Kiritsugu, reporting on Marisbury's death, spoke with a voice that seemed utterly dumbfounded, but he confirmed for certain that the man had committed suicide.
Upon verifying the news, I deliberately feigned a conflict with the El-Melloi workshop to reverse the merger of our shares. Consequently, Olga Marie Animusphere, having inherited the Magic Crest, naturally ascended to the position of Director of Chaldea and the rank of Lord of the Animusphere family.
"So, how is it?"
[…At the very least, now that you've stopped playing word games with that damn secure line, things feel much better.]
"It doesn't matter anymore. The only reason I was worried about communication security before was Marisbury, wasn't it? That Idiot King is likely watching everything with his Clairvoyance anyway."
Ah, excluding Romani Archaman, who is currently working as the head of Chaldea's medical staff, of course.
[Sigh. Regardless, things are perfect on this end. The fact that so many individuals with Rayshift aptitude emerged from my classroom was suspicious in many ways… but it seems we've managed to brush it off. Setting up Peperoncino as Emiya Kiritsugu's apprentice was a wise choice, Karma.]
"The guy is a genuine professional in the field of assassination, after all. The Puppetmaster's people and the Holy Church's representatives should have started arriving by now… how are the other Crypters?"
[One fellow recommended by Marisbury has arrived. His name is Beryl Gut… pointed ears, Mystic Eyes of Enchantment, and a violent streak hidden beneath a gentlemanly exterior. Based on the signs, he is likely a magus specializing in Witchcraft.]
"Exactly. He's likely a hybrid of a witch. As a covert operative, he's probably on the same level as Emiya Kiritsugu… If Kiritsugu is the infiltration type, Beryl is more of a white-collar operative."
[…Meaning he's a master of disguise.]
"Yeah, so pay close attention. Marisbury likely tasked him with assassinating any A-Team members who tried to defect. The Great Command Spells have all been disposed of, right?"
[Indeed. Fujino Asagami has them sealed within a replica of the Casket of Seals.]
"That's enough… and Yu Mei-ren?"
[She arrived just yesterday. She claims she entered through the recommendation of the El-Melloi faction, but it seems she doesn't find Lord Animusphere particularly trustworthy.]
"Then it can't be helped. Let's ask Wodime or Peperoncino to handle her; their social skills are at the max level, after all."
[Copy that.]
…With that, all the Crypters have effectively gathered at Chaldea.
Manaka Sajyou and Tohno Shiki's group should have naturally joined Chaldea by now, and Alice has set up a workshop in Antarctica, naturally coming within the range of the magnetic field emitted by Chaldea.
"As for Arcueid Brunestud… no, let's not even think about that side."
To be honest, I feel like someone of the Crimson Moon's caliber would survive even if the Incineration of the Human Order actually occurred.
The allied Rail Zeppelin and Holy Church were never informed about the Incineration to begin with, so they're out of the question. What remains is…
"…Ritsuka Fujimaru, who should still be in Japan. That's about it."
*
Sufficient time had passed, and it was now time for the curtain to rise.
Following the devoted nursing of a former King of Magic and the observation of the Beast of Pity, the design baby opened her eyes. The seven Masters of the A-Team and the new Director, Olga Marie Animusphere, were smoothly taking control of Chaldea.
After Marisbury Animusphere, one of the three heads of the Organization for the Preservation of the Human Order, committed suicide for unknown reasons, the second summoned Heroic Spirit, Da Vinci, smoothly began handling Chaldea's magical processes and administrative duties. Olga Marie, driven by the determination to surpass Marisbury's legacy, devoted herself to Chaldea, overseeing operations and scouting talent.
Romani Archaman—a man with no record before the year 2000, scouted as the head of the medical team for his unique spirit of service and dedication to humanity, as well as his transcendent medical skills honed in hellish terrains like Somalia and Afghanistan.
Emiya Kiritsugu—possessing the terrifying alias of 'Magus Killer' and the concrete track record to match, a man who also possessed excellent skills as a training instructor.
Lev Lainur—an outstanding engineer, magus, and the co-developer of the Near-Future Observation Lens: SHEBA alongside Olga Marie herself.
Even looking only at those slightly outside the mainstream magecraft world, the roster was impressive, but for those directly connected to the world of magecraft, talent was pouring in to an extent that surpassed all imagination.
Though many were connected to the practitioners of the Three Magics, a multitude of other supernaturally gifted individuals unrelated to them had applied to join Chaldea. Among them were those whose quality was so great they could be considered 'Connected Ones' linked to the Root.
However, Olga Marie herself attributed this success less to her own merit and more to their slogan: the 'Guarantying of Human Future.'
"Camera 3 lost. Da Vinci, the prana leakage from the magical reactor is too high! Didn't I tell you to avoid useless experiments as much as possible? And you there, Meunier, stop fiddling with the console and leave it alone!"
"Yes, yes~ My, our Director is certainly prickly today, isn't she?"
"Shut it, Romani!"
"Gyah?!"
Normally, she would have developed a personality that was merely fussy and anxious due to a lack of results, but the reason she had become so capable was…
"Hmm, impressive. I have no idea what I'm looking at, though."
"Don't lie to me. S... you've already finished the analysis, haven't you?"
"I was taught that keeping one's mouth shut at such times is good manners. By my wife, no less…"
Indeed, the guidance of a capable teacher likely played a significant role.
"Ah… Marie? The next schedule is the A-Team's simulated Spirit Dive training and the preliminary briefing. Shall we move to—"
"Enough, Lev. Just cancel it."
"…"
"It's already 2 AM. Even for a magus, mental fatigue accumulates. Furthermore, the Zemlupus kid has been without sleep for 48 hours now. Romani, I don't care if you drag him to the medical ward or knock him out with sedatives, handle it."
"On it!"
Most unfortunately for some, Lev Lainur's gaslighting… no longer worked on her.
Which was a great relief for those aiming to restore the Human Order.
"How is the support for the Mystic Codes?"
"They seem perfectly prepared! Wow~ Honestly, I never thought I'd see the real things… the 'Heaven's Feel,' the long-cherished wish of the Third Magic; the 'Great Three' belonging to the Witch of Fairy Tales; even tools based on the Second Wizard's 'Kaleidoscope'…! This is enough resources to run a mediocre magus's workshop for over a thousand years."
"Not bad. By the way, with this Heaven's Feel, wouldn't Mash be able to recover to some extent?"
"It would be better to request that directly from the practitioners of the Third Magic, Marie-chan."
"…I'm begging you, don't call me by that nickname, Da Vinci. Considering your true nature, it's just off-balance in so many ways!"
"Haha~ You're the only one who could look at this super-genius's nice body and have thoughts like that, Director."
"I'm tired, so just stop… Anyway, the practitioners of the Third and Fifth Magics are arriving the day after tomorrow, and I want to focus only on that."
Just then, Lev Lainur, who had been lingering nearby, chimed in with a look of confusion.
"Olga, what do you mean by that?"
"…What is it, Lev? Did you forget? Magicians representing the AOD and the Einzberns are coming the day after tomorrow…"
"No, no, I know that. But that… that is today?"
Olga Marie turned to Da Vinci as if she couldn't believe it, only to see the woman nodding with an awkward smile.
A moment later, a shout from a furious Olga Marie Animusphere shook the very foundations of Chaldea.
[RO~~MA~~NI~~~~!!!!!]
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