Anchor, Stop Pretending, You're in Chaldea - Chapter 100

Inside the ancient Roman city, in a dark dungeon, a young girl dressed in a red gown sat in the innermost cell. She had long golden hair and innocent eyes, and she insisted on bringing this magnificent gown with her.

It was a symbol of her as the esteemed emperor of the Roman Empire. But now, she was nothing more than a condemned person awaiting execution.

That day, a sudden attack by an army struck the vast Roman Empire. The borders were immediately breached, and the warriors who emerged out of nowhere slaughtered soldiers like weeds.

The defense lines crumbled rapidly, and the proud Roman city, under continuous siege, fell into crisis. Eventually, in a moment when she looked down from the city walls at the enemy commander, the girl understood that she couldn’t defeat him.

But in the end, she hoped to await death in this sunless dungeon, wearing her most magnificent gown.

“Nero Claudius.”

In the dungeon, a familiar figure appeared. It was none other than Professor Lev from Chaldea. He revealed a mouth full of sharp teeth and burst into laughter.

“By doing this, your era will come to an end, and the era of humanity will come to an end!”

“You, are you that Court Magician?”

The girl sitting in the cell stared directly at this man emanating an evil aura.

“Court Magician? Well, you can call me whatever you want since you’re on the brink of death. But since you’re already on the verge of death, I can tell you my name.”

He said to the girl.

“Lev, Lev Lainur Flauros. Well, back when I was pretending to be human, I quite liked that name.”

“So, Lev! If my downfall is the fate of Rome, then I accept this fate, but…”

Flames seemed to burn fiercely in the golden-haired girl’s eyes.

“It is not because of you!!!”

“Hahaha!!!”

Lev burst into laughter, looking up at the sky.

“What is this? The futile insistence of a pseudo-human in human history? It is because humans, these lowly creatures, have always failed to progress that they were abandoned by the King! Your arrogance has deprived you of the King’s favor!”

“Swoosh——!!”

A flash of sword light swept through, directly knocking off Lev’s hat from his head and landing on the ground. Lev’s laughter abruptly stopped. He then realized that the girl in front of him didn’t have anything in her hands, and the one who hit his hat was merely a chilling gust of air.

The golden-haired girl said nothing, maintaining her regal aura as a ruler, facing Lev in a confrontational stance.

Lev picked up his fallen hat, dusted it off, adjusted it, and put it back on.

“Hmph, struggle all you want. You and those Chaldea people will become fuel for the new world.”

…

Inside the cave, after resting for a night, the group began discussing their next steps early in the morning.

“So, we should now go and find El-Melloi II King, right?” Mashu confirmed with Bai Qiu.

“No need to address me like that, Lady,” Waver replied with a gentle tone towards Mashu.

“At the moment, I am a pseudo-Servant fused with Zhuge Kongming. You can call me by my original name, Waver Velvet, or you can call me Zhuge Kongming.”

“Then… Kongming-san? Is that okay?”

“Of course, Lady.”

When facing Mashu, Waver displayed enough British gentlemanly manners.

“Oh? Onii-sama, you’re such a gentleman. But when it comes to me, your attitude is so rough.”

“Reines, please stop causing trouble!”

Waver’s previously improved expression turned gloomy again.

“Oh, how stingy, Onii-sama. Can’t you be a bit nicer to your own little sister?” Reines leaned against Bai Qiu.

“Master, you must also find this kind of Onii-sama troublesome, right? He’s an enemy Servant, yet he’s eavesdropping on everyone’s conversation here. Don’t you feel uneasy? He might even be a spy~~~”

“Well, I don’t think it’s that serious…” Bai Qiu replied with a smile.

“To completely eliminate this threat, why don’t you make a contract with Master as well, Onii-sama? After all, you don’t have a Master right now, do you?”

“Young man, although I find it highly unlikely, is that what you think too?” Waver looked at Bai Qiu, seeking confirmation.

“No, I trust Mr. Waver’s character.” Not like someone who weighs 100 pounds but acts rebellious, like a loyal retainer of the Kongming lineage.

“However, allowing a former enemy Servant like me to join would indeed unsettle the troops. So, let’s make a temporary contract. This contract will allow you, as the Master, to use Command Seals to restrict my actions, and I will temporarily become your Servant, borrowing your Magical Energy. But rest assured, I am at least a Magus myself and don’t need to borrow too much Magical Energy.”

“Even though it’s a useless Magecraft Crest, Onii-sama is still an excellent Magus.”

“…Are you complimenting me?”

“Of course.”

Reines nodded with a smile.

[Beep… Detected a Heroic Spirit attempting to establish a temporary contract with the host.]
[A temporary contract with a Heroic Spirit does not count towards the limit on the number of carryable Heroic Spirits, but it also cannot be strengthened with points such as enhancing the Saint Graph.]
[After the contract ends, it can be made into a formal contract. If it exceeds the limit, it will be automatically transferred to Chaldea.]
[Please be aware of this.]
[Would you like to spend 1000 points to initiate a temporary contract with the servant: Pseudo-Servant – Zhuge Kongming (El-Melloi II)?]

“Yes!”

It seems that the contract between Bai Qiu and Waver has been successfully formed, as the red Magical Energy shines from Bai Qiu’s hand and Waver emits a faint red light.

“Oh? You’re quite proficient in summoning Magecraft. Young man, where did you study your Magecraft?” Waver asked in surprise.

“Well, um… I just have some basic understanding,” Bai Qiu replied sheepishly.

He couldn’t exactly say that it was the system’s help, right?

“With your talent, I can write a recommendation letter for you to the Clock Tower. Lord Rulfurus Nuada-Re Eulyphis, the Head of the Department of Spiritual Evocation, has some connections with me. With your abilities, perhaps you can achieve even greater heights,” Waver suggested.

“Oh, come on, Onii-sama. Why are you always thinking about the Clock Tower? You haven’t even figured out our current situation. Focus on yourself first,” Reines interrupted Waver’s lengthy speech.

“I… I think it’s best for Senpai to stay at Chaldea!” Mashu immediately spoke up, but then seemed to realize something and became a bit flustered.

“Of course, if it’s good for Senpai, I have no right to stop Senpai…”

“Fou…!!!”

Fou, who appeared out of nowhere, jumped onto Bai Qiu’s shoulder, signaling him not to worry Mashu.

“Don’t worry, Mashu. I won’t go anywhere,” Bai Qiu assured her.

After all, once the Singularity is restored, there’s nowhere else to go. Everything outside has been burned…

“Oh, by the way, Kongming-san, where can we find your ‘king’?” Bai Qiu asked.

“Most likely, at this moment, the king is being isolated by the impact of my betrayal and has likely been surrounded by other ‘coalition forces.’ It won’t be easy to pinpoint their exact location,” Zhuge Kongming replied.

“In that case, let’s leave it to the Doctor for now,” Mashu said confidently.