Mozart stared in utter shock as [Mash] wiped out the hundreds of monsters in the blink of an eye.
Something felt seriously off.
He glanced sideways at Mash, remembering how she had struggled just to handle ten of the creatures a moment ago.
Now it all clicked why Mash called this woman her master.
The sheer power [Mash] had just displayed looked like she could have soloed every last Servant on Jeanne Alter's side by herself.
And she was complaining that she had gotten rusty!
Was that really what "rusty" looked like?!
This didn't add up.
Fine, rusty or not, let's take ten thousand steps back.
Wasn't Mash supposed to be a Shielder?
Clearing out that many monsters in under ten seconds… was that seriously a Shielder's job?
Wasn't something wrong here?
While Mozart stood there dazed, Mash stepped forward excitedly and stopped right in front of [Mash]. The questions Mozart had asked her earlier were still ringing in her head. Facing this parallel-world version of herself from the future, she couldn't hide the thrill in her voice.
"Master, I have a question I need to ask you."
[Mash] had already put her shield away. She listened, glanced at Mash, then at Mozart, and instantly understood what her junior wanted to know.
"It's about the question Mr. Amadeus asked you, right?"
"Yes, Master." Mash nodded quickly.
"After everything you and Senpai Adam have been through in all those Singularities… what answer did you find to Mr. Amadeus's question?"
Mash looked at this future self who had walked beside her senpai through countless Singularities and adventures, desperate to know what insight she had gained.
Even though Mozart had told her not to let anyone else's views sway her, facing this version of herself, Mash simply couldn't contain her curiosity.
[Mash] heard the question and memories of every Singularity and Lostbelt she had experienced with Adam flooded back in an instant.
Looking back now, it had already been at least ten years. The answer in [Mash]'s heart had never changed once.
"No matter what situation or choice I face, I will always stand with Senpai."
Mash listened to the light yet unbelievably firm words and felt their full weight.
More than that, when her master said it, she was smiling—a genuinely happy smile.
For a moment Mash was speechless.
Then Mozart's earlier words echoed in her mind again…
The choice between the "right" she had always believed in and standing by her senpai.
Mash asked uncertainly, "…But… what if that decision ends up causing other people's deaths?"
The question brought the Lostbelts flashing through [Mash]'s mind.
Lostbelts were histories of humanity pruned by the Parallel World Theory—dead-end timelines born from wrong choices and failed prosperity.
Those erroneous histories competed with the Human Order Adam and [Mash] protected for the right to exist.
The losing side would be erased.
Mash's education had shaped her into something almost saintly.
Faced with a choice this heavy, hesitation was only natural. She couldn't help thinking: was it truly "right" to strip others of their right to live just so she could survive?
[Mash], shaped by Adam, also felt pity and reluctance toward the people of the Lostbelts.
But the real reason she felt that way was because she already knew they were going to be destroyed.
[Mash] had never once hesitated about pruning Lostbelts. She had never even considered the question of "depriving others of survival for her own sake."
She cut them down alongside her senpai for one simple reason: it wasn't for herself.
It was because the Lostbelts threatened Senpai's life, so they had to disappear.
The lives of strangers versus Senpai's life was never even a question.
Not to mention that, besides Adam, [Mash]'s world also contained everyone at Chaldea whom she cherished.
Sorry, people of the Lostbelts. I know you want to survive too, but…
For Senpai and for everyone at Chaldea, judgment will be passed on the Lostbelts~
With that thought, [Mash] looked straight at Mash, expression serious, voice steady.
"Even then, my choice would not change."
"Any existence that threatens Senpai's safety…" [Mash]'s eyes sharpened. "…must be erased."
Mozart had listened to the whole exchange. He had already guessed [Mash]'s identity, and her words and choice made him smile with quiet relief.
"I see. It looks like the world has filled you out to a certain degree."
"So that's how it is? The world around you has given you feelings strong enough that you'll protect them no matter what?"
"Even if it means going against the 'right' you've always followed."
No matter what choice Mash made, Mozart would have been relieved. Right now she was lost and didn't know how to choose. Making a decision meant the world around her had given her enough feedback to support a choice she wouldn't regret. As long as she wouldn't regret it, it was the right choice for her.
[Mash] recalled every moment she had shared with Adam and everyone at Chaldea. The corners of her mouth curved into a happy smile again as she looked up at the brilliant starry sky.
Senpai was her guiding star—the one who kept her from ever being lost.
[Mash] started walking back toward her senpai. She glanced at Mash and Mozart.
"Alright, let's head back. If we take any longer, Senpai will start worrying."
Mash was stunned by the absolute certainty and happiness on [Mash]'s face. It was obvious [Mash] had never once regretted her choice.
Mash felt a deep envy, because it was something the current her still couldn't do.
She couldn't help wondering if her own future could ever be like her master's.
On the way back, Mash kept her head down, thinking about it. The more she thought, the more she felt she could never reach her master's level. A quiet fear of her own future began to grow inside her.
[Mash] noticed and smiled, comforting her the way someone who had already walked the path would.
"You don't have to think that far ahead right now. Just like Mr. Amadeus said…"
"In the future, whatever the world around you gives you, you can give back to it in the same way."
"For now, just do what you want to do in the present. That's enough."
Mash paused, then nodded with firm resolve.
"Yeah… I understand, Master."
After [Mash]'s advice, Mash decided to set the heavy thoughts aside for now. The future could wait. Right now she just wanted to clear this Singularity together with her master and her two senpais.
A few minutes earlier.
Far across the plain rose a slope dozens of meters high, offering a clear view. Sharp eyes could see several kilometers into the distance.
A knight clad entirely in pitch-black armor, riding a wyvern, spotted the three figures who had just finished erasing the nearby monsters.
He had been relatively calm until the instant his gaze landed on the shield in [Mash]'s hand. It was like a switch had been flipped. He threw his head back and roared.
"Galahad"
The sound startled the wyvern beneath him. It tilted its head fearfully and glanced back at the raging knight on its back.
Is he going to tear me apart?
The rider was Berserker Lancelot.
Lancelot stared at [Mash] and the others—specifically at Mash and [Mash]—and an inexplicable excitement surged through him. He urged the wyvern forward to charge.
But right as he moved, Jeanne Alter's earlier orders flashed through his mind.
"Everyone, mount the wyverns and split up to search for the enemy."
"Remember, once you find them, do not charge in recklessly. Return and report to me first. We regroup and attack together."
"Remember! Do not charge recklessly!"
"Especially you! Berserker!!"
At the time, Lancelot had nodded to Jeanne Alter.
...
Back to the present.
Lancelot remembered the command, then looked at [Mash] and the others, who had finished talking and were about to disappear into the forest.
His left brain echoed Jeanne Alter's orders while his right brain screamed at him to chase them down.
"Remember! Do not charge recklessly!"
...
...
...
"Galahad"
Lancelot instantly tossed every instruction aside and sent the wyvern hurtling straight toward Mash and [Mash].
————————
Back on Adam's side.
Adam looked at Marie Antoinette (Alter) listed on his Servant panel.
Then he glanced at the real Marie chatting happily with the others.
Just thinking about what he was about to do made the corners of his mouth twitch with the urge to smile.
Hold it in for now.
He would deal with the Emotion Points after he checked the three Craft Essences he had just pulled.
Adam decided to inspect the three three-star Concept Essences first.
The one- and two-stars could probably be fused or sold for more Emotion Points later. He could only equip one Concept Essence at a time anyway.
He would handle Black Marie after that.
Adam switched tabs and checked the summoning log.
The first was [Three-Star Concept Essence: Self-Geis Scroll].
[Details: A rule that any existence must absolutely obey—an extremely powerful binding that restricts its target. If the contract recorded in this document is agreed upon, no existence can violate it, and there is no way to escape its effects—provided that the signature belongs to the existence itself.]
Adam's first reaction was pure disdain.
What was the point of this?
With enough materials he could crank out ten of these himself.
...
…Wait.
Adam narrowed his eyes and read the details again, carefully.
His gaze locked on the four key words.
[Any existence]
"Any existence?!"
Did that mean what he thought it meant?
For mages, a Self-Geis Scroll was a powerful enforcement tool once signed. It could even bind the soul if the Magic Crest was passed down after death.
But it was limited to mages. Higher-order beings could sign it and it would still be worthless.
Of course, it depended on who created it.
If a high-order being made one, it might actually bind other high-order beings.
Adam making something on that level wasn't realistic.
Yet the system's Self-Geis Scroll seemed… capable of binding any existence.
Could he make a Buddha sign this? Would it actually work?
If the name "Buddha" isn't ringing any bells, the other name is far more famous: Shakyamuni, the Tathagata.
If it really worked, this thing shouldn't be three-star. It should be at least five-star.
Adam stroked his chin, thinking. If it was only three-star, maybe the "any existence" part came with fine print?
If not, he genuinely didn't understand how these Concept Essences were ranked.
Was it because both parties had to consent? That limitation?
Probably. Normally two parties of similar strength who each needed something would sign it.
A higher being facing a lower one wouldn't bother signing; they could just take what they wanted.
Still, it was pretty good.
You never knew what the future held. Maybe some idiot with a bad brain would sign it anyway.
Adam could already think of a few creative ways to use it.
For example…
Special invisible ink.
Add a tiny extra clause inside the Self-Geis Scroll using that ink.
Write it lightly so it wouldn't leave any indentations on the parchment.
Or write the real terms on an inner layer.
Take three thin sheets of parchment and layer them into one page.
Normal contract on the first sheet, whatever he wanted on the middle one. Heh heh heh~
Don't ask how Adam knew all these little tricks…
He moved on to the second Concept Essence.
[Sensory Sharing].
[Details: Requires any bodily tissue from both parties. Forces a link between their senses—sight, hearing, smell, and touch. The holder of the Essence decides when to activate or deactivate the sharing.]
This one…
Adam turned it over in his mind and felt something was off.
Sensory sharing…
Strategically it had its uses.
With a sample like hair, he could see whatever the other person saw at any time. Great for spying on important information.
The downside was obvious: the other person could see what he saw too.
It was mutual.
But more importantly, Adam could apply this to any two parties as long as he had their bodily tissue.
He could use it on himself or on anyone else.
And because it was forced, he could activate it without their knowledge.
If that was the case…
Adam glanced at Swimsuit Jeanne Alter chatting with [Martha], then at the newly pulled Sensory Sharing.
If touch could be shared too… did that mean…
Whatever one person was doing, the other could feel it no matter how far away they were?
Adam suddenly had an idea for letting Jeanne Alter experience the full heat of his love for her.
Cough, cough… just kidding.
Anyway, this three-star was pretty useful.
Then he looked at the last one.
[Spirit Origin Record].
[Details: Can record one Spirit Origin onto this Essence.]
Adam frowned at the single vague sentence.
But… its use?
His gaze drifted back to Swimsuit Jeanne Alter.
He materialized the Spirit Origin Record as a silver card and took it out.
Adam stared blankly at Swimsuit Jeanne Alter, then at the card in his hand, lost in thought.
After about ten seconds a plan formed. He held the card up to the system.
"System, about this Essence—if it's a Servant created by the Holy Grail with no record in the Throne of Heroes, can this still record that Spirit Origin?"
[…Yes, Host.]
After the system's confirmation, Adam smiled. He already knew exactly what to do with it.
He pulled up his system and focused on Swimsuit Jeanne (Archer).
"Looks like Big Sis Jeanne is getting another little sister."
The silver card flipped between his fingers. He pinched it with his index and thumb, then tapped the corner with his middle finger.
Ding~
The card gave a crisp ring.
After playing with it a little longer, Adam put it back into the system.
Finally he switched back to the Servant deployment screen and scrolled through his list until he found Marie Antoinette (Alter).
But he didn't click deploy right away. Instead he looked toward the real Marie.
Adam tried hard to keep a straight face while staring at her.
Marie, who had been chatting with Ritsuka and Jeanne, suddenly shivered.
She followed the feeling and saw Adam looking straight at her, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he was barely holding something back.
"Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Could it be… you're about to propose to me?"
The naturally dense Marie said it without a hint of irony.
Adam didn't answer. He was studying Marie's body, which looked very different from the three-stage Spirit Origin of Black Marie.
"Marie, I have a question for you."
"If I'm not mistaken, your current body manifested in the state you had as a child, right?"
Marie looked surprised for a second, then smiled brightly.
"You noticed! That's right~"
"My current state seems to be from when I was fourteen. Right after I first arrived in France."
"You seem to know a lot about me. Are you a fan?"
Just as Marie said, her limited state kept her at age fourteen, so her mindset was that of her younger self. She had the memories, but not the real experiences of everything that came after.
This version of Marie Antoinette was actually a lot like a certain four-star Servant—Artoria Pendragon (Lily).
Adam, who knew Marie very well, understood all of that. But he had never asked her how she felt about her future self.
"So, respected Queen of France, may I ask what you think of your future self?"
No one else in the group noticed that the sleeping Metatron Jeanne had suddenly vanished.
Marie didn't notice the extra figure that had appeared behind her, either.
"My future self?"
***
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