Fate: How About a New Savior?

The Magus course Shiomi mentioned was actually very basic. Chaldea didn't have the luxury of time to conduct full-scale training. According

The Magus course Shiomi mentioned was actually very basic.

Chaldea didn't have the luxury of time to conduct full-scale training. According to projections from the Near-Future Observation Lens: Sheba, Chaldea had about a year left. It sounded like plenty, but after each Singularity, the accumulated fatigue and injuries from days of combat and marching took a long time to recover from.

On top of that, with all outside communication cut off, Chaldea had to rely entirely on its internal systems to produce and manage supplies. Without that, they couldn't guarantee the survival of those who remained. If anything went wrong, Chaldea would turn into the kind of nightmare only seen in apocalyptic disaster films.

Preparations for the next Singularity were also underway, and the journey to the third and fifth Singularities would take at least three to four months.

The others were fine—they'd already worked at Chaldea for a while. But Ritsuka had joined at the last minute, which made Shiomi consider whether she needed at least some training in Magecraft. She didn't need to become a full-fledged Magus, but if she could use some practical combat Magecraft with Chaldea's Master equipment, that would be good enough.

To Shiomi's surprise, Ritsuka agreed without hesitation.

Her willingness eased some of his concerns. At the same time, he made a promise to himself: he wouldn't try to instill Magus values in her.

However...

"Why are you top-class Magus even here listening to a first-level instructor like me?"

In the meeting room that had been temporarily repurposed as a classroom, Shiomi stood in front of the whiteboard, staring at the people seated in the front two rows.

Not only was Morgan there, even Romani had shown up just for fun.

"Don't mind me, my husband. Just think of me as another teacher attending class." Morgan sat slightly apart from the rest.

"Honestly, I haven't sat in on a class in ages! Shiomi-sensei, let's get started already!" Romani said, clearly enjoying himself.

The truth was, he had studied medicine for less than a year before becoming an outstanding doctor and joining Chaldea under Marisbury's leadership.

"Hearing you call me 'sensei' in a Magecraft class just feels like sarcasm," Shiomi muttered through clenched teeth, then pointed at Olga Marie. "And you, Lord Animusphere, go handle your own affairs and stop hanging around here."

He waved dramatically to shoo them away.

In return, Olga Marie and the others let out a collective "Hey!"

Obviously, it didn't work—and everyone was having way too much fun to leave.

"I'm a Lord of the Clock Tower, after all. Once the restoration of humanity is complete, I plan to invite the professor to teach at the Department of Astromancy," Olga Marie declared confidently. "But I never attended any of his lectures back at the Clock Tower, so I figured I should evaluate them now."

Of course, she regretted never thinking about this during her time at the Clock Tower. This was her chance to make up for it.

"Oh? Then how about once the restoration's done, you pull Animusphere out of the Aristocratic Faction and join the Democratic Faction?" Shiomi pinched his nose, making a strange voice. "Or at least step back and go neutral."

Olga Marie was left speechless again. She squirmed in her seat, seriously mulling over the suggestion without realizing Shiomi was only joking.

After all, leaving the Aristocratic Faction was a risky move—it was easy to make enemies. And whether the Democratic Faction would even accept her was another question entirely.

"Don't take it seriously. Dad's just messing around," Caren said with a mix of sympathy and amusement as she comforted Olga Marie. The girl was far too easy to tease—Caren's greatest source of fun in Chaldea these past few years. "But if you're serious, you could always talk to Reines about it."

Romani couldn't stop laughing. He also knew how things worked at the Clock Tower.

"If both Animusphere and El-Melloi really left the Aristocratic Faction, that would shake the whole Clock Tower to its core."

"Is that really such a big deal?" Ritsuka asked, curiosity piqued—she had no idea about any of this.

Shiomi, realizing the conversation had completely derailed, coughed twice and brought it back on track.

"Anyway, let's not get distracted by this group of freeloaders sitting in on the lecture. Back to the essence of Magecraft." Shiomi spun the marker in his hand and started writing on the whiteboard. "Magecraft, at its core, is the manipulation of phenomena—miracles that neither human power nor technology can accomplish. And the act of performing Magecraft is essentially the pinnacle of self-suggestion."

His expression grew more composed as he smiled at the group.

"That's why Magus chant spells—to cast suggestions upon themselves. Depending on the system, even Japanese Magus might chant in German. Like the Tohsaka family we talked about back in Singularity F."

He then grinned mischievously.

"Personally, I think traditional incantation is a failure. Since the Age of Gods ended, there are very few Magus capable of high-speed chanting. And if someone's the anxious type, even if they can chant fast, they'll end up biting their tongue from stress, slowing themselves down."

He deliberately glanced at Romani, who had been making a fuss earlier. Romani could only laugh helplessly—he had openly admitted that he was no good at high-speed chanting.

"So if you ask me, the most efficient and streamlined spells are from Rune Magecraft," Shiomi continued, slipping in his bias. "Just a few simple combinations of runes can achieve the desired magical effect. Honestly, I've always thought the Clock Tower should ditch traditional Magecraft and focus on the older, more mysterious Rune Magecraft~"

"Isn't that just because you're better at Rune Magecraft…" Olga Marie muttered, thoroughly exasperated.

Though to be fair, Rune Magecraft had already become a foundational subject at the Clock Tower.

"In the end, no matter what kind of chant is used, it's all about helping the caster interact more efficiently with the world's laws and manipulate phenomena. Modern Magus treat Magecraft as a path to truth, a way to reach the Root," Shiomi said, twirling his fingers. "But that's beside the point. What Ritsuka needs to learn now is how to activate her Magic Circuits, then use her Mystic Code to support Mash and the Servants during Singularities."

He raised his hand, and a glow lit up along his arm—his Magic Circuits activated.

"Learning how to handle your Magic Circuits after activation—that's your first lesson. Everyone around you is a seasoned Magus, and each of them has their own methods. You can learn from all of them."

"So, how do I properly activate my Magic Circuits?" Ritsuka asked.

With Morgan's help, she had already opened the circuits within her body. But as someone from an ordinary family, her mutated Magic Circuits weren't exactly impressive in number.

"Good question. Magic Circuits are like blood vessels or nerves—dormant within those who have magical aptitude. Once awakened, they require specific mental triggers or cues. It's different for everyone, based on their instinctive mental imagery."

He turned to look at Sakura and Caren.

"Sakura's image is straightforward, like flipping a switch to turn on a room's lights. Caren's is more religious—an image of anointing her forehead with oil, which ties into her deep study and understanding of religion."

"For me... it's the moment a shooting star crosses the sky," Olga Marie said, slightly embarrassed.

It did sound a bit like a girlish fantasy—not the kind of thing expected from a Director.

"What about you, Sensei? What's your image?" Ritsuka asked.

Shiomi crossed his arms. Seeing everyone was curious, he raised a hand and drew in the air. A Rune symbol appeared, glowing brilliantly, and then he clenched his fist—the Rune shattered into countless sparkling fragments.

"Runes becoming one with my body—that's my Magic Circuit image."

He smiled kindly at Ritsuka.

"First, learn how to naturally activate your circuits and get your Mana flowing. Once you've done that, I'll teach you the most basic—and strongest—Rune Magecraft."

"There's absolutely no need to call it the strongest!"

Once again, his biased comment was met with unanimous groans.