Olga Marie: Ian, I Admire You!

On a corridor in Chaldea.

Ian and Mashu were walking side by side, looking very close.

Their destination was the room of Olga Marie Animusphere, the current Director of Chaldea.

"Mashu," Ian broke the silence.

"Yes, Senpai," Mashu replied immediately.

"What kind of person is the Director?"

"Eh, that..."

Mashu lowered her head, seriously considering the question Ian had posed.

After a while, she finally spoke,

"If Senpai wants to know that—"

"I think the Director is probably like a 'furnace'."

"A furnace?"

This was the first time Ian had heard someone described with this word.

He couldn't help but become a little more curious about the Director of Chaldea.

"Mashu, what do you mean by that?"

"Senpai, please think about it."

Mashu used her hands to draw a square shape in the air.

"The Director has a temper that isn't very good, just like a crackling fire."

"Then in that case, wouldn't it be better to just call her a raging fire?"

"No, no, no!" Mashu waved her hands repeatedly, "Although the Director's temper isn't very good, I can completely understand her situation."

"Because even though she's still at an age where she could be enjoying her youth, she has to work in a place like Chaldea right now."

"Having an explosive and irritable temper is a completely reasonable development."

"However—"

"She still restrains herself quite a bit, so I think the most appropriate word to describe her is 'furnace'—a fire that is somewhat restricted but also very effective."

Suddenly realizing something, Mashu stopped.

She looked at Ian a little embarrassed and asked in a low voice,

"Senpai, will my presumptuous evaluation of others make you uncomfortable?"

Ian shook his head.

"Not at all."

"Rather, it seems that you have always been quietly observing others, haven't you, Mashu?"

"Hmm..." Mashu nodded, her face slightly flushed.

"After all, if it's just observation, then I don't need to go up and chat with people directly."

"Oh, right—!"

Mashu looked up at the man beside her, who was quite a bit taller.

"Senpai, can I ask you a question?"

"What question?"

"It's just..."

The scene in the medical room just now echoed in Mashu's mind.

"Senpai, what did you and Fujimaru Ritsuka-san talk about afterwards?"

"I'm very curious."

"..."

Seeing Ian remain silent, Mashu quickly added,

"I'm just asking out of curiosity!"

"If Senpai feels there's nothing to say, then please just pretend I didn't bring it up!"

"She was very scared."

"Eh?"

Mashu was taken aback for a moment.

"Oh... I mean, that's what Ritsuka just said," Ian explained with a smile.

"Because of the helicopter incident, she's very worried that something else might happen after coming to Chaldea."

"After all—"

"Having gone through something like that, anyone would feel somewhat scared inside."

"Oh!" Mashu suddenly understood.

"So that's why Senpai left Mordred by her side?"

"Hmm," Ian nodded.

"After saying that, Mashu, you won't be jealous of her anymore, right?"

"I won't!"

As soon as she said that, Mashu realized that she had been led by Ian to say something very shameless.

She stomped her foot and cried out with a flushed face,

"Senpai! Please don't embarrass me like this!"

"Alright, alright."

"You're still smiling!"

After walking through several corridors while playfully bickering, the two stopped in front of a room door.

The sign on the door clearly read "Olga Marie Animusphere".

This must be her office.

Ian's expression darkened slightly—because he remembered Mordred being reprimanded.

Mashu cleared her throat and then gently knocked on the door.

"Director, it's Mashu Kyrielight."

"The person you wanted to see, I've brought them here."

As soon as Mashu finished speaking, the door before her automatically opened.

Then a voice floated out from inside: "Come in."

"Senpai, let's go in~"

And so, Ian and Mashu entered the room one after the other.

The man was finally able to see the true appearance of the Director of Chaldea at this moment.

What he saw was a silver-haired girl.

Her smooth long hair was tied into an extremely intricate braid, with a single ahoge sticking up at the front.

Her amber eyes revealed a sharpness that didn't quite match her age.

Her orange dress was full of elaborate aristocratic patterns, and the addition of a jacket made her look quite mature.

Beneath her white skirt were slender legs wrapped in red stockings.

This was Olga Marie Animusphere, the current Director of Chaldea.

"Mashu, you brought the person here so quickly?"

"Yes."

Just as Mashu was about to say something more, Ian spoke first.

"Of course, I had to come."

"Since someone dared to speak rudely to my 'Servant' Mordred, if I didn't show up, wouldn't that make me look very cowardly?"

"..."

Mashu looked at Ian, who had said those words.

Looking at his resolute face, she knew he was truly angry.

But speaking of which—

He didn't seem to vent his anger on her just now...

Did that mean she still held a little bit of a place in his heart?

Olga Marie wasn't foolish.

She quickly realized that the man before her was angry because Lev had reprimanded Mordred.

"Um, it's not what you think it is."

"Whether it is or not, my 'Servant' Mordred has already been scolded."

Ian looked at Olga Marie before him.

"Director, if you were a Master, could you accept your 'Servant' being reprimanded like that?"

"..."

Ian's words silenced Olga Marie.

She hesitated for a moment, sighed, and said,

"I apologize, it was indeed an issue with our Chaldea."

"I apologize on Lev's behalf."

Seeing Olga Marie like this, Mashu, afraid that things would continue to worsen, also tried to smooth things over.

"Senpai... Director did try her best to defend Mordred at that time."

"Professor Lev also realized his mistake afterwards."

"So—"

"Don't be so angry, I was also present at the time! I also apologize to you!"

"..."

Looking at Mashu, who was repeatedly apologizing to him, Ian suppressed his emotions.

"Alright, I got a little emotional."

"But Director, I don't want something like this to happen to my 'Servant' again."

"You should know that the relationship between 'Master' and 'Servant' is a contract, not a master-slave relationship, right? I don't want them to be treated with such disrespect."

"Of course, I understand that."

Olga Marie waved the notebook in her hand.

"That's why I've already written it down in my schedule, and I will definitely emphasize this matter at the next meeting."

"Please trust Chaldea while I'm here!"

Ian didn't press the issue.

"Then, Director, you wanted to see me for..."

"Oh."

Olga Marie flipped through the notebook in her hand—it was densely filled with writing, showing how busy she usually was.

She finally stopped on a certain page.

"Ian Pendragon."

"That's your name, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ian nodded.

"Hmm... the ninth person in Group A, with absolutely no Magic Circuits throughout his body, but surprisingly able to use magical energy, and his Spiritron Dive aptitude is 100%, with other test results also being excellent."

"So, he was exceptionally admitted into Chaldea."

Olga Marie looked at the information in the notebook and listed it out.

"Ian, is this your situation?"

"..."

"What's with that expression? Did I say something wrong?"

"No."

Ian shook his head.

"Director, you are absolutely right."

Ian certainly had his doubts.

When Olga Marie mentioned "Ian", he realized that she probably had his information.

This was originally a great opportunity for him, as a transmigrator, to understand his situation in Chaldea.

But looking at it now—

This was completely a description that served his current identity.

Whether it was the name Ian Pendragon, or the series of things like Magic Circuits.

They seemed to have been like this even before the events in Britain.

Not that they became like this after the events in Britain.

What exactly was going on?

But before Ian had time to think carefully about this, Olga Marie's next question followed closely.

"Then—"

"Ian, would it be convenient for you to reveal how you summoned Mordred?"

This wasn't something that couldn't be explained.

Ian directly told her about his and Ophelia's summoning experience.

Of course.

It was just the summoning experience.

He didn't say a word more about anything else.

"I see."

Olga Marie nodded in understanding.

"If Ophelia helped, then everything makes sense."

"After all, she's a top student from the Clock Tower."

"However—"

The young Director looked at Ian before her.

"Although I don't really want to restrict you like this, it would still be better to report such summons."

"After all, if everyone did this, it would be a bit troublesome to manage."

"You wouldn't want such a conflict to happen again next time, would you?"

"Understood."

Ian agreed first.

As for whether he would actually do it, that would depend on the situation at that time.

He wasn't a good person, he would only abide by rules that benefited him.

And this trip wasn't just to explain the summoning of Mordred.

"Director, what are you planning to do about this attack?"

Ian very directly raised the doubts in his mind.

"I'm very worried about the personal safety of every Master candidate."

"I know how you feel."

Olga Marie pursed her lips.

"I am also thinking about countermeasures."

"You Master candidates are very important to Chaldea, and even if I have to sacrifice myself, I must protect you."

"But—"

Olga Marie looked at Ian, a hint of difficulty in her eyes.

"This happened suddenly, and even if I start an investigation, it will take some time to get results."

"How to ensure your safety during this period is also a very complex issue, and also a problem of manpower allocation."

"..."

Ian could see that Olga Marie wasn't just敷衍 him.

Thinking of Fujimaru Ritsuka's worried look in the sickroom just now, he realized that this was indeed a significant problem.

Truly protecting every Master candidate wasn't a simple matter.

Wait.

Just now?

A bold idea suddenly formed in Ian's mind.

"Director, I actually have an idea about how to handle this period."

"An idea?"

"Yes," Ian nodded.

"Director, since we still don't know who is doing these things, I think it's very necessary for us to establish a mechanism for mutual contact."

"A mechanism for mutual contact?"

Olga Marie savored Ian's words and suddenly understood.

"Do you mean for the Master candidates to contact each other more often?"

"Yes."

Ian affirmed her statement.

"In this way, Director, you won't have to specifically dispatch personnel to ensure our safety, and you will definitely have more resources for investigation."

"In addition—"

"You summoned us to Chaldea, presumably for some purpose later on, right? Cultivating people who are suitable to team up together in advance, I think it should be beneficial without any harm."

"Eh?"

After hearing Ian's words, Olga Marie showed a surprised expression.

"Your idea is indeed feasible."

"If the Master candidates form teams on their own, it can provide some deterrent effect, and it can also save manpower."

"As expected of a Master who dares to stand up for their 'Servant'."

"Ian, I admire you!"

"Director, then do you mean—"

"Do as you said."

Olga Marie, who had unexpectedly found a suitable solution, looked very happy.

"Wait here for me."

"I'll draft a proposal first, and you can help me see if there are any problems!"

Acting immediately, Olga Marie took action.

She looked at the content on the computer and began to draft a suitable plan according to Ian's idea.

Mashu quietly leaned closer to Ian.

She asked in a low voice,

"Senpai, if I understood the plan just now correctly, it means the Master candidates will gather together to protect each other, right?"

"You could understand it that way."

Ian looked at Mashu.

"What's wrong? Do you have any thoughts?"

"No, nothing!" Mashu waved her hands, "I very much agree with Senpai's method."

"It's just—"

Mashu showed a troubled expression.

"I'm afraid that no one will be willing to do that with me."

"So..."

The pink-haired girl cautiously looked at the man before her.

"Senpai, do you think I'm suitable?"

"..."

Ian smiled and reached out to stroke Mashu's head.

"Isn't that a matter of course?"

"That's great, Senpai!"

Mashu's face bloomed with happiness upon receiving his promise.

She didn't realize at all that she seemed to have misunderstood the concept of "gathering".

"Then I'll apply to the Director later!"

"I'll move in with Senpai tomorrow!"

"Huh?!"