Several hours had passed since the confrontation between Wodine and Chaldea. Up to this point—perhaps due to sheer bad luck—only one Servant had fallen into my Master's hands: James Moriarty, who had stood his ground to protect the Master of Chaldea.
Night had fallen, and Chaldea—along with the other Servants—had reached the island of Astrea to rest. According to the original canon, this would place us roughly halfway through the journey, but there was no point in delaying things any further.
It was night, and everyone was gathered around a campfire, resting after the day's events.
Taking advantage of my Class traits, I watched from a distance as they recounted their adventures; some chatted, while others laughed.
I reviewed what I knew so far.
There was the last representative of humanity—at least in theory, though that became less certain once we arrived in the Lostbelts. Beside her was Mash, currently at her lowest point; she had yet to receive the power-up she would later gain in the British Lostbelt, so she posed no major complications.
The rest of the Chaldea contingent remained hidden, tucked away to avoid the dangers of the Lostbelt—such as the persistent appearances of Odysseus, Caenis (who was currently out of commission), or even Wodine himself, who could show up at any moment.
"Well, let's see," I muttered, keeping my voice as low as possible. "There's Orion, Gaheris of the Knights of the Round Table, Paris of Troy, and Achilles—the fastest hero in Greece, though that's open to debate. Then there's Jason of the Argonauts, the Viking Leif Erikson—who discovered Vinland—Mandricardo (who escaped from Olympus), and finally, that ninja, Chiyome." "I see," I heard Wodine's voice in my mind. "What do you intend to do?" he asked.
"It's a bit dull just watching from here; I think I'll stir things up a little," I replied, cutting our mental link as I crept closer to the camp.
"The creatures in this sea still don't compare to the ones I encountered on my own journey," Leif remarked, taking a swig of alcohol from a wooden cup.
"For some reason, I don't believe a word you're saying," countered Achilles—still missing an arm—as he glanced toward the Viking nearby.
"He's probably just drunk and imagining things," Mandricardo added, sounding rather pessimistic.
I sensed the presence of my companions nearby; I simply walked slowly through the area until I reached a spot right behind Ritsuka.
It was clear that everyone was exhausted—and I don't blame them; it had been an incredibly draining day. Between the battle against Caenis, the encounter with Wodine, and finally earning the right to enter the Temple of Astraea, it's no wonder they didn't notice me.
"In his search for Vinland, there were still a few creatures from the age of the gods," I said—causing everyone to fall silent—"so it's possible he encountered one of those beasts," I concluded.
At that very moment, I saw Achilles leap from his seat and, summoning his spear, attempt to drive it into my head.
I simply stepped aside, while Ritsuka—or Gudako, to her friends—threw herself to the ground and rolled away, and Mash, already wielding her shield, darted in front of her to provide protection.
Every Servant present had their weapons summoned and ready for battle.
I took several steps back, raising my hands in a gesture of peace.
"Easy, everyone—I didn't come here to fight," I said, keeping my voice as calm as I possibly could.
"You think I'm going to believe that?" Achilles retorted, glaring at me with intense fury.
"You're all itching for a fight, aren't you? Hardly any of you are in any real shape for it, and if there's too much noise..." I gestured toward the sky. "...you might just wake *her* up."
No one said a word, but my gaze inevitably drifted to Libra; she held her bow, though she didn't draw the string. She just stared at me, unsure of what to do.
Without a word, she began to walk toward me, stopping less than a meter away.
We locked eyes, neither of us blinking even once.
"What is it you're looking for?" she asked. I simply offered a smile.
"I heard that Chaldea's Master finally arrived—and that Wodine has been taken out. That must have been quite the ordeal, right?" I remarked.
She merely narrowed her eyes.
"That doesn't answer my question," she reiterated, to which I could only sigh and decide to tell the truth.
"I just came to watch; I have no room to fight you all here. I could have done this from a distance the whole time—none of you would have even known I was there—but that would have been far too boring," I admitted with a smile.
My daughter stared at me for a long moment, causing a bead of sweat to roll down my forehead; my cheeks were already aching from forcing a smile for so long.
She simply sighed and put away her bow, prompting some of the others to do the same—though a few, like Achilles and Chiyome, did not.
As my daughter returned to her spot, Achilles looked quite displeased.
"Are we just going to let it go, like nothing happened?" he complained, drawing a glance from Libra.
"If he wanted to kill us, he would have attacked by now. He wasn't lying, and, all things considered, he's right. A fight now would only alert our enemies to our position. At this point, it likely makes no difference to him whether the Temple of Astraea is touched or not," Libra explained, walking away until she was out of sight.
Orion followed her without a second thought.
Achilles clicked his tongue, lowering his spear.
"I'll be keeping an eye on you," he said, returning to his seat, while Chiyome continued to glare at me, her weapons still firmly in hand.
"I expected nothing less," I remarked, sitting down on one of the logs—leaving a clear space all around me.
"Is it really okay to leave him here?" Gudako asked, looking toward Mash, who shook her head.
"I have no idea, Master," Mash replied. "Even if we wanted to do something, we can't—not right now. A fight would only further deplete our already dwindling numbers. All we can do is keep an eye on him and be ready in case he does something stupid," Gaheris replied, staring into the fire before him, occasionally casting a fleeting glance toward the target.
"Well, we're sitting in front of a campfire," I said, conjuring a guitar, "so why not take advantage of the atmosphere?"
With that, I struck a note.
"Come on, Zelda, come on! Hand over the Triforce—I'm starving!" I began to sing. "Bring me a big bottle of Zora brew! The hotties are waiting for me over in Gerudo Valley—yee-haw!"
...
The next day, I stayed not far from the group of Servants.
My presence kept everyone stressed and worried; no one could relax—which was exactly what I wanted. The lingering sense that I might attack at any moment never faded.
I watched as Gudako rose from her futon, stretching and rubbing her face. She seemed to be the only one who had managed to get some rest.
I couldn't help but approach her.
"I see you had a good night," I remarked, while Mash—her shield already positioned in front of me—stood ready to protect her Master at a moment's notice.
"With so many Servants around, I've got nothing to worry about," Gudako replied, finishing her stretch and looking toward me. "Besides, if you had tried anything, I would've just used Jason as a shield—problem solved."
"Hey!" the aforementioned hero protested. "That's no way to treat a hero!"
No one paid him any mind.
...
Walking toward the beach, I finally caught up with Libra, who was busy cleaning her bow. It seemed she didn't have much else to do.
"What do you want?" she asked, not even looking my way.
"Honestly? Nothing much. I'm essentially in 'retirement'—though it's not exactly permanent," I said. She stopped dead in her tracks.
"If you have something to say, say it—I'm busy," she declared, standing up abruptly and starting to walk away.
"Oh, *very* busy—doing absolutely nothing, despite the fact that you could take down all these guys without much trouble," I pointed out. She froze, then turned around to face me.
"It's not that simple," she countered.
"Actually, it is—you just have to know how to go about it," I explained. She stood there for a few moments, motionless.
"What do you mean?" she asked again. He was asking a lot of questions, trying to pry information out of me—information I, quite frankly, didn't mind sharing.
"There's the issue of Odysseus's true identity—a man manipulated by the gods—and the fact that you have to accept that this woman is now your mother. Then there's the sorcerer; he may not show it, but he has a massive ego—so if you take a shot at him, he won't even try to dodge it," I told him, turning away to slip out of sight.
I've already told him everything he needs to know; now, all that's left is to wait.
...
Several hours had passed since that conversation. The group had already gathered to attempt one final strike—a necessity, given that my mere presence, combined with the possibility of Wodine's return at any moment, weighed heavily on their minds.
Fortunately for them, they had already secured all the Divine Cores they were missing. Once the reinforcements arrived at Chaldea, Libra and the others set out to track down the remaining pieces. Much like the Drake from another timeline—who had managed to claim Poseidon's core, albeit while incurring a curse—this version had joined the rebellion alongside the others.
As luck would have it, they also had Leif, who was capable of summoning a ship to navigate the seas of Atlantis.
"They've split into two groups; one will face Artemis, and the other will confront Odysseus," I informed Wodine.
"I see. Do you think they'll win?" he asked.
"Most likely. Odysseus is practically on his own—"technically, he still had his army and his beasts, but they were of little use at the moment"—and Artemis should fall, provided they execute everything correctly."
I heard no response, but my attention remained fixed on the battlefield.
Artemis was already taking aim at the island's shore, where Ritsuka, Mash, and the others were positioned, while out at sea, Odysseus and his army stood ready to strike.
I didn't even notice that the connection between Kirschtaria and me had been severed; I was too focused on watching the island being pummeled by repeated energy blasts, even as the Servants scrambled to respond as best they could.
Achilles, Chiyome, Jason, and Orion plunged into the sea to intercept Odysseus, while the rest braced themselves for the attack Artemis was currently charging up.
"Hey," I heard, as the connection suddenly re-established itself.
"Hmm? What is it?" I asked.
"Is there still any way I can convince you to sit this fight out?" he asked. I simply watched as the satellite in the sky fired; it was Mandricardo who intervened, using his Noble Phantasm to save everyone—at the cost of his own life. Meanwhile, Libra had her bow aimed at the sky, preparing herself—for it would take more than an ordinary shot to bring down a machine god.
"I told you, I won't do a thing while I'm in Atlantis," I replied, watching as, out at sea, Odysseus reactivated his Noble Phantasm, even as several serpent heads began to coil around him.
I heard a sigh in response.
"Fine. I won't force you to join the battle," he said—but his tone shifted, becoming commanding: "However, I *can* order you to do something else."
I watched as ships were destroyed and Odysseus began to falter. I saw Achilles and Orion trying to reach him, attempting to make him realize he was being controlled by the gods—while Hieron, struggling to block it all out, tried to forget his own family.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked.
"You know," he replied. I grimaced in annoyance.
"Can't you just let me rest?" I pressed.
"Just do it," he commanded. "Or would you prefer I use a Command Spell to force you into the fight?"
I believe this was the first time I'd ever heard Wodine threaten anyone—I suppose it's an honor to be the first.
Faced with his particular brand of persuasion, I could only sigh.
I watched as Artemis's second shot descended, aimed straight for Libra and Gudako—but a full-powered arrow from Paris managed to deflect it, saving their lives.
As the Servant who had killed Achilles vanished—having run out of mana—I began to trace a magic circle right where I stood.
I watched as Chiyome sacrificed herself to divert the surge of hatred, leaving an opening for Jason, Achilles, and Orion to strike.
Odysseus hesitated. He didn't know what was true; he didn't want to believe the enemy's claims. But the words he had been told—combined with the gaps in his own memory and the full truth being laid bare—caused him to waver. In that moment of doubt, he failed to dodge the simultaneous assault from the three and was run through.
At the same time, Artemis fired again, but Libra was already prepared. Channeling a vast portion of her power, she loosed an arrow—one reinforced by the remnants of the "anti-moon"—which, combined with the arrow's own inherent properties, struck back against the machine goddess's projectile.
The arrows continued their trajectory into space, striking her core dead-on and finally bringing Artemis down.
I saw a single, small tear roll down Libra's cheek, causing her to falter in her actions. Yet, I chose to trust—not just in luck, but in the capabilities of Chaldea, and above all, in the skills of my own daughter.
With that, I activated the magic circle inscribed on the wall.
Nothing happened the instant it was activated, but a few seconds later, someone stepped through the circle.
It was Wodine Kirschtaria, dressed in his attire and holding his staff.
"What's the situation?" he asked.
"A bit late, aren't you?" I replied with a touch of humor. "Artemis and Odysseus have already fallen—just as I predicted," I explained, gesturing toward the battlefield.
"I think it's best we head back and wait up there," I suggested, hoping he would listen.
Wodine simply looked at me, then turned his gaze toward where Ritsuka and the others were.
"No," he said. "I believe it's best to end this all here and now." I didn't understand what he meant. "Why now? Why didn't you do it sooner, when you had the chance?"
"It was a one-time gesture in response to that man's request—nothing more. Given the convenience of your sorcery, I intend to take this opportunity to put an end to this once and for all," he explained, continuing on his way. "Follow me; take a look at the results of the investigation I completed, thanks to your help."
With that, curiosity took hold of me, so I decided to follow Wodine, who was heading straight toward where Ritsuka and the others were.