2014, Chaldea.
It had been two years since Shiomi received the invitation to join Chaldea.
Although he was stunned by the news of Marisbury Animusphere's death on the very day he arrived, by early 2013, Marisbury's only daughter, Olga Marie Animusphere, had already taken over as Director and head of the family.
These changes didn't really affect Shiomi.
He had been recomnded by the Mage's Association and held a rather special position.
Alongside him ca Morgan, Sakura, Caren, and Gray.
Sakura now worked in the technical departnt, helping Olga Marie with front-line operations. Having once bonded with both of them during the Mystic Eyes train incident, she got along quite well with them.
Caren was assigned to the dical departnt, handling routine healthcare duties.
Gray, unused to London and long accustod to living at the Shiomi household, had followed along and was now doing so simple technical work.
Only Morgan remained without any assigned responsibilities. Olga Marie initially had complaints about this, but after so minor persuasion from Shiomi, she didn't pursue the issue further.
Morgan herself didn't seem to care either. She spent most of her ti in Chaldea's library when Shiomi wasn't around. Because of that, she appeared to have beco sowhat familiar with Hinako Akuta, one of the prospective Masters chosen for the Human Order Restoration. Shiomi would occasionally catch them chatting together.
Thinking of this, Shiomi opened the Master candidate dossiers and focused on Group A.
Hinako Akuta, a Magus from the Departnt of Botany at the Clock Tower. Forrly a technician at Chaldea, but selected as a Master candidate due to her exceptional talent. She persistently refused health checkups.
"Just leave her alone."
Hearing Shiomi bring it up, Morgan put down her teacup and said so casually.
"What a strange person," he muttered to himself as he flipped to the next page.
Kirschtaria Wodi, Marisbury's top disciple, Chairman of the Departnt of Astromancy. Both his lineage and Magic Circuits traced back millennia. He was the young head of the distinguished Wodi family.
"A genius among geniuses. I wonder who's stronger—him or the Lord of Bartholoi," Shiomi said with a mischievous smile, half joking with Morgan.
"What about my husband? A Magus from the Age of Gods living in the modern day," Morgan replied with a smile. "Surely he's more exceptional than any of them?"
"I..." Shiomi choked up and reluctantly turned the page. "I'm older than they are, so it's not really a fair comparison."
"For soone whose fate is already sealed, age is aningless," Morgan teased cheerfully.
Kadoc Zemlupus, from the relatively young Zemlupus Magus Family with a history of no more than two centuries. Selected due to his Master compatibility. A prideful yet insecure personality.
"He wasn't chosen for his talent..." Shiomi sighed.
"In terms of overall ability, Sakura is much more suited for Group A," Morgan remarked. "Honestly, even Caren might outperform him right now."
"Don't say that. He's still part of Group A," Shiomi replied, shaking his head as he continued reading.
Ophelia Phamrsolone, from the Departnt of Spiritual Evocation. Possesses Mystic Eyes. Typically wears a black eye patch to conceal them.
"The Departnt of Spiritual Evocation, huh..." Morgan comnted with a aningful tone.
"It's been twenty years—let it go," Shiomi scratched his head awkwardly.
Morgan was referring to the ti Shiomi killed Kayneth, which had dealt a heavy blow to the Departnt. Rumor had it that Kayneth's fiancée, Sola-Ui, still hadn't remarried.
Shiomi knew full well that he had a bad reputation in that departnt. Every ti Ophelia saw him, she showed faint traces of fear—after all, he was the infamous "Noble Slayer." As the oldest mber of Group A, he felt it was his duty to manage relationships with his teammates properly going forward.
"Let's see, that leaves Scandinavia Peperoncino and Daybit Sem Void. The forr's a freelance Magus Marisbury t during his travels, and the latter specializes in the Departnt of Lore..." Shiomi said as he thought aloud. "Wait... Lore... Void... So he's the one involved in the 'Angelic Artifact' case. He was only ten back then."
Morgan, resting her chin on one hand, reached out and gently stroked Shiomi's cheek at the edge of the table...
"Then there's my husband—the forr Sealing Designation executor, a Magus notorious as the 'Noble Slayer,' and the seventh Master of Group A." Morgan smiled faintly.
"That's the general situation. But right now, we still don't have enough Master candidates. According to the original plan, we need at least 48." Shiomi sighed. "That said, Chaldeas' simulation of the light of humanity has been running smoothly so far. No issues for now."
"Keep working hard, my husband. It's thanks to your efforts here that I get to live comfortably in Chaldea," Morgan said playfully. "I heard from Sakura that Director Olga Marie relies on you quite a bit."
"Eh..."
Shiomi thought back—sure enough, Olga Marie had granted him authority exceeding that of the other Group A Master candidates and often sought his input on various matters.
"She's around Sakura's age, and with her father having passed not long ago, she's clearly yearning for so fatherly affection," Morgan added.
"I'm not a machine—I can't replace Olga Marie's father," Shiomi said with a wry smile. "But if she's looking for that, I'll look after her a bit. Whatever Marisbury's story is, that girl's innocent. There's no reason for
to treat her as an enemy."
"Any other plans today?" Morgan leaned in closer and asked.
"Shouldn't be—"
Just as Shiomi was about to answer, his communicator buzzed.
When he picked up, a man with narrow eyes, clad in military-green attire, appeared on the screen.
"Sorry to interrupt, Shiomi-kun. We've hit a few snags in the Spiritron Transfer experint that need adjusting. Could I trouble you to gather the other mbers of Group A?"
"You an Captain Kirschtaria, right?" Shiomi replied. "Lev Lainur."
He wasn't the captain himself—besides being a Master of Group A, Shiomi had his hands full with many other responsibilities.
"They should be in the lounge right now. Could you stop by and call them over?" Lev wore a troubled look. "I've got a ton on my plate too, so I'd appreciate it."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Shiomi agreed, mostly for Touko's sake.
Then, after placing an apologetic kiss on Morgan's lips, he picked up the docunts and left the room.
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