[FMMIKA] Chapter 278: Dragon Emperor's Purpose and Ambition

"..."

"Oh, that's so amazing!"

After Mash finished speaking, Ritsuka fell silent for a moment and then made an expression of surprise and moved, exclaiming loudly to Mash.

"The emperor you mentioned is truly incredible, a pinnacle of culture and martial prowess. I can't help but feel very excited!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is!" Ritsuka chuckled. "Now that I think about it, who needs to save humanity and all that? What I really want now is to follow His Majesty the Dragon Emperor to the ends of the world."

At this point, Ritsuka's expression became more serious.

"Yes, Mash, I've realized it. Chaldea is a dead-end organization. My destiny lies with the Dragon Emperor. I was born to be a loyal servant of His Majesty."

"Nope."

After Ritsuka said that, Mash smiled without hesitation and promptly dismissed her statement.

"Eh...?"

The situation didn't quite unfold as Ritsuka had expected. But right after, she seemed to understand why Mash had rejected her.

Ritsuka patted her chest as she assured Mash.

"Don't worry, Mash, I won't compete with you for His Majesty's love." Ritsuka promised.

"Or rather, when it comes to the harem, isn't the more people the better? You need allies to secure your position, right?" Ritsuka said with a cheerful tone. "And no one understands the art of harem politics better than I do."

"That's why, Mash, let's form an alliance! Let's join forces and carve out a place in His Majesty's harem."

Ritsuka continued to pat her chest decisively, trying to look as earnest as possible.

"With my intellect and your unwavering loyalty, we'll certainly thrive in the harem!"

After saying those words, Ritsuka looked at Mash with sparkling eyes, eagerly awaiting her agreement.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

"You're lying."

Mash maintained her calm smile, but her words made Ritsuka's heart sink.

"Senpai, you're not really thinking of joining the empire. You're planning to infiltrate, gather intelligence, amass power, and then possibly turn against them when the time is right."

"Once your plan succeeds, you'll laugh at us and say something like "Idiots—what a bunch of idiots! You couldn't even see through such a simple scheme, such idiots, hehehehe!" and then you'll stick your tongue out at us and pat your butt."

"Am I right, Senpai?"

Listening to Mash's ruthless and straightforward words, Ritsuka's expression became quite unpleasant.

"Ahaha... Mash, what are you even talking about? I would never..."

"Yes, Senpai, that's exactly what you're like, a deviant and mischievous troublemaker. I know you very well."

Mash said those words and slowly approached Ritsuka. When her ample chest touched Ritsuka's, the latter, out of fear, stepped back.

"Because, I'm the one who knows you the best, Senpai."

"..."

Ritsuka was speechless.

She watched Mash, who was smiling like a blooming flower in front of her. She felt her 'little eggplant' had transformed from the fragile and innocent type to a ruthless and beautiful villainess.

"..."

Ritsuka and Mash huddled together, gazing at each other wordlessly, with the former trembling.

===

Meanwhile, While Mash looked after her senpai, Artorius was handling the Servants.

"Elizabeth Bathory?"

"Yes, that's... me."

Dressed in her usual idol outfit, Elizabeth was no different from Carmilla when facing Artorius Pendragon. The same mix of worry, fear, dread, admiration, and the desire to be close yet wanting to run away—of course, they were essentially the same person.

"No need for unnecessary words." Artorius said calmly.

Unlike humans who relied on their five senses to gather information, for a Servant, knowledge could be conveyed through a mental link.

In just a moment, Elizabeth understood the vast, rich, and powerful empire ruled by the Dragon Emperor, and how grand his ambitions were.

It wasn't about saving the human order, not about repairing the existing proper human history, but about creating a larger, brighter, more endless 'human history'.

In this reshaped human history, humans wouldn't despair due to Gaia's death or the Earth's exhaustion.

Nor would they wither away after the death of Alaya, as their desires waned.

Everything, be it the Velbers or dealing with the Outer Gods, all challenges would be easily overcome.

Just thinking about it got Elizabeth trembling with excitement.

For the universe, for the 'Throne of Heroes', the survival of humanity was insignificant.

From this perspective, the higher-level entities in the universe had a rather 'indifferent' attitude toward the persistence of human order.

The Buddhas or the God of Abrahamic, both on the level of higher-dimensional entities, didn't care much about Chaldea's world-saving efforts.

Perhaps, for beings at that level, the extinction of humanity was just a mere large fluctuation.

However, for humanity itself, 'humanity' was everything.

Everything, every single thing.

Love and hatred, likes and dislikes, ideals, expectations, mundane, and miracles.

Everything, absolutely everything, was encompassed within the concept of 'humanity'.

It was only natural that the vast majority, unless they were as mad and despairing as Bluebeard Gilles, would fight desperately for 'humanity' and most people would be willing to sacrifice for 'humanity'.

This was the essence of Artorius Pendragon's purpose and ambition.

This was why Artorius could attract 'Heroic Spirits' who were inclined toward 'humanity', even if they were sent by the Counter Force to fight for the salvation of 'humanity', they had to consider the interests of 'humanity'.

Saving the current human history and ensuring its continued existence was indeed a noble cause. However, creating a better human history, one that ensures the eternal survival of humanity, was an even weightier 'noble purpose' for humanity than the former.

As a result, after knowing everything, and confirming Artorius's intentions, Elizabeth found it hard to resist the Dragon Emperor's persuasion.

"I am willing to serve you, Your Majesty."

Elizabeth ultimately knelt before the Dragon Emperor and pledged her loyalty.