A silver-haired girl desperately tried to assume a dignified pose, like a cat arching her back in defiance, but Caster—Steve—stood completely unshaken. He just stood there quietly, a gentle yet profound smile on his face.
For Fujimaru Ritsuka, clothed in the uniform of Chaldea, that smile was the spitting image of an ancient fisherman, waiting on the banks, silently anticipating his prey. It was as if all the world's past and future were within his grasp, and all developments were nothing more than cogs turning in his predictions.
But to Olga Marie, that meaningful smile was the utmost in mockery—and contempt. She felt her pride, that wall built painfully by family ties, being utterly trampled and crushed beneath her opponent's feet.
"You insolent villain! Do you think you can just run away if you keep quiet?" she shouted, trying to mask her fear with the volume of her anger. "To use the grand magecraft of the Animusphere family to attack our domain—how dare you!"
"State your name and affiliation! Otherwise, I'll consider this an open declaration of war against all of the Clock Tower!"
Steve's smile deepened at these words. He shook his head slowly, and began to speak in the calm, measured tone of one teaching a student.
"Miss Olga Marie Animusphere, there's no need to get so agitated."
"I admit my entrance may have been a bit impolite," he said, acknowledging it instantly before shifting the conversation, "but I assure you this was not out of malice—it was simply to leave you with a powerful first impression."
"Ultimately, if you're an ordinary person who can't even overcome the wall, you have no right to discuss this next topic with me."
Though these words sounded explanatory, each hit Olga Marie's fragile pride like a hammer's blow.
"'Oridinary'? 'No right'?"
This man was judging the heir to the throne of astromancy magecraft with such transparent condescension!
"You...!" She trembled with fury, preparing to counterattack with magic. Yet Steve's next words extinguished her anger like a bucket of cold water.
"What's more, what I am about to say is far more dramatic than that little firework earlier."
"It concerns nothing less than—your life and death in this world."
His voice was gentle, but it carried undeniable weight. His obsidian eyes seemed to reflect the annihilation and rebirth of stars, creating the illusion that he could see through Olga Marie's past, present, and future. Her finely tuned magus senses found not a hint of malice or deception—just the vast, cold truth of the universe.
All this only deepened her confusion.
Logic screamed at her that the man before her was a dangerous adversary, that she needed to prepare for the highest state of alarm.
But her instincts as a magus drew her irresistibly toward the unknown—toward the life and death he spoke of.
After a moment's hesitation, she could only snort in defiance, but her clenched fists and trembling body betrayed her inner wavering.
Steve, however, had caught her wavering with precise clarity.
The moment had come.
He slowly reached into his pocket and drew something out.
A card—its entire surface shimmering with a warm, blinding gold, as though cast from molten sunlight. In its center: a complex, unfamiliar rank symbol. Unlike the usual seven Servant Classes—a totally new totem never before seen. The card radiated a unique aura, carrying both a sacred, heroic majesty and an unsettling alienness, as if it had come from another world.
"What is this?" Olga Marie's pupils suddenly contracted. Even as an elite of the Clock Tower, she could hardly understand the unique specialties of this. The magical energy flowing from it was so pure and immense that she felt her own magus circuits both crave and fear it.
Fujimaru Ritsuka held his breath.
As Chaldea's Master, he recognized that card immediately.
It was the artifact for Servant Cards—a unique magical phenomenon only Illya and Miyu could use.
And the never-before-seen class inscribed on it? Only one word came to mind: "UnBeast."
At that moment, Steve elegantly offered the golden card to Olga Marie, as if presenting an invitation.
"Words are insufficient, Miss Olga Marie."
"For a talented magus such as yourself, experiencing it directly is far more convincing than any explanation."
He smiled and continued, "This card holds a spell that could be called the cosmic version of Servant Cards."
"Try it once—and everything I just told you will become self-evident."
"It will show you your future—and the reason you die."
"I refuse!" Olga Marie reflexively stepped back, her eyes flashing with wariness.
"Who in their right mind would trust a stranger like you! Who knows what curse is hidden in this suspicious thing!"
Her reaction was exactly as Steve expected.
"Is that so? That's a very reasonable judgment. No wonder you're the heir to a throne."
Instead of disappointment, Steve nodded approvingly—then unleashed a secret weapon designed to target this overly rational, little director.
"But what would you say if I told you this is directly connected to your dearest father, Lord Marisbury Animusphere?"
"What—!"
Olga Marie's face froze instantly.
Though Steve's tone was calm, his words struck her like thunder.
"Right now, your busy father has secretly traveled alone to Fuyuki City in Japan—to participate in a ritual known as the Holy Grail War."
"I don't think he told you about this, did he?"
At those words, Olga Marie's face went utterly pale. She stared at Steve in disbelief.
Impossible! Father's trip to Fuyuki was a family secret—known only to his closest friends!
Who is this man, and how does he know?!
Reeling with shock and panic, her mind went blank.
Steve struck with his final—and most fatal—blow. Watching the trembling girl, he didn't let his smile waver. However, there was a devilish allure—an irresistible temptation—in his tone.
"Miss Olga Marie, don't you want to save your father?"
"Don't you want to show him your strongest, most impressive self?"
He moved the golden card closer. Its radiant light reflected on the girl's pale, quivering face.
"By using this, you can instantly attain the ideal Servant state—the form your father would find most perfect."
Boom!
That line hit like a bolt of lightning, shattering Olga Marie's last line of defense—her reason and pride.
Father… most ideal state…
That thought had been both her lifelong nightmare and her greatest aspiration.
No matter what achievements she accomplished, or how great her talents were, her father's words were always the same: "It's not enough."
She had always longed, tried everything, just for a word of approval, a smile from him.
And now, the mysterious man before her claimed that, with a single card, she could finally realize that impossible dream.
How absurd—but how tempting.
Her breath grew shallow, her chest heaving from emotion.
She stared at the golden card, her eyes showing conflict, yearning, fear, and a hint of desperate madness that even she didn't recognize. Her profound hesitation could no longer be hidden; it was written all over her young, pale face.
…
Warning: This author is diehard shippers of MashxRitsuka
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