Fate: Hero and Sword

Even if he couldn't see them due to the obstacles that were before him, he could sense them as flickering flames in his panoramic view granted by [Far Sight].

As he had observed before, the area was quite remote. As such, why were there so many others within the vicinity?

Unless he was simply mistaken and had neglected a settlement of sorts, it was too unnatural. More so when most of the flames were congregated into a large group waiting at the boundary of the forest around the mountain itself. The only distinct difference was a smaller party of sorts that had split off and entered the forest.

Odd as it may have had been, this suited him well enough as locals probably had a better grasp of the New World he had found himself in as compared to his own limited knowledge.

Scanning with his eyes again, he decided to head back towards the Mausoleum before moving towards the smaller of the groups that were within the forest to have a better understanding of the situation.

In regards to his earlier tests, he understood that he had access to the skills he had acquired in YGGDRASIL on top of his own magecraft which he had used in the Real World. He wasn't too sure what to feel about that fact, but in the long run, he wasn't certain about the strength of the enemies he may face, and as such, knew when to simply just count his blessings.

With the current strength of his level, it wasn't that difficult for him to return to the Mausoleum with post haste.

Upon arrival however, he noticed that everything wasn't exactly how he had left it.

A woman was standing at the entrance, arms crossed beneath her chest and expression smug as if waiting to be praised. It was a combination of a smile and not a smile, conflicting views causing her to be uncertain of what she should do. She was stuck with the concept of whether she should or shouldn't gloat for something that she had done and that he was unaware of.

She was the Red Rose of Rome.

The Flower of Olympia.

Nero Claudius.

And in the end, he simply walked by her.

She stiffened almost immediately, the expectation in her eyes faltering before she convinced herself that he must have had made a mistake. She promptly coughed into her hands to bring attention to herself.

"Ahem,"

She bowed her head, ready for her efforts to be acknowledged as proper, yet was once again left waiting.

She glanced up, only to see that he had walked even further from her.

Her lips trembled uneasily, but she was too prideful to act as if her earlier actions hadn't existed. Therefore, she quickly began to grow desperate. She dashed in front of him, her stern glare meeting his gaze in admonishment. The only thing though was that her expression was the farthest from anything resembling stern or admonishing.

She looked as if she was going to cry, and at this point it was too hard for him to ignore.

He composed himself from the difficulty of seeing her face and not thinking about his own past. Fortunately, she and Arturia were still different individuals, making it easier. Then again, he designed and programmed Nero, so there was no doubt that he understood her personality. It was just, it appeared as if she was acting with more life than she had in YGGDRASIL and he already feared what effect that had.

Nero wasn't very strong for a Raid-Boss. She was never designed to be. Instead, it was all based on character traits and charisma. Of course, she had the base stats of an average Raid-Boss, but her main strength came from the number of Players that were swayed by her words and actions and actively fought to prevent the fall of the Maiden Emperor of the Warring Empires in Alfheim,

She was boisterous, arrogant, and pretentious, but of all Raid-Bosses in YGGDRASIL she had never actively attacked Players and instead greeted them in another manner, hand outstretched.

"Will you lead as one of my Cohorts, young warrior?"

Rather than her attacking them, she had even protected them from other local monster, repaying animosity with security, and violence with equal respect.

That was Nero, Emperor of Rome. Raid-Boss of the Warring Empires in Alfheim.

She who loved in a manner unable to be understood by anyone. Her vision of Rome, the flag that many Players fought under to the bitter end.

She was just too lifelike. A real personality and presence that seemed to surpass the mere mechanics of YGGDRASIL and ascend to something Players isolated in life or not realized was precious.

If he wasn't the only Player to have transcended worlds and crossed over, he could already imagine the heralding of the Standard.

The Aquila.

The symbol of the Eagle that united Players under the banner that was Nero's Rome.

Still, staring at the satisfied expression that came over Nero's face from the moment his hand started rubbing her head, it was hard to imagine her as the charismatic leader in the game and far easier to see her as a spoiled child. Be that as it may, that may have had been part of her charm.

A tyrant yet compassionate.

Obstinate, yet willing to concede when times dictate it.

"Fine, leave. It's not like I needed you."

His lip twitched, an image appearing in his mind that shattered his earlier conjecture. A huffing face on the verge of tears, unwilling to admit to a mistake.

Or maybe still just a child. Either way, that was the Nero he had recreated from history. The one who was presently sighing in content under his palm.

"Umu," she said, her bob-cut hairstyle growing slightly disheveled, but still appearing pristine like silk. "I did well I did."

"Mhhmm," he hummed, not comprehending what he should be praising her for, but doing so anyway when he noticed how happy she appeared.