Simulator in Type-moon, Starting with becoming Morgan husband!

Chapter 106. Fujimaru Ritsuka Hasn't Arrived Yet

Somewhere in Chaldea.

Mashu, holding Fou in her arms, stood alongside Mordred on a stone platform, both gazing at the snowflakes gently falling from the sky.

However, the mood between the two was starkly different.

"What beautiful snowflakes!"

Mashu watched the swirling flakes descending from above, like shimmering silver leaves, her violet eyes glowing with undisguised joy.

"If Senpai sees snow like this later, I'm sure they'll love it too."

"Fou, don't you agree?"

"Fou…"

Ian wasn't there, so no one understood what Fou was saying.

However, seeing its tail lightly wagging, it seemed that its thoughts were aligned with Mashu's.

On the other hand, Mordred exhibited a completely opposite attitude.

With her hands on her hips, she stared at the falling snow, her green eyes—"borrowed" from Artoria—filled with irritation.

"Hey, do you guys really like snow that much?"

"Eh?"

Hearing that, Mashu turned to Mordred, her eyes full of confusion.

"Don't you like snow? It's obviously very beautiful."

"Beautiful, sure."

Mordred pouted.

"But when snow falls, the wheat fields freeze. If you're unlucky, there'll be a bad harvest next year."

"So, compared to this pretty snow, I'd much rather have sunny weather."

"..."

The difference in perception between the modern era and the past became glaringly apparent to Mashu.

She initially wanted to say, "In Antarctica, not having snow is the unusual thing," or something along those lines, but upon reconsideration, she felt it wouldn't be appropriate.

Mashu lowered her head and thought for a moment before coming up with a new response.

"Then—"

"You don't need to worry about that anymore."

"Don't need to worry?"

"Yep." Mashu nodded. "Because times are always advancing. Now, no matter how heavy the snow, there won't be famines anymore."

"Rest assured!"

"As long as I'm here—"

"You definitely won't go hungry! Just like last time with the French fries—however many you want, I'll buy that many for you!"

"..."

Looking at Mashu in front of her, Mordred was silent at first but then chuckled softly.

"Are you saying this to butter me up so I'll help you get closer to Master?"

"Eh?" Mashu shook her head. "Not at all!"

"I just genuinely think that's what I should do. There's no hidden agenda!"

"Really?"

Mordred shrugged.

"You're a really good person."

"Very much like someone I once knew."

"Someone you once knew?" Mashu blinked, her face slightly puzzled.

"Who was it?"

"Oh… someone from France. He said his father had been a knight under King Arthur, so he wanted to retrace that path from the beginning, searching for truth or something like that."

"That..." Mashu furrowed her brows slightly. "Sounds like a strange person."

"But after hearing your story, I suddenly want to meet him."

"Maybe you'll get the chance."

Mordred smiled faintly.

"After all, he seems like someone who could become a Heroic Spirit."

"Mashu, Mordred."

A familiar voice called out from behind them.

Ian appeared at the entrance to the platform.

Mashu's eyes lit up instantly.

"Senpai!"

"Umu."

Ian responded to Mashu while walking toward them.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting."

"Not at all!" Mashu shook her head repeatedly. "We just got here not too long ago!"

"It's obvious you've been waiting for quite a while."

Mordred couldn't help but interject.

"Master!"

"Where have you been? Didn't you say you'd be here this morning?"

Hearing Mordred's increasingly natural use of "Master," Ian couldn't help but feel delighted.

At the very least, it showed that Mordred was starting to get used to her current life—even though she hadn't been here very long.

Ian didn't intend to hide who he had just been meeting with.

"It was Ophelia."

"Huh? What were you meeting her for?"

This time, Mordred was the one confused.

"Hasn't Clarent already been returned to me?"

Saying "returned" wasn't entirely accurate.

After all, it was originally Mordred's Noble Phantasm.

As long as she wished for it, and it hadn't been destroyed or damaged, the sword could be summoned back to her hands immediately.

"Of course, there's a reason."

Ian's gaze swept over Mordred and Mashu, who were standing nearby.

"She said that if there's an opportunity in the future, she wants to take me on a trip to the Clock Tower."

"Huh?"

Naturally, Mordred had no idea what the "Clock Tower" represented.

Mashu, on the other hand, looked visibly surprised.

"Senpai, that's the place where magi gather, right? If Ophelia-san is willing to take you there, doesn't that mean she recognizes your magecraft abilities?!"

"Who knows..." Ian let out a bitter smile.

"That's something to determine later."

"Oh, right—"

Ian's eyes settled on Mashu, who was wearing only her thin uniform.

"Coming out to a place like this dressed so lightly isn't okay."

As he spoke, Ian took off his coat and draped it over Mashu's shoulders.

"Se-Senpai..."

Mashu clutched Ian's coat, her face flushing bright red all the way to her ears.

"Fou fou fou (Such a simple tactic)." Fou wagged its tail and commented.

"Eh?!"

Seeing this, Mordred was visibly displeased.

"Master, I'm cold too! I want a coat as well!"

"Um…"

Hearing that, Mashu immediately tried to take off Ian's coat to give it to Mordred.

But Ian quickly held her hand to stop her.

"No need."

"It's just a coat; I can make another one right now."

Ian wasn't joking.

He began focusing his thoughts.

Memories of a coat he had worn in the past replayed in his mind.

The sense of comfort, the fabric dimensions, the tailoring—all these details were carefully analyzed.

This was the realization of a vague feeling he had grasped thanks to Ophelia's guidance.

Just a little more...

A little more...

There, that's enough!

Ian felt his heart beat powerfully for a moment, his entire body tingling as faint afterimages appeared around him.

In his hand now rested another coat.

"This..."

Mordred couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Just seconds ago, Ian's hand was empty!

Mashu, though equally surprised, quickly recognized the nature of this phenomenon—it was magecraft!

"Senpai, you've already mastered such advanced magecraft?!"

"I wouldn't call it advanced."

Ian handed the newly "created" coat to Mordred.

"It's just a replica based on my memory."

"It's fine for temporary use, but not up to par for long-term use."

Ian wasn't being modest.

Rather, he was speaking from experience gained through Ophelia's training.

He realized that this "realization of memories" had too many limitations.

Not only did it require contact with the original object before realization, but it was also constrained by memory, making all subsequent creations degraded versions of the original.

Overuse could even affect the lifespan of the created object.

In situations requiring direct combat, the practicality of this technique remained questionable.

Ian knew he needed to find ways to improve these shortcomings.

"Anyway, let's not dwell on that."

He waved his hand, steering the conversation away from himself.

"Hasn't that Master candidate, Fujimaru Ritsuka, arrived yet?"

"Technically, as Senpai said, they should've arrived long ago."

Mashu, still wearing Ian's coat, also looked puzzled.

"That's really strange..."

"Then—!"

"Could something have happened to them on the way?!"

Mordred, now wearing Ian's conjured coat, looked up at the snowy sky and speculated.

"Maybe they ran into something!"

"Mordred!"

Ian stopped her.

"How can you say something like that?"

"Eh?!"

It was only then that Mordred realized she might've said something unlucky.

She patted her own mouth a few times and stuck out her tongue apologetically.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it!"

"It's okay."

Mashu smiled gently.

"Thinking that way, I believe, is understandable."

"But, I think there's no need to worry! To get here, there's a special task force from Chaldea providing support, and the entire journey is tracked!"

"I believe that with such support, there shouldn't be any issues."

This was Ian's first time hearing about how Master candidates were brought to Chaldea.

"So that's how it works."

"Then—"

Ian turned toward the pink-haired girl in front of him.

"Mashu, did you also come to Chaldea that way?"

"Eh? Well…"

Mashu glanced away, her expression hesitant.

"For me, it was a bit different…"

Sensing that Mashu didn't want to talk about it, Ian quickly changed the topic.

"So, how do they confirm whether an outsider has the qualifications to become a 'Master'?"

"I remember Chaldea's assessment system is pretty elaborate, isn't it?"

"Do other places have something similar installed?"

"Not at all!"

When it came to topics she knew about, Mashu's confidence seemed to grow.

"At Chaldea, the assessment system is the most complete version."

"When going outside, we carry a more convenient, simplified version instead."

"Essentially, both serve the same purpose. The complete version provides more data to evaluate the Master candidates' capabilities, while the simplified version is portable but leaves out some of those details."

"Oh… I see." Ian nodded, signaling his understanding.

"So, when recruiting outsiders, is it advertised as looking for 'Master candidates'?"

"Um…"

Mashu looked around, ensuring the area was relatively quiet before lowering her voice.

"Senpai, what I'm about to tell you, please don't share it with anyone else."

"That goes without saying, doesn't it?"

"Um..." Mashu nodded. "Actually, outside of Chaldea, we often disguise the testing points as blood donation vans or something similar."

"Then, if we identify someone with high compatibility during the process, we transfer them to Chaldea."

"Isn't that essentially kidnapping?"

"Not at all." Mashu shook her head. "We explain the purpose clearly to them and only bring them to Chaldea if they agree."

"Oh... So if they don't agree, they won't be brought, right?"

Ian let out a sigh of relief.

"Then that's fine."

But Mashu immediately corrected his assumption.

"No."

"If they don't agree, they are marked as 'pending agreement,' and we still bring them to Chaldea until they agree."

"That's still kidnapping, isn't it?!"

"But, Senpai—"

Mashu gazed at the snowy sky, her eyes glimmering with contentment.

"To date, none of the people brought to Chaldea have ever said they wanted to leave."

"That's why I think this approach is reasonable."

"..."

"Fair enough." Ian reached out and patted Mashu's head.

"If I hadn't come to Chaldea, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to meet you, Mashu."

"Se-Senpai..."

Mashu lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Ugh, enough already!"

Mordred shouted.

"What are you two doing?! Do you want to drown me in sweetness?!"

The blonde girl waved her hand to brush Ian's off Mashu's head.

"Isn't the most important issue right now the fact that this Fujimaru Ritsuka hasn't shown up yet?"

"Shouldn't we set aside everything else for now?!"

"U-Umu, you're right."

Mashu quickly nodded.

"Let me contact the tracking department to see what's going on!"

With that, Mashu stood in front of Ian and Mordred and began contacting the person in charge of the situation.

It was clear that Mashu trusted them both deeply, as she showed no intention of hiding anything from them.

But—

What she was about to learn next far exceeded anyone's expectations.

"…I see."

"Understood. Thank you very much for informing me!"

Mashu ended the call.

"What is it?" Ian immediately asked. "Mashu, what's going on?"

"They said they haven't received any requests for assistance."

Mashu stared at the phone in her hand, recalling the information she had just heard.

"It's just that the helicopter carrying Fujimaru Ritsuka has been circling the area near Chaldea continuously."

"Huh?"

Ian froze.

"Wait, why?"

"If it's already at Chaldea, shouldn't it just land? Why keep circling?"

"I don't know either."

Mashu looked troubled.

"Even though it's strange, since no distress signals have been received, they can only continue to monitor it."

"What is this…"

As Ian struggled to make sense of it, Mordred suddenly spoke up:

"Master, is a helicopter a black iron contraption with people inside and spinning blades on top?"

"Huh?" Ian was startled. "How do you know? I don't think I've ever explained it to you."

"I just guessed."

"Because there's something flying in circles over there that looks just like that."

Mordred pointed into the distance.

"Also, the person sitting in the front seems to be a red-haired girl."

"What?!"

Things seemed to be taking a more serious turn.