"You know me?"
Lancer was surprised by Olga Marie comment, but he didn't think much of it. He had a clear conscience; he only "knew" her through a screen. What could possibly be the problem?
"I'm not sure... you just look familiar..."
Olga Marie searched her memory. A flash of an image came to her—a young woman in a wheelchair...
"I remember now! The Department Head!" she cried out.
"I saw your photo in Department Head Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia's office! That's it! You're the winner of the Fourth Holy Grail War! The Master who seized the Greater Grail!! I get it now! You disappeared back then and know about the future because you reached the Root! Yes! That has to be it!!"
Olga Marie was practically vibrating with excitement.
Mash looked at Lancer in shock. As a Chaldea employee, she knew that the Yggdmillennia family had provided massive amounts of data on Servant summoning and Command Spells during Chaldea's founding. She had even met Fiore a few times. The Yggdmillennia family, which was once destined for decline, had surged back to power because of that war—specifically because of the mysterious Master who supposedly became a Magician and then vanished.
Ritsuka, however, was totally lost. To her, this was all high-level magecraft gossip she'd never heard of.
Meanwhile, Lancer expression was the strangest of all.
Fiore?
That was a name that held a significant place in his heart. He never expected to hear it here.
When they first met, her pure, untainted expression made him think she was an sheltered heiress. But after spending time together, he learned about the iron will hidden beneath her fragile exterior. She had given up the chance to walk again for the sake of her family; she had taken on the burden of the family head to protect her brother.
But what stunned him was the timeline. Did this world's history stem from the moment he left?
Holy... crap!!
Lancer felt like he had just uncovered a massive secret. If he remembered correctly, Goredolf's family—the Musik family—had joined Yggdmillennia. And back before he left his old life, the FGO game had just reached Part 2... the new Director's family was indeed Musik.
Did Lancer step into a pre-existing history, or did his actions create this history?
His head started to ache from the complexity. He rubbed his temples, exhausted. Forget it. There's not enough data. Focus on the present.
"You know Fiore?" Lancer asked.
The question was an indirect admission, and suddenly every eye at the table was on him. Cu was just enjoying the drama, while Ritsuka and Mash were gripped by pure girlish curiosity.
"Before I became the Lord of Astronomy, I studied at the Clock Tower," Olga Marie explained. "When my father accepted help from the Yggdmillennia family to build Chaldea, I studied under Head Fiore to prepare myself to be a Master."
She explained the connection in a few words, but then she shot Lancer a look of pure annoyance. It was so resentful that Lancer wondered if Fiore had been talking trash about him. But he dismissed it; he didn't believe she would do that.
Fiore hadn't said anything bad. Olga Marie look was purely personal.
As a family heir, Olga Marie had grown up surrounded by admirers. She had no romantic experience, but she had a sharp eye. She could never forget walking into Fiore office one afternoon and seeing her sitting in the sun, holding a cup of tea with a radiant smile, talking to herself.
Across from her on the desk was a photograph.
Fiore had covered the photo the moment Olga Marie entered, but a glimpse was enough for her to memorize the face. She thought she had discovered a "scandalous secret."
Thanks to the prestige Lancer left behind, the Yggdmillennia family had flourished. Though their reputation took a hit during the conflict with the Clock Tower, the magical knowledge they retained was top-tier. Fiore had streamlined the family, cutting out the dead weight.
Now, years later, Yggdmillennia was a powerhouse of quality over quantity. Fiore was now in her mid-twenties—the prime of a woman's charm.
With her power, her status as one of the top authorities in the magus world, and her beauty, suitors willing to marry into her family lined up from her office to the gates of the Clock Tower. She had rejected every single one.
Seeing Lancer now, Olga Marie was certain: Fiore was waiting for this man!