9:00 AM.
In Chaldea's control room.
When Naoki entered, he immediately saw Roman, still busy at the main console.
"Morning, Roman… Did you pull an all-nighter?"
"No, just stayed up a bit late." Roman turned around. "Besides, you're in no position to talk. Look at your tired face—what were you doing last night?"
"Ah, last night… Nothing special, as usual. Just Rei being a little…"
Thinking about last night—or rather, what happened yesterday—Naoki felt a slight ache in his lower back.
Because Rei had missed dinner two nights ago, and on top of that, Merry had indirectly revealed that Naoki had spent the entire afternoon alone with her—these two incidents had triggered Rei's jealousy to extreme levels.
Though Rei was usually a very understanding woman, and Merry was technically the first in their household, she couldn't help but feel furious when she imagined herself working tirelessly in the control room while Merry secretly "flirting" with her Master…
Her jealousy and anger instantly skyrocketed to maximum. Naoki had no choice but to spend the entire night—from late evening until early morning—soothing her. As a result, he now felt completely drained, his body exhausted and his legs weak.
As a "fellow veteran", Roman looked at Naoki's condition with a hint of pity. He gave his shoulder a firm pat. "Natsukawa, get a hold of yourself. Doing those things too often is really bad for your health."
"You don't need to worry. If it gets serious, I can just explode and regenerate like Senior Hinako."
As a true fairy, Naoki could technically revive himself, but even he didn't want to experience his body exploding into countless pieces. He wasn't a masochist—he didn't enjoy suffering.
"But I'm genuinely curious—given your family's capabilities, why haven't you had any children yet?"
After a wry smile, Roman suddenly changed the subject. "Could there be reproductive isolation among you? Or is it just low fertility?"
Fairies, puppets, succubi, dragon-blooded, humans, Servants… Naoki's family was a mixed-race blend. It wasn't impossible that reproductive barriers existed.
Naoki rolled his eyes. "You're overthinking it. We just haven't wanted to yet. It's too early to have kids now—at least until we've resolved all these issues."
"You're really patient."
"Later, you'll have to contribute—around ten people's worth."
"You're robbing me?! And why only ten?" Roman was shocked. "I thought it was already over a dozen…"
"Why do you think I have over a dozen wives?"
(Why do you think I don't?)
Looking at his longtime friend—whether genuinely clueless or just pretending—Roman sighed. It seemed some of them still hadn't taken action, or were just waiting? If not, don't say ten—twenty might even be possible.
Come to think of it, wasn't there already one here in Chaldea?
"Good morning."
Just as Roman was pondering this, the voice of that "potential new member" entered the control room. Marie, who had returned from Fuyuki and revived, now looked much better. She entered the control room with full energy.
"Morning, Olga." Naoki greeted with a smile. "Your physical condition seems to have improved."
"Hmph~~~ Of course. A member of the Animusphere family wouldn't give up over some minor physical issues. Ten days is more than enough to recover from any injury, no matter how severe."
That was so typical of Marie.
Approaching the main console, she glanced at the Chaldeas projection displayed by Sheba. Marie asked, "How's it looking? Romani, today's the day for quantum transfer to the first Singularity, right? Are the preparations complete?"
Roman nodded. "Yes, all preparations are finished. Quantum transfer is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM. We've got about fifty minutes left. I think Fujimaru, Mash, and Akuta will arrive soon."
"Good. That's reassuring." Marie slightly relaxed her furrowed brow. "This is Chaldea's first step toward restoring human civilization. There must be no failure or mistakes."
"Understood!"
The staff in the control room responded in unison, then returned their focus to their duties.
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And not long after, about ten minutes later, the control room door opened again.
Naoki saw three people appear in the doorway. "You've arrived. Fujimaru, Mash, Senior Hinako—good morning."
Mash: "Yes, good morning, Brother."
Ritsuka: "Good morning, Chief!"
Hinako: "What morning? It's almost noon."
Hearing the one dissenting voice, Naoki smiled. "The agreed departure time is 10:00 AM. We can only gather at this time. If you have complaints, take them up with Roman."
"I'm not interested in bothering a limp shrimp." Hinako shot Roman a sharp glare.
Roman laughed awkwardly, then cleared his throat. "Alright, since everyone's here, let's begin the final briefing before heading to the first Singularity."
"As explained two days ago, the first Singularity is located in France during the Hundred Years' War between England and France—specifically, the year 1431…"
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The pre-departure briefing lasted about ten minutes. After listening to Roman explain various details about the first Singularity and the tasks that needed to be addressed there, Ritsuka and the others put on their combat uniforms and entered the transfer pods, just as they had done when going to Fuyuki.
Before entering, Ritsuka turned to look at Naoki, standing a short distance away. "Chief, you're not coming this time?"
"I'll arrive a bit later. There are only three pods. Besides, if you all perform well and fix the Singularity without my help, I might not come at all. We'll see how things go." Naoki smiled. "But I can guarantee this—I'll definitely arrive within five minutes of you getting into a desperate situation."
"Five minutes? Got it!"
"One more thing, Fujimaru—last time I mentioned this." Naoki stopped Ritsuka just as she was about to enter the pod. "Regarding the enemy you'll face in the first Singularity, if my guess is correct, it should be Saint Jeanne. After all, the only major event in 1431 was her execution."
"The Jeanne who was supposed to be burned at the stake suddenly resurrects unnaturally and leads countless dragons to seize France—that's the event you'll be facing. Be sure to tell Mash and Hinako."
"Then, I wish you a safe journey. See you later."