After the meeting ended, Mash and Ritsuka invited Ophelia to join them for combat training.
Kirschtaria and the others also left one after another. Kirschtaria even asked Peperoncino and Kadoc if they wanted to play a game of chess.
Hinako Akuta went off alone to the ship's library.
Seeing that they were gradually integrating into Neo-Chaldea, Shiomi decided there was no need to interfere further. He took the empty pastry basket back to the kitchen to wash it.
Noticing there were still prepared ingredients left in the fridge, he was debating whether to make something himself when someone suddenly covered his eyes from behind.
"Guess who?"
"Who else could it be but Master—ah, Master, let go! You're about to dig my eyes out."
Shiomi laughed helplessly as he reached up and pried away the hands covering his eyes. When he turned around, he saw Scáthach dressed in her usual casual clothes.
"Really? I thought my imitation was spot on. I didn't expect my dear disciple to see right through me." Scáthach kept her arms slightly spread.
She meant she had been imitating Skadi's tone.
Since the two of them were genuinely alike—even their voices nearly identical—Scáthach had happened to pass by the kitchen, spotted Shiomi inside, and quietly approached from behind to tease him.
"Because you're my Master. There's no way I wouldn't recognize you." Shiomi tapped his ear. "And don't forget, I spent seventeen years blind. When you lose one sense, the others sharpen."
"Oh…" Scáthach let out a soft sound as she remembered.
When Shiomi suppressed the curse of Cernunnos, his eyes had been the first to be eroded and destroyed, beyond regeneration.
But before she could feel even a trace of guilt, he smoothly shifted the subject.
"Besides, your presence concealment is getting better and better, Master. Even though I wasn't on guard, I didn't notice you at all until you actually touched me."
"That just means you still have more to learn." Scáthach smiled with confidence, though her gaze dimmed slightly. "Or maybe not… You don't really need me to teach you anymore. You've long since graduated."
Before she could finish the thought, Shiomi stepped forward and took advantage of her still-open arms to pull her into an embrace.
"There's an old saying," he said gently. "'A master doesn't have to surpass the disciple, and a disciple doesn't have to fall short of the master.' To me, you'll always be my Master."
"Alright, alright. You really do know how to talk." Scáthach slipped her arms around his waist and laughed.
They stayed like that for quite a while, until the refrigerator began beeping with its door alarm. Only then did Shiomi reluctantly free a hand to close it.
"So were you just passing by the kitchen, Master? Looks like you're free today."
"I was free to begin with. Just routine watch duty for Storm Border. We switch shifts when it's time." Scáthach shifted lazily in his arms. "My only chance to fight got snatched away by my beloved disciple. If I keep resting a few more days, I'll start rusting."
"So that means Master's getting up there in—mmph!"
Shiomi couldn't resist teasing her, and immediately suffered the consequences.
"You dare say that with that mouth of yours? You're the one who's become even older than your Master," Scáthach shot back, throwing his own past words at him.
"…You might have a point." Shiomi laughed awkwardly as he slipped out of her grasp.
All it took was one casual touch for Scáthach to find his weak spot.
"No more joking. Since I'll be going to the Chinese Lostbelt in person, Morgan will definitely come with me. Aside from her, I'll probably only bring you, Master, and Artoria," Shiomi said.
"The Unity God… is it?" Scáthach looked at him. "How enviable. I wonder when I'll ever receive that kind of treatment."
Even though she meant it lightly, Shiomi didn't brush it aside. He answered seriously.
"You understand better than anyone that that form comes with both tremendous risk and tremendous gain. It may sound unfair, but… you might not be able to fully handle my power."
What he meant wasn't that fusion was impossible. It was that the form they took afterward wouldn't reach its full potential and might even hinder them both.
"I know." Scáthach shrugged. "Those thousands of years in the Lostbelt weren't wasted for you. I'm just surprised that, after reaching this point, you could immediately think of such a method."
"All I can say is that becoming a god has given me a deeper understanding of many things." Shiomi pressed a hand over his heart. "The Unity God isn't just about gaining greater power. It's also a restraint I place upon myself."
"A restraint?" Scáthach arched a brow. "You're afraid that once you gain a god's perspective, you might grow arrogant without noticing. That you'd stop listening to anyone else."
"…Yes." Shiomi nodded firmly.
Becoming the Unity God alongside Morgan allowed him to perceive her heart with perfect clarity. They became mirrors to one another, reflecting every truth without distortion.
"With her fairy eyes that pierce through falsehood, she can see straight through self-deception," Scáthach said, lightly tapping his forehead as though scolding a wayward student. "For a god who's still maturing, that really is indispensable."
"When the responsibility becomes too heavy, anxiety follows without you even realizing it," Shiomi said quietly, recalling what Peperoncino had mentioned before the meeting. "It's not impossible for a human to become a god, but… why me?"
There were precedents.
Kiara Sessyoin, for instance.
Though she was a Beast of calamity, she had also taken on the role of a goddess who bore humanity's desires. Her 'Goddess Transformation' at least had a traceable origin.
"But I can't see my own beginning," Shiomi said, meeting Scáthach's gaze. "You can't see it. Morgan can't see it. No one can. That's why I have to be even more careful. I want to use this power—this power that transcends humanity—in the best, most correct way possible."
"In my eyes, that's already enough." Scáthach's expression softened, her gaze warm in a way she showed only to him. "You're my most beloved disciple. I know your character better than anyone. Even if you've become a god, I believe you'll be a benevolent one—someone who guides humanity properly."
"No. Humanity doesn't need guidance." Shiomi shook his head. "Humanity already has the strength to stand on this planet on its own. I am both human and something beyond human. What I should do is stand against the kinds of destruction that lie beyond human capability. Give them the chance to choose their own future. Humanity is the best guardian of its own destiny."
"See? You're perfectly clear about it." Scáthach smiled. "Perhaps your wisdom has already surpassed your master's. I'm proud."
"Don't say it like I'll ever leave you, Master." Shiomi pulled her into another tight embrace. "I'll make sure that once Proper Human History is restored, the world will be one that can accept someone like you. I won't let you remain alone in the Land of Shadows ever again."