earlier. Ms. Medusa, please go ahead and introduce yourself. Oh, and don't try to flirt with my Master, or I will kill you. ♡

I have little to say about myself. But...SE.RA.PH is certainly under threat, and that threat should be dealt with as soon as possible. ...I am glad that Caster has a Master like you. You are more than I expected... If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call on me. I'm a Rider-class Servant. My name is Medusa. Like your Queen, I'm an anti-Heroic Spiirt meant to represent evil.

Oh, calling us "evil" is so uncouth...even if it's true. I can't deny it. *ahem* Anyway, besides that, here's the final Servant amongst our four finest. Please take a look, my darling! His class is Lancer He carries himself with the proud heritage of ancient India. Some call him the Hero of the Sun, and his name is... Mr. Karna! THE Mr. Karna! I have to say that name again. Mr. Karna! Has any other empire ever had such a great hero? No! He's the strongest pillar of our whole military! You see, when I heard the Moon Cell had summoned Mr. Karna, I gave him a passionate speech, and he gladly joined. ♪ We're are both sun types, both loyalist types, he's drawn to my overflowing charisma... Oh, but don't worry. I'm all yours, dear. ♡ You can't compare them to mere AI machines. ★ These are my four Servants! Our military power!

Figures the guy Tamamo is most proud to have on her side doesn't get a speech. He likely does not mind, however.

Our four Servants all stand in a row. I have never seen a Servant following another Servant. Especially not the likes of Berserker or Karna. But here they are, formed up in front of me. Are all of them really devoting their loyalty to Caster...? I don't think I'll know for sure until I talk to them individually.

...Obviously, we will put their powers to good use. Now, once again... We need to crush this intruder, who snuck into our castle, our very own den of love. So let's take a little stroll, straighten up the place, and leave not a trace of dirt behind. ♪



Housework, with a vengeance, huh? I'm on-board.






Before the first battle

You seem a little confused. What you need to do is lie back and relax, without a care in the world. As you might have guessed, "My Room" is a temporary name, in order to avoid regulations. Really, it's like a hot springs inn! I call it "Tamamo's Hidden Fox Bathhouse." ♡ It's perfect for resting up between deployments, checking your Code Cast data, or - if you want - even some late-night chats! My Room is the place for all of that. So if you're tired, no need to ask; just rest here anytime you like. Whether you want a quick break or an all-night stay... ★

Uh, hmm, I think I'll go with "quick break" for now. I'm not that tired, and we need to deal with the enemy. But besides that, Caster...



I suppose she is pretty energetic today...

Well of course! Even if I am the Queen, I'm just your regular, ordinary beautiful woman. And here I am, next to my darling. Is there anything greater than that? No, of course not!

Abrupt change of topic! That's in no way due to it being a separate scene...

...How nostalgic. Fighting alongside you like this. Oh, but the Moon's Holy Grail War wasn't THAT long ago, was it? We met so many people then, and said farewell to many as well. ...And I feel like there was some incident that happened in between the lines somewhere...or did it?

Ah, good ol' CCC references, of which there are precious few in this game. Given that Tamamo was one of the playable Servants, I guess...it's canon if you want it to be? That sounds about right.

I remember how it was back then. The Holy Grail War. The Moon Cell. SE.RA.PH. Caster and I fought side by side. And we survived to make it all the way here, talking together in "My Room". Here we are in the royal palace. My Room is different than the room we had to ourselves in the Holy Grail War. Caster apparently made it that way. To her tastes, obviously. ...But besides that, there are still a few things I want to know...



She *does* seem a little different, doesn't she? Besides, I'm sure she doesn't want to even think about Elizabeth. More to the point, speaking of her...wonder why she was wanting us to get the hell out of here so bad. Also, this will raise bond level.

Well...of course. I am the ruler of the Millennium Capital. I can't show my true face to just anyone. I have promised myself that this room...will be the only place where I can be my old self, since it's only between us. Therefore...please understand. It's not that I'm territorial against others, or that my origin is showing...or that I"m having fun after being good for so very long. It's not like that at all. Above all, I am your Servant. Think of it this way: On the throne, I'm a Queen. In here, I'm yours.

Well, as long as we're clear on things...