(There are changes to the original timeline)
Realizing that the other end of the phone had been silent for a long time, Flat finally noticed he had gotten too carried away and hurriedly slammed on the brakes.
"P-Professor?"
He asked cautiously, "Are you still listening?"
"...Yes."
Lord El-Melloi II's voice finally sounded, sounding a bit... exhausted?
"What did you say she called herself just now?"
"President of the Earth!"
"..."
"She also said she's going to govern the planet!"
"..."
"And her Saint Graph structure is different from a Holy Grail Summoning?"
"Right!"
A long sigh came from the other end of the phone, along with the sound of something bumping against a desk.
"Flat."
Lord El-Melloi II confirmed once more, "Are you sure you didn't just sleep poorly last night? And you haven't touched any hallucinogens?"
"I'm sure!"
Flat nodded vigorously. "And Berserker saw her too! He felt that Saint Graph as well! Right, Berserker?"
He raised his wrist and asked his watch.
A deep voice rang out directly in his mind:
'Master, I suggest you calm down.'
"I'm very calm!"
'You look like you just downed ten pounds of candy right now.'
"..."
Flat pouted and turned his attention back to the phone.
"Professor, you have to believe me! I'm really not lying to you!"
There was no immediate response from the other end of the phone.
Flat asked, "Then Professor, what should we do now?"
"Don't do anything for now." Lord El-Melloi II's tone grew serious. "Listen closely, Flat. What I'm about to say is very important—stay away from her."
"Eh? Why?"
"Because she is very dangerous."
Lord El-Melloi II said,
"Being able to tank two high-ranking Noble Phantasms and remain perfectly fine, calling herself President of the Earth, and having an anomalous Saint Graph structure. Any one of these three labels is enough to warrant vigilance, let alone all three combined in one person."
"Furthermore, if she really is 'Olga Marie', then the implications behind this are far too vast."
Listening to him, Flat asked softly,
"Professor, do you think she... is an enemy?"
"I don't know," Lord El-Melloi II confessed. "But I do know that until we figure out her goal, keeping your distance is the safest option."
"Flat, listen to me. You are a Master now, a participant in this Holy Grail War. Your primary task is to protect yourself, not to approach a Servant of unknown origins."
"But her origins aren't unknown," Flat retorted. "She's Miss Olga Marie—"
"She isn't."
Lord El-Melloi II's voice suddenly rose, then was immediately suppressed.
"Flat, I'll say it again! She is not the Olga Marie from the Clock Tower. She is a Heroic Spirit, a Servant, an existence recorded on the Throne. Do you understand what that means?"
Without waiting for Flat to speak, Lord El-Melloi II continued,
"It means that aside from her appearance and name, she might not have anything in common with the Olga Marie we know.
Her experiences, her personality, and her goals are all entirely unknown."
"Flat, you..." Lord El-Melloi II opened his mouth, wanting to say something more.
But the words reached his lips and were swallowed back down.
Because he knew it would be useless even if he said it.
If Flat was the type to listen to advice, he wouldn't have sneaked off to participate in the Holy Grail War.
"Forget it, just do as you see fit."
A few seconds later, Flat's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Understood, Professor! Don't worry! Berserker and I are very strong!"
Lord El-Melloi II twitched the corners of his mouth, wanting to smile, but couldn't.
Strong?
In front of a Servant of that caliber, even the strongest Master was nothing but an ant.
So he merely sighed and changed the subject.
"There's one more thing."
A hint of teeth-gnashing seeped into his voice.
"That large batch of students from the El-Melloi Class all ran off to Snowfield City to join the war."
Lord El-Melloi II sounded on the verge of a breakdown. "Those little brats didn't tell me at all! I only just heard about it through other channels!"
"By the time I found out, they had even summoned a Servant!"
Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Thirty people running off to act as Masters for a single Servant is truly unbelievable!"
The other end of the phone fell silent for a moment.
"Pfft, hahahahaha!"
Flat burst into earth-shattering laughter.
The laughter transmitted through the receiver, so loud that Lord El-Melloi II had to pull the phone away from his ear again.
Lord El-Melloi II listened to the laughter on the other end expressionlessly, feeling the veins throbbing on his forehead.
He waited until Flat had laughed enough before speaking coldly:
"Are you done laughing?"
"D-Done laughing... pfft..."
"Then listen."
Lord El-Melloi II's voice suddenly dropped.
"I don't care what you all want to do, nor do I care how you plan to mess around."
"But there is one thing—"
"Come back alive."
With that said, he cleanly and decisively hung up the phone.
"Beep—beep—beep—"
The busy tone sounded.
Lord El-Melloi II tossed his phone onto the desk and slumped back into his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He maintained this posture for a full minute, then let out a long, long sigh.
"What sins did I commit in my past life..."
He muttered to himself, his voice laced with heavy despair.
Watching him like this, Reines chuckled lightly and picked up her teacup again.
The tea had already gone cold.
She didn't mind, slowly stirring the dark red tea with a small silver spoon as she spoke thoughtfully:
"Are you really just going to leave them be like this?"
She didn't believe he could actually do that.
Lord El-Melloi II didn't move, still staring at the ceiling, his voice weak:
"What else? Fly to the United Nations and drag them back one by one?"
"You could try."
Reines took a sip of tea, her tone brisk.
"You might just succeed."
Lord El-Melloi II didn't reply.
He knew Reines was teasing him.
But he didn't even have the energy to banter right now.
After a good while, Reines finally spoke again.
This time, her tone was a bit more serious.
"What do you think about that Servant, Olga Marie?"
Lord El-Melloi II finally stirred.
He slowly sat up straight, his gaze falling upon a certain point in the void.
"The Throne of Heroes is, after all, located outside the world, a gathering place for all possibilities."
His voice was deep, carrying a scholar's calmness.
"No one knows if there is a certain timeline, a certain world, where an Olga Marie who is worthy of becoming a Servant exists, and just happened to be summoned."
Reines raised an eyebrow.
"Are you saying that in some world, that Olga Marie fellow became some sort of President of the Earth? And was recorded on the Throne of Heroes because of that?"
"That's probably how it is."
Lord El-Melloi II nodded, but his brows furrowed.
"It's just that..."
He paused, a trace of doubt creeping into his voice.
"President of the Earth... this title doesn't sound very good."
Reines tilted her head.
"How so?"
"President implies rule."
Lord El-Melloi II said slowly, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the desk.
"And President of the Earth... means ruling over the entire planet."
He looked up at Reines, his eyes gradually becoming solemn.
"What kind of existence do you think would call themselves the President of the Earth? How could the Clock Tower, or even the entire Mage's Association, allow her to do whatever she pleases?"
Reines smiled.
Her smile carried a hint of amusement, yet also a touch of coldness.
Neither of them spoke anymore.
The atmosphere this time was much heavier than before.
The sky outside the window had brightened a bit more, revealing a pale light behind the grayish clouds.
Lord El-Melloi II stared at that light for a few seconds, his expression growing serious, and suddenly stood up.
"Sorry. We'll talk next time, I'm leaving first."
Reines watched his hurried movements without speaking.
It wasn't until Lord El-Melloi II reached the door and put his hand on the doorknob that she suddenly spoke.
"You know."
"Even if you aren't a Master, if your disciples are, you'll still be considered a participant in the war, right?"
"Especially since you are also a Lord."
Lord El-Melloi II's hand, resting on the doorknob, paused for a moment.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he naturally pressed the handle and pulled the door open.
"Yeah."
He replied, his voice betraying no emotion.
The door was gently closed behind him.
Reines sat alone at the tea table, resting her chin on her hands and slightly narrowing her eyes.
She muttered to herself in a low voice:
"Waver, what on earth are you thinking..."
"I hope you don't do anything stupid."
---- (Main Text Divider) ----
A no-prize guessing game: who will have the biggest stress reaction to Lord El-Melloi II arriving in Snowfield City?