Due to the special circumstances at Chaldea, the entire facility had been busy for the past few days. It wasn't just because everyone knew how important their work was; more importantly, almost everyone was trying to distract themselves this way.
Under these conditions, even Lancer, who naturally loved lively crowds, couldn't bring himself to hold a blatant banquet. However, before leaving, he still gathered the few people he knew well.
Looking at the women in the room, Lancer suddenly felt an immense amount of pressure. He felt like his moral integrity was constantly dropping. He suddenly slapped a hand on Roman shoulder as the man was eating cake.
"Dr. Roman, I'm so glad you came."
Roman, seemingly not understanding why Lancer would react like this, bit his spoon and looked at him strangely.
"It's nothing, just a random thought. Cough. Anyway, it's just a small private gathering, so everyone, please make yourselves at home."
The first half was for Roman; the second was for the other three.
Why three? Simple. Right now, Leone was discussing culinary skills with Taiger.
Lancer still remembered the first time he summoned Taiger in front of her. Back then, Leone was still clumsy, and she looked at Taiger with utter disbelief. But now? The two of them were actually chatting away.
On the other side, Lancer words didn't do much to lighten the mood. Olga Marie had already informed Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others about their impending departure, and the two had been mopey ever since.
Olga Marie tried to comfort them, and they were sensible enough to say they understood, but the low-pressure atmosphere that was practically overflowing made people feel at a loss. Finally, she glanced at Lancer, clearly wanting him to persuade them. Unfortunately, Lancer just shrugged, indicating he was helpless—he wasn't good with words to begin with.
But seeing Olga Marie puffed-out cheeks making her look like a squirrel, Lancer scratched his head and had to step up.
"Mash."
Lancer picked Mash, who seemed the easiest to talk to. Hearing her name, Mash looked up from her juice with a complicated gaze.
While she wasn't happy about Olga Marie having to leave with Lancer, she understood the special nature of the situation thanks to explanations from the Director and Dr. Roman. If Lancer hadn't done that, Olga Marie would likely have been left behind in the collapsing "Singularity F."
"Didn't you say before that you wanted to show your gratitude?"
"Yes."
"Then have a drink with me!"
"Eh?!"
Before Mash could react to Lancer words, Fujimaru Ritsuka let out a strange cry of surprise.
"Mr. Lancer, we should really..."
"Pause!"
Lancer interrupted Ritsuka before she could finish. With a dead-serious face, he took out two sake dishes and a red wine ladle.
"I didn't ask your ages! You didn't say! Naturally, no one here will say anything, which means it's like nothing happened. So..."
As the amber liquid fell into the dishes, the two instinctively picked them up. Lancer raised a dish that was several times larger than theirs.
"I'll lead the way. Bottoms up."
"Director, I don't know if I can do a good job. What if I fail? I... I'm scared..."
With a bright red face, Mash leaned against Olga Marie left leg, muttering negative thoughts. To summarize: she was worried her abilities weren't enough. As for the other side—
"Director Olga, don't leave... Mash... don't go... I don't want to be alone..."
Lying on Olga Marie right leg, Fujimaru Ritsuka showed none of the resolve she had when facing Saber "Excalibur." Instead, she looked like a lost child.
Olga Marie, stroking their heads, glared at Lancer with an annoyed expression.
"This is your method?"
"Pretty much~ I'm not good at talking or comforting people. They're both good girls; they were bottling everything up because they were afraid of worrying you. I figured they'd feel much better after letting it out. Listen—they're saying a lot, but they have no intention of giving up."
It was just as Lancer said. They were worried and scared, but they hadn't backed down. Even knowing Olga Marie was leaving, they had no intention of quitting. However—
"I know what they're thinking now, but the point was to comfort them. What do you plan to do now?"
"Don't worry, I have a way to make them remember what's happening now. You just tell them what you want to say."
Seeing Lancer confident expression, Olga Marie suppressed her anxiety for the moment. Under Lancer encouraging gaze, she placed her hands on their heads...
Under Lancer spell, the alcohol in Ritsuka and Mash systems was dispelled. They sat up straight, their faces still flushed, and glared at Lancer with "fierce" eyes that looked more like angry kittens. Though they didn't remember what happened after they got drunk, they felt it must have been something embarrassing.
But just then, Lancer suddenly turned his wrist as if checking a non-existent watch. Mash and Ritsuka snapped out of it and looked at the wall clock. The time for the departure was drawing closer. After exchanging a look, the two stood up together and bowed solemnly to Olga Marie.
"Director Olga, I'll work hard with Senpai. When the time comes... when you come back, let's go shopping together!"
For Mash, who was born in Chaldea, seeing the outside world had always been her greatest wish. Now, she was even more "greedy." She didn't just want to see it; she wanted to see it with the people she cared about!
"Um... Director... although I'm still immature, by the time you return, I'll definitely be a qualified Master! I'll make you praise me from the bottom of your heart!"
The emotions contained in their simple wishes were undoubtedly conveyed to Olga Marie. She wore a rare, gentle smile and pulled the two into an embrace.
The two stiffened for a moment when suddenly hugged, but they soon relaxed and hugged her back...
The three enjoyed their final moment of peace. On the other side, Lancer slowly let go of Leone.
The two had only been reunited for a few days before being forced to part again, but aside from the reluctance to let go, they had no other thoughts. They believed they would definitely meet again, and this time, it probably wouldn't take that long.
"I won't make you wait too long this time—"
After their lips parted, Lancer made his promise with a determined expression. Leone didn't say much; she just smiled and nodded. She would wait for him to return just as she always had—like she had waited in front of that long-destroyed cabin, quietly waiting to say to him—
"Welcome back~ Boss."
In a parting that didn't feel like a goodbye, Lancer body gradually turned translucent until Leone felt the space in front of her turn empty. She silently retracted her hands. After standing with her head down for a good while, she looked up and walked over to the two girls who were also dejected over Olga Marie departure.
"Mash, Ritsuka, let's go! For your Director, and for my Boss!"
Seeing the "abnormal" vitality in Leone, the two were stunned. They couldn't understand how the Leone who looked so sad just a moment ago had seemingly turned into a different person.
Leone seemed to guess their thoughts and gave a radiant smile.
"There's no point in wallowing in sadness forever. Besides, I'm sure the Boss wouldn't want me moping around. And I can't wait to fulfill the 'contract'!"
By the end, the aura suddenly surging from Leone made Mash and Ritsuka feel at a loss, as if the Leone before them was a different person from the one they knew.
But then, as if remembering something, Leone took out a camcorder and a box from somewhere and handed them to Ritsuka and Mash respectively.
"Inside the box is a letter the Boss wrote. He said if you have a chance to meet the owner of the letter and you know him, it might be able to help you. As for this camcorder... see for yourselves."
That's right! Lancer so-called "method to make them remember" wasn't some profound or magical magecraft, but a very common "camcorder."
Mash expression was quite subtle. After all, "the legendary Magician using a camcorder" felt very weird no matter how you looked at it. But Ritsuka wasn't a magus, so she didn't find it strange at all. She opened the camcorder and huddled with Mash to watch.
At first, it was fine—just things they remembered. The camcorder had actually started recording from the beginning of the "dinner party." But once the footage reached the part where they were drunk, their faces turned bright red with a "poof."
It wasn't that Lancer had done anything weird to them; they were just embarrassed to see how they acted while drunk. However, as the recording played on and they saw the always-majestic Olga Marie smiling and stroking their heads, they instinctively touched their own heads, as if that gentle touch hadn't faded...
But just at the end, as the camcorder was about to be put away, a face suddenly popped up and startled them.
"Mash, Fujimaru, I promise you in the name of 'Lancer'—you will definitely succeed! So move forward! I look forward to our meeting in the future!"
With those words, the recording finally ended. Ritsuka and Mash froze for two seconds before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.
"Haha~ Mr. Lancer is so funny. 'I promise you in the name of Lancer...'"
Mimicking Lancer tone, Ritsuka wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes as she laughed. Her expression then settled into a smile.
"Hmph! Of course we'll succeed!"
The brilliant smiles seemed to dispel the sorrow of the parting...