[FMMIKA] Chapter 338: Back in the Chaldea Headquarters

Beneath the Antarctic ice cap, within the headquarters of the Chaldea Security Organization, as soon as the Klein Coffins opened, Ritsuka couldn't wait and leaped out, stretching lazily.

"Phew, I'm back, I'm back! After all the hardships, I've finally returned~" Ritsuka exclaimed with joy.

She looked genuinely happy as if she had completely forgotten about getting drunk last night and witnessing her crush entering the bridal chamber with another woman.

"Senpai seems really happy. Did something interesting happen? Let me guess..."

"Nothing, Mash, don't overthink it."

Before Mash could continue, Ritsuka interrupted with a grin and continued bouncing around like a child under ten, heading back to her room.

"I'm going to rest. So tired, so tired!"

"Ahh? Yeah, rest well."

Watching Ritsuka leave, Romani, who was nearby, opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to stop her. However, he ultimately let her be and nodded.

Although he had many questions, he couldn't deny—or rather, didn't want to deny—that Fujimaru Ritsuka had overcome numerous challenges and corrected the Second Singularity.

In this situation, if she said she was tired and wanted to rest, then let her rest and shouldn't stop her. After all, the person he wanted to discuss things with wasn't her in the first place.

"Yeah..." Ritsuka smiled and waved to Mash and Artorius to follow her. "Let's go back."

"!?"

"Wait a moment."

Unable to sit still any longer, Romani called out to Ritsuka. When she looked at him with a strange gaze, he spoke in the most amiable tone possible.

"Um, Ritsuka. I have something I want to discuss with King Artorius." Romani said while glancing at Artorius. "Your Majesty, is it possible?"

His expression was serious and earnest.

"Of course." Artorius smiled. "Feel free to discuss anything."

"..."

As she saw the conversation between Romani and Artorius, Ritsuka didn't bother heading back to her room to sleep anymore. Instead, she turned around and stood there, waiting for Artorius to speak with Romani.

"Put away those thoughts, Senpai. It's useless." Mash, who stood beside Ritsuka, whispered. "The situation is pretty intense. Though Doctor may be wishy-washy and lacking in backbone, he's not a fool. He can't just bluff his way through."

"Yeah, but..."

"Relax, it'll be fine."

Seeing Ritsuka fall into silence, looking visibly concerned, Mash grabbed her hand and comforted her in a hushed tone.

"That..."

Roman, in a somewhat solemn and serious manner, not entirely comfortable with the situation, hesitated for a moment before adopting a softer approach.

"In the previous Singularity, you faced off against Romulus, and then..."

"Is it about my power? It doesn't quite resemble the legendary King Arthur, so that raised suspicions for you?"

"No, not suspicions to that extent, just curiosity, that's all."

As Artorius had anticipated, his earnest willingness to cooperate made Romani feel awkward and apologetic.

"It's not really a secret." Artorius smiled. "I am, without a doubt, the King of Britain."

"Yes, you did use those Noble Phantasms from the Arthurian Legend. And you have the skills. So, I had no doubts before, but..."

"But besides being the King of Britain, I am also the Emperor of Rome." Artorius, without any hesitation, stated what everyone in Chaldea's higher-ups already knew, except for Roman.

"Ehh, but..."

"You should know that the world is infinite, with countless possibilities, numerous parallel worlds exist."

"Yes, I know that. So, you come from a world where, umm... King of Britain is also the Emperor of Rome?"

"Yes, precisely. I unified the entire Western Roman Empire, defeated all the barbarians, and overthrew the former ruler, Lucius Tiberius, bringing the entire Western Roman Empire, and even the territories of the Germanic tribes, under my control."

Artorius proclaimed proudly.

"This is my achievement, a feat that can never be erased."

"So, such things happen in parallel worlds..."

Though still a bit puzzled, with thoughts like 'How did he manage that?' or 'Rome is not an easy nation to deal with, but he actually defeated and even ruled Rome...', in any case, Romani accepted this explanation without further suspicion. This relieved the other Chaldea high-ups present.

"Okay, are you satisfied now, Dr. Roman?" Ritsuka interrupted Romani who was busy in his thoughts.

"Um, well..."

"Alright then, I'm going back to rest. If there's anything, we'll talk tomorrow."

This time, Ritsuka really left. Before leaving, Artorius and Mash nodded to Romani and Da Vinci nearby, then followed their Master.

Meanwhile, Da Vinci, who had been smiling silently on the side for the whole time, also nodded back. Following this, Ritsuka's group truly departed.

"Huff..."

On the way back to her room, Ritsuka glanced at Mash, making sure everything was okay before slowly exhaling.

"I got a real shock just now. Thought Dr. Roman had caught on."

"It's normal for things like that to happen, Senpai. After all, in the last Singularity, His Majesty displayed power far beyond that of King Arthur. It was a god-tier performance. The doctor isn't a fool; he'd naturally have some doubts."

"Yeah, you're right. But it still startled me... That..."

"What's wrong, Senpai?"

"Well, about Artorius..." Ritsuka looked at Artorius. "It seems like, right now, everyone in the Chaldea, except for Dr. Roman, is from the Pendragonius Empire... Meh, whatever, since that's the case, why not take care of it once and for all."

As she spoke, she made a cutting motion with her hand.

"Senpai, you're so evil! You really want to get rid of the doctor?"

"I'm just thinking about the Empire's interests. And it's not necessary to get rid of him. Just bring him over to our side." Ritsuka explained while shrugging her shoulders. "Make him a part of the Empire. Then we can do whatever we want, right?"

"The idea behind this plan is good, but it's not feasible." Artorius shook his head. "It's a silent agreement between us and the Counter Force—"

"We can use the power deliberately given to construct our New Human History. But at the same time, we must give a little face to Alaya, so that they can continue to maintain Proper Human History."

"What about after that? There will always be a difference between the New Human History and Proper Human History, right?" Ritsuka continued to ask. "What do we do then?"

"By that time, the New Human History will become Proper Human History, and the old Proper Human History will become a Lostbelt." Artorius spoke calmly. "As for Alaya... as long as humanity is strengthened, they won't mind."

"Oh, I see..."

Ritsuka nodded thoughtfully, but there was still a bit of unease in her heart. Something about what he was saying didn't sit right. It felt like she was being deceived.

But she couldn't quite put her finger on where the deception was.

'I'm probably second only to Dr. Roman in the higher-ups of Chaldea that fort deceived, right?'

Ritsuka couldn't help but think and was preparing to protest toward Artorius. But before that could happen—

"Oh, by the way, Master." Artorius spoke while smiling. "You're so happy to be back in Chaldea. Is it because no Teacher is pushing you to train hard here?"

"Ahahaha, no way, right~?"

Hearing Artorius say that, Ritsuka immediately grinned.

"I'm a pretty disciplined person~ Even without Teacher Scathach's guidance, I'll still train diligently."

"Very good. I'm glad to hear that from you."

The next second, Ritsuka heard a familiar from beside, an almost nightmarish voice.

"Teac-Teacher Scathach... W-Why are you here?"

"Why not? I've been here all along." Scathach smiled gently. "Since you put it that way, I assume you're ready for some extra training, right? Perfect, accompany me to Chaldea's training ground."

"Ahaha...haha... I suddenly remembered something about my—"

Ritsuka, who was about to make an excuse to turn off the still-on gas stove in her room (even though she didn't have any), was swiftly caught by Scathach by the collar in the next second and dragged away.

"Mash, save me!"

"Senpai, you've used that excuse so often; how about trying something new next time?"

"The problem is, every time I shout like this, you never actually help me!"

"That's because—" Since Ritsuka had been dragged quite a distance, Mash raised her voice slightly. "Senpai, you've never really been in any danger!"

"Gaaahhh!"

With a final lament, Ritsuka's nails harshly gripped the metal wall at the corner, but she was ultimately effortlessly dragged away by Scathach.

"Senpai is truly something—always lively whenever she appears."

Watching her disappear, Mash smiled and remarked.

"Don't bully her too much." Artorius reminded. "By the way, that kid actually has talent. It's just not discovered yet."

"Hmm?"

"It's in summoning."

"That kid is a genius summoner. Tell her to head in the direction of summoning, and her future will surely be bright."