Separation

Fujimaru Ritsuka saw him first.

She jumped off the rocks, stumbled when she landed, and almost tripped over the loose stones.

Mash Kyrielight reached out to support her, and she regained her balance.

"Mr. Higashino?!"

Before she could even speak, Higashino Makoto approached and spoke first.

How's it going on your end?

Fujimaru Ritsuka's lips twitched, as if she wanted to say something, but then swallowed it back.

She reached up and rubbed her temples.

"This is not good. Poseidon and Moon God are too powerful. Most of the heroic spirits that this land originally summoned on its own have been defeated, leaving only a few. We can't get to that city up there. And now we have another, even more troublesome problem: Zeus might come down and take action himself at any moment."

"Don't worry about that, I've already spoken to Zeus. Why don't you all come with me? I'll handle this Lostbelt problem."

Higashino Makoto said.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand stopped at her brow.

"You... have you talked to them?"

"Yes. He won't make a move for now, at least not after I meet with you."

Higashino Makoto turned his head and glanced at the giant city floating in the air.

"If you want to go up, I can take you up."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's lips finally twitched, but it wasn't a smile; it was more like a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Higashino, what exactly did you do up there?"

"I fought him, showed him my fists a little, and then we sat down to talk."

Higashino Makoto turned around and looked at the giant city.

"Next, I'm going to move the entire city. If you're not in a hurry, you can stay and have something to eat and get some rest."

Fujimaru Ritsuka paused for two seconds, then said something.

"I see..."

"Yes. Including those Machine Gods."

He turned around and walked back the way he came.

"If you're interested, you can come and take a look later."

Fujimaru Ritsuka stood on the beach, the sea breeze blowing across the water, making her hair a little messy.

She looked at Higashino Makoto, a smile still lingering on her lips—a smile that seemed to have both eased and yet not quite faded.

But she didn't speak immediately; she just stood there, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her uniform, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Higashino Makoto noticed. He stared at her face for two seconds.

You don't look very happy.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's smile froze for a moment.

"No, I'm just a little tired."

"You're lying. I'm not that dense."

Her fingers stopped.

She lowered her head, stared at her toes for a long while, and then spoke, her voice much softer than before.

"Mr. Higashino, do you think I'm pretty useless?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her without saying a word.

"I am humanity's last Master, Chaldea's last hope. Everyone has entrusted everything to me. Mash Kyrielight has always stood by my side, Da Vinci sacrificed himself for us, Sherlock Holmes has always paved the way for us. But... every time it comes to the truly crucial moment, it's not me who solves the problem. It's you."

She looked up and met his gaze.

"You solved Russia. You solved South America. You solved China. You solved Scandinavia. You solved India. Now Greece... We can't even get through the gates of Olympus. You come, go up there, and tell us everything's been settled."

Her voice didn't tremble, but there was a slight, almost imperceptible change in tone at the end.

"It seems like all I did was scream for help. After I screamed for help, you appeared, solved the problem, and then I just stood there, not knowing what to do. It seems like I was just... waiting for someone to save me."

After listening, Higashino Makoto didn't reply immediately. He reached out, bent his finger, and tapped her forehead.

The force wasn't great, but she still instinctively flinched.

You are just an ordinary person.

Fujimaru Ritsuka was stunned.

"You were never a savior. You were just an ordinary person caught up in this disaster. You were just unlucky enough to be thrust into this position and become the final Master."

He withdrew his hand and shook his head helplessly.

"You're not standing here because you want to be a savior. It's because there's no one else left, only you. This has nothing to do with your abilities or whether you can use it; it's simply because you're still standing, so this position is yours."

"To be honest, for an ordinary person like you to have achieved this much is already quite remarkable. Don't overthink it; saving the world isn't your obligation, just do your best."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's lips parted slightly, then closed again.

She looked down at her hands.

Her fingers were still trembling slightly, but she no longer twisted the hem of her dress.

I'm not saying you did a good job.

As he spoke, Higashino Makoto couldn't help but tap her again.

"But at least you're still standing. You're waiting for someone to rescue you, and that's your own choice to stand there and wait. If you wanted to run, you could have run long ago. You've never run even once, and that's enough."

Fujimaru Ritsuka silent for a long time.

In the distance came the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, one after another, the rhythm slow and deliberate, as if something was repeatedly confirming its presence.

She looked up, her eyes a little red, but she didn't cry.

"Mr. Higashino, are you this kind to everyone?"

No, it's just that you seem to be prone to overthinking.

She chuckled and wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.

"If I get stuck on something again, can you give me another nudge?"

"As long as I'm here, that's enough."

She took a deep breath, then turned around and looked at the giant city floating in the air in the distance.

"You said you're going to move the whole city. What about us? What are we supposed to do?"

"Whatever you want to do. Just do what you want and give it your all."

"Then let's go to the last Lostbelt!"

"You guys going to the Fairy Lostbelt... that's fine, just let me know if you need anything. I'll head over there once I've taken care of things here in Greece."

He paused.

"If you feel useless again later, just remember what I just said."

She nodded and said nothing more.

She turned around and walked towards Mash Kyrielight. After a few steps, she stopped and glanced at him sideways.

"Mr. Higashino, thank you."

"You're welcome."

She continued walking forward.

Mash Kyrielight came up to her, took her hand, and the two whispered a few words before walking together toward the camp.

Higashino Makoto stood on the beach, watching their backs as they walked away. Midori stood beside him, her long orange hair swaying gently in the wind.

You've been very good to her.

Cui said.

"Just something I did. Let's go, let's get ready to deal with things here in Greece."