Chapter 299

Novia's words sounded like harsh criticism to Little Da Vinci, leaving him no room for rebuttal, so he could only obediently purse his lips.

It'll be troublesome if the Teacher starts lecturing; you'll have to quickly change the subject.

"... Oh right, it's a holiday today, and the Prototype said that everything is 30% off!"

Little Da Vinci felt he had said something foolish, but just as he was waiting for Novia's serious rebuttal, he saw—

Novia, her expression truly serious, said to her:

"Why didn't you tell me about something so important earlier? You should have sent me a message! There's no time to lose, let's go!"

Then, in a daze, Little Da Vinci was taken by Novia to the Workshop of the elder Da Vinci.

After Novia and Little Da Vinci left, Chaldeas was depicting a vision of humanity's Future in the deserted space, suddenly flashed red. However, no alarms sounded, and even the silent surveillance cameras around them showed Chaldeas as it had always been.

Chaldeas is an 'alien planet,' a tiny model of Earth. Even if it were built to be exactly the same size, Earth is still here, so Chaldeas is obviously another Planet. To it, this maintenance worker named Novia in the data is simply too 'strange'.

He possesses the power to utterly destroy himself, yet he speaks strange and bizarre things all day long, and can even touch himself...

Chaldeas could naturally tell from the strange reaction that seemed odd to Little Da Vinci that it was simply Novia's way of pleasing Gran Cavallo.

The reason Chaldeas acted this way, when no one knew it, was probably in response to Novia's words.

"Really? Heh, let's make a bet then."

Chapter 347 Ritsuka: Can I keep working with Xiao Xiang's father?

"The first Spiritron Transfer experiment officially begins tomorrow. Time really flies; it feels like just yesterday."

"Yes, so logically, Consultant Novia should be in charge of the facility's maintenance along with Consultant Da Vinci, right?"

On the eve of Chaldea's first Spiritron Transfer Experiment, the ace team 'A', considered to be qualified as Master, was holding a casual get-together on the Chaldea.

"Beryl, I invited Consultant Novia here."

The blond youth, Wodime, the captain of A-Team, who was playing chess with Daybit, looked up and smiled at Beryl after hearing Beryl words.

Wodime and Novia currently have a fairly good relationship, and one night, Novia, while strolling Chaldea, happened to run into Wodime, who was holding Daybit's hand; the two were on their way to the observatory.

"Because this opportunity won't come again! Consultant Novia, you're welcome to come and take a look!"

The usually calm and collected Chairman of the Astrology Department, Wodime, from a prestigious family, was panting heavily, making no attempt to hide his anticipation and excitement as he shouted.

"Shouldn't we call on someone else at this time?"

"Because the sky only seems to clear up for about 5 minutes, like the eye of a typhoon. If we wait, it might not be enough time!"

And so, the three witnessed the band of light hanging in the dark sky. Wodime gazed contentedly at the aurora unfolding in the sky throughout, and uttered a joyful thought, "I want to see many beautiful things, because I was born for that purpose."

For Novia, he naturally understood the meaning of Wodime's words. The word "birth" was a metaphor for Wodime, whose values may have died once and then been resurrected. It was the Desire that arose then that was driving Wodime forward today.

The same applies to Daybit; once he understood this, this 'human' also shared his thoughts.

Following closely behind--

"Oh dear, they didn't even invite us at a time like this. We're supposed to be a team!"

"It's truly a beautiful view."

"Indeed, indeed..."

"Haha, Kadoc, don't speak so softly."

"Boring."

"Everyone, come and take a look!"

Wodime looked at the remaining members of Group A who were walking over and guessed that they had probably been invited by Novia. He couldn't help but feel grateful and thankful that the clear weather had lasted for more than five minutes, otherwise the Crowd wouldn't have been able to see this beautiful view.

As for Mash, she was unable to appear at this time due to personal reasons.

The conversation became lively, and they talked about their dreams. Although their methods and ideas differed, the seven of them did not deny each other, but simply looked at each other and smiled, saying, "I hope we can achieve our dreams." The only exception was Hinako Akuta, who remained silent while looking at her book.

"So, if everything ends, what are your plans?"

Suddenly, Novia asked the crowd.

Wodime remained calm in response, but a hint of lonely struggle flickered in his eyes, and he did not speak immediately.

"How about we don't set any goals, but just travel wherever we want?"

Wodime nodded subconsciously, and all the members of Group A present nodded in agreement.

"Crossing that vast ocean where everything has been renewed."

Afterwards, Wodime still felt that those few minutes of astronomical observation were like reliving his childhood with everyone else.

Let's rewind to the present, to the tea party the day before the Spiritron Transfer experiment.

"Anyway, it's been tested several times already, and there are no problems."

Pepe, who was chatting with Ophelia and exchanging a happy smile like a best friend, also spoke up.

"Wow, wow, it feels like I'm being targeted just because I said one sentence."

Beryl's lips curled into a slight smile. "But I'll listen to you, Wodime, after all, you're the captain."

"Alright, the Crowd, come and try the delicious food that Little Lia has been making for so long."

"I made this myself."

The seemingly calm and rational girl opened the box on the table. Inside were several flatbreads, and a burst of hot steam wafted out. They looked freshly made, with sticky cheese, crispy bacon, and topped with steaming mashed potatoes covered in hot, juicy meat.

Such an aroma, so enticing, would undoubtedly make one's mouth water.

"Yes, it's delicious. Thank you for your hard work."

Wodime nodded as he picked up a piece he had been holding in his palm and taken a few bites.

"That's good."

Ophelia, whose right eye was covered by an eyepatch, lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

The silent Daybit, exchanging a glance with the smiling Pepe; Hinako Akuta, quietly reading Book in a corner; and Beryl, speaking to the seemingly insecure Kadoc with an older brotherly air.

Then, just as Novia was about to say something, she noticed something and looked down.

It was a white animal that looked like a dog.

"It's Fou! It actually came here? It seems like it doesn't even like Mash anymore, it's always clinging to you, Novia, the Consultant."

"Fu~Fu?"

Ignoring the stares of the people around her, Fou ran to Novia's feet, staring at the silver-haired youth with her blue-eyeshadowed eyes. Her long, peacock-feather-like ears blinked, and the next moment she jumped onto Novia's shoulder.

"Fu!"

Seeing Fou like this, and understanding why it was like this, Novia could only smile helplessly. She then held the pancake made by Ophelia to Fou's mouth. However, to everyone's surprise, Fou did not take it with its mouth. Instead, it trembled and shook its head in a human-like manner.

"Fu? Fu!? Fou!"

In fact, Novia could still barely understand what Fou was saying.

My owner is so kind!

Even better than my master (Black Princess), she's actually willing to feed me instead of kicking me out to fend for myself. I'm so touched, Fou! A master like that would definitely help me when my master (Black Princess) gets angry!

Although Mash is cute and her personality is much better than that lousy Succubus, everything still revolves around her master (Novia)!

Fou thought to herself with great pleasure.

Novia could easily guess that the Succubus Fou was referring to was most likely Meli.

Then, in the instant Novia was pondering, Fou reacted. Without hesitation, it held the biscuit up to its head, its two long ears twitching beside it, as if they were human hands, wanting to tear it open and hand it to Novia to eat.

However, with outsiders present, Fou couldn't easily reveal her power, so she just shook wildly.

"Fu!"

When the members of Group A around them saw that Chaldea's 'pet' was in such a state, which was a rare sight in the past, they couldn't help but laugh.

Pepe and Ophelia couldn't help but laugh, Wodime, who had been observing everyone present, let out a genuine laugh.

Kadoc laughed along, while Daybit remained as calm as ever. Hinako Akuta covered the lower half of her face with a book, and Beryl's expression was calm, though there was a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

At the end of the tea party, Wodime suddenly called out to Novia was about to leave:

"Tomorrow, we 48 people will need the help of Consultant Novia, Dr. Roman, and His Excellency Da Vinci."

To date, Chaldea has recruited 48 people from all over the world who are qualified to become Master, including those in Group 'A'. Although he only has nodding acquaintances with the other Wodime, he believes that since he is the captain, he is also the captain of everyone. Therefore, regardless of whether he is familiar with them or not, he must fulfill the responsibilities of the captain. Wodime is also one of the few people in Chaldea who has a good relationship with Romani.

"No."

Novia turned and shook her head at Wodime. "It's 49."

"Um?"

"Although the preliminary selection ended some time ago, some dedicated Chaldea members have persevered and found the final suitable candidate through tireless efforts. In short, there is one more candidate on their way, who should arrive at Chaldea tomorrow without any surprises. That means there are now 49 people."

"Yeah?"

Upon hearing this, Wodime frowned slightly. "Does he intend to participate in the Spiritron Transfer experiment with us right away? Not conducting any testing at all seems rather irresponsible of him."

"That mainly depends on the Director."

"... Too."

The blond youth nodded. "However, I'll have Director Olga Marie do her best to give them more tests and training to avoid any physical problems. After all, I'm the captain, and it's my duty to consider their health. By the way, what's the last one's name?"

"Name..."

Then, Novia crossed her arms, looked up at the clear sky above the observatory, and smiled.

At that moment, an indescribable feeling welled up in Wodime's chest, as if the Rising Sun had finally risen from the darkness, and it felt like everything was just beginning. This made him feel that Novia was like the dazzling light of dawn.

"Ritsuka Fujimaru."

The next day, in the heart of Antarctica, the Orange-Haired Girl, wrapped in the white clothes sent by the organization called Chaldea, gazed at the technologically advanced facility before her and once again asked herself:

What am I even doing here?

I wasn't just idly donating blood; how did I end up in Antarctica?

Even though all expenses were reimbursed, I didn't really have any strong desire to go to Antarctica...

Earlier, Ritsuka Fujimaru, who had already graduated from High School, was torn between continuing her studies or going straight to work.

However, since her family is relatively wealthy, her parents said they would support her education, as long as it's a university, and even if she goes to work, they could provide the funds so that Ritsuka could open a Bakery according to her own wishes... But this only made Ritsuka Fujimaru more conflicted.

But after thinking it over and over, she still couldn't make up her Ritsuka. Plus, with nothing else to do, Ritsuka even had the thought, "Why don't I go help my junior at school Xiao Xiang, run the Coffee Shop?" But after pondering for a long time, she decided against it. After all, Xiao Xiang's father is... sigh, and her lover is still alive.

In short, Ritsuka Fujimaru, who grew up in modern society, knew that interfering in other people's relationships was extremely wrong. That's why she gave up on her feelings after learning that Xiao Xiang's mother was still alive. The girl also believed that time would heal all wounds.

Look, it's been three months, twenty-two days, fourteen hours, thirty-eight minutes, and seventeen seconds since we last met. I've almost forgotten what we talked about... Anyway, Ritsuka Fujimaru would never do anything reckless under normal circumstances.

Afterwards, Ritsuka Fujimaru, who was planning to travel to other cities, encountered Chaldea staff member in front of the station in the city center. The staff member had been despairing of the mission assigned by the organization, seeing his colleagues all over the world receiving Chaldea's reward funds to varying degrees, while he had nothing in this broken island country... But unexpectedly, Ritsuka's appearance gave him a chance to change his fate.

In other words, by disguising himself as a blood donation van, he successfully got Ritsuka to naively undergo an aptitude test. After being found to have 100% aptitude, she was enthusiastically recommended to Chaldea. The staff member himself also received a huge bonus to buy a new car, which was indeed a 'fate-defying' act in a way.

"Oh well, we're already here."

Comforting herself with these words Ritsuka Fujimaru pushed open the Great Gate of Chaldea. For a fleeting moment, she seemed to see light shining on her face—

"Base sequence; confirmed as human genome; artifact attribute; confirmed as benevolent and neutral."

What the heck is this? There was no mention of anything like this...

Ritsuka, whose mind was in a daze, heard some kind of mechanical broadcast voice in her ears.

"Welcome to the archive that tells the story of humanity's Future. This is Chaldea, the organization that ensures the continuation of Human Order."

"Fingerprint authentication, voiceprint authentication, genetic authentication, completed; Magic Circuits detection... completed."

"As the registered name, you are confirmed to be Primate. Nice to meet you. You are the last visitor to the museum today. Have a pleasant time!"

"Ritsuka Fujimaru."

The voice wasn't actually a Chaldea broadcast; it was the voice of Chaldeas.

Ever since the bet with Novia, who was his maintenance Consultant, 'Alien' Chaldeas had kept Novia's words, 'You are someone who will always belong to Chaldea, and can be completely crushed,' in his mind. In his opinion, the most likely candidate was 'Kirschtaria Wodime,' who was regarded as the captain and superior by those in Chaldea who had the qualifications of Master.

So Chaldeas thought to himself, if he could find an opportunity to turn this Wodime against him, wouldn't he have won?

It's easy.