Fifteen minutes later, Shiomi, Morgan, and Olga Marie followed the road deeper into the island.
They hadn't gone far when the trees swallowed the view of the beach and the Storm Border disappeared behind the forest. Shiomi stopped and crouched to inspect the ground.
"What is it, Professor?" Olga Marie asked.
"He's checking the land's Leylines," Morgan said, glancing around as she spoke.
The forest was steeped in the presence of monsters, moving about at varying distances, much like it had been in the Uruk Singularity. The very air of this Lostbelt still held the Mana density of the Age of Gods, and countless Phantasmal Species and Magical Beasts—big and small—lived in the woods the way ordinary animals would.
"To check Leylines, don't you need specialized tools?" Olga Marie asked, thinking like a Magus.
"My husband doesn't need those unnecessary steps anymore." Morgan shook her head. "He can reach the earth's essence more easily than any of us. He can hear the land's voice."
Being the Son of the Mother Goddess, and his divine authority, were the reason.
"I see…" Olga Marie murmured.
She was impressed, but she couldn't really grasp the details. Still, one thing was clear: Professor Shiomi was just… absurdly capable.
"It's no good." Shiomi straightened. "I thought it might be my imagination, but it's real."
"What is?" Olga Marie asked, her tone sharpening.
"The Leylines on this island are dried up." Shiomi paused, then corrected himself with a small shake of his head. "No—more accurately, they've been drained to the point that there isn't enough Mana left to sustain the Heroic Spirit Summoning System for manifesting Servants."
"How is that possible?" Olga Marie's expression shifted.
Before they'd decided to disembark, she'd been talking with the others about whether they should use the Lostbelt's land to summon Servants and reinforce their strength. After all, the enemy wasn't just Kirschtaria. It was the Greek gods, too.
And that Machine God in satellite orbit had already made it clear the deities in this Lostbelt hadn't vanished. Any extra fighting power was worth having. Artoria had even mentioned summoning the Knights of the Round Table to join the battle.
"Age of Gods land, yet the Leylines are depleted this badly…" Morgan frowned in thought. "Could it be that the Counter Force, seeing this Lostbelt as too prosperous, sent a large number of Servants here to pave the way for Chaldea's assault?"
"If it's the Counter Force, that does explain it," Shiomi said, rubbing his chin. "And if a lot of Servants arrived before us and fought Olympus's forces, then it also makes sense that Odysseus's fleet would be patrolling the sea in force—and would be able to close in and encircle us so quickly."
Aside from Chaldea's presence, those Servants dispatched earlier were likely one of the reasons that extermination operation had even been possible.
"But with Chaldea's current combat strength, we don't urgently need Leylines or Heroic Spirit Summoning," Olga Marie hurried to add. "We already have so many powerful, reliable allies, and the Master is also—"
"Restoring the Leylines wouldn't be difficult," Shiomi cut in as he started walking again, motioning for them to follow. "But this sea area probably isn't just one island. If every island's Leylines are in the same state…"
Morgan's brow lifted. "If the Leylines in any one place suddenly recovered, it would be noticed. And then our position would be exposed."
"Exactly." Shiomi turned back, raising his index finger toward the sky. "I don't think the firepower we saw earlier was that Machine God's full output. If it can fire with enough force to completely erase an island like this, then even if we survive, constant—or even occasional—harassment like that will wear everyone down. It'll keep people on edge, and that's poison for a long campaign."
"If only we had a way to shoot down the Machine God…" Olga Marie blurted out, voicing one of the most obvious truths.
No one wanted a sword hanging over their neck. Even if you had armor that could keep it from cutting you, it was still there—waiting.
The problem was, that Machine God was sitting in low Earth orbit, fifty thousand meters above the surface. Even if you were some great hero from ancient Persia, you still couldn't count on an arrow reaching something that high.
"Sorry. I'm saying something ridiculous again." Olga Marie immediately cut herself off. "Wouldn't it be better to focus on hiding our tracks, reducing interference as much as possible, and finding a route into Olympus? That would save both strength and time."
"You don't need to apologize. You're thinking along the right lines." Shiomi stopped and patted the top of her head. "But before that, let's see if we can get a nautical chart of these waters. If we rely on the Storm Borde alone, we won't be able to grasp the full picture."
"Mm…" Olga Marie answered softly.
She felt steady. As long as she stayed by her teacher's side, she didn't feel afraid of whatever obstacles lay ahead.
Just then, Morgan stepped forward, shifting to stand in front of Olga Marie. Together with Shiomi, she shielded her behind them.
Noticing the subtle change in their positions, Olga Marie's expression tightened.
"Who's been watching us from the shadows?" Shiomi said, glancing back slightly. His voice dropped, turning cold. "Come out. Let's see you."
It was completely the wrong moment for it, but Olga Marie felt her heart go soft.
It was the first time she'd seen Shiomi with an expression that cold.
An expression that protected allies and shut enemies out.
"From the way you're dressed, you don't look like someone from Olympus," a voice said.
A burly man stepped out from between the trees.
"We aren't from Olympus," Morgan said evenly. "If anything, we're enemies of Olympus to the bitter end. So who are you? State your True Name, Servant."
"…You wouldn't happen to be from that thing called Chaldea, would you?" The man looked genuinely startled. "Name's Orion. Class is Archer."
"Orion?" Olga Marie froze for a beat.
She'd gone with Ritsuka and the others to the Third Singularity. She'd met an Archer-class Orion there too—except that one was a bear.
A result of Artemis forcing herself into his Spirit Origin.
"He's not lying," Morgan said, withdrawing her gaze.
Orion let out a relieved breath. "Lady, your eyes are terrifying. Those aren't normal eyes. Good thing I didn't try to bluff… picking a fight with you lot wouldn't do me any favors."
"So you're a Servant from Proper Human History too, Orion?" Shiomi asked.
"More or less." Orion hedged, clearly not eager to explain the details. "For certain reasons, I've been operating solo. And you don't look like you're all there is."
"We're the advance team," Olga Marie said. "We came out to investigate the island."
"Then that blast out at sea earlier was your doing," Orion said, looking like it all clicked. He lifted a hand and pointed off to the side. "If you're looking for the islanders, or other Servants, go check the village. If I remember right, there are still Servants there who stayed behind to prepare to receive Chaldea."
...
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