Meanwhile, in the western forest region of Olympus.
After completing their emergency landing, the Storm Border immediately deployed a concealment Barrier, cutting off Olympus's observation of the Chaldea group and buying them a brief moment to catch their breath.
After all, Chaldea possessed only a single warship, while Olympus was a colossal floating island capable of supporting a population in the tens of millions.
"How are you holding up?"
As Morgan spoke, she reached out from the top of a platform more than a meter high and pulled Shiomi up.
"I'm fine. It's just that the air here… the mana concentration is so high it's almost addictive."
After Morgan caught his hand, she gave a light tug and hauled Shiomi up.
"With True Ether this dense, even the Land of Shadows would have to concede defeat," Scáthach said, extending a hand as well, ready for Morgan to pull her up.
Morgan frowned. "Can't you climb up on your own?"
"Isn't that the same for my beloved disciple?" Scáthach shot back.
"Don't start competing over nothing at a time like this. If you've got complaints, take them out on me," Shiomi said wryly, extending his hand toward his teacher.
"I was just teasing her," Morgan said with a gentle smile, reaching out as well.
As a result, Scáthach didn't need to exert any strength at all before the two of them pulled her up in one smooth motion.
The three now stood at the outer edge of the forest, on a cliff overlooking the sea beneath Olympus.
The Storm Border's landing point happened to be on the higher eastern side of the lower-tier interstellar city. From here, they could take in the entirety of Olympus at a glance.
Despite being nothing more than an isolated island floating above the sea, a visibly prosperous metropolis spread out before their eyes.
"It's almost like… no, it really is a city in the sky," Morgan said with a sigh of admiration. "If all of Britannia were lifted into the air, it might reach this scale."
"It is impressive. As a city of the gods, it's hard to find fault with it," Shiomi said quietly. "But since it isn't a city that belongs to humanity, there's no real reason to dwell on it."
Scáthach smiled faintly to herself and checked the time.
"It's been two hours since we set out. Communications with the Storm Border have been completely cut off. If we force a connection, we'll probably expose our position."
"Not yet," Shiomi replied. "I've set ravens along the way as markers. Artoria's team should be setting out by now as well. We need to make our preparations quickly."
With that, Shiomi turned and headed toward the inner side of the cliff.
They had already reached the forest boundary. If they picked up the pace and moved a little faster, they could enter the urban district of Olympus's interstellar city and come into contact with its residents.
"Sigh…"
Scáthach let out a soft sigh and was about to follow when Morgan called out to her from behind.
"Wait, Scáthach."
"Is something wrong, Morgan?" Scáthach asked. "We went ahead specifically to act as bait. Are you worried our combat strength alone isn't enough?"
"It has nothing to do with combat," Morgan said, shaking her head. "What I mean is… did you notice? After confirming the state of Olympus… no, after seeing how the residents of this Lostbelt actually live, my husband's reaction seemed a little strange."
Scáthach laughed. "I was afraid I was the only one who noticed. What a shame."
"I've been by his side longer than you have, even if you are his master," Morgan replied with a smile tinged with pride. "If you could see it, how could I possibly miss it?"
Scáthach simply smiled in agreement. "You mean my beloved disciple seems cold, like he has no interest in this place at all?"
"That's right." Morgan watched Shiomi's back as he walked ahead at an unhurried pace, the two of them following a few steps behind. "But I think it's more like he's made up his mind."
"Made up his mind…" Scáthach echoed. "Just taking a look is enough to understand how prosperous this Lostbelt is. Neither your Britannia, nor Russia, nor Scandinavia can compare."
Morgan couldn't help but frown, her smile turning slightly awkward. "That's true. But he never reacted this way in the previous Lostbelts. Could it be—"
"It has nothing to do with the formation of his inner divinity," Scáthach interjected.
"I think so too," Morgan said after a moment's thought. "After all, before we set out, he even spent two full hours replenishing mana with us… wait, that's not what I meant to discuss! I'm not here to talk about my husband's private affairs!"
Scáthach kept one eye closed. "Neither am I."
"Ugh…" Morgan was left momentarily at a loss for words.
"My beloved disciple doesn't like any Lostbelt, including your Fairy Kingdom," Scáthach said after some thought. "He only went that far because you cherished that place, and he wanted to fulfill your wishes. The same goes for Scandinavia. If it weren't for Skadi, he wouldn't have bothered with those surviving villagers at all."
At that point, Morgan felt the answer was already obvious.
Shiomi understood clearly that this was a struggle for survival between Proper Human History and the seven Lostbelts. The Lostbelts had their own sense of justice, and Proper Human History had its own as well. Because of that, he felt no hesitation whatsoever when it came to destroying other worlds, whether they were flourishing or already in decline.
"Olympus is too prosperous," Morgan said. "So prosperous that it surpasses Proper Human History itself. It's completely different from the Lostbelts we dealt with before. This time, it's not tens of thousands of humans scraping by under harsh conditions, but tens of millions living happy, fulfilled lives…"
"So there's no need to ask anymore. My beloved disciple has already made up his mind," Scáthach said as she stepped forward, ready to follow Shiomi. "This was decided the moment he chose to become a god and fight to reclaim Proper Human History. What we need to do—"
"—is support him, as we always have, or pull him back if he ever strays," Morgan finished, understanding perfectly.
She had only been worried that Shiomi's indifference toward Olympus might have been something he was forcing himself into, which was why she wanted to talk it over with Scáthach.
But clearly, their views were very much in sync.
Noticing that the two of them had stopped, Shiomi waited ahead until they caught up.
"Finished discussing?"
"For now, I suppose," Morgan said, taking his hand.
Scáthach grabbed his other arm. "It's been a long time since the three of us acted alone like this. It's rather nostalgic."
"After all, the number of women around my husband just keeps increasing. Even I'm starting to feel a sense of crisis," Morgan teased.
"...Really?" Shiomi paused, momentarily taken aback.
"I'm joking," Morgan said, shaking her head.
Then, with one arm linked to each of them, she and Scáthach tilted their heads and leaned against him as they continued walking toward the western side of the interstellar city.
"So what were you talking about earlier?" Shiomi asked curiously. "New tactics?"
"With that sharp mind of yours, beloved disciple, you should be able to guess without us saying anything," Scáthach replied.
"Eh…"
Rarely at a loss, Shiomi could only smile. Surrounded on both sides, he let himself enjoy this brief stretch of ease as they walked on.