The Greek Lostbelt.
Three months had passed since the Fantasy Tree took root and completed its filtering of the Anomaly History. Having observed a major development, Kirschtaria convened a meeting of the Crypters.
The former Chaldea Team A Masters—now the current Masters of their respective Lostbelts—could not freely travel between them. Instead, they used a specialized form of Magecraft to project their astral images into each Lostbelt's conference chamber, creating a meeting that was "face-to-face" in its own way.
"Just moments ago, Koyanskaya, our collaborator, reported that the Britannia Lostbelt vanished from the whitened Earth five days ago," Kirschtaria said.
"But that Lostbelt didn't have one of us acting as its Crypter in the first place, so it shouldn't matter, right?" Peperoncino was the first to speak.
"Ultimately, we have only six Crypters. So why are there seven Lostbelts?" Ophelia asked. "Lord Kirschtaria, do you know the reason for this arrangement?"
"Originally, all seven Masters of Team A were meant to become Crypters. But one person escaped the incident."
Kirschtaria's voice remained calm.
The other five Crypters fell into silence. They all knew exactly whom he meant.
"However, according to Koyanskaya's report, after that man escaped, Shiomi somehow reached the Britannia Lostbelt and then proceeded to fulfill the role of a Crypter in his own way," Kirschtaria continued.
As the eldest and most experienced Magus among Team A, most of them still habitually addressed Shiomi as "Teacher."
"So the disappearance of Britannia's Storm Wall—replaced by a Wall of Light—was also his doing?" Daybit asked.
That Wall of Light seemed akin to something like the Tower at the End, which surprised everyone.
"That is the most likely explanation. During Koyanskaya's brief investigation of the Britannia Lostbelt, she found that Shiomi had become the God King of that Lostbelt and had reignited a war with its original king," Kirschtaria said. "She withdrew from the Lostbelt afterward—"
"So now that the Britannia Lostbelt has vanished, you think Chaldea—or someone else—killed that man and the Lostbelt King, then removed the Fantasy Tree?" Hinako asked.
Kirschtaria's report had shocked all of them.
They had originally assumed that, since Britannia had no Crypter, it would be the easiest to conquer after defeating Chaldea and handling the other Lostbelts.
For it to vanish first from the whitened Earth forced the Crypters to reevaluate and investigate the cause.
"That is one possibility. If so, we must reconsider the actual combat strength of Chaldea's surviving members and reassess our strategy from the ground up," Kirschtaria said.
At that moment, Kadoc—who had been silent until now—finally spoke.
"According to Rasputin's prior investigation at Antarctic Chaldea, after the incident that killed the other Masters, Chaldea recruited several new Masters from among their existing staff. All of them were closely connected to Professor Shiomi."
They had all seen those girls.
Sakura, Caren, Gray.
Three Magi of very different styles, with Sakura being the most well-known—a rare user of Imaginary Numbers Magecraft even by Clock Tower standards.
"But if those girls were the ones who entered the Britannia Lostbelt," Peperoncino said, "could they really bring themselves to kill Professor Shiomi? They're all extremely kindhearted. They'd never be able to kill someone so close to them."
Daybit suddenly spoke. "Then consider the opposite possibility—that Mister Shiomi didn't die, but instead dismantled the Lostbelt from within and helped Chaldea resolve the Britannia issue swiftly."
"Has… has he returned to Chaldea?" Kadoc's face tightened with visible pressure.
Shiomi had been the combat instructor for all of Chaldea's Masters—responsible for teaching Magecraft, martial arts, survival techniques, everything.
Even the elite Team A, scions of prestigious Magus Families, had trained privately under Shiomi.
Among that elite group, Kadoc was the weakest. Just remembering those training sessions made him break into a cold sweat.
It wasn't that Shiomi was harsh—Kadoc had simply realized how vast the gap between them was.
If Shiomi were an enemy rather than an ally, a Magus like him would be terrifying.
A former Sealing Designation Enforcer—someone who had killed a Lord of the Clock Tower.
Compared to Kadoc, a Magus born into an established lineage, Shiomi—who had no background—shone far more brilliantly.
Kadoc estimated that among the six Crypters, if they fought Shiomi at full strength, only Kirschtaria and Daybit might survive.
"Don't be so nervous. Even if Chaldea plans to continue attacking our Lostbelts, their first targets should logically be Ophelia's or Captain Kirschtaria's, the ones closest to Britannia." Peperoncino tried to comfort Kadoc gently.
"Is it really that certain…?" Kadoc looked at the other Crypters.
Even if they would become enemies later, for now they were still comrades.
Should he trust in their judgment, or…
"Given this situation, my next course of action will—"
Kirschtaria never finished. A deafening crash tore through the meeting, cutting him off. Every projection turned toward the same point in shock.
Kadoc Zemlupus's transmission abruptly cut. His image dissolved right after the blast.
"Kadoc… don't tell me—!"
Kirschtaria's eyes widened—an exceedingly rare moment of visible shock.
He realized he had overlooked one thing.
If Shiomi was still alive, that man—whose behavior had never been "Magus-like"—would definitely settle accounts for what happened at Antarctic Chaldea.
And just as Kirschtaria feared, the headquarters of the Russian Lostbelt—Yaga Moscow—had been struck by a sudden assault, forcing Kadoc's participation in the Crypter conference to end violently.
The palace ceiling had collapsed entirely, reducing the hall to ruin as a blizzard roared in from outside.
"Kadoc!"
Caster, Anastasia, immediately checked on Kadoc's condition.
Kadoc had barely avoided being crushed. He knelt on one knee, his Servant shielding him, eyes lifted warily toward the man descending from the storm of snow.
"Our last meeting like this would've been over a year ago for you—back when the Human Incineration began."
Shiomi extended a hand, gesturing in invitation. "Team A must have had its reasons for becoming Crypters. Would you come with me? Peacefully, if possible."
His face was gentle, but the danger in his presence was unmistakable.
It was obvious that if Kadoc refused, Shiomi would simply disable him and take him back to the new Chaldea.
"I won't let you lay a single finger on Kadoc. Master of Chaldea—this is where you become ice in the Russian wastes."
Anastasia attacked without hesitation.
"Stop! Anastasia—!"
Those were the only words Kadoc managed before Caster's Magecraft activated.
...
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