Chapter 205: Tamamo's Goal Is to Become a Loving Wife and Devoted Mother
The pitch-black space of unknown origin continued to devour the hallway, now only a few steps away from them.
Ethan pressed the red ribbon that Matou Sakura had given him against the door.
Suddenly, the door that had been tightly shut in front of everyone swung open!
Along with it came Sakura's anxious voice from inside.
"Thank goodness, I was really worried since I hadn't heard anything from you! Senpai, everyone, come in—quickly!"
The floor was still shaking violently, as if it could collapse at any moment!
There was no time to think—Ethan immediately pushed everyone nearby into the infirmary!
"Uwaa!!"
Just as Tohsaka Rin stepped in, a loose floorboard gave way beneath her, causing her to slip and fall?!
Ethan, who was right beside her, didn't hesitate for a second—he reached out and grabbed her arm. But unexpectedly, the board under his feet collapsed too!
Both of them immediately plummeted down to the first floor!!!
"Senpai————————!!!"
Mash reached her hand out toward Ethan, but it was already too late!
Just as Ethan and Tohsaka Rin were about to be completely consumed by the formless void, a dark shadow dashed forward—swiftly catching both of them, then instantly accelerating skyward, flying straight toward the infirmary door!
Seeing that, Mash also hurried through the door just before the second floor collapsed entirely.
Finally, in the very last moment before the entire old school building came crashing down, everyone managed to escape inside.
"RUMBLE——————!!!"
Seeing that everyone had entered safely, Matou Sakura—who had been waiting at the door—immediately slammed it shut, just before the void could reach them!!!
The desperate sound of collapse in their ears suddenly vanished completely.
As if nothing had ever existed.
"Thank goodness… everyone's safe…"
Matou Sakura let out a deep breath, leaning her back against the door.
Ethan lay sprawled on the floor, the only sound in his ears now the pounding of his own heart.
Probably because they'd just escaped death by a hair's breadth.
His body had no strength left. He just wanted to lie there, unmoving.
That was Berserker Jack earlier, right?
Good thing he stepped in at the last second—otherwise, they really would've been finished.
"Oh? So you're into this kind of thing, huh?"
Tohsaka Rin's voice sounded beside his ear.
"Even though I really want to teach you a lesson right now, since you risked your life to save me, I'll let this slide as a little 'service shot'~"
"???"
What the hell is this woman talking about?
Ethan turned his head in confusion—only to realize that his head was resting on her thigh?!
"Sorry! I'll get up right away!"
Matou Sakura and Mash were both still nearby—if the two Kouhai-chan saw this, they might just go full Yandere.
"Aiya, if you let this rare opportunity slip, I'll make you pay for it next time~."
Now that the crisis had passed, Tohsaka Rin's tone was starting to turn mischievous again.
"Tohsaka."
Ethan sat up and suddenly called her name.
"What is it? Don't tell me you want a lap pillow again? I didn't know you were that obsessed with my legs. You're such a pain."
Tohsaka Rin gave a devilish smirk.
"This place is safe now. You don't have to keep forcing yourself anymore."
"————————?!"
Hearing Ethan's words, Tohsaka Rin's eyes widened.
"How did you…"
Ethan's gaze was fixed on Tohsaka Rin.Even now, her legs were still trembling slightly—aftershocks from the fear and tension she'd just experienced.
That was just how Tohsaka Rin was—she hated showing weakness in front of others.
"Hmph, what's that got to do with you anyway?!"
Snapping back to herself, Tohsaka Rin crossed her arms and turned away sharply.
"Eto… If you need a lap pillow, I don't mind at all! Or rather, please use my lap!!!"
Suddenly, Tamamo no Mae's voice rang out from the right.
Ethan turned in the direction of the voice and found Tamamo no Mae kneeling neatly on the infirmary bed, completely prepared and waiting.
"My goal is to become the number one wife, so lap pillows are totally fine!"
As she said that, her fluffy tail swayed back and forth eagerly, her eyes sparkling with hopeful anticipation as she looked at Ethan.
"Huh? Why are you here?"
Ethan asked, puzzled.
"…That's what you're asking right now?"
Tamamo no Mae looked visibly crushed—her fox ears drooped all the way down.
"I thought I might be of some help here. No—I'm sure I can help!"
Before Tamamo no Mae could finish her sentence, a small figure suddenly darted toward Ethan.
"Mama! Mama!!!"
The white-haired girl—Jack the Ripper—leapt forward, hugging Ethan tightly.
"You finally came back! We thought you didn't need us anymore… We was so worried!"
"It's okay now. I'm back, aren't I?"
Ethan gently patted Little Jack's head to comfort her.
"Mama?!"
Tamamo no Mae, still sitting on the bed, was clearly stunned.
"What?! This girl… she just called you mama?!"
"Ah, well… it's a long story…"
Just the thought of having to explain Little Jack's origins was already enough to give him a headache.
"This little one, the handsome young man in front of you isn't 'mama,' okay? If anything, you should be calling him papa."
Tamamo no Mae spoke seriously to Little Jack.
"We don't care! Mama is mama!"
Little Jack clung even tighter to Ethan's leg.
"Hmph… she is pretty cute, though. And since my goal is to become a loving wife and devoted mother… maybe someday I'll have kids of my own too…"
A strange smile crept across Tamamo no Mae's face as she slipped into a daydream.
"Here, how about you try calling me mama~?"
She gently approached Jack in a friendly tone.
"We don't wanna!!!"
Little Jack instantly hid behind Ethan's back, instinctively drawing a sharp dagger into her hand.
"…Why does it feel like my wife potential is taking a nosedive right now…"
After getting rejected again by Jack, Tamamo no Mae's mood clearly dropped.
But soon, she noticed another small figure approaching.
"Oya~? Another child? You can call me mama too, if you like~~~"
Tamamo no Mae beamed brightly as she approached the new girl.
"Hmph. What mangy fox wandered in this time? That pathetic act of yours—is it meant to make me laugh to death?"
The blonde-haired girl's words stabbed straight into Tamamo no Mae's chest.
"What?! A loli who curses people the moment she opens her mouth?!"
Tamamo no Mae was once again stunned speechless.
"And now that I look closer… your face… I feel like I've seen it somewhere before. Have we met?"
"A face as stupid as yours? I wouldn't even bother glancing at it."
Draco walked past Tamamo no Mae—who was still frozen, lost in thought—and headed straight toward Ethan.
"You're late, my Master."
"Sorry, I was delayed a bit," Ethan replied, scratching his head."Well, things got a little complicated out there. Ah, by the way—has your illness gotten better?"
"It was just a minor ailment, nothing worth worrying over. Rest assured, I'm back at your side now!"
Draco crossed her arms and declared boldly.
"Right, Draco—did you happen to see Noah?"
Earlier, Ethan hadn't had the chance to ask about Noah due to Draco's illness.
"I was just about to tell you about that."
Draco's expression suddenly turned grim.
"That Rider and I got trapped in some area. There were Phantasmal Beasts in there—completely unbeatable. So Rider thought up a way to get me out first."
Draco furrowed her brow in frustration.
"If it weren't for this weak Saint Graph of mine, I never would've been stuck! And now I even owe that Rider a favor!!!"
However, Draco didn't mention to Ethan the fact that her Holy Grail had been taken by BB.
To her, admitting that would be no different than confessing just how weak she really was.
"Senpai, I'm so relieved to see that you're still okay."
Matou Sakura, now wearing a white lab coat, stepped forward to greet Ethan as well.
"But… it seems BB completely destroyed the school zone. What on earth happened between the two of you?"
Faced with Sakura's question, Ethan truthfully recounted everything that had happened after he left the infirmary and made his way to the Academy beneath Big Ben in London.
"At first, my goal was to obtain the key and enter the labyrinth, but it looks like that plan's no longer viable."
The school zone had been destroyed—surely, all the NPCs within it had vanished too.
"As you can see, they're all students who possess Command Spells."
Ethan gestured toward Tohsaka Rin and Matou Shinji as he spoke.
"They escaped the school with me."
"We've met before, Lady Tohsaka."
Matou Sakura immediately recognized Tohsaka Rin.
"And this one… oh my, what a coincidence."
Her gaze landed on Matou Shinji.
After all, the surname "Matou" had been randomly chosen from his name. Who would've thought she'd one day meet the original owner of that name under such circumstances?
"BB must be furious, right?"
"Because in her mind, the only one allowed to cheat in MoonCell… is herself."
"The real problem now is that the school zone has been destroyed—so we've lost access to the labyrinth."
Ethan summarized the situation simply.
"If it's about entering the labyrinth… actually, I have a way."
"Oh? So you have a way?!"
Matou Sakura looked toward the door that had been sealed shut earlier.
"Originally, that door served as a portal allowing free movement within MoonCell. But BB had forcefully sealed it before. Thanks to Senpai earlier, the external restriction was just lifted!"
Her eyes were filled with heartfelt gratitude.
"Now we can use that passage to connect directly to the labyrinth."
"However..."
Matou Sakura looked somewhat hesitant.
"But what?"
Ethan immediately pressed her for an answer.
"To directly connect with the labyrinth, I'm afraid we'll need a certain amount of internal data from within the labyrinth itself. And according to what Senpai said, those three keys might actually be a kind of restriction BB placed there. I think… we'll still need them."
"The keys, huh..."
Ethan's head throbbed slightly.
At the moment, only two keys had been secured—one from Tohsaka Rin and one from Matou Shinji. They were still one short of the required three.
And now that the Academy had been destroyed… where were they supposed to find another key?
"You all look like you're in quite the bind. Aren't you searching for this?"
Suddenly, something small arced through the air and landed neatly in Ethan's palm.
"——————?!"
Ethan reflexively caught it and glanced down—
A silver key?!
"Where did you get this?!"
Before Ethan could demand an answer, Berserker Jack, now in the guise of an elegant British gentleman, stepped forward.
"I happened to pick it up from one of the students while gathering intel. After all, his Servant was pathetically weak."
The British gentleman gave a calm smile.
"What's the matter, Master? Judging by your face, it's almost like you don't need that key?"
Ethan stared intently at the silver key in his hand.
Ever since he'd set foot in MoonCell, this brutal competition had already begun.
Everyone here was pushing forward for their own reasons.
"No… of course I need it."
Ethan clenched the key tightly in his hand.
That made three. The set was finally complete.
"Phew..."
A sigh of relief escaped Ethan's lips.
For a moment, he'd really thought that after everything, he'd be back to square one.
Now, all that was left was for Matou Sakura to link the infirmary to the labyrinth's entrance.
"Huh? Why is the comms link activating on its own? Coordinates confirmed—are you all still in the infirmary?"
Suddenly, Dr. Romani's face appeared in Ethan's communicator.
"Dr. Romani!"
"Ethan, Mash! So you've finally made it back—whoa, why are there so many new faces?!"
The doctor nearly jumped out of his chair at the sight of four unfamiliar individuals.
"Wait… is one of them that Servant we met in France…?"
"Romani," Da Vinci's voice came through the device, sounding annoyed,
"Rather than gawking, don't you have something important to tell Ethan?"
"Oh! Right! It's about Noah!"
Dr. Romani immediately snapped to a serious tone.
"Ethan, after you all left, Chaldea worked with Miss Matou Sakura to track Noah's location. We finally managed to pinpoint it."
"You found him?!"
Ethan's eyes widened in surprise and relief.
Noah's NP was still stored in Chaldea. If they could locate him, they'd be able to bring Chaldea's Heroic Spirits into MoonCell as backup.
"That's right. I exchanged data with the Chaldea doctor present on-site. We've confirmed the location of the Servant you're looking for — he's in one of the sectors located on the fourth floor of the labyrinth BB mentioned."
So he really was in the labyrinth.
Draco had already made Ethan suspect this, but now it was confirmed.
Which meant—whether their goal was to investigate BB, uncover her true motive, or retrieve Noah—they'd all have to head into the labyrinth.
"So, when can we depart?"
Ethan turned immediately to Matou Sakura.
"The connection setup will be finished soon."
"However… about the labyrinth itself… I'm not sure what kind of functions BB used to alter it. There might be dangerous restrictions in place. I'll need a bit more time to finish analyzing it."
"That 'labyrinth' isn't some ordinary space."
The voice came from Matou Shinji, who was resting against the wall, arms crossed.
"My Servant vanished inside it. Whatever guards that place… it's terrifyingly strong."