Does a Doll Deserve to Live a Happy Life? (Patreon)

Chapter 41: Welcome to Chaldea

“So, it worked,” Scáthach said calmly, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall for support while looking at me.

“That seems to be the case.” I nodded from my place on the couch, surrounded by Tamamo and Sakura, while Eri sat on my lap eating an apple.

As soon as I had gotten the letter from Chaldea, I immediately let everyone know, and now we were gathered in the living room to discuss our next steps.

Well… it was more like me trying to convince them that I would be okay, if I was being honest. I had already told them my plan, and they didn’t like it too much, so here we were.

“I still think you shouldn’t go alone, Senpai,” Sakura muttered from my side, proving my point and earning nods of agreement from most of the others.

“No, bringing one of you is too risky,” I said with a shake of my head. “We’re dealing with a Demon God here, remember. One with a very powerful clairvoyance. It’s best if I handle this at the beginning. After the traitor reveals himself, you girls can return once it’s relatively safe.” I explained for what felt like the tenth time.

“Run this plan of yours by us one more time, Sieg. I still have some doubts about it,” Artoria said with a small frown from her spot on the opposite couch.

“Haah… very well.” I let out a sigh. This wasn’t the first time I had explained the plan either, but I went along with it. I had learned that each girl present could be very stubborn, and winning an argument with them was almost like pulling teeth.

“The first part of the plan, which has already been accomplished, was creating an identity for myself here as an amateur Magus, which, thanks to Aoi-san, Tamamo, and Teacher, we were able to do.” I began, earning nods from everyone.

“The next order of business was obviously getting accepted into Chaldea, which seems to have succeeded, and making sure that the person known as Ritsuka Fujimaru doesn’t get dragged into this mess, which again was a success.” I continued, waving the letter of acceptance for emphasis.

Speaking of Ritsuka, Aoi-san, Tamamo, and I had tracked him down with the use of Bounty Tracker and, with some subtle hypnosis, implanted the thought for him to ignore any recruitment flyers, since that was the reason he had originally been recruited to Chaldea. As a bonus, we made sure he got a nice office job somewhere.

“With my acceptance to Chaldea, that’s where I will be personally getting involved. The plan is to travel to Antarctica, where Chaldea is located, blend in with the other candidates, and try to make friends with some of the staff.”

“Then, after Lev Lainur Flauros reveals his hand, I’ll do my best to save as many people as possible before entering Singularity F along with Demi-Servant Mash Kyrielight. While in the Singularity, I will form a contract with Mash and grant her my Shroud, saving her along with Director Olga Marie Animusphere in the process.”

“After that, I will reveal some of my abilities and try to deal with the Singularity by defeating Artoria’s evil counterpart—”

Here I paused briefly and sent our Artoria a reassuring smile when I caught her slight wince before continuing. I had no doubt that was the real reason she was so against me going alone, since I would be facing a counterpart of her which took her some time getting used to.

Wait until she learns about all the versions about her that are out there, I’m sure that will get an amusing reaction.

“—forcing Lev Lainur Flauros to reveal himself as the mastermind behind everything.”

I didn’t tell them that I also planned to save Black Saber, otherwise known as Alter, if the opportunity presented itself. I didn’t think they would like that very much, with Artoria and Tamamo being the main ones who would heavily object to something so risky.

“Finally, if everything goes correctly, the Singularity will close, and we will return to Chaldea, where I will then summon all of you after giving the others a brief explanation.” I finished before slumping back into my seat.

“And that’s pretty much the plan.”

“It’s a dumb plan if you ask me,” Illya said with a small huff, crossing her arms from her spot on the couch she was sharing with her mother and Rin.

“Enough of this.” Scáthach let out a tired sigh while leveling everyone with a stern look. “Sieg has already gone over the plan multiple times, and while it’s risky, we just have to trust him to get this done. Or are you all saying that you don’t trust him?”

Faced with such an obvious trap question, several of the girls grimaced and wisely chose to remain silent. I sent Scáthach a thankful look and received a small nod in return.

“Haah… while I don’t like this plan of yours, the Witch is right. We have already discussed this several times, and I don’t see you changing your mind anytime soon. You can be somewhat stubborn at times,” Artoria said with a resigned sigh before rising to her feet and walking toward me, earning a raised eyebrow.

“That being said, however, it doesn’t mean I will accept you going out there with no protection.”

Artoria stopped in front of me, then leaned down and briefly addressed the silent Eri.

“Sorry, Eri, but could I borrow Sieg for a second?”

Eri nodded obediently before sliding off my lap and climbing onto Tamamo’s, who immediately cuddled her to her chest.

“Sure thing, Aunty Arty~”

With my lap now free, Artoria straightened and brought her hands together over her chest. A golden light gathered between her palms, and moments later, Avalon appeared.

Taking the sacred sheath into her hands, Artoria looked at me sternly.

“You will accept this, and I will hear no complaints from you, Sieg,” she said seriously.

Blinking at Artoria willingly parting with her treasured sheath, knowing how much it meant to her, I could only nod silently.

Seeing my acceptance, a small smile formed on Artoria’s lips. She stepped forward and gently pressed Avalon into me where it disappeared before leaning back with a satisfied nod.

“There. I’m sure I’m not the only one who will feel better now that you have Avalon protecting you in case something goes wrong. One can never be too careful in dangerous situations, after all.” Artoria smiled softly, her ahoge swaying back and forth in clear relief.

“Thanks, Artoria.” I muttered softly, feeling touched at her gesture.

The heartfelt moment was suddenly interrupted by a teasing giggle.

“Huhuhu, it seems our dear Saber has really taken a liking to you, Sieg-kun~” Irisviel chimed, watching us with a knowing look while covering her mouth with a dainty hand, no doubt grinning like the gremlin she was.

Her words had an immediate effect.

Artoria’s face turned bright red as she began waving her hands frantically in denial.

“S-Stop making accusations like that, Irisviel! I didn’t mean it like that! I just wanted Sieg to be as safe as possible!” Artoria exclaimed in embarrassment.

Irisviel only giggled harder, causing Artoria to sputter before she hurried back to her seat and stared intently at her lap, face still burning.

“Ignoring the flustered knight,” Tamamo said smoothly, blatantly talking over Artoria’s indignant “Hey!”—“just make sure you come back to us, Sieg-kun.”

I turned toward Tamamo, then let my gaze sweep across everyone else watching me with worry in their eyes.

In the end, I could only nod seriously.

“Of course.”

=====

A Day Later

The day had finally come for me to depart for Chaldea.

After our meeting yesterday, I made sure to spend as much time as possible with everyone, reassuring them over and over that I would only be gone for a few days at most. I devoted the entire day to being with them.

Throughout that time, Eri hadn’t left my side for even a moment, riding on my shoulders the whole day. I could tell she was extremely worried about me, but she was trying to be strong for my sake.

Since I would be leaving today by plane, I had to wake up extra early. Unfortunately, they couldn’t accompany me to the airport, as the letter had explicitly stated that I was to go alone.

With that in mind, I had already said my goodbyes to the girls. Some of them had even stolen kisses, Tamamo, Sakura, Kiara, and even Irisviel had surprised me with one on the cheek before handing me a bento she had made.

The only one remaining was little Eri.

I was now making my way to her room, which was marked by a hand-drawn picture of everyone with Eri in the middle, smiling brightly, the word Family written proudly across the top.

I paused for a moment, smiling gently at the drawing and committing it to memory… before my expression softened when I heard a small hiccup coming from inside.

Now worried, I silently opened the door and peeked my head inside.

My heart immediately clenched.

In the middle of the bed was a small bundle beneath the covers, shaking slightly as quiet sobs slipped into the air.

…I had a feeling she had been too quiet yesterday.

Letting out a soft sigh, I opened the door fully and walked over, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed so I wouldn’t startle her. Gently, I pulled back the covers—

—and revealed exactly what I feared.

A crying Eri, who, from the look of things, had probably been crying for hours.

Guilt twisted in my chest.

Without hesitation, I gently pulled her into my arms and wrapped her in a warm hug. She startled at first, but the moment my voice reached her, she froze.

“Shh… it’s alright, Eri,” I whispered against her hair, slowly rocking her back and forth.

“S-Sieg-san… waaah~!”

Realizing who was holding her, Eri looked up at me. The moment she saw my reassuring smile, the dam finally broke.

With a loud wail, she threw her arms around me as tightly as she could.

“S-Sieg-saan, I don’t want you to diee~” Eri mumbled through her tears, her body shaking with sobs.

“I’m not going to die, Eri,” I said gently as I softly caressed her back and hair. “Did you already forget? I’m Eri’s Hero, and as you already know, Heroes don’t die when they have something they want to protect.” I murmured gently against her hair.

“B-B-But Sieg-san might fight an evil God this time. He said it himself,” Eri replied, looking up at me with tears running down her chubby cheeks.

Pulling a handkerchief from my inventory, I carefully wiped her tears before answering.

“Even if it’s a god, I promise I won’t die. Do you want to know a secret only your Aunties know?” I asked with a small smile.

Sniffling cutely, Eri nodded and focused all her attention on me, looking as though I was about to reveal the secret of the universe. Such was her innocence.

Silently promising myself to protect this girl at all costs, I continued.

“Other than your Hero, I’m what’s known as a Campione. And do you know how Campione get their title?” I asked with a teasing smile, booping her nose and earning a small giggle.

“A Campione? Wow~” she repeated in wonder, as if she knew what the word meant, before shaking her head. “No, how do they get it?”

“We get the title of Campione by beating up evil gods,” I revealed with a grin, causing her eyes to widen as she gasped.

“Really? You beat up a god, Sieg-san?” Eri asked, awe filling her voice as she believed every word coming out of my mouth.

“Yep, I sure did.” I nodded confidently.

It wasn’t technically me who had done so, but Godou Kusanagi, whose abilities I now possessed thanks to my Template. Still, I had killed Gilgamesh, who was part god… so I wasn’t completely lying.

“That’s right,” I said with a confident grin. “So please don’t worry, alright, Eri? I promise that no matter what happens, I won’t die.”

My smile softened, and I leaned down to kiss her forehead, making her blush.

“I have my cute princess to return to, after all~”

Blushing even more but looking genuinely comforted, Eri nodded and hugged me again, this time much more gently, resting her head against my chest.

“It’s a promise then,” Eri whispered.

“Yes,” I replied, resolve filling my voice and eyes.

After all… I would be the biggest scumbag imaginable if I went and died after giving her a speech like that.

=====

Several Days Later — Antarctica — Chaldea Security Organization

“Ugh, my body feels so stiff after being cooped up in a plane for so long,” I muttered as I walked along a huge passage inside Chaldea, stretching my body to work the kinks out.

It felt weird going back to being a mostly normal human again after gaining so much power. With the use of my Toggle perk, I had disabled most of my abilities except my magic and reduced my output to that of a regular magus so I wouldn’t attract too much attention, you know being a dragon and all. Even my scent had been altered to that of a human to help disguise the fact, which I was thankful for.

The only thing I hadn’t touched was my defenses. Those would be crucial so I wouldn’t get discovered too early… and possibly killed.

Hearing my back crack, I let out a satisfied sigh as I continued walking.

Traveling here from Japan had been a nightmare, if I was being honest, with the trip taking about a day and a half. We hadn’t even been allowed to watch a movie or listen to music since we couldn’t bring our cell phones for security reasons.

Then, immediately upon arriving, I had been subjected to a series of tests that left my body exhausted in its current state, and I was doing my best just to remain awake.

‘Now I know how Ritsuka must have felt after all those tests,’ I thought tiredly.

Seeing a bench ahead, I decided to take a seat for a moment.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I leaned my back against the wall and looked up, wishing I could use a potion or something to get my energy back.

‘Hmm… now there’s an idea. For a while now I’ve been contemplating getting another Template for myself, but I wasn’t too sure what to get and instead spent all my credits on the essentials. Not to mention I still need to empower Sakura, Illya, Irisviel, and Rin with templates of their own so they can be safer. Problem is… I don’t have enough credits.’

“Haah, it all comes down to money in the end,” I muttered aloud, then blinked when I heard something small running down the hallway.

Turning toward the sound, I saw a white furry creature with a blue ribbon—something that looked part dog, part fox—and raised an eyebrow as it came to a stop in front of me and tilted its head curiously.

‘So this is Fou, huh? Hard to believe this cute thing is actually a Beast,’ I thought silently.

Smiling down at it and remembering I had some cookies saved from the plane ride, I dug into my pocket and offered one.

“Hey, little fella. Want one?” I asked calmly, extending my hand with the treat.

Fou tilted its head again before stepping forward and sniffing the cookie. Then suddenly—

“Fou~!”

It snatched the treat from my hand and devoured it in a few quick bites before looking at me expectantly.

“Haah, you little glutton. Here, I was saving this for later, but I guess you can have it,” I said, shaking my head as I handed over the remaining cookie.

“Fou~!”

Once again, it snatched the treat and quickly ate it before letting out a happy chirp. Then it studied me closely for a moment before hopping into my lap and settling there like it belonged.

“You sure are a spoiled one, aren’t you?” I muttered in amusement, petting its head and earning soft purrs in return.

“Fou, where did you run off to?” a soft feminine voice called from the direction Fou had come from.

Both Fou and I turned.

Walking down the corridor was a beautiful pink-haired girl wearing glasses. She stopped when she noticed me, with Fou comfortably lounging in my lap.

“Fou~!”

“Hello there, I’m Sieg. Are you perhaps looking for this little fella?” I asked politely with a small smile, my hand never stopping its gentle petting.

‘So this is Mash Kyrielight… It might be our first meeting, but I’m already getting the feeling that I want to protect this girl.’