Morpheus and Ritsuka's conversation couldn't continue, nor could Morpheus's plan to teach Ritsuka new skills.
Romani and Mash, after their brief exchange, shifted the topic to Morpheus.
"Morpheus, you come from an orthodox magus family. Ritsuka lacks knowledge in this area, so help her out when the time comes…"
"No problem. I was just talking to Ritsuka about that, planning to pass on some of my knowledge," Morpheus nodded immediately.
His quick agreement caught Romani off guard. He hadn't expected Morpheus to be so cooperative.
But at the same time, Romani grew curious.
"Wait, Morpheus, your physical condition?"
"What about my physical condition?"
"No, it's nothing…" Romani shook his head, saying no more, though his eyes clearly held suspicion.
Seeing this reaction, Morpheus pressed, "What exactly did you see? If there's something wrong with my body, Doctor, you should just say it instead of hiding it."
"It's not that. Your body is healthy... healthier than I expected."
Morpheus grew even more curious. "Healthier than you expected?"
Mash and Ritsuka, standing nearby, also looked intrigued.
"From my earlier talk with Mash, she's become a Demi-Servant, a fusion of human and Servant, surpassing human limits to reach a non-human level.
"But your body shows similar traits… not as extreme as Mash's, but your physical strength clearly exceeds that of a normal human.
"That shouldn't be possible… Becoming a Demi-Servant isn't that simple, or there'd be no need for experiments. Plus, you're definitely human... our scans confirm it, not something else…"
Using Chaldea's equipment, Romani reviewed the data on his screen while speaking to Morpheus.
"Your body is healthy, so I didn't think it needed mentioning… but since you asked, I'll explain."
Romani sighed quietly, feeling like he'd come off as some secretive villain for not speaking up earlier.
"That? Probably just because my body is special. You could treat me as a unique entity, somewhat like a Servant," Morpheus said with a smile, not hiding anything. He'd thought there was a problem with his body, but it turned out to be his Servant-like traits.
"Treat you as a Servant?"
Not just Romani, but Mash let out a surprised sound.
Ritsuka, who had studied some relevant knowledge, understood the concept of Servants and was equally shocked. "You're a Servant?!"
"You're not saying I'm already dead, are you?"
"No, but Servants aren't always historical or mythical figures…"
"Actually, future figures can be summoned too... it's not set in stone, since the Throne of Heroes exists outside the timeline," Morpheus corrected Ritsuka, shaking his head. "When I say treat me as a Servant, I mean my body is unique and can be viewed as such, but I'm still human, so treat my body as human too."
"You're saying you were born with traits combining human and Servant qualities?" Romani shook his head, finding it hard to believe. If it were that simple, what was the point of all the experiments Mash endured?
Unless the McRemitz family was secretly conducting similar experiments.
But did the McRemitz family have the resources to burn like Chaldea, with its astronomical expenses?
In the end, Roman chalked it up to something he didn't fully understand and didn't press further.
At the same time, he felt reassured. He'd been worried with only Mash, but now, with Morpheus's near-Servant-level physique surpassing ordinary humans, the mission in Singularity F should be much safer.
"Now, the situation. Move about two kilometers from your current location to a place with a strong leyline. Once there, you can stabilize communication with us. That's your first task, but prioritize your safety. Don't be reckless. Over here…"
Before he could finish, the connection cut off. Morpheus and the others exchanged glances.
Mash spoke up. "The communication dropped. What now?"
Ritsuka seemed full of energy. "Let's head to the destination. Did he mention the direction?"
"The doctor couldn't send the coordinates... it cut off too suddenly. I can sense a stronger leyline in that direction," Mash said, pointing after sensing the area.
Morpheus didn't bother checking directions. He'd already grasped the general situation upon arriving. Instead, he was focused on the creature that looked like a mix of dog and fox... Fou.
The legendary Primate Murder, true name Cath Palug, a Beast on par with King of the Demon Gods Goetia.
In a sense, Fou was the ultimate lifeform created by Gaia's consciousness, a UO... Ultimate One, meaning the final, singular entity.
Every celestial body, like the Moon or Mercury, had its own UO, immensely powerful. Earth, however, was an anomaly... its UO was incomplete, and in some worldlines, it was even outdone by other planets' UOs.
With all the bizarre entities constantly emerging on Earth, it had taken a path entirely distinct from other planets.
Watching this Primate Murder, whose purpose was to kill humans, lounging on Mash's chest, Morpheus found it amusing.
"I created the ultimate holy child to destroy demons!"
"Wow, impressive! What happened to this holy child?"
"He was seduced by the demon saintess and now lounges on her chest!"
"Wow, truly effective against demons... he even won over their saintess!"
"…"
That was roughly what Morpheus had thought when he first learned of this setting.
He stepped forward, reaching out to pet the Beast. Its fluffy fur looked so soft.
But Fou, seeing Morpheus's hand, leaped from Mash's chest, hid behind her, and bared its teeth at him.
It looked scared and hostile but too wary to act.
"Sorry, it usually doesn't like being around people. Ritsuka-senpai is an exception," Mash apologized quietly to Morpheus.
"Not surprising for a Beast... its instincts are sharp…" Morpheus muttered, retracting his hand.
He figured his unique traits triggered Fou's reaction, given his attributes posed a significant threat to enemies of humanity.
Primate Murder was, after all, an enemy of humanity.
Plus, his Kabbalistic magecraft naturally countered beings like Dead Apostles.
"No worries. We're kind of natural enemies," Morpheus smiled, brushing it off. "Let's move. Stabilizing the signal and connecting with Chaldea is the priority."
"Let's go!" Ritsuka chimed in enthusiastically.
The group headed toward their destination. Though they walked along a main road, the ruined houses and burning flames around them made Mash and the others frown.
Mash murmured, "Fuyuki City, 2004, consumed by fire. The records don't mention anything like this…"
A sudden scream interrupted her.
"Kyaa!! What's going on?!"
Recognizing the familiar voice, Morpheus knew he'd found the key figure.
Mash immediately said, "It sounds like a woman's scream, Senpai. Let's hurry!"
Calling out to Ritsuka as "Senpai," they rushed toward the scream and quickly found its source.
Olga Marie Animusphere, her hair disheveled, was running, dodging undead monsters... the same kind Mash and Ritsuka had fought earlier.
"What's going on?! Why am I so unlucky?!" Olga Marie was terrified, angry, and overwhelmed.
How had such a disaster struck, landing her in this place?
"I've had enough! Save me, Lev! You're always the one who helps me, aren't you?!"
"You're breaking my heart, Lady Animusphere. I've helped you too, and one reason I came here was to save you."
A slightly hurt tone made Olga Marie look toward the voice. She saw three people approaching.
Mash and Ritsuka hurried forward, while the man, whom she vaguely recognized, moved leisurely but with composure.
"You… you guys?! Ugh, what's going on?!" Olga Marie wailed. This group didn't look capable of solving the situation!
Then she saw Mash, under Ritsuka's command, attack the monsters with impressive combat prowess, leaving Olga Marie stunned.
Morpheus finally reached her side, smiling. "I'm glad to see your body's unharmed, Lady Animusphere."
"You're not helping?" Olga Marie asked, then shook her head. "No, better not. You'd interfere with Mash, the Demi-Servant, and hold her back."
She turned to Morpheus. "Weren't you absent from the experiment? Why are you here?"
"You'd have to ask the person you were just thinking about, why I couldn't attend," Morpheus shrugged. "Such a pity. I was planning to give him a good thrashing, but it seems I was sabotaged."
Olga Marie froze, then frowned. "You're talking about… Lev?!"
"Of course, Mr. Lev. You just said he's the only one who helps you, Lady Animusphere. That stings."
Olga Marie couldn't make sense of what he was saying. He seemed to know Lev, but with her familiarity with Lev, why would he deliberately keep this man from the experiment?
And wouldn't such hostility be obvious if he hadn't shown up at the lab?
"Lev is my ally, and I trust him!" Olga Marie declared, turning away. "What's going on here? Why is an ordinary person who was late to my speech now a Master?! Only top-tier magi can form contracts with Servants!"
"That's a misconception, Lady Animusphere. Contracting doesn't depend on a magus's qualifications. Even an ordinary human can form a contract with a Servant. If needed, one person can contract multiple Servants, or even have Servants contract each other."
Morpheus smiled, his words making Olga Marie's face flush with anger.
"Are you saying you know more about Servant-Master contracts than I do?!"
"I know a bit. But that's not important now. What matters is getting that person to show himself."
Morpheus looked up.
"You're here, aren't you, Lev? Come out!"
Olga Marie's heart trusted Lev would help her, but if he was here, why hadn't he appeared?
"What?! Lev's here too?"
"Of course. Oh, there he is…" Morpheus said, looking at a squinting man in a hat nearby.
The man removed his hat, bowing slightly with a cruel smile.
"I never imagined you'd escape that place. I thought you were his descendant, just a McRemitz foster child. But now I'm certain... you're him!"
Morpheus blinked, then laughed. "We've met before?"
"I've seen you... a mysterious, powerful magician called Veritas000. I watched you and the Greek moon goddess slay Typhon, ensuring it could never return.
"And further back, I saw you with the gods against the gigantes. You vanished suddenly, leaving only faint records, barely identifiable. But I saw it with my own eyes."
Lev's words made everyone turn to Morpheus, realizing the last to join Chaldea might have a far greater identity than they thought.
***
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