At her workstation, Olga Marie was buried in paperwork.
Though contact with the outside world had been severed, the volume of documents she had to handle hadn't decreased... it had only grown.
She needed to record everything that had transpired recently and analyze the current situation. Tasks that could once be delegated now fell squarely on her shoulders.
Her desk was piled high with thick stacks of paper files, the sight alone enough to inspire deep despair.
But things could get worse. She watched as someone approached, placing yet another hefty stack of documents before her.
Even as a spirit, free from the need for rest and sustained by Morpheus' abundant magical energy, the sheer volume of work made her feel a profound sense of powerlessness.
She suddenly understood why Morpheus had turned her into a spirit to return here. Only a spirit could have the time to deal with this mountain of nonsense!
Humans needed rest; spirits didn't.
Even if she wanted to claim exhaustion or insufficient mana, Morpheus' endless supply rendered such excuses moot.
Olga Marie sighed weakly and asked, "I heard Morpheus is dragging Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash off for training?"
"Yes, Director. Morpheus, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Mash are all training. Morpheus proposed it, and aside from meals, they're rarely seen these days."
"In the training room?"
"Yes."
At this response, Olga Marie's mind sparked with an idea... a way to get a break!
"Tell me where their training room is. I'll check on their progress."
Visiting under the pretense of monitoring training was perfect. It was a legitimate reason... checking on investigators was part of her duties as Director. Spending a few hours observing? That was work, not slacking!
After getting the training room's location from the staff, Olga Marie stood from her chair and headed out.
She didn't rush, though. The time spent walking counted as work, so she strolled slowly, allowing herself a moment to relax and ease her mind.
After about four or five minutes, she reached her destination... the training area where Morpheus and the others were.
Upon entering, she first spotted Romani and Da Vinci.
"What are you two doing here instead of working?" Olga Marie asked.
Romani and Da Vinci turned to see her, their faces showing confusion at her question.
"Odd, why's the Director here?"
"Is she trying to slack off?!"
They kept their thoughts to themselves. Romani said, "We're observing, hoping to gain some insights."
"Insights?" Olga Marie asked, puzzled.
Da Vinci chimed in, "Yes, insights. Whether it's the application of power or new weapons, there's a lot of knowledge here. If I can learn it, it'll make Chaldea stronger."
Seeing that both were here for work, Olga Marie straightened up. "I'm here to inspect too. As investigators, I need to check on their condition."
She then turned her attention to the training area.
In the center, Morpheus wielded a glowing sword formed of flames, its mere presence radiating immense magical energy.
Mash, too, surged with powerful mana. Her shield emitted a faint glow, as if primed for release.
As for Ritsuka Fujimaru, she held a sword and moved at incredible speed, breaking the sound barrier in an instant as she launched fierce attacks at Morpheus.
Her strikes were sharp and relentless, each delivered at maximum speed, yet Morpheus dodged them all effortlessly.
Mash also attacked with her shield, her speed surpassing that of most Servants, her strength outmatching them as well.
If someone had told Olga Marie in the past that a Demi-Servant could reach Mash's current level, she wouldn't have believed it. Mash's displayed strength now surpassed most Servants, approaching the level of top-tier ones.
But no matter how fiercely the two attacked, Morpheus always evaded with ease, countering with his flame sword, each strike laced with ferocious fiery power!
Under such intense assaults, the two could only dodge as best they could, blocking only when evasion wasn't possible.
This back-and-forth, chase-and-counter battle... or rather, training... continued uninterrupted for four hours!
Four hours of relentless combat!
When it finally ended, Morpheus and the others sheathed their weapons and approached the onlookers.
"How's the Director's break going?" Morpheus' first words made Olga Marie flush... not from embarrassment, but from annoyance at being caught slacking.
"I came to check your training, to see if there were any issues. Since there aren't, my work here is done."
She turned to leave.
Morpheus didn't say anything more to provoke her, instead turning to Ritsuka and Mash. "How do you feel?"
Ritsuka said, "I'm getting better at controlling Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Even without drawing it, I gain some physical enhancement. But combining melee combat with spellcasting is still tough."
"No worries, we have time. You'll master it in a few days!"
"As for me," Mash added, "I can now stabilize the Holy Grail's mana supply without losing my reinforcement spells due to inexperience. I can even keep my Noble Phantasm ready for release, making it easier to handle stronger attacks."
Morpheus nodded slightly. Though Mash was a Servant, she was also human, so learning magic posed no issue. With the Holy Grail's mana sustaining her spells, there were no problems.
Moreover, using the Grail's mana to maintain a low-level Noble Phantasm release significantly boosted her strength.
With further refinement, she might one day sustain her Noble Phantasm's full output as a default state.
That would take time, though... no rushing it.
As for Ritsuka, while she couldn't attack with spells, maintaining passive protective spells on herself was manageable.
After this training, Morpheus figured that even if something happened to him, these two could handle crises and save both Chaldea and the world.
While they made progress, Romani and Da Vinci weren't so lucky. They'd spent days watching flashy battles without gaining much.
Neither the magical formulas nor the so-called Mystic Codes... akin to Noble Phantasms... made sense to them.
The bizarre crafting methods and their immense power were baffling.
Even after sensing Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi's vast power upon its creation, both Da Vinci and Romani struggled to accept it.
If any weapon could be this powerful, instantly enabling an ordinary person to move and fight at supersonic speeds while reinforcing their body to withstand such forces, then why bother with the Holy Grail War?
Why summon Servants?
What was the point of Chaldea's years of Servant-summoning research?
Saving humanity? Just craft a few weapons for magi or weapon masters to fight for humanity.
"Alright, I know you two haven't gained much. This stuff isn't suited for you unless you start with the theoretical basics…" Morpheus advised. "If you're up for it, start with the basics. I have introductory magic books... free. Want them?"
At his words, their eyes lit up.
"Yes!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
Morpheus handed them two books... more like a few dozen pages stapled together.
As someone who'd taught many, he had plenty of teaching materials.
Two days passed. Ritsuka and Mash continued training, Olga Marie remained buried in paperwork, and Romani and Da Vinci vanished, working while studying Morpheus' notes, too busy to watch training.
Finally, it was time to depart again.
The familiar sensation and light enveloped them. When they came to, they'd arrived at their destination.
They were on a ship, naturally at sea. Seeing where they'd landed, Morpheus whistled.
"Didn't fall into the ocean? That's some precision."
Mash quickly said, "This is 1573 CE, but the location is Okeanos, a fictional oceanic region…"
"Okeanos?" Ritsuka asked, puzzled. Morpheus added, "The sea god Oceanus, from Greek mythology. But to end up in a place like this... some distortion must have created it."
At that moment, a figure emerged from the deck.
It was a pirate, looking less than friendly, who drew a weapon and pointed it at them. "Who are you?! Drop your weapons, or else…"
Before he could finish, a sword was at his forehead. Morpheus, now holding the Sword of the War God, stood before him.
"Or else what?" Morpheus asked.
The pirate trembled, too scared to speak recklessly.
He forced a smile. "I-I mean, you don't have to drop them."
"Good. I like smart people like you." Morpheus patted his shoulder lightly. "We're just staying here until we reach shore. You don't mind, right?"
Morpheus smiled, and in an instant, his dagger targeted another figure that had appeared.
"Don't think about running or getting lucky. If you don't behave, I don't mind adding a few corpses to this sea!"
His words were clearly a threat, and these pirates feared exactly that.
Morpheus seemed overwhelmingly powerful, beyond their ability to handle. His words painted him as ruthless... a person not to cross, lest they meet an unknown demise.
They nodded hurriedly. "Rest assured, we'll sail properly and take you to a beautiful island!"
Seeing their reaction, Morpheus chuckled inwardly. He'd been bluffing, but their cooperation was perfect.
Now he could rest and wait to reach shore.
But before he could close his eyes for a brief nap, a cry came from above.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
Morpheus snapped his eyes open, spotting a voluptuous woman plummeting from the sky!
Recognizing her familiar appearance and unforgettable figure, Morpheus knew she was here for him!
He leaped up, catching her, only for her to wrap her arms around his neck.
"I finally found you!" The goddess' words brimmed with joy, unreservedly expressing her longing.
She clung to Morpheus unabashedly.
The moon goddess Artemis had appeared in this Singularity!
***
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