An organization specialized in dealing with temporal anomalies and other threats to humanity.
That was CHALDEA.
After days spent dealing with the absurd mess that had been the Snowfield Holy Grail War, Arthur finally walked through the facility's corridors accompanied by four new faces.
As he walked, he briefly conversed with the newcomers before gently patting Mash on the head as she accompanied him by his side.
"Mash, show them around CHALDEA and have someone arrange their accommodations."
As he spoke, he pointed toward the group accompanying him.
The first to react was the young man with golden-blond hair marked by several red streaks.
Richard Lionheart walked a few steps ahead, observing everything around him with impossible-to-hide interest.
"So this is CHALDEA?"
A smile appeared on his face as he admired everything around him.
"I was expecting something impressive, but this exceeds my expectations by quite a bit."
He crossed his arms behind his head while continuing to walk.
"So you built a fortress at the end of the world to prevent humanity's extinction? That's wonderfully absurd."
"That's usually one of the most common reactions," Arthur replied.
Walking beside him was his Master.
Ayaka Sajyou appeared to be around twenty years old, although her youthful face made her seem a few years younger. She wore conservative-looking glasses in an attempt to project a more mature image, an effort completely sabotaged by her brightly dyed blonde hair.
Unlike Richard, who already seemed perfectly at home, she appeared uncomfortable with the number of people present.
Her gaze discreetly swept across the surroundings, taking note of corridors, entrances, exits, and possible routes of movement. The facility was enormous, solid, and enclosed.
Strangely enough, that gave her a sense of security.
"This place is bigger than I imagined..." she commented quietly.
Richard immediately turned toward her.
"That was quite a positive evaluation, Ayaka," he said.
"I only said it's big, Saber," Ayaka teased.
Despite her response, there was a slight relaxation in her shoulders that didn't go unnoticed by Arthur.
After everything that had happened in Snowfield, finding a place that was stable and predictable was probably exactly what she needed.
Walking near Arthur was Hippolyta.
The Amazon Queen possessed long dark-red hair carefully tied into a braided bun and silently observed the interior of the base with focused attention.
Unlike Richard, her assessment was far more practical.
She evaluated the structure, the discipline of the staff, and the way the facility operated.
Her gaze resembled that of a commander analyzing an unfamiliar fortress.
"You still haven't told me why you went to Snowfield," she suddenly asked.
"My original plan was simply to investigate the strange movements of those magi in Snowfield."
Hippolyta gave him a look.
"And then?" she asked.
Arthur sighed.
"My plan not to get involved was completely destroyed when my other self was mortally wounded and everyone else decided to screw me over," he replied with disgust.
His answer drew a small smile from Richard.
Ayaka simply seemed to accept that as a perfectly valid explanation.
Walking close to the group was Ishtar.
The goddess observed CHALDEA's corridors with far more interest than she wanted to admit.
Her gaze swept across the facility's systems, the equipment scattered throughout the halls, and the various staff members who continued working normally despite several Servants walking through the base.
They all looked practically identical, making it very clear that they were all Einzbern Homunculi.
A direct consequence of the manpower shortage caused by Lev Lainur's attack.
Unlike Hippolyta, Ishtar wasn't evaluating the facility's defensive capabilities.
Unlike Richard, she wasn't fascinated by the novelty either.
Something else had caught her attention.
The absurd amount of investment required to keep all of this functioning.
"Humans really are strange."
The comment caused Mash to turn her attention toward her.
"Strange?"
"You built something this large in the middle of Antarctica to prevent the destruction of your own species."
"It's a level of stubbornness that's almost admirable," she added.
Although the comment sounded arrogant, there was no contempt in her voice.
In fact, it sounded strangely close to a compliment.
"Even so, it's impressive," Ishtar continued after a few seconds. "During the Age of Gods, any project on this scale would have required absurd resources."
Arthur glanced at her sideways.
"You went through all that effort just to compliment CHALDEA?" Arthur asked with a frown.
"I didn't say that."
"Sure, you tsundere," Arthur mocked.
"HEY!" she immediately snapped as she lunged toward him.
Mash had to suppress a smile.
It was difficult not to notice the familiarity in their exchange.
After all, unlike the other newcomers, Ishtar had spent the entire Snowfield War alongside Arthur.
More than that, he had been the one to summon her.
The two were already far too accustomed to each other to maintain any real formality.
"Anyway," Ishtar continued. "It's still better than having to share territory with that pathetic imitation."
"You're still thinking about her?" Arthur asked.
"Of course I'm thinking about her."
For the first time, genuine irritation appeared on her face.
"I had to spend days looking at that ridiculous woman using my name."
Richard seemed interested.
"You really hate that other Ishtar."
"Are you kidding?" Ishtar let out an incredulous laugh. "I was generous enough not to destroy her the moment I saw her standing in front of me."
"That woman was an insult to common sense," Ishtar concluded.
"You ended up killing her personally," Arthur observed.
"And I'd do it again with great satisfaction," came the immediate reply.
---
"Alright, everyone. I need to meet someone else now. Mash, show everyone around the facility and don't forget to speak with Ritsuka. She's probably dying from worry."
His gaze briefly swept across the group before returning to Mash.
Despite his casual tone, it was obvious he wasn't exaggerating.
Considering everything that had happened during the mission, it was hard to imagine that Ritsuka had remained completely calm during his absence.
"I understand, Senpai," Mash replied.
With his instructions given, Arthur cast one final glance at the group before turning around and heading down the corridor.
"You're leaving already?" Ishtar asked.
The question escaped before she could stop herself, and for a moment she seemed just as surprised as everyone else.
Arthur merely raised an eyebrow.
"Unfortunately, I still have a report to file," he commented.
"Right. Of course you do."
She immediately looked away.
"Go take care of your business then."
Arthur simply smiled at her adorable reaction.
"See you all later."
After giving Ishtar a light pat on the head, he continued down the corridor.
Ishtar watched his figure disappear around the corner before turning her attention back to Mash as though nothing had happened.
"So," she said. "I assume the tour starts with the dormitories."
Mash took a few seconds to respond.
"Yes. We'll start with the dormitories."
---
A few minutes later, Arthur found Olga waiting for him in the control room.
The Director was clearly waiting for his report.
Even before he fully entered the room, her attention was already fixed on the door, like someone who had been anticipating this conversation for quite some time.
The moment Arthur approached, Olga got straight to the point.
"How was your mission in that Micro-Singularity?"
Arthur remained silent for a few seconds.
Memories of what had happened in that city quickly passed through his mind.
An absurd number of problems concentrated in a single location.
Eventually, he answered:
"Shit."
Olga didn't even seem surprised by the answer.
In fact, it merely confirmed several suspicions she already had.
"Do you have any idea how annoying it was dealing with Francesca and that François Prelati?" he grumbled.
"Considering you're complaining about them before mentioning any other problem, I'd say quite a lot," Olga replied.
"I hate illusionists."
Arthur ran a hand through his hair while letting out a tired sigh.
Just remembering those two was enough to make his headache return.
"On the bright side, I ran into an old friend and managed to recruit more people to help here in CHALDEA."
He pointed behind himself with his thumb in the direction he'd come from.
"It's a shame Enkidu decided to stay behind," Arthur sighed.
Olga showed absolutely no interest in following that line of thought.
"How about we get to the point?" she grumbled. "You know how important it is for us right now. Did you obtain the Holy Grail from there?"
Arthur immediately spread his arms.
"Not even a welcome hug? Maybe a kiss? We haven't seen each other in over two weeks."
Olga simply stared at him in silence.
Arthur held the pose for several seconds before giving up.
"Fine, okay."
He sighed.
"Yes, I obtained the Holy Grail."
The change in Olga's reaction was immediate.
"Where is it?"
The interest in her voice appeared so quickly that it almost seemed involuntary.
"I had to use it to restore Snowfield and make everyone except a carefully selected few forget what happened there."
For several seconds, silence filled the room.
Olga closed her eyes and slowly brought a hand to her temples, massaging them.
Experience had already taught her that whenever Arthur started explaining something this way, the situation was usually worse than it sounded.
"Arthur, could you stop joking around? You know how important the Grail is for us right now," she grumbled, beginning to lose patience.
"I'm not joking, Olga."
Arthur leaned one arm against the back of a nearby chair.
"The Grail itself is useless now. Fortunately, I managed to store mana inside my own Grail. I believe it'll have enough energy soon to solve my problem."
The silence that followed lasted several seconds as the two stared at one another.
Then, slowly, she realized he wasn't joking.
The worst part was that he was probably telling the truth.
Unfortunately, the explanation was absurd enough to be exactly the kind of situation that usually happened around him.
"Anyway, let's move on with the report."
Arthur walked toward a nearby chair and sat down.
Before Olga realized what he was about to do, Arthur pulled her onto his lap and wrapped an arm around her waist.
The Director immediately went rigid.
A reddish tint instantly appeared on her face.
"A-Arthur?!"
Meanwhile, he appeared perfectly calm.
As if he had just done the most normal thing in the world.
"It's going to be a long story. You might as well get comfortable."
(End of Chapter)