Day 7

Good, you're all here. Before we start delivering presents, there's something I want you all to hear.

It's about the real reason I agreed to become Santa Claus.

Santa Claus brings miracles to people just by being Santa Claus.

He delivers gifts to everyone who wants them, making the end of the year something to celebrate.

That's why Santa Claus exists; that is his fundamental duty. You could even say he's the collective wish of everyone who gathers together on the Holy Night.

But that's only what the people want. Not Santa Claus himself.

There's nothing that says Santa Claus can't have his own desire that's separate from his fundamental duty.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is

Ugh, put a sock in it already, Captain Jerkface! We already know what you wanna say.

There's someone you wanna give a present to yourself, right!?

You mean Master!

And not the Master back at Chaldea right now, but the Master from back before we even met!

It makes sense. As a child of the sea, Triton is supposed to ensure the safety of a voyage.

And if you're going to give him a good luck charm, that's the kind of thing to do at the voyage's start, not with the end in sight.

Besides, leaving a small miracle at someone's bedside while they're sleeping is pretty classic Santa Claus.

Yeah, you don't have to explain anything to us! We all know exactly how you feel!

You want to give the best present you can to the person you most want to HAVE a present from you! Right?

Yes, I think it's a wonderful idea. It's the sort of thing only no-one-turned-Santa could do.

Though I don't think it'll be easy to pull off.

You guys...

Yeah, you're right. This isn't a reason so much as a desire.

The person I want to give a present to doesn't exist in this time. No... It's more accurate to say that giving it to him now wouldn't mean anything.

Present Chaldea has lots of allies, and plenty of Servantpower. If we need help, we can be reasonably sure that someone will provide it.

But that wasn't the case in Chaldea of the past.

When they first began repairing Singularities, Chaldea couldn't even afford the time to have so much as a cup of coffee.

So, I want to deliver this present to the Chaldea in the Antarctic, in the year 2017.

It may not be much, but I want to pay Fujimaru the greatest respect I can before he sets out on his long journey.

What's more, it's only because I'm a Phantom Spirit that I can even try this, since that's what lets me Zero Sail in the first place.

If we make even one wrong move, we'll be completely erased. If we change even the smallest thing in the past...

...history's corrective force will mercilessly unravel our very existence.

And that's not even getting into how difficult it is to sail to the past in the first place.

For every year we go back in time, the Nautilus will be at greater risk of getting crushed.

And with every year, the obstacles we face will change.

Even knowing all that, are you all still willing to join me in this selfish undertaking?

Of course, Captain! We're with you all the way!

...Thank you, everyone. All right, let me go over the operation.

Even with the Zero Sail, jumping into the past from Void Space is going to be extremely difficult.

My plan is to go back by one year each day. If we succeed, we'll pin the coordinates with the Paper Moon and use them as the starting point for our next jump.

Once the coordinates are pinned, we'll resurface at standard time, let the Nautilus recover, and carry out our present deliveries.

Over the course of seven days, we'll continue traveling back in time until we reach 2017. From there, the Nemo with the strongest Spirit Origin will carry out the mission.

Any questions?

Ooh, ooh! I've got one!

If we can go back in time to 2017, couldn't we just stop the explosion before it happens?

That would be the worst kind of alteration we could make.

If we prevented the explosion at the old Chaldea, the current Chaldea would cease to exist.

The most important rule of traveling to the past is to not even try changing a single thing, no matter how small.

Although, since our Spirit Origins aren't strong enough to last in parallel worlds anyway, it would be more accurate to say we COULDN'T change a single thing.

Even if you succeeded at infiltrating Chaldea Base in 2017, Marine, the moment you tried to change the past...

...you would find yourself disappearing.

So yes, our first and most important rule for this mission is to change nothing and leave nothing else behind.

...Gotcha. Well, what about talking to someone? Can we do that?

Like, even if we can't change their destiny, couldn't we at least say "thank you" or something?

I can't say with any certainty that even that would be safe.

From the other person's perspective, having someone else thank them for no discernable reason is very likely to change their subsequent actions.

The only way it could work would be to keep to topics that no one at the Chaldea of the time would think twice about.

Professor is right. Which is why we'll need to exercise extreme caution when infiltrating their old base.

Our operative will need to swim through the Void Sea on their own and Zero Sail into the Antarctic base itself.

If they succeed, they'll then need to carry out the mission without being seen.

I have the shift schedule for Chaldea's staff on the day of the incident, and I've also figured out the optimal route to reach our destination.

And in case the operative does run into a staff member, I've figured out who they can disguise themself as so that nobody will suspect them.

I'll make the disguise as soon as we're done here. It will depend on how well the operative can pretend to be that person in the event they're seen.

Fortunately, I already know they can, so that won't be an issue.

All right, that's the mission plan. Any other questions?

...Okay. Then from here on, we're all in this special operation together.

I call it "8 Years Snow Carol."

Thanks again, everyone. We WILL deliver this gift successfully, or my name isn't Santa Claus!

My, my, I come all this way to warn you, only to be treated like a threat? I guess you really do hate me.

Even so, I can't just sit back and let someone so important to Chaldea throw his life away on a fool's errand.

It's not too late to turn back, Nemo. Risking your life for the one-day miracle that is Santa Claus is...well, dumb.

Even if it works, it won't actually do anything. If you turn back now, you won't disappoint anyone.

Not to mention that breaking the rules to travel into the past is very unlike you.

Thank you for that half-hearted warning, Merlin.

I'm honored that you'd come all the way to see us while we're in the middle of a Zero Sail.

Now, could you repeat what you just said? I heard you loud and clear, but I still want to make sure.

Oh, you mean the part about it having no effect? I'm sorry to say, it's true.

The gift you're trying to give him...

...is a small bit of happiness that doesn't interfere with the past, right?

Your plan is to create a Chaldea uniform embedded with a dream catcher, a ward against misfortune...

...and swap it out with his old one without anyone noticing so he is more likely to survive the battles ahead.

To ensure you wouldn't adversely affect the past, you asked the fossil hunter lady and the Heroic Spirit with Shiva's Authority for advice.

And you enlisted the spinster fairy's help to make sure the new uniform would be indistinguishable from the old one.

Unfortunately, the matter transfer idea turned out to be a bust, but First Hassan was still willing to look the other way, since he's a soft touch for these kinds of things.

But, even after all that work, your efforts will still amount to nothing.

"We're going to go back in time and swap out his uniform without anyone noticing."

"And as long as Master doesn't realize he's been given a gift, there won't be any conflict with past events."

You're right in that you'll avoid creating a time paradox with that approach. But it also means it will have practically no effect.

A protective charm has the greatest effect when its bearer truly believes it will keep them safe.

But a charm the bearer doesn't know they have is all but useless.

Let's say someone was beset by nightmares every day. The most luck a charm like this could bring is to help them wake up maybe a second earlier than usual.

That's what I mean when I say it won't have any effect. Do you understand now?

I understood all that when we set out. I meant what you said before.

The "risking your life for the one-day miracle that is Santa Claus is dumb" part.

If that's what you really think, we're going to pick up the battle right where we left off. I'm going to prove that there's nothing dumb about this at all.

Really?

You don't think altering the past and risking your own obliteration for an infinitesimally small bit of luck is dumb?

What do they say these days? Ah, yes. The juice isn't worth the squeeze. Even if you succeed, it will change nothing.

I know. Chaldea will win even without my doing this. I'm well aware that what I'm doing will in no way contribute to their victory.

But that's not the point.

That's not what it means for those who got a late start to reward those who went on ahead.

Our opportunity to receive compensation or joy is long gone. Right from the start, we were never part of his team.

But even so, she still wanted to help them. She felt as if doing so would be all the reward she would need.

So yeah. Even if the difference we make here is so trivial not even Sheba can perceive it, I still believe it'll be meaningful.

And I think the courage needed to weather the ensuing storm is truly precious.

...Just like it was for a certain summoner's life.

So I'm not going to let you, or anyone else, say it's dumb to give everything for a single moment of peace.

...Now I see. My Clairvoyance only lets me observe the present.

I thought my vision was blurry because of the vampire thing, but now it all makes sense.

My apologies. Allow me to rephrase. It may be dumb, but that's also what makes it wonderful.

No... It seems I was the dumb one here. I should have known First Hassan wouldn't get something like this wrong.

I'm sorry for raining on your parade. Go on, Nemo. I will remember this wish even if no one else does.

Thanks, Merlin. I do appreciate your coming all this way to warn us.

Oh, right. When you get there, please give him my regards. Tell him, "What are you, stupid?"

Just a hunch, but I think the two of you will really hit it off.