[FMMIKA] Chapter 269: Trap

"After completing this mission, everyone will have enough wealth to return home and get married!"

With a determined spirit, Ritsuka once again took the stage for her speech. This time, it wasn't in Japanese, which no one understood, but in a mixture of French and Berber.

One had to admit that being a Master of Chaldea meant quick learning. Or rather, it could be said that Chaldea's translation device speed was fast, but that wasn't really important.

Compared to the previous speech in Japanese, now that Ritsuka was speaking a language everyone could understand and promising tangible benefits, the guerilla members who would be the cannon fodder became wildly enthusiastic.

"Senpai..."

Hearing Ritsuka's speeches, Mash felt a slight unease.

It wasn't because Ritsuka had just set a flag and not just one but two, which was unsettling.

A being like Gudako, who was both audacious and reckless, would never die even if the whole world perished. Mash always believed in that.

"Can we really do this? The fleet carrying precious metal is crucial, so the defending forces should be powerful, right? Can our group take them on?"

Mash spoke worriedly, resonating with the other women Servants.

"Umu, umu."

"That's right, that's right."

"What if we get caught..."

At this point, the women couldn't help but shudder, probably thinking of many NSFW scenarios.

'I haven't married yet.' Every woman beside Marie thought simultaneously.

'I'm already married, but...' Marie thought worriedly.

Everyone locked eyes with each other, feeling a sense of camaraderie and increasing their goodwill toward each other.

"It's alright, it's alright." Ritsuka waved her hand casually and said happily to Mash. "We won't fail!"

"Senpai..."

"Do you think I'm a fool, someone who acts without thinking, Mash?"

"Yes."

"Ugh! How decisive! Alright, Mash, I think there's a big misunderstanding between us."

"But I don't think there is, Senpai."

"Ahh, I say there is! What's the point of counting how many enemies there are? We have five Servants on our side! A whole five! Who can't we defeat us?" Ritsuka said, getting somewhat exasperated. "Mash, Marie, Elizabeth, Kiyohime, Jeanne—yep, that's five."

Ritsuka confirmed the number, then continued:

"Cannon fodder like the foot soldiers are meaningless; the real combat strength lies in the Servants. We have a lot of people on our side, so we could be called impressive. Therefore, we'll definitely be able to plunder the treasure fleet and win.

After that, we'll gain the recognition of other countries and organizations to form the Anti-French Alliance, become a duke, take on the role of grand marshal, and marry a beauty. This way, we can easily solve the problem of this Singularity!"

"Is it really that simple..."

Although Ritsuka's words sounded nice, Mash remained skeptical. Unfortunately, her personal scruples were of no concern in Chaldea. The other Servants in the group had all been persuaded by her.

"Hmm, that sounds reasonable."

"Then let's have a concert, a concert."

"Cake~"

Mash: "..."

Looking at this group of pig teammates, Mash felt emotionally drained. She subconsciously looked at the only other seemingly sane person, hoping to gain some support, whether practical or emotional.

However.

"Please, Lord, what should I do..."

The saint was already lost in denial, she was unreliable.

"That's settled!" Ritsuka exclaimed happily.

Four in favor, one against, and one abstention. That was the decision Chaldea had made.

Meanwhile, at the Chaldea headquarters, Romani hesitated to speak several times, feeling uneasy about the adventurous move proposed by Ritsuka.

But before he could voice his concerns, a subtle feeling made him stop.

At that moment, Da Vinci's lips curled into a pleased smile. When Romani turned to look, all he saw was her gentle smile, like how she was depicted in the original painting of Mona Lisa.

That fleeting smile caught Romani off guard.

'How beautiful.'

Despite having had ten wives in his previous life and choosing only Mari-chan in the current reincarnation, Romani couldn't help but feel captivated when he saw that smile.

And so, Chaldea had reached a unified decision, and Ritsuka was confidently stepping onto the path of death.

"That's it, a brighter future awaits us!"

Having resolved internal issues, Ritsuka appeared quite happy.

"Let's go! Great victories await us!"

Her posture was reminiscent of Napoleon crossing the Alps.

With her enthusiastic declaration, the entire guerilla group cheered without much self-awareness, imagining a future of promotion, wealth, and returning to their hometowns for weddings.

However, all of this fantasy was declared a failure three days later.

===

The group of Chaldea was having a grand old time, charging headfirst into the trap set by Jalter.

Initially, Ritsuka had been rather smug about it all.

She'd deployed her cannon fodder to create distractions, thinking that this would scatter France's attention. Then, with the speed of a lightning strike, she had her five trusty Servants charge in one fell swoop.

In the beginning, it was all under her control.

Servants moved through the battlefield as if it were a ghost town, routing the forces guarding the treasure ship and swiftly seizing it.

"I told you!" Ritsuka chuckled with a smug expression. "Most regular armies are just for show. When it comes to real fighting, it's all about the Servants."

"Yes, yes, Senpai is absolutely right."

"Alright, enough of the chitchat—let's see how much loot we've got, Mash."

Though something like precious metal couldn't be eaten, it held no real significance for Chaldea in a world on the brink of extinction, with human order in shambles.

But as a human, simply gazing at heaps of precious metal stacked together brought joy even more satisfying than a perfect pull of gacha.

So, Ritsuka gleefully hopped and skipped with a step that would make a middle-schooler blush, entering the cargo hold of the treasure ship.

"Let's see just how much we've got~ treasure~ treasu—"

But halfway through her sentence, Ritsuka couldn't continue. Then her expression turned as grave as Darius III's.

"What the heck is this?! There's nothing here at all?!"

After shouting in frustration, it dawned on her.

She was fooled.