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Chaldea and Staff: If the world goes mad - go with it (237)
🕑 Added 2024-05-28 04:03:45 +0000 UTCLong ago, when Olga-Marie was first just learning magecraft, in a distant past when she still had a father, when she didn’t still fully understood the reality of her curse, when she still had servants, nannies, and she goes to class, she had once read a particular book. She had forgotten the title, but she had remembered reading a particular passage.
“There are years about which they make statistics and days about which they write books.”
At that time, as a child, Olga could not fully comprehend the meaning of such words. Of course, even then she perfectly understood that some periods of time or events were more important than others, but it always seemed to her some kind of exaggeration.
Were there such days in the world that could be turned into whole books? At most, even the most incredible of events could be described in, maximum, a paragraph of text, right?
What kind of day would require an entire book to describe?
And then Olga found out just what kind of day that would be, and she’d found herself wishing that rather she had not found out.
In a day, Humanity had died, and if Ainz had also not arrived on that same day, that would be the last day of humanity. Revelations after revelations continued on, so much so that the day had felt like an entire year.
Lev turned out to be a demon king under the control of the king of magic, Solomon. Chaldea came under her control, actually under her control, and not just as the figurehead that Lev could manipulate as he wanted. And Singularities began to appear like mushrooms all over the world and human history, disrupting its course.
Oh, and then she died… and then got better.
All this happened in a span of a few hours, not even a day, from the explosion in Chaldea to the moment when Ainz returned from the Singularity and entered into negotiations with Chaldea. If Olga-Marie were writing her memoirs, she would surely devote half a book to this singular day.
However, Humans could get used to everything, both the good and the bad. Even in the most hostile of environments, they would eventually get used to it and continue to live, simply taking their changed circumstances into account. As if the event that had turned the entire world upside down was nothing special.
66 days if she remembered the study right.
For example, Olga-Marie has long come to terms with the fact that her magical abilities, the source of pride for any magus, are slowly degrading, before eventually depriving Olga-Marie of the opportunity to call herself a magus at all. It was the worst kind of death sentence for a magus, especially for the heiress of the noble Animusphere family, which has many generations of outstanding heirs.
Yet, half a year ago, Ainz had turned her life upside down by healing her rapidly decaying circuits, by reviving her whole body, which was nothing short of a literal miracle. And now, just six months later, Olga is calmly receiving the information from Da Vinci of all people, that she had run out of things to teach her.
"Yes, indeed, after receiving the result from your test, it is official, I have no more things to teach you, the rest could only come from experience and experimentation." Da Vinci, just as calmly, having long ago come to terms with the fact that Olga, who, overnight, had turned from a cursed existence, into one of the most promising magi of modern times, also calmly nodded.
"I must say that the rate you had consumed the knowledge was a bit frightening… And this is me we’re talking about!." Grinning unashamedly, Olga didn’t really appreciate the way Da Vinci was looking at her, like she was some kind of monster.
"Ainz resurrected me," Olga shrugged, then grinned. "To think that the sacrament, inaccessible even for True Magic. If I were to be in any way normal after that… Madness."
"The world is destroyed, an Outer God is fighting on our side, and Solomon, the creator of the modern system of magecraft, turned out to be alive and is trying to destroy humanity." As if she was simply discussing the weather, Da Vinci shrugged her shoulders as she listed out the facts that would, on any other day, be extraordinary.
With truly philosophical indifference, Da Vinci waved off Olga’s words. "In a mad world, it is rationality that is madness."
"Do you want to publish a book of aphorisms?" Olga grinned slightly.
Humanity was destroyed, right now Ainz was dealing with the primordial mother Tiamat, and Olga was exchanging jokes with Da Vinci… Indeed, how mad the world that Olga-Marie was now living in.
"Hmm, I think the end of your training needs to be celebrated," Da Vinci looked at Olga before frivolously heading to the next room, in no way doubting that Olga was following her. "Archer made a cake. Not a large one, Chaldea's supplies are not endless, but for a small celebration, perhaps enough."
Olga, following after Da Vinci, only snorted at these words. "Chaldea's supplies, ha… I haven’t thought about that in a long while."
To tell the truth, sometimes she even forgot that right now outside Chaldea’s shields, a fiery whirlwind was raging, one that had burned away all of Humanity. Forgot that Chaldea itself was a besieged fortress with limited food supplies and limited energy, that it was currently living through the Apocalypse. That the whole world, in fact, was doomed and hung only by a thread from death.
Because, in fact, it was not actually hanging by a thread, but by the sure and steady hand of Ainz.
And Olga-Maria trusted these hands more than anything else in the world…
It sounded terribly snotty and romantic, but Olga was in a relationship with him, so she was allowed to be melodramatic.
Making her way to Da Vinci's office, a place she had visited only a few times in the past, each time having to worry about not getting lost among the detritus. As she passed through the door, however, she was struck dumb by the sight that she was seeing.
Da Vinci's office looked… Normal.
No dozens of books stacked on top of each other in an imitation of the Tower of Babel, no mountains in which it was impossible to distinguish trash and parts from working miraculous inventions. Instead, the office looked… Like an office. Just like the many other similar offices that dotted the halls of Chaldea.
Books were placed orderly in bookshelves, and Olga could even notice some ordering system. Inventions and records were placed in a cabinet or shelves, rather than spread around haphazardly on the floor. Now there are even walking spaces, enough that people could actually notice that Da Vinci's office was, in fact, a very spacious room, a real magi workshop, in which, if desired, you could assemble a modern car.
It's just that in the past, thousands of sheets and hundreds of parts lay in a mess, ordered only in a way that Da Vinci understood it. It had covered so many of the available spaces that one could be mistaken to think that Da Vinci's office was a small closet in which one could store at most cleaning equipment.
Of course, Olga was not saying that Da Vinci’s office was spotless. She could see some scattered notes lying on a table, parts, and bobs of an unfinished prototype were huddled in a corner, but when compared to the previous state of her office? It was practically immaculate!
In fact, if Da Vinci’s office was actually entirely lacking any sort of clutter, Olga would be even more frightened. After all, going from one extreme to another would just indicate another type of mania, and Olga didn’t really want to find out whatever it was that had brought Da Vinci there. Instead, her workshop looked… Normal. Similar to an ordinary human office, albeit of a person predisposed to chaos.
Looking askance towards Da Vinci way, only got Olga a shrug from the genius scientist.
"Ainz influence was not only limited to you." Da Vinci read Olga's thoughts and bewilderment as if it was obvious, easily shrugging her shoulders. Walking into the office, Da Vinci proceeded to open the small refrigerator that Olga didn’t know existed, and took out a small cake.
"I think it’s still warm? Well, sit down and eat your cake. You know, as it turned out, there are way too many chairs in this office, I had to take a couple away when I found no use for them… By the way, I also found a pack of cigarettes under one of the books? Most likely something I did out of boredom, do you want it?"
Chattering like she couldn’t handle silence, Da Vinci began talking about whatever it is to come to her mind, asking questions before they could even be answered. Olga simply handled it in stride, used to Da Vinci.
"I quit," Olga replied without even looking at the pack of cigarettes. Like any person who has quit smoking, although the attempt to quit was painful and long, now, having overcome her dependency, she could not even look at cigarettes without disgust. Taking a bite out of the moist cake, Olga could only compliment Archer on yet another good job.
"Hmm, ah right, one more thing…" Da Vinci, grunting to herself, turned around, before, with a thump deposited a thick stack of papers on the table, and catching Olga's raised eyebrow, decided to answer her unasked question.
"Counting the number of changes that Ainz brought to Chaldea."
"And how many volumes have you already written?" Olga did not even deign to pretend to be surprised by Da Vinci’s research, she was practically obsessed with Ainz. Her current research form was completely harmless when compared to her attempts to almost piece by piece disassemble Ainz in the past.
It was positively quaint in comparison, Da Vinci had tried her best to understand how Ainz functioned, only to be broken by the revelations instead.
However, when Ainz's revelations finally broke Da Vinci, she at least began to notice things in her life besides Ainz, she even offered to teach Olga! Well, okay, perhaps Da Vinci teaching her was not too much of a stretch, seeing that Olga had experienced Ainz’s works in person. Resurrected much stronger, and even better as a magus than she did before, it was no wonder that Da Vinci would be interested.
But, the fact that Da Vinci did not spend all her time trying to figure out Ainz meant that she was not in the midst of an unstoppable mania like whenever she found a mystery she couldn’t solve. Either that, or Ainz had once again created a miracle, and changed the nature of Da Vinci.
Which was quite possible, since Da Vinci hasn’t assembled the ‘council of sages’ once again, a council consisting of her and Dr. Roman to badger them to get their help in her research.
"Three. The first is dedicated to me, the second to you, and the third is currently in progress as I interview the Servants. Unfortunately, Mashu and some others had gone to the Singularity, so it’ll remain unfinished for now." Da Vinci replied, as she poured some tea into cups, while she poured one into her own mug.
The fact that there were proper mugs and cups and not some kind of beakers was a miracle in and of itself.
"Not alcohol, but we have too little left in Chaldea. So, cheers!" Saluting with her cup, Olga could only smile at her antics.
After that, Da Vinci took a big sip, while Olga took one herself, to return to a somewhat companionable silence. Tapping the table, however, a question lingered in Olga’s tongue, one that she couldn’t help but ask a moment later.
"It just… doesn't feel like the end of the world."
Da Vinci did not say anything in response, correctly guessing that Olga had not yet finished her question, instead preferring to take another spoonful of cake.
"All of this," Olga gestured to the entire office, though Da Vinci correctly guessed that Olga was talking about the entirety of Chaldea, instead of just her office, changed from its usual look or not.
"In the first days, even weeks, it was all… More pressing, more urgent, maybe? It all felt like every second, every action mattered, like walking on top of a tightrope, incredible, dizzying, and dangerous. A destroyed world, a ruined humanity, and Singularities to solve, there was danger at every corner. And with the supplies slowly but inexorably running out, and a sea of fire raging outside the window… It felt like a real Apocalypse, a crisis situation where Chaldea stood on the brink of life and death. The inability to retreat, where a single mistake would literally mean the end of the existence of all mankind."
Staring at the tea and cake set on the table, Olga could only scoff.
"And what am I doing now? I'm sitting and drinking tea, eating cake in celebration of the end of my magus training, and my only complaint is that there’s not a good vista to enjoy along with the tea and cake. It’s not like there’s anything to see here! The outside is always covered by heavy blizzards, so what ‘beautiful vista’ was I supposed to be complaining about!?" Olga could only grin at the very absurdity of her complaints.
The world had just ended, a deed done by the greatest magus of mankind, and here she was complaining about the lack of beautiful things to enjoy watching as she ate her cake. The fact that the two things could even be spoken in one sentence is patently ridiculous!
"Isn't this absurd? No one even doubts that Ainz will return victorious from his campaign in the Singularity. No one even worries about Solomon, about their inevitable clash. Solomon himself! The man who created the entire modern practical system of magecraft! People should be running around in a panic, gnawing their nails from worry… And yet, yesterday, I started receiving orders for warehouses. Orders. From workshops. Which do not exist, but which should be needed once again after the resolution of the Singularities," Olga grinned, a tinge of madness in her gaze.
“People are already starting to plan what they will need in the future to continue working after the resolution of the Singularities, as if it were an established fact… And you know what’s the strangest thing of all? It is. It is an established fact. And no one doubts it.” Olga broke into a low chuckle before she continued.
"Even I don't doubt it, or even you! Of course, we can worry about one thing or another, worry about some kind of surprise or trap… But no one is actually preparing or bracing for a bad outcome, and not from some kind of sense of fatalism either! Not because people had given up, thinking that nothing that they could do would matter. No, on the contrary, everyone just shrugs their shoulders and seems to take it on faith that Ainz will definitely win, one way or another. People have already simply accepted victory as a fact and live their lives. Someone had even made a requisition order for a mini-fridge in the recreation area… Humanity is destroyed, and someone has already begun to think about storing soda at a comfortable temperature in the recreation area so as not having to go to the one in the kitchen." Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of human adaptability, Olga was almost to the brink of hysterics.
"And that scares you…" Da Vinci replied as she chewed on a piece of cake, not even paying attention to Olga's words or facial expression.
"To the point of trembling," Olga took a sip of slightly cooled tea, "Not because I don't trust Ainz or fear his defeat, as I’ve already said, this is not the case. But because, like them, I also think about the future that awaits me after the resolution of the Singularities… And I don’t know how to feel about that, or what such a future even looks like."
"Hmm," That was Da Vinci’s meaningful response to Olga's lamentations. But, from the beginning of Olga's complaint that is not a complaint, Da Vinci had figured out that she did not need sympathy or advice, but rather just the chance to speak out. All that Da Vinci needed to do was just to be a listening ear as Olga poured out her lamentations, if it could even be called that.
It was a mere trifle for a genius like Da Vinci, and doing it this way, she could learn more information about Olga! Not for anything malicious, of course, just for the sake of completing her volumes documenting the changes that Ainz had brought to Chaldea. And if she could do both of these things while enjoying a nice mug of tea and delicious cake prepared by Archer?
Well, that was simply the obvious thing to do, is it not?
And speaking of the cooking genius that is Archer; he’s really wasting his talents as a prodigious cook by still insisting on doing his duties as an Archer Servant. Not that he ever left for the Singularities after the first one, clearly having slightly forgotten about his combat qualities and retraining himself into the main supplier of food in all of Chaldea.
And glory to all the gods that exist that that is the case. If Archer had left Chaldea to the Singularities for any moment of time, half of Chaldea would have rebelled, demanding his immediate return back.
"What will happen after the Singularities are resolved, reality returns to normal, and we find ourselves face to face with humanity and the Mage's Association again? And I'm not even talking about the need for political maneuvers, that headache is a completely separate matter, but about myself. Even about Chaldea, about the perception of reality, we no longer have any perception of reality." Olga snorted, looking at Da Vinci, then, realizing that the cake baked by Archer's hands was still completely untouched in front of her, reached for it, but returned to the discussion immediately enjoying a piece.
“Any magus, even the most powerful Lord of the Clock Tower, even Lady Lorelei Barthomeloi herself would need to change her silly pantaloons from one mention of what we’re, but the staff of Chaldea? Everyone around walks without fearing the fact that the most powerful magus of humanity wants to kill them, instead being interested in where they can put a mini-fridge. As if Solomon is some petty thief who has already been caught and interrogated by a security officer. A Servant, the most powerful type of familiar, a creature capable of fighting alone against the whole world, someone at whom other magi look with envy and adoration? I'm not even sure how many dozens of those are now in Chaldea, two or three are even doing mundane jobs!”
The idea that a Servant could enjoy doing mundane tasks seems almost inconceivable to Olga, even as she was talking to one. But then again, Da Vinci was always eccentric, so Olga could be forgiven to think that she was not normal in the first place.
“One checks the ventilation, a second is our head chef, and a couple of others constantly occupy the recreation area, playing the console. Even magecraft, something that others spent generation after generation of magi to painstakingly grow, biting out a place for themselves under the sun, while I have gone from the dirt under the feet of real magi to… Tell me where I am now exactly, Da Vinci."
Unable to see her potential with clear eyes, so used to just being the disappointment, Olga had to ask Da Vinci for her assessment, and what came out of her mouth was expected. Which was already beyond normality, as what Da Vinci said was beyond remarkable.
"You still can't compare with Lorelei, the difference in experience and strength is too great, but then again such monsters are an anomaly that happens once in hundreds of years. Even the most powerful Servants, including myself, will not find it easy to cope with her. If the Lady had been born in the ancient world, where Magic was more commonplace, her talents would certainly have brought her past Medea in skill… But besides her and that Old Man of Jewels? In the entirety of the Clock Tower, there will not be an opponent with greater knowledge of magic and raw power than you."
It was something spoken without fanfare, as Da Vinci swallowed another piece of cake. As if what she said did not just go against the very grains of the Magus’ beliefs, or a millennium of accrued knowledge, that it took centuries to take a step forward. Or at the very least, to climb a step of the Magus Association’s ladders, that was the required amount of time for the Lords to take you somewhat seriously after all.
For a Magus like Olga to be born? A miracle and a half.
Even among the vaunted Barthomeloi family and their Blue Blood, Lorelei was an absolute unique existence, despite the continuous line of succession from the very times of the founding of the Association,
"This does not mean that none of the old Lords will be unable to defeat you, their experience surpasses yours by tens if not hundreds of times, but in raw power and even variability of abilities? They are significantly inferior to you. You did pass my tests after all, and I am a very exacting teacher!”
Unable to stop herself from praising her own genius, Olga simply took Da Vinci’s antics with gusto. She was used to it, after all.
“And, unlike you, they not only learned all the possible abilities that they could, but had also squeezed the maximum they could out of them. They could no longer grow. You, on the other hand? Even after learning all the magical abilities from your teachers, you haven't even slowed your growth. It's amazing… And extremely frightening. I'm afraid only Ainz knows exactly where your growth will stop, but something makes me fear his possible answer. Me, fearing the truth? What a novel experience… But I feel it all the same.”
"If we talk about your powers relative to the Servants, here your prowess will be somewhat more modest in comparison. At your current level, I would not put you above the Servants from the 'middle category'? If such a thing even exists for the like of Servants. Definitely not King Arthur, and you absolutely cannot face Servants with significant protection from magic," Da Vinci interrupted her speech for another bite of the cake again, internally bowing to Archer’s genius, before washing down the remnants of the cream with tea.
"But the very fact that we are talking at the moment about a possible clash, moreover, not a one-sided massacre, but a full-fledged battle between you and a Servant, a rather strong one even… Is insane."
Olga could only agree with Da Vinci’s assessment, such a thing was beyond ridiculous, after all.
"Servants are not born in the modern world, its mana has thinned so much that Servants, even the most third-rate ones, simply cannot be born in the modern world. Not only Servants or dragons, there is not a single monster left in the modern world except for those created by magi too desperate to see the folly in such actions. Even Divine Artifacts have lost their luster and power, turning into exhibition pieces. Magic is dying." Da Vinci shrugged as if she were talking about something completely ordinary and natural, something that did not even evoke any emotions in her, a simple statement of fact.
And unfortunately, Olga was forced to agree with her words, the magic of the modern world was indeed dying.
It does not mean that Magic is weak, the True Magics still existed, unbound by the degradation of the world by their very nature. And Magecraft is not weak either, just a few right spells were enough to subdue the mind of a world leader or instantly become a millionaire capable of ruling one's own island. Meanwhile, the mad scientists of Atlas continue to accumulate weapons of Apocalyptic power in their institute, and god knows what the Wandering Sea is doing.
But the truth was that magic was indeed dying out. Every magus trembled over their legacy, passing it to only one child, hoping against all hope that their progeny would not waste their inheritance, or worse, make it weaker. While new magi of modern times, even if for some reason they were accepted into magical communities, became rarer and rarer. And of those who still flowed into the Association anew, they only became half-educated, whom the ancient families, clutching their inheritance with a dead grip, would never let near the real secrets of magic. New magi were forced to start their path from the very bottom and compete with those whose ancestors saw the times of King Arthur himself, well herself, or even before her.
Magic was dying, in the sense that it did not keep up in its development with human society. A few more centuries, and even the magecraft held by the last representatives of the ancient dynasties will degenerate. Even the Matou, as far as Olga had heard, one of the oldest and most powerful families, now had problems with their heirs, and would still be having that issue once the world was fixed.
"Do you think I will become the new hope of the world of magic?" Olga snorted, trying to imagine such a situation in her head, yesterday's outcast, today a new Solomon… For the people who will be returning from a scorched world, such a discovery will indeed be revolutionary.
"No," Da Vinci, however, cooled the ardor of the girl who was proud of herself for a moment, "You will become its swan song. The greatest magus since Solomon, potentially, in the time of the complete sunset of magic. Your situation is unique, I'm not even sure if you will be able to pass on your magic potential to your children… well seeing as who’s the father is going to be, perhaps Ainz could change this situation," Da Vinci made such a comment with absolute ease, as if discussing taking out the trash or a similar trivial action, and not literally turning back the times to the Age of Gods, but Olga only nodded at these words. It was Ainz, the most incredible thing happened when he just walked by.
However, Da Vinci did not finish her words after that, interrupting herself for the cake, before continuing. "But I don't think it's in Ainz's plans. I just don't see the point for him to try to bring back the old times again. No, Ainz, as it seems to me, is much more interested in the future than in the past. Magic will die by itself… And you will be the last bright light. I don't know if this is Ainz's plan or a coincidence of the situation… But I suppose it will happen exactly this way."
"The swan song of the world of magic… I don’t mind the sound of that." Olga grinned, sending another piece of cake into her mouth, before scoffing at the thought. Once again, she had just remarked about the future, as if the entire world was not currently nothing more than ash.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about, it just doesn't feel like the end of the world. Instead of panicked attempts to save humanity, we are discussing my achievements in magic over tea and cake… And all these achievements simply defy any logic, but the perception of the norm has long been left behind. Magi, gods, Beasts, all these are now just the norm of life… The world has gone mad."
Chortling at the ridiculousness of it all, Olga was one more step into just accepting it.
"Is the Apocalypse supposed to fit into the framework of the normal?" Da Vinci raised one eyebrow, as if in slight surprise at Olga's lack of interest in the matter, but Olga didn't even bat an eye at Da Vinci’s words. Indeed, who could you ask about how the Apocalypse ‘usually’ happens?
"The world will change," Da Vinci said calmly, with confidence in her voice. "Chaldea has turned from a small institute, with barely any power, the personal whim of Lord Animusphere, which had come under the control of his heiress, into one of the world centers of power. Living heroes and gods, some of them will stay in Chaldea, while others will wander the world, pursuing their own goals, alone or in groups, traveling far from civilization or directly wedged into the modern world. Something like that is bound to create waves. And Ainz…"
Da Vinci pondered for a moment before her face brightened, and she exhaled almost joyfully, "In other circumstances, I would have given one of the many theories of what exactly Ainz will do, don't think that I don't have such. On the contrary, I have hundreds of theories and assumptions, some more realistic than others, however…"
Da Vinci pondered something in silence for a moment again, before her next words came out sharply, as if it was unpleasant to say what she had to say, "I don't know what Ainz will do."
Olga cast a glance at Da Vinci, who, for the second time in her memory, had just admitted that she didn't know something, before pretending that this news had passed her by, it was not worth focusing on this. After all, Olga had a good enough relationship with Da Vinci as she had become her teacher in the world of magic to point out any sore spot of her teacher’s. It was a bit sad for her to admit that she had gotten closer to Da Vinci than her father. Her father… a person on a tier of his own for pettiness, even amongst magi who hoarded their secrets like a dragon, not even allowing their own progeny to take part in the fruits of their labor.
For Olga to be allowed to study another Magi’s work so freely… Well, Servant’s secrets, so perhaps the beliefs of Magi didn’t really apply to them. At least, not so absolutely.
On the other hand, there were hardly any other Magi in the world who had ever studied Servant magic, at least successfully. Another thing that made Olga even more special now.
“Even so…” Olga furrowed her brow and stared into her teacup with consternation while reaching for another slice of cake. "The situation is unique, not just in human history and for the Association, but on a level so fundamental, I don’t even know what to call it."
Olga tapped her spoon on the rim of the empty plate absentmindedly, letting her words slip out of her mouth. "We are dealing with an unprecedented scenario, the revival of the Age of Gods, the return of True Magic in the modern era. These are realm-shaking events, and yet it's just… business as usual?"
Da Vinci shrugged. "The human mind has a remarkable level of resilience and adaptability. People could tolerate anything before taking it into account in their routines and habits, even in the face of world-ending cataclysms. It's a coping mechanism that is hardwired into Humanity."
"Yes, but…" Olga shook her head. "Shouldn't there be more gravity to the situation? More awareness that we stand on the precipice of either annihilation or a paradigm shift for all reality?"
"Perhaps. But what good would dread and hysteria do now? We must press on." Da Vinci poured herself more tea before continuing on. "The world as we know it has already ended. Only the future is left… And that means dealing with politics."
"Politics is more dangerous than a literal Apocalypse, hah!" Olga took a sip of tea, looking at Da Vinci, "So all this is one huge, prolonged prologue before the real problems begin?"
"I wouldn't say it in exactly those words, but in general, yes. That's about how it is," Da Vinci shrugged. "Humanity is capable of destroying itself without the intervention of Apocalyptic evil, and if in the future, there proved to be many such threats from different sides? Perhaps Solomon will not seem to us such a big problem in the end."
"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Olga exhaled, grinning wryly to herself, "Taking Solomon, the Beasts and the Apocalypse as all one big, prolonged ‘prologue’... Rationally? I understand why, and for this admittance alone, others would prescribe me a nice white padded room. But the whole world has gone crazy, and now we are seriously discussing such things that could only be madness."
"If you have such a desire, you can always raise a panic, prohibit the issuance of rations and run to Jeanne, urgently inquiring from her about the intricacies of holding prayers and emergency conversions in the face of imminent death. Running around like a chicken without its head… It would be quite funny to witness at least." Da Vinci glanced sideways at Olga, showing her one of her ironic smiles, before reaching for the cake.
"But then I will have to take your half of the cake for myself."
"You can't even dream about it," Olga grunted to the grinning scientist before pulling her remaining cake protectively towards her.
Indeed, even if Olga suddenly decided to start panicking at the moment, and spread it around Chaldea so that it would fit her perception on how people should react to the Apocalypse… What then? What good would it lead to?
Meaningless panic for the sake of panic? Strict measures for the sake of strict measures? An attempt to make all the participants in the salvation of humanity feel the heavy burden of this very salvation?
Why?
Yes, undoubtedly, it could be said that the whole world had gone mad and Olga had gone mad along with it. But… What did that change? It would not affect what had already happened in any way, and in no way would it change the fact of what would happen in the future. It certainly wouldn’t be making saving the world any easier!
"Indeed, if the world around you has begun to go crazy, simply move with it and try not to fall behind." Olga sighed, before thinking about something for a moment.
All these thoughts about insanity, changing the world, and the ‘new norm of life’ were actually incredibly abstract for her. A meaningful gesture in the end.
After all, she had long been convinced not only of her decision, but also of her future.
Was it when she first got drunk, sitting next to Ainz? Or a little earlier, when she learned from Da Vinci about the state of her body? Maybe a little earlier, when she started talking about nuclear war? When Roman met her at Chaldea? Or maybe on the very day when she pulled into a stupid and youthfully reckless kiss the man-god-monster-whoever who just took a fancy to a funny, petty person? A forgotten, lonely, and completely lost in her life girl…
"You know, Da Vinci… You are right, but not completely," Olga threw a sly grin at Da Vinci's confused expression, then with a triumphant look deigned to explain.
"There is still some alcohol left in Chaldea... From my personal stash."
"And you decided to have a real farewell to your apprenticeship with me, right? You wouldn’t be pulling a dirty trick on your mentor, are you? Keeping the alcohol to yourself?" Da Vinci crossed her arms in front of her chest, propping her chin with them, looking at Olga with a sly look.
"To drink during a celebration, and on sorrowful partings? Isn't that poetic?" Olga broke into a grin in response.
Olga was one of those people who preferred to deal with problems thoroughly, as they came to focus.
But sometimes, perhaps, sometimes… It was worth stopping asking ‘what will we do next’, and concentrating on what is happening now.
And right now? There’s a bottle of liquor with her name on it, and she was planning on emptying it.
Comments
Luis Hernandez
Idk
alassandro
so has it been confirmed if Olga is pregnant or not?
Abaddon Lucifer
Marvelus
Alter
Wow it's funny how Olga see that the problem is that there's no problem. And everyone is like." Meh what should we do after Ainz win"
