Chapter 80: Temptation from Chaldea

Chapter 80: Temptation from Chaldea

A melodious tune echoed in his ears.

Ethan gently hummed along.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star... How I wonder what you are..."

Following the steady rhythm, Ethan stepped into a vast space.

In front of him was a grand piano, and a man with his back turned.

The wonderful notes flowing from that person's fingertips transformed the entire space into a breathtaking painting.

Ethan had never imagined that a children's song could sound so magical.

Only when the final note faded away did the man slowly rise and bow to him.

…Should I applaud?

As Ethan hesitated, the man lifted his head and spoke with deep appreciation:

"Thank you for listening, Ethan-dono."

"Wait… You're… Mozart?!"

Ethan was stunned to realize that the man before him was none other than the genius composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart!

"That's correct. Please forgive my weakness, which led to the appearance of Music Demon Andromalius."

Mozart bowed apologetically.

"When I was summoned to that era, for some reason, my Saint Graph was mixed with the elements of a Demon God Pillar. In the end, I was suppressed and allowed the Demon God Pillar to descend. As a performer, I am only third-rate at best…"

"No, no, no! As a musician, you deserve to be first-rate!"

Ethan immediately waved his hands.

As a Servant in game, he might be third-rate… but at least he was useful for temporary buffs.

"As gratitude for defeating the Demon God Pillar, I came here specifically to perform my favorite piece—Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. In it, I have added variations, using this piano to create a sound unique in this world."

"Isn't that incredibly precious?!"

Ethan was astonished—Mozart himself had just performed a variation of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star just for him?!

…Even though he didn't understand music, he should at least express his thanks first.

"Ethan-dono, you have defeated the Demon God Pillar and repaired one of the seven foundations of humanity. Such an achievement naturally deserves a personal performance from me."

Mozart bowed to Ethan once again.

"That was thanks to my efforts and those of the other Servants—or rather, their contributions were far greater than mine."

After all, he was just an ordinary person.

"No, Ethan-dono, the burden of restoring the Human Order still rests on your shoulders."

Mozart's figure gradually faded.

"May your journey be blessed by the goddess."

"Hey, wait!!!"

Ethan hurriedly reached out.

"Don't go yet! Can I at least record down that piece?! If I upload it online, it'll blow up for sure!!! Wait——!!!"

…

Ethan jolted awake.

His hand was still reaching upward, while bright lights shone down on him.

"Damn it…"

Ethan let out a frustrated sigh.

The variation that Mozart had composed just for him, and he didn't even get to record it!!!

No, for the sake of his livestream channel's growth, he absolutely had to find a way to summon Mozart…

"Senpai, you're awake?!"

A cheerful voice quickly reached him.

Turning his head, Ethan saw Mash, wearing her usual Chaldea uniform, sitting beside his bed.

"Fou… Fou…"

A small, fluffy creature jumped onto Ethan's face.

"Fou-kun, you can't do that to Senpai!"

Mash panicked and quickly pulled Fou off Ethan.

This little creature had suddenly appeared before the Rayshift, even jumping onto Ethan's head. Who knew where it had been hiding before that?

Well, it was Beast IV—it could go wherever it wanted. It wasn't like he could control it, nor did he have the right to.

Ethan glanced at the bedside table, where a plate of apple slices had been neatly carved into the shape of adorable little rabbits.

"This… Did you cut these, Mash?"

"Yes! I heard that in many countries, it's a tradition to give apples to patients, like a kind of healing magic."

Mash quickly explained, then her cheeks flushed slightly.

"I wasn't sure if Senpai would like them this way…"

"Nom-nom~! This is tasty, give me another piece!"

A figure approached and casually grabbed an apple slice from the plate on Ethan's bedside table before taking a bite.

Seeing that the person was about to take more, Mash panicked and quickly used her body to shield the plate of apples.

"These are for Senpai! Mordred-san, you can't steal Senpai's apples anymore!"

"Geez, so stingy."

Right after that, Ethan's bed sank slightly.

"Yo, Master, you've been sleeping for so long—feeling alright?"

Mordred sat cross-legged right on Ethan's bed.

"Wait… Can you take off your shoes?"

No matter how clean Chaldea was, stepping on the bed with shoes on—wasn't she afraid her mom would break her legs for that?

"Mama, don't sweat the small stuff."

Mordred stuffed the rabbit-shaped apple slice into her mouth and chewed happily.

"Hey, Master, you've been asleep for almost three days. If you didn't wake up soon, someone was about to blow this place up."

"Three days?!"

Ethan rubbed his temples.

As expected, Rayshift consumed a ton of stamina—he always ended up sleeping for days afterward.

"Ahhh, Mordred-san, please don't say any more!"

Mash, hearing approaching footsteps from outside, panicked and tried to stop Mordred from continuing.

"Come on, Mash, you find it annoying too, don't you? That hag has been running around non-stop since she got here. The moment something doesn't go her way, she starts threatening to burn people. These past few days, she's been tormenting that coward so much that he can't take it anymore."

Before Mordred could finish, a terrifying pressure suddenly surged from behind.

"When you defeated the Demon God Pillar, you seemed reliable enough. But in the end, you're nothing more than a troublemaker."

"Who the hell are you calling a troublemaker?!!!"

Jeanne Alter suddenly appeared, her fury blazing like fire.

"You, Knight of Treachery, still have the nerve to call me that? You destroyed Britannia, yet you're saying I'm the troublemaker?"

"Tsk, and you're just a witch who wants to burn down her own homeland, aren't you? Am I wrong?"

Mordred didn't back down, firing back immediately.

"You looking for a fight?"

"I'd love nothing more!!!"

The two grabbed each other's arms, eyes burning as if sparks were flying.

"U-uh, Mordred-san, Jeanne Alter-san, please don't fight!!!"

Mash was in a panic, running back and forth, trying to mediate.

"They sure get along well, huh?"

"Umu, at first, I thought they'd actually start fighting. But back in our homeland, we have a tradition of using fists to express friendship too."

Johanna and Martha whispered to each other by the door.

Looking at the scene in the room, Ethan felt like crying.

He just wanted a little peace and quiet—was that really too much to ask?

"ALL OF YOU, GET OUT!!!"

Ethan finally snapped and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Seeing Ethan angry, Johanna and Martha immediately fled without a trace.

"Senpai, please rest well… Um, Mordred-san, Jeanne Alter-san, let's go outside."

Mash hesitated as she glanced at the two still glowering at each other.

"Hmph."

"Tsk."

Both of them huffed and reluctantly let go, with Mordred leaving first.

Jeanne Alter, however, deliberately lagged behind.

"Ahem, um… You're okay now, right?"

She asked nonchalantly, as if she didn't really care.

"Probably no issues."

"Good…"

Jeanne Alter folded her arms, hesitated for a moment, then turned away, speaking in a slightly reluctant tone:

"You dragged me to this strange place… So I suppose I'll reluctantly stay by your side for a while…"

Before Ethan could react, Jeanne Alter quickly added:

"I mean… in the end, anyone who gets involved with a witch will eventually be burned to ashes in hell. That's all. Goodbye."

Then, as if escaping, she hurried out of the room without looking back.

"Heh…"

Watching Jeanne Alter's hasty retreat, Ethan fell into deep thought.

If she ever found out that the words she said before her Saint Graph collapsed had been broadcasted live to tens of thousands of viewers…

…the world might just end.