"Oh? Now that's good news."
Hearing from Romani that she might encounter powerful pirates from both the past and future, Drake lit up with excitement. She immediately passed the news to her crew, who were just as thrilled. For pirates like them, this kind of adventure was the stuff of dreams.
"These bastards are getting annoying. Let's find an island and take a break."
Endless battles were taking a toll on Drake and Ritsuka. While Mash was doing fine thanks to her Servant body and the fact that the enemies weren't particularly strong, Drake and Ritsuka were both human. And Drake, unlike most summoned pirates, truly belonged to this era.
"Looks like I'm not needed here for now. Call me if something comes up."
Seeing that Mash was safe for the time being, Daniel returned to Chaldea's magecraft workshop to continue his studies. After all, resolving a Singularity was never a one-day affair. If there was no immediate danger, there was no need to babysit. Whether it was developing Time Alter or repairing Magic Crests, it would take time.
"All done. At this point, I might be the most sought-after Crest Repair Mage in the entire magical world."
While Mash and Ritsuka were exploring the Singularity, Daniel and Da Vinci successfully repaired the El-Melloi family's Crest. In the world of magecraft, Crest repairers were held in the highest regard—offending them was practically a death sentence.
Countless families had been stifled for generations by broken Magic Crests.
"I'll send this back before they start worrying."
Once the work was complete, Daniel returned to the Clock Tower in the Fifth War's world to hand the Crest over to Lainis.
"This is incredible… Have you ever considered becoming a professional Crest repairer?"
"Do I look like I need to do that? You guys can afford me. Others? Not a chance. Anyway, I'm heading back to Fuyuki. Call if you need me."
Though the Crest had been repaired, Daniel planned to stay a few more days—just in case. Plus, it was a good excuse to check in on the black and white Artorias in Fuyuki.
Aside from them, Jeanne Alter and Cú Chulainn were also in town.
"Everyone's here today. Let's have a party!"
"Yay!"
After Daniel met up with Irisviel in Fuyuki, she proposed a get-together. Instead of some fancy restaurant, they decided on a backyard barbecue at the Emiya residence. Naturally, Shirou and Sakura were the chefs.
When it came to cooking, only the two of them were up to standard. Irisviel, inspired by the peace, had tried to learn cooking—but after one disastrous attempt, Shirou and Tamamo had banned her from the kitchen. Even Illya and Mini Illya had complained.
Though the Illyas had two automaton maids, they were battle units—not culinary ones. Unlike the expert maids from Magical Girl Illya's world, they were hopeless with food.
"These two… If you don't have money, you couldn't afford to feed them."
At the barbecue, the two Artorias demonstrated their legendary appetites. Daniel eventually stepped in to help—otherwise, Shirou and Sakura would've spent the whole night behind the grill.
While both Artorias had absurd appetites, their tastes differed. The white Artoria preferred rice and traditional meals. The black one, however, loved cereal and soda—junk food by modern standards, but she was thrilled. With her strength, there was no health risk. As a result, the Tohsaka home was always stocked with snacks.
Thankfully, Black Artoria hadn't become addicted to the internet or video games… yet. Interestingly, she and Jeanne Alter got along well—perhaps because both were corrupted heroes.
Jeanne Alter had no interest in saving humanity, and Daniel didn't push her.
Over the following days, Daniel stayed in Fuyuki, spending time with Rin and the others. He also kept in touch with Lainis via phone to confirm the Crest was working.
After days of testing, Lainis confirmed that there were no issues with her Crest—though she hadn't made the news public yet.
"You're finally back. Mash and Ritsuka are in trouble."
When Daniel returned to Chaldea, Romani, Da Vinci, and Olga Marie all looked relieved.
While Daniel was away, Ritsuka and Mash had made excellent progress—defeating enemy Servants, recovering treasure and maps, and even meeting allied Servants.
Two of them were gods. Soon after, they faced an enemy Servant who had a Holy Grail. With two divine allies, Romani and Olga had thought victory was assured.
Then reality set in.
One of the gods was decent in combat. The other? A total showpiece. Despite that, with strategy from Romani, Da Vinci, and Olga, they managed to defeat the enemy.
Just as they were about to claim victory—the Grail was stolen by a third party.
"The Argo… Jason? I think Medea would be very interested in that."
After hearing the report and the identity of the new enemy, Daniel immediately thought of Medea. If Jason was involved, there was no one better suited to deal with him.
"You've really got it in for him, huh?"
Romani and Da Vinci exchanged looks. Everyone knew about Medea and Jason's history.
"Not really. But if Medea finds out and I didn't tell her, what do you think she'll do?"
Daniel didn't particularly dislike Jason, especially after what he pulled in Part 2 of Chaldea's campaign. He'd earned some respect. But still—keeping this from Medea would be dangerous.
"And if Heracles is involved, I'll need backup."
Fighting Heracles again almost felt like bullying. But someone had to do it.
"Agreed. You'd better hurry. Captain Drake and the others are currently looking for a way to defeat him."
Romani couldn't deny it—keeping this secret from Medea would be catastrophic.
"Calling me? You must've missed me."
Back in the Fifth War world, Daniel dialed Luvia.
"You done with your work? Ritsuka and Mash are dealing with a Singularity. The enemy is Jason. Interested?"
"Jason? Send me my coordinates right now."
Once she heard the name, Luvia instantly agreed. As Medea's Master—and her confidant—Jason was the enemy.
"Got it."
"The Argo, huh? This'll be fun."
Cú Chulainn grinned when he heard they'd be fighting Argonauts.
"Reinforcements?"
On a nearby island, Drake looked up as Daniel's group appeared.
"Yep, Chaldea's backup," Mash and Ritsuka confirmed.
"Medea? What are you doing here?"
"Atlanta. Long time no see."
While Daniel gathered Medea and the others, Romani made preparations to fight Heracles. They had no Servants capable of killing him outright—but they did have a dangerous relic: the Ark of the Covenant.
"You're here for Jason, aren't you?"
Atlanta hesitated before asking. As a fellow Argonaut, she knew Medea and Jason's history. It was why she herself had left the Argo.
"What do you think?"
Medea didn't answer directly, but her face said everything.
Mash and Ritsuka introduced both teams to each other. Both sides were surprised to see who had joined. But the real shock came when they met Artemis—the supposed goddess of the moon.
A hopeless romantic. No one had seen that coming.
Atlanta nearly had a breakdown. As Artemis's devout believer, she was heartbroken to see her goddess in such a ridiculous state. If not for her strong faith, she might have gone berserk on the spot.
"With so many reinforcements, maybe we won't need the Ark after all."
David, who had been planning to use the relic against Heracles, was relieved. It was risky—if Heracles was even slightly cautious, the trap wouldn't work.
"Dear, why so quiet?"
As the teams mingled, Artemis looked down at the small stuffed bear in her arms—Orion. Technically, he was supposed to be the Archer, but Artemis had clearly stolen the spotlight.
She knew him well. With all these beautiful women around, he should've been flirting by now. He'd even hit on Mash earlier.
"Medea's here," Orion muttered.
Everyone knew Medea and Jason's story. She was practically humanity's original "crazy ex."
"You're afraid of her but not me?"
Artemis's face darkened. She drew an arrow and stabbed Orion straight through.
"Ow! Ow! Take it out!"
"And this is supposed to be the Grand Archer?"
Despite his antics, Orion had once fired an arrow that pierced the Moon Cell. Daniel knew he himself couldn't replicate that feat.
Some people had questioned Orion's worthiness as a Grand Servant—mostly because of his current plushie form. But a Servant's aspect was just one of many sides.
"All right. I'll take care of Heracles. Cú Chulainn, Hector's yours."
"Been waiting to fight him."
"Jason is mine."
No one objected to Medea's claim.
"They're charging. Looks like they've given up on running."
On the raging seas, Jason watched the Golden Hind closing in and burst into laughter. He had no trace of the dignity one would expect from the leader of the Argonauts.
"Captain, be careful. If they're charging head-on, they've got a plan," Hector warned quietly.
"Relax. Heracles is unbeatable. They won't win."
Jason acted like owning Heracles meant he ruled the world. Hector and another young female Servant exchanged glances.
"Charge!"
Jason didn't care about traps. He ordered the ship forward.
"To the twin gods—Complaint Arrow Book!"
"I warned you, and this was your chance to walk away—Five Stones."
"I'll pierce your heart—The Goddess's Gaze."
"Here we go, darling—Moon Goddess's Love Arrow!"
As the two ships closed in, four Archers fired their Noble Phantasms simultaneously—every arrow targeting Jason.
"Heracles! Protect me!"
Jason panicked and ducked behind a young girl, calling out to Heracles.
"Ah…"
Hector and the young girl exchanged looks and leapt into action, blocking the storm of arrows.
"Impressive. Even four Archers couldn't destroy it. The Argo really is the oldest pirate ship. If this were the One Piece world, they'd have legendary status."
"Darling… You're still as useless as ever."
As Jason stood up, smug about surviving the attack thanks to Heracles, a familiar voice froze him in place. He turned pale, trembling.
"You… you treacherous witch! What are you doing here!?"
Seeing Medea standing proudly aboard the Golden Hind, Jason shrieked and dove behind Heracles again.
"Dear, how could I not come, when you're involved?"
"This is… unexpected. What now?"
Hector turned to the young girl—one who looked strikingly similar to Medea, but younger.
Jason's past had finally come back to haunt him.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.