Fujimaru Ritsuka's Confession / The Director's "Revival" / Chaldea's Current Situation

The streets were burning.

The sky had also turned red because of it.

Everything was soaked in boundless flames.

Wherever one looked, there were flames.

Wherever one reached, there were also flames.

Was this what it looked like when the world burned?

——Awakening——

Ian opened his eyes and found himself back in Chaldea.

Was that just a dream?

The man subconsciously looked to the other side and saw Fujimaru Ritsuka also looking at him.

The two of them had the same expression.

"..."

"..."

"Ritsuka, did you dream about that scene too?" Ian asked, his voice low.

"Yeah," Fujimaru Ritsuka replied, her usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a sorrowful expression.

"Everyone... was burned away," she said, her voice filled with sadness.

Although it was a scene in a dream, based on what Lev had said, this might not just be a dream.

Rather, it was what was truly happening in this world while the group was repairing Singularity F.

Ian didn't know what to say to comfort Fujimaru Ritsuka for a moment.

After all, all words seemed too weak at this moment.

However, to the man's surprise, Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly cheered herself up.

She first patted her face, then threw off the covers and sat up on the bed.

"No way!" she declared, her voice filled with determination.

"I refuse to lose to that bastard called Lev!" she exclaimed, clenching her fists.

"There must... there must be a way to solve this situation!" she insisted, her eyes shining with resolve.

"Ian, I'm right, aren't I?!" the energetic girl asked, looking at Ian with hopeful expectation.

Of course, the man couldn't possibly dampen her spirits.

"Yes, there will definitely be a way," he affirmed, his voice gentle but firm.

"We... won't lose to Lev," he added, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Mmm~" Fujimaru Ritsuka responded with a radiant smile.

Then, as if she had remembered something, she got out of bed and sat down next to Ian.

"Speaking of which—"

"How did you pull out so many swords when you were fighting Lev?" she asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"If I'm not mistaken... you could even use Artoria's weapon, right?" she continued, tilting her head in confusion.

"How exactly did you do that?" she inquired, her gaze fixed on Ian.

Ian had expected Fujimaru Ritsuka to ask this kind of question from the start.

He explained directly:

"It was magecraft," he stated simply.

"I used magecraft," he elaborated, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Magecraft?!" As soon as she heard this word, Fujimaru Ritsuka's interest was immediately piqued.

"So that was also a type of magecraft?" she asked, her eyes wide with fascination.

"Ian, then quickly teach me!" she urged, her enthusiasm evident.

"Teach you?" A mischievous thought entered the man's mind.

"Sure," he agreed, a playful smirk on his lips.

His hand very naturally rested on Fujimaru Ritsuka's well-developed curves.

"But you'll have to trade your body for it," he whispered, his voice teasing.

"Deal," she replied without hesitation, her gaze meeting his directly.

"Huh?" Ian was taken aback for a moment, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Fujimaru Ritsuka countered, her expression a mix of amusement and boldness.

"I'm serious," she stated firmly, her eyes filled with a newfound determination.

"I like you a lot," she confessed, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"And... you've pretty much touched all the places you should, right?" she continued, a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"The rest," Fujimaru Ritsuka proactively pulled Ian's hand to the buttons of her clothes, a touch of longing in her eyes.

"I can give it to you right now," she offered, her gaze unwavering.

"..."

Cu Chulainn was right.

Just like Mashu, Fujimaru Ritsuka's feelings for him were also incredibly passionate.

In that case...

He couldn't possibly back out now.

Otherwise, when he saw Cu Chulainn next time, he would be called a coward for being spineless.

Ian lowered his head and kissed Fujimaru Ritsuka.

However, just as the two were about to take things a step further, a sound of footsteps came from outside.

Thump thump thump.

"Master~!!!" It was Mordred.

Although her excitement was already high, her voice still made Ian calm down a lot.

"...Ritsuka," Ian said, pulling away slightly.

"I know," Fujimaru Ritsuka mumbled, pouting her lips.

"It's really strange, you know," she said, looking at Ian with a puzzled expression.

"Why are you afraid of your Servant knowing?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"If a girl is willing to do this kind of thing with you... she should be happy, right?" she reasoned, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity.

"Could it be that she's actually your girlfriend?" she speculated, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's words left Ian somewhat speechless.

Fortunately, she was also someone who could distinguish between priorities, so she had already buttoned up her clothes before getting an answer.

When Mordred came in, all she saw were the two of them sitting together.

"Huh?" Mordred frowned, her gaze sharp.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

"Why are you sitting so close?" she inquired, her eyes narrowing.

"We were just talking about some things from Singularity F," Ian replied calmly, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Mordred, you're..." Ian began, noticing the unusual look on her face.

"I... came to see you!" Mordred exclaimed, her green eyes filled with lingering fear.

If Fujimaru Ritsuka hadn't been nearby, she probably would have burst into tears right then and there.

"I almost thought you wouldn't come back!" she confessed, her voice trembling slightly.

"..."

He had to admit, Ian very much agreed with that statement.

No one had expected Singularity F to be so dangerous.

The man reached out and gently stroked the head of the being who was both his daughter and his Servant.

"Then you don't need to worry now, right?" he asked softly, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I... came back safe and sound," he affirmed, his voice gentle.

"Yeah!" Mordred lowered her head and secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

And Fujimaru Ritsuka, who saw this scene, seemed to have found an answer to her earlier question.

After a long while, Mordred finally calmed down.

She looked up at Ian, her eyes filled with unspoken questions.

"Why did such a terrible explosion happen?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Did something go wrong with that 'Spiritron Transfer' thing?" she inquired, tilting her head in confusion.

"Not really," Ian shook his head.

"It's a bit of a long story to explain," he admitted, his gaze thoughtful.

"To put it simply, there was a traitor among us," he revealed, his voice somber.

"Mordred, where are the others? I want to see them," Ian said, changing the subject.

"In the main hall!" Mordred exclaimed, her hand gripping Ian's tightly.

"Master! I'll lead the way!" she offered, her eyes filled with determination.

With Mordred's help, Ian and Fujimaru Ritsuka bypassed the ruins of Chaldea after the explosion and arrived on the other side.

They saw a man with orange hair and green eyes, wearing a white coat, directing something.

Beside him stood a mature black-haired woman in a red, blue, and white dress, equally scrutinizing everything with her azure eyes, occasionally exchanging a few words with the man.

And Mashu, who had already become a Servant, gripped her shield and followed closely behind them.

"Mashu," Ian called out softly.

Hearing the familiar voice, Mashu turned around.

"Eh?!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise and joy.

"Senpai, you're awake!" she said, a bright smile spreading across her face.

Saying these words, the pink-haired girl jogged over to him.

Ian naturally understood Mashu's feelings, and he reached out to gently stroke her head.

"Sorry for waking up so late and making you worry," he apologized, his voice filled with warmth.

"Speaking of which—" Ian looked at the man and woman not far away.

"They are..." he began, his gaze questioning.

"Oh! Senpai hasn't met them before, has he!" Mashu exclaimed, taking the initiative to introduce the two people Ian didn't know.

"This person is Dr. Romani Archaman, the one who transferred us back from Singularity F!" she announced proudly, gesturing towards the orange-haired man.

"Just call me Roman," the man said with a gentle smile.

"If the name is too long, it's easy to forget," he added with a chuckle.

"And this person is Leonardo da Vinci, um... she's a Servant, just like Mordred!" Mashu continued, pointing to the black-haired woman.

"Hello~" Da Vinci waved with a smile.

"Like Doctor Roman, you can just call me Da Vinci," she said cheerfully.

"Or—"

"You can even call me Da Vinci-chan~ I don't mind~" she added with a playful wink.

Thankfully.

Neither Roman nor Da Vinci seemed like difficult people to get along with.

This made Ian feel a little relieved.

However, he wasn't happy because of this.

Because the situation he had seen along the way silently told the man the same thing: the current situation was not optimistic.

But running away was not an option, facing it head-on was the right way.

"Then—"

"Doctor Roman, Da Vinci, how is Chaldea's current situation?" Ian asked, his voice serious.

"..."

"..."

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

After a long while, Doctor Roman took the initiative to break the silence.

"The situation is very bad," he said, his voice heavy with concern.

"The explosion caused by Lev resulted in the deaths of more than 70% of Chaldea's staff, and the remaining number is less than twenty people," he revealed, his expression grim.

"Although emergency repairs have been carried out on areas such as the Central Control Room, the number of people who can be mobilized is too small, so the results are not ideal, and it is currently only barely usable," he explained, his voice filled with frustration.

"The entire Chaldea is probably in a state of semi-disrepair," he concluded, his gaze somber.

"..."

Although he knew the situation was definitely bad, Ian couldn't help but gasp when he heard the actual situation.

Although Lev had never truly completed any mission, these "semi-finished products" already had considerable destructive power.

"Then—" Ian tried his best to calm his emotions.

"What about the group that was originally planned to be sent to Singularity F?" he asked, his voice steady.

Of course, Ian wasn't concerned about all of them.

He wasn't that altruistic.

What he cared about was Ophelia, with whom he had been intimate many times, and Akuta Hinako, whose true identity was unknown.

Faced with this question, Doctor Roman sighed.

"Ah, we've already protected those who fell into a deep sleep," he said, his voice filled with a quiet sadness.

"However—"

"Given Chaldea's current situation, we can't wake them up yet, we can only maintain this state for the time being," he explained, his expression somber.

Speaking of this, Doctor Roman seemed a bit guilty.

"If the Director were here... she would definitely have a better solution," he said, his voice filled with regret.

"My abilities can only go this far," he admitted, looking down.

Facing Doctor Roman's self-blame, Ian gently patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself," he said, his voice reassuring.

"No one expected that bastard Lev to be a traitor, and Doctor Roman, you were able to react in a short period of time and arrange the operation, that's already very impressive," Ian praised, his eyes filled with sincerity.

"If it weren't for you, I, Mashu, and Ritsuka would probably have died in Singularity F long ago," he added, his voice filled with gratitude.

"Besides—" Ian revealed a sly smile.

"The Director hasn't left us," he said, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Eh?!" Upon hearing this, Doctor Roman looked puzzled.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"If she hasn't left us... then where is she now?" he inquired, his gaze searching.

"Here," Ian said, pointing to his head.

"She's in my consciousness right now," he revealed, his voice calm.

"What?!" This explosive news surprised everyone present.

And Ian took this opportunity to tell everyone the general course of events.

Of course.

To save Olga Marie's face, he selectively omitted some of the more embarrassing details, such as her crying.

And he didn't mention the source of his abilities.

"So? Do you have a way to create a body for the Director?" Ian asked, looking at everyone present.

However, to be honest, he wasn't very confident.

After all—

This was about creating a body.

However, the result was completely beyond Ian's expectations.

They saw that as soon as he finished speaking, everyone except him focused their gazes on Da Vinci.

And the latter, feeling this gaze, nodded.

"Hmm... if it's for the Director, I'm still very willing to create a body for her," Da Vinci said, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"However, my understanding of her seems a bit superficial," she admitted, her brow furrowed slightly.

"And the supply of magical energy during this process... seems a bit difficult, doesn't it?" she pondered, her gaze shifting.

Ian thought for a moment and replied:

"The problem of magical energy supply is easy to solve... we can just use the Holy Grail we brought back from Singularity F, right?" he suggested, a confident smile on his lips.

After all, that was the level of magical energy that could even successfully replicate Excalibur.

"However, what does this superficial mean?" Ian asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Ian, I can't replicate a body out of thin air," Da Vinci answered truthfully. "You need to give me a reference," she explained, her gaze serious.

"Otherwise... she might not look the same as before," she added, a hint of concern in her voice.

"..."

Listening to this description, Ian suddenly had a bold idea.

"Then Da Vinci-san, do you think this will work?" Ian whispered something into Da Vinci's ear.

They saw a look of surprise and delight appear in her beautiful blue eyes.

"Wonderful~" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"That's a truly interesting idea~ I think it's worth trying~" she said, a playful smile on her lips.

"Come with me~" she beckoned, her enthusiasm evident.

"Yeah!" Ian replied, a grin spreading across his face.

Just as Da Vinci had said.

Ian's idea was indeed full of whimsy and imagination.

First, use his "Memory Projection" to project a "non-human" Olga Marie that looked like an inflatable doll but with perfect details.

Then, with Da Vinci's ability, and with the help of the Holy Grail from Singularity F, draw it into a real body.

Finally, inject the soul stored in the man's consciousness back into the body.

Olga Marie would complete a "revival."

Of course.

Da Vinci wasn't really looking at Ian's projection to complete all this—that was just a common way of saying it.

Holding the Noble Phantasm "All-Knowing and All-Powerful," she didn't need to confirm anything with her eyes at all.

With abundant magical energy, replicating a reference object was not a problem at all.

She could even prepare Olga Marie's clothes.

However—

After Olga Marie reappeared in Chaldea in this form, everyone, including Da Vinci, couldn't help but think of one question.

How did Ian know so many details about Olga Marie's body?

He even accurately described the size and shape of her front and back gardens.

This question didn't last long.

Because Olga Marie took the initiative to reveal the answer.

She spoke in a soft but very firm voice:

"Yes, just like you all are thinking, he has already seen everything he should and shouldn't have seen," she admitted, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"However, all of this was with my permission, and I don't dislike him doing so," she added, her gaze meeting everyone's.

"So... you don't need to think about it anymore," she concluded, her voice firm.

"Furthermore—"

"I have an announcement to make," Olga Marie declared, her gaze sweeping across the room.

Olga Marie gripped Ian's hand tightly, as if grasping some kind of courage.

The reborn her no longer ran away.

She would face her own incompetence directly and realize what kind of attitude she should have towards her father's Chaldea.

"From this moment on, the position of Director of Chaldea will be handed over to the 49th Master Candidate, Ian Pendragon," she announced, her voice clear and resolute.

"And I, Olga Marie Animusphere, will begin to serve him as his secretary, starting immediately," she concluded, her gaze unwavering.