"Director." Ian looked at Olga Marie before him, realizing that he seemed to have overlooked some extremely important things.
"Are you... saying that what I have in my hand isn't suitable for Fujimaru Ritsuka to learn?" Ian asked, his blue eyes looking at her with a hint of doubt.
"Of course!" Olga Marie replied, her face flushed red.
"This manual in your hand... is specifically for people with a foundation in magecraft." Olga Marie explained, her amber eyes looking at him.
"If you let Fujimaru Ritsuka look at this kind of thing, she definitely won't understand a single word."
"..." Olga Marie's words made Ian recall Fujimaru Ritsuka's reaction when she first encountered this introductory manual left behind by Ophelia.
Back then, she really couldn't understand a single word.
But at that time, he thought it was because Fujimaru Ritsuka's foundation wasn't good enough, which led to this situation.
Now it seemed——
That wasn't entirely the case.
However, Ian wasn't the kind of person without independent thinking ability.
He quickly realized a problem in Olga Marie's statement.
"Director, I don't mean to doubt you." Ian said gently, his blue eyes looking at her.
"But is it really necessary for a place like the Clock Tower to specially create two versions of an introductory manual? And why would Ophelia have gotten this kind of manual?"
"..." Olga Marie was silent for a moment, seemingly recalling some past events.
She said,
"Ian... didn't Ophelia tell you about her performance at the Clock Tower?" Olga Marie asked, her amber eyes looking at him.
"Performance?" The man frowned slightly, starting to search his memory for information in this regard.
"She mentioned some... but not much." Ian recalled, his blue eyes looking thoughtful.
"She admitted to me that she was a student from the Clock Tower, and a pretty good one at that."
"This..." Olga Marie's expression looked a little surprised, then she continued to explain.
"It seems she really didn't go into detail."
"Then——"
"Let me tell you... Ophelia's performance was far beyond that of a good student." Olga Marie said, her voice a little serious.
"She was a top student in the Spirit Evocation Department... the only one to get a perfect score in the Clock Tower's entrance exam."
"Do you think..." Olga Marie looked at the man before her, a hint of barely perceptible envy in her eyes.
"She would still need to use those basic things?"
"..." Ian's doubts were instantly resolved.
Because Ophelia's performance was indeed better than anyone Ian had encountered in Chaldea so far.
If not for his "inhuman" identity, the Mystic Eyes she released during their first encounter might have already caused extremely serious consequences.
In addition.
During their secret meetings, Ophelia would indeed intentionally or unintentionally mention some pressure from her parents.
She even expressed her wish that he could pretend to be her fiancé and go back to see them with her.
These were all situations that matched what Olga Marie had said.
But Ian suddenly realized another problem.
"Director... this kind of manual should only be available to talents like Ophelia, right?" Ian asked, his blue eyes looking at her.
"Yeah." Olga Marie nodded.
"But——" Ian looked at the manual in his hand.
"I seem to have finished learning it."
"What?!?" A look of disbelief appeared in Olga Marie's amber eyes.
"You finished learning it?!" Olga Marie exclaimed, her voice filled with surprise.
"When did you go to the Clock Tower? I've never seen you!"
"No." Ian stopped Olga Marie's words.
"I haven't been to the Clock Tower... but I finished learning it here with Ophelia." Ian explained calmly.
"No, but Ophelia, she——" Olga Marie stopped herself halfway through her sentence.
She had wanted to ask, "Wouldn't Ophelia be surprised by your behavior?" but then realized that such a thing was natural for Ophelia.
After all, she was a genius.
So, when facing another genius, she wouldn't be surprised at all.
Olga Marie's gaze towards Ian changed once again.
If her previous feelings were gratitude for saving her life, then at this moment, they were extreme joy and happiness.
The man who stayed by her side was a true genius.
This is great!
If that's the case... then they will definitely be able to solve everything!
Unknowingly, two lines of clear tears flowed from Olga Marie's amber eyes.
"What's wrong?" Ian became a little nervous.
"Director... did I say something wrong?" Ian asked, his blue eyes filled with concern.
"It's nothing." Olga Marie shook her head, then revealed a bright smile.
"I'm just very glad that you were able to stay in Chaldea." Olga Marie said softly, her amber eyes looking at him with warmth.
"You... are a genius, just like Ophelia!"
"..." Ian wasn't stupid.
Olga Marie's two sentences made him roughly understand the reason for the other girl's excitement.
That "introductory manual" wasn't an "introductory manual" at all, but an advanced item suitable for someone of Ophelia's level.
But the man wasn't concerned about this at the moment.
"Director." Ian said softly, turning his attention to her.
"Seeing how knowledgeable you are... you're also from the Clock Tower, right?"
"..." As soon as something related to her father was mentioned, Olga Marie puffed out her chest—even though her current appearance wasn't really suitable for doing so.
"Of course!" Olga Marie declared proudly.
"I... am the Head of the Astronomy Department at the Clock Tower!" The Director introduced her other identity with a serious expression. "Of course, I know what this book represents!"
"That's right!"
"When I... entered, I also took this book!"
The problem of Fujimaru Ritsuka's learning was finally solved at this moment.
Ian couldn't help but feel a little happy.
And looking at Olga Marie's slightly proud appearance, the man felt like teasing her a little.
"Hmm——" Ian's hand rested on Olga Marie's thigh.
"As expected of the Head of the Astronomy Department at the Clock Tower." Ian said softly, his blue eyes looking at her playfully.
"The inside... is indeed different."
"..." Olga Marie immediately understood the other meaning in the man's words.
Her face turned even redder than before, but she couldn't refute his words.
Because... he had indeed experienced her "inside" completely.
And seeing the girl's appearance, Ian couldn't help but find it very amusing.
However——
He didn't dwell too long in this feeling of teasing Olga Marie.
He still remembered his real purpose.
"Let's not talk about that." Ian said, his blue eyes looking at her seriously.
"Director... since that's the case, you should have a way to teach Fujimaru Ritsuka magecraft, right?"
"..." Feeling that the man had become much more serious, Olga Marie also shifted her attention away from his previous words.
"Hmm, let me think." The Director lowered her head and thought seriously.
After a moment.
She looked at Ian again and nodded.
"It should be fine." Olga Marie said, her amber eyes looking thoughtful.
"The data room in Chaldea wasn't damaged... we should be able to find a way to teach her from there."
"I'll go tell her now!" Saying this, Olga Marie wanted to wake up Fujimaru Ritsuka.
But her actions were quickly stopped by Ian.
The latter sighed and said,
"Director... are you planning to wake up Fujimaru Ritsuka in this state? She'll be shocked, won't she?" Ian asked gently, his blue eyes looking at her with a hint of amusement.
Hearing Ian say this, Olga Marie remembered what she and he had just done.
The other person's gaze was so easy to accept that she had even assumed that being tied up like this was reasonable.
"Of course, I know that!" Olga Marie muttered softly.
"Then——"
"Help me put my clothes back on."
"...Alright." Like handling a delicate doll, Ian put Olga Marie's clothes back on her piece by piece.
Then, under the man's gaze, the Director gently patted Fujimaru Ritsuka's shoulder and woke her up.
"Ritsuka~" Olga Marie called softly.
"Who is it... waking people up so early." Fujimaru Ritsuka grumbled, rubbing her eyes.
After seeing Olga Marie standing in front of her, she immediately woke up completely.
"Di-Director!" Fujimaru Ritsuka covered herself with the blanket, afraid that the other girl would discover her current situation.
Although they were all girlfriends and stuff, being caught like this was still inevitably a little embarrassing.
However——
Fujimaru Ritsuka never expected that Olga Marie's next sentence would directly reveal this secret.
"I know everything." Olga Marie said calmly, her amber eyes looking at her.
"Just not wearing clothes... I don't mind."
Olga Marie was also too embarrassed to mind.
After all, compared to Fujimaru Ritsuka's current appearance, what she had enjoyed was even more excessive.
However, this newly appointed Master didn't know anything about this.
In her eyes, Olga Marie, just like Ian had said, didn't stop him from accepting more girlfriends.
This made Fujimaru Ritsuka feel a little relieved.
However——
After calming down, she immediately realized that Olga Marie being here was a little strange.
After all... she wasn't in the "learning plan" that Ian had mentioned.
"Director, you..." Fujimaru Ritsuka stopped halfway through her sentence.
She was too embarrassed to say such words—"Why are you here?!"
But Olga Marie had completely understood what she meant.
The silver-haired girl proactively explained her purpose for coming here at this moment.
"Ritsuka... I'm here to help you learn magecraft." Olga Marie said gently, her amber eyes looking at her.
"Help me learn magecraft?" Fujimaru Ritsuka first looked at the Director, then looked at Ian beside her.
As the latter nodded, confirming that what Olga Marie said was true, this newly appointed Master finally felt relieved.
"Director, I..." "Alright, don't say anything." Olga Marie sat down beside Fujimaru Ritsuka and took her hand.
"From now on... let's work hard together."
"..." The simplest words have the most unadorned power.
Fujimaru Ritsuka no longer wanted to dwell on anything.
"Yeah! I'll do my best!"
Facts proved that it was indeed the things Ian had initially brought out that were too difficult.
After changing a "tutor," Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly made progress—she wasn't as bad as she had imagined.
"Director, what kind of magecraft is this?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, her brown eyes looking at Olga Marie with curiosity.
"Celestial Magecraft." Olga Marie replied, her amber eyes looking at her.
"Oh... so that's what it's called."
Many times, successfully accomplishing certain things is very beneficial for building confidence.
After a few days of learning under Olga Marie's guidance, Fujimaru Ritsuka had already mastered some simple magecraft.
"Look~" Fujimaru Ritsuka stood in front of Ian and extended her finger.
Brilliant sparks flickered at her fingertip, showcasing the girl's past efforts.
"I can do this now!" Looking at the joy overflowing from Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes, Ian also felt happy.
He gently stroked the girl's head as his way of acknowledging her.
"Good, good." Ian said softly, his blue eyes filled with affection.
"My Ritsuka... isn't actually stupid at all."
"Of course!" Fujimaru Ritsuka lightly punched Ian's chest. "I'm your partner who's going to save the world with you!"
"There's no way I could be stupid——!"
"Hmm, having such confidence is really good." Ian said with a smile.
"Hehe~" Olga Marie watched the warm scene between Fujimaru Ritsuka and Ian.
Although she had long promised herself that she wouldn't object to him having relationships with multiple girls in Chaldea.
But when she really saw this scene, Olga Marie found that her heart was still sour.
But——
She had to endure it.
She absolutely couldn't cause him any trouble.
Thinking this way, Olga Marie bit her lip tightly, her hand restlessly scratching her shoulder.
She should still go and prepare the... first.
But just at this moment, Ian's voice came over.
"Director, why are you standing there?" Ian asked, his blue eyes looking at her.
"Come over here quickly."
"Eh?" Olga Marie completely didn't expect to be noticed at this moment.
"I... can go over?" Olga Marie asked hesitantly.
"Why not?" Ian said with a smile. "You're the big hero this time."
"..." Olga Marie's face turned red.
She found that she actually quite liked this feeling of helping others.
The protagonist of the story didn't always have to be her.
"Coming." Olga Marie walked over to Ian.
The man pulled both her and Fujimaru Ritsuka into his embrace.
"I'm sorry." Ian said softly, his blue eyes looking at them with sincerity.
"I should have thought of the Director sooner. If I had, Ritsuka, you wouldn't have been so discouraged."
"..." Olga Marie looked up and saw Ian's eyes filled with guilt.
She then realized that while Fujimaru Ritsuka had been discouraged because she couldn't learn magecraft, this man had also been feeling upset.
He... actually cherished every girl by his side.
Thinking this way, Olga Marie wanted to comfort him.
"You don't have to say that... you didn't know I was from the Clock Tower before." Olga Marie said gently, her amber eyes looking at him.
"And the result isn't bad now, is it?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Fujimaru Ritsuka chimed in.
"At least I've learned some simple magecraft now, haven't I?"
"That's true." Knowing that the two were comforting him, Ian gladly accepted their kindness.
The man, with his arms around their waists, gently placed a kiss on each of their foreheads.
"Thank you."
Olga Marie and Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had received Ian's affection, both blushed.
And just at this moment, Ian's phone rang—it was the sound of a new message.
He glanced at the two of them, then, under their permissive gazes, checked the message.
But when he saw the content, the man was taken aback for a moment.
[Dear Ian, the Spiritron Summoning System seems to be repaired, do you want to come and take a look?]