[FMMIKA] Chapter 292: Return to Chaldea

Over the next few days, there were many changes in French Singularity.

In South America, the Pendragonius Empire conquered the Inca Empire, bringing the entire still relatively barbaric continent under the empire's control.

In Oceania, the empire discovered vast gold mines and the world's finest iron deposits.

In Siberia, the empire clashed with a gathering of Mongol troops. As the dust settled and two hundred thousand Mongol horsemen were vanquished, the empire's control over the great steppes reached new heights.

At this point, the empire's history of conquest in this 15th-century world of singularity had reached its zenith.

Steam railways crisscrossed the land.

Steam warships sailed the seven seas.

Steam airships soared the skies.

The power of steam had multiplied human productivity manifold in an instant. When combined with magic technology, human productivity increased a thousandfold, if not more.

For the first time, humanity had left its mark on the entire planet, even reaching the Antarctic, the deep sea, and touching the skies.

For the first time, humanity had achieved unity under one banner—Pendragonius Empire's banner.

All of humanity, those who loved peace and progress, those who upheld justice, and those living under the rule of the empire began to reap the benefits of this era.

An enlightened, prosperous, and flourishing age had begun.

In unison, humanity praised the great and sacred Dragon Emperor for bringing them such a life.

It was the 8th year of the Dragon Emperor's Calendar.

The second chapter of the New Human History, Pendragonius Empire, World, and Age of Steam, had come to a perfect conclusion.

"It's over."

After eight years of struggle in this singularity, saying that there were no emotions involved would be a lie.

After all, this place had left Artorius with many fond memories.

With Carmilla.

With Elizabeth.

With Marie.

With Kiyohime.

With Mordred.

With Jeanne.

With Jalter.

With Mash.

With Gudako.

Well, the last one was not quite. In any case, Artorius had completed his goal in this singularity.

Next, he would pose as Chaldea's Servant and head to Chaldea.

Of course, most of the 'Rogue Servants' couldn't accompany him. They returned directly to the Throne of Empire.

"I don't want to leave, Your Majesty~"

"Your Majesty~"

"Your Majesty will miss me, won't you?"

On the day of their parting, the women surrounded Artorius, each saying something different. In order to soothe everyone's feelings, he had no choice but to continue to give his all until the very end.

After managing to console all the women, Artorius finally heaved a sigh of relief and left his room to go to the living room.

"Ahh~ being an emperor allows you to live a life of luxury, huh~ it's really great."

Mash and Ritsuka were waiting, and when they saw Artorius approaching, they had different expressions.

Ritsuka teased him like that as she seriously inspected the Dragon Emperor and found that he hadn't cultivated any kind of immortality, still looking healthy and vigorous with a rosy complexion, as if he could enjoy ten women without breaking a sweat.

In contrast, Mash looked even more virtuous and ladylike in the comparison.

"Your Majesty, is it resolved?" Mash asked with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, it's resolved." Artorius nodded. "Those who should head to the Throne of Empire, go to the Throne of Empire. Those heading to the Imperial Mystery Bureau, go there."

"So, Mordred and Jeanne won't be joining us in Chaldea?" Mash tried to appear serious, but her upturned lips and the corners of her eyes gave away how happy she was.

"Umu." Artorius nodded. "There's no reason for them to. But later on, we can just summon them through Chaldea's summoning system."

"Aren't the Servants summoned that way only come from proper human history? Wait, if that's the case, you can't come to Chaldea through that method, right?" Ritsuka asked curiously. "I've given my all to you now; don't play tricks on me, big guy."

"Servants of proper human history, huh... isn't that even better?"

Artorius spoke casually, making Mash and Ritsuka exchange a glance. The latter regarded him with a look that could melt steel.

They both realized that Artorius had the ability to convert Servants of proper human history into Servants of Empire.

To Ritsuka, this seemed like the ultimate mind-bending experience.

Artorius Pendragon's image had transformed from the Wise and Mighty Dragon Emperor into the Evil Dragon Emperor.

"But this is quite interesting, isn't it? Haha~"

Of course, as the embodiment of chaotic evil, Ritsuka as Gudako didn't mind this at all. In fact, she found it rather amusing.

"As for not being able to come with you... you can rest assured about that." Artorius quirked a smile. "I won't appear right away."

"Creating a false image of summoning a Servant will suffice. Use this."

As he spoke, Artorius handed a 'Pure White Sword' to Ritsuka.

"Use this as a 'holy relic' and say that I am a parallel world version of King Arthur."

"Oh..."

It was still a bit strange, but it was much better than having Artorius accompany them directly through Rayshift.

Considering that in the original story, Chaldea had experienced the inexplicable appearance of a Servant who had several versions of themselves with various backgrounds walking in the hallway together. So, Artorius's existence didn't seem all that strange.

Ritsuka nodded, thus accepting his proposal.

"That's settled." Artorius said. "So, can we return to Chaldea now?"

"Yeah!"

"No problem."

With that, Ritsuka and Mash initiated communication with Chaldea headquarters.

Leveraging the empire's technology and extensive magecraft, the communication frequency with Chaldea, as well as the time flow in this singularity, decreased significantly.

They had spent over two years in the singularity, but in Chaldea headquarters, it had been only two months.

Mash, as a Demi-Servant, wouldn't grow any further. As for Ritsuka, her body had been magically adjusted to gain the benefits of eternal youth.

Ritsuka amusingly considered repaying her debts with her meat but was swiftly met with Artorius's resolute rejection.

"Mash, Ritsuka, is it over?" Romani asked from the other side, his voice relieved.

From Romani's perspective, Mash and Ritsuka had just completed their final battle, defeating the source of evil, and fixing the singularity.

"Yes, Doctor..."

"Yup!"

Mash was a bit hesitant when she spoke, but Ritsuka nodded without any hesitation. She still had a cheerful smile, making it impossible to tell if she was lying or not.

"Now, let's rayshift. We're heading back, Doctor Roman!"

"Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work." Romani also smiled.

This seemingly oblivious doctor showed no sign of spotting any flaws. He didn't even notice Artorius, who was using magecraft to remain invisible beside the two women.

In the next moment, Artorius, holding Mash's hand, returned to Chaldea along with Mash, Ritsuka, and Fou.

They emerged from the spiritron coffin and stood there nonchalantly, surrounded by the pristine white metal walls, various high-tech devices, and the ever-glowing LED lights on the ceiling.

The Chaldea's staff cheered as they worked while Artorius had a pleasant smile on his face when he saw them.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Roman."

Artorius spoke to Romani who couldn't see the invisible him. Through his invisible body, Romani gazed at Mash and Ritsuka.

"There are many things I'd like to say to you two, but I'm sure you're tired. Rest for today."

Romani cheerfully said to Mash and Ritsuka, not noticing something amiss.

"Yeah, it's been a long journey..." Ritsuka sighed. "I'm going to my room to sleep. Mash, have sweet dreams."

As she spoke, Ritsuka winked at Mash and then proceeded to her room while petting Fou.

"Hmm..."

Artorius was in a bit of a dilemma. They couldn't provide him with a separate room, nor could they let him sleep on the floor. The best solution would be for him to temporarily share a room with Ritsuka or Mash.

"?"

"Why is your face red, Mash?"

"A-Ah, I'm also going to rest, Doctor, Da Vinci."

When Romani asked and looked at her with a curious gaze, Mash saluted as quickly as possible and then turned to run toward her room.

"Hmm..."

Romani couldn't help but furrow his brow and then looked at Da Vinci.

"Have you noticed, Da Vinci? Mash seems a bit strange..."

"After going through so many adventures, she must have grown in some way, right?" Da Vinci replied with a sweet smile.

"Grown, huh... it doesn't seem like it. Maybe it's more like... puberty and teenage love? Has she met someone during the singularity?!" Romani spoke with a somewhat anxious tone.

"Don't pry too much into a girl's personal life, Romani." Da Vinci continued with a smile. "Otherwise, you might become unpopular with girls."

"I know, but... Ahh! I can't help but worry!" Romani scratched his head in frustration. "I always feel like Mash and Ritsuka are hiding something from me."

"Of course, girls have their little secrets. There are some things that man shouldn't know."

As she said this, Da Vinci handed a document to Romani.

"Take a look. The French Singularity has been observed and has fully returned to normal."

"Ahh, I see..."

Romani looked somewhat absent-mindedly at the document. For some reason, his heart was still filled with doubt and unease.

In that singularity labeled as 'observed' and 'normal', countless smokestacks rose high, and steam-powered machinery was completely reshaping the world.