"Owowow… my head… it really hurts…"
(It's a hangover! That's the worst, isn't it…)
"I had no idea you were such a lightweight. I shall have to reassess the quality of my wine cellars."
"I'm so sorry… hic… Ugh, alcohol is scary…"
"Hey! What are you doing, Goldie?! We've got a move on!"
"Hmph. Always so impatient. —Are you alright, Air? There should be a panacea in the medicine vaults. Take it. It's in the Secure Containment Wing."
"Thank you… Fou, could you help me…?"
(Of course! I'm happy you're relying on me, Air!)
『Are you okay? Should I build a temple here for you to rest?』
"This is a minor errand; it will be over soon. We have no need for a base of operations."
『I see! Well, good luck then! Do it for the sake of our sweets!』
(A King who charges the front lines himself… what a sight.)
"It's a 'Metal Gear' sort of thing, I suppose. Think of me as the 'hands-on' type."
"Um, let's see… that way is this way… and my head is throbbing…"
(Oops. Leave it to me, Air!)
"I'm in your hands, Fou…"
[Meanwhile, at Chaldea]
"Why… why must children be the ones to suffer like this…?" (Atalanta, clutching the Calydonian Boar pelt)
"It seems I, too, must seek even greater strength…" (Heracles, looking solemn)
[Back in the Singularity]
"I'll worry about the details after I've burned everything to the ground." (Jeanne Alter)
"Hm. I see a light ahead. Get down, Master, Alter. I sense a social gathering in progress."
The party, continuing their search for the dango, entered an unremarkable forest and immediately sensed something out of place.
"Hm, let's take a look. They might know something."
"You think? I'd say only a Servant would be bold enough to hold a party in the middle of a Singularity… but fine. Reconnaissance is important. Vital, even."
"You truly are an 'Alter,' aren't you? If it were the original Jeanne, she would have charged in head-first without a second thought."
"Naturally. Unlike the original, I am intelligent."
With a smug look on her face, Jalter crouched down eagerly next to Rikka.
(Air, are you alright? Drink this. I found it in the treasury—it's a panacea that works on any symptom. You'll feel much better.)
"Thank you… Ugh, my head…"
Air had learned the allure and the terror of alcohol through the medium of a migraine. From now on, she would likely stick strictly to the wine of the Sky Gods.
"Hmph. My apologies, Air. I let my playfulness go too far."
"Please don't worry about it, Gil… I'm just way too weak to drink… gulp, gulp."
She swallowed the "SCP-class" panacea, finally purging the hangover debuff. As the group settled in, the sounds of three people enjoying a meal reached their ears.
"That voice… Hmph. So this was the noble air I sensed."
The King's voice took on a tone of amusement.
"How ironic."
There, in the clearing—
"Here, d'Eon. Say 'ahhh'!"
"M-My Queen… is this really alright? I know the sign said 'Please take freely,' but to load three tons of them into a carriage and haul them away…"
"Of course! If it says 'freely,' then taking as much as you can carry is simply good manners. Honestly, you're too serious. You don't have to be a knight at a time like this. Let's just enjoy ourselves! Along with these lovely, round dango!"
Sitting around a campfire, enjoying an elegant moment, was the French team led by Marie Antoinette. Marie, d'Eon, and Sanson—the Queen's tea time was adding a splash of French glamour to the forest.
To be clear: they were not Chaldea's Servants. They were rogue Servants summoned by some unknown factor.
And they were gracefully stuffing their faces with Chaldea-made dango. Jeanne Alter's masterpiece, the "Sweets Jalter" brand she had poured her heart into, was being devoured one by one…
(—!!!!)
(Jalter! Jalter, stay!!)
(I wanted Rikka to be the first one to eat those!!)
Rikka frantically tried to soothe Jalter, who was beginning to vent actual sparks and flames.
(Wait. Perhaps they gathered them specifically to return them to us, and are merely taking a break? Let us observe a while longer.)
The King of Heroes suggested they wait, casually ignoring the blatant absurdity of his own theory. He was clearly holding back a laugh.
"Gil… um, about the alcohol…"
"Fear not. This is the wine of the Sky Gods."
"I'm sorry… I'll make sure to drink in moderation from now on…"
Fou silently comforted Air, who had developed a newfound fear of booze. Meanwhile, the elegant conversation of the French team continued to drift over.
"Come now, Sanson. You should be bolder! You're the man who built the guillotine, after all!"
"E-Eh? No, well… it's not that I like the guillotine… it was meant to prevent suffering. Besides, these were clearly made by a Servant who put their soul into them. If you eat that many, you'll put on weight…"
"I won't! For a girl, all the nutrition from what she eats goes straight to her chest!"
"What did you say…?!"
(Is that so…? I think that's only true for you, Queen…)
"Right, d'Eon? You understand, don't you? Right?"
"Y-Yes. Our Queen is incredible. Not in her current Saint Graph, but the Queen's fully grown 'style' was the best in all of France. Truly, it's amazing."
(Specifically, legend has it her bra size in life exceeded 100cm—a figure that would make even 2D legends weep.)
"Tell me more! Details, please! From a medical standpoint, I am intensely interested!"
Sanson suddenly stood up and began practicing swings with his blade of judgment. Marie watched him with a fond smile.
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