The infinite sword system has been mastered, and you say this is the dragon clan?

Chapter 405 Mrs. Krimschild, don't you miss your husband either...

"This is... the Sword Emperor's good helper, BB, right? The way you dressed yourself up as a celibate and alluring woman was quite unique," Amor sized up BB, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the slender whip she held and the long white silk gloves she wore on both hands.

"It seems this is also the type that the Sword Emperor likes?"

Upon hearing this, BB lightly covered her mouth, chuckling with a hint of smugness. [The Roman goddess of love does have some discerning eye, doesn't she? No matter how many women surround him, or how many of them have such flamboyant personalities, none can replace the adorable and all-powerful BB!]

She made a self-praise-inducing remark, which is actually quite true from BB's perspective as a super AI; she does indeed have an irreplaceable position.

Unfortunately, this AI's personality model is unusually wicked. In comparison, the Chaldea headquarters adopted the EVA model downloaded from Kassel, which is clearly much more normal.

Emiya was always extremely wary of BB, and countless others had been tricked because they weren't vigilant enough.

“I see,” Amor noticed Emiya’s subtle wink and nodded, instantly seeing through BB’s true nature:
"...This girl seems to be the self-important, arrogant, and tormenting little devil type... Your Majesty, is BB usually quite impolite and lacking in respect for you?"

"Ha...! In fact, my true image is relatively easy to talk to internally. If I maintained a high-pressure 'imperial majesty' when I was at home, that would be too tiring."

Emiya shrugged, indicating that he was used to it. "However, my attitude towards BB is indeed a bit of an exception. Who can blame me when she's the most 'energetic' one in the whole family? She's the kind of person who's bound to cause trouble if you don't discipline her. If I don't put on a stricter stance, who knows what kind of mess she'll make!"

"So, since Amor is willing to board our ship, it's best to keep an eye on her, just as a way of keeping an eye on each other."

The white-haired nun smiled with amusement, giving BB a provocative look. "Alright! I'm also quite curious about the AI ​​girl's views on love."

[Waaaaah, my senior actually teamed up with outsiders to bully the world's most invincible and adorable BB!]

BB first wailed and cried out in exaggerated sorrow, trying to gain sympathy by feigning tears, but Emiya was already fed up with BB's acting skills, so she switched to a direct response—

[Phew...Does Cupid think BB isn't good at romantic relationships at all? Actually, the all-powerful BB can do anything! Hehehe, isn't it just that she has a special talent for focusing on all kinds of loving emotions?]

This is a piece of cake for AI, which excels at cognition and learning. BB could even come up with a reliable solution at this point—simply extract BB's inner traits and stitch in the corresponding elements to synthesize a new, advanced AI! This is completely next-generation technology; the ancient goddesses would never understand!

"..." Emiya paused, what was this idea of ​​yours? Are you starting to create an Alterego (other personality) using your own template?

However, he didn't say it aloud; the conversation could end there. After a few pleasantries and some lighthearted banter, it was time for the main story of the singularity to begin.

"Gentlemen, let's get back to the main topic—since strange things have happened in Rome, it means the seal on the Beast of Calamity has been broken, right? Is little Claudia showing any unusual behavior?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Little Nero woke up very late today.

Yesterday should have been her happiest day. Emiya had promised to let her record her singing in the studio for Elizabeth's concert, and she would be able to sit in a first-class seat and enjoy the performance. Even if she couldn't go on stage herself, it would still be a wonderful thing.

However, she eventually succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep, so she did not see Emiya return from afar until she went to sleep.

Nero felt a persistent emptiness inside, as if the night was missing its final piece.

And it's not over yet.

After falling asleep with regret, Nero had another terrible nightmare. For some reason, she was affected by the long-standing rumors about the "Calamity Beast," and she dreamed that she had become a multi-headed monster.

The monster had seven heads and ten horns, its entire body was deep red, and its enormous shell reached the sky and stood upright. With a turn of its body, it caused the sacred capital city in the hearts of the Romans to collapse and crumble. Its huge head, high above, grinned and roared, spewing out a torrent of scalding red magic power that wiped out everything, whether beautiful, ugly, greedy, or sacred, without distinction between friend and foe.

After dreaming of this scene, young Nero was so terrified that her legs trembled uncontrollably. All the magnificent art theaters, grand temples, and splendid palaces she had longed for and anticipated had been completely destroyed. How cruel and terrifying this was for someone who had just experienced something so wonderful in reality.

Finally, Nero's perspective shifted back to standing on the dragon's back. A voluptuous woman, smiling and bearing an uncanny resemblance to himself, suddenly appeared. She rode the dragon, acting as if she were its true master. She spoke to him with a tone of utter hatred:

"Look! Isn't this what you wanted?"

"By abusing the golden cup of wishes, the city's wealth and desires have accumulated and surged forth, leading to the construction of human civilization, but ultimately also bringing calamity from the sea!"

"I am the beast of calamity, draped in the sun, standing on the moon, and wearing a crown of twelve stars. I am also the beast of Sodom, Draco (the dragon) who devours cities!"

"My other half, come, forget your naive dreams and awaken, awaken in this joyous apocalypse, and then together we will pave the way for the end of humanity!"

"Well--"

While Nero felt fear towards the woman's eerie tone and the dream, she also felt a strange surge of courage and defiance, recalling the wonderful memories she had after being adopted by Emiya.
"What are you saying, you sneaky bastard disturbing my peaceful sleep? I don't understand a word! Why destroy humanity and create the apocalypse? You woman don't understand the beauty of art, you don't know the wonders of song—"

"enough!"

The mature, voluptuous woman interrupted Nero with a resentful tone, "You're still the same innocent person, you haven't grown up at all! The decision to separate you from Rome was a complete mistake!"

"Have you forgotten your original identity? You are Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus!—That's your name, but now, ha, you're using your daughter Claudia's name to impersonate her, playing house, enjoying relaxed theatrical entertainment, and staying by the side of your handsome companion who makes you feel comfortable..."

"What do you take all of this for? What do you take your past for? Don't forget, a year ago, they accused you of indulging in evil, pornography, abusing living beings, murdering your own family, being utterly wicked and heinous, a terrifying beast incarnate, an antichrist, a demon..."

The woman, using Nero's face, angrily rebuked Nero himself, "As your life was about to end, you heard all these vile words, didn't you? If you hadn't suddenly had the chance to be reborn before you died, what would have accompanied you as you passed away was that boundless scorn, denigration, and persecution, passed down from generation to generation for hundreds and thousands of years, and you would have died with your eyes open in disgrace!"

The furious roar seemed to intimidate Nero, who had initially mustered her courage. Countless painful memories from the past surfaced in her mind, causing her to hesitate... She truly hated the nobles and senators who had harmed her so greatly, as well as the uninformed masses who had been incited...

But if she agreed to truly destroy everything, how could she bear to? That kind-hearted emperor…

"Hmph, you're still so weak even now, it's really unbearable to watch. Half-body, you're so worthless, then die! I will completely replace you!"

"Ah!" Nero looked up in surprise, only to see the woman's crimson dragon claw flashing with a cold light as she swiftly swung her arm at him!

How sudden, how despicable! They talked about half a body, but their actions were just to deceive and launch a sneak attack!
Little Nero only had time to scream once before he woke up.

The nightmare is over.

"you're awake."

Nero blinked, instinctively clutching his golden cup as he left the bed. He then looked towards the source of the sound and saw a half-snake, half-human woman entering the palace, surrounded by figures dressed in various costumes, some carrying shields, others flagpoles, and so on.

There were quite a few people, but during the selection ceremony, Nero only heard of and remembered the leader, who seemed to be called Nuwa. She was a very peculiar Easterner, both inside and out, and she was quite familiar with Emiya.

"Hmm." "You looked so worried just now, like you were having a bad dream?"

“Yes, yes… um, where is the Sword Emperor?” Nero suddenly remembered the scene in her dream, which was actually Rome. She had a bad feeling. “I have something very important to tell him.”

“We were just on our way too, let’s go together. He specifically said you can come if you want to.”

Nuwa suddenly retracted her long snake tail, and her lower body transformed into graceful legs covered in stockings and exquisite little leather boots. "But before that, we still need to deal with a few trivial matters."

After walking through the long, makeshift palace corridors on Crete, and turning countless bewildering corners, the group finally spotted a pale, noble woman bound in chains.

"Her real name is Krimhilde? She attempted to assassinate the emperor during the selection of a new queen? I was right about the investigation results."

The pale-faced princess raised her defiant face; she had been arrested the previous night.

As a qualified Berserker, Krimhild should have lost her mind and gone mad that night, just like the other women, under the influence of Cupid's spirit.

But Krimshild remained clear-headed! She was even more lucid than when she was in a berserk, furious state, as if the berserk debuff and the mental interference from outside the arena had somehow canceled each other out, making her even more lucid!

What's going on with this strange phenomenon of "two negatives equaling one positive"?

Krimshild remained sober that night, but was powerless to complain, because all the women except her had headed towards Emiya, leaving her feeling out of place as the only one sober among the crowd. Then the organizers noticed something was wrong...

Damn it!! She, a Berserker, is imprisoned for not being crazy enough. This meticulously planned revenge operation has become a complete joke, utterly ridiculous...

Although Krimshild felt ashamed, she still wanted to stick to her guns, "Heh, your investigation wasn't very good either, didn't it? There were still some who slipped through the net?"

"Oh, if you mean the 381 Avenger Servants you temporarily recruited, they were all arrested and executed within three hours of infiltrating the venue."

Nuwa rattled off information with the air of someone who knew it all by heart. "Now it's your turn. What do you want to say?"

“I see…” Krimhild looked around and realized that there were so many people that they could easily execute ten times as many Heroic Spirits as herself, but they clearly had other purposes.

To intimidate oneself... or perhaps to save time, it's like the big shots taking action as a group, and then conveniently removing the thorn in one's side as a potential threat?

"Whatever your intentions, I have come solely to avenge my husband Siegfried. As for surrendering, that is impossible. I am a Berserker, living only for my own insane urge for revenge!"

“Oh, Siegfried, I’ve heard about that,” Nuwa said, bringing little Nero closer to her. “You know about how your ex-husband, Siegfried, almost harmed this little girl after being misled by rumors.”

Krimhild shrugged it off. "Hmph, I know. He always insists on doing what is right, disregarding human feelings and the feelings of those around him. Ah, sacrificing oneself for justice, in that man's eyes, is a 'heroic deed' that gets what he wants."

"Ha, I thought you, as Siegfried's wife, had some profound insights, but now I see you're nothing special! You're completely unqualified."

Nuwa deliberately feigned a sneer, which enraged the pale-faced princess. "What do you mean by this?!"

"It means that according to the story, you and your husband are completely incompatible. You are incompetent, narrow-minded, and short-sighted, while your husband is foolish and lacks social skills. This inevitably leads to tragedy—all the tragic tragedies in this world are due to the incompetence of the parties involved."

"Tch, stop spouting such wishful thinking!" Krimshild frowned deeply, her expression defiant.

On the surface, that's how it seems, but deep down, I'm feeling a sharp pain.

She is the protagonist of the second half of "The Song of the Nibelungs," titled "Krimhild's Revenge." During her lifetime, her vain and boastful behavior led to the tragedy of her husband's assassination.

While Siegfried's tendency to always respond to others' requests and dedicate himself to their cause contributed to this tragedy, it was also due to his own shortcomings in character.

It hurts, it hurts too much.

"Hehe, it's because our perspectives are different, perspectives."

Nuwa spoke in an almost dismissive tone, saying that we need to broaden our horizons.

"For us, the so-called heroic act does not contradict cherishing everyone around us. My husband and I—we are a family together, we have weathered storms together, enjoyed glory and joy together, and overcome hardships and dangers together!"

Krimshild's eyes widened in shock, as if she had been struck by a dazzling flash of light, followed by a complex mix of emotions, including sudden enlightenment, envy, and inferiority.

"And you, you only regret and deny your husband's sacrifice, only use crazy revenge to satisfy your pitiful and empty self! Now I want to tell you, this little girl, she is closely related to the disaster that is happening in Rome and may destroy the world. It can be seen that the rumor may not be a simple rumor, but your husband's behavior is still wrong!"

"Why..." Krimhild asked instinctively, already drawn into the conversation.

“The answer is…we will not abandon anyone around us. What we want is for our families to be reunited. We will not sacrifice anyone,” Nuwa said, leading little Nero aside and turning around. “But we also have to save the world. We will fight to reclaim the world we depend on for survival.”

It's impossible? I don't understand!

There are never multiple-choice questions; we want the world and our families!

Krimshildr's voice trembled slightly, "But why, why did you go to this extent?"

"Because we are Chaldea."

Nuwa, holding little Nero's hand and leading a group of people, suddenly spoke in unison with them. The unified voice was awe-inspiring, so much so that Krimhildr almost completely lost the resentment that had arisen from her berserk state, as if a ray of light had shone in.

Damn it... Just who is Chaldea...? A sudden surge of excitement and curiosity welled up inside her. But wouldn't this be considered a betrayal of her ex-husband?

Wait, something's not right. It seems like she's steered us into the conversation. Wasn't she talking about execution?

"So, your worthless marriage resume has been executed. Now we're going to follow 'our husband' to save the world."

Nuwa snapped her fingers, and the chains binding her instantly broke. "Krimhildr, you don't want your husband's tragedy to repeat itself, do you? If you remember what I just said, then don't presumptuously deny the great deeds of heroes. Pick up your sword and follow! If you're afraid of heroes' sacrifices, then become their defenders!"

Krimshild hesitated for a short while.

She hypnotized herself, telling herself that she didn't have a treacherous husband, that she just... just wanted to see what a truly qualified wife was like, and wanted to see and learn about that peculiar family called Chaldea.

Then, gritting his teeth, he chose to follow.

(End of this chapter)