"Alright, while we're at it, let's discuss Chaldea. Honestly, I got screwed over by Lev the moment I arrived. Can someone explain what's going on... like the purpose of Chaldea's facilities?"
Morpheus said, suppressing his upturned lips.
He was pleased with Olga Marie's choice, for a simple reason.
Less trouble is always better. Olga Marie, as Chaldea's Director, was far more suited to lead than Romani, even if Romani was once Solomon. The current Romani lacked omniscience, and even with sufficient skill, managing Chaldea required understanding details he wasn't privy to.
Olga Marie, with her years as Director, knew Chaldea inside and out... Romani handled a branch, she grasped the whole. Morpheus needed someone who could steer Chaldea's course comprehensively.
That was Olga Marie's role.
Letting her soul rely on his mana to operate like an AI and guide Chaldea was fine, but asking him to strategize and lead? He'd rather fight his way through.
"You know even less than Ritsuka," Olga Marie said, glancing at Ritsuka. "Do you remember what I said during my speech? Explain it to Morpheus."
"o((⊙﹏⊙))o"
Seeing Ritsuka's bewildered expression, Olga Marie wailed, "Please, try to recall! You didn't forget everything, did you?!"
"I'll explain," Mash interjected. "The Director said…
"Alongside humanity's achievements like metal forging, the rise of religion, maritime exploration, the information revolution, and space exploration, Chaldea's mission is just as grand... no, even grander…"
As Mash clearly recounted Olga Marie's speech, she added, "That's why you were kicked out, Senpai."
Seeing Ritsuka's embarrassed look, Morpheus confirmed Mash's sly streak.
He nodded, summarizing, "So, SHEBA observes the future, and CHALDEAS, like a central brain, watches both future and past.
"If Earth's future shows firelight, it signifies civilization's existence. But if there's no light, it means humanity's end. You observed no firelight from 2016 onward, traced the issue to Fuyuki City in 2004, designated it Singularity F, and sent us to investigate and alter it to prevent that future from becoming reality."
"Exactly! Chaldea exists to ensure humanity's flame endures, to secure a future where humanity persists!" Olga Marie declared, her voice brimming with pride.
"But," Morpheus said, "what if humanity's destruction is caused by Chaldea itself?"
The simple conjecture stunned everyone, even Romani on the other end of the communicator, who fell into thought.
"No, that's impossible! Chaldea exists for humanity's survival... how could it cause our end?!" Olga Marie shook her head, vehemently denying the possibility. Morpheus smiled. "Fair enough. It is humanity's greatest creation, after all."
He glanced at the pensive Romani and continued, "Let's keep going. Fix this place and change the future of humanity's extinction!"
Ritsuka nodded eagerly. "Right, let's focus on preventing humanity's end. That's the key! As the Director said, we protect Human Order... safeguard humanity's reason."
She glanced at Morpheus, mulling over his words.
As an ordinary human, Ritsuka had consumed more modern novels and films than most magi. Morpheus's suggestion echoed themes in many stories.
It wasn't impossible, but for Chaldea's Director, such a blow... even as a hypothesis... was devastating.
The thing you believe saves humanity being the cause of its ruin? No one in her position could bear it.
Morpheus saw this. He only raised the possibility, unsure if it was true. Unfamiliar with the Fate/Grand Order world, he knew Kinoko Nasu's penchant for dark twists, much like Gen Urobuchi's.
If true, his words were a preemptive buffer to prevent Olga Marie's collapse. If not, it was just a theory... no harm done.
As for how Chaldea observed Earth's future, Morpheus understood instantly.
Create a small sphere, conceptually dubbed "Earth." Accelerate its time to observe the future. Within the same world, the sphere equals the real Earth. While it can't fully interact externally, it can simulate and predict.
Further tests might allow CHALDEAS to replace Earth itself, becoming a new planet.
In a way, CHALDEAS was the ultimate magecraft masterpiece, possibly rivaling or surpassing the Five True Magics. But such a creation was also immensely dangerous... one misstep could erase human history.
"Morpheus, I need to talk to you," Romani said, interrupting his thoughts.
Morpheus looked over as Romani addressed the others. "Private talk. You don't need to listen."
"I wasn't planning to," Olga Marie said, walking off. Ritsuka and Mash followed, as the area wasn't entirely safe.
"Morpheus, the Director was meant to be a Master for Chaldea. But three years ago, her father died, and while still a student, she inherited Chaldea. She's been struggling alone to uphold the Animusphere family.
"Maintaining Chaldea's operations was already overwhelming when anomalies appeared.
"The assured future beyond a century vanished. The mage's Association and sponsors bombarded her with demands to 'resolve it quickly.'
"Worse, it was discovered she lacked Master aptitude. The head of the Animusphere family, one of the Twelve Lords overseeing the w's Association's Department of Astromancy, unable to be a Master? It's a scandal.
"You can imagine the gossip behind her back. She's likely heard it too, so for those with aptitude who don't value it, she…"
Romani sighed.
"Under that pressure, she's done her best to keep things running these past six months, already overworked. I've urged her to seek counseling, but she never has time.
"Her mental and physical strain explains her harshness. It's not hatred…"
"No worries. I just find teasing her fun. If she were truly malicious, I wouldn't have saved her. Besides, as Director, she needs to take responsibility. There's no time for counseling... she'll have to keep working!" Morpheus said.
Romani was stunned. "Keep working?!"
"Yep. Rest comes after cleaning up the mess. She's a ghost now, so physical strain's not an issue... I'm supplying the mana. For her mental state, you can counsel her," Morpheus said with a smile. "If what I said is true, it'd be like a bomb in her heart."
Tapping his staff, Morpheus's voice held resolve. "If you can't handle it, I can alter her memories... erase or seal them."
"Phew… you're something else," Romani laughed. "I'll do my best. You won't get that chance."
Morpheus nodded slightly.
"One more thing. Since Lev is a Demon God Pillar, we need to be cautious…" Romani began.
"You mean Lev contributed heavily to Chaldea's construction, even its core framework?" Morpheus said.
"You guessed it," Romani said, his expression turning serious. "SHEBA, the future-observing system, was primarily built by Lev. His knowledge of Chaldea surpasses most, even the Director!"
"That's why you sent her away, isn't it?"
"Yes. I didn't want this to add to her mental burden. Your possibilities were enough. Let her piece it together slowly," Romani said, then shifted. "Back to Lev. If his goal is humanity's destruction, why help create a Chaldea to save it? There's only one answer: Chaldea is necessary for his plan to destroy humanity!"
"Smart. I thought the same," Morpheus snapped his fingers. "He tried to destroy Chaldea to stop us from interfering, but he also created it. That means his plan requires Chaldea to unfold, and once it does, Chaldea's destruction doesn't matter!"
Morpheus spread his hands. "Chaldea can protect the past to prevent a doomed future, but it can also alter the past to cause that future. It's two sides of the same coin... different applications."
"You're sharp. No wonder your name echoes from the Age of Gods, though I'm curious why you, a figure from that era, ended up a McRemitz foster child. I won't pry, but if we save humanity, I hope we can be friends."
"Since we're friends, I'd like a gift."
Morpheus's bluntness stunned Romani, who laughed. "What gift?"
"Your blood."
"What?!" Romani's mind blanked, unable to read Morpheus.
"My blood? For a curse?"
"No, not a curse. Just raw material. I plan to craft a ring."
"What ring?"
Morpheus smiled faintly. "Solomon's Ring."
It wasn't about this world's Solomon wielding the mystical power of King Solomon. Morpheus only needed someone with the conceptual identity of "Solomon," tied to specific attributes.
Like how he used the Moon Goddess's concept to channel his Kabbalistic practice through Gabriel.
It was merely a better conduit.
But Romani, or rather, the reincarnated Solomon, froze. He stared at Morpheus, managing a strained smile after a long pause.
"You're… joking, right?"
"Nope, I'm serious. But we'll talk more when I'm back, Dr. Romani."
The communication cut off. Morpheus walked toward the others, while back in Chaldea, Romani sank into thought.
"Who is he? An existence I've never heard of. Even with my former omniscience, I never saw him... like a history deliberately erased from the Root itself…
"He knows my secret, that I'm Solomon. And he seems serious about crafting Solomon's Ring. Doesn't he know it's a divine gift from God, impossible to create?"
Romani speculated but couldn't unravel it, eventually giving up to focus on the present.
"Let's deal with the immediate issues. If he's not hostile, this McRemitz foster child will be the key to saving humanity's future!"
***
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