To the younger Roy, what was Chaldea?
A special organization for Human Order restoration, a bastion for saving the world, a warm home for Masters and Servants, a place both foreign and familiar, somewhere he'd always wanted to visit?
All these descriptions held truth.
But at its core, Chaldea was a unique research institution.
Records showed it was funded by multiple nations, with seventy percent from the Mage's Association in London, specifically, the Animusphere family, led by Marisbury. Officially named the Chaldea Security Organization, or simply Chaldea Observatory, it was a magical workshop built to remain free from interference by any nation or group, safeguarding its secrets.
Originally, it wasn't an observatory gazing at the cosmos from Earth but one designed to oversee all of Earth from the void, a magical observatory.
Chaldea's stated purpose, as Marisbury had promised, was "to ensure humanity's history endures long and resiliently." It was a research and observation hub uniting experts from magic and science.
In Roy's timeline, he'd contributed significantly, acting as a behind-the-scenes figure for an emerging faction. Thus, Chaldea was partly his asset, with Marisbury as director, Kayneth as deputy, and Roy as the supreme chairman with commanding authority.
But with one crisis after another, he'd never had time to oversee Chaldea's construction or operations, leaving him unaware of his timeline's status.
Chaldea's mission was to combine magic and science to observe a world too vast for either alone, preventing humanity's extinction, Bad Ends, through a multinational task force.
This positive preconception made Roy trust the project implicitly, delegating much to Marisbury to expedite its completion.
Meanwhile, he was caught in high-stakes battles, fighting Dead Apostle Ancestors, rushing to Mesopotamia to confront Beasts, and now infiltrating another timeline's Chaldea to tackle the Alien God's remnants.
Sometimes, Roy felt his schedule was extreme. In just a year, he'd faced spectacles most magus wouldn't encounter in a lifetime, leaving no time to reflect on his own issues.
It was as if an invisible hand pushed him forward, denying him rest.
Of course, that was metaphorical. He'd planned to settle Merlin's troubles, return to his timeline, and live quietly behind the scenes like Zelretch, with those he cherished. With him present, no major chaos could erupt.
But Marisbury… that old schemer had factored Roy into his plans.
Analyzing Marisbury's intentions, Romani, after a night of reviewing Chaldea's database alongside Roy's insights, felt a chill of shock.
The screen displayed:
1950 CE: Phenomenon Recording Computer Familiar Laplace successfully developed / Chaldea established in XX.
1990 CE: Simulated Earth Environment Model Chaldeas completed (Prototype 1) / (Transferred from XXXXXXX) / Abandoned activation due to insufficient funds and materials, plan shelved for future.
1999 CE: Near-Future Observation Lens Sheba completed [Chaldea's core technology preparations finalized].
2000 CE: Chaldea successfully create test-tube infant, develops Heroic Spirit fusion vessel / Mash Kyrielight born. Planned future fusion with Heroic Spirit, XXXX.
2004 CE: Marisbury successfully conducts Heroic Spirit summoning in a certain location / Wins Holy Grail War / Chaldeas begins trial operation / Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System Fate proposed.
That Holy Grail War was pivotal, the catalyst for Roy's transformation, the root of the Incineration of Humanity, and Chaldea's operational start.
Marisbury used one of Solomon's ten rings as a relic to summon the legendary King of Magecraft Solomon, winning the war decisively.
In the wish-granting phase, Solomon, Romani himself, made a wish that stunned the world: to abandon all divine gifts, become human, and live a peaceful life.
Marisbury's wish was mundane, almost shocking in its simplicity: "I want endless wealth to sustain Chaldea's operations."
From that day, the King of Magecraft Solomon died, replaced by Romani Archaman. Marisbury gained the funds to start Chaldea, but Solomon's body, left in the Temple of Time, and his world-sustaining magecraft underwent an unthinkable mutation.
This birthed the Incineration's culprit: Beast I, Goetia.
Goetia, an aggregate of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, gained independent thought after Solomon's death. Claiming to be Solomon, they sought to quantify all humanity's energy. Originally, the Demon Gods were Solomon's system for "efficiently advancing correct principles", a curse born of lament and rage over humanity's imperfections, which Solomon had ignored. Named the Incineration of Humanity, Goetia was a willful magecraft to reach true wisdom by leveraging all human history to access the Root.
Learning of humanity's impending doom, Romani abandoned his leisurely life, studying tirelessly to contribute to humanity's salvation.
When the Demon Gods and the self-proclaimed Solomon, Goetia, appeared, Romani grasped the truth and worked relentlessly to atone for his mistakes.
To him, Ritsuka and Mash were heroes of Human Order restoration, while he was merely a sinner seeking redemption.
Had he not been selfish, the Incineration might never have happened.
"Sigh…"
Thinking of the tragedies caused by his selfish wish, and realizing Marisbury's plan involved him, Romani's heart sank. Even resolving the Incineration wouldn't bring peace but a calamity as dire: the Alienation of Humanity.
His sins were heavier than he'd imagined.
"I think I understand his plan…" Romani said.
With the former King of Magecraft Solomon's explanations, they pieced together the cryptic, terrifying data in Chaldea's archives.
Aside from deliberately erased records, they retrieved all useful information.
The key revelation was the Animusphere family's celestial magecraft, its link to Chaldea, and the true purpose of its founding.
From a planetary perspective:
The Celestial Sphere was an astronomical concept, a miniature Earth model for Human Order assurance.
Tezcatlipoca and his Master Daybit judged humanity as the worst species from a cosmic viewpoint.
Humanity's perspective was to save the Human Order.
Sheba was the lens observing Chaldeas.
Marisbury's plan: Human Order Recompilation / Alienation of Humanity.
His recorded speeches stated his goal: "To secure the Human Order in the Animusphere way."
But what was the Animusphere way?
Combining celestial magecraft and Chaldeas' structure, Roy and Romani hypothesized:
Marisbury aimed to swap Chaldeas with the true Earth.
This theory was staggering but plausible.
It involved a unique concept: the Texture.
Only those grasping Earth's essence understood this. Unlike Roy's original understanding, Nasuverse's Earth wasn't a surface but a Texture humans lived upon.
Merlin had explained this when meeting Gray: Artoria's holy lance was a Star Anchor fixing the planet's Texture, one of many.
If Earth's bleaching was the Texture being torn away, human civilization would vanish with it.
Roy initially thought the bleaching was the Alien God's doing, an unknown Outer God ability.
But now, he and Romani suspected the Alienation of Humanity, Earth's bleaching, was a swap of Earth's Texture with Chaldeas', or Earth's Texture being stored in Chaldeas' imaginary numbers space.
The impact on Earth's state was unclear, but an undamaged Texture might preserve it.
The world would shift, with divine and human eras differing. Earth adjusted its ecosystem based on the dominant species. Humanity's dominance weakened mystery and dissipated ether.
"And this Celestial Sphere Ritual…" Roy tapped the desk, glancing at Romani, who was wide-eyed and clutching his head. "You know it well, don't you, Dr. Romani?"
"Yes… I can guess." Romani said grimly, facing undeniable facts. "The Celestial Sphere Ritual isn't just a smart globe, as records claim. Chaldeas is a replica of the planet's soul, Marisbury's plan was likely to copy Gaia's soul."
"But I don't know if he succeeded. The later records are too thoroughly erased. Even I can't find what he copied."
"You're right. The Alien God isn't an Outer God or a special visitor but a god Marisbury created within Chaldeas." Roy said, nodding.
"Chaldea's terrifying." He continued. "With Rayshift, past interference, the Fate system, specialized frameworks, Heroic Spirit summoning, and Sheba's future observation, it mimics the Counter Force."
"Let's hypothesize boldly: Marisbury aims to replace the Counter Force entirely. The Alien God is like a UO born in the small sphere, Chaldeas."
A sardonic smile crossed Roy's lips. "Something even Gaia couldn't achieve. It raised Arcueid to be Earth's UO, but she had no such inclination, so the plan fizzled."
The Alien God likely needed a complete body, soul, and mind.
The soul was the Alien Priestess, the Alien God's mind.
Only a UO could truly embody the planet's will.
The Counter Force was just that; Gaia was the planet's consciousness. Needing a UO as its terminal, its brain.
"This world's worst habit is creating inner realms…" Roy mused.
"Look at this." Romani said, pulling up a strange project chart and data logic.
"What's this…?"
"Data from Marisbury's experiments in the oceanic oil field's Celestial Chamber, using 128 humans as pillars to control ley lines." Romani explained. "I didn't understand its purpose before, but with our knowledge, it's likely his attempt to simulate a Gaia UO, controlling the large Celestial Sphere, Earth, with the small one."
"The bleaching is paired with the Incineration. The Alien God hasn't acted because Goetia stole its spiritron resources. The Lostbelts are histories Chaldeas simulated, adding spiritron resources to turn imaginary events into reality."
"The seven Lostbelts aren't random." They said, exchanging a glance before stating the likeliest answer:
"The seven Lostbelts equate to a massive Holy Grail War, with Marisbury's Concealed Great Command Spell, using the small Grail, Olga, to create the great Grail, the Alien God. Calling it Alienation is inaccurate; it's Human Order Recompilation."
After voicing this, Roy and Romani's eyes widened.
They grasped Chaldeas' true nature and Marisbury's grand scheme.
"Brilliant. We don't know if our deductions are spot-on, but one thing's certain." Roy said. "Chaldea has a problem, a terrifying one. Marisbury's plan is outrageously ambitious."
"But…" Romani's eyes flickered with confusion and self-doubt. "If this is true, how did Marisbury conceive this plan and gather everything needed to recompile the Human Order, hijack Earth, and reach the Root?"
"What's his true goal? Is his death real? What do our efforts amount to?"
"I don't know. There's too much to unravel, even for me." Roy said, shaking his head.
Though he cared about Marisbury's plans, he now focused elsewhere.
He was in Chaldea, before the Alienation. With Romani's help, he could easily disrupt Marisbury's arrangements. Unless the Alien God confronted him in another dimension before the Incineration ended, he was set to act.
It was that straightforward. But Romani struggled to find the right expression.
"Wait, if the seven Lostbelts and their seven Crypters are Team A's Masters, then… there's a chance!!" Romani realized, turning to Roy tentatively.
"Exactly. We can't find Marisbury or the Alien God, and without flipping Chaldea upside down, we can't uncover its secrets." Roy said.
"With the Incineration and Temple of Time looming, we can't tamper with Sheba or other systems. So, we start with Team A."
"I'm not from this timeline and can't stay to protect you. I'll do what I can to clear future obstacles, but the rest is up to you."
"I understand. I'm grateful for all you've done." Romani said, his gaze resolute, his clenched fist and determined eyes reflecting his stance.
"This journey isn't a puppet show for some mastermind, nor a tale of death and parting. I'll do everything to ensure these kids get the best ending."
"I believe that too." Roy said, nodding and bumping fists lightly with Romani.
"Here's to working together, Dr. Romani."
"Absolutely, Magician… no, Mr. Roy."
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