The moment Ritsuka Fujimaru regained her vision, an awe-inspiring underground world unfolded before her eyes.
What lay before her was the very edge of the world.
Towering mountain-like formations defined the world's boundary, while countless glowing mosses provided the only source of illumination in this subterranean realm.
The atmosphere remained unchanged, no different from the surface.
The concentration of ether in the air was increasing, but not to the extent that it would hinder Ritsuka Fujimaru's movements.
An endless expanse of verdant plains stretched before her, pulsating with the vibrancy of underground life.
As Ritsuka Fujimaru fully regained consciousness, a communication from Chaldea came through:
["Great, great! Making thorough preparations was worth it. Coordinates are locked, and this Spiritron Transfer was a success!"]
Da Vinci, smiling brightly, couldn't help but praise the successful transfer.
After all, there had been multiple incidents in which Ritsuka Fujimaru's Spiritron Transfers had suffered major coordinate errors.
Repeatedly experiencing free falls from high altitudes—no human could endure that unscathed.
"Fou~ Fou!"
The small, pure-white creature on Ritsuka Fujimaru's shoulder let out a soft cry as if trying to convey something.
Da Vinci, continuing her report, chuckled and said:
["The surrounding environment shows no abnormalities. Even Fou, who sneaked along with you, seems full of energy. Very good!"]
["Body and mind—everything is normal. Although the values show no abnormalities..."]
A transmission from Mash Kyrielight followed:
["Are you alright, Senpai? Do you feel any difficulty breathing or nausea?
If you experience headaches, stomach aches, numbness in your limbs, or even loneliness due to the absence of a kouhai—anything that bothers you, please don't hesitate to say so!"]
In response, Ritsuka Fujimaru raised an important question:
"Where is Sir Alaric?"
Looking around, Fujimaru failed to spot his presence. By all logic, he should have appeared alongside her—
"To your left."
At the sound of Alaric's voice, Ritsuka Fujimaru finally noticed Alaric standing beside her all along.
"Eh?"
Before she spoke, Fujimaru was certain that there had been no one there—
"Just a small mishap. Don't mind it."
Alaric showed no intention of explaining what had just happened—mainly because he couldn't.
Leaving a Singularity via Independent Manifestation and traveling to Chaldea seemed to differ in difficulty from traveling from Chaldea to a Singularity.
Was this a universal rule, or did it only apply to him?
With this brief interlude over, Da Vinci and Mash turned their attention to analyzing the surrounding environment.
["This place is unusual. The fact that there's nothing unusual is, in itself, unusual—because this is a subterranean world, several kilometers below the surface."]
Observing the underground scenery through Ritsuka Fujimaru's eyes, Da Vinci remarked:
["Problems like geothermal heat and air pressure should be inevitable, yet there's no sign of any abnormal values."]
It was as if this place was no different from the surface.
["Also, what about the air necessary for breathing? Plants? Are there plants here? What about photosynthesis? What's the light source?"]
Da Vinci, baffled by this mysterious underground world, laughed:
["We've seen underworld-like subterranean realms before, but that was in the Age of Gods. That's completely different from the 21st century.
So, what exactly is this underground world? Even a genius like me doesn't understand—it's frustrating! But it's also incredibly fascinating."]
If not for her role as acting director, which prevented her from traveling freely, Da Vinci might have embarked on this adventure herself.
Unfortunately, the person who could keep Chaldea operational in her absence had disappeared—vanished from everyone's memory.
Bound by duty, Da Vinci had no choice but to entrust her curiosity to Ritsuka Fujimaru's exploration.
"Is it those moss-like things that are glowing?"
Fujimaru strained her eyes, focusing on the objects covering the mountains and ceiling. Were they the ones emitting light?
["Luminous moss?"]
Da Vinci responded carefully:
["You may have heard the term before, but in reality, those organisms only gather light through lens-shaped cells—they don't emit energy strong enough to replace sunlight. Fiction often misrepresents this."]
"This doesn't seem like a significant underworld. It would be more accurate to call it an underground hollow world."
Alaric, who had remained silent, finally spoke:
"A subterranean space in the physical sense."
"From a certain perspective, calling this an 'otherworld' might be more fitting."
Da Vinci smiled:
["Hmm, another world, huh? Calling it just an underground space is kind of boring. From now on, let's call it Agartha.
That's the legendary name for a subterranean world in the realm of mysticism. There's no better fit—and it's easy to understand!"[
"Oh! I know that! Miss Helena once mentioned it!"
Fujimaru excitedly raised her hand:
"Agartha it is!"
["Come to think of it, she wrote about Agartha in her books during her lifetime, didn't she?"]
With her vast knowledge, Da Vinci quickly recalled the reference:
["An ideal underground world, the center of the Earth, the foundation of the Hollow Earth theory—one of the major elements in occult history.
I don't know if what she researched has any relation to this place, but regardless, this is indeed a mysterious subterranean world.
For her, this would be the perfect setting to ignite her thirst for knowledge.
If she were still around, she'd be drawn to this place without question. But… she's gone, isn't she?"]
"!!"
At those words, Mash suddenly looked apologetic, as if remembering something important.
["I sincerely apologize, Acting Director, Master Fujimaru—I forgot to report this earlier.
When Agartha's existence was confirmed in this Singularity… there was a report stating that the Round Table Summoning Circle autonomously summoned several Servants.
However, they disappeared immediately after their summoning.
Based on the Spirit Origin Portrait data comparison—one of them was Miss Helena Blavatsky."]
Even though many Servants had departed, Chaldea's summoning system was still functional. Autonomous materialization wasn't impossible.
But summoning followed by immediate disappearance was extremely rare.
["What? I was just speaking hypothetically, and it turned out to be true?"]
Da Vinci, amused, mused playfully:
["If that's the case, she might be in your vicinity.
After all, this is Helena we're talking about.
Perhaps she either sensed an anomaly and transferred herself via Spiritron Transfer, or she was automatically resummoned there for some other reason."]
Da Vinci smirked with intrigue.
["Anyway, she's an eccentric in the world of mysticism—no, a remarkable woman.
It would be odd if a place like this didn't attract her curiosity."]
"Wait, you said 'several' Servants?"
Catching onto the unusual phrasing, Fujimaru immediately asked:
"Who else was summoned?"
["Ah, um… Based on the confirmation, there were Hercules, Fergus, and Captain Drake."]
"Hercules?"
Hearing that name, Alaric instinctively turned his head.
The legendary hero of Greek mythology—one of the greatest demigods, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman.
A warrior who endured numerous trials due to his enmity with the goddess Hera and ultimately overcame them all.
The honors bestowed upon him were countless—he was, without a doubt, one of the brightest stars in human history.
A hero who stood shoulder to shoulder with the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, and the Altruistic Hero, Karna—one of the strongest figures in history.
Even when afflicted by Madness Enhancement, deprived of reason, he still bore the title of the ultimate close-combat warrior.
As for Fergus and Drake, they too were legendary figures.
Especially Francis Drake—a commander, explorer, and privateer who circumnavigated the globe and paved the way for Britain's dominance in the Age of Exploration.