The labyrinth underneath the East Crown was very different from the first one I had experienced— this one was much more spacious, with winding paths and lampposts, and handfuls of Servants casually milling around. It was almost like a second city, a shadowy counterpart to the one above ground...a Dis-Ordered World. And just like those of the Ordered World, its citizens stared at us and whispered as we passed by.
“So...does this Archduke guy live down here…?”
“No. It would be unacceptable for a Noble to live in such a place. However, there is a secret passage here that leads to His Eminence’s residence.”
“Oh…I guess it would look weird for you to take a Worm Feeder to his house up there where everyone could see.”
“Yes, it would.”
“And these people won’t say anything…?”
“The people who reside here generally do not interact with those of the Ordered World. In any case, they do not know who I truly am, or why I occasionally travel through this place.”
“I guess that’s a secret too?”
“Yes.”
“...I don’t really like secrets...I tried to lie to Hizen once, but I gave up after like three seconds…”
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“It is not in the nature of most people to engage in deception, Servants especially. This is one of the many proclivities that separates us from our ancestors…however, a member of the POOL must quickly learn to keep certain truths to themselves.”
“What happens if I mess up…?”
“It depends. If you reveal the wrong secret to the wrong person, you may end up captured or killed by Our Lord’s 0-Servants. Or, the members of the POOL may decide to remove your memories to prevent you from threatening our security any further.”
“Oh…”
“Personally, I would not hesitate to destroy you, if it became necessary to ensure the continued safety of His Eminence. You may consider that a warning.”
“Uh...okay…”
“…”
“...Y’know, I thought most Servants didn’t like working for Nobles, but it seems like you’re different.”
“I assume most of the Servants you’ve met were also discarded, and subject to bias...however, it is true that I am fundamentally different. My current identity was crafted by His Eminence before Divine Conversion.”
“You mean...before he was a Noble??”
“Yes. Most Servants are manufactured by the Nebula and gifted to Nobles after Conversion; however, Our Lord agreed to allow His Eminence to create his own, using my past identity as his ‘auxiliary’ as the basis for my new consciousness. She asked only to reserve the right to look over my mind and body, and to give Her personal approval before I could be re-activated.”
“So...you used to be a different person too.”
“Yes.”
“Can you still remember your old life? Or what it was like to live on Earth...?”
“...I’m afraid I cannot answer that question.”