Sima Yi (Reines)
Lady Reines's Reminiscence
???:
There it is. Finally.
???:
Some of the details might be different, and they might actually use modern technology here, but it's still the same old Clock Tower methods at heart.
???:
I guess Flat didn't waste his time telling
me all about this stuff after all.
???:
Anyway, I'm relieved to see their old
security habits are the same as ever.
???:
Now, let's see what we've got.
???:
Requesting disclosure of Pseudo-Servant Research Data.
Fujimaru 1:
Huh? Professor?
Fujimaru 1:
Professor!
Reines:
...
Reines:
Fujimaru, was it?
Fujimaru 1:
Y-yeah...
Reines:
Recognizing speaker as Master Fujimaru.
What can I do for you, Master Fujimaru?
Fujimaru 1:
Uh...
Fujimaru 2:
Are you feeling all right, Professor?
Reines:
...
Reines:
It would seem the jig is up.
Fujimaru 1:
Huh!?
Reines:
Trimmau! Get back here!
Reines:
Damn, she got away!
Fujimaru 1:
If that's you, Professor, then who was that?
Fujimaru 2:
Since when do you have a twin!?
Reines:
Oh come on, you know who that was. That was Trimmau, aka Volumen Hydrargyrum, the El-Melloi family's ultimate Mystic Code.
Reines:
She's my personal weapon, computer, and all-purpose maid, and as you'd expect from an ultimate Mystic Code, she does a great job at all that stuff...
Reines:
But now, hahaha, she just up and ran away on me!
Fujimaru 1:
Your Mystic Code...ran away?
Fujimaru 2:
Uh... How does a Mystic Code decide to run away?
Reines:
No need to say anything more. I might not look like it, but trust me, I'm embarrassed enough as it is.
Note: Male Master
Reines:
If you haven't yet learned to recognize when a fair
maiden is feeling ashamed, you really should.
Note: Female Master
Reines:
You know what it's like for a maiden to feel ashamed too, right?
Reines:
Anyway, now that I missed that chance to nab her...
???:
Aaaaaahhh!
Reines:
Well, that didn't take long!
B：???:
Pseudo-Servant detected.
Proceeding with data collection.
El-Melloi II:
What's the meaning of this, Trimmau!?
Reines:
Great. Just great.
El-Melloi II:
Reines!? Don't tell me you're behind this!
Reines:
Dammit, of all the people I hoped wouldn't find out about this! Wait. Were you writing essays in the cafeteria again?
El-Melloi II:
It's an old habit of mine! The words come more
easily when I've got something to munch on!
El-Melloi II:
Besides, the cafeteria's sandwiches are just too good. I can't resist them.
Reines:
Hahaha, I'd say the ones from the café on Druid Street would give them a run for their money, but I got it.
Reines:
Anyway, why're you still writing essays at all?
Did you forget you're a Servant now?
El-Melloi II:
I can't help it! When I make a new discovery, I can't relax until I've written it down for posterity!
Reines:
Fair enough. It's not like your obsessive tendencies are anything new at this point. Anyway, now that the Code's out of the bag, Brother, why don't you give me a hand getting it back in?
B：???:
Data collection obstacle detected. Initiating
ability-based obstacle elimination procedure.
Fujimaru 1:
Did it just duplicate itself!?
Fujimaru 2:
Now it's pretending to be Ishtar and Par!?
Reines:
Volumen Hydrargyrum only imitates outer appearances.
I should be able to get it back once it's defeated.
Reines:
On that note, since Trimmau isn't with me I'm sitting this one out, so I'm counting on you two to beat her instead. Good luck!
El-Melloi II:
What have you pulled me into now!?
--BATTLE--
Reines:
Yup, this is definitely London.
El-Melloi II:
And based on the local architecture, it would seem the nineteenth-century setting was accurate as well.
El-Melloi II:
I don't see any other people around...
Is that part of the settings, too?
Fujimaru 1:
Why would the Volumen Hydrargyrum come here?
Reines:
Hmm. I have no idea.
Reines:
Aside from the lack of people, there doesn't seem to be anything strange or out of place.
El-Melloi II:
What's your tracking spell say?
Reines:
Thanks to that bit I gathered earlier,
I was able to get Trimmau's coordinates.
Reines:
But it's still going to take a little time to find her.
El-Melloi II:
Then it seems now would be a good time for you
to tell us more about this research of yours.
Reines:
Damn, so you didn't forget about that, huh?
Reines:
Basically, like I said before, it boils down to how we can take advantage of Pseudo-Servants' unique characteristics.
Fujimaru 1:
Like what?
Reines:
Most Servants never grow or change.
Reines:
And why would they? They're all dead, after all.
Reines:
The moment they're inscribed in the Throne and given
a Servant class, their form is pretty much set in stone.
Reines:
They can level up, sure, but that's really just a way of showing how close they are to their true capabilities.
Reines:
But the same isn't true for us Pseudo-Servants, is it?
El-Melloi II:
...
Reines:
We're simultaneously dead, yet not dead.
Alive, and not alive.
El-Melloi II:
I see. So that's where the Volumen Hydrargyrum comes in. It belongs to you, not Sima Yi.
Reines:
Exactly. I figured if I played my cards right,
I could find a way to boost my combat capabilities.
Sima Yi:
And I thought the same,
which is why I decided to help investigate this idea.
Sima Yi:
Specifically, I was adjusting the data to better acclimate the Volumen Hydrargyrum to my own Spirit Origin.
Sima Yi:
Both the Volumen Hydrargyrum and Lady Reines are old hands at that sort of tweaking, so if all goes well, it should unlock some new possibilities.
El-Melloi II:
I can't tell if that sounds more like something you
would do, or something Lord Sima Yi would do...
Either way, that's no exploit. That's an out-and-out
cheat!
Reines:
Huh, I'm surprised you disapprove, Brother.
I thought you liked video games.
El-Melloi II:
Video games are designed with their own respective rules, and those rules need to be followed.
El-Melloi II:
One careless move, and you could end up destroying your entire Spirit Origin!
El-Melloi II:
Please, Lord Sima Yi, try to talk some sense into–
Da Vinci:
Heeey! Can you guys hear me?
Fujimaru 1:
Da Vinci!
Da Vinci:
I saw the simulator was booted up all of a sudden.
Is something wrong?
Fujimaru 1:
Well...
Fujimaru 2:
My professor, uh...
Reines:
Wait, wait! I'll explain that part!
Da Vinci:
Now I see. I'm surprised that Volumen Hydrargyrum
would run amok on her own like that.
Reines:
I must have made a mistake with one of her settings or something. Believe me, I feel very silly.
Reines:
(Let's just keep the fact that I was hacking into
Chaldea's database between you, me, and my brother, okay?)
Da Vinci:
Hmm...
Da Vinci:
Okay, got it. Now that I know what's going on,
I'll keep an eye on all your vitals from here, too.
Reines:
(Phew. That was too close...)
El-Melloi II:
It looks like your tracking spell is reacting again.
Reines:
Hmm. She's south of here, near Regent's Park.
Reines:
Come on, we'd better hurry.
Reines:
Ooh, a fish-and-chips stand.
Damn if it doesn't smell good.
Reines:
Go buy me some, will you, pupil?
Fujimaru 1:
Didn't you just say we should hurry?
El-Melloi II:
Hm? I see the stand,
but I don't see anyone working it...
Fujimaru 2:
It does smell good, but aren't we kind of busy now?
Reines:
That's exactly why we need a snack to keep our energy
up. ...Never mind. There's no one working it.
Reines:
Hmm. Maybe this is another odd simulator setting? Then again, it really seems as though someone was cooking here just a few minutes ago.
Reines:
Maybe they're doing their best Mary Celeste crew impression?
Reines:
Mmm, I'll have to really pour on the vinegar to tamp down the delicious smell this freshly fried fish is putting out.
Fujimaru 1:
You're already digging in!?
Reines:
Hahaha, I'm just showing the food its due respect.
Mmm, yum! It's piping hot and perfectly flaky!
Reines:
I can taste the delicious oils with every bite of fish!
And these steaming hot chips are salted perfectly!
Reines:
If this stand's proprietor were here,
I'd be breaking out my Reines Stamp of Approval.
Reines:
...Hm?
Reines:
What the...!?
--BATTLE--
Reines:
Now I see. Part of Trimmau got into the automated defense systems! And here I thought it was my comeuppance for dine and dashing!
El-Melloi II:
Hold it, Reines.
El-Melloi II:
Does that mean Trimmau has control
over the simulator itself?
El-Melloi II:
How much of her do you have now?
Reines:
Let me see... This just makes forty percent.
Fujimaru 1:
Forty percent, huh.
Fujimaru 2:
I guess that means the main unit is still somewhere else then?
El-Melloi II:
I knew there had to be more than an odd simulator
setting behind the lack of people here.
El-Melloi II:
My Unreturning Formation isn't working right, either.
Reines:
You mean Zhuge Liang's famous maneuver?
El-Melloi II:
Things might look normal here, but there's something
going on right beneath the surface.
El-Melloi II:
It almost feels like a loading screen from a video game...
Reines:
My tracking spell!
There you are, Trimmau!
Reines:
Huh? It can't be...
El-Melloi II:
Reines! Fujimaru!!!
--ARROW--
Fujimaru 1:
I'm back in my room?
Fujimaru 1:
Does that mean the simulation is over!?
El-Melloi II:
No, it isn't. Take a closer look, Master.
El-Melloi II:
This is the old Chaldea. I'm sure of it.
Reines:
No, that's not quite right either, Brother.
Reines:
Both my Mystic Eyes and the part of Trimmau I collected are reacting. We're definitely still in the simulator.
Fujimaru 1:
So, that means–
Fujimaru 2:
Then, this must be
El-Melloi II:
I see. So we're in a simulation of the old Chaldea!
El-Melloi II:
Da Vinci, can you still hear us?
El-Melloi II:
I think we can take the silence as a no. Damn.
Reines:
Brother, you said that London reminded
you of a loading screen, right?
Reines:
What if that was a fake out, and Trimmau's real goal was to simulate the old Chaldea?
El-Melloi II:
...If it is, that would explain why she infiltrated the automatic defense systems.
El-Melloi II:
I see. So she put up that London as a front while she was secretly building this simulation behind the scenes.
El-Melloi II:
But even if she is going haywire right now, I still don't understand why Trimmau would go to such lengths...
P.A. System:
Authenticating... Error...
Reattempting authentication... Error...
P.A. System:
Authentication attempt limit reached. Locking
system... Lockdown protocol halted by root user...
P.A. System:
Authenticating... Error...
Reattempting authentication... Error...
Reines:
What the hell?
El-Melloi II:
It looks like Trimmau's trying to hack into the system. But this... Wait. That's it.
El-Melloi II:
Reines.
Reines:
Yes, Brother?
El-Melloi II:
You saw the last thing Trimmau turned
into back in London, right?
Reines:
...Yeah, I did.
El-Melloi II:
Do you know who it was?
El-Melloi II:
Because if it was who I think it was,
she's someone Fujimaru knows, too.
Fujimaru 1:
Someone I know?
El-Melloi II:
That's right. Someone with deep ties to the old Chaldea. Give it some thought, and I think you'll know who I mean.
Fujimaru 2:
You don't mean...
El-Melloi II:
So you figured it out, huh? Makes sense.
I'm sure you knew her a lot better than I did.
Reines:
It was Chaldea's former director,
Olga Marie Animusphere.
--ARROW--
El-Melloi II:
Looks like we managed to avoid any obstructions.
El-Melloi II:
Are you two ready?
Fujimaru 1:
Olga Marie!
Fujimaru 2:
Director!
Reines:
...
Reines:
Hi, Trimmau. Sorry I took so long.
El-Melloi II:
The only reason Trimmau went haywire
is because she's working properly.
Reines:
Huh? What do you mean?
El-Melloi II:
Exactly what I said. Trimmau ended up like this
because she was carrying out your orders.
Fujimaru 1:
You ordered her to do this, Professor?
El-Melloi II:
We had it backwards.
El-Melloi II:
You said you couldn't get into the
central sector's data, right?
El-Melloi II:
In other words, Trimmau wasn't able to break
through the new Chaldea's security.
El-Melloi II:
So in response, she made a place where
she might be able to: the old Chaldea.
El-Melloi II:
Instead of trying to get past the new security measures...
El-Melloi II:
...she decided to use the simulator to create
a route where she could get past the old ones.
Reines:
No way...!
Fujimaru 1:
Is it even possible to bypass security that way?
El-Melloi II:
It depends, but it wouldn't be the first time this kind of scam has worked, either with magecraft or computers.
Reines:
I see. So if there's a flaw in the simulator's security, she might be able to use that to gain access.
El-Melloi II:
Whether that's actually the case or not, it must be what Trimmau was thinking when she did all this.
Fujimaru 1:
Mystic Codes can think?
Fujimaru 2:
Can Mystic Codes really think like that?
Reines:
Trimmau can. We had Flat help make her personality.
Reines:
Oh, Flat was one of Brother's pupils, by the way. The El-Melloi class was actually pretty popular, believe it or not.
El-Melloi II:
Was that last part really necessary? Anyway, I can
assure you that Trimmau's thought processes are
impossibly flexible compared to those of standard AI.
El-Melloi II:
Unfortunately, if she's going haywire now, that also means there's no telling what she might try next.
El-Melloi II:
We'll need to be very careful.
Reines:
Well? Come on, Trimmau, say something!
Olga Marie?:
...
Fujimaru 1:
You're sure she's actually the Volumen Hydrargyrum, right?
Fujimaru 2:
You're sure that's not really Director Olga Marie, right?
El-Melloi II:
Positive. I'm also sure you know
that just as well as I do.
El-Melloi II:
She's what Reines was hiding.
El-Melloi II:
There's something you're still not telling us,
isn't there?
El-Melloi II:
Yes, you were in an important position at the Clock Tower, and you do know a lot about high-level security.
El-Melloi II:
But that doesn't mean you can just breeze past Chaldea's security measures like they're nothing.
El-Melloi II:
Which means there's something else you're keeping
from us that allowed Trimmau to get through.
Fujimaru 1:
What's that?
El-Melloi II:
I'll tell you. Reines here didn't just know how Chaldea's security was set up.
El-Melloi II:
She also knew Olga Marie's habits from her own world.
Didn't you?
Reines:
Haha, well this is embarrassing.
Reines:
There are a number of differences in this world, but
in my world, yes, Olga Marie and I were very close.
Fujimaru 1:
Whoa! I had no idea!
Fujimaru 2:
You and Olga Marie, huh...
Reines:
Well, relatively close. As mages, we both had our share of secrets, so we couldn't open up that much.
Reines:
But, we were still close enough
to know each other's quirks...
Reines:
...and I could see them all over Chaldea's security.
Reines:
...Man, this brings back memories.
Reines:
As the next Lords in waiting for our respective families, you and I used to deceive each other all the time.
Reines:
And as mages from the same generation,
we also always had lots to talk about.
El-Melloi II:
Reines, this Olga Marie isn't–
Reines:
I know, Brother.
It's just a Volumen Hydrargyrum that looks like her.
Reines:
Besides, I never even knew this world's Olga Marie.
Reines:
I took a look at her file once, and she and my counterpart from this world's paths barely crossed at all.
Reines:
She never got on that train here,
nor did she ever take part in the Grand Roll with me.
P.A. System:
Authenticating... Error...
Reattempting authentication... Error...
Reines:
That's why I can't fully get through this Chaldea's security. The Marie I knew might look like the one from this world, but she's a completely different person.
Reines:
That's why I–
Olga Marie?:
Mage threat detected.
Eliminating.
Reines:
Ghh!
Fujimaru 1:
Professor!
Reines:
Don't worry. I'm fine.
As I was saying...
Reines:
That's why I'm going to tear you apart.
Reines:
Seven holes are bored into primordial chaos. There are poisonous women to great men. Never is there a time when neither sun nor moon is set.
Reines:
Behold my tactics! Unspoken Formation...release!
Fujimaru 1:
Release!?
Fujimaru 2:
Trimmau's back to normal!
El-Melloi II:
Now I see. Sima Yi's Noble Phantasm exposes an enemy's weakness, so Trimmau was imitating Olga Marie because she was Chaldea's weakness!
Reines:
Not exactly. I only meant for Trimmau to imitate Olga Marie's habits.
Reines:
I never planned for her to imitate Olga Marie herself.
Reines:
When she tried, she got stuck at imitating the Olga Marie I know, and now, here we are, trying to clean up the mess.
Reines:
And damn if it isn't a hot one. I could cry.
Reines:
Now she's imitating me! Well Trim, if you think you
can beat the real deal, you're sorely mistaken!
El-Melloi II:
Reines.
El-Melloi II:
I'm going to focus my skills entirely on you. You said this is your mess, right? Then clean it up yourself.
Reines:
...(Sigh) I swear, you're too damn lenient with
me for your own good sometimes, Brother.
Reines:
But I guess I can't blame you, seeing how adorable I am! Thanks, Brother! Just this once, I'll take you up on that!
--BATTLE--
Trimmau:
...Lady...Reines?
Reines:
Welcome back, Trimmau.
Fujimaru 1:
Are you okay!?
Reines:
I'm fine. It's nothing.
Reines:
I just never expected to run into my
Servant karma here of all places.
Fujimaru 1:
Servant karma?
Reines:
Well, maybe it's not karma so much as a weakness that
only Pseudo-Servants with their host's personality
intact are susceptible to.
Reines:
You know how Servants don't retain memories
of their past summonings, right?
Reines:
Exceptions to the rule aside, usually it's the person summoning the Servant who feels bad about being forgotten.
Reines:
But for Pseudo-Servants, we're the ones who remember, and have to deal with being forgotten.
Reines:
Obviously, the chances of running into someone we know are practically nonexistent, since we're in a world entirely different from our own and all.
Reines:
So even if we do happen to run into someone we know,
they end up being someone else entirely.
Reines:
So, yeah, it's painful.
Nothing I can't handle, but it still hurts.
Reines:
...But, maybe it's not all bad.
Reines:
Maybe this'll help me better understand
what it's like to be in your shoes.
Reines:
As a Master, you go through this sort of thing all the time, right? So I should probably learn to appreciate this pain.
Fujimaru 1:
It's not all pain.
Fujimaru 2:
I can at least tell you it's worth it.
Trimmau:
Initiating reboot.
Reboot complete.
Reines:
Whoa!
Trimmau:
I've been monitoring the situation.
I'm so sorry, Lady Reines.
Reines:
Don't be.
This was pretty much all my fault.
Reines:
I'm sorry, Trimmau.
Reines:
At least it looks like the experiment worked. I can tell you and my Spirit Origin are working together better now.
Trimmau:
Yes, Lady Reines. I can confirm a thirty-seven
percent increase in Spirit Origin output.
El-Melloi II:
Looks like the simulation's fading away
now that Trimmau's back to normal.
Reines:
Come on, you two. Let's get out of here.
Reines:
Phew. This latest caper really tuckered me out.
El-Melloi II:
Then get some sleep.
El-Melloi II:
If Jason is anything to go by,
even normal Servants can benefit from a good nap.
El-Melloi II:
As Pseudo-Servants,
we no doubt need proper rest even more than they do.
Reines:
Hmm. You make a pretty convincing case.
Reines:
Okay then, good night, Brother.
El-Melloi II:
Good night, Reines.
A：???:
Just a moment, El-Melloi II.
El-Melloi II:
...Lord Sima Yi.
A：Sima Yi:
Worry not. Lady Reines is fast asleep now,
so we can speak freely.
A：Sima Yi:
There's something I wished to discuss with you, something that's been nagging at me. In fact, it's something I noticed you purposely shied away from.
El-Melloi II:
What are you talking about?
A：Sima Yi:
The reason Trimmau went haywire in the first place.
A：Sima Yi:
She was making predictive calculations at a level
she could not even properly verbalize, correct?
El-Melloi II:
Because we need to know more about
the data Chaldea possesses?
A：Sima Yi:
Exactly. The Volumen Hydrargyrum calculated that data was a top priority, even if it meant she had to go haywire to process it.
El-Melloi II:
...
A：Sima Yi:
Of course, her efforts to do so ultimately proved to be for naught. Haha, I must say, this modern world has turned out to be much more enjoyable than I expected.
A：Sima Yi:
Oh, and one more thing. You should come out of hiding once in a while, you cowardly excuse for a tactician.
A：Sima Yi:
Your “gift” of women's clothing sent to taunt me is the whole reason I ended up inhabiting a woman's body, after all.
El-Melloi II:
...
???:
Tell it to someone who cares.
Besides, I'm enjoying this modern world plenty myself.
El-Melloi II:
...Huh?
El-Melloi II:
Did you just get Liang to rehash the time he sent you women's clothing to insult you as being weak for refusing to fight him?
A：Sima Yi:
I sure did. It only makes sense he would respond to me, no matter how deeply he may be lying dormant.
A：Sima Yi:
Such is the nature of our relationship.
A：Sima Yi:
Of course, I have my doubts as to whether he truly
thought women were synonymous with weakness or not.
A：Sima Yi:
At any rate, take care, Zhuge Liang.
I am sure we will see each other again someday.