Mordred: Father Was... / Chaldea's Girlfriends

"Doctor Roman, what do you mean by that?" Ian asked, looking at Romani Archaman, his expression showing some confusion.

"What do you mean that there's more than one Singularity?" he inquired, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Director Ian, may I speak from the podium?" Doctor Roman asked politely.

"Of course," Ian granted the request without the slightest hesitation.

"And you don't need to call me Director... at this moment, there's no distinction between us," he added, his gaze sincere.

Doctor Roman paused for a moment, seemingly moved by Ian's words.

He nodded, then walked to the podium that the man had vacated.

"Everyone," he began, his voice serious.

"According to our original understanding, after Singularity F was repaired, human history should have returned to normal—this means that the Incineration of Humanity should not exist at this moment," he explained, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"But the actual situation is far from what we expected," he continued, his expression grim.

"What does this mean?" Olga Marie, as the initiator and actual executor of the entire plan, quickly reacted.

"It means our understanding was wrong," she stated, her voice filled with realization.

"Yes," Doctor Roman nodded.

"Actually, thanks to Da Vinci-chan's repairs, the long-damaged Near-Future Observation Lens, Sheba, has been restored to its original function," he announced, a hint of relief in his voice.

"We used it to scan the Earth again," he continued, and at this point, the doctor began to fiddle with the instruments in his hands.

Soon, a huge projection appeared before everyone.

They saw a world map, with seven locations marked on it.

"These are the areas in the world where we detected similar fluctuations to Singularity F," Doctor Roman explained, pointing to the map.

"We should have known about these places much earlier—but Lev deceived us, he hid this information," he revealed, his voice filled with frustration.

"That's why the current world is still unchanged," he concluded, his expression somber.

"This..." Olga Marie's eyes widened in shock.

It was clear that she now deeply regretted trusting Lev so much back then.

"Wait a minute!" Fujimaru Ritsuka interrupted Doctor Roman's words.

"Does that mean... we have to go through the same situation as Singularity F seven more times?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"..."

Doctor Roman first nodded, then shook his head.

"Not necessarily, no one can say for sure," he admitted, his expression uncertain.

"Just like how the Holy Grail War in Singularity F no longer involved humans," he pointed out, his gaze thoughtful.

"We don't know what the distorted Pan-Human History will be like, it's not something that can be observed," he explained, his voice serious.

"The only thing we can be certain of now is that they are all affected by the Holy Grail," he concluded, his brow furrowed.

"And—" Doctor Roman hesitated.

Ian, as the Director, immediately spoke up:

"Doctor Roman, things have come this far, just say whatever you need to say directly," he urged, his voice firm.

"Alright," Doctor Roman glanced at Ian and Fujimaru Ritsuka, a hint of worry in his expression.

"Because they have very similar fundamental properties to Singularity F, we still need to rely on Spiritron Transfer to repair them," he explained, his gaze thoughtful.

"Mashu, as a 'Servant,' left behind valuable round-trip data, which allowed the 'Servant' to follow along," he continued, his voice serious.

"But now... the only two 'living' people with Spiritron Transfer qualifications left are you two," he revealed, his expression somber.

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

Find the Holy Grail, then repair the Singularities, and finally pull history back onto its track, changing the future of the Incineration of Humanity.

Only two people could now accomplish this.

What immense pressure that was!

Especially for Ian and Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had almost died in Singularity F, it was even more so.

Would they... be willing to do this?

However—

Ian burst into laughter at this moment.

"Alright, that's great," he exclaimed, a wide grin on his face.

Everyone's attention was focused on the man.

Some were surprised;

Some were puzzled;

More were worried—had he gone mad on the spot because of this pressure?

But the man, facing these gazes, remained relaxed.

He spoke, sounding slightly dissatisfied:

"Don't look at me like that—I'm not crazy," he said, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Don't you all think this is a good opportunity to make a name for ourselves?" he asked, his voice filled with excitement.

"Only Ritsuka and I can save the world, the destiny of becoming heroes... there's nothing more exciting than this!" he declared, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"..."

Everyone was silent, but Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed to understand something.

She also started laughing.

"Hahahaha, you're right!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"This is a great chance to become heroes!" she declared, a wide smile on her face.

The red-haired girl got up from her seat, walked to Ian's side, and took his arm.

"Heroic couple... that's so cool!" she said, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

This wasn't an answer.

But it was enough to show the determination of the two to go.

They even expressed it in the most lighthearted way possible.

Light returned to everyone's eyes.

"Good, that's the kind of expression you should have," Ian said, looking at the people below the stage.

"Everyone, let's work hard to take back humanity's future!" he declared, his voice filled with determination.

"Yeah!!!"

One, two, three.

The surviving staff of Chaldea successively gave Ian a respectful bow, then immediately left the scene and returned to their work posts.

Mordred and Mashu were asked by Doctor Roman to undergo an aptitude test.

And as the Master, Fujimaru Ritsuka naturally followed them.

The huge room was now left with only Ian and Olga Marie.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" the man asked, looking at the girl who had stopped in front of him, smiling gently.

"The meeting is over, right?" he inquired, his gaze soft.

"...I'm sorry," Olga Marie hugged Ian, burying her head in his chest.

Soft sobs could be heard, a sign of her self-reproach.

"If I hadn't trusted Lev so much... the situation wouldn't be this bad now, would it?" she whispered, her voice filled with regret.

"From the perspective of cause and effect, that's certainly the case," Ian said, holding Olga Marie close.

"But if all you do is apologize, there won't be any time left to make up for the mistakes," he pointed out, his voice gentle but firm.

"So—"

"Lift your head, get your things, and then work hard," he instructed, his gaze filled with encouragement.

"That's the only kind of you I want to see," he added, his voice soft.

"..."

Olga Marie lifted her head and saw a pair of gentle eyes.

Her face flushed, and then she nodded.

"I understand," she said softly, her gaze meeting his.

"But—"

"Ian, can I ask you one more question?" she inquired, her voice hesitant.

"Of course," he replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Well..." Olga Marie felt the warmth of the man's body. "Are you still single now?" she asked, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Does the Director want to be my girlfriend?" Ian asked directly, making Olga Marie even more embarrassed.

But she knew this was not the time to back down.

"Hmm... am I worthy?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course, you are worthy," Ian replied without any hesitation, his voice firm.

"However, Director, I have many girlfriends right now," he admitted, his gaze serious.

"Eh?!" Olga Marie looked surprised.

"Many?" she repeated, her eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah," Ian nodded. "So I suggest it would be better for the Director to give up on this idea," he advised, his tone gentle.

However, Olga Marie glared at him at this moment.

"Hey, Ian," she said, her voice slightly annoyed, "it seems like every time you reject me, you describe yourself as a bad person."

"But I am a bad person," he replied, his gaze unwavering.

"No, you're not!" Olga Marie grabbed Ian's clothes.

"I understand," she said, her voice resolute.

"Many is many then! Anyway... I can't find anyone else who suits my taste like you," she admitted, a hint of longing in her eyes.

"..."

"..."

In the empty room, the two kissed again.

Olga Marie, who had completely accepted her own mediocrity, finally found a meaning to her existence other than Chaldea.

However, the two of them didn't know.

Their passionate kiss was completely seen by a figure outside the door.

It was Mordred, who had returned after finishing her check-up, wanting to stick close to her father.

She looked at the situation inside the room in disbelief.

Father... kissed another woman?

Had he betrayed Mother?!

A few minutes later.

Ian and Olga Marie said goodbye in a warm atmosphere.

Next, he was preparing to return to his room, but unexpectedly received a message from Mashu at this time.

It was the embarrassing picture filled with tally marks that he had sent her earlier.

[Mashu]: Senpai... you haven't drawn the last tally mark from the meeting hall yet.

Ian paused for a moment.

He had forgotten the educational rules he had set for Mashu because there were too many things to deal with recently.

But she remembered very clearly.

What a pure girl.

[Ian]: ...

[Ian]: Mashu, where are you?

Following the location Mashu had given him, Ian arrived at a certain corridor in Chaldea.

Due to the power shortage, the lighting here was not turned on.

If it weren't for Mashu's phone being lit, Ian felt he wouldn't be able to find her at all.

The pink-haired girl had already removed her Servant armor and changed back into the Chaldea uniform she usually wore.

Full of youthful vigor, she looked intently at her phone, seemingly looking forward to someone appearing.

Seeing this, Ian said with a smile.

"Mashu, I'm here."

Hearing the familiar voice, Mashu immediately looked up, then spotted the person she had been longing for at a glance.

"Senpai~" The pink-haired girl ran over and plunged into his arms.

"You came!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy.

"Did you wait long?" Ian asked softly, stroking her hair.

"Not at all!" Mashu shook her head. "I just got here too!" she replied, a bright smile on her face.

Of course, that wasn't the case.

Ian guessed that Mashu had already been waiting here when she sent him the message.

She never made others wait for her.

However, Ian didn't plan to expose her.

"S-Senpai." Mashu took out a pen and shyly but firmly handed it to the man in front of her.

"I've already prepared everything I need to do," she said, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Should we start now? Or wait a bit?" she asked, her gaze meeting his.

"..."

Taking the pen from Mashu's hand, Ian realized it was the same one they had used before, and he put it in his pocket.

The man reached out and stroked the girl's head.

"Mashu, you don't need to draw anymore... you should wash off those marks from before as soon as possible," he said softly, his gaze gentle.

"Eh?!" Mashu looked at Ian, her expression showing some concern.

"Wh-why? Did I do something wrong that made Senpai uncomfortable?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"No, Mashu, you did very well," Ian reassured her with a smile.

"Then why..."

Ian smiled slightly. "Because Mashu, your identity has changed," he explained, his voice soft.

"The current you... is no longer my 'tool,' but my girlfriend," he declared, his gaze filled with affection.

"So—"

"The things I did to a 'tool' before, of course, I can no longer continue to do to you," he concluded, his voice gentle but firm.

"Senpai..." Mashu's purple eyes were filled with joy.

She smiled sweetly.

"Oh, right... I'm Senpai's girlfriend now," she said, a happy blush spreading across her cheeks.

But she suddenly thought of something.

"Then—"

"According to what you said, does that mean Senpai won't give me the qualifications to do those things anymore in the future?" she asked, her voice filled with a hint of disappointment.

"Cough cough." Ian cleared his throat.

"That's not the case... girlfriends can also do that," he clarified, a playful glint in his eyes.

"I see," Mashu breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought Senpai thought I was clumsy... and started to dislike me," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"..."

"..."

From the time of the explosion until now, Mashu hadn't looked at Ian the same way as before for a long time.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and even her speech became somewhat hesitant.

"Senpai... then can I use my girlfriend's privilege a little bit now?" she asked shyly, her gaze meeting his.

"Of course, you can," the man's fingers gently traced Mashu's lips.

At the same moment, in the shadows of the corridor.

Using the light emitted by the phone screen on the ground not far away, Mordred stared in astonishment at the scene before her.

What was Father doing?!

What was Mashu doing?!

What exactly were the two of them doing there?!

Was this some strange way of communicating?!

Mordred, who had zero experience in such matters, watched with a flushed face, but couldn't fully understand what her father and Mashu were doing at this moment.

But intuition told her—Mashu's actual intimacy with Father was definitely no less than Olga Marie's.

Olga Marie was Father's girlfriend;

Then was Mashu also Father's girlfriend?!

Including Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had said something about a "heroic couple" earlier.

That made a total of three!

Her father had three girlfriends in Chaldea?!

How many women had he provoked?!

Could she count them on ten fingers?!

Mordred felt her mind go blank, even forgetting her most hated Gawain's mashed potatoes.

As the man exhaled a breath of warm air, Mashu stood up with a shy expression.

"Senpai... you're as energetic as ever, it's so great," she said softly, her gaze filled with affection.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mashu," Ian said, giving her a gentle smile.

"It was nothing," the pink-haired girl looked at the man before her with longing in her eyes.

"Being able to relieve some of Senpai's stress like that was simply wonderful," she confessed, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"By the way... did Senpai and Ritsuka also become boyfriend and girlfriend?" she asked, her gaze curious.

"...I guess so," Ian replied, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Understood!" Mashu nodded seriously after confirming. "I will get along well with her, Senpai doesn't need to worry about our relationship!" she declared, her voice filled with determination.

"That would be great," Ian said, feeling relieved.

"Mmm~" Mashu put her shield behind her back and spoke cautiously.

"Then... I'll go first~" she said softly, her gaze lingering on Ian.

"Senpai, see you when we depart!" she added, a cheerful smile on her face.

"Okay," Ian replied, watching her go.

Mashu recalled everything that had just happened, feeling completely satisfied.

At this moment, she planned to return to her room as soon as possible to prepare for the upcoming operation.

She absolutely had to work hard, then protect the people around her, and not cause any trouble for his rear.

This was the only thing she, as the Shield Heroic Spirit, was good at right now!

But at this moment—

"You stop right there!" A shout came.

Mordred, who had recovered, jumped out from the shadows where she had been hiding.

She stopped Mashu, who was about to leave, looking very anxious.

"You bad woman, explain yourself clearly!" she demanded, her green eyes flashing with anger.

"What exactly did you and my Master just do?!" she questioned, her voice filled with suspicion.