The next evening, Olga Marie looked at the message from Ian on her phone, feeling a mix of excitement and embarrassment.
"Director, I hope you can attend this banquet."
The message he sent was so simple. From what she knew of him, Olga Marie realized this was definitely not as simple as it seemed on the surface. He wasn't the kind of person who would be bored enough to gather a bunch of girls and hold a tea party.
However, looking at the message, Olga Marie was still very happy. Receiving a message like this meant she still held a special place in his heart. That was enough—after all, her initial goal was just to provide Ian with an opportunity to relax. If it meant everyone could get together, it wasn't a bad idea. Olga Marie didn't want Chaldea to be thrown into chaos because of this one man.
She arrived. This was Chaldea's library and archive. This was the place Ian had mentioned in his message. Looking at the familiar door, Olga Marie realized that once she opened it, some things might never be the same again. But she didn't mind. With this man, Chaldea would definitely become a better place. If that was the case, being a little flexible wasn't a problem—she had already decided to marry him at some point in the future, so getting used to it early wasn't a bad thing.
With a hum, Olga Marie swiped her card on the door. She took a deep breath, adjusted her emotions, and walked inside.
However, the moment she saw the scene inside, Olga Marie froze. The once quiet library was now bustling with activity. Mash, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Tamamo-no-Mae, and the newly met BB were all gathered here.
That's right! This was everyone, except for the two knights from Britain! What was going on?! Although Olga Marie was mentally prepared, she never expected the situation to be like this. After all, last time there were only three of them—this time, it was a historical five!
"Oh, Director, you're here..." Mash noticed Olga Marie's arrival. She clasped her hands behind her back, looking very happy. "It seems Senior didn't leave anyone out."
"This..." As soon as Mash said that, Olga Marie knew that Ian had sent a similar message to everyone. Although it wasn't a surprise, the hope in her heart that she was his one and only was now gone.
"Did Ian ask everyone to come?" Olga Marie asked, a little dejectedly.
"Yes," Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded. "Ian said in the message... that we absolutely had to come here tonight—that he had something very important to announce."
"But I thought you had just gotten over being sick?" Olga Marie looked at Ritsuka Fujimaru, appearing very worried. Although Ritsuka's strength was far less than Ian's, she was still a very important part of the plan. And in any case... she was also a close friend, so Olga Marie was quite concerned about her.
Before Ritsuka Fujimaru could explain, Mash spoke up first. "Um—Director, you don't have to worry about that. Ritsuka... she just had a shortage of magical energy because she had just summoned Gareth. Senior has already figured out how to handle that problem."
Mash said this, then shyly lowered her head. "Ritsuka can provide me with magical energy... and I can also provide her with magical energy in return. As long as Senior leaves some pre-stored magical energy with me, we can solve this problem."
"This..." Although it sounded very suggestive, as a member of a magus family, Olga Marie knew that this was not a joke. Servants and their Masters were always in a mutually beneficial relationship. A powerful magus could provide a lot of magical energy to a Servant, and conversely, there were also rare cases of Servants providing magical energy to their Master. This kind of special bond was a unique relationship between a Master and a Servant. And as it happened, Ritsuka Fujimaru was in just such a situation.
"I understand... thank you for your hard work, Mash."
"It's nothing," Mash shook her head and then held Ritsuka Fujimaru's hand. "Director... Ritsuka is very important to me—so no matter what, I have to protect her."
"Mash..." Ritsuka Fujimaru was incredibly moved by Mash's statement. But BB's voice rang out, interrupting the moment of friendship.
"Alright, alright—!" BB's voice rang out, interrupting the scene full of friendship. "BB didn't come here to watch you talk about your friendship—didn't we agree to have a super fun demon party? But where's the pig?"
"Huh?!" As soon as BB said this, the girls present realized that the main character, Ian, hadn't shown up yet. He had proactively sent so many messages to gather all his girlfriends here.
"That's right... where is he?" Olga Marie looked around. "Normally, he's the first one to show up, isn't he?"
"He is," Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded. "Ian has never made anyone wait for him."
"Yes," Mash said, agreeing with Ritsuka Fujimaru. "The last time I arrived at the meeting place fifteen minutes early, Senior was already there waiting for me."
"..." Feeling that everyone else's thoughts were similar to her own, BB finally turned her attention to the silent Tamamo-no-Mae. "Hey—! Fox demon, you said it—as long as we follow Ian's instructions, we can definitely participate in the demon party. So... where is it?"
Facing BB's questioning, Tamamo-no-Mae was not flustered. Instead, she calmly gestured for everyone to sit down. "Don't be impatient. Do you... really think that my Master would just leave everyone hanging here?"
"..." As soon as Tamamo-no-Mae said this, the somewhat rowdy BB quickly quieted down. She knew how strong Ian's resolve was—it was a kind of resilience that, once he decided to do something, he would never change his mind.
"Fine, BB will wait a little longer then!" Saying this, BB sat down on the nearby sofa. And the rest of the people, seeing her like this, said nothing more and sat down one by one.
The atmosphere became quiet for a moment—completely different from the excitement they had when Ian had first called them. However, this didn't last for long. Because the man soon appeared at the door.
But—he didn't come alone. He had brought Mordred and Gareth with him.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The seven girls just looked at each other, no one having expected the situation to turn into such an awkward meeting. Even Tamamo-no-Mae, who was a part of the whole plan, seemed a little surprised. But the fox demon didn't doubt her husband—she believed he had his reasons for doing this. And indeed, he did.
Ian held Mordred's and Gareth's hands, one in each of his. Then, he spoke in a very serious and sincere tone, "Mordred, Gareth. Although you may not necessarily accept this, these are all my girlfriends—I love every single one of them. If you're against this... you can scold me now."
This was another statement that shocked everyone. But the girlfriends, led by Tamamo-no-Mae, all knew that this was truly how the man felt inside—he loved everyone who had come here tonight, without distinction. However, not a single one of them dared to respond. Because if they thought about it for a moment, they would realize that Mordred and Gareth, who were standing next to Ian, must hold an irreplaceable place in his heart.
It was Gareth who broke the silence. "Um..." The girl looked at them, her expression a little complicated. "Are they... all really important?"
"Yes," the man nodded without hesitation. "Every single one of them, to me, is an irreplaceable and indispensable person in this world. I know that you will be very unhappy when you hear this—but even so, I must give them the recognition they deserve. This is what they deserve after sacrificing so much."
"..." Gareth was silent for a moment, then she smiled slightly. "I understand. If that's the case—" The girl's gaze swept over everyone present. "I... accept all of you. As long as—" Gareth held Ian's hand tightly, as if she were holding a precious treasure. "You can make him happy, I have no objections."
"Gareth..." Looking at the sensible girl in front of him, Ian's heart was filled with warmth. At this moment, Mordred also tightened her grip on Ian's hand and asked in a low voice, "Um... do you really love them?"
"Yes," the man nodded without hesitation. "Otherwise... I would never have brought you all here."
"..." Mordred's eyes were a little dim, but in the end, she accepted it all. It was just as her sister Gareth had said. If the First Wife, Morgan, and the Second Wife, Artoria, were still here, they would also find a way to help him with something. She couldn't be so unreasonable.
Mordred sighed and then asked another question. "Can I ask for one small thing?"
"What is it?"
"I..." Mordred tugged on Ian's clothes. "Can we not call them 'Mom'?"
"..." Ian smiled and nodded. "Of course. I don't intend to force you to do that."
"Really?!" Mordred's eyes brightened with happiness. "Then... you can't forget the First and Second Wives."
"I never forgot them—I'll bring them back eventually."
"Really?!"
"Really. I promise you and Gareth."
With the issue of his daughters' and girlfriends' relationship finally resolved in the most direct way, Ian shifted his focus back to keeping his promise. He stepped away from Mordred and Gareth and stood in front of his five girlfriends.
"Everyone—Tama told me that she hoped to be able to satisfy all of you at the same time and maintain it for a long time. But after thinking about it all night..." he said. "I'm sorry, I found that it's impossible—I can only do it one at a time."
"..."
"..."
At this moment, all the girls' gazes fell on Ian—they hadn't expected the man to have thought about it to such an extent. But unlike the others, Tamamo-no-Mae seemed to have realized something. She moved closer to the man and whispered in his ear. He had an incredibly surprised expression on his face.
"Tama... is that really okay?"
"Trust me," the fox demon said with a faint smile on her cheeks. "Everyone is very happy to do it this way."
"...I understand."
A few hours later, the man lay on the sofa, recalling the series of events that had just happened. The girls were sleeping sprawled out beside him. Tamamo-no-Mae was right. The girlfriends in Chaldea didn't all need to be satisfied one by one. Just like what had just happened, as long as he gave them what they needed, it was enough. They would proactively find a suitable position and lie down to savor the man's charm—this was the best way to conquer them.
Ritsuka Fujimaru, who had just recovered, lay on the man's right side, while the more impatient and less knowing Olga Marie lay on his left. BB and Tamamo-no-Mae, the supporters of the paradise-building project, chose the less convenient lower left and lower right—but they had no complaints. And Mash, as Ritsuka Fujimaru's temporary "magic storage," was given the top spot by everyone. After all, she had a much more difficult task to face than the other girls.
Fortunately, the final result was quite satisfying. Every girl had a happy smile on her face, and Mordred and Gareth, whom he cared about, also received a lesson, their faces flushed. It was time to set off for the next Singularity.
And at the moment this thought was born, the man once again heard a familiar voice.
[Simulation state cooling down—cooling complete.]
[Environment components being verified—verification complete.]
[This simulation is a regular history simulation.]
[Destination confirmed—Ancient Roman Empire.]
[Special reminder: The privilege of a certain emperor may greatly affect this simulation!]