"Nervous?"
Morgan held the tablet in her hand, deftly checking the Storm Border's combat readiness data as she asked Shiomi beside her.
"It'd be a lie to say I'm not nervous at all. Just look at Caenis, the Divine Spirit Servant Kirschtaria dispatched to the Scandinavian Lostbelt. Most of the Servants there are probably mythological heroes on that level."
Shiomi spoke while thinking it through.
"Heracles, Perseus… and then there's Jason, Medea, and Hector from the Third Singularity, Okeanos, plus all those we ran into in the Sub-Singularities…"
"No matter what the Lostbelt is like, we have to assume those heroes could manifest as Servants and become our enemies," Morgan said, understanding Shiomi's caution. "This isn't a Holy Grail War. Servants that appear in Singularities or Lostbelts tend to be far stronger."
"Luckily, we're not who we used to be."
Sensing the mood growing heavy, Shiomi shifted gears with a joke.
"You're not a Servant barely holding on with my mana anymore. You're the true Queen of Winter now."
"To be honest, not being able to use my full power as a Servant was rather stifling," Morgan murmured quietly to him.
Shiomi paused, then laughed.
"You really are battle-hungry… I suppose it makes sense. Magecraft alone wasn't enough for you. You had to learn my spear techniques and my swordsmanship too. You've practically picked up every skill I have. The aggressiveness of a fairy from Paradise really is something else."
"Not just combat skills," Morgan teased, leaning close to his ear. "I learned quite a bit about what happens in bed as well."
"Alright, alright, that's enough."
Shiomi drew his neck back slightly.
"This is a critical moment. I don't want personal distractions getting in the way of serious business. How are things with the Storm Border?"
"Everything that needs to be prepared is already onboard," Morgan said, dragging a structural diagram across the tablet.
"Since the Lostbelt is somewhere in the Atlantic, it's either a single landmass like Britannia or a scattered archipelago. Either way, naval and aerial combat will be the focus. Ground operations probably won't be very effective."
Shiomi looked up at the massive warship before them.
"Captain Nemo, Sion's Servant, has Triton's essence mixed into his Spirit Origin. That's how he was able to ascend from a Phantom Spirit to a Heroic Spirit. We originally assumed we'd be dealing with the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, but for this ship, the Greek Lostbelt is like a dragon soaring into the sky or a fish returning to the sea."
"Triton is the son of Poseidon," Morgan added. "If that Sea God ends up among our enemies, Nemo's compatibility could be a problem."
Shiomi pursed his lips.
"Then we don't have much choice. We'll have to focus our strength on supporting Master and take down Poseidon as quickly as possible."
"A woman who slays gods should be slaying gods," Morgan said with a soft snort of laughter.
"Were you calling me?"
Scáthach suddenly appeared, as if out of nowhere.
"Master, you were listening in the whole time, weren't you?"
Shiomi pressed his lips together as he deliberately spoke rudely.
"I was. And?" Scáthach replied with an amused smile.
"Come to my room tonight. I'll let you listen as much as you like."
He snapped his fingers.
Morgan shook her head.
"If you have that much free time, you'd be better off double-checking the departure preparations."
"Uh…"
Shiomi faltered.
"You seem unusually serious today, more than usual…"
"One of us has to be responsible," Morgan said, a hint of smugness in her eyes.
"With a major battle coming up, if the husband needs to relax, then the wife should naturally take care of everything else. Don't you think?"
"But you just scolded me," Shiomi muttered.
"Was my tone really that harsh?"
Morgan froze, looking slightly troubled.
"No, I mean, next time could you maybe…"
He leaned in and whispered into her ear.
Scáthach leaned in as well, having heard every word clearly, and nodded along.
"My beloved disciple is truly becoming more and more hopeless."
"…Sigh."
Morgan couldn't help but let out a sigh of her own.
At that moment, Olga Marie hurried over. Unaware of what they had been discussing, she simply delivered her reminder.
"Professor Shiomi, all departure preparations are complete. We still need to hold one final pre-battle briefing. I believe you're the most suitable person to rally everyone. So please come over with Mrs. Morgan and Master as well. Everyone has already gathered at the Storm Border."
"We'll head over now."
Shiomi exchanged glances with the two women, then the three of them moved together toward the ship.
Chaldea now had just over twenty survivors left. Even after incorporating the fighting strength that had joined from the Britannia and Scandinavian Lostbelts, their overall numbers were still painfully limited.
All they could do for the operation itself was prepare multiple contingency plans, assuming as many possible scenarios as they could after entering the Lostbelt. Even if it wasn't exhaustive, it at least provided enough flexibility to respond to emergencies.
New Chaldea could not count on Ophelia or Kadoc to provide any intelligence. They likely knew nothing about the Greek Lostbelt themselves.
The only real question left was whether Kirschtaria would gather the remaining Crypters in the Greek Lostbelt.
"Everyone! Nearly a full year has passed since the attack on Chaldea's Antarctic headquarters and the onset of the crisis that bleached the world!"
Standing beside Olga Marie, Shiomi stepped forward. As someone who fought on the front lines, he began the address before departure.
"We survived the crisis known as the Incineration of Humanity. Yet in the face of the crisis called Bleaching, we lost even more precious comrades. Among those of you who remain, there must be people who were close to them—friends, or perhaps lovers. Even so, in the midst of grief, you did not abandon hope. You held fast to your duty as humanity's final bastion!"
His gaze swept quickly across the surviving Chaldea staff gathered there.
"Tomorrow, under the leadership of Director Olga Marie Asmleit Animusphere, New Chaldea will set out to launch an operation against the Lostbelt located in the Atlantic Ocean. Before this, New Chaldea has already successfully excised the Lostbelts of Britannia, Russia, and Scandinavia. These rapid actions will undoubtedly shake the Crypters!"
"I have a strong feeling that what awaits us will be a battle unlike any before. Neither Uruk nor the Temple of Time can compare to the scale of the conflict we will face in the Lostbelt ahead. That is why I want to say this clearly: this fight, one that will decide our survival, is filled with danger and hardship. If you feel fear, there is no shame in it. That is a natural emotion for a human standing before death."
"Because of that, I hope each of you will make a choice that follows your own heart. Whether you remain in the Wandering Sea to assist Miss Sion in maintaining our logistics and await our victorious return, or board the Storm Border with us and head into the Lostbelt to face battles rife with danger and death—both are valid choices, and both are yours to make."
"No matter what, I make this promise here. I will give everything I have to lead New Chaldea to victory, and to protect every single one of you."