Flat didn't notice Olga Marie's gaze at all.
His entire mind was immersed in the operation.
Olga Marie's Saint Graph was even more complex, or rather, more anomalous, than he had imagined. During the repair process, Flat could clearly feel that difference. As the repair progressed, he gradually touched upon something deeper.
Flat "saw" it.
It was a chaotic, constantly churning sea. The water was dark red, like clotted blood or molten metal. Countless fragments floated upon the surface.
Shattered stars. Broken chains. Withered flowers. And... blurred faces, one after another. Those faces were crying, laughing, roaring, and whispering. Then, all the fragments began to aggregate, condensing into a blurred silhouette.
That silhouette raised its head and looked at him.
Flat's breath hitched, and he snapped his eyes open.
"Ha... ha..."
He gasped for air, looking like he had just been fished out of the water. His palm was still pressed against Olga Marie's hand, but that terrifying perception had receded, leaving only the residual flow of Magical Energy from the completed repair.
"I-It's over..."
Flat let go of her hand and slumped onto the floor, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. His face was somewhat pale.
"How is it? How do you feel?"
Olga Marie looked down at her hand and slowly clenched her fist. Then, she raised her hand, fingers splayed, and aimed at the wall.
"Buzz."
The air trembled. An invisible shockwave erupted from her palm, slamming into the wall. The wall wasn't damaged, and not even a speck of dust fell. However, Flat clearly saw the Magical Energy structure on the wall's surface being completely disrupted for an instant before returning to its original state.
"..."
Olga Marie lowered her hand and remained silent for a few seconds.
The Saint Graph was mostly repaired; the remaining parts no longer hindered her combat or movement and could slowly recover on their own. Although it was largely thanks to her own powerful self-repair System, Flat had played a significant role in facilitating the process, saving her at least two days of repair time.
She turned her head to look at Flat, who was still sitting on the floor. Her gaze was complex.
"You..." Olga Marie said in a low voice, her tone carrying disbelief. "You're nothing but a monster."
Hearing Olga Marie's words, Flat chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
This task hadn't been as easy as he had imagined; instead, it had required a massive amount of energy to perform various fine-tunings. This was because Olga Marie's Saint Graph was actually constantly changing even during the repair.
When the Saint Graph stabilized, Flat couldn't describe the sensation he felt from it, but he had at least gained a slight understanding of a tiny bit of Olga Marie's essence, and he finally understood why Brasker felt uneasy. However, he didn't show it on his face and said nothing, acting as if he hadn't seen a thing.
Olga Marie then slightly tilted her head and muttered something. Her voice was very soft, like a whisper to herself.
"...Thank you."
But Flat heard it. He moved his arm aside, revealing one eye as he looked at Olga Marie.
"What? I didn't hear you clearly." He intentionally drew out his words, his tone mischievous. "Say it again~"
Olga Marie's face instantly flushed red.
"Get lost! I didn't say anything!"
She stood up abruptly and pushed away Flat's face as he leaned in. Flat let out an "Ouch," stabilized himself, and sat up on the bed with a brilliant smile.
"I heard it! You said 'thank you'!"
"I did not!"
"You did!"
"No!"
"Yes, you did!"
"..."
Olga Marie glared at him and took a deep breath as if giving up on the argument, then turned toward the door.
"I'm going out for some air."
"Wait, wait!" Flat jumped up from the bed. "I'm coming too!"
"What are you going for?"
"To celebrate!" Flat said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "To celebrate Miss Olga Marie's nearly complete recovery!"
Olga Marie frowned.
"Celebrate? Now?"
"Yeah! Now!" Flat nodded vigorously. "I know a Dessert Shop nearby that's particularly delicious. Their Strawberry Cake—"
"...I don't need to eat."
"But I want to eat~" Flat pressed his hands together in a prayer-like gesture. "Besides, what's wrong with celebrating a bit? Let's have some fun!"
Olga Marie stared at him for three seconds and sighed.
"What a pain. Hurry up, don't dawdle."
Her tone was as cold as ever, but Flat could sense that she was actually in a good mood. She was just a bit shy and awkward.
Flat laughed and chased after her in a few steps, throwing an arm around Olga Marie's shoulder.
"Let's go, let's go! It's my treat!"
Olga Marie's body stiffened.
"Let go."
"Eh~ I don't want to~"
"I said, let—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Olga Marie suddenly spun around and slammed Flat to the ground. The movement was so fast it was a mere blur.
Flat didn't even have time to react to what was happening; he only felt the world spin as his back slammed heavily onto the floor. The next moment, he heard an extremely faint whistling sound streak past.
Then—
"BOOM—!!!"
A deafening explosion.
The impact and dust stopped half a meter away from them, as if hitting an invisible wall. Olga Marie had deployed a Magical Force Field, protecting them both inside.
Outside the Force Field, everything was a mess. The room they were in, along with the entire building, had been completely pierced through and destroyed in an instant.
"Cough, cough cough..."
Flat coughed, trying to prop himself up. Olga Marie stood up with her back to Flat and let out a huff.
"How bold."
Her silvery-white hair fluttered in the dust.
"A mere Servant dares to be so insolent toward me."
Flat slumped on the ground, unable to see Olga Marie's expression, but it had to be awful because he could feel the low pressure and violent Mana radiating from her entire body. He couldn't help but shiver.
Olga Marie didn't look back, she only spoke softly, her voice terrifyingly calm.
"Stay here. Don't move. I'll go handle this and be back shortly."
Flat, however, grabbed the end of her hair. Olga Marie glanced back at him slightly.
"Are you going to..." Stop me?
Before she could finish, she heard Flat say,
"Miss Olga Marie, I'm coming with you."
"Even if it means you might die?"
"Yeah." Flat nodded firmly. "After all, I'm also a Master in this Holy Grail War!"
Olga Marie was silent for a moment before turning her head back. Just as Flat thought she was really going to leave him behind and go alone, he felt the back of his neck tighten.
"...You said it yourself. If you die, you can't blame me."
Before Flat could react to the meaning of those words, he was lifted up. His feet left the ground, and he dangled in mid-air.
"Eh? Ehhhh?!"
"Hold on tight. Next—things might get a little bumpy, hahahaha!"