"Where am I…?"
"Ugh, my head hurts…"
When Ritsuka awoke, her mind felt heavy and foggy. She realized she was no longer in the dark abyss of the underworld but beneath a familiar ceiling, its intricate patterns oddly comforting.
This was unmistakably Chaldea's white infirmary.
Every time she completed a Singularity, Romani Archaman insisted on dragging her here for a thorough checkup. With only Ritsuka and Mash able to enter Singularities for Human Order restoration, the rest of Chaldea's staff worked behind the scenes, rarely facing danger. This infirmary had practically become her personal room. Strangely, seeing the familiar patterns on the ceiling and feeling the cool air from the AC filled her with a sense of homecoming and relief.
Had she escaped the Seventh Singularity? Or was it because Roy-senpai had acknowledged her? No, that didn't seem right…
That trial, though called a trial, was more like a one-sided reunion between the Count and Roy, with little to do with her. Even her "victory" felt vague, Roy seemed to find his own resolution, turned, and left, leaving her declared the winner without understanding why.
And so, the Seventh Singularity was deemed cleared.
What was that all about?
When Roy abruptly stopped fighting, Ereshkigal and Taiga ceased as well. They didn't care about the deeper truths or motives, having joined the chaos only because Roy led it. With the instigator gone, they had no reason to continue. Only Tezcatlipoca, stubbornly clashing with King Hassan, was pinned to the ground by Quetzalcoatl's joint lock, yowling like a leopard.
Ritsuka paid little mind to the unfamiliar Aztec god.
In the end, it was over…
Though confusing, the fighting had stopped.
Afterward, Ereshkigal and Ishtar grabbed her arms, relentlessly asking about Roy's whereabouts, but no one knew where he'd gone.
He'd left voluntarily, vanishing without even a goodbye to his allies.
So willful… leaving without a word. Was he really in such a hurry?
Ritsuka was puzzled.
Gilgamesh was mildly annoyed, ranting about settling scores with Roy to show him his kingly way. Ishtar cursed him as a scoundrel, while Ereshkigal looked quietly heartbroken.
Still, the matter concluded relatively well.
The rewards were substantial, they recovered five Holy Grails from the Seventh Singularity!
Five Holy Grails!
Gilgamesh's great Uruk Grail, the magical Grail Roy took from Kingu, and three Grails left by Tiamat's dragon form.
Five Grails in one go, nearly matching the total from all prior Singularities, sent Romani into a frenzy of excitement.
What happened next?
Ritsuka tapped her head, memory stirring.
During the celebration, Quetzalcoatl gave her a massive hug. Exhausted from prolonged battles, Ritsuka's mind and body, stretched to their limits, collapsed under the sudden relief, and she fainted on the spot.
When she woke, she was in Chaldea's infirmary.
"Ugh… it hurts…" She groaned.
Though she could see, her body wouldn't move. Bandages bound her tightly; even with effort, she could barely lift her arms a short distance.
Bruises and blunt injuries left her exhausted. The Seventh Singularity had kept her under constant life-or-death pressure without a single night's rest.
Countless wires and IV tubes connected her arms to dense arrays of monitoring devices, their screens filled with incomprehensible numbers.
The sight sparked a grim thought, was she ruined, destined to be a vegetable?
"Waaahhh!!" Ritsuka cried out, startled by her condition.
Her shout reached Mash, who rushed in to check on her, bursting through the door with an excited cry.
"Senpai! You're awake?!"
"Oh? Mash…" Ritsuka responded instinctively.
Miraculously, seeing Mash's gentle, familiar face eased her pain, her mood lifting instantly.
Mash truly was a little angel.
"Sigh… Senpai, the doctor said not to move." Mash chided, noticing the monitors' data shift due to Ritsuka's stirring. She gently readjusted the equipment.
Ignoring Ritsuka's pleas to go out and visit other Servants, Mash carefully laid her back on the bed.
"No, Senpai. Miss Kiyohime, Miss Serenity, Miss Raikou, and Miss Nightingale are all worried about you. They've tried barging in to care for you multiple times, especially Nightingale, who wanted to take over your treatment. For your safety, Dr. Romani kicked them all out."
"They're probably moping somewhere in Chaldea. If they see you out there, it'll cause trouble."
"Kiyohime and Nightingale?!" Ritsuka shivered at the names, abandoning her plans to wander. She pulled the blanket over herself and lay down obediently.
Berserker Nightingale terrified her. Being cared for by that erratic nurse could be disastrous!
"Good. Rest assured, Senpai. The doctor says Uruk's restoration is progressing faster than expected. The spatial coordinates for the King of Magecraft's throne are still being pinpointed, but we'll soon locate Solomon's position."
"Crossing seven Singularities… it's been such a long journey. Is it finally ending…?" Ritsuka mused, leaning against the bed, a mix of joy and melancholy in her voice.
"It feels like a dream…" She sighed softly.
Once the Singularities were restored and the final Grand Singularity cleared, the Incineration of Humanity would end, and the Human Order would be saved. But…
Would she have to part with Chaldea's staff and Servants then?
Ritsuka's eyes dimmed with sadness, but the thought of her and her allies' efforts freeing the planet's people to live happily filled her with renewed vigor.
Though parting would sting, wasn't this their goal?
Mash monitored Ritsuka's vitals on the machines, checking her condition. The room fell silent. After replacing Ritsuka's medication, Mash prepared to leave, deeming rest best for her.
Sensing Mash's imminent departure, Ritsuka hesitated, then spoke.
"Mash… how are Dr. Romani and the Count doing? Did anything happen after I passed out?"
"The Count left. He said his time here was brief but fulfilling, with no regrets. He asked me to tell you…"
"Wait, and hold hope."
"That's so like him." Ritsuka said with a small smile, picturing the Count's satisfied expression.
"And Dr. Romani? He's probably swamped, but with the Seventh Singularity done, only the final one remains. He must be thrilled, right?"
"Absolutely! He's surely excited about resolving the Incineration of Humanity!!"
…
"I'm thrilled, my ass!!"
Meanwhile, in Chaldea's control room, Romani Archaman, having dismissed all staff, including Da Vinci, was a whirlwind at the keyboard. As acting commander, he accessed Chaldea's entire database, projecting it onto the screens.
Behind him, a tall figure studied the data intently, recording and copying it with Mystic Eyes.
If Ritsuka or Mash were here, they'd recognize and shout the figure's identity.
Roy!!
The mysterious Master who vanished in Uruk's underworld had followed Ritsuka to Chaldea, infiltrating the control room.
The staff and Servants were unaware.
This was what drove Romani to his limit. He'd sent the exhausted tech team, who'd worked five days and nights, to rest, preparing for the final push. He planned to locate the Temple of Time's coordinates and rest himself, but then the unthinkable happened…
As the staff left, leaving him alone to work overtime, a figure appeared behind him. Without a word, they held a white light sword to his throat, giving him no chance to question or sound an alarm.
Romani tried to resist, but against this mysterious Master from the Seventh Singularity, a powerless clerk like him was subdued in moments.
Though Roy hadn't harmed him, his actions were an invasion. With his power, he could wreak havoc on Chaldea, but he didn't. Instead, he coerced Romani to use his acting commander authority to open Chaldea's full database, seeking to verify his suspicions and prepare.
Seeing the Count in the Seventh Singularity, thriving, had satisfied Roy. But satisfaction aside, he had promises to keep and rewards to deliver to Ritsuka.
Instead of returning to his timeline, he intercepted Chaldea's communications, pinpointed their location and spacetime, and used Zelretch's bracelet to infiltrate, seizing the opportunity when Romani was alone.
"Keep pulling the data. Don't stop." Roy said, intently copying the scrolling information, analyzing the truth.
The more he learned, the quieter he grew.
The deeper the truth, the more varied his perspective.
As he investigated, Chaldea, once a warm, honorable, trusted haven, revealed itself as a sinister stage, a pre-orchestrated trap.
"Disgusting…" Roy muttered, his heavy eyelids twitching, his clenched fists tightening.
He finally grasped the full scope of the truth.
Romani, pulling up the data, looked equally grim.
"How is this possible?" He exclaimed, speeding up his typing.
At first, he thought the data was just routine experiments, nothing suspicious. Marisbury's experiments, while ethically questionable, were typical for magus.
As the former King of Magecraft Solomon, Romani knew magus' deplorable nature well.
But Roy's presence, the specific data he sought, and the hints he dropped made Romani's eyes narrow.
From those fragments, he sensed something amiss.
The atmosphere shifted. Romani locked Chaldea's doors with his authority, while Roy set a Third Magic barrier to block prying eyes. They dug through Marisbury's computer and Chaldea's database, piecing together the truth.
As they analyzed, a deeper truth unfurled before them.
Bang!!
Romani slammed his fist on the console, his hands trembling, his bloodshot eyes, red from sleepless nights, burning with intensity.
"Marisbury… how could you be so audacious?"
Muttering the former director's name, he traced the causes and effects.
Drawing on his Solomon-era wisdom and the new intel, Romani deduced a possibility. He looked at Roy, his heart heavy, and asked, "You… came here for this?"
"Exactly. I'm here to help you mitigate the risks. I'm glad you understand my intent. Let's discuss Goetia." Roy said, nodding, his calm facade masking the storm within.
He was grappling with how to address this threat.
"Alright… thank you, Magician. Your help in the Seventh Singularity and coming to our timeline to share this, it's a debt we can't repay." Romani said, rubbing his temples, exhaustion and pain in his eyes.
"The partial truth about Goetia is staggering, and with recent events and the looming Temple of Time, resolving the Incineration of Humanity is urgent. This is…"
The crushing truth and imminent challenges weighed on the acting commander, pushing the already exhausted Romani to the brink.
"It's troublesome, but manageable. I'll handle it and root out all of Marisbury's schemes." Roy said, sensing Romani's thoughts and offering reassurance.
He'd come to resolve Chaldea's and Ritsuka's future issues, not to burden a humanized Romani further.
"Really? Are you sure?" Romani asked, looking up with surprise.
"No problem. It's why I'm here." Roy said, smiling. "Think of me as a compassionate passanger who doesn't want to see more tragedies and wants to help Ritsuka."
"I… see…" Romani said, awed but confused. Marisbury's intent to replace the planet with a smaller sphere and his god-making schemes were overwhelming, even for him.
"If it's as you say, even knowing this, we can't prepare or counter it." Romani admitted.
Once the Incineration ended, Marisbury's plan would begin, leaving humanity no better off.
With the Temple of Time looming, they had no energy for this mess, forced to fight on.
If this magician could do as he claimed, it would be a stroke of luck in their misfortune.
Romani sighed deeply.
Whether this mage's words or origins were true mattered little. Goetia's truth stared him in the face, and he was powerless to stop it.
He was no longer the omniscient King of Magecraft Solomon, just Romani Archaman, an ordinary man doing what he could.
"Let's do this, Solomon. I know your story and resolve. Don't worry, I'll help as much as I can." Roy said.
"That sad name… I abandoned it long ago. Just call me Romani." He replied, embarrassed. The Incineration's cause could be traced to him, but Roy's willingness to take on the burden eased his tension.
All he could do was aid this magician and trust him fully.
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