"Huh?!" Fujimaru Ritsuka's exclamation almost drew the attention of everyone present to herself and Olga Marie.
The latter quickly covered the former's mouth, then smiled apologetically and pulled her aside.
"Ritsuka! Why are you so loud?!" Olga Marie said with a hint of impatience. "Are you afraid the others won't hear?"
"Of course, that's not what I meant." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Tamamo-no-Mae, who was still holding Ian's arm tightly on the other side, her voice becoming somewhat distorted.
She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"Director... how do you know Ian slept with her?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, her brown eyes wide with disbelief.
"This..." Olga Marie's ears echoed with the sounds she had heard when she was pressed against the door.
Although it was slightly different from the harmonious duet she had experienced before.
It was enough for Olga Marie to confirm that Ian and Tamamo-no-Mae had completed the mana transfer in the room.
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed Olga Marie felt. She took several deep breaths before continuing.
"Ritsuka." Olga Marie said, her amber eyes looking at the younger girl.
"Do you know what mana transfer is?"
"Mana transfer?" Fujimaru Ritsuka tilted her head slightly, then laughed carelessly.
"I don't know!"
"..." Looking at Fujimaru Ritsuka's smile, Olga Marie realized that she really didn't know what "mana transfer" was.
The silver-haired girl covered her forehead and sighed deeply.
"Seriously... how on earth did we recruit you into Chaldea back then?" Olga Marie muttered to herself.
But despite the complaint, Olga Marie didn't dwell too much on Fujimaru Ritsuka's lack of knowledge.
She explained to her.
"Ritsuka, it's like this."
A few minutes later.
Fujimaru Ritsuka finally understood the mechanism of "mana transfer" and what Ian had gone out to do.
She was incredibly surprised.
"Wait a minute!" Fujimaru Ritsuka exclaimed, her brown eyes widening.
"Then does that mean——" The red-haired girl looked at Tamamo-no-Mae, who was still by Ian's side.
"She actually just had Sex with Ian?"
"..." Seeing that Fujimaru Ritsuka had finally understood, Olga Marie wasn't happy at all.
"You finally get it." Olga Marie said, her voice tinged with a hint of bitterness.
"That's why I said Ian slept with Tamamo-no-Mae just now."
"But Director!" Fujimaru Ritsuka still had some things she didn't quite understand.
"Wasn't this only the first time?"
"Does Ian really have the ability to make a girl fall in love with that kind of feeling after just one time of Sex?"
"..." "..." Fujimaru Ritsuka and Olga Marie looked at each other, then both blushed.
Because the answer had already been accurately and uniformly agreed upon in their hearts without needing to be spoken.
Yes, he did.
And it was a "fascination" that went even further than "liking."
Although having Sex did feel embarrassing, if it was with Ian, there was no such feeling.
Being able to enjoy a period of pleasure with him was a very memorable thing.
Besides——
His performance in that area was indeed very impressive.
This was an unspoken consensus between Fujimaru Ritsuka and Olga Marie.
But in that case, the situation became even more complicated.
The newly summoned Tamamo-no-Mae naturally couldn't know how complex Ian's emotional situation was in Chaldea.
And judging from her level of attachment to him, this fox spirit might not be able to reach a consensus with Fujimaru Ritsuka, Olga Marie, and Mash, and live together harmoniously.
Besides——
There was also the special relationship between Tamamo-no-Mae and Ian as Master and Servant.
If she wasn't willing to "share" Ian like this, she would be a very difficult "enemy" to deal with!
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Olga Marie looked at each other again.
They both realized that Chaldea's seemingly harmonious life might become complicated due to the appearance of Tamamo-no-Mae!
However, the two girls didn't notice that all of this had been seen by Tamamo-no-Mae.
She pursed her lips slightly, as if she had realized something.
At the same time, Ian didn't realize the undercurrents around him.
After waking Tamamo-no-Mae up, all of his attention had turned to the "Spiritron Summoning System."
In this way, he would naturally have to interact with Da Vinci, who was responsible for repairing it.
However, Ian wasn't in a hurry to interrupt.
After all, at this moment, she was chatting very happily with the fox spirit Tamamo-no-Mae.
"I see!" Da Vinci's blue eyes showed a hint of emotion.
"Tamamo-no-Mae-chan, you're a fox spirit from the Heian period!"
"I've learned about this amazing era in Chaldea's books—I didn't expect to see an existence from that era today!"
"I'm so lucky~"
Unlike those who became Heroic Spirits due to various obsessions, Da Vinci pursued "learning" itself.
And the simplest way to realize this concept was to come into contact with different knowledge.
So——
For Da Vinci, every successful verification of the truth of knowledge would make her happy for a while.
And Tamamo-no-Mae's appearance was also a means of "verifying the truth," so Da Vinci naturally welcomed this fox spirit.
By the way.
The last time she was this happy was with Mordred—that mischievous kid verified the authenticity of ancient Britain, which was similar to Tamamo-no-Mae's situation now.
Meeting people from different eras might also be one of the reasons why Da Vinci, as a Heroic Spirit, stayed in Chaldea and never left.
"Is that so?" Tamamo-no-Mae smiled charmingly.
"Seeing Da Vinci-chan welcome this concubine so much truly makes this concubine quite moved."
"However——" The fox spirit held onto Ian's arm beside her.
"My Master seems to have something he wants to say to you."
"Da Vinci-chan... can we chat later?"
"..." Ian looked at Tamamo-no-Mae, who was nestled beside him, his eyes showing a hint of complexity.
He knew that her understanding wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface—it was a survival instinct cultivated through long-term fear and anxiety.
Her life had been like walking on thin ice.
Without such keen intuition, she probably would have died a long time ago.
Thinking of this, Ian couldn't help but feel more heartache for her.
The hand that held hers also tightened its grip slightly.
And sensing this, Tamamo-no-Mae silently accepted this concern from him, the fox tail behind her swaying slightly.
"Yeah, sure." Although very happy, Da Vinci could still distinguish which was more important between work and chatting.
Her gaze fell on Ian, and a smile appeared on her face again—she was actually quite grateful to this Master who had summoned Mordred and Tamamo-no-Mae.
"Ian-chan, what's wrong?" Da Vinci asked, her blue eyes looking at him.
Everything returned to the main topic, and Ian took a deep breath, adjusting his emotions.
"Da Vinci-chan... I want to ask you some things about the 'Spiritron Summoning System'."
"Eh?" Da Vinci blinked her eyes.
It seemed she hadn't expected Ian to say such a thing, but it wasn't unacceptable either.
The omnipotent genius nodded and then replied, "What is the question?"
"It's——" Ian raised his head and looked at the mysterious sphere floating in the hall.
"Can I still use it to summon again?"
If you have someone you really want to see.
And you know you have a way to meet her.
Then what would your choice be?
Ian's choice was to act.
As he said these words, the figure sitting on the throne had already appeared in his mind.
If there was a chance——
If it was possible——
Even if it was just for one glance——
He wanted to see her again.
However, Ian's thoughts were quickly shattered by Da Vinci.
The omnipotent genius sighed, then shook her head and replied.
"I'm sorry, Ian-chan." Da Vinci said softly, her dark eyes looking at him with a hint of regret.
"Although I really want to say 'yes'."
"But——" Da Vinci said these words, then slowly raised three fingers.
"First, the fact that Tamamo-no-Mae-chan ended up in this state shows that there are flaws in my method of repairing the 'Spiritron Summoning System'."
"Before I figure out how to solve this problem... I absolutely cannot let you take any more risks!"
"Second, the magical power of the Holy Grail brought back from the Singularity is also almost depleted."
"If we rashly use the Spiritron Summoning System again under these circumstances, I'm not sure if something terrible will happen."
"Ian-chan... you wouldn't want to summon some strange things, would you?"
"Third, and most importantly!" Da Vinci's gaze fell on Ian, looking quite worried.
"Even if none of the previous problems affected you."
"But if you continue summoning like this, you'll have three Servants, you know... are you sure your magical energy reserves can handle it?"
"I wouldn't want to see Ian-chan collapse because of something like this."
"..." It had to be said that every word Da Vinci spoke accurately pointed out the key points.
The problem with the "Spiritron Summoning System" itself;
The depletion of the Singularity's Holy Grail;
And the magical energy supply between Master and Servant.
No matter which point it was, it was indeed something that needed to be considered at the moment.
"I see." Ian restrained his emotions.
"Then Da Vinci-chan, I have another question."
"It's not still about the 'Spiritron Summoning System,' is it?" Da Vinci put her hands on her hips.
"Ian-chan... I think I've made it very clear, things that are impossible are impossible no matter how you say it, okay?"
"No." Ian shook his head with a smile.
"I'm not asking about that."
"Then——" Da Vinci frowned slightly, then said, "What is the question?"
"Hmm..." Ian's gaze fell on Olga Marie beside him.
"I was wondering, since the Director's body could be replicated through 'Omnipotent Man'——"
"Then could we also use the same method to create past Noble Phantasms using my memories?"
"Memory Projection" was not without its price.
After using it multiple times, the man had clearly felt that the memories of the few copied Noble Phantasms he often used were gradually becoming blurred.
Especially the Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur Morgan), which he had used the most, felt like he might forget it at any moment.
If he could "create" these weapons that had already become Noble Phantasms in the same way he created the Director's body, then perhaps he could avoid the side effects of "Memory Projection."
However——
Ian's idea was once again denied by Da Vinci.
"That won't work either, Ian-chan." Da Vinci said with a sigh.
"The things created by my Noble Phantasm 'Omnipotent Man,' even if they are no different from the original in appearance, cannot be used as 'Noble Phantasms'."
"Because a 'Noble Phantasm' itself is a concept, and its form is only a part of that concept."
"Having only the form but not the other parts of the 'Noble Phantasm' is just an empty shell."
"This is completely different from the Director's needs at that time."
"I see..." Having his idea denied by Da Vinci once again, Ian's expression looked somewhat complicated.
Of course, he couldn't blame her.
It was just that this situation was still a bit of a pity for him.
After all, if he could replicate all kinds of Noble Phantasms through Da Vinci's "Omnipotent Man," he wouldn't have to worry about not having a suitable weapon in the future.
This would also allow him to protect them better.
And at this moment, Ian felt a warmth on his cheek.
Soon, he realized that Tamamo-no-Mae had kissed him.
Wearing a kimono, she was looking at the man before her with a rather distressed expression.
"Master... don't be sad about this kind of thing." Tamamo-no-Mae said softly, her golden eyes filled with concern.
"This concubine believes you will definitely find other ways!"
"..." The simplest encouragement had the most important effect, and Ian recovered from his previous disappointment.
He nodded and replied to Tamamo-no-Mae.
"Yeah, I think so too."
"That's the way~" Tamamo-no-Mae's lips curled up slightly, revealing a charming smile.
"That's what this concubine wanted to see... Master!"
"By the way——" Tamamo-no-Mae looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and Olga Marie, who were dumbfounded by her kiss.
"Master, can this concubine go over there for a moment?" Tamamo-no-Mae asked gently, her golden eyes looking at Ian.
"This concubine has some small questions she wants to ask them."
Although she didn't know what Tamamo-no-Mae was thinking, Ian knew that she definitely wouldn't cause him trouble, so he nodded.
"You don't need to ask me about this kind of thing." Ian said with a smile.
"Although we are Master and Servant... you have absolute freedom."
"Yes, this concubine understands." Receiving Ian's permission, Tamamo-no-Mae turned around and walked towards where Fujimaru Ritsuka and Olga Marie were.
It was a very elegant and imposing gait.
She arrived in front of them.
"Miss Fujimaru Ritsuka." Tamamo-no-Mae said politely, her golden eyes looking at the red-haired girl.
"Miss Olga Marie." Tamamo-no-Mae then turned her gaze to the silver-haired girl.
"May this concubine ask you two a question?"
"..." "..." Fujimaru Ritsuka and Olga Marie didn't directly answer Tamamo-no-Mae's request.
But they both nodded.
Having received permission, the clever fox spirit continued her actions.
She lowered her voice and spoke cautiously,
"This concubine wants to know——" Tamamo-no-Mae leaned in slightly, her golden eyes looking at them intently.
"Do you both... like Master?"