Chapter 3

In the year 2018.

This was the last era when the "Magic" was still established.

Society was built by human hands, but the truth of the world was held by a special group that did not actively participate in society—the "Magicians."

They were a group of scholars who had always sought progress.

They were a group of people who studied the mysterious in secret.

Through the power called "Magic," they reconstructed, built, and recreated things that science would take a long time to achieve, performing what seemed like the magic in fairy tales.

Those who possessed this power and technology were called Magicians.

Of course, Magic and Sorcery were two completely different concepts, and this so-called miracle was not as beautiful as what was recorded in fairy tales.

By now, with the continuous development of science, the power of Magic had become increasingly weaker.

The mysterious was gradually fading.

Miracles were slowly disappearing.

All of this was because the development of science made the things that Magic could do fewer and weaker.

Therefore, Magic and science were two completely opposite paths. The development of one represented the decline of the other, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were completely incompatible.

However, whether it was the Magicians who mastered the technology of the human past that science could not explain, or the scientists who accumulated the technology of the human future that Magic could not achieve, the two completely incompatible fields of study shared one common goal.

That was, whether it was Magic or science, both aimed to bring about a longer-lasting prosperity for those who studied them.

In other words, both technologies were for the protection of human history itself.

Thus, it came into being.

The Human History Continuation Assurance Organization—Chaldea.

This was a research and observation institute established to ensure that human history would continue to exist for a longer and more resilient period.

不分 Magic and science, this facility, which gathered researchers from various fields, was built on a snow-capped mountain with an altitude of over 6,000 meters. It was managed by the prestigious Animosphia family, a renowned Magician lineage, to comprehensively observe the world of human history that could not be seen by Magic alone or measured by science alone, and to prevent special events that could lead to the definitive extinction of humanity.

That was Chaldea.

In this facility called Chaldea, the continuation of human history, regardless of Magic or science, was the highest ideal.

At the same time, it gathered researchers and Magicians from various fields.

Roujin and Mash were two Magicians living in Chaldea, working to ensure the continuation of human history.

In the modern white corridor, Roujin yawned as he walked forward.

"I'm so sleepy..."

Roujin, rubbing his teary eyes, walked listlessly down the corridor.

"Please pull yourself together, senpai." Mash, seeing Roujin like this, stopped playing with Fufu on her shoulder and frowned, saying, "If the director sees you like this later, she will definitely..."

"Definitely fly off the handle, right?" Roujin preempted Mash's words, pursing his lips. "That prematurely menopausal woman is always angry and scolding people. Even if I pull myself together, she'll still be unhappy with me."

"Why do you always disregard the director's instructions, senpai?" Mash didn't argue but said, "Occasionally, don't make the director angry and treat her properly."

In response to Mash's suggestion, Roujin replied with a single sentence.

"That's impossible." Roujin said without hesitation, "I'm naturally at odds with that woman, you know that."

Mash also felt somewhat helpless upon hearing this.

As Roujin said, from the past to the present, these two had always been at odds.

Roujin was rather laid-back, always spending his time playing games and browsing the internet.

On the other hand, the director of the facility was completely different. Due to her background in a prestigious Magician family and her role as the highest manager of Chaldea, she held the highest sense of mission and pride in the protection of human history, allowing no room for error.

Thus, the two naturally clashed.

In the director's eyes, Roujin's lifestyle and laid-back personality were a complete waste of time.

In Roujin's eyes, the director, who often flew off the handle, was like a nagging old woman.

The two almost always argued whenever they met.

That was why Roujin specifically set the director's communications to silent, so he wouldn't receive her calls.

So, the two were indeed at odds.

Mash often found herself caught between the two, not knowing what to do.

(Can't there be a way for senpai and the director to get along?)

The kind-hearted girl thought about this.

After a while, Mash stopped walking.

"Fufu...?"

Fufu, standing on Mash's shoulder, grooming her fur, made a confused sound.

"Mash?"

Roujin also stopped, looking at Mash with surprise.

The next second, Roujin understood what was happening and turned to look to the side.

There, a wall was decorated with reinforced glass, showing the view outside the facility.

However, it was not a beautiful scene.

A cold, fierce wind was blowing, sweeping white snow across the land, covering the mountains and the sky.

The sky was a bleak, grayish-white, looking ominous.

Mash stood in the corridor, staring at this scene.

No, more accurately, she was looking at the sky.

Her delicate face carried an emotion that others couldn't quite discern.

That emotion was loneliness.

"Mash." Roujin reached out and placed his hand on Mash's shoulder, his previous listlessness gone, and he spoke softly, "Are you okay?"

"Um..." Mash nodded but didn't look at Roujin, continuing to gaze at the sky. "I heard the real sky is blue, senpai."

That was a scene completely unseen in Chaldea.

It was also a scene that Mash had never seen.

To this, Roujin could only respond as follows.

"Yeah." Roujin also gazed at the sky, a strange emotion flickering in his eyes for a moment before he returned to his laid-back state, shrugging and saying, "It's very blue. Mash will have the chance to see it someday."

These words completely snapped Mash out of her daze.

"Ah..." Mash, as if suddenly awakened, covered her mouth, looking guilty. "S-Sorry, senpai, even though senpai..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Roujin interrupted her.

"Alright, don't think too much about it, I don't mind." Roujin smiled at Mash. "Let's hurry to the control room, or we'll really get scolded."

"Um." Mash could only nod.

The two resumed their steps, walking forward.

As if the previous conversation had never happened.

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