Glimmers Like a Meteor

Very well then, let's set off on our search for Lord Achilles.

We already know he is on Thetis Island, so all we need do now is set a course!

Right on.

...Man, I hope he turns out to be a Lancer...

...Huh? Does anyone else hear that?

？！

Pardon me, but we have an emergency! All hands, kindly prepare for battle!

We've detected a hostile headed your way from the south-southwest at incredible speed!

And given the sheer amount of magical energy we're seeing, it must be Caenis!

! Does this mean she's found us!?

Huh? I don't know what all the commotion is about, but surely if we all band together

Hah! That's rich. A buncha weaklings banding together to try and step up to the big leagues. Adorable.

But unfortunately for you, this isn't a fairy tale, and you won't be living happily ever after!

The whole ship is shaking!

Chiyome! Get down!

Ghh!

You bastards have nerve, keeping your little boat hidden with cheap tricks. All that to sneak around my sea?

That meant I actually had to work to find you.

I'll admit, I'm impressed you managed to survive Artemis's arrow. You might be weak, but I guess you got guts.

But that's all you've got. And it won't do you any good anymore.

You're done for, Chaldea! I'm going to take my sweet time skewering each and every one of you!

Do not mock us!

Ha! And how're you gonna stop me, scrawny!?

(She did not even bother to dodge!?)

...Caenis.

Hm? Well, well. So that's why Chaldea's grown a bit since last time. They've got an extra coward filling out their ranks.

I guess this could be kind of a problem.

Musta taken a lot to get such a pathetic loser worked up enough to actually join the fight.

Guess this explains that utter nonsense Kirschtaria was going on about.

Well, whatever. Either way, I'm still gonna end this.

Cry about it all you want, Jason. Your precious Heracles isn't here to save your sorry ass anymore.

Not since that stupid Artemis got serious and blew him to pieces!

... ...

Gotta say though, I don't get that guy. Why in the world did he bother saving someone as pathetic as you?

...Believe me, I wish I knew.

Maybe he'd just gotten sick and tired of your useless dead weight dragging him down everywhere he went?

... ...

You little

？！

Hey, don't get mad at me, Orion.

Knowing Jason there, I bet he's been whining about pretty much the same thing himself.

You know, you're not wrong!

So hey, while we're asking questions, I've got one for you too, Caenis.

Say what?

Seeing how you supposedly despise the gods more than anyone...

...I was just wondering how it feels being their little errand bitch!

My best guess at this point is that you're just some kind of masochist or something. I can't think of any other explanation.

... ...

Hey, don't be ashamed! We all have our own kinks!

But you really shouldn't go around pushing yours on others, Caenis!

Most people just can't handle that kind of humiliation!

You got a big mouth for such a little punk bitch. So you know what? I'm gonna take my time with you.

Go ahead and try! I dare you!

Nobody insults Heracles around me and gets away with it. You goddamn piece of trash!

？！

Like hell I will! Let's go, everyone!

You idiots aren't going anywhere! Your little voyage ends here!

It's no use! Our attacks just aren't working!

We're no match for Caenis on the ocean!

Khh!

And here I thought you were gonna put up a fight. So, Captain, how's it feel to know you're about to be chopped into cross sections?

Don't worry though, I'll make sure to keep you alive after I tear off your limbs. When I'm done with you, there'll be nothing left but a big plate of human lakerda!

Guess I should've figured a fisherwoman would know how to clean a fish! Even a third-rate fisherwoman who can't handle anything bigger than a minnow!

(He may not be the strongest Servant, but his skill at bluffing is spectacular!)

You just don't know when to shut up, do you? Fine. I'll do you a favor and crush your head first!

Oh no, you won't!

I don't think so!

Outta my way!

Khh...!

Gah!

How... How are you this strong? Nobody should be this incredibly powerful!

You were nothing special when you were with the Argonauts. No stronger than anyone else!

...

...?

？！

!!!

Master! Give me that thing you got from Drake!

You know, the thing! Come on, think back!

I got a key. What did you get!?

Yes, that's it! Give it here!

？！

Bring it on, you overgrown sea shrew!

I don't know what it is you've got there, and I don't care. You're done for, Jason.

Once I kill you, I'll never have to see your stupid face again!

I'm afraid you're the one who's done for, Caenis!

!?

Wh-what the...?

I... I don't believe it. It's only a scratch, but Jason still managed to wound Caenis!

Heh. I knew it.

Your Noble Phantasm's an open book to me now, Caenis!

...!

Once I remembered your legend, everything became clear!

That Noble Phantasm of yours might give you unbeatable defense, but it stems from the one you despise more than anything, isn't it?

...!

That's right. That Noble Phantasm is actually a blessing from Poseidon!

Don't... Don't you dare say that name!

Haha! So you dragged your sorry ass to Poseidon, bowing and scraping, to beg for that Noble Phantasm, huh?

I'll... I'll kill you!

The way you fly into a rage the moment you hear Poseidon's name is your fatal weakness, Caenis.

How else could I have managed to hurt you?

...!

Orion! Here!

Rrraaahhh!!!

What...!?

Well, well. Who would've thought that just holding onto this thing would be enough to make my attacks hurt you?

That's right.

That's Francis Drake's parting gift.

...!

I still don't know how she did it, but that damn pirate made off with something precious to Poseidon.

Well, whatever dirty pirate trick she used to pull it off, the important thing's that we've now got a way to beat you!

I might've only been able to scratch you, but I bet Orion's attack hit a lot harder, didn't it?

And I'm sure I don't have to tell you why that is, right?

Now I see. You... You're that son of a bitch's kid!!!

Orion! It's all up to you! Your attacks should pack a real punch now!

Caenis's Noble Phantasm might be strong, but it can't last forever!

Got it! Don't worry! I'll make sure to smash it to pieces!

Khh... Ghh...!

How... How could I lose a fight on the sea!? And to Poseidon's stupid brat, of all people!

Dammit, I can't see... What's going on? Am I...gonna disappear now?

Am I gonna die before I get to watch goddamn Proper Human History be destroyed forever...?

...No way. I'm not disappearing. I can't disappear now!

Help me. Somebody help me! Help me, dammit! I've still got debts I've gotta pay ba

Hmph. I see you're just as bad at admitting defeat as you are at watching your mouth. Give it up, Caenis. It's over.

You're going to disappear, just like all the Heroic Spirits you slaughtered in your gleeful bloodlust.

Just like them? I'm nothing like them! I'm nothing like any of you bastards!

I'm Caenis, a damned Divine Spirit! I'm the one who'll be taking revenge on the gods! I'm Kirschtaria Wodime's Servant!

It's only a matter of time until she disappears, but better safe than sorry. I'm going to destroy her Spirit Core.

Agreed. I'm sorry, Fujimaru, but we have to finish her off.

I know you're a die-hard humanitarian, but we can't afford to take a chance on an enemy like this.

？！

Hm? Oh, I see. You're so exhausted you can't even move anymore.

Well, this works out nicely then. Don't worry, we'll make this quick.

Um, excuse me, but I think...there's something else headed our way...

Ah

I can't let you do that. He's still useful to me.

I am truly sorry, members of Chaldea, but I am afraid that I must destroy you now.

I'm picking up fluctuations in space-time about ten meters ahead of Fujimaru!

This reading... It's a Command Spell! Watch out! You've got a Master incoming!

...

？！

It's been a long time, Mash Kyrielight.

And you must be Fujimaru, the last Master who remained after the rest of us departed.

I have nothing but the highest respect for how hard you have worked to come this far. That is why I decided to come and face you myself.

I am Kirschtaria Wodime.

I am the leader of the Crypters, and the Master entrusted with this Lostbelt.

？！

Kirschtaria!? Did you say Kirschtaria!?

Gnnn, I never thought he'd come after us directly! Meunière, what are the scanners saying?

Does he have any Servants with him!?

Of course he does! He's a Master, after all! I'm seeing two... No, wait. They're showing up as one?

Oh, whatever! He's got two right behind him! And they're both Divine Spirit Servants as strong as Caenis...no, even stronger!

Dammit! If it's not one thing, it's another!

(Although...is that really the big boss? The human that pompous blowhard Zeus recognizes as his equal?)

(Hmph, he doesn't look so tough to me! He's just using that fancy cane and outfit to dress the part!)

Don't you talk down to us, mage. Who do you think you are, floating up there like some sort of cloud?

The only people with the right to look down on commoners are those born to be kings! Like me!

Silence, Jason. You have no business lecturing Lord Kirschtaria about anything.

Right you are, Brother. I'm embarrassed just looking at him.

A hopeless incompetent like you who was gifted with the blessings of the gods and the Argo, yet STILL failed spectacularly, doesn't even deserve to be in the same room as Lord Kirschtaria.

Lord Kirschtaria is a valiant hero who formed an alliance with Zeus the king of the gods himself despite being human.

He was born far more fit to rule the human world as a king than a loser like you could even dream of!

Dioscuri!? You're the twin heroes of Gemini!

First Caenis turns traitor and goes over to the Lostbelt side, and now you two follow suit!?

What'd...you...say?

Don't you...give me that crap. I'd rather die than...go over to...their side...

That's enough, Caenis. With wounds that severe, even speaking a few words could cause you to expire.

...

Dioscuri, take Caenis away from here. It's all right. I have no need for protection.

What? Lord Kirschtaria, you would really have us save this incompetent, good-for-nothing woman's life?

Indeed. I have to agree with my brother here, Lord Kirschtaria.

Caenis is responsible for her own fate in this. I see no need for us to sully ourselves with her filthy bloo

Which is exactly why I'm entrusting this task to you two. ...You do understand what that means, don't you?

...Very well. If our contracted Master commands it, then so be it.

Hehe. This is your lucky day, Caenis. It would seem we have no choice but to help you.

WhaHey, stop! Don't take her away! We almost had her!

(Don't be stupid! We're the ones who've been let off the hook here! The Dioscuri are even stronger than Caenis!)

(Now that they're both gone, we have the overwhelming advantage in Servantpower!)

Ah.

Heh. All right, I'll let Caenis go then. But you won't be so lucky, Crypter.

...I take it that's all right with you, Master? We couldn't have asked for a better chance to eliminate him.

Senpai...

？！

...Now then. This has taken longer than I expected, and time is short.

I'm not here to debate the merits of our positions. I'm only here to settle things once and for

？！

...All right.

As a former member of Team A, I suppose I can do that much.

Ask your question.

？！

...Why are you doing this?

Everyone on Team A was part of Chaldea's staff. You were Masters sworn to preserve all of humanity!

So why? Why did you turn on humanity like this?

Please! Tell us why things turned out this way!

？！

... ...

...I'm disappointed in you, Mash Kyrielight. I never thought you would waste time on the blindingly obvious.

I already told you ourmy goal, right when this all began.

We have a message for all of humanity.

This planet will soon be reborn as an old, brand-new world.

Human civilization was a mistake. The path of our growth was incorrect.

And so I have made my decision. I will revolt against all of human historyProper Human History.

We are about to fill this world with inhuman Mystic secrets. We will restore the Age of Gods.

2019... The year that Proper Human History came to an end.

My reasons remain unchanged. Humanity has committed too many mistakes.

In every era... Every civilization...

Every hero... Every nation...

We humans have never once made the correct choice.

I can only conclude that humanity as a species wholly lacks the requisite ability to do so.

I am here to correct those mistakes. As is the Foreign God, who rescued me from the brink of death.

The Foreign God does not accept mistakes. The Foreign God is a deity who desires only what is right.

That is my answer, Mash.

Now then, my erstwhile comrades, as you have surmised, the Foreign God will descend upon us in a few days' time.

So before that grand event, I will defeat our greatest enemy here and now to put an end to this conflict.

So you're here to take us all down, huh? Fine then, let's see what you've got.

So where are your subordinates? Or are you going to ask your pal Zeus for help?

Hardly. I don't need anyone's help to wipe you all off the face of the planet.

You're gonna fight us...without Servants!? Who the hell do you think you are!?

Regardless, this may indeed be the best chance we ever have!

Master, I'm going to eliminate him as quickly as I can, before any other Servants can show up!

Master!

？！

... Okay... Understood!

Here goes!

Stars. Cosmos. Gods. Animus.

Antrum. Unbirth.

Anima, Animusphere...

Aaah... Khh...

？！

It seems your Servants did their best to protect you... But now, you're the only one left, Fujimaru.

As long as their Master survives, Chaldea will never give in, no matter how many Servants we squash.

But regardless of how well-optimized Chaldea may be to summon Servants en masse...

...they are utterly powerless without a Master to hold them together.

...No wonder Lev Lainur's attack on Chaldea was so devastatingly effective.

Loathe though I am to follow his example, I think it best that I snuff your life out here and now.

Th-th-th-the whole sky just went dark! Don't tell me he's going to hit us with that again!?

Dammit! Run for it, Fujimaru! Don't come back to the Border!

Not even the Border could survive a hit from that! You won't be any safer in here than you are there!

Don't sugarcoat it! But it's no use! That spell covers way too much ground!

It doesn't matter how far Fujimaru runs now, it'll still catch both him and us! I hate to say it, but I think this might really be curtains for

.

"Begone."

...

Huh? That back...

...Tch. I don't have time for this.

This wasn't on my schedule at all. But that's life for you.

...You took the words right out of my mouth.

So you're the unidentified mage who's been going around helping people in each of the Lostbelts...

The one from Chaldea.

？！

What are you doing here?

My understanding is that your goal is to investigate and assess the people of each Lostbelt.

So I fail to see what reason you have to aid the remnants of Chaldea.

INo. ...

What an odd thing to say, Kirschtaria.

Since when do I need a reason to help Chaldea?

I suppose I can't argue with that.

...Am I right to presume this is a onetime only mistake, Doctor?

Of course, Kirschtaria. The Foreign God once saved you from the brink of death.

It is therefore only fair that the Chaldeans be similarly saved, if only once. Don't you think that's the best way to ensure you're both on equal ground?

I see. True, I can't deny that is only fair. You always did have a way with words.

While I would like to disregard your argument and finish them off for good, I would rather not have to fight you in the process.

It would be my second fight, after all, and that is something I must avoid for now.

Very well. Now that you have made yourself known, I will be gracious and let you save face.

What do you say I end this battle now, let Chaldea survive yet again, and we leave it at that?

Agreed. I also prefer to avoid needless conflict, after all. Why not save our energy for when we really need it?

If you leave, then so will I. And I don't just mean here and now. I mean from this entire Lostbelt, of course.

I'm impressed you have the gall to say that. As if you hadn't long since washed your hands of the matter.

Farewell then, Doctor.

I doubt we'll ever see each other again, so let me leave you with one word of caution: this impression of yours is not particularly convincing.

...

？！

(This guy's gotta be a Servant...right?)

(No, wait. On second thought...maybe not?)

Doc

？！

...Stay away from me. You make my head hurt.

...

？！

...Things simply happened to work out this way today. Just forget about what happened here.

And don't tell anyone else from Chaldea about it, either. There's someone on that boat who can't be trusted.

...Huh? What do you mea

I'm not going to tell you. Figure it out for yourselves.

It's your job to figure out how to get past the three obstacles that Artemis, Odysseus, and Poseidon pose.

You need to find a way to cross this sea on your own power.

Only once you do that, will you be granted the right to stand before this Lostbelt's king.

？！

There is nothing left for me to see in this Lostbelt, and I have no interest in your struggles.

If you don't want to die... No, if you truly want to live, then fight back.

Not that I expect it'll make any difference. There's no way to save this planet.

Ah... His heat signature is completely gone. It looks like...he warped away on his own...

Who was that man?

...

Take it easy. Right now, we need to heal up and get the hell out of here.

If Kirschtaria knew where we are, odds are better than even that Odysseus does too.

？！

What the hell just happened!?

Th-there was a moment back there when all of your vital signs just vanished!

I thought my heart was going to stop beating! In fact, I'm quite sure it actually did!

Calm down, Gordy! You're not the only one who wants to get a word in right now!

Oh man, what a relief! You're all okay, right!?

？！

Phew.

All right, you can take your time and tell us all about what happened later.

Right now, we need to get out of here, pronto. Come on, hurry!

Khh... Let go of me...Castor!

You bet I will. I don't want to have to touch your filthy body any more than absolutely necessary.

Tch...

Okay, I'll go ahead and kill her now.

!?

You...little...

You know, Caenis, I've always thought that you didn't belong with the gods.

Your uncouth manner of speech, your intolerable attitude... Nothing about you befits a god.

I expect Lord Kirschtaria only overlooked your behavior out of affection.

But that's over now that Poseidon's Noble Phantasm has been demolished.

So on behalf of all the true gods, we sentence you to death for your crimes.

You little...! ...I'll kill you!

Your twisted nature couldn't be more plain, Caenis. Both your heart and your mind are warped beyond redemption.

Even becoming a god has done nothing to fix that.

You were never anything more than a recipient of the sea-god's love. How could you possibly begin to match us?

You never even understood Lord Kirschtaria's vision for bringing about a new Age of Gods.

All you ever did was flail about in anger, curse the gods, and think of nothing but yourself.

Given all that, did you really think Lord Kirschtaria actually trusted you?

Exactly. Of course he didn't. In the end, Caenis...

...you were nothing more than a woman.

...!

Gah...!!!

We'll have to thank everyone at Chaldea for this opportunity. Though of course, I'm sure they're all dead now.

All right, let's head back.

We still need to tell Lord Kirschtaria that we disposed of the filthy bitch, just as he ordered us to.

Hold...it...

Ugh, just die already.

Dammit... Dammit! This can't be happening!

I can't go out like this! I still haven't finished what I wanted to do!

I still haven't avenged the miracle of me being summoned as a Heroic Spirit... I still haven't had a chance to slaughter those bastard gods...

And above all...I still need to pay him back for putting this collar on me...!

I've got to...pay him back! I NEED to pay him back!!

Kirschtaria... Kirschtaria...

KIRSCHTARIAaaaAAA!!!

Wh-wh-what's going on? What in the world just happened!?

Where's Kirschtaria!? Did you actually manage to drive him off!?

I'm afraid the situation remains unclear.

Once Kirschtaria Wodime cast his second spell, we were only able to pick up audio, and only in bits and pieces at that.

It could be a residual effect of the sheer scale of his remarkable magecraft, where he manipulated stars to rain down meteors.

For the past three minutes, every one of our instruments effectively ceased to function.

I doubt there's anyone inside the Border who knows what happened.

...

Nnn... W-well, never mind that now. Fujimaru! Mash Kyrielight!

Both of you, return here at once! Given the horrific battle you've just been through, we need to check your vitals as soon as possible!

R-right... Understood. Let's go, Master.

...I know a lot's happened, but right now, we need to take stock of our current situation...

...Well done on making it back intact.

The Servants are still severely injured, but I'm overjoyed to see that you two are both unhurt.

Unfortunately, we still have the problem of Kirschtaria to deal with.

How in the world did he cast a spell capable of nearly decimating our Servants without so much as a "how do you do?"

Is that even humanly possible!?

No, it isn't.

A few rare and notable exceptions aside, there is simply no way for a mage to defeat a Servant who managed genuinely heroic accomplishments in life.

Right!? That's exactly what I thought, too!

And even among those notable exceptions, the very best they could hope to accomplish is to strike a single blow in retaliation.

Decimating multiple Servants as easily as taking candy from the proverbial baby is simply not within human capacity.

...I took a look at Kirschtaria's file, from before he became a Crypter.

While there is no question that he was a true genius, if he had such massive amounts of magical energy at his command at the time, he would have been seal designated.

？！

It's what ends up happening to mages who exceed the bounds of genius and pursue singular fields of magecraft.

It's essentially declaring them to be such intriguing figures that they need to either be kept in isolation or studied as a specimen.

Being declared such a figure is the greatest honor the Association can confer, but it also makes that figure's life very difficult.

Mages like that love delving into their preferred fields of research, but once they have a seal designation, they can no longer pursue their research any further.

While this usually leads to the mage in question going into hiding and cutting ties with the Association...

...every now and then, one of them is able to have their seal lifted in exchange for agreeing to contribute to the Association.

Incidentally, I can assure you that you can rest at ease, Fujimaru.

Getting such a designation is something a third-rate mage like yourself will never have to worry about!

And even if you did end up designated thanks to some freak accident, I can always put in a word with my old Policies chums to have it lifted!

Ha ha ha!

Thank you for filling Mr. Fujimaru in, Goredolf.

At any rate, there you have it.

If Kirschtaria had previously possessed enough magical energy to cast a spell capable of wiping out multiple Servants, we would surely have seen signs of it in records of the man.

And yet, there was nothing of the sort.

Any thoughts on the matter, Da Vinci?

O-oh, yeah, of course. That magecraft he used is the basis of what ended up becoming astrology.

It's basically the primal form of astromancy magecraftone that temporarily assumes control over planets, the heavens, and the universe.

Hm? Astromancy is part of Animusphere's field of study, but it only deals with predicting the future and observing the stars.

There's nothing in it that could possibly cause the sort of cataclysm we saw here. Did you hit your head or something, Technical Advisor?

Believe me, I wish you were right.

But after seeing theirKirschtaria's magecraft in action, its identity couldn't be any clearer.

That was ideal magecraft; it is a type that is even older than the Age of Gods, back when the planets, the heavens, and the universe were all overflowing with magical energy.

Over time, as humanity's consumption-based civilization took control and developed further, every field of magecraft began to decline in power and scale.

Astrology was no exception.

While it once involved receiving power from space, at some point, it became nothing more than a way to observe space.

However

I see. So his is the original form of astrology. It draws strength from the stars in a much more literal sense.

The magical energy that rotates the planet. The magical energy that fills the sky.

And the magical energy that rains from the heavens.

In ancient Greece, the world, the sky, and the heavens were all separate layers, and each layer's magical energy value differed accordingly.

So we can presume that the magical energy we saw Kirschtaria wielding here would be

The heavens. That is, the laws that govern outer space. There's just no other way he'd be able to manipulate stars otherwise.

The spell he cast involves manually aligning planets to have them form an absolutely ginormous magical circuit.

It's no exaggeration to say he's able to use a bigger magical circuit than any other mage in all of human history.

When you think about it that way, it's no wonder at all that he managed to create a rain of meteors.

Honestly, it's still kind of hard to believe, but now that we've seen him in action for ourselves...

...I have to conclude that Kirschtaria Wodime has reached the zenith of what's humanly possible, to the point where he possesses even more absolute power than this Lostbelt's king.

... (Speechless)

Hmm. Okay, but in that case, there's one thing that adds up even less now than it did before.

If his genius gave him godlike power, why didn't he use it to conquer the Clock Tower ages ago?

Like, why would he even bother coming to Chaldea at all?

Y-yes, an excellent point. The jealousy-riddled viewpoint of a commoner such as yourself has been most informative, Moony.

...Indeed, that is a good point. As such, I can only surmise that Kirschtaria came to Chaldea for a single reason.

Everything he did, he did to create this very situation.

Before the Earth was wiped clean, he was certainly an exceptional person, but he was far from omnipotent.

So why such a stark difference between then and now? The answer is obvious. Back then, this planet was simply incapable of recreating such ancient astromancy.

Regardless of how refined the Animusphere's secret spells may have been, there was just no environment available to use them anywhere in the world.

I suspect that is precisely why Kirschtaria chose to grow the Atlantic Lostbelt.

The Greek view of space and the Animusphere's theories of magecraft have excellent chemistry, so to speak.

So the closer the Greek world gets to the Age of Gods, the closer his magecraft approaches the domain of the gods.

No, if anything, it becomes a Mystic surpassing them.

I can't believe it... Then, does this mean wiping the Earth clean was part of Kirschtaria's plan all along!?

I'm afraid I can't speak to that. His power may be unrivaled here in this Atlantic Lostbelt...

...but he never had the kind of power capable of changing the world before, let alone bleaching it completely.

No, I expect that was some other being's doing. The Foreign God remains the most likely candidate there.

And as far as the Foreign God was concerned, Kirschtaria, with his magecraft capable of controlling celestial bodies, was the perfect fit for the job.

In fact, if you will indulge a moment's speculation, I would not be surprised to know that the Foreign God considered every human other than Kirschtaria unnecessary.

If true, that would make the other Crypters no more than a bonus; the Foreign God could have done without them.

That's awful... I can't imagine having such little regard for other people's lives...

...At any rate, I see no need to come up with a strategy for the next time we face him right now. Especially since we still lack any viable means of doing so.

We can revisit this matter later, once we have more information to work with.

H-hm, yes. I suppose you're right.

"Always put off the troublesome things till tomorrow." That's the Musik secret motto.

？！

Because if Toole IV were to find out about it, she'd hound me incessantly until I got those troublesome things done!

But never mind that! We should get going right now, before something else comes and attacks us at sea!

The cloaking functionality's all back up and running, so now's a good time to rest up in your room if you want.

？！

Good.

You should rest up too, Mash. I'd like you to try to recuperate as much as you possibly can.

Unfortunately, being a Demi-Servant doesn't do anything to prevent mental stress.

... (I swear, they look like they might keel over at any moment.)

Ahem. All right, speaking as your supreme commander, I want to commend you both on a battle well fought.

However, right now, you need to take a nice, hot shower, and get yourselves to bed. Commander's orders.

Go on then! On the double!

？！

？！

I'm sorry to bother you when you're resting, Senpai.

Fou.

？！

Thank you. May I sit down?

... ...

Fou...

Was that...really Dr. Roman...?

？！

...Yes. And that white jacket...looked a lot like the one Dr. Roman used to wear.

？！

...You're right. I admit, my mind went blank when I first saw him...

...but no, I don't think it was him, either.

Dr. Roman would never have looked at anyone like that, no matter what.

So...that couldn't have been him. But...I still couldn't help but think...

If that was really him... If I had one more chance to see him again...

I thought I'd finally get to tell him how grateful I am for everything he did for us!

Fooou...

？！

... ...

Hm? Something wrong?

Oh, no, nothing's wrong.

I was just hoping to talk to Master, but... it looks like he's already occupied...

Gotcha...

Mash is a good Servant, isn't she?

You definitely don't see a lot of Shielders out there.

...I guess when you're a Master, there really is something special about your very first Servant, huh.

U-um... Yeah, probably...

... ...

Right. Of course...

Nnn...

Yeah... I'd better just leave well enough alone here.

...Remind me, why are you on my boat again?

I'm sorry for the intrusion, Jason. I hope we're not bothering you?

Well, you are! A lot!

Yeah, yeah, sorry for the trouble and stuff. Don't worry about him, Mash.

If you're going to disturb me, I'd rather it was for a better reason than "just felt like it."

？！

It's quite a relief that we're able to communicate remotely once again thanks to our restored cloaking functionality.

However, we must remain vigilant. We may be able to fool the gods' eyes, but not the human mind.

Now that Kirschtaria has retreated to Olympus, they're bound to pull out all the stops.

Then we'll just have to keep scurrying away like rats.

I can only hope we are able to come up with a plan that can confound their expectations and thwart their own designs...

I don't suppose you have anything to offer in that regard, Mr. Jason?

Of course not!

If it were easy to come up with a plan to defeat Odysseus and his fleet, somebody would've done it long ago!

Be that as it may, we can't run away forever.

...Yeah, I guess you're right.

All right, I'm just going to trust my future self to come up with something brilliant!