True to one's heart

Inside a passageway in Chaldea, Bai Mo watched the Neco-Arc coming and going, feeling a sense of unease and suspicion. Looking at the thick, spiderweb-like electrical wires, he asked with a hint of disbelief:

"Is this really feasible? Through this method..."

Some remnants may have flown to some unknown universe, and searching for them would be like looking for Dahai. But Shi offered a suggestion, a strange method that seemed to be mastered only by these Neco-Arc.

"Don't worry, boss. As long as the viewers click the donation button, their system remnants will be quietly taken away."

That's the power of the internet! Viewers addicted to tipping are oblivious to their spending, and there's absolutely no refund service here!

Bai Mo fell silent, then spoke in a heavy tone.

"So, we're going to rely on livestream donations to recycle these fragments that can save the world?"

The Neco-Arc all nodded.

"... Okay then."

Now that things have come to this, there's no better choice. Although this thing seems bizarre no matter how you look at it, there's really no reason to refuse. As for the streamer, Bai Mo had already talked to Ritsuka about it; most of the Heroic Spirit in Chaldea actually have social media accounts to some extent.

Good heavens, the Earth is doomed, so why has this kind of internet survived?

Unable to think about these things in detail, Bai Mo turned his gaze to the other side. Beyond the mountains was a Reality Marble resembling a gladiator, within which was a huge, distorted space, like a portal.

"Besides that, some might have landed on living beings, and we'll guide those beings here. But they're probably not simple things; they might even be cosmic monsters."

However, it's usually not that easy to find; it's essentially baitless fishing.

Bai Mo nodded. Although it was fishing without bait, it was better than nothing. At this moment, the powerful functions of this coffee shop were on full display. Bai Mo even suspected that Zelretch had already guessed his thoughts, which was why he handed him such a fully-featured thing.

After working together for a while, everything finally settled down. Then, Ritsuka was allowed to restore the lively Chaldea.

Upon receiving the message, Ritsuka even stood at attention, pretending to be serious, and said, "Mission accomplished!"

Indeed, this was just a trivial matter for her; she had a good relationship with those Servant, and these were minor things. Suddenly, she pulled Bai Mo aside and whispered:

"Speaking of which, Brother Bai, did you go to Atalanta's place? After we came back from the Lostbelt, Atalanta disappeared without a trace. And I had a feeling she was being a bit distant from me."

Bai Mo frowned.

"Isn't she with the rebels?"

In a snow-covered forest, several sharp arrows pierced the air, their angles extremely tricky, killing a giant bear without any pain.

Atalanta exhaled a breath of warm air. Although the snow had melted, the temperature here was still not warm. After hunting down the bear, Atalanta skillfully took out her hunting knife, skinned the bear, and butchered it with practiced ease.

For a hunter, hunting is a solemn affair, and the spoils of the hunt should not be wasted. Atalanta dragged the bear to her makeshift hut and placed the leg meat on the grill.

"Have we run out of onions and tarragon? Never mind, that's enough for today."

Atalanta looked at the empty bottles on the shelf and shook her head helplessly. In the short time it took her to turn around, a distinctive aroma of spices wafted over.

Turning around, I saw Bai Mo had appeared there at some point, sitting on a log being used as a chair, sprinkling seasoning on the roasted meat.

Flames licked the fat from the roasting meat, emitting an enticing sizzle. Bai Mo flipped the handle; the two individuals, each possessing Magnetic Field Power, had chosen this primitive method of cooking.

The wind was blowing outside, and the sounds of burning embers and grease were incredibly pleasant.

But the atmosphere was still somewhat unbearable for Atalanta. After an unknown amount of time, she sighed as if resigned to her fate.

"So, you're looking for me because of what happened in Yaga Moscow?"

At that time, Ritsuka, Atalanta, and the other two were trapped in Fran's environment, where she saw those familiar children lying on the ground, questioning them like corpses:

Why do this?

I haven't grown up yet.

Was our time here just for exploitation?

Atalanta was merely summoned here by the Counter Force to fight against Pan-Human History, but Pan-Human History doesn't care about the psychology of these Heroic Spirit; it only considers whether they are suitable for the current environment.

Then, having confirmed that destroying this place was necessary to maintain the Pan-Human History, Atalanta could no longer ignore the memories of her time here.

So she put down the boar hide, picked up the hunting bow, and committed an act of betrayal.

Although Bai Mo later tore this unavoidable choice to shreds, in Atalanta's eyes, betrayal is betrayal, and as a hero, she could not simply return to the other side as if nothing had happened.

Moreover, she was well aware that if she encountered this situation again, her choice would remain unchanged.

Every time she saw Bai Mo, with only a charred corpse in front of the Fantasy Tree, she felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. Bai Mo had solved her problems, but he alone bore the burden of those solutions, just like before... It was so unfair.

Finally, confirming that Bai Mo still had a chance of survival, Atalanta returned to the forest and became a hunter who avoided all contact with everything.

"No, I just came to visit an old friend. And by the way, why did you leave without saying goodbye? Ritsuka is already preparing for her Heroic Spirit Summoning; if Heracles and the others come, are you planning to stay here too?"

Atalanta held the hot tea in her hand; the surface of the tea was calm and still, but her heart was constantly churning with turmoil.

"I... I'm not sure if I still have the right to stand with you."

Before she could finish speaking, a finger dagger struck Atalanta's forehead, causing her to cry out in pain and her tail to stand on end. Bai Mo's relaxed expression vanished, and his sharp gaze fixed on her eyes.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Have you also been controlled by Athena, or did Artemis forget to switch your mind back?"

Bai Mo showed no mercy to such absurd remarks, and anyone who had ever been on the Argo would have done the same.

Seeing her aggrieved expression, though she was trying to suppress it, Bai Mo felt a little helpless and used his power to alleviate her pain. He then asked:

"Just because they raised an arrow towards Chaldea?"

"Don't make it sound so easy. I know very well that this is betrayal, betrayal of those who fought alongside me."

She gripped her bow tightly, her fists trembling slightly. But soon, Bai Mo said in an annoyed tone:

"Atalanta, if you were abandoned as a child and still turn a blind eye to the safety of children as an adult, then you truly have no right to stand with us."

Don't overthink it. You just did what you were supposed to do as Atalanta. In fact, I'm genuinely happy for you that you were able to act according to your own heart. You're much better than I was back then.

No matter what difficulties we face, we can still make choices without regret. That's the kind of comrade-in-arms who boarded the ship with me.

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Atalanta's eyes, but it quickly dimmed again.

"But... if this situation were to occur again, I might betray them again..."

"Well, if this happens again next time, just go ahead and do what you're supposed to do." Hearing this, Atalanta looked up, somewhat puzzled, and then she saw Bai Mo's gentle smile.

"After all, I'm fighting so hard so that my comrades won't have to make that kind of difficult choice. If you have to make a choice, then it must be because I failed."

Bai Mo focused intently on preparing the grilled meat, speaking in a calm tone as if he were discussing tomorrow's dinner.

At this moment, Atalanta's gaze towards Bai Mo was both tender and heartbreaking. Bai Mo was absolutely certain that Atalanta was a trustworthy comrade-in-arms, and no matter what Atalanta did, Bai Mo would not feel betrayed.

He would only feel that he was not strong enough, forcing Atalanta to face such a difficult choice.

Atalanta seemed to understand why Athena was so certain that he was the one destined to succeed Zeus.

The knot of frustration in her heart quietly disappeared at that moment. She leaned against Bai Mo, Bai Mo didn't look at her, but simply handed her the grilled meat.

The firelight obscured the girl's face, but it couldn't hide her happy smile.