Otherwise, you can find another savior.

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“She’s really easy to coax.” Sakura hugged Shio’s lower back and snuggled against him.

She wasn't lying. Because Shiomi suddenly asked for a hug, even though Sakura only noticed the significance of this interaction because of Bawan Shi, she still felt a sense of relief.

Just like those many carefree spring afternoons when I was a child, I would lean against him and take a nap in the sun.

Perhaps because the hug lasted a while, Olga Marie, who had only come over to say hello, started to tidy her hair awkwardly and hesitated whether to leave first.

Noticing this, after Sakura let go, Shiomi asked as kindly as possible, "If Mary needs it, I can hug you as your teacher."

"Then, I'll gladly accept your offer." Olga Marie agreed almost without thinking, then ran to the kitchen counter and hugged Shiomi.

Sakura then let out a gasp, which startled Mary and Shiomi, who thought Sakura was unhappy.

"...Dad's apron was covered in dust..."

"what……"

This time, it was Mary and Shiomi's turn to exclaim in the same way.

Chapter Fifty-One Afternoon Tea

Originally, Shiomi and Sakura cooked the desserts with the intention of leaving them here for others to eat; they only needed a small portion for afternoon tea.

Although her clothes were a little dusty, Olga Marie had gotten used to being travel-worn during the battles in the Singularity, so she didn't rush to change. After patting them a few times and feeling that they were okay, she sat down with Shiomi and Sakura and had afternoon tea in the cafeteria.

"Are the humans of Olympus... stronger than those here?"

Then, the conversation naturally turned to the information relayed by Demeter.

"Based on the current investigation, it seems that the inhabitants of each island were banished from Olympus to this island by the gods because they were deemed unqualified," Sakura said. "Basically, barring any unforeseen circumstances, everyone can live to be around 800 years old."

Moreover, "accident" only refers to dying in battle while hunting or encountering magical beasts.

Because of the existence of the "legacy of the gods," something called Krionomia, even so-called "defective products," these humans are not tormented by illness.

The 800-year lifespan was simply because the Krionomia of Atlantis was ordinary and not something belonging to any particular Olympian god.

“Then, as children of the gods, humans living on Olympus…” Olga Marie couldn’t help but frown.

“It’s possible that their lifespan is several times longer than that of the island’s inhabitants,” Shiomi said. “After all, they have the protection of a true ‘divine legacy.’”

“But almost every island’s inhabitants have an almost blind faith in the gods,” Sakura said. “We can see rituals to mourn Artemis on every island, without exception.”

Olga Marie couldn't help but look at Shiomi: "Is it because of their excessively long lifespans that these people have become so devoted to believing in gods?"

“Not surprising.” Shio shook his head. “The Olympian gods have not gone far away. They still rule the world from a place they cannot see. It would be strange if people had no faith in the gods. As for a lifespan of several hundred years, it would be regarded as a little bit of mercy from the gods.”

“It’s…hard to say,” Olga Marie said. “Are the people in the Holy Church like that too?”

Shiomi couldn't help but chuckle: "Not just the Holy Church, don't forget, the Mage's Association... no, how was 'magic' established? Do you remember?"

"The Magic King heard divine revelation in a dream, received the Ten Commandments, and established the magic system that has been passed down through generations," Sakura replied.

"In this respect, magicians and the Holy Church are no different, except that the Magic Association is more ungrateful and has no faith in God," Shiomi said sarcastically.

Olga Marie rubbed her forehead: "Now that you mention it, it does seem to be true..."

“We’ve gone off on a tangent.” Shiomi brought the topic back on track. “In short, it’s not just the humans living on Olympus who will be strong. Those humans who are always bathed in the blessings of the gods probably wouldn’t even have the thought of rebelling against the gods.”

Even the Olympian gods didn't need to brainwash these people; the facts alone were enough to make their faith unbreakable.

"Does the teacher mean that once we successfully enter Olympus, we need to be prepared to face all the enemies there alone without any assistance?" Olga Marie asked earnestly.

Sakura then reminded us, "That's not entirely true either. Besides the Pan-Human History Servants who entered Olympus earlier, we also have Captain Drake and the others."

“The problem is Kirshtalia…” Olga Marie said quietly, “Although that was the first time I saw Kirshtalia fail in such a situation.”

Upon hearing her say that, Shiomi and Sakura exchanged bewildered glances.

“Um… Mary, you’re not jealous of Kirshtalia, are you?” Sakura asked, surprised.

"Probably. After all, in the rumors of the Clock Tower, everyone thinks that Kirshtalia is more suitable than Mary to inherit the Department of Astrophysics." Shiomi gave a wry smile.

Olga Marie lay on the table: "Because of celestial magic, with the same theory, I can barely complete a somewhat lethal scale with the help of others, but he can easily use the starry sky as a magic circuit... I always feel that compared to him, magicians can't even continue."

“There’s no need to be so pessimistic. In terms of talent, Kirshtalia is indeed one of the top talents, even I have to admit that I am inferior to her.” Shiomi reached out and stroked her hair to comfort her. “But her genius does not mean that you are mediocre.”

"Oh dear... if Mother were to give her opinion, even Kirshtalia might only be considered a somewhat decent magician," Sakura tried to smooth things over.

To be honest, she wasn't quite sure how to comfort Olga Marie.

After all, the biggest difference between the two women is that they received different magic educations and whether they have a strong passion for magic.

“If possible, I hope Sakura won’t use Morgan as an example.” Shiomi couldn’t help but look miserable. “She’s a genius who can complete her own unique magic system all by herself…”

If we use Morgan as a benchmark, Shiomi thinks that qualified magicians can be counted on one hand.

"Does my husband really care about those jokes I made during the Fourth Holy Grail War?" Morgan suddenly asked, reaching out to take a pastry and taking a small bite.

"No, that's not it." Shioshimi withdrew her hand and leaned back in her chair. "It's just that Sakura's way of comforting people was a bit off, and I was reminding her."

Morgan smiled. "It seems that what I said earlier during my husband's rest took Mary to heart without her even realizing it."

Olga Marie was about to offer her seat, but Morgan gestured for her to continue sitting next to Shiomi, and then pulled out a chair and sat down in the empty seat next to Sakura.

"What did you say?" tide Jian asked curiously.

“...the mediocre people of the Clock Tower…” Olga Marie explained in a low voice.

Shiomi covered her face and let out a long sigh: "So you really are quite proud of your abilities, aren't you, my wife?"

"Shouldn't I be proud?" Morgan picked up the tea that Sakura had just poured for her. "In the years I spent exploring magic on my own, who came to my side, gave me guidance, and was ultimately surpassed by me?"

"Yeah, who is it? What a useless teacher."

tide Jian glanced away, his tone sarcastic, but everyone knew he was just joking again.

"So you see, even a man like my husband can be jealous of magicians who are more talented than himself."

Then, Morgan, using Shiomi as a template, comforted Olga Marie, telling her not to take those words to heart.

"...Hahaha..."

Olga Marie held her teacup and let out a dry laugh.

Chapter Fifty-Two: Letting the Air Out

While the solitary confinement cell at Storm Border restricted the personal freedom of the two captured Hidden Ones—Kardok and Ophelia—there was no other form of abuse.

The solitary confinement cell itself is quite well-equipped, and Nemo, a sailor on the ship, will regularly clean it and retrieve clothes that need to be changed.

Aside from being a little bored, there's nothing to complain about.

For Kadoc and Ophelia, it even made them feel that Chaldea was ridiculously tolerant.

The same is true today.

After mealtime, Kadoc read in his solitary confinement room, as did Ophelia across the hall.

But the door was opened, which surprised him slightly. He looked up and saw that the solitary confinement cell opposite was also open. Ophelia got out of bed and walked to the door.

Two people were standing outside the door: Shiomi Tenkei and Skadi.

"You all seem to be in good spirits. I have something I'd like to talk to you about." tide Jian beckoned, "Come out."

“…You can say whatever you want to talk about here.” Kadoc tensed up a bit.

Even if Shiomi had no hostility, his strength had already exceeded the common sense of Kadoc as a magician.

"Don't you feel bored?" Shio asked.

Skadi also said to Ophelia, "The weather is nice at sea today, go up to the deck for some fresh air."

Although it wasn't an invitation that was impossible to refuse, their attitude was so lenient that Ophelia was the first to agree. Then Kadoc realized that he might have to face Shiomi-sensei alone, so he also agreed.

It wasn't a forced effort, but the problem lay in the reason why tide Jian suddenly did this, which left the two former hidden individuals completely bewildered.

They followed Shiomi and Skadi, walking through the winding corridors of the cabin towards the deck.

"In fact, so much time has passed that even if you weren't locked up, I reckon there wouldn't be any problems," Shio said calmly as she turned around.

Kadoc touched his neck, where the primordial runes were engraved: "The runes that suppress magic circuits and force. With something we can't unravel, it really makes no difference whether they're turned off or not."

"And you're all good kids, and you've all behaved very well. Once this Lostbelt is resolved, Chaldea will allow you to move around freely." Skadi smiled as well.

"...Lady Kirshtalia lost?" Ophelia asked.

She didn't see the great battle at sea, but the magical reaction that day was so strong that even those in the confinement room could feel it.

After that magical reaction, everything in Storm Border remained the same.

“We haven’t lost yet, but his confident plan to wipe us out has failed.” Shiomi opened the hatch leading to the deck, and a slightly salty sea breeze blew in. “Now, the forces in the Atlantis Lostbelt have been completely withdrawn and concentrated near the gate to Olympus.”

Following their footsteps, the group arrived on the deck, from where they could see the beach next to the warship, where many people were strolling or enjoying the scenery, chatting in twos and threes.

"The Imaginary Tree under the jurisdiction of Lord Kirshtalia..." Ophelia gazed at the towering tree in the middle of the sea.

Skadi then said, "That man named Wodem is even more cautious than he appears. He not only arranged for as many troops as possible to block Chaldea, but also summoned other Lostbelt Hidden Ones."

"Others?" Kadoc was taken aback.

"Speaking of others, it's really just Peperoncino and Akuta Hinako." Shiomi smiled nonchalantly, facing the sea breeze. "Only Debit didn't come."

Ophelia thought for a moment: "It's probably because... Lady Kirshtalia thinks it's fine to let Debit continue operating the Lostbelts in South America."

"It seems that's the case." Shiomi put one hand on her hip. "Just because we've gathered our companions, I don't think the overall combat strength of this Lostbelt has changed much. You'll be reunited soon, right?"

"Is that so?" Kadoc remained noncommittal. "So, what did Shiomi-sensei want to talk about by bringing us outside?"

Skadi shook her head and smiled faintly: "It doesn't matter what we talk about, it's just to let you see what this Lostbelt looks like again. Soon it will be cut off like the other Lostbelts—"

“If…” Ophelia’s tone suddenly became more urgent, “If Queen Skadi hadn’t cooperated with Chaldea, the Norse Lostbelt could have achieved so much more!”

In her spare time, Skadi would visit Ophelia every few days. Their relationship was no longer that of Lostbelt King and Hidden One, but rather a relatively harmonious one.

The only thing that bothered Ophelia was Skadi's easy abandonment of her.

"She simply chose the option she wanted within the range of choices she had." Xi Jian frowned, but her tone remained calm. "Do you think it would be more satisfying for you to have Skadi die at my hands like that princess?"

“…No…” Ophelia’s expression changed; she absolutely did not mean that.

Kadoc's eyes darkened as a result, but he did not show any further resentment towards Shiomi.

Anastasia made her own choice, and whether it was right or wrong, since she chose to do it that way, Kadoc had no choice but to accept it.

"Don't be too harsh on them, Tianxi," Skadi chuckled softly, offering a word of advice.

"sorry."

Then, Ophelia apologized first.

"Alright, alright, I brought you out to get some fresh air and relieve your boredom, not to have you arguing." Shiomi shook her head, then remembered something, "Speaking of which, how much do you know about Akuta Hinako?"

“Mustard?” Kadoc was taken aback.

"Regarding Hina..." Ophelia also fell into thought. "As far as I remember, she basically always had a book in her hand, pretending to read it, while secretly observing humans. Apart from training, she rarely had any in-depth communication with them."

"Pretty much. Anyway, Group A is a collection of weirdos. It's not surprising that a magician would behave strangely," Kadoc said bluntly.

tide Jian understood, and then said, "So, do you know her actual combat ability? She doesn't use plant-based magic, but directly uses weapons for hand-to-hand combat."

"what?"

Both of them were taken aback.

"It seems no one knows." tide understood and didn't ask any more questions. "I just feel like there's something strange about her situation."

"About Hina, Lord Kirshtalia probably knows the most," Ophelia said. "He cares a lot about the others who were first assigned to Group A."

"Why does it sound like I'm being ostracized?" tide Jian laughed.

"In the end, you were just doing your job and didn't intend to develop a close relationship with us, did you?"

Faced with Kadoc's accusations, Shiomi could only shrug and indicate that she had no way to refute them.

Chapter 53 Inspection Work

"In the afternoon, I saw you talking with those two people in the solitary confinement cell on the deck for a long time. Is there something you're planning?"

That evening, in the ship's wiring room, Morgan casually asked Shiomi about the base and circuits of the energy vein blocking weapon while inspecting them.

"We didn't talk about much, just asked them about the other hidden ones," tide Jian said. "They wouldn't talk about magic information or anything like that, so we just chatted about people and how to conduct ourselves."

Morgan realized: "No wonder you invited Skadi along."

“I’m afraid if I bring them out alone, they’ll think I’m going to publicly execute them on the deck.” tide Jian pouted, took the lid Morgan handed her, and placed it on the ground to the side.

“It’s not that bad,” Morgan shook his head. “So, have you found out anything?”