Nitocris

Pharaoh Nitocris

Mash: Hmm? What's that...?

Ozymandias: Hmm...

Ozymandias: This is some cheap wine. Its vulgar body, perhaps fearful at the honor of passing through my throat, pales and fades into nothingness.

Ozymandias: I will at least acknowledge its grace, if nothing else.

Iskandar: Hah hah hah, perhaps you're trying to say cold wine goes down well? You sure say things in a roundabout way!

Mash: Is this a...party?

Mash: Look, Nitocris over there seems to be sober. She might be the most reasonable one here.

Mash: Let's try to talk to her, Senpai.

Nitocris: Oh, Master, Mash. What's going on?

Mash: We just happened to be passing through. Um...what are you doing here?

Nitocris: We're drinking, as you can see. What of it?

Nitocris: I was invited by the two pharaohs over there... Well, more like I volunteered myself to join them in their banquet.

Mash: But why here in the Command Room?

Nitocris: If you're asking about the location, Pharaoh Iskandar said this place is fitting for a king's banquet.

Nitocris: If you are inquiring about the purpose of this banquet...

Iskandar: Nitocris! What are you doing over there!? Drink. Empty your cup and drink some more.

Iskandar: This is a gathering of pharaohs. That includes you.

Iskandar: I called Cleopatra too, but she was so overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude and unworthiness that she passed out.

Iskandar: So basically, you're the only person that can act as a representative for female pharaohs in Chaldea!

Nitocris: ...With all due respect, that's how it is.

Mash: Now that you mention it, everyone here really does have the title of pharaoh.


Fujimaru 1: Really?


Fujimaru 2: Was Iskandar one too?


Iskandar: Oh? Master, Mash, I didn't realize you were there! Did the fragrance of the wine draw you here?

Iskandar: It doesn't matter! As our mutual friends, you have permission to join us! Drink up!

Ozymandias: Are you trying to cheapen this gathering of pharaohs? Besides, I recall they're at an age where they should avoid alcohol.

Ozymandias: ...Oh, very well. You're hardly even a pharaoh to begin with, and I do not intend to lambaste them for their age. I shall permit it. Drink up!

Iskandar: Haha, you're quite strict. But I do have a proper regnal name: Setepenre Meryamun!

Ozymandias: Is that so?

Ozymandias: I too am known by the name Setepenre. I'm sure it is a common name for pharaohs.

Ozymandias: The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Usermaatre Setepenre... Son of Ra... Ramesses the Great... Amun's beloved...

Ozymandias: That is who I, the Sun Ozymandias, am! I shall allow it. Sear that name into your Spirit Core and Spirit Origin! Remember it!

Iskandar: By the gods! Then I suppose we're like brothers!

Ozymandias: No, we're not brothers. We're not, but...

Nitocris: I do believe the great king here is a pharaoh! ...I think that is what Cleopatra would say.

Ozymandias: Interesting. You dare go against my will?

Nitocris: N-No, great pharaoh, I would not! I just thought of what Cleopatra would say and I could not help it...

Ozymandias: Well, it is true she might say something like that. When did you get that close with each other?

Nitocris: Please...forgive my indiscretion. My only lord is the Sun King, and my only alliance is with Fujimaru!

Nitocris: Cleopatra is like... a troublesome little sister.

Iskandar: Hah hah hah. Don't tease her so much, Sun King. Cleopatra would indeed say something like that.

Iskandar: She was the last pharaoh on Earth. If so, she is like a granddaughter to us.

Ozymandias: True enough. Even if she's not related to us by blood, she was the last to inherit the title of pharaoh and its divinity.

Iskandar: Yes. But if that's the case—

Iskandar: Nitocris. You. Yes, you.

Nitocris: Y-Yes?

Iskandar: You're the oldest pharaoh among us. Wouldn't you be more of a mother figure, then?

Ozymandias: Truly an incarnation of the ancient Horus.

Nitocris: I-I-I am a mother!? To Lord Ozymandias!?

Nitocris: Does that mean I can do whatever I want? A mother does all sorts of things for her son...

Nitocris: She cooks for him, lets him sleep on her lap... Even tells old folktales and scary stories!

Nitocris: W-Would you be okay with that? I've never had a child...

Mash: N-Nitocris?

Nitocris: N-N-No, I am not worthy!

Nitocris: Yes, that is too much. And Iskandar–you are a pharaoh who has accomplished more than I have.

Nitocris: You are the King of Conquerors. You traveled far and wide, seizing many lands. I pale in comparison.

Ozymandias: What's so great about a king who focused so much on expansion and left nothing but destruction in his wake? I am a god. I am the sun. I am the true pharaoh.

Nitocris: Pharaoh Ozymandias! That is so obvious I need not say it!

Nitocris: You are the king of kings: the god-king.

Nitocris: You are so revered that I dare not even try to compare you with others. It would be far too presumptuous of me.

Nitocris: ...The same goes for Pharaoh Cleopatra. I didn't try as earnestly to protect the country as she did.


Fujimaru 1: Didn't Cleopatra...


Fujimaru 2: She destroyed the country, right?


Ozymandias: If you speak of destruction, the decline of Upper and Lower Egypt became inevitable as soon as I, the true pharaoh, was gone.

Ozymandias: Any reign other than my own would thereafter be imperfect, no matter who the pharaoh was.

Ozymandias: Just as the Nile flows, the final destination was inevitable. I never had my hopes up.

Iskandar: Hah hah hah. I feel I've said this before, but no country escapes downfall. Not even my Macedonia.

Nitocris: Yes. If countries are destined to fall, then all things considered, I believe she played her part of pharaoh well.

Nitocris: But I...

Nitocris: ...


Fujimaru 1: She seems kind of sad.


Fujimaru 2: Nitocris...


Mash: Yes, Senpai. I agree. She seems depressed.

Mash: For some reason she doesn't look like she's touched her wine.

Nitocris: ...I guess you can tell.

Nitocris: I'm... an inexperienced pharaoh.

Nitocris: When I see all these great pharaohs here... When I subject myself to their gaze...

Nitocris: I feel depressed... N-No, more like ashamed.

Mash: But Iskandar said that you're the oldest pharaoh in Chaldea, right?

Mash: In other words, you were alive in the Age of Gods. You're a pharaoh from the ancient times...

Nitocris: You think in terms of your magecraft. The older and greater Mystics possess more power.

Nitocris: But to me, time means nothing.

Nitocris: It's about how a pharaoh–the child of a god, a godlike king, a god incarnate–should be.

Nitocris: ...I don't know why I'm a Heroic Spirit.

Nitocris: Do you know why I was not taken to the eternal afterlife?

Nitocris: Ozymandias never chose it to begin with, but me...

Nitocris: Me... I'm sure I just never made it there.

Nitocris: Fujimaru, my ally... maybe I should talk to you about this.

Nitocris: I...

Nitocris: I am a foolish pharaoh. I closed off my own path to the afterlife.

Nitocris: I took my own life without preparing for what lay beyond. But I have no regrets.

Nitocris: I turned into a weapon for the sake of my brothers...

Nitocris: ...Those treacherous retainers who used pharaohs like puppets... Those fools who mocked the position of pharaoh...

Nitocris: I sent them all to the bottom of the Nile... Without mercy, without hesitation, and without regret.


Fujimaru 1: So you got your revenge.


Fujimaru 2: So that means... you killed them.


Nitocris: Yes, I slaughtered them with my own hands.

Nitocris: Perish, you foul creatures!

Nitocris: No one will hear your screams, your groans, or your cries for help!

Nitocris: I will kill you all! You should be happy to be embraced by the waters of the Nile as you die!

Nitocris: You used my brothers as puppets... You murdered them all...

Nitocris: I will never forgive you. You shall never be forgiven! Never! Never! I've been waiting for this day...!

Retainers: Why, Nitocris? We were the ones who helped you become pharaoh!

Nitocris: It was for this day. Everything. Everything I've done was to kill you all.

Nitocris: That has been my only reason for living. Just so that you would choose me as your next puppet...

Nitocris: I made you think you could control my dignity, my being, my body, my will.

Nitocris: And you fell right into my trap. When you heard I had a gift for you, what did you think it was?

Nitocris: A lavish banquet? A treasure of gold? Or maybe—Oh, you thought you could even have me?

Nitocris: But this is the end. I will end it all for you. The hubris of trying to control a pharaoh... It stops here!

Retainers: Stop it! No! We don't want to die! Save us...!

Nitocris: Make your pleas to my dear brothers! To the ones you killed without any mercy!

Nitocris: You will not travel to the eternal afterlife. Ha, ha, but rest assured. I am the same. I will follow you soon.

Nitocris: I will find you in death and torment you for eternity!

Nitocris: I killed them... and then myself.

Nitocris: ...After putting up with so much, I'd finally taken my revenge.

Nitocris: Come to think of it, maybe I'm so short-tempered as a Heroic Spirit because of my deeds in life.

Nitocris: I am a puppet of a pharaoh. At best, all I ever accomplished was revenge.

Nitocris: That's why I've tried to be as proper as possible.

Nitocris: I punished them for their impiety in attempting to control the position of pharaoh. I tried to restore honor to the pharaoh name.

Nitocris: The pride I have as pharaoh does exist within my heart, but even still...

Nitocris: If I compare myself to the other pharaohs, I shiver just thinking how small I am...

Nitocris: I'm so pathetic... I can't even bring myself to face them...!

Ozymandias: ...

Iskandar: Hey, small one.

Iskandar: Let's see. How's this? (Beep, beep.) There.

Iskandar: Difficulty setting? Oooh... “Sparta Mode.” That's got a nice ring to it. Must mean it's as strong as them. That settles it, then...

Mash: Iskandar? What are you doing in front of that console...?

Dr. Roman: Huh? Hey! Helloooo?

Dr. Roman: The training program just activated. Are you guys doing something?

Iskandar: Of course we are! The wine has warmed our bodies. How about we swing our swords for a little entertainment!

Iskandar: By the way, I'll be assisting the enemy.

Nitocris: ...!?

Ozymandias: I am tired of all the cheap wine. It might be fun to play along with you!

Ozymandias: Rejoice, pretenders! Rather than eradicating you, I will shine from on high.

Ozymandias: Even those who are not truly alive weep tears of joy. Sear the light of the pharaoh into you!

Iskandar: I see. That puts Master with Mash and Nitocris. A good team.

Mash: When did we say we were all joining in!?

Dr. Roman: I don't really get what's going on there, but am I right in assuming there's going to be a fight in the simulator?

Dr. Roman: Well, just don't get hurt, okay?

Nitocris: I... I have to fight a proper pharaoh? That would just be too disrespectful...

Iskandar: I won't forgive desertion. If you run, you will face the consequences.

Iskandar: What do you think, Sun King?

Ozymandias: Escape and defeat are not fit for the divinity of the pharaohs! Thus...

Iskandar: That's right. If you run, you must renounce the title of pharaoh.

Nitocris: ...!?

Iskandar: Never address yourself that way. Never use the name. And...let's see... Say you're sorry for being a pharaoh up until now.

Nitocris: I-I can't...do that...

Nitocris: I am a pharaoh, no matter how short my reign was! I just can't renounce that fact!

Iskandar: Then you must fight. I don't have to say this, but you'll face the same consequences if you lose. It'd also be boring if you threw the game.

Iskandar: On the contrary, if you win... we'll give you some sort of reward.

Ozymandias: You speak too much, King of Conquerors.

Ozymandias: Nitocris, even after receiving my endless splendor, will your mirror still reflect darkness, or won't it?

Ozymandias: If you're a pharaoh, then withstand it! If you can't, you will fade away. That's all there is to it!

Mash: Looks like...we have no choice but to fight!

Nitocris: Fujimaru! My ally!

Nitocris: I'm an inexperienced pharaoh. But the fact that I am still a pharaoh is my pride.

Nitocris: If I'm going to lose that, then I can't afford to run or lose!

Nitocris: I must win this fight no matter what! Lend me your power! No, PLEASE lend me your power!

--BATTLE--:

Nitocris: (Panting)

Mash: That was intense!

Dr. Roman: Y-You guys won. You won against three pharaohs that symbolize an era!

Iskandar: Heh, heh... Ha, ha, ha! We lost! We lost!

Ozymandias: I had no intention of holding back. Perhaps that cheap wine and my arrogance came back to bite me.

Cleopatra: ...

Nitocris: Why are you all...

Mash: (Cleopatra's here too. When did she join the battle!?)

Iskandar: That's not the face a winner should make.

Iskandar: I did not hold back. Your determination was just greater than ours.

Iskandar: Listen up. You fought and defeated multiple pharaohs—myself included.

Iskandar: O Queen of the Mirror who lived in the ancient world... You're a perfect pharaoh in your own right.

Iskandar: I tell you this on my honor. You should be thankful for this reward.

Nitocris: ...!?

Cleopatra: That's right, Queen Nitocris. I witnessed it myself. It's just as you said.

Cleopatra: I saw your pride as a pharaoh...

Nitocris: Cleopatra...

Nitocris: (Huh...? How long have you been here?)

Iskandar: That's something I lack, to say the least.

Iskandar: In that respect, I think you're a better pharaoh than I am. There's nothing to be ashamed of.

Ozymandias: A better pharaoh!? Such a useless distinction! Just being a pharaoh is enough!

Ozymandias: It's pure arrogance to wish for any more than that.

Ozymandias: After all, it's established fact that I am the best and most venerable pharaoh. Anything more is fighting for scraps!

Ozymandias: You could be known only for your dark, vengeful acts... or for your numerous conquests... You could be the last of your kind...

Ozymandias: You could even be a young pharaoh who only reigned for a few days...

Ozymandias: No matter what kind of pharaoh you are, to me, there is very little difference!

Ozymandias: But that is why I understand your admiration towards me. It may be arrogant, but I do understand.

Ozymandias: Humans still extend their arms to the sun, even knowing they can't reach it. They attempt to touch the gods.

Ozymandias: There is nothing as meaningless as hanging your head in despair because you cannot reach me. That would be true arrogance.

Iskandar: Hey, you. You just counted me as a pharaoh, didn't you? It feels like I finally got my certificate of authenticity or something.

Ozymandias: ...Hah hah! This is some cheap wine! I'm not thinking properly, but my mouth keeps going!

Ozymandias: Let's go somewhere else and keep drinking, Rider. This time get me some wine that will at least let me talk properly!

Iskandar: You're a Rider too, you know? We can keep drinking, but there's not much in the way of wine around here...

Iskandar: Oh, but I do know a king with a big attitude whose wine happens to be very good.

Iskandar: All he'd need to do is fetch some more from the storeroom... I wonder where he is?

Mash: He left...

Nitocris: ...Were the pharaohs... trying to...

Nitocris: ...tell me that...all along?

Nitocris: ...Fujimaru.

Nitocris: I was a fool who, unable to make it to the eternal afterlife, eventually became a Heroic Spirit.

Nitocris: I thought it was a punishment by the gods, but...

Nitocris: But then I met Ozymandias and the other pharaohs. And not just them– I met you too. The best ally I could ever have.

Nitocris: This isn't a punishment. It's...

Nitocris: ...No, never mind.

Nitocris: I was just blurting out nonsense. It was just my imagination. Let's just forget it. Forget it!

Dr. Roman: I know I'm not really good at taking hints, but let me say this.

Dr. Roman: Since you guys fought at full force, the simulator's all messed up! It's...pretty tough to clean it up, you know...?


Fujimaru 1: Just let us do it.


Fujimaru 2: Us two will do it.


Mash: Yes, Senpai. That's true.

Mash: We'll take care of it, Nitocris, so go on ahead. Wherever you'd like.

Nitocris: ...Are you sure?

Mash: Of course.

Nitocris: ...(Bowing)

Mash: ...Pharaohs... Rulers of Egypt... I'm sure there is some kind of special bond between them...

Mash: Especially since it was such a long-lasting tradition.

Mash: ...Now then, Master. Let's do our best to clean up.

Mash: However, no matter how you look at it, this isn't a two-person job. I recommend calling for some help.

Mash: Doctor, you are listening, right?

Dr. Roman: ...I see. So when you said you two would do it, you were talking about me as well...

Dr. Roman: Hah... The pharaohs sure do everything on a grand scale... including affecting the simulator system... (Sigh)