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.