"..." Ian hesitated for a moment, then realized the truth behind BB's faint. "BB, are you saying you saw information about me in Chaldea's virtual network?"
BB nodded, then shook her head. "I did see something about you. But—it was in a locked state."
"A locked state?" Ian didn't quite understand what BB meant.
"It means the entire file was locked deep within the system," BB explained. "I tried to force my way in to see what it was. But it knocked me out instead."
"..." Ian was surprised. BB was a Super AI who came to Chaldea in response to Sakura Tohsaka's Holy Grail wish; her "combat ability" in virtual space could be said to be at its peak. She could easily replicate Noble Phantasms like Excalibur, Phoebus Catastrophe, and Gae Bolg Alternative here. If even she said she couldn't break through... then the strength of this lock was considerable. More than that, Ian was more concerned about who could set up such a strong defense. Chaldea... had secrets he didn't know about? Thinking this, the man became even more worried. Under the influence of this thought process, he quickly formed a new idea.
"BB."
"Hmm?" Feeling a subtle change in Ian's tone, BB's way of speaking also became serious. "Are you planning to do something?"
"Yes," the man nodded. "I... I want to go back there and take a look."
"Eh?" Ian's answer surprised BB. "You! BB is already like this—how dare you go back and look, you pig? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?!"
"Precisely because you became like this," Ian said with a serious expression, "is why I need to go back and look. Otherwise—if everyone gets hurt later because of an existence that even you can't break through, wouldn't the problem be even more serious?"
"This..." BB looked at the man in front of her, understanding his intention at that moment. "In the end, you still want to protect them, don't you?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Ian replied without hesitation. "My own girlfriends, if I don't protect them myself, who else can protect them?"
"..." Listening to such an undeniably correct, yet simultaneously scummy statement, BB couldn't refute it for a moment. And as a Super AI, she had also clarified her own logic. Faced with Ian's request, there were only two options: agree or refuse. Clearly, whether she agreed or refused, Ian would definitely choose to go back and see. BB's gaze fell upon the man in front of her. So—for his safety, she had to follow, right?
"Sigh," BB sighed. "I always feel like you, this pig, will sooner or later be killed by women."
"We'll worry about that when it happens," Ian said with a smile. "BB, come with me; I need your explanation."
"Of course~☆" BB put her hands on her hips, looking very assertive. "I can't just form a contract with you and then watch you, this pig, die for nothing, can I?"
"That's fine then." Ian no longer hesitated. "Let's go now!"
"Mm~☆"
The Unbreakable Wall
Adhering to the idea of protecting each and every one of them, Ian and BB returned to Chaldea's virtual data space once again. Although it was pitch black here, BB could see everything clearly, as if she had x-ray vision. In this space, she was almost invincible.
"Pig, over here!"
"Okay." Following BB's guidance, Ian and she proceeded, quickly arriving at their destination. However—the moment Ian saw the scene before him, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Before the man and the girl was an boundless door. This was truly limitless in its extent. Ian looked around, unable to see where this door stretched. It so arrogantly and unreasonably blocked everyone who wanted to enter, forcibly dividing this space into two parts: inside and outside the door. In a sense, it was more like a "wall"—a wall of sighs that would make anyone who gazed upon it feel like giving up.
"This..." Unable to comprehend such a thing, Ian could only turn to BB for help. "How can there be such a door in Chaldea's space?"
"This isn't really a door," BB explained the reason. "It's essentially a very complex magical formula. It's just that thoughtful BB slightly materialized it so you could perceive it~☆"
"Magical formula?" Ian noticed a very familiar word in BB's statement. "BB, is this not data, but magic?"
"It should be," BB said, staring at the headache-inducing wall in front of her. "If it were just data or something, BB could break through it in an instant—but it's clearly not the case now."
"..." Ian finally understood why the almost invincible BB in virtual space was stopped. Because what blocked her wasn't Chaldea's defense, but a magical formula that shouldn't exist in this space. She could handle data, but she couldn't handle magic! But why would such a defense mechanism be set up? Ian couldn't figure it out—he needed to get closer.
"BB, I'm going to approach it."
"..." BB hesitated to speak, then finally sighed and said, "Alright, go ahead."
"You're not stopping me?"
"Can't stop you~" BB said, crossing her arms with a hint of helplessness. "Once you're determined to do something—no one can stop you, can they?"
"True," the man didn't deny BB's statement.
"Go ahead," BB responded. "But let me tell you upfront, if I feel something's wrong, I'll pull you back immediately."
"Mm, I know." With BB's "safety" promise, Ian began to actively touch the "door" in front of him. Unsurprisingly, the man found that he couldn't push it open at all. This was only natural; after all, even an existence like BB couldn't overcome it, so he certainly couldn't. However—not being able to push it open didn't mean he gained nothing. On the premise that BB confirmed it was a magical formula, Ian felt a familiarity with it. He might have seen it somewhere before. No, perhaps it was more than that. The subsequent formulas might even be identical!
Feeling that the man's expression was a little off, BB patted his shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly make that face? Is something not right?"
"..." Knowing that BB had become his exclusive AI, Ian didn't intend to hide anything from her. He told the little demon about the situation. Of course, Ian's description merely indicated that he was somewhat familiar with it. After all, he couldn't express the deeper feeling.
"This..." BB was very puzzled after listening to Ian's account. "You actually feel a sense of familiarity?"
"Mm," Ian nodded. "Perhaps it's something set up by someone I had a previous encounter with."
"Then can you unlock it?" BB then asked.
"No," Ian shook his head, denying it. "If you can't do it, of course I can't either."
"..." BB's expression became a little tense. "Then—according to you, isn't there someone more powerful than you who locked something about you with a very strong formula? This seems like a very dangerous situation, no matter how you look at it, right?"
"As expected of a Super AI, you reacted immediately," Ian praised BB. "Yes... that's the severity of the problem. We need to find a way to figure out who left this behind."
"BB." The man took the girl's hand beside him. "I hope that for the next while, you can act like an investigator for me, and continue to explore Chaldea's virtual network to find more information. Of course, all of this must be done while ensuring your own safety, and also without revealing this to anyone else. Can you do that?"
"..." Suddenly being asked so seriously by the man, BB felt a little embarrassed instead. But she still nodded: "I understand. I'll do as you say—but if it's just me, will it be..."
"Don't worry," Ian said, looking at the door, an answer already in his eyes. "I'll go talk to the Director. This Chaldea is hers... she'll know some things, one way or another."
"Mm, okay." Having reached an agreement with BB, Ian quickly displayed his seriousness as Chaldea's leader.
[Director, come to the office tonight. There are some things I want to ask you.]
Ian, who sent this message, didn't have many other thoughts. But Olga Marie, who received the message, seemed to be different. She looked at her phone, and a dazzling light appeared in her amber eyes.
Olga Marie's Preparation
That night, in the Director's office. Ian looked at Olga Marie in front of him, his expression both emotional and surprised. "Director, you look like this... it seems... a little too alluring, doesn't it?"
Just as the man exclaimed, Olga Marie had already shed her usual black coat, yellow suit, and white skirt. Instead, the girl was now wearing black suspender stockings, along with highly sensual open-crotch panties, matched with a bra that fully showcased her voluptuous curves. Rather than being there to discuss business, she seemed to be there for a romantic rendezvous.
Facing Ian's comment, Olga Marie, blushing, shouted, "Hey! Wasn't this your request? I spent a lot of time specifically modifying this outfit!"
"But—" Ian pulled out his phone and pointed to it. "In my message, I clearly said we were going to discuss business, didn't I?"
"Yes, discussing business is for..." Halfway through her sentence, Olga Marie stopped there. She suddenly realized that her association seemed to be working in strange, unintended ways. Discussing business → being alone → fulfilling the conditions of the devil's game → can't waste time → must serve him well → must prepare in advance → must create erotic atmosphere! Why did this happen?! How did she become like this?!
Looking at Olga Marie's embarrassed expression. Although Ian didn't quite understand why she had opened up to prepare such erotic things, he also understood one thing. He absolutely couldn't waste any girl's feelings.
"I understand." The man's hand rested on his belt, and then he spoke under the girl's gaze. "Since the Director wishes to discuss this kind of business—then let's include it in our meeting tonight. I... I'm really looking forward to the Director's performance."
"Eh?" Olga Marie realized he was giving her an out. She tossed her hair, turned her face away, and muttered, "Then be careful not to be drained dry by me!"
"Hmm? The Director can say such things now too?"
"Don't underestimate me, I've been working hard too!"
The Director's Revelation
A few minutes later. In the Director's office chair. Ian looked at Olga Marie, who was sitting on him, and reached out to stroke her hair. "Director... it seems you really have been working hard. You learned to use your back to serve so quickly?"
"Of course," Olga Marie said, enduring the shame of being used from behind by the man, while wrapping her arms around his neck, her face flushed. "I... I also want to be your virtuous wife!"
"..." Realizing that Olga Marie had been stimulated by Tamamo-no-Mae's previous performance, Ian said nothing more, but gently kissed her on the head. "Mm, you can definitely do it."
"..." Ian's encouragement made Olga Marie even happier. For this man who had once saved her, she always looked forward to his praise.
"However—" Ian continued, "Virtuous Director, can you answer a question for me first?"
"W-what question?"
"It's about..." Ian clearly explained to Olga Marie his experience of "summoning" BB and discovering Chaldea's secret. Of course, the man still held back some details that weren't suitable for elaboration.
"If you put it that way—I'm actually not quite sure either," she admitted. "After all, my father had been working here for several years before I took over."
"So, you mean even you, Director, don't know what this is?"
"Yes," Olga Marie nodded. "At least, Father never mentioned it to me. However, I do have some rough ideas."
"Rough ideas... what are they?" the man pressed.
"Well—" Olga Marie said, serving him with somewhat stiff movements while docilely reporting what she knew. "It might be the records of the Holy Grail War that my father participated in."
"What?!"