The small chaos caused by Magical☆Merry lasted quite a while, ending with Roman's mental collapse.
Already lacking enthusiasm from the start, Roman became even more drained after interacting with Magical☆Merry. Seeing him slumped over the desk with a despairing expression, Naoki tapped his cheek. "Still alive, Doctor Roman?"
"Barely…" Roman responded weakly. "Damn it… that was truly the worst experience. What are those two idiot Merlins doing? No matter what I asked, they just roasted me mercilessly. An internet idol like that is completely useless, you know!"
"But it seemed like you were enjoying it?"
"No way!" Roman protested loudly, slamming the desk for emphasis to bolster his credibility.
After realizing that Magical☆Merry was a collaborative project between Merlin and Merry, Roman roughly understood their intentions.
Most likely, they just wanted to help him a little. With Naoki around, they surely knew about the Human Order Incineration. But given their personalities, they wouldn't intervene directly. So, they took this roundabout approach, using an internet idol to offer assistance.
Of course, it was probably also to satisfy their own mischief.
"Natsukawa, you need to tell your person—do something a bit more sincere next time!"
"I'll pass it along." Naoki nodded. "But this thing… you're still watching it?"
He was, of course, referring to the Magical☆Merry channel still open on the computer. Though newly launched, its viewership and popularity were skyrocketing, making it quite a hit. In an era where internet entertainment was still limited, the appearance of an internet idol like this was clearly a novelty for many users.
Roman glanced at the screen, then decisively moved the cursor to the top-right corner and closed the webpage. He wasn't about to click a second time on something that raised his blood pressure and stress levels.
"I'll report it later so it won't show up in my recommended videos again—by the way, why did you and Gray suddenly come to Chaldea? Marisbury didn't tell me."
"I didn't tell him either. I only informed him before boarding the plane. I'm just here to check out the situation and see how you're doing. You seem pretty lively, so I'm relieved."
Hearing that, Roman could only give a wry smile. "Lively? Where do you see that? But you went through all this trouble to come to Chaldea… Is it for the experiments here? Or for Professor Lev?"
"If I had to say, both. Regarding Professor Lev, I got some info from Marisbury. He said Lev's recalibrating SHEBA, so he can't be met—I suspect he sensed my arrival and suddenly gave him that task. What's your take on him?"
"I can't sense any Demon God Pillar aura, and he hasn't noticed my identity either. That proves the Holy Grail truly reincarnated me as a human. I don't have any power left now. Even if I had a little, the Demon God Pillars should've recognized me."
Naoki patted his shoulder. "You need to be careful. You've got no strength to fight back now. If the Demon God Pillars find out, you're done. How about I give you some protection? The hidden kind?"
"Protection? Oh… you can do that now?"
"After all, my existence is about 70% Fairy now. Granting certain protections to someone is within my capabilities."
Fairy protection—a special ability often found in myths and legends, granted by fairies to heroes or knights. The most famous is the protection of the Lady of the Lake given to King Arthur.
Essentially, this protection offers a degree of safeguarding to the recipient through the fairy's ability to influence the world to a certain extent.
"Can you give protection for concealment?"
"If you want, I can switch it up. The effects of protection are quite flexible, especially since I'm not a specific type of fairy. Just don't expect too much from the effect. Versatility means it won't be too strong."
"Hmm… In that case, can you give protection similar to health or vitality enhancement?"
After a brief pause, Roman asked a question unrelated to himself.
Naoki nodded. "I can, but the effect is limited to making someone less prone to colds or fevers and slightly boosting stamina."
"That's enough. Come with me. Instead of for me, I'd rather you give fairy protection to someone else."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Chaldea, Experimental Area, Isolation Zone.
Much like the Clock Tower, Chaldea was conducting numerous experiments. Some were newly started, while others were transferred from the Animusphere headquarters to continue.
Among these experiments, some were highly dangerous or couldn't be disturbed by the outside world. To ensure their smooth progress, Chaldea had designated an isolation zone.
Roman led Naoki to one of the isolation rooms in this zone.
It was a transparent square room made of special glass, entirely covered by a massive glass dome. Inside, there was only a bed and some basic living necessities, looking very spartan.
After all, this was a living space for an experimental subject. There was no need to provide a particularly comfortable environment.
"This…"
Standing outside the isolation room, Naoki looked through the glass at the scene inside. He placed his hand on the glass, his eyes fixed on the experimental subject sitting on the bed. A flicker of emotion in his gaze surprised both Roman and Gray.
As if sensing the presence of visitors, the girl sitting on the bed stood and walked toward them. With a slightly innocent and shy voice, she asked, "Doctor Roman? Is it time for today's routine check-up? I thought it was scheduled for the afternoon."
"Yes, but we moved it up a bit today. Mainly to introduce you to these two."
"Mash."