Originally, Shiomi and Sakura had baked some pastries to leave here for everyone else. They only needed a small portion to go with their afternoon tea.
Though her clothes were a bit dusty, Olga Marie had long since grown used to being travel-worn after fighting through Singularities. She didn't bother changing. After brushing herself off a few times and deciding it was good enough, she sat down with Shiomi and Sakura in the cafeteria to enjoy tea.
"Humans from Olympus… are they stronger than the ones here?"
The casual chat naturally drifted to the information Demeter had passed along.
"Based on what we've observed so far," Sakura said, "the residents of each island seem to be people who were deemed unqualified and exiled here from Olympus by the gods. Under normal circumstances, everyone can live to around eight hundred years."
By "normal circumstances," she meant excluding deaths from things like failing to survive a hunt or being killed by a Magical Beast.
Because of the so-called "Legacy of the Gods," known as Klironomia, even these so-called "defective" humans were free from illness and suffering.
The eight-hundred-year lifespan was simply because Atlantis's Klironomia was fairly ordinary, not something tied to a specific Olympian god.
"Then the humans living on Olympus itself, as the gods' people…" Olga Marie frowned.
"Their lifespans would probably be several times longer than those on the islands," Shiomi said. "After all, they're protected by a true 'Divine Legacy.'"
"But almost every island's residents have an almost blind faith in the gods," Sakura added. "On every single island, without exception, we saw rituals mourning Artemis."
Olga Marie couldn't help but look at Shiomi. "Is it because their lives are so long that they've ended up believing in nothing but the gods?"
"That's not strange at all." Shiomi shook his head. "The Olympian gods never really left. They've been ruling the world from places people can't see. It would be odd if there were no faith in them. As for living for several centuries, that's just seen as a small measure of divine mercy."
"It's… hard to judge," Olga Marie said. "Is the Holy Church the same way?"
Shiomi chuckled. "It's not just the Holy Church. Don't forget the Magus Association… no, think about how 'Magecraft' itself was established. Do you remember?"
"The King of Magecraft received a revelation in a dream, was granted the Ten Commandments, and established the magical system that was passed down through the ages," Sakura replied.
"In that respect, a Magus and the Holy Church aren't all that different," Shiomi said bluntly. "The only difference is that the Magus Association is a bit more ungrateful and doesn't bother with faith in the gods at all."
Olga Marie pressed a hand to her forehead. "When you put it like that… you're not wrong."
"We're getting off track," Shiomi said, steering the conversation back. "In short, it's not just that the humans living on Olympus are strong. Those who are constantly bathed in the gods' blessings probably can't even conceive of resisting the divine."
The Olympian gods wouldn't even need to brainwash them. Reality itself was more than enough to make that faith unshakable.
"So what you're saying is, once we manage to enter Olympus, we should be prepared to face everything there on our own, without any outside help?" Olga Marie asked seriously.
"Not entirely," Sakura said. "Aside from the Servants of Proper Human History who went into Olympus ahead of us, we also have Captain Drake and the others."
"The real problem is Kirschtaria…" Olga Marie murmured. "That was the first time I'd ever seen Kirschtaria make a move, and he still ended up being stopped."
Hearing that, Shiomi and Sakura exchanged glances.
"Um… Marie, you're not actually jealous of Kirschtaria, are you?" Sakura asked, genuinely surprised.
"Probably," Shiomi said with a wry smile. "After all, the rumors at the Clock Tower say Kirschtaria is even more suited than Marie to inherit the Department of Astromancy."
Olga Marie slumped forward onto the table.
"With Astromancy Magecraft, using the same theories, I can only barely produce something with real destructive power if I have support from others. Meanwhile, he can effortlessly treat the starry sky itself as Magic Circuits… When I compare myself to him, it almost feels like being a Magus is pointless."
"There's no need to be that pessimistic," Shiomi said, reaching out to gently pat her head in consolation. "When it comes to raw talent, Kirschtaria really is among the very top. Even I have to admit I fall short."
"But his genius doesn't mean you're mediocre."
"Well…" Sakura tried to smooth things over. "If Mother were the one judging him, she'd probably say that even Kirschtaria is just a Magus who's somewhat worth looking at."
To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure how to comfort Olga Marie either.
After all, their Magecraft educations were completely different, and whether or not one was obsessed with Magecraft was the biggest gap between the two of them.
"If possible, I'd really appreciate it if Sakura didn't use Morgan as the example," Shiomi said, pulling a pained expression. "She's a genius who built her own unique Magecraft system entirely on her own, you know…"
If Morgan were used as the benchmark, Shiomi felt that the number of Magi who could be called qualified could be counted on one hand.
"Does my husband truly care that much about the casual remarks I made during the Fourth Holy Grail War?" Morgan suddenly spoke up.
She reached out, picked up a pastry, and took a small bite.
"Not really," Shiomi said as he withdrew his hand and leaned back in his chair. "It's just that Sakura's way of comforting people earlier was a bit off, so I was pointing that out."
Morgan smiled faintly.
"It seems that what I said while my husband was resting ended up bothering Marie without her even realizing it."
Olga Marie was about to give up her seat, but Morgan gestured for her to stay beside Shiomi.
She then pulled out the empty chair next to Sakura and sat down.
"What did you say?" Shiomi asked, curiosity piqued.
"…The mediocrities of the Clock Tower…" Olga Marie replied quietly.
Shiomi covered his face and let out a long sigh.
"So you really are quite proud of your own abilities, aren't you, my wife?"
"Shouldn't I be?" Morgan said as she lifted the tea Sakura had just poured for her. "During the years I pursued Magecraft on my own, who was it that came to my side, offered guidance, and was eventually surpassed by me?"
"Right, who could that possibly be? What a useless teacher."
Shiomi looked away, his tone dripping with mock bitterness, though everyone could tell he was joking.
"You see?" Morgan continued. "Even a man like my husband can feel jealous of a Magus more talented than himself."
Using Shiomi as her example, Morgan reassured Olga Marie that she didn't need to take those words to heart.
"…Ahaha…"
Olga Marie held her teacup and let out a dry laugh.