"Beryl Gut," Aoko set the file on the table and said to the man in front of her, "Keep an eye on his movements at all times. When the time is right, I'll contact you—and that's when this guy will meet his end."
"Understood," the man replied, expressionless. "Roughly when will that be? Should the others be dealt with in the same way?"
"No," Aoko leaned back against the sofa, speaking in a relaxed tone, "the others don't matter, but this Beryl must die. In a sense, it's a personal grudge."
"I understand." The man left the other documents behind, but took the one on Beryl Gut, bowed to Aoko, then silently opened the door and left as if he had never been there.
As she silently contemplated when and how to make her move, Aoko was also considering how to rescue Hinako. No doubt, she would not use Chaldea's Rayshift, nor would she let the now fully incarnated Artoria take that risk.
So then, how could she reach that specific point in time?
Marisbury said Artoria would need to serve as an anchor for positioning, and then another Rayshift team could be dispatched. But Aoko wasn't reassured, because she knew that unless Marisbury sent Scandinavia Peperoncino and Beryl, none of the current Chaldea staff would stand a chance against a crisis that even trapped Consort Yu.
Thus, Aoko could only take action herself, but her method would be different from what Marisbury imagined. She wouldn't use Rayshift, but rather the side effect of Fifth Magic—shifting along the timeline—to reach the designated time.
The difference here is that she doesn't need to go through the steps of decomposition and recomposition. Instead, she achieves this stealth maneuver by reaching heights other magi can never attain.
As for how to cover up the fact that she and Artoria were traveling to the past...
"Asimi," Aoko spoke to herself in the room, "Do you understand what I told you before?"
With her words, a silver phantom split from Aoko, and a person identical to her appeared before her. This was Asimi, the highest masterpiece from the Eternal City—a Doppelgänger Tear.
Previously, after drinking the contents of the Cradle Holy Grail, Asimi had fallen into a deep sleep inside Aoko, only to awaken after Aoko returned to the TYPE-MOON Earth.
Apart from the kingly knowledge instilled by the Knoxians, this artificial being knew nothing else. After coming to Aoko's dazzling world, she was overwhelmed by an avalanche of information. Even Aoko herself had to spend time and effort, using magic and the contract between her and Asimi, to teach her the basics and common sense of modern society.
But it was all worth it—Aoko gained a doppelgänger who could replicate part of her combat power, had an independent will, and worked for her with absolute loyalty.
"My Lady," Asimi said respectfully, "I will follow your orders exactly, and during your disappearance, I will play your role in Chaldea so well that no one will notice."
"Good." Aoko nodded in satisfaction. "But remember, at the moment there are a few of my people within Chaldea working for me. There are some things you can tell them, but not everything. What can and cannot be said—I've already explained that to you."
"Understood," Asimi replied. "Asimi will keep that in mind."
"Tomorrow," Aoko continued, "Marisbury's rescue team will Rayshift. At that time, you just need to cover for me in the control room. If all goes well, I'll return to this room soon. If Marisbury has any questions or requests, I'll guide you remotely."
---Divider---
The next day, Da Vinci, Chaldea's technical advisor, found Artoria and, at her request, drew a vial of blood from her body. This would serve as a beacon for era positioning, strengthening Chaldea's connection to the Arthurian era and ensuring communications in case Hinako's device failed.
"Amazing..." Da Vinci observed the blood closely. "Such dense Age of Gods ether—who would have thought it could flow in a living being in this age? Even for a Servant, this is hard to achieve. Is this the power of the Dragon Reactor?"
"Perfect." Da Vinci smiled, sealing the vial. "The vast Age of Gods ether in the King of Knights' blood will make it easy to use Chaldeas and Sheba to pinpoint that era for Rayshift. This time will work for sure."
"Let's begin, then," Marisbury ordered. "I leave it to you, Beryl, Pepe."
"Leave it to me~" Beryl replied, looking relaxed but exuding an elite aura. "With the Magician herself watching, there's no way I'll slack off."
"I'm a little worried about little Hinako," Pepe said in his big-sisterly tone. "But don't worry, Director. I'll do my best."
Marisbury nodded, glanced at Kirschtaria, who immediately entered a string of commands at the console. The Rayshift pod opened, and the two—dressed in custom Mystic Codes—calmly entered. The hatch closed.
Asimi as Aoko Aozaki stood silently, arms crossed behind the command console, watching the transfer pod and Chaldeas. Asimi's imitation of Aoko's proud shareholder posture was flawless; no one could tell she was a substitute.
"Rayshift, start!" At the command, Chaldeas was activated for the second time, performing that space-time travel grand magic the First Emperor called an evil art. According to the display, Scandinavia Peperoncino and Beryl Gut had completed their Rayshift to 7th-century Britain.
---Divider---
"Things are done on that end," Artoria returned to the room, nodded to the real Aoko, and said, "Shall we head out now?"
"So, how do you feel about returning to your era?" Aoko smiled at Artoria.
"That's not my world," Artoria shook her head calmly. "It's just another possibility. I have read your history books, after all."
"You've grown, Artoria." Aoko took the Knight King's hand. "I'm genuinely happy for you."
"Now, let's get going. Let's go back and rescue that future excellent employee of ours."
As soon as she spoke, Artoria felt her heart skip a beat. In her perception, the entire universe seemed to contract and spin around Aoko Aozaki, endless time rushing by before her eyes.
The Fifth Magic had activated—she knew that, but Artoria doubted she would ever get used to this feeling.