Olga Marie's heart was a chaotic mess of conflicting emotions.
Because she felt a strong sense of identification with Fiore—a woman who, like herself, was hailed as a "genius"—she constantly found herself measuring her own progress against her mentor's. In her eyes, if Fiore could do something, then she surely could as well; that was her initial mindset.
However, as she experienced one "success" after another, she began to truly grasp the sheer difficulty of the path Fiore had walked.
To ordinary people, a "genius" succeeding seems like a foregone conclusion. They rarely see the Herculean effort hidden behind the scenes. Even if a genius can solve problems faster than an average person, standing out among the masses means they must achieve far more than everyone else.
When you do the math, they still put in significantly more work than the average person. Moreover, even geniuses aren't omnipotent; when they hit their limits, they too grind to a halt.
Olga Marie, dubbed a "genius" by her peers, was a prime example. When her strength plateaued, she was subjected to endless whispers behind her back. Coupled with her father's sudden disappearance, she lived under immense pressure. It was Fiore who comforted her and helped her through that dark period.
During that time, her father's colleague, Lev, and Fiore were the pillars that supported her—they were like family. But after Lev personally admitted to killing her in "Singularity F" and publicly declared his intent to destroy humanity, Fiore became her only remaining "family."
As for the man in front of her... honestly, she didn't have a good impression of him.
Not only did he let a woman as outstanding as Fiore wait for him in silence, but he also had other female partners—more than one, in fact.
Under normal circumstances, an independent woman like Olga Marie would be doing him a favor by not slapping him, let alone engaging in polite conversation.
But that was the catch ————— "under normal circumstances."
His contributions to Chaldea were undeniable. Not only did Singularity F get resolved with his help, but more crucially, he had saved her life.
She would never forget the despair she felt as the world collapsed around her because she couldn't perform a Rayshift. It felt as though the Reaper's scythe was already resting against her throat.
Thinking of this, her expression became extremely complicated.
"That guy... couldn't he have been a bit more normal about the whole 'hero saving the damsel' thing...?"
The memory of Lancer forcibly pouring wine down her throat made her want to punch him. Being forced to drink while in a state of sheer panic wasn't exactly a fond memory, yet she couldn't deny the relief she felt at surviving the Rayshift.
Her feelings had evolved from initial dislike to gratitude for her savior, followed by disillusionment upon learning he had multiple partners.
In just a few days, Olga Marie's heart had been on a roller coaster. Throughout it all, her primary focus remained "vetting him for her sister/teacher"—at least until six months ago.
Since then, she had learned from Lancer the tragic reality behind the "Magical Girls," and she had witnessed firsthand the effort he put into saving a group of stranger girls, culminating in the destruction of the "Incubator."
She had watched his hard work and sacrifice every step of the way. Though she provided what help she could, she mostly followed him as a silent observer, because he shouldered every single danger by himself.
Standing behind him, protected, she was beginning to understand why her teacher was willing to wait for this man. But that only made her more conflicted.
If her initial goal was to see if he was worthy of the "perfect Teacher Fiore," finding the answer had only plunged her into a more agonizing personal dilemma.
Just as her mind was drifting off into space, a voice suddenly snapped her back to reality.
"Olga? What's wrong?"
"!!"
Startled, she looked up in a panic to see Lancer looking down at her with a concerned gaze.
"It's nothing!"
Even without a mirror, Olga Marie knew her face was bright red. She lowered her head and hurried forward.
Watching her walk away, Lancer rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.
At dinner, everyone sat around the campfire eating the meal Tiger had meticulously prepared. Lancer acted normally, but the other three were a bit off.
Olga Marie kept her head down in silence, lost in thought. Zero was fully demonstrating the appetite that had earned her the title "Gluttonous Cub" from the Law of Cycles; she was eating more than everyone else combined. As for the young man, Heng, his eating habits were... exaggerated.
With a grilled steak in his left hand and a cup of "Happy Water" (Cola) in his right, he alternated between the two at high speed.
Lancer didn't blame him. According to Heng, he had been drifting at sea for quite a while. One can only imagine what he'd been eating. Most people on long journeys rely on jerky to survive; after eating jerky for that long, tasting Tiger's cooking... not crying was a sign of great mental strength.
However, when the man accidentally took off his hat in his excitement, Lancer noticed a "small detail." His ears were pointed, though not particularly long. In another world, Lancer might have blurted out "Elf," but in this world, that wasn't the case. He was a member of one of the world's oldest races ————— the Wyverians.
Speaking of Wyverians, Lancer was curious. Their physical constitution and lifespan generally exceeded those of humans, with some living nearly a thousand years. Plus, some Wyverians only have four fingers, which reminded Lancer of a rumor.
The rumor claimed that Wyverians were actually hybrids of humans and dragons. Supporters pointed to the four fingers (dragons also have four) and their lifespans (some long-lived dragons can indeed reach a thousand years).
Opponents had stronger arguments: first, reproductive isolation; second, all known "dragons" are oviparous (egg-laying), while humans are viviparous (live birth). How could such a distinct difference produce offspring?
Since there was no official confirmation, the origin of Wyverians remained an urban legend.
But if someone actually did it...
'I wonder who had kidneys strong enough to take on a "dragon".'
Shaking the weird thought from his head, Lancer focused on his meal. Soon, everyone finished. Heng leaned against a tree branch to rest, rubbing his belly, but then he suddenly bolted upright.
"What is it?"
Lancer reflexively looked around but found nothing unusual.
Heng pointed toward the sky, his face full of awe.
"The Azure Star!!"
Lancer followed his finger and saw a blue point of light streaking across the sky.
"That's a comet, right?"
Olga Marie, also spotting it, squinted and observed for a moment before concluding it was a comet. Lancer thought so too at first, but then he noticed the "meteor" change direction—twice. He immediately activated "Eagle Eye" to its full extent.
For Lancer, "Eagle Eye" was integrated into his daily life, mostly used for its enhancement of "dynamic vision" in high-speed combat. But that wasn't its only function.
Under full power, his eyes became slightly bloodshot, and a strange stinging sensation made him want to stop. But as the "image" zoomed in, Lancer's expression grew serious. He didn't close his eyes and look down until he could vaguely make out a silhouette.
"What's wrong?"
Olga Marie, never having seen Lancer react like this, forgot her own internal conflict and asked immediately. Lancer took out a towel, wiped the tears from around his eyes, and shook his head.
"I'm fine. But that 'Azure Star'..."
"What about it?"
This time it wasn't Olga Marie, but Heng, who had scrambled to his feet and was looking at Lancer tensely.
Previously, he only suspected Lancer was the legendary "Azure Star" because of the color of his leather armor and his terrifying strength. That led to the misunderstanding, which had luckily been cleared up.
But precisely because of that, Heng hadn't given up on searching for the real legend. Hearing Lancer mention the "Azure Star," he was naturally anxious. Lancer didn't keep him in suspense and told him exactly what he saw.
"That 'Azure Star' isn't a comet. It's a dragon..."
"!!!"
Olga Marie was merely surprised, but Heng's eyes went wide as he began to mutter to himself.
"Yes... of course. It was the 'Azure Star' that guided me to this strange place. And according to legend, the 'Azure Star' was indeed once a dragon. There's no mistake..."
His excitement grew as he muttered, his expression becoming more and more animated. But just then, a hand rested on his shoulder.
"Calm down. I don't want to have to save you twice in one day for basically the same reason."
Lancer's words were like a bucket of cold water over his head. Heng gave a bitter smile and followed Lancer's guidance to take deep breaths. His racing heart finally returned to normal.