I'm Not A Master, I'm A Director
Chapter 448: Shinji Matou's Chuunibyou Naming Syndrome
When Mash finally woke up, she found herself leaning against Ritsuka's shoulder.
"Senpai!"
The moment she realized how intimate their position looked, Mash hurriedly tried to sit up, only for Olga Marie to gently push her back down.
"Don't get up just yet."
While casting healing magecraft on the two of them, Olga Marie smiled and explained:
"Using a Noble Phantasm consumes a tremendous amount of magical energy. Any shortage gets supplied by the Master. But Fujimaru is only a half-trained magus, and even though he used a Command Spell…"
She shrugged helplessly.
"As you can see, both of you ended up exhausted and passed out."
"..."
Mash's face immediately turned bright red. Pressing her lips together, she had no idea how to respond.
"So, how did it feel?"
"Huh?"
"The Noble Phantasm, of course." Olga Marie tilted her head. "You successfully activated it, right? Did you learn its true name?"
Originally, Olga Marie had hoped this would reveal the identity of the Heroic Spirit residing within Mash.
Instead, Mash shook her head.
"No. I was too focused at the time, and before I realized it..."
"I see..."
Olga Marie smiled warmly.
She recalled the words Mash had spoken when activating her Noble Phantasm.
"Hero or not, fake Servant or not—if I can save him, that's enough!"
"D-Director!"
Mash frantically waved her hands, desperately trying to stop Olga Marie from continuing.
Back then, the situation had been urgent.
Now that she thought about it calmly, all she felt was overwhelming embarrassment.
It sounded way too chuunibyou.
Yet Olga Marie showed no sign of mocking her.
"You used your Noble Phantasm for a wish like that. You wanted to protect him as a Heroic Spirit, and your Noble Phantasm answered that wish."
Her smile softened.
"It's a beautiful story. The kind that could become a fairy tale."
"Um..."
Mash was completely at a loss.
No one had ever praised her like this before.
"If it makes you uncomfortable, don't worry about it."
Sensing the awkwardness, Olga Marie tactfully changed the subject.
"But until its true name is revealed, it's rather inconvenient for you to keep using your Noble Phantasm without a proper designation. We should give it a name."
"A name?"
"Let me think…"
Olga Marie tapped her chin.
"How about Lord Chaldeas—Virtual Noble Phantasm Pseudo-Deployment: Foundation of Human Order? Chaldea is a meaningful name to you, after all."
"Yes!"
Mash nodded enthusiastically.
Looking up at the shield planted firmly in the ground, she spoke to it in the same gentle tone one might use when greeting a kitten.
"Lord Chaldeas... my Noble Phantasm. Please take care of me from now on."
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"I only have one question."
Apparently unable to hold it in any longer, Sakura leaned toward Shinji and whispered:
"I understand that you want Mash's true name to remain a mystery for now. And I get why her Noble Phantasm is called Lord Chaldeas since she's Chaldea's Servant."
She paused.
"But why is the subtitle 'Virtual Noble Phantasm Pseudo-Deployment: Foundation of Human Order'?"
'I've been wondering that too…'
Forget Sakura—even Shinji himself had no clue why Kinoko Nasu had translated Lord Chaldeas as that.
The translations of Noble Phantasm names in the Nasuverse had always been overflowing with chuunibyou energy. At this point, it was basically company tradition.
The most famous example was probably Arturia's Excalibur.
Originally, the name simply meant The Sword That Cut Steel, yet somehow it became "The Sword of Promised Victory."
That wasn't even a translation anymore, it was practically creating a brand-new title based on the sword's legend.
Even so, Shinji had never considered changing any Noble Phantasm names.
This world was filled with supernatural forces.
Names themselves possessed power.
They weren't something you could casually alter.
For all he knew, he might change a name during the day, and that very night some Heroic Spirit would drag him to the gates of the Throne of Heroes for judgment in his dreams.
At least the older Noble Phantasm titles, as cringeworthy as they were, still reflected the legends behind them.
But Lord Chaldeas...
Well.
Even then, Shinji didn't dare touch it.
Merlin had already warned him that the Counter Force ladies—those two whose names absolutely must not be spoken—were paying attention to him.
What if changing it annoyed them?
Even if they didn't do anything immediately, who was to say they wouldn't settle the score after his death?
Just look at poor Archer.
His employment contract didn't even have a termination date.
When those two wanted someone to work, it wasn't 996, nor was it 007.
It was ♾️♾️♾️
Infinite overtime.
So in a world where gods practically existed just above your head, Shinji felt it was wiser not to argue with certain settings established by higher powers.
"Ahem."
Failing to come up with a proper excuse—and unable to admit his true thoughts—Shinji resorted to bluffing.
"Sakura, you don't need to understand Noble Phantasm names that thoroughly."
He put on a mysterious expression.
"The names of Noble Phantasms are predetermined by fate itself."
"Your big brother here has never been the one who creates Noble Phantasm names."
He raised a finger solemnly.
"I'm merely the transporter of Noble Phantasm names."
Sakura shot Shinji a deadpan look.
"Onii-sama, you're already over twenty. Shouldn't you have graduated from your chuunibyou phase by now?"
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Regardless of Sakura's confusion over the name of Mash's Noble Phantasm, one thing was certain: before the events of the Sixth Singularity, the name Lord Chaldeas had already been decided.
Having finally settled on a name for her Noble Phantasm, Mash turned her full attention back to the person who mattered most to her.
"Senpai, please wake up!"
Thanks to the earnest calls of a beautiful girl and Director Olga magecraft-based treatment, Ritsuka slowly opened his eyes.
Still groggy, he blinked several times, trying to make sense of the faces before him and confirm who they were.
"Mash...?"
Fortunately, neither Mash nor Olga Marie were the type to joke around. Otherwise, a casual "You're awake. The surgery was a success." would probably have scared the poor honest boy half to death.
"Mash... wait. What about Arthuron—King Arthur? Where is she?!"
The memories of the battlefield rushed back to him. Ritsuka abruptly sat upright, so flustered that he even mangled Arturia's name.
"It's alright. King Arthur has already disappeared," Mash explained. "We won."
Hearing that the enemy had been dealt with, Ritsuka immediately shifted his concern elsewhere.
"Mash, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine. I'm a Servant, after all." Mash smiled gently. "What about you, Senpai?"
Listening to the two exchange words of concern, Olga Marie—the only single person present—found herself sinking into thought.
As the head of the prestigious Animusphere family and the Lord of the Department of Astromancy, this incident had been nothing short of a humiliating disaster.
The organization assembled to save humanity had been crippled overnight. Fewer than twenty Chaldea staff members had survived the explosion. Lev, the trusted aide she had relied on more than anyone, had vanished in the chaos.
In practical terms, Olga Marie Animusphere had become completely alone.
Up until now, the constant threat of death had left her no time to dwell on such matters. But now that the immediate danger had passed, the mountain of problems waiting in the aftermath threatened to crush her beneath its weight.
What am I supposed to do now...?
"Director!"
Ritsuka's voice snapped her back to reality.
Only then did Olga Marie realize that the group had already reached the pillar of light atop the great cavern's platform.
"We've arrived at the Holy Grail," Ritsuka said. "What should we do next?"
The brilliant light of the Grail shimmered before them, silently awaiting its fate.
When it came to magecraft, Ritsuka was a complete novice.
The kind of beginner who would need someone to teach him how to click a mouse before he could even get started.
"Director?"
Seeing Olga Marie still lost in thought, Ritsuka called out to her again.
"It's nothing," she replied, shaking her head. "I was just thinking about a few things."
No matter how anxious she felt, there was nothing she could do about Chaldea's catastrophic situation right now. Worrying about it here wouldn't solve anything.
I'll deal with that mess after we return.
Having made up her mind, Olga Marie finally turned her attention back to the Holy Grail.
"If I remember correctly, when a Servant touches the Grail, it materializes completely. Isn't that right, Cú Chulainn?"
"That's right." Cú Chulainn nodded before turning toward Mash.
"I'll leave this task—and the honor that comes with it—to Miss Mash. After all, she's the biggest contributor to this victory."
"M-Me? No way! Mr. Cú Chulainn, you were the one who—"
Cú Chulainn waved away the compliment before she could finish.
"Thanks, but let's not exaggerate. I'm not that full of myself."
His gaze softened.
"Enduring a strike from that holy sword isn't something an ordinary Servant could manage. You've grown into a fine Servant who can stand on her own now, young lady."
To receive recognition from a legendary hero like Cú Chulainn—
Mash immediately lowered her head, her cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment.
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"So this is the real Cú Chulainn?"
After finishing all three routes of Fate/stay night, Aoko found herself somewhat unaccustomed to seeing this big-brother version of him.
Back in Fate/stay night, Cú Chulainn had been an enemy of the protagonist, Shirou Emiya. While he certainly possessed a straightforward and honorable side, most viewers saw him as little more than a respectable opponent.
After all, his first appearance involved trying to kill Shirou.
Who would have thought that in Fate/Grand Order, Cú Chulainn would become the protagonist's ally?
Only now were people discovering that beneath the flirtatious attitude and constant wisecracks was a man who could be incredibly dependable.
"So that's what they meant..."
Aoko finally understood the meaning behind FGO's promotional slogan.
Familiar characters, seen in a completely different light.
"So we'll get to see lots of old characters acting differently from their original portrayals?"
A mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Then does that mean we might get a loyal, righteous, justice-loving Kotomine Kirei?"
The image alone was enough to amuse her.
That would definitely be a sight worth seeing.
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"...Well, looks like time's up."
Just as Cú Chulainn was about to say something else, his body began to glow.
The sign of a Servant's departure.
"Seems my role ended the moment Saber was defeated."
"Mr. Cú Chulainn..."
Ritsuka instinctively grabbed the hem of the white robe fluttering around him.
The Heroic Spirit had guided and protected them throughout the Singularity, looking after them almost like an older brother.
Ritsuka didn't want to say goodbye.
"Haha~ Parting with a Servant is always this sudden."
Cú Chulainn reached out and gently ruffled the boy's hair.
"You've worked hard too, kid."
A warm smile crossed his face.
"As a Master, you're still far from mature. You've got a long way to go."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
His smile widened.
"But you've already got the most important quality a leader can possess."
"The luck blessed by the world... and the courage to seize it when it appears."
Ritsuka blinked.
Cú Chulainn chuckled.
"Remember that reckless stunt you pulled when you stood in front of Saber to save the young lady?"
His gaze drifted toward the distant sky.
"Whenever humanity faces a crisis, people blessed by the stars tend to appear. People just like you."
"So—"
Before he could finish his sentence, his body dissolved into particles of light.
And then he was gone.
Vanishing before the eyes of Ritsuka, Mash, and Olga Marie.
As Caster returned to the Throne of Heroes, the Holy Grail War of Fuyuki City finally came to an end.
Yet this could hardly be called an ending.
It was merely a small prologue, a single wedge driven into place before the beginning of a far greater story.
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