[Altair Miller]
After the night we spent together, the next morning Olga was completely exhausted—so much so that I had to carry her to the bathroom to take a bath.
Instead of using the shower, we opted for the bathtub, which was large enough to fit two people. Even so, Olga sat between my legs, her back pressed against my chest, while my "friend" brushed against the soft valley between her buttocks.
She didn't seem to mind—on the contrary, she deliberately moved against it, making me even harder.
"Whose idea was it?" I asked, my hand slowly gliding over her smooth stomach until my fingers found the soft, tempting curve beneath her breasts.
"What do you mean?" She blinked, leaning her back into my chest, which made my friend press harder against her.
"The idea of showing up in my room wearing nothing but lingerie."
That didn't match her personality at all. Olga didn't seem like the type of person who would do something so bold—much less behave so submissively, in a way that would drive any straight man insane.
"Da Vinci." She rested her head on my chest, raising her hand and staring at it. "I wanted to connect with you, but I didn't know how. I've never been in a relationship before... Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't such a great idea to ask for advice from a pervert."
Even if she was right... thank you, Da Vinci. I couldn't help but mentally thank the Italian Servant, who turned out to be a great ally.
"So, even the things you said were her idea?" I asked, teasing her with a smile.
"No! No!" She waved her hands in a panic. "Everything I said came from the heart." Olga lowered her hand, wrapping a lock of hair around her finger, looking embarrassed.
"I know, I was just teasing you." I smiled, gently squeezing her breasts, making her blush even more.
"Idiot!" She lightly headbutted my chest.
"Hehehe!" I let out a soft chuckle, lowering my arms and hugging her tighter. "By the way, not that I'm complaining, but why last night?"
Olga let out a small sigh.
"Because I won't be seeing you for a while."
I frowned, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Today is the day of your first mission. We've already identified the next Singularity. And since this body can't afford to waste too much magical energy, it's not a good idea for me to enter a Singularity without full control of it… For now, I want to learn to fully control my body."
Seriously? Things must be really critical. In just two weeks, we'd already located a Singularity.
"You're right, but do you know anything about this Singularity?" I asked, curious.
"No, we only know that it's located in France, probably during the Hundred Years' War."
Actually, that was a lot of information.
From what I remember, the Hundred Years' War took place between 1337 and 1453—a series of conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the late Middle Ages. If I wasn't mistaken, the conflict originated from English claims to the French throne, between the English Royal House of Plantagenet and the French Royal House of Valois.
One of the bloodiest conflicts of the Middle Ages.
Hmm… That sounded troublesome… but at the same time, I couldn't help but smile.
I thought, hugging her tighter as we settled into the bathtub. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment.
---
We left the room and were greeted by Okita, who was standing at the door.
"Greetings, Master." Okita, standing beside the door, spoke with little expression, but upon seeing Olga, she tilted her head. "Why was the Director in your room?" she asked innocently.
Okita didn't seem like the kind of woman who understood much about these things.
"Ahem! I came to call him to the command room." Olga coughed, embarrassed.
"I see!" Okita raised a hand to her chin. "So the Director came to do the same thing I did."
"You both came to get me?" What perfect timing.
"Exactly. The doctor asked us to come fetch you," Okita said, just as Nobunaga appeared with a slight smirk, looking at us. "Interesting. Some women don't waste time," Nobunaga said, clearly noticing what had happened, her smile turning sarcastic.
Olga blushed, but instead of dodging the subject, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Nobunaga defiantly. "First to serve, first to taste."
"Mwahaha! You fool. Just because you've become a woman doesn't mean we're on the same level." Nobunaga laughed, though something about her tone sounded... different. Probably just my imagination.
While the two stared each other down, Okita tapped her chin with her finger.
"But… isn't she already a woman?" Her question echoed down the hall, making everyone blink.
"You're dumber than I thought," Nobunaga muttered, shrugging.
"Do you want your head cut off?" Okita narrowed her eyes.
"Hahaha! If you can manage that, I'd love to see it."
Olga, completely ignoring the conversation, stepped forward. "We'd better head to the command room."
"Okay! Okay! Let's go," I said, smiling lightly.
After the two Servants finished their little quarrel, our group finally reached our destination. The doors slid open, revealing the command room. There were Dr. Roman and Da Vinci, as expected, and standing up front were Ritsuka, Mash, and Artoria Alter… the child of light wasn't present.
"You're finally here," Dr. Roman smiled. "Where were you, Director—"
Before he could finish, Da Vinci gave him a little slap and winked at us with a carefree smile.
Rolling my eyes, I raised a hand. "Good morning, Mash, Ritsuka, and Artoria."
"Good morning, Senpai."
"Good morning, Altair-kun."
The two girls greeted me with smiles, while Artoria Alter simply nodded.
Used to her cold demeanor, my gaze drifted to Chaldeas—the massive, glowing blue orb.
It really was beautiful, without that sea of flames.
I thought, noticing Olga's body trembling slightly as she looked at the orb. Understandable, considering the memories tied to it.
I raised a hand and gently stroked her long hair, helping her calm down.
Upon seeing my hand petting Olga's head, Ritsuka gave me a strange look.
Meanwhile, Olga took a deep breath and murmured softly, "Thank you." Then she stepped forward.
"As you all know, the seven Singularities we've been tracking are what caused the incineration of humanity." She turned to us with a serious expression. "These Singularities form around key moments in human history. This one, which we'll call the First Singularity, is in France—likely during the Hundred Years' War. If it's like Fuyuki, the distortion will have been caused by a Holy Grail. So, your mission is to recover it. Any questions?" she concluded, crossing her arms.
Ritsuka raised his hand. "Director, what if we encounter Lev Lainur Flauros?"
Even with his name mentioned, Olga's expression remained severe, unaffected.
"That's a secondary objective. If possible, capture him and bring him back to Chaldea for interrogation, in order to uncover his plans. If not—eliminate him." Her tone was firm.
"I prefer the second option," Artoria Alter said with a cold smile.
"I don't usually agree with a Saber, but this time I'm with her." Nobunaga put her hand on her hip.
"Killing is my specialty," Okita added without much emotion.
Our little death squad was already assembled.
"But that's not the priority." Dr. Roman gave Da Vinci a look of frustration—she just whistled—then turned back to us. "Once you arrive, your first task will be to find a leyline and establish a connection, just like we did in Fuyuki."
"As the doctor said," Olga added. "We'll be able to communicate with you from the start. To reach the Singularity, you'll use the coffins for Rayshift." She pointed to the capsule-like devices that looked like coffins.
"How do they work?" I raised my hand like I was in class. Ritsuka, beside me, shook his head, equally clueless.
"The coffins convert your soul into spiritrons—solid mana particles. These spiritrons are sent to the Singularity, while Chaldea keeps your physical bodies safe inside the coffins, which assist in the process."
"Fuuu~!" I whistled. Top-tier tech. "And what about our Servants?"
"They'll use the coffins too." Da Vinci smiled. "Altair, you can take your two Servants, and Ritsuka, I recommend bringing just two at most."
"I'll go," Artoria said immediately. "I don't care who the second is."
"I'll take Mash and Artoria," Ritsuka raised his hand, scratching his head.
"I'll take my two Servants." I could easily handle the pressure of sustaining four Servants in a Singularity, but I only had two.
"Excellent. Good luck..." Olga's eyes settled on me for a moment before shifting to Ritsuka and me. "To both of you. We'll begin the Rayshift process now. Be careful." She clapped her hands.
"See you on the other side." I raised a fist to Ritsuka.
"Same to you, Altair-kun." Ritsuka bumped my fist with a wide smile.
••• ••• •••
A/N: We've finally wrapped up the first volume—next up, the new Singularity.
Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me.