Chapter 241
"Eh? A day off?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash looked at Merlin in front of them in surprise.
"This is a message from Her Excellency Siduri," Merlin leaned in with a mysterious look and said. "Please treat today as a holiday and enjoy a good tour of Uruk!"
"A holiday?" Mash paused for a moment upon hearing this. "Although we should be happy, but..."
There was still a lot of work left unfinished.
"Sigh, you shouldn't think like that. Work is something that will never be finished," Merlin shook his head. "Instead of work, why not think about how to spend this wonderful holiday?"
"For example, right now I really want to have a big meal." Speaking of this, his expression suddenly turned resentful. "You guys were in for a treat yesterday, weren't you? Miss Kiana cooked personally..."
"Sigh, why wasn't I there?"
"You can't blame us for that," Fujimaru Ritsuka said righteously. "It wasn't us who assigned you your work."
"But if there's another chance next time, we'll definitely invite you."
"It better be," Merlin sighed, then his eyes darted around and he teased, "By the way, it's a rare opportunity, how about inviting Mash to go on a date through the streets and alleys of Uruk?"
Then he went straight upstairs humming a happy tune.
"This... um..." Hearing this, Mash suddenly started fidgeting, her fingers intertwining, and she said pointedly, "I've gotten used to wearing these clothes too. Senpai... what do you think?"
Her eyes darted around, not daring to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka at all.
"Well..." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the proactive Mash, a little at a loss.
'How did the fragrant and soft Little Eggplant suddenly become so brave?'
"Excuse me," right at this moment, a petite figure appeared between them. "Are you two free today?"
"Then I'd like to commission you for a job!"
"Oh, my dear Anna," just as the Chaldea duo was at a loss, Xia Yu suddenly popped her head out from behind them, then sighed and shook her head. "How could you suddenly pop out at a time like this?"
"I was still waiting to watch their push-and-pull, sweet-and-sour romantic comedy..."
"I accept!" Before she could finish speaking, she was drowned out by Fujimaru Ritsuka's super loud voice. "No matter what the job is, just leave it to us!"
"Y-yes!" Mash also looked at Anna with determination. "Please leave it to us!"
"Look at how shy they are," Xia Yu lowered her head to look at Anna, pointing at them. "Wouldn't it be better to just honestly eavesdrop with me?"
"Sorry, did I come at a bad time?" Anna finally noticed the awkward atmosphere between the two.
"No! You came at the perfect time!" Fujimaru Ritsuka said awkwardly. "I'm begging you, Anna! We really need a job right now!"
Beside her, Mash looked away, guiltily drawing circles on the ground with her toe.
"These are all the silver coins I've saved up so far," Anna took out a coin pouch and handed it to Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Using these as compensation, can you accompany me on a trip?"
"Of course, Anna," Fujimaru Ritsuka leaned down, looking at the serious Anna with a comforting smile.
"There's no need for a fee," Mash's movements were surprisingly synchronized with hers. "We... we were just looking for some worthwhile work to do."
"Oh~~~ So this is what Chaldea is like," Xia Yu looked at the two of them with a smile. "To think you even have to go find work yourselves on your days off? What a scary place."
"Uh, actually, we're not quite that..." Fujimaru Ritsuka was a bit embarrassed.
"Count me in," Xia Yu bent down to look at Anna. "It just so happens I haven't really toured Uruk much either."
"Then... I'll take you to the location," Anna lowered her head to avoid her gaze.
"Because there will be a battle, please take care of me."
"A battle?" Hearing this, the Chaldea duo exchanged a glance.
The last Gallu Spirit was shattered by Mash's Great Shield.
"Good work," Anna let out a sigh of relief as she looked at the cleared underground space. "The evil spirits should all be cleared out now, thank you so much."
"To think there's such a massive cavern underneath Uruk," Fujimaru Ritsuka remarked, looking around the underground space.
"Those undead from just now were also quite surprising," Mash said thoughtfully. "They were quite different from the ones we've encountered in previous Singularities."
"Gallu Spirits," Xia Yu spoke up upon hearing this. "A species of undead unique to Mesopotamia."
"They're very much like grim reapers," Anna also frowned. "These days, a fatal disease is spreading within Uruk."
"A fatal disease?" Fujimaru Ritsuka's pupils shrank at this.
"Yes, those with weakened physical strength will fall into an eternal slumber," Anna said as she led everyone outside. "Those undead should be connected to this."
"Slumber..." Hearing this, Xia Yu shook her head. 'Their souls were clearly reaped.'
"Big Sister Kiana looks like she knows everything..." Seeing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka revealed a flattering smile. "So could you give us some spoilers? What exactly caused all of this?"
"No," Xia Yu shook her head seriously. "You still haven't finished the important prerequisites, so you can't unlock that part of the intel."
"Prerequisites?" Anna was a little confused.
"It's a gaming term," Fujimaru Ritsuka explained. "So did we miss a clue?"
"Could you give us a hint? Big Sister Kiana?" Beside her, Mash, prompted by Ritsuka's gaze, hugged Xia Yu's arm and acted spoiled.
"A hint?" Xia Yu stroked her chin. "Alright, for the sake of how cute Mash is."
"Question: Is an imprisonment in the name of love a cage?"
"Huh?" The three of them exchanged glances.
"In the name of love?" Fujimaru Ritsuka silently chewed over these words.
"So does this have something to do with the Three Goddess Alliance?" Anna looked up at Xia Yu.
"Yes indeed," Xia Yu smiled at her. "There's more than just one pillar goddess making moves against Uruk."
"So although we can't find the mastermind behind the scenes yet, as long as we eliminate those undead, we can reduce the number of people who die from weakness."
Fujimaru Ritsuka stroked her chin and said, "Hmm, it's a massive undertaking."
"But why are there no missions related to such an important matter from King Gilgamesh? Has Uruk not noticed this situation yet?"
"Don't you feel guilty saying that?" Xia Yu rolled her eyes at her. "Would an arrogant maniac like Gilgamesh just let something so uncontrollable run rampant under his rule without doing anything?"
"He simply can't handle it. Uruk's manpower is already stretched to the limit. Defending against the invasion of the Demonic Beasts outside has already exhausted all their strength."
Xia Yu looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "They no longer have the strength to open up another battlefront."
'So someone like Gilgamesh has to resort to dying from overwork and descending to the Underworld in order to solve the problem.'
"Actually, in the Age of Gods, the death of the flesh and the death of the mind are different," right then, Anna suddenly spoke up. "Even if the body is perfectly intact, if the soul is taken away by the grim reaper, they will die immediately."
"Also, the state of the soul being taken away isn't death, but sleep," she continued. "As long as the body is preserved perfectly intact, retrieving the soul will allow them to awaken from their slumber."
"Then how did Anna discover these undead?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked as they walked.
"Well..." Anna turned her head to look at a flower shop on the street corner. "Because there were a lot of them gathered beneath that flower shop..."
Hearing this, the group turned to look and saw a kind-looking old woman pitching the flowers in her shop to passersby.
"Anna is really gentle," Mash suddenly smiled upon seeing this and said, "This shop... I remember you've been here many times."
"I quite like the flowers from her shop too," right then, Xia Yu also spoke up. "Because I promised to bring a bouquet of flowers to someone, and I've been quite troubled over this lately."
"That's not it!" Anna suddenly became agitated. "I just..."
She looked up and met the puzzled gazes of the three.
"No... it's nothing," Anna suddenly fell silent, finally turning her head back to the flower shop. "By the way, why do you make so much unnecessary contact with the people of this era?"
"Whether it's Ritsuka and Mash, or Miss Kiana... You are clearly all outsiders."
"I feel a bit confused about this."
Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Mash and Xia Yu, then said, "This is something I suddenly thought of while working after coming to this world."
She looked around at the bustling streets of Uruk. "It turns out they are just the same as us."
"There are also many ordinary people living in this world. Since that's the case, we really do have to work a bit harder... even if it's just for the people right in front of us."
Speaking of this, she suddenly became a little shy. "I don't know if that counts as an answer for you."
"As expected of the Savior," Xia Yu clapped her hands. "Look at this resolve!"
"It's not that exaggerated," Fujimaru Ritsuka felt a bit helpless.
"I hate humans," just then, Anna suddenly said. "But I don't hate your way of thinking."
"I can understand your thoughts," Xia Yu suddenly crouched down to face Anna. "Hating humans and such... is actually quite normal."
"Uh, it's normal?" Anna blinked, looking at the older sister in front of her. "Aren't you all Guardians of humans?"
"As a Valkyrie, I naturally have to protect all the beauty in this world," Xia Yu said seriously. "But as a Herrscher, I am constantly reminded to destroy the world!"
"No, are we never gonna get over this whole 'enemies and allies share the same origin' trope?" Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately said. "Hello, Demon King who destroys the world!"
"Mhm, hello to you too, Miss Savior who saves the world," Xia Yu high-fived her. "Are we considered fated enemies?"
"No! Aren't we best friends?" Fujimaru Ritsuka looked utterly incredulous, then held her head and broke down, "If... if I became enemies with Big Sister Kiana..."
"How could I possibly defeat that power capable of incinerating the world? I don't want something like that!"
"It's actually very simple," Xia Yu teased. "You just need to kneel down in front of me when I'm going all out, look at the ruined walls around you, and say in utter despair that you can't do anything."
"There's a cheat code for clearing the game like that?" Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes widened.
"This is a hidden code," Xia Yu wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "How about it? I'm pretty good to you, aren't I? I even told you a secret like this."
"Big Sister Kiana, you'll be my actual biological sister from now on!" Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately milked the situation. "So just how useful is this cheat code?"
"At least it's useful on me," Xia Yu giggled. "But don't go foolishly using it to conquer other people, or you'll really be beaten to death."
"I wouldn't do that," Fujimaru Ritsuka guaranteed, patting her chest.
"Alright, we've been tired out all morning. We should go back and get something to fill our stomachs," Xia Yu stretched her waist, her graceful body curves fully revealed in the sunlight.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash suddenly blushed in unison.
Beside them, Anna glanced at them, then silently pulled her hood down lower.
"You two..." Xia Yu narrowed her eyes at the Chaldea duo, whose gazes were darting around. "Your gazes aren't pure."
"This... Big Sister Kiana..." Mash was innocent after all, and after being caught red-handed, she was so embarrassed she didn't know what to say.
Fujimaru Ritsuka was much more thick-skinned. "Eh, I just have a pair of eyes meant to discover beauty, and they're simply being put to good use."
She stated righteously, "Is appreciating beauty a crime?"
"Is this how you talk to Firefly too?" Xia Yu rubbed her chin, a scrutinizing look in her eyes.
"Not really," Mash's tone carried a hint of awkwardness.
"Hmm? She's a rare beauty too, isn't she?" Xia Yu wrapped an arm around her shoulder and asked, "Does this mean you look at me differently?"
"No... it's just that Miss Firefly has too much of an oppressive presence..." Mash said weakly. "We wouldn't dare to have those kinds of thoughts at all..."
"Yeah..." Fujimaru Ritsuka empathized. "At the time, Cu Chulainn unleashed his Noble Phantasms one after another until his Long Spear was smoking. That's a Noble Phantasm with causal attacks."
"But in the end, it couldn't manage to hit her even once... Even after going through so many Singularities, it was my first time seeing a scene like that."
"That's actually quite normal," Xia Yu shrugged. "Firefly was already holding back. On the Interastral Peace Corporation's wanted list, her famous battle record is literally chopping up a planet with a single strike."
"Wait, Miss Firefly is that strong?" Fujimaru Ritsuka lost her composure completely. "Chopped up a planet?"
"That's just the normal output for someone at their level," Xia Yu shrugged. "That's just how cosmic civilizations are."
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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