Ch 166 : Chaldea.

One nice thing about being a Magus in the Association was that students could decide their own schedule and what classes they wanted to attend, as there was no diploma to obtain or time limit. The senior Magus offered lessons in exchange for money or materials for their experiments. Most Magus of the Association could come and go as they pleased but would remain bound for life by the Association's rules.

Akeno stood in front of a shooting range and pointed her right hand at the first target, fingers straight and kept together.

"Go." exclaimed the faculty responsible for the shooting range.

Akeno immediately used her new favorite attack spell, named Gandr. A burst of red-tinted black light shot from her hand toward the first target at the speed of an arrow. By the time the magic projectile crossed half the distance, Akeno was already shooting another Gandr, and was finishing charging her third when the first one hit its target, causing a small explosion and shattering it.

All five targets were shot within two seconds, and the faculty squinted his eyes at Akeno.

"Are you sure you learned Gandr just recently? You look like you used it for years."

"Just recently, yes." smiled Akeno, leaving her spot for Chisato.

One of the reasons Akeno was fond of using Gandr was that the attack, while basic, was very malleable once properly mastered. Akeno would be able to generate faster, stronger projectiles, or continuous beams, to fire multiple Gandr simultaneously, and so on. The attack would be very flexible, for a very reasonable cost on her mana. Few Magus ever pushed Gandr beyond its basic form, but Akeno wasn't a typical Magus. it would take time, but she would make Gandr into a fearsome ability.

The targets had regenerated themselves, and Chisato got her turn with using the spell.

Akeno watched with a smile. Chisato was a little slower with triggering and launching the magic projectiles, largely due to a significantly lower MAG attribute, but her shots hit dead center of the targets each time, something Akeno couldn't manage.

Asuka performed well, too, being almost as fast as Akeno, and almost as accurate as Chisato. Genos was both slower and less accurate, but his shots had significantly more power in them. Miwa was both fast and accurate, but a bit lacking in strength. Bell's Gandr projectiles were strong and could somehow curve toward their target, but he was slow.

Darkness actually managed to miss two of the five targets and was average in speed and power. She blushed in shame-induced pleasure when Akeno stared at her with a bit of deliberate scorn. She later received a reward in private for hitting three targets our of five. This already was significant progress.

Thanks to their hellish training regimen, the Masters, as well as most of the Servants who attended the lessons, were progressing fast.

By day fifteen, they were more or less equivalent to students who had spent two years studying in the tower. At least for practical applications. Akeno at the others had little use of knowledge about the history of Magecraft or the achievements of prestigious families.

By day thirty, they knew how to establish basic bounded fields and barriers.

And they had made a significant contribution to the advancement of Magecraft. Scathach had handed over to the Tower a simplified version of the Primordial Runes.

Those runes weren't nearly as potent as those Scathach intended to teach Akeno and the others once their level in Magecraft reached an adequate level, and she deliberately left out those that would amplify the effect of the other runes, but they were still more advanced than any runic language the Tower possessed.

…

Akeno sighed tiredly and massaged her temples. She was happy with her rapid progress, but she still felt mentally drained. She envied Noah's ability to take vacations inside his girls' souls.

Her days were now filled with studies. Her typical day consisted of studying Magecraft inside the Sanctuary with the Servants for about ten hours. Then four hours of being used as Scathach's chewing toy. Followed by a short nap, and four to six hours she spent doing a different kind of training, mostly with Scathach, but also with Sakura, Medusa, Britomart and Artoria.

Sakura and Medusa had both signed Soul Contracts and completed their training, but Akeno didn't intend to ignore them and start on another girl when she had so little free time. No one would accuse her of not feeding the fishes she had already caught.

And every two weeks, she got to spend half a day outside of the Sanctuary and study like a normal student.

Due to the time dilation, their month as students of the Mage Association had lasted close to two years. It was no wonder that Akeno, Chisato, Asuka and the others were now exceeding most of their peers. They actually had reached a level equivalent to Rin before the Holy War. And Rin was a very gifted individual.

Rin and Luvia surely would have been disgusted, if they weren't both attending lessons inside the Sanctuary and improving as well.

As she mustered the courage to refocus on the book's content, she felt something change inside of her. Like a switch had just been turned.

She somehow knew that it was time to go to Chaldea.

…

"Hey, Luvia." asked Akeno as she found her in the library.

"Yes?"

"I've been sort of nudged by a divine finger. We need to go to Chaldea now. Do you still intend to come with us?"

"Of course! I need to protect my family's investment, and I do not want to miss the opportunity of getting more lessons with some of your Servants. I've progressed more since I met you than in the previous three years. The Edelfelt aren't known for letting good opportunities escape them."

Akeno grinned.

"I'll be grateful for your presence. Could you please inform Lord Zelretch?"

"Yes." smiled Luvia as she took her smartphone. Few people could actually reach Zelretch, but Luvia was the heir of the Edelfelt Family. A family that had for centuries cultivated a cordial relationship with him.

"That isn't necessary, Luvia-kun." said Zelretch, appearing near them. his appearance hadn't changed at all since she last saw him. But then, from his perspective, that was only about six weeks ago.

"Greetings, lord Zelretch." smiled Akeno.

"Hello, Akeno-kun. Is that second crisis starting?"

"If it hasn't already, it probably won't be long after we reach that place. But I've been given marching orders, so to speak."

"You and your colleagues have made some impressive progress as a Magus. I hope it will be enough."

"If we fail, it won't be for lack of preparations." nodded Akeno. "Can I request your help to go to Antarctica?"

"Yes. I will inform Chaldea's Director while you and your friends get ready." nodded Zelretch, disappearing.

"I'll start packing and send a message to my family." said Luvia as she took the book she had been reading and put it back on the shelf.

"yes, let's meet here soon." Said Akeno before she started hunting down her companions.

Twenty minutes later, everyone had gathered inside the library. They all wore the official black and orange uniform of the Mage Association, consisting of black and orange shoes, black leggings, black shorts, an orange sleeveless top with a red ribbon, and a black cape with sleeves.

Akeno examined each of their companions one by one. A few were tense, but none looked afraid. Most showed a calm confidence. Confidence in themselves, and confidence in their companions. Akeno felt proud of being one of their companions.

Zelretch reappeared, looked at them, and nodded.

"I see that everyone is ready. Let us go, then."

Akeno's vision was suddenly filled with a kaleidoscope of colors. It lasted only for a few seconds, and they suddenly stood on the flank of a snow-covered mountain. More mountain peaks and ridges covered the land as far as she could see, but part of the mountain they were on had been carved away to leave a flat surface. She estimated that this surface was a rough circle with a radius of about 500 meters, and a large structure in the shape of a horseshoe, about fifty meters in height and at least two hundred meters in diameter, occupied most of it. A half dozen much smaller, square buildings were connected to it with pipelines large enough for a person to walk in.

She felt a biting cold for a few second, but it stopped almost immediately. Zelretch had erected a barrier around the group, protecting them from the wind and temperature.

"I have teleported outside so you can all get a good view of the research center." said Zelretch, before he started walking toward the complex main doors. The snow parted before his feet.

Akeno and the others followed him. When they reached the main building, two large steel doors opened, and Akeno could see a large hallway with walls of blue-gray steel, and a soft white lighting coming from large panels on the ceiling. Four people were waiting for them in the middle of the hallway.

Front and center stood a young woman with amber eyes and long ivory-white hair, some of it styled into a side braid on the left side. She was dressed in an orange, black and white outfit that clearly marked her as a noble. She was beautiful, and she had an ahoge. From this, Akeno determined her to be an important character in the original fiction and a conquest target. And Akeno would likely have to work hard to for it, because she didn't look happy at all to see them come.

Behind her and to her left was one of the most beautiful women Akeno had ever seen. Long, lustrous black hair, blue eyes, inviting lips and a perfect face. And she looked a lot like the woman in the Mona Lisa painting. Akeno was sure there was a story. The woman was also a Servant, from her aura, although maybe not a very strong one. She wore an elaborate red dress with blue gloves and blue stockings. She looked with interest and curiosity at the incoming group.

Left of the Servant stood a young man with gray eyes and long reddish-blond hair styled in a short ponytail, dressed in a green and white outfit and short white gloves. He was displaying a lazy smile as he met Akeno's gaze.

The fourth person standing on the white-haired girl's right side and at the same level gave Akeno an instant dislike. She didn't know why at first, but the tall man with long shaggy brown hair, dressed in a black and dark green outfit and wearing a top hat, gave her the creeps. Was it his nearly closed eyes? His smile that seemed somewhat condescending and mocking?

After a few seconds of introspection as she kept walking, she understood that it was her instinct as a Queen somewhat experienced in diplomacy, and her lie detection ability that was acting up. The man's expression, that he seemed to want to appear friendly, was instead hiding hostility, and her ability was picking up on it.

The group entered the hallway, and the steel doors started closing behind them. Zelretch kept walking, then stopped two meters away from the white-haired girl.

"Thank you for taking the time to welcome us. Marie-kun. I know my warning didn’t give you much time." smiled Zelretch.

"You're welcome, Lord Zelretch." unhappily said the young woman, who Akeno assumed was Olga-Marie Animusphere. "But what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to take over?"

"Not at all. I am only bringing over these special investigators. They are here in response to a prophecy stating that a major crisis would soon happen, and related to Chaldea. The reliability of this prophecy isn't something I am prepared to guarantee, but better safe than sorry. I hope you can get along with them."

Olga-Marie looked past Zelretch at Akeno and every else, noting that the group was full of gorgeous women and only had two men, and snorted.

"I make no guarantee. I guess I can tolerate them, as long as they do not get in the way."

"Thank you. Hopefully, their presence will not be needed. I will leave you to it, then."

Zelretch disappeared, and the Olga-Marie and the three others looked at the group.

"I guess I should introduce ourselves." said Akeno with a smile and a respectful nod.

"I am Akeno Himejima, and it is nice to meet you all. This is Asuka Shikinami Himejima, Chisato Nishikigi…"

One by one, Akeno introduced her companions. She noted that her lie detection ability intensified its response right after she mentioned Jeanne and Melusine being Rulers, as if the man in green's affable appearance was hiding a stronger hostility.

When she was done, Olga-Marie nodded. The tone of her voice made clear she still wasn't happy.

"I am the Director of the Chaldea Security Organization, Olga-Marie Animusphere. Here is Lev Lainur Flauros, a special advisor and researcher. The Head of the Technology Development Division, Da Vinci. And the Head of the Medical Facility, Romani Archaman… Miss Edelfelt, are you the leader of this group?"

"No, Akeno is calling the shots for everyone but me, and I have no authority over anyone present." smiled Luvia.

Akeno saw Olga-Marie glance briefly at her left arm, and the many command seals. She couldn't even tell how many Akeno possessed as her left forearm was hidden by the uniform's sleeve.

"Follow me to my office. Romani, please show the others to their quarters, and give the best room to miss Edelfelt." said Olga-Marie, starting to walk away.

Akeno raised an eyebrow at the Director's rudeness. It seemed that she wanted to make a point. Deciding not to make a scene right away, she followed Olga-Marie through a succession of wide corridors.

The place was impeccably clean, and Akeno noted it as a point in favor of the Director.

Eventually, Olga-Marie stopped in front of a steel door. She touched a panel on the wall, and the door opened.

Akeno followed her inside. The room mostly furnished as a large office, through Akeno saw that the left wall was a partition, and part of a bed could be seen beyond it.

Olga-Marie sat behind the large desk and didn't offer a seat to Akeno.

"What are you truly after?" coldly asked Olga-Marie.

"You're not even going to have the curtesy of offering me a seat, Director? There is a limit to the amount of rudeness I am prepared to tolerate." said Akeno with a flat voice.

"…And what are you going to do if I exceed those limits?"

"Rude girls get a spanking."

Olga-Marie suddenly leaned forward, her face twisting in outrage, but Akeno forestalled her outburst with a hand gesture.

"Let me be clear, Director. My job is to solve whatever crisis is about to hit us, and I intend to do it with or without your cooperation. I would much prefer that we cooperate, as it would increase the odds of success, and I do not intend to interfere with your work. I recognize Chaldea's potential for the betterment of humanity, and I do not want to steal the credit from you and your family, if that is what you might be afraid off."

Olga-Marie glared at her for long seconds, but she had to admit that she had a point about cooperation making things easier. Zelretch had made clear that, while she was the Director, the people he would bring would not be under her own authority, and she couldn't kick them out.

That was the part that grated at her the most, as she saw them as a potential threat and an affront to her, as if Zelretch doubted her qualification as a Director and was bringing in people to watch over her shoulder. And maybe replace her, taking away from her family the project her father had devoted his life for.

Trying to calm herself down, Olga-Marie sighed and pointed to one of the two chairs in front of the desk. Akeno sat on it without a word.

"This so-called prophecy. Is it from a reliable source?"

"You could say so. Us Seven Masters were chosen from seven different timelines by the beings who created the Root, and they gave us two missions. The first was to purify the Holy Grail and stop Angra Mainyu from being released by one of the Masters who are native to this world. You may have heard of it."

Olga-Marie nodded wordlessly.

"The second is to go to Chaldea and deal with a crisis of greater magnitude. We were not given any date, but I expect it will happen soon."

"Have you met the beings who created the Root?" asked Olga-Marie, her interest piqued.

"Yes. Seven near omnipotent Deities. Not to confuse with the Gods who sometimes made appearances in past ages, and who are not anywhere near comparable in terms of power."

"And why would those near omnipotent Deities rely on you and your group? Can't they solve the issue themselves?"

"They could surely solve whatever issue will pop up with the equivalent of a snap of the fingers." shrugged Akeno. "But just like the Counter-Force, they have a policy of not taking direct action. They send subordinates to do their bidding, and here we are."

"…I hope you're well compensated for this." said Olga-Marie, her anger subsiding. She wasn't certain she believed Akeno, but Zelretch himself seemed to, and the presence of two Rulers implied that the Counter-Force was taking action in response to a major threat to humanity, so…

"We are." smiled Akeno. "With an unlimited lifespan, among other things."

"…What do you know about that crisis? Can we stop it from happening in the first place?"

"We were given the impression that solving it would take a long time, possibly years. As for preventing it…"

Akeno hesitated, wondering if she should voice her suspicions about Lev Lainur Flauros and mention her lie detection ability. But the decision was robbed from her when a System message appeared in her vision.

[You must not act against Lev Lainur Flauros until he makes his move.]

"… I am afraid that I do not have any clue about the form this crisis will take. I can only suggest increasing your vigilance, reviewing your emergency procedures, and bolstering your security. We can help you with the patrols."

Akeno thought for a moment about Lev. Even without her lie detection ability, she felt certain he would have made her hackles rise. There was something about him that just screamed 'I'm going to backstab you, that's what I do!', and she wondered why Olga-Marie didn't see it. Maybe some kind of brainwashing?

"Very well." said Olga-Marie. "It's about time for dinner. You aren't under my authority, but would you mind coming back tomorrow at 10 to discuss security arrangements? I'll send someone to get your sizes and provide you with uniforms as soon as possible, and I will grant you access to most areas. I ask for now that you and your people be careful not to touch any equipment you do not know anything about, and do not pester the researchers with too many questions. I will give cooperation a chance, and we'll see how it goes."

"Fine by me. Thank you, Director. I'll see you tomorrow."

Olga-Marie nodded as Akeno left the office, thinking about their conversation. It was only a while later that she realized she hadn't told Akeno where to go to join her companions.

"Oh well." shrugged the Director.

…

Akeno realized as soon as she left the office that she had forgotten to ask about directions, but coming back to ask the Director would be a tad embarrassing, so she just decided to rely on luck and, maybe, a bit of divine guidance.

And she quickly got lost.

So much for divine guidance.

Finally deciding to ask someone for directions, she chose the nearest door and knocked. Seconds later, the door opened.

"Come in!" said an energetic and youthful voice.

Akeno stepped inside and immediately turned her head to the right, in the voice's direction.

A young woman was standing on a chair, trying to lift what looked like a heavy box and place it on top of a cabinet.

"Good timing, would you mind giving me a hand? I underestimated the weight of that damn box."

"My pleasure." grinned Akeno as she walked closer and placed her hands on the box's bottom. The box weighted easily 40 to 50 kilograms, but that was nothing for Akeno.

"Thanks a bunch… I never saw you before, and I'm sure I would have remembered you if it was the case. Are you new?"

"Just came in, yes. I am Akeno Himejima."

"Nice to meet you." smiled the pretty redhead as she stepped down from the chair. "I'm Gudako Fujimaru. Woah, that's a lot of command seals you have here."

"Isn't that right?" chuckled Akeno, lifting the sleeve to give Gudako a good view. "I'm actually thinking about hiding them with a glamor. In Japan, tattoos are more than frowned upon and associated with criminals. They sometimes make me feel like I have joined the Yakuza."

As she spoke, she took a good look at Gudako. She was of medium height, her shoulder-length red hair tied into a side tail by a yellow scrunchie on the left side of her head, and orange eyes a shade darker than the Director's. And she also had an ahoge.

She was dressed in a black and white outfit, with white knee-high leather boot, black leggings, short black skirt, and a white top that included a black leather belt around her waist, and two smaller ones above and under her breasts that seemed to serve no purpose other than to emphasize their curves.

"I'm Japanese, too, so I know what you mean." nodded Gudako, showing the back of her left hand. "I have three myself, and I would wear gloves in public, but everyone in Chaldea already knows I'm a Master, so I don't get strange looks."

She chuckled suddenly.

"And we don't exactly go out often, with this being Antarctica and all."

"Yes, I heard that Chaldea has one Servant and one Demi-Servant. I met Da Vinci earlier, although we didn't actually speak. Is she your Servant?"

"No, my Servant is Mash." said Gudako as she shook her head. "She's…" she stopped talking as someone knocked on the door.

"Open door." said Gudako. The door opened, and a girl with short lilac hair entered. She was beautiful and had deep purple eyes behind oval glasses, although her right one was hidden by her hair. She wore black shoes, dark brown leggings, a black dress whose white collar was tied by a short red tie, and a white and gray hoodie.

"Senpai?" the girl blinked as she saw Akeno standing near her Master.

"Speaking about the devil. Mash, this is Akeno Himejima, a newcomer. Akeno, this is my cute Kouhai, Mash Kyrielight." said Gudako with a grin.

Akeno smiled and nodded. "It is nice to meet you. As Gudako said, I am Akeno Himejima. I hope we'll get along."

"Likewise." nodded Mash with a short hesitation. There was something in Akeno's appearance that caused her to be on guard, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

"That being said, I'm grateful for the help, Akeno, but why did you knock on my door in the first place?"

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I got lost. The Director brought me to her office as soon as I came in, and I forgot to ask what quarter she had assigned me or directions when I left her.

"Oh, you must be part of the group of newcomers then." concluded Mash.

"That is correct."

"A group of newcomers? Ah, yes, surely Akeno has come with her own Servants. Although having more than one is very rare. You must be a big shot." exclaimed Gudako.

"Senpai, you should spend more time out of that room, so you would be aware." chided Mash. "Sixteen Servants and ten Masters! I know because I helped a little with preparing the rooms."

"That many? Are we invading a country or something?"

"Nope. We're here as reinforcements, because the security team is pretty undersized, compared to Chaldea's importance. I mean no offense. I think the Director will make an announcement or something tomorrow. But thank you, Mash, for helping with the rooms. I hope our arrival didn't disrupt things too much."

"It's fine. How about I bring you to the rooms that have been prepared? I do not know which is yours, but your colleagues can surely tell you. I'll also show you the cafeteria, since it's about time for dinner."

"I'll gladly accept, thank you, Mash." smiled Akeno. She turned to Gudako to say farewell, but Gudako shook her head.

"I'll be coming with you. I want to take a look at those new Masters and Servants, and as Mash said, it's time for dinner." Then she smiled. "Besides, I want to know how you came to possess so many Command Seals. How about we eat together while you tell us all about it? This is about the recent Holy Grail War, right?"

"Sure. I'll gladly answer all of your questions, and I'll do the introductions."

Akeno grinned as she followed Mash and Gudako out of the room. She would call Noah later tonight to ask many questions, but she already had a feeling that those two had a significant role to play in the original fiction.

Maybe she should try to become lost more often.