[Altair Miller]
I placed my hand on my knee while flexing my feet from side to side.
The simulation room was incredibly convenient.
I looked around, seeing that we were in a perfect replica of the cave where we had faced King Arthur.
Honestly, I would have preferred a different simulation, but Olga insisted it had to be this one. You didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to realize she was trying to overcome her trauma through sheer force of will. After all, it was basically in this place that she had been betrayed by the person she trusted most, and nearly killed.
Without a doubt, this place didn't bring good memories to the white-haired girl in front of me.
Olga stared at the rocky walls with a trembling gaze. Even from a distance, I could see her hands shaking.
Looking at her, I let out a small sigh. She didn't need to force herself to relive that trauma, but nothing I said would change her mind. Olga was a stubborn woman.
In the few days since I had met her, I could already see how determined she was. Her desire to prove she was worthy of being Chaldea's director was almost her very reason for living.
That stubbornness, however, had its benefits, I thought, shifting my gaze from her to the Master and Servant duo.
Ritsuka, unlike Olga, seemed much more relaxed than I expected. If the Chaldea director was a stubborn girl, Ritsuka was someone who adapted quickly. She also had a clear desire to grow stronger, not just physically but mentally as well, which was quite admirable.
Meanwhile, our dear Mash was in her Servant outfit, which was rather revealing, making it hard not to look at her.
With that thought, I finished stretching and said:
"Alright, you can begin."
"Begin?" Olga asked with a hint of hesitation in her voice. Even Mash seemed quite unsure about starting.
"Yes, the first move is yours." I gave a slight smile, raising my arms and stretching my back.
For Mash, who was a close-range fighter and used a shield, there wasn't much advantage in starting the attack, especially from ten meters away.
Olga, on the other hand, didn't have much battle experience. At that point, I figured I could give her a small push.
I turned back to Olga and said, "You make the first move." I lowered my hand, pointing at the white-haired girl.
"Me?" She raised her hand, pointing at herself.
"Altair-kun, I don't think that's exactly how it works," Ritsuka interjected, scratching her head, clearly unsure how the director could attack me.
"Of course it is… but instead of using a spell, you'll use my abilities, or rather, the abilities a clone would be able to use."
"But I have no idea how to use any of those abilities." Olga looked at her hands, confused.
Apparently, unlike me, who could use Sun Wukong's abilities intuitively, she didn't get that "bonus."
Luckily, it was easy to explain.
"Let's start with the Monkey King's Mantle." All of my clones could use a weaker version of the mantle, so I assumed she could too.
"You say that like it's easy," Olga said, crossing her arms.
"But it is." I shrugged.
"Just imagine you're wearing a second skin—a tough, warm skin that's part of you. Imagine it crawling up your body, covering it."
She closed her eyes, and immediately, the Monkey King's Mantle began to appear, wrapping around her. Since the mantle was originally a male outfit, it looked quite sensual on her, accentuating her curves.
Olga opened her eyes and looked at the mantle.
"It doesn't smell like his," she murmured softly, sounding disappointed.
I tilted my head, not quite understanding, but decided to let it slide for now.
"Great! Now, slap your ear."
"What?" She blinked, surprised.
"Come on, trust me."
She hesitated for a few seconds but eventually tilted her head and gently slapped her ear with her palm. The moment she opened her mouth to complain, a small piece of stone slid out of her ear and landed in her hand.
She widened her eyes, staring at the small stone in her palm.
"Ruyi Jingu Bang!" she exclaimed, and as if responding to her voice, the copy of the Ruyi Jingu began to grow, transforming into a two-meter staff.
"Wow!" Ritsuka exclaimed, jaw dropped.
"It's just like Altair-senpai's." Mash also looked at the stone staff.
While it was similar to my Ruyi Jingu, it was much weaker—it was just a copy, after all. Even so, it was more valuable than some Servants' Noble Phantasms.
"Now, swing it at me and say: 'Grow.' Then immediately after: 'Expand.' In that order." I raised my finger like a teacher. If I had glasses, it would've been perfect.
Still a bit confused, Olga followed my instructions. She awkwardly swung the staff and then raised it in the air.
"Grow!"
At her command, the Ruyi Jingu shot toward me, growing rapidly. The recoil was so strong Olga stumbled back a few steps, but she held her ground, keeping the staff aimed at me. Midway through, she muttered:
"Expand!"
The Ruyi Jingu grew sideways, filling my entire field of vision.
"Hmm…" Watching the stone staff come toward me, I raised my hand—without using the Monkey King's Mantle.
The staff struck my hand with a thud that echoed through the simulation. Holding it with one hand, my body was dragged backward, kicking up a cloud of dust. I planted my foot hard into the ground, stopping the motion. With my foot firmly on the ground, I flexed my hand and stopped the staff.
That was a solid hit…
Before I could finish that thought, I heard footsteps running on top of the staff.
"Shrink!" Olga commanded, and the Ruyi Jingu quickly retracted. I immediately looked up to see Mash leaping off the staff, shield swinging down at me.
A bit surprised, I glanced at my fingers, now scraped from the staff. Ignoring the scratches, I raised my hand. Honestly, I could've dodged, but to be fair to the pink-haired girl—if I didn't dodge Olga's attack, I wouldn't dodge hers either.
"Altair-senpai, watch out!" she shouted, swinging the shield at me.
I simply smiled and flexed my hand, preparing for the strike.
The next moment, the iron shield slammed into my hand with force, and another loud thud echoed. The ground beneath me cracked.
If Olga's hit had scraped my hand, Mash's made it bleed.
Blood dripped onto my cheek, and I smiled, feeling a small rush… I clearly have a few screws loose.
Smiling, I flicked my hand to the side, making the shield slide off due to the blood on my palm. Using the momentum, I twisted my body and launched a kick.
Mash quickly raised her shield, and my kick struck it, forcing her a step back.
She spun the shield, deflecting the blow.
Suddenly, Mash lunged forward with a shout, raising her shield and swinging it in a diagonal arc.
Smiling, I planted my foot and threw myself backward. The moment my foot touched the ground, Olga appeared beside me, swinging her staff like a rookie in a wide horizontal arc.
I flexed my hand, extending my claws, and slashed. My claws clashed with the stone staff, scratching it. I stepped forward and slashed at her.
Suddenly, her pupils glowed red.
Oh! She's subconsciously using the [Fiery Golden Eyes].
With the [Fiery Golden Eyes], she followed the flow and dodged my attack. Obviously, I wasn't going all out, but still, I was impressed… Cutting that thought short, I felt a chill.
Dear Mash, you really shouldn't attack from behind.
Without thinking twice, I swung my hand, summoning the Ruyi Jingu. I spun the staff behind me, blocking her attack.
Blocking her shield with Ruyi Jingu, Mash stepped back and swung from another angle—blocked again. She pushed downward, aiming for my legs—blocked. She forced the flat blade of the shield upward, aiming at my face—blocked again.
As I blocked Mash's blows with ease, in the middle of this storm, Olga launched the Ruyi Jingu at me again. I blocked it with the base of my staff. The two girls began a coordinated assault on me.
I swung quickly at both of them, each hit scraping against Mash's iron shield, sending sparks flying. Smiling, I pushed forward and began swinging the Ruyi Jingu in a wide arc.
Mash raised her shield to block it, but before I could move again, she punched. I tilted my head to avoid it, and one of my hands released the staff to grab the back of her hair, yanking it painfully and slamming her to the ground.
I quickly turned, spinning the Ruyi Jingu, which clashed with Olga's, and pushed her back. She looked visibly pale.
Mash winced as she rolled away but quickly got up and charged at me again, shield first. Unfortunately for her, I stepped aside, avoiding the rush. Before she could turn and try again, I struck her back with the staff, earning another cry of pain as she stumbled forward. I swept her legs and stepped on her, pressing her chest against the floor.
At the same time, a large pillar was hurled at me. Spinning the staff in my hand, I simply thrust forward.
"Grow and expand!" With those two commands, the stone staff grew, striking Olga's and knocking it aside, stopping just before hitting her.
"I think we should stop here," I said, removing my foot from Mash as the stone staff vanished.
"Mash, are you okay?" Ritsuka ran over to the pink-haired girl.
"I'm fine, Senpai," she replied, standing up.
Meanwhile, Olga murmured,
"But I can keep going." She tried to rise, kneeling on the ground. Her body was pale, sweat dripping down her face and into her cleavage.
I raised a hand, scratching my head, already noticing the flaw in her new body.
"No!" I replied firmly, walking toward her. "You haven't noticed your body's condition."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You're really pale, Director," Mash murmured, leaning on Ritsuka.
"I'm just a little tired."
"No, it's not just that." I crouched to her level. "Whether you like it or not, this isn't your real body. I suspected it, but now I'm sure."
"Sure of what, Altair-kun?"
"My clones need mana to sustain themselves. They're created with a limited amount of magical energy. If they aren't destroyed before that runs out, they disappear instantly. It seems that also applies to you."
"But that means…"
"Yes. If you ever suffer magical energy depletion, you'll vanish. You're still far from that point now, but it's best not to push it."
A heavy silence fell. Her eyes filled with tears at my words.
Without thinking, I moved in and hugged her.
"I know it's not the best news, but it's not all bad. Unlike my clones, you produce magical energy."
"Really? I won't disappear before I become someone? I'll still be able to prove my worth?" Her voice trembled as her hands gripped me tightly.
"Yes, you won't disappear. But you've already proven your worth. You are someone, Olga Marie Animusphere. You're an incredibly special girl." I stroked her white hair as she cried in my arms, holding me tight.
Through the tears streaming down her face, her delicate hands gripped me with a possessive intensity, as if trying to fuse our bodies together. Her nails, sharp and desperate, dug into my skin, leaving marks that cried out all the emotions she couldn't voice.
I just kept running my fingers through her long white hair.
••• ••• •••
Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me.