"Mood is everything, in all things."
—That day, with fate—
"Hahaha! Nothing soothes the heart and body like a bath! My aquatic paradise sparkles tonight! I'm in high spirits—worthy of the title 'Jovial King'! Hahahahaha!"
In his private bathing chamber, the vessel, Gilgamesh, let his laughter echo through the vast facility.
I love baths too. The sense of freedom and warmth soothes the soul.
By the way, the water here is no ordinary bathwater—it's a refined blend of elixirs, soma, sacred springs, and the peach waters of paradise, drawn from ancient divine vessels. A single dip could dispel wounds or curses in an instant. What a miraculous hot spring. Its source? An inexhaustible divine font, drawn from the gods' own pitchers, never running dry.
"My paradise, Chaldea, stands unshakable tonight!! Hahahahahaha!"
Yet both the vessel and I harbored a lingering concern.
"Hm. This paradise is impregnable. And because it is—"
Sipping wine, the king's crimson eyes gleamed.
"—it's time to prepare defenses for my paradise. Thieves and ravenous curs, like Amakusa, always lurk around treasures."
Indeed, since Amakusa's assault, that worry had taken root.
Chaldea's fate after restoring Humanity—a matter we'd have to address eventually.
Someone less pure than Amakusa, driven by selfish greed, might try to seize Chaldea for their own ends.
If a malevolent hand reached for Chaldea, it would threaten Master, Mash, Roman, Olga Marie, Fou—my precious people.
For now, I—Gilgamesh—and other heroes stand guard. But after Humanity's restoration, there's no guarantee we'll remain.
The vessel aside, I don't know if I'll stay in Chaldea post-restoration. While I'm here, I must prepare every defense possible.
They have a future. Protecting that future is one of my wishes here and now.
For that, I'd spare no treasure. My reward? Their happy lives.
Yes. For what I wish to see, I'll wield the vessel's radiance.
O King, hear the humble plea of this lackluster soul…
"Hmph, very well. I thought my task ended with Humanity's restoration, leaving the rest to them—but I've changed my mind!"
With a splash, the Heroic King rose.
"I'll forge a means to protect my treasures! The Mage's Association, the Burial Agency, Executors—none shall breach my unyielding, immovable second fortress! I'll craft it, for nothing is impossible for me! Kuh—hahahahahaha!!"
The king's triumphant laughter echoed through the paradise…
"…Anti-mage defenses, you say?"
I called out to the red-hooded Assassin, Emiya.
"You made a name as a mage-killer, didn't you? Lend me your expertise. I'm crafting something elaborate."
"…You, of all people, want my advice?"
It's not strange. Seeking wisdom from those more skilled is perfectly rational.
"What would I know about repelling riffraff or thieves? That's an Assassin's domain, skulking in the shadows. But I value what's needed. Your knowledge is key this time. That's all."
"…What's driving you to go this far?"
"The kingly way. I claim and protect my treasures. Those impudent enough to reach for them will face fitting retribution."
Yes. Everything this king does is for his own pleasure.
Protecting my precious treasures—no one ordered it. It's just that simple.
That my own quiet sentiments are mixed in? That's a secret.
"…I see."
Emiya removed his hood.
"Mages are prideful. They believe their honed craft is supreme, unquestionable. That's their weakness."
"Oh? Arrogance woven into their very being? Good. I know a few like that—Ozymandias comes to mind."
"They revere magecraft and scorn modern weaponry. I exploited that to take them down. If you're using your treasures, pick tools like that."
Mages and their pride—sounds exhausting. Why not just ask for help like this?
"I see. Modern devices… Hmph, my thanks. As expected, a snake knows the serpent's path."
Thanks are basic courtesy.
"You're welcome. Take this, then."
He handed me a single bullet.
"A bullet infused with my Origin. Perfect for mage-killing. Use it."
"Ho? You're sure?"
"A token of thanks. This place… it's calming."
With that, Emiya vanished, likely into spirit form.
"Hmph, a crude offering for a king. Not that I expected refinement from an assassin."
Thank you, Emiya-san.
"Next, I'll consult someone versed in magecraft."
I set off for the magical temple.
"A space to repel enemies? Hmm…"
I sought the wisdom of Medea, the ancient sorceress.
"Start with a barrier. It buys time to prepare. You'll need a fully operational mana reactor too. Hounds like wraiths or dragon-tooth soldiers would help. Converting a room into a pocket dimension or demonic realm isn't a bad idea either, is it?"
"Hm, you do it."
"What!?"
"You're more skilled in magecraft than I, aren't you?"
"Well… yes, but…"
"No mage surpasses one taught by Hecate and Circe. Right?"
"W-Well, obviously!"
Medea's ears twitched at the flattery. She's not so bad, is she?
"Good. Then handle it. Protect your two beloved disciples. At least 48 layers of barriers, six mana reactors. Use my Uruk god-beasts, Lamassu, as hounds. I'll provide cursed Noble Phantasms for the demonic realm."
"That's absurd!?"
"Do it, and I'll supply all the materials for your modeling and costumes. Dress-up and figures to your heart's content."
"Leave it to me, then!"
Medea agreed instantly. Why's she a witch again?
"Hmph, easy prey. It's yours, Medea! Tell Da Vinci she's on alarm and detection duty!"
"Got it! …By the way, about that Saber—"
"Don't say it. It stings."
Nursing a slight wound, the king left the temple.
The preparations continued.
"What traps? Well… poison, pitfalls, arson—pretty standard, right? Ambushes during a march, drying up wells, tampering with supplies? I'm a rat, so sneaky stuff's my specialty."
"As expected, a rat knows rat-proofing best."
From Robin, I learned the variety of traps.
"Traps aren't set-and-forget. Chain them—traps for pursuit, traps for escape, traps for misses, traps to cut off retreats, traps against counterattacks. Treat them as a system, not a single move."
"Hmph, learned as those wrinkles suggest."
"There's a game like that! Not my thing, but what about you, Heroic King?"
"Later. I'm busy."
From Zhuge Liang, I gleaned the art of trap placement.
"Let's get to work. I'm not used to this sort of thing—pity the prey, for I'll show no mercy!"
Thus began the grand overhaul of Chaldea's defenses, themed "Annihilate Foes Without Lifting a Finger."
First, intruders face a barrage of heavy weaponry loaded with bullets refined from Emiya's Origin, devastating magical circuits and crests. Machine guns, grenade launchers, revolvers, turrets, mortars—modern arms in abundance. Secondary damage is mitigated by barriers and pocket dimensions, installed throughout. Most mages would be repelled here.
For physically superior foes who break through, diverse traps await: rooms filled with Mushussu venom, molten lava, or soul-severing cold that banishes to the underworld. Wraiths and dragon-tooth soldiers swarm, designed to overwhelm physically. Roaming the area are Lamassu, each a Servant-class god-beast—defeating one is no small feat. Fail, and you're lunch. Medea prepared the pocket dimensions and mana reactors to sustain them.
Wait—what if they bring Servants?
The vessel had that covered. He allocated 0.5% of his treasury, embedding mystical armaments capable of shredding Servants or gods, fortifying an impregnable defense.
Da Vinci handled alarms and detection, rolling out crystal orbs, prophetic tomes, biometric sonar, and friend-or-foe identifiers in no time.
"Multi-lock system included! It'll pick off targets one by one!"
"Fine work, Da Vinci!"
For testing, we ran simulations using the abilities of dozens of near-dead Masters as hypothetical intruders.
"Assume they have Servants. What's the result?"
Nine out of ten died instantly. A Master with a top-tier Servant lasted a minute before being devoured by a Lamassu.
"Pathetic. Hardly worth the effort. Struggle more!"
After tweaks, the Masters always died first, their Servants weakening and falling to the Lamassu. Frustrated, the vessel boosted the Masters' stats to Executor levels, finally allowing entry into the maze.
Still, none reached Chaldea's core. Firearms, magecraft, and mystery felled them all. An impregnable labyrinth, worthy of the name "perfect defense."
"Haha! This is surprisingly fun! What's next to trap? I get why Roman likes those Casters! Hahahahaha!!"
As a final touch, the vessel collected and registered the staff's genetic data, separating "True Chaldea" from "Labyrinth Chaldea." Unauthorized entrants or those with hostile intent are shunted straight to the maze.
"Here, the command is yours. Hand over the Grail."
"Y-Yes."
The activation rights were transferred to Olga Marie's Grail. Now, with a single thought, she could unleash the labyrinth's fangs.
"Don't abuse it. This maze—crafted by me, Medea, and Da Vinci—is no toy. Test it on those half-dead mongrels if you want. Hahahahaha!!"
"N-Never! Haha, hahaha…"
Olga Marie's strained laughter met the king's jovial cackle.
"Your fight extends beyond Humanity's restoration! This is your safety net, a defensive labyrinth frontline! Fangs to crush the end itself! I name it 'Great Deluge Napishtim's Tidefang'! Use it well! Haha! Hahahahaha!!"
Firearms, magecraft, and mystery.
The absolute labyrinth 'Great Deluge Napishtim's Tidefang' was entrusted to Chaldea's director.
Will this bring them some peace?
"Hm, shall I let Chaldea's Servants test it?"
That'd send us back to the prologue—please don't…
--+--
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