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“I think we should let someone else go. Even Ms. Orange is better at dealing with monsters in the wild than I am,” Olga Marie explained hesitantly to Shio.
She saw that Shiomi's hands were being held by Scáthach and Skadi respectively, so she casually looked away and gazed towards Storm Border.
tide Jian then understood her master's arrangement.
Before setting off, Olga Marie was already somewhat distracted.
He noticed this as well, guessing that Olga Marie was under a lot of pressure because she had to shoulder the responsibilities of the director while also facing direct conflict with her fellow disciples.
Although everyone has their own pressures, none are as intense as Olga Marie's.
"If it's just a battle, I can handle it on my own," Shiomi said. "But if we encounter anyone here, it would be better to have someone with authority to speak with, so we can communicate with them, wouldn't it?"
"But then the teacher would also—"
Shio saw that the reason was far-fetched and Olga Marie could refute it without even thinking, but she immediately realized that it was Scáthach's good intention to let her walk around in an unfamiliar environment to change her mood, so she swallowed the second half of her sentence.
“…Then I’ll listen to the teacher…” She tried hard to hold back her smile and not let herself laugh too happily.
After all, it is indeed a good thing.
Olga Marie only wanted to stay on the ship to fulfill her duties, considering the director's position.
But after so many things that have happened in Chaldea, everyone is already able to perform their duties, and the director does not need to be on duty all the time.
Moreover, Romani is on board, and he can take over the corresponding duties in case of emergencies.
Having decided to wait until the expedition, Olga Marie turned and went back to her room on the ship to change into clothes more suitable for trekking in the wild.
At Skadi's invitation, Scáthach prepared to get ice cream and go up on the deck to eat it while enjoying the sea breeze.
"Everyone has such a good attitude."
Even though there was no one else on the beach, Shiomi still leaned closer to Morgan, as if she were whispering something behind his back.
“There are no enemies, so it’s understandable to relax a little,” Morgan said, adjusting his cloak. “Besides, there are Valkyries on guard in the air, so the setup is already quite reasonable.”
Shio nodded in agreement: "By the way, what are you doing?"
“Check if there’s anything wrong with the cloak.” Morgan turned around. “Help me straighten the back; it’s been a long time since I’ve worn this. The last time was in Skadi’s territory.”
“Fortunately, it’s not a very hot season in this Lostbelt.” Shiomi helped Morgan adjust his hat. “Otherwise, we would have had to trouble Habertlot to help us get something lighter.”
Morgan smiled subtly: "It's just that whenever we go out to explore, we get this sense of nostalgia for pilgrimages."
"If you had said so earlier, we could have gone alone while Master said he didn't want to go," tide Jian reminded him affectionately.
“It’s not that bad.” Morgan looked at him slyly. “I’ve had plenty of time alone with you, a little more won’t make a difference.”
"You really don't mind?" tide Jian asked cautiously.
“I don’t mind. Just seeing you become like that because of me makes me both heartbroken and happy.” Morgan brought up the previous incident. “Even if you would do the same for them, the possibility and the certainty are as different as the imaginary space and the real space.”
"Okay, okay, I understand." tide Jian hugged Morgan from behind, gazing at the sea with her. "But it feels like it's been so long since we've been to the beach like this. The last time..."
“The sea in Britain isn’t very pretty,” Morgan sighed.
“I was referring to that time in Uruk, when I was running errands for the Persian Gulf, and coincidentally, you had to stay in the city to oversee the fortifications,” Shiomi said.
“That’s been a long time indeed.” Morgan understood what Shiojian meant. “While the junior director hasn’t arrived yet, let’s watch the sea together for a while.”
Chapter Twelve: Island Investigation
Fifteen minutes later, Shiomi, Morgan, and Olga Marie set off along the road into the island.
But after walking for a short while, when the beach where Storm Border was located was blocked by trees and could no longer be seen, Shiomi stopped and examined the land.
"What's wrong, teacher?" Olga Marie asked.
“He’s examining the land’s spiritual veins,” Morgan said, looking around.
The forest was filled with the aura of monsters, moving about in the distance and nearby, much like the Uruk singularity back then.
The atmosphere of this Lostbelt maintains the magical level of the Age of Gods, and countless fantasy species and magical beasts of all sizes live in the forest like ordinary wild animals.
“To examine a spiritual vein, you need special tools, don’t you?” Olga Marie said from a magician’s perspective.
“My husband no longer needs these unnecessary steps,” Morgan shook his head. “He is more attuned to the essence of the earth and can hear its voice than any of us.”
The reason lies in the son of the Earth Mother Goddess and in her power.
"I see..."
Olga Marie was amazed, but still couldn't quite grasp the situation. She thought to herself, "In any case, Shio-senpai is really amazing."
“It’s completely impossible.” tide Jian stood up at this moment. “I thought it was my imagination, but it seems to be true.”
“What?” Olga Marie asked.
“The spiritual veins on this island have dried up.” Shiomi said, then shook her head to correct herself, “No, to be more precise, the spiritual veins have been depleted to the point that they can no longer maintain the magical power required for the Heroic Spirit Summoning System to bring Servants to life.”
"How could this be?" Olga Marie's expression changed.
Before deciding to disembark, she was discussing with others whether to use the Lostbelt lands to summon Servants to increase their combat strength.
After all, the enemies they faced included not only Kirshtalia, but also the Greek gods.
The identity of the machine god in the satellite orbit also indicates that the god of this Lostbelt has not disappeared.
Having more combat power is always a good thing.
Artoria has also expressed her intention to summon the Knights of the Round Table to assist in the battle.
“The land of the gods, yet its spiritual veins are depleted to this extent,” Morgan pondered. “Could it be that the Primates’ restraining power, due to the excessive prosperity of this Lostbelt, has sent many Servants here to pave the way for Chaldea’s attack on the Lostbelt?”
“If it’s a suppressive force, that makes sense.” Shiomi pinched her chin. “And if many Servants had already arrived here before us and fought against the Olympian army, then it would make sense for Odysseus’s fleet to patrol the seas on a large scale and to launch an encirclement in time.”
Aside from the reasons on Chaldea's side, the large number of Servants dispatched by the Counter Force beforehand was likely one of the causes of that annihilation battle.
“However, given Chaldea’s current strength, the need for land veins and Heroic Spirit summoning isn’t particularly urgent,” Olga Marie quickly added. “After all, we now have so many powerful and reliable companions, and our teacher is here too—”
“Restoring the spiritual veins to their original state isn’t difficult.” tide Jian continued walking forward and called to the two of them, “But there should be more than one island in this sea area. If all the islands have the same spiritual veins…”
Morgan raised an eyebrow: "If the spiritual veins of a certain land suddenly recover, it will definitely be discovered, exposing our whereabouts."
“That’s right.” Shiojian agreed and turned around, pointing her index finger to the sky. “I don’t think the previous firepower was the maximum power of that machine god. If the other side can fire with the firepower to completely destroy this kind of island, even if we can remain safe, continuous or irregular harassment will inevitably cause everyone’s mental tension and affect the long-term operation.”
"If there were a way to shoot down the machine god..."
Olga Marie spoke instinctively, uttering one of the most correct ideas at the moment.
No one wants a sword hanging over their neck, even with a defense that prevents the sword from cutting them.
The problem is that the machine god is located in a near-Earth satellite orbit 500,000 meters above the ground. Even Arash, the great hero of ancient Persia, might not be able to reach the machine god with his arrows.
“I’m sorry, I’ve brought up another far-fetched idea.” Olga Marie immediately stopped the conversation. “Wouldn’t it be more efficient to find a way to conceal our whereabouts and minimize interference, thus saving both manpower and time?”
“No need to apologize, your idea is correct.” tide Jian stopped and patted her head. “But before that, let’s see if we can get our hands on the nautical charts here. Storm Borde alone can’t grasp the complete situation.”
“Hmm…” Olga Marie replied softly.
She felt at ease, knowing that being by her teacher's side meant she wouldn't be afraid of any difficulties or obstacles ahead.
At this moment, Morgan stepped forward, standing in front of Olga Marie, and together with Shiomi, shielded her behind him.
Olga Marie's expression hardened upon noticing the subtle change in her position.
"Who has been watching us from the shadows? Come out and meet us!" tide Jian turned her head slightly, her voice suddenly turning cold.
Despite the inappropriate timing, Olga Marie felt her heart melt.
This was the first time she had ever seen Shiomi with such a cold expression.
An expression that shows protection for comrades and rejection of enemies.
"Judging from your attire, you don't seem to be from Olympus."
A burly man emerged from among the trees.
“We are indeed not from Olympus; rather, we are mortal enemies of Olympus. So who are you, and can you state your true name, follower?” Morgan asked.
"Could you be from Chaldea?" the man asked in surprise. "My name is Orion, and my class is Archer."
“Orion?” Olga Marie was taken aback.
She was responsible for going to the Third Singularity with Ritsuka and the others, where they also met Orion, an Archer-class Servant, but he was a bear.
—This is a result of Artemis usurping one's Spirit Origin.
“I’m not lying.” Morgan looked away.
Orion breathed a sigh of relief: "This lady's eyes are truly frightening, not ordinary eyes. Luckily, I didn't lie... Fighting with you would definitely not do me any good."
"So you're also a follower of Pan-Human History, Orion?" Shiomi asked.
"More or less." Orion was vague, seemingly reluctant to reveal the details. "They're acting alone for some reason. You don't look like the small group you're facing."
Olga Marie said, "We are the advance team that came out to investigate the situation on the island."
“So the recent explosion at sea was also related to you?” Orion said with an understanding expression, pointing in that direction. “If you’re looking for people on the island, or other Servants, go check out the village. I remember there were some Servants left behind to meet up with Chaldea.”
Chapter Thirteen: Hestia
After Orion pointed out the direction of the village to Shiomi and the other two, and was sure they could find the way, he disappeared into the island's forest in the exact opposite direction.
It is neither near the Storm Border nor the location of the village.
"Could it be that he went to inform the Olympian gods?" Morgan speculated jokingly.
"Huh?" Olga Marie was taken aback. "...Is that even possible?"
In mythology, Orion was Artemis's lover. The moon goddess would even squeeze into Orion's spirit body to appear in the world together, just to protect Orion.
Although Orion always seems fickle, always thinking about flirting with strange women, he ultimately still loves Artemis.
Given that Artemis must be among the Olympian gods in this Lostbelt, it's not surprising that Morgan would make such a conjecture.
"Does it look like it?" Shio laughed. "I think Orion looks like he has something on his mind. Even though he appears straightforward and cheerful, he can't quite hide what he's struggling with."
Morgan nodded in agreement: "Although the answer was rather vague, the man did not deny the fact that he was a follower of pan-human history."
"Doesn't that mean that Orion, who was summoned by the Counter Force to come to the Lostbelt of Atlantis for the sake of Pan-Human History, has no choice but to be an enemy of the goddess Artemis whom he loves?" Olga Marie covered her mouth, she could understand Orion's dilemma.
"Even if it's a different being from the Lostbelt, or an enemy of your beloved goddess, it's never a pleasant experience." Shiomi empathized. "If Morgan from Pan-Human History appeared in front of us, I might not be able to bring myself to do it."
“I won’t force you. Or rather, if that situation really arises, I will take care of it myself, so you won’t have to worry or suffer,” Morgan said leisurely, fiddling with his sideburns.
Shiomi couldn't help but chuckle: "At least you're another version of yourself from a different history. It's amazing that you can say it without batting an eye."
“That’s still better than watching you struggle with the same face over and over again, only to be defeated by her in the other side of human history.” Morgan shook his head slightly. “In the end, she inherited the mystery of the British king, while I am a fairy from paradise. In essence, we are not the same.”
Just like Shiomi's different attitudes towards Pendragon and Castor.
The latter was merely the second fairy of Paradise who was adopted and protected out of kindness. She was well raised, but not highly valued.
The former, however, was tide Jian's darling.
“Yes, yes…” Shiomi took a step forward, “Besides, the idea of ‘same face’ is strange. Don’t you and Artoria look exactly alike? Master and Skadi too…”
“In short—” Morgan hesitated to choose his words carefully, “it is that my husband may be swayed by the same face, but he can also distinguish between what is important and what is not. The only difference is who that person is.”
Olga Marie said softly with an envious tone, "If it were Ms. Morgan, the teacher would definitely be flustered. But if it were someone else, the teacher could still sort out the situation somewhat."
After all, Shiomi proved this point very well during the Nordic Lostbelt.
If Skadi hadn't been so friendly, he wouldn't have readily accepted the invitation to go to the royal city.
"It's so-so, after all, it's just an ideal situation." Morgan laughed lightly as he talked to Olga Marie, "Concern leads to confusion, and if you're not confused, it's because you've never loved at all."
Then Olga Marie began to ask Morgan for advice on matters of love between men and women, and Morgan, in a tone of someone who had been through it all, gave Olga Marie guidance.
The atmosphere wasn't too bad.
tide Jian didn't reply and focused on leading the way.
Following Orion's directions, he avoided the monsters roaming the forest, and soon they traversed the island's forest, which was not untouched by humans. They arrived at the village located on the other side of the island.
As if nothing had changed in thousands of years, the island's inhabitants still dressed in the style of ancient Greece.
The residents weren't particularly wary of these unfamiliar people dressed in strange clothes, coming from outside the island; they were just a little surprised.
When Shiomi mentioned that they had arrived at the village after Orion had shown them the way, the villagers became much friendlier.
“Since Orion introduced you, then go find the ‘porter,’ he should be in the tavern right now.”
After informing the island residents they had contacted of the directions, they went about their own business.
“What a peaceful island. They don’t seem to care at all, even though a major battle just broke out in the nearby seas,” Olga Marie said.
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