Anomaly Ch. 56 (Patreon)

Italica had been devastated when they had left. With the former Imperial soldiers attempting to raid it, the town had little choice but to weather the storm. Thankfully, Shirou had been there to assist the Rose Order, and they had successfully driven out the would-be bandits.

That didn’t change a singular problem, though - the farms outside of the walled city, the ones that provided most of its food? They were completely razed. Shioru hadn’t seen them at the time, having been focused on the enemy, but said enemy had apparently circled around the entire city just to burn the fields down.

Scorched earth tactics. Not exactly unique, but nonetheless an effective tool when sieging down a city. Especially one that the Empire as a whole would be reluctant to help due to the demi-human population of the city.

Still, Shirou had hoped that they would be getting back on their feet by the time their business had concluded in the capital.

The earthquake rendered that hope useless.

Though there were signs of early reconstruction, scaffolds and other building materials scattered around the walls, the actual still-standing buildings were not made with earthquakes in mind. Rubble, debris, and more than a few pools of dried blood littered the bottom of the walls. Shirou had to grimace. Clearly, some people were still working on fixing the walls when it happened.

They entered the front gates, Itami and his cohort following suit after explaining their presence there, though Shirou had to step in to translate after Itami couldn’t find the right words in that little dictionary he had. Regardless of that little mishap, they entered without much fanfare. Even with the large amount of refugees brought in with them, the guards didn’t even bat an eye.

The lack of reaction wasn't born of discipline, Shirou realized as he guided his cart through the gate’s archway. It was exhaustion. The guards leaned heavily on their spears, their armor dull and dusted with the grey powder of pulverized stone. They looked past the convoy, their eyes glazed, seeing the Warrior Bunnies and the armed Yaga not as threats, but as just another wave of bodies to be shoveled into the overcrowding city.

"Cheery." Itami muttered over the radio, his voice crackling in Shirou's ear. The Lieutenant was walking alongside his vehicle now, having dismounted to guide the driver through the debris-strewn streets, "I've seen disaster zones in Japan with better morale. And that's saying something."

"They've been under siege, and then hit by an earthquake." Shirou replied, his gaze sweeping the main thoroughfare. It was worse than he had feared.

The streets of Italica, once wide and bustling with trade, were now choked with makeshift tents and huddled masses. The scorched earth tactics outside had driven everyone inside, and the earthquake had brought the 'inside' down on top of them.

"Watch your wheels." Shirou warned, pulling on his reins to guide the horse around a collapsed facade, "The cobblestones are uneven here. Liquefaction."

"Liquefaction? Here?" Kuribayashi’s voice joined the channel, sounding incredulous, "I thought this place was built on solid rock."

"Maybe, maybe not. Ground still gave way." Shirou said, his eyes tracing the fractures in a nearby building. His Structural Analysis flared to life unbidden, overlaying the ruin with a blueprint of stress points and structural failures. The entire eastern district was a spiderweb of compromised supports. One bad aftershock, and the ‘shelter’ these people were clinging to would become their tomb.

Behind him, he could feel Tyuule’s gaze burning into his back. He didn’t need to turn around to know she was scanning the devastation with a critical, perhaps even vindictive, eye. The Empire had failed to protect its own. To a former Queen whose people had been enslaved by that same Empire, this might have looked like justice.

To Shirou, it just looked like a mess he was partially responsible for leaving behind.

"Where are we heading, Emiya-san?" Itami asked, stepping over a pile of shattered roof tiles, "I'm assuming we're not just parking in the middle of the refugee camp. My superiors would have a field day if I turned a diplomatic mission into a humanitarian relief effort without authorization."

"The Formal Manor." Shirou said, pointing toward the rise in the city center. The keep stood tall, damaged but defiant, its green flags limp in the stagnant air, "Countess Formal is the acting lord. If there's any order left in this city, it’s coming from there."

"Countess Formal..." Itami tested the name, "Right. The one you helped. Think she has room for a few hundred demi-humans and a JSDF recon unit?"

"She owes me a favor." Shirou said, though he felt a pang of guilt at cashing it in like this, "And more importantly, she needs manpower. We have it."

As they pushed deeper into the city, the crowd grew denser. Eyes turned toward them now - hollow, desperate eyes. They lingered on the military vehicles, the clean uniforms of the JSDF soldiers, and the strange mix of species in Shirou's convoy. He saw a mother pull her child closer as a Yaga warrior trudged past, and he saw a group of men eyeing the supplies in the carts with predatory hunger.

Shirou rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, not drawing it, but letting the presence of it be known. Beside him, Lelei shifted, her staff tapping rhythmically against the floorboards of the cart.

"They are hungry." The mage noted quietly.

"They are." Shirou agreed, "And desperate."

"A most dangerous combination." Tyuule added from the back, her voice low and laced with dark amusement, "You brought sheep into a den of starving wolves, hero. Do not be surprised when they try to bite."

"If they bite, we bite back." Kuribayashi’s voice came through the radio, sharp and defensive.

"No." Shirou cut in, his tone brokering no argument, "We keep moving. Violence here starts a riot, and a riot kills everyone. Tyuule, keep your people close. Itami, keep your fingers off the triggers unless I say otherwise."

Itami raised an eyebrow, before shrugging in agreement.

When the manor finally loomed over them, it looked less like a sanctuary and more like a wounded beast. A large fissure ran down the western wing, masonry dust still puffing out in small, rhythmic breaths as the building settled.

"Structure's compromised on the west side." Shirou noted, his eyes narrowing as the blue lines of Structural Grasp involuntarily traced the fault, "If we get another tremor above a magnitude four, that wing collapses."

"I'll make a note." Itami said, though his eyes were scanning the perimeter walls, "...Shit. I know things could be bad, but not this bad just from a magnitude five, you know?"

The convoy ground to a halt at the manor's main gate. The guards here looked slightly more alert than the ones at the city walls, but the exhaustion was still etched deep into their faces. One of them, a grizzled man with a bandaged arm, stepped forward, squinting at the lead vehicle.

"State your business." He croaked, his hand resting warily on the hilt of his sword. Then, his eyes widened as they landed on the red-haired magus sitting in the driver's seat of the cart behind the Humvee, "Sir Chulainn?"

"Aye, it's me." Shirou nodded to the man, bringing the cart to a full stop, "I’ve brought...reinforcements. And refugees."

The guard’s relief was palpable, a physical slump of his shoulders, "Thank the Gods. The Countess...she’s been trying to keep things together, but..." He trailed off, glancing nervously at the JSDF vehicles and the imposing figures of the Yaga warriors.

"Open the gates!" He shouted back to his men, "It’s Sir Chulainn! And reinforcements!"

As the heavy timber doors groaned open, Itami leaned out of his window, looking around with a frown, "Emiya-san," he called out in Japanese, his voice low enough that the locals wouldn't catch the name, "I’m looking at the disposition of forces here. It’s thin. Too thin."

Shirou had noticed it too. The courtyard, which should have been bustling with the organized chaos of a military headquarters, was strangely subdued. Servants were rushing about with stretchers and supplies, and a few House Formal guards were patrolling, but something was missing.

There were no vibrant banners. No knights in polished armor drilling in the open spaces. No sign of the disciplined, if somewhat inexperienced, order that had fought beside him during the siege.

"Where are the Rose Order?" Kuribayashi asked, voicing the thought that had just crystallized in Shirou's mind, "I thought Princess Piña’s order was stationed here to protect the city?"

Shirou jumped down from his cart, his boots crunching on the gravel. He scanned the courtyard again, activating Structural Analysis not on the buildings this time, but on the layout of the defenses. It was amateurish. Desperate.

"They’re gone." Shirou said, the realization settling in his stomach like lead.

"Gone?" Itami hopped out of the vehicle, adjusting his rifle strap, "Gone where? Retreat? Redeployment?"

"Recall, most likely." Shirou muttered. He walked toward the main keep, motioning for Tyuule and the others to stay with the wagons for now, "If the earthquake hit the capital, the Emperor - or the Crown Prince - would want every loyal sword back within the inner circle. Italica is a trade hub, but to the Empire, it’s expendable compared to the throne."

They were met at the keep’s entrance not by a steward, but by the Countess herself. Myui Formal looked older than the last time Shirou had seen her, even though it hadn't even been a month. The intricate dresses were gone, replaced by practical riding leathers that looked a size too big. Her face was smudge with soot, and dark circles bruised the skin beneath her eyes.

"Sir Chulainn." She breathed, stopping at the top of the stairs. She looked like she was holding herself upright by sheer force of will, "You came back."

"A pleasure to meet you once more, Countess." Shirou said gently, offering a small bow, "Though I apologize for the company I brought. It’s a complicated situation."

Myui shook her head, a frantic, bird-like motion, "I don’t care. If they have hands, they can work. If they have swords, they can fight." She looked past him, at Itami and the JSDF soldiers, "And the men in green? Your friends?"

"Allies." Shirou corrected, "This is Lieutenant Itami. We’re here to help, Myui. But we need to know the situation. Where is the Rose Order?"

While a lot of the Rose Order had left for the capital alongside them, including most of the officers, there were still supposed to be a small contingent left in Italica to defend and assist in the rebuilding efforts. The Princess certainly wouldn't just leave an entire city to hang to dry like that.

At that, a confused look appeared on her face, before a somber look graced the young girl's features, "I see you haven't heard. Last night, a messenger from the capital arrived. Prince Zorzal has been crowned Emperor, and has officially declared Italica as a rogue city."

“What?!” Shirou was immediately alarmed at the development. How? They were in the capital just barely a week ago!

“Oh, they actually went ahead with that?” Tyuule, for her part, only looked mildly surprised compared to literally everyone else. His eyes whipped to the Warrior Bunny, furrowing his brows, “Did I not tell you? Ah, must’ve slipped my mind then. This little coup of theirs has been in the works for months now, and it seems your little stunt gave the Prince more than enough reason to launch it early.”

“Slipped your mind?” Shirou repeated, his voice dropping a few degrees. The air around him seemed to grow heavy, a tangible pressure that made the nearby guards shiver despite the heat of the day.

"It was a chaotic departure, Hero." Tyuule replied, examining her fingernails with practiced nonchalance, "Besides, would knowing have changed your course? You are the type to run toward the fire, not away from it."

"That isn't the point, and you know it." Shirou snapped, though he kept his volume controlled. He turned his head slightly, catching Itami’s confused expression, "Lieutenant. We have a problem."

"Bigger than the earthquake?" Itami asked warily.

"Much. The Emperor is dead - or deposed. Regardless, Prince Zorzal has taken the throne." Shirou translated rapidly, ignoring the growing panic from everyone within hearing range, "He’s declared Italica a rogue state. We’re not just dealing with disaster relief anymore. We’ve walked into the opening moves of a civil war."

Itami’s face went blank for a second before he let out a long, groaning exhale, tilting his head back to look at the sky, "A civil war. Of course. Because regular diplomacy wasn't hard enough. What are the chances they attack Alnus after Italica?"

"Knowing Zorzal? Guaranteed."

"...I need to radio Hazama. Man, I did not want to get yelled at today. I blame you, Emiya."

“You and me both.”

…