After that day, Nameless's evaluation among the Rhodes Island operators rose slightly.
It probably went from "worse than a Sarkaz" to "about as difficult to get along with as some Sarkaz."
However, none of those evaluations ever reached Nameless's ears, and even if he knew about them, he would not care much.
After several days of firsthand observation, Nameless had more or less become familiar with Rhodes Island… maybe?
Although there were many strange aspects, Rhodes Island really was, on the surface, a pharmaceutical organization focused on curing Oripathy.
There were no strange experiments…
"Haha! This amount of anesthetic will definitely bring him down! Today I am absolutely getting this guy onto the operating table!"
A white-haired, red-eyed Sarkaz jumped out holding an enormous syringe and charged toward Nameless.
The moment Amiya heard Warfarin's voice, she skillfully took out her terminal and dialed Kal'tsit's number.
As for Nameless himself, he remained completely calm. During the first few times, he would dodge or restrain her.
Now he simply let her do as she pleased. As a Servant, if he wished, even bullets could not pierce his body, much less a tiny needle.
The instant the needle touched Nameless's skin, it could no longer move forward. No matter how much strength Warfarin used, it was useless.
"Heh."
Nameless let out a mocking laugh, then flicked the needle with his finger, snapping it in half instantly.
The broken needle flew straight into Warfarin's forehead with perfect accuracy, causing her to let out a scream.
It was loud and piercing, but very soon Warfarin's screams became even louder, so loud that several people opened their doors to check what was happening.
After seeing Mon3tr carrying Warfarin away, most of them immediately understood the situation and closed their doors again, losing interest.
As for Nameless and Amiya…
"Miss Warfarin is just a special case."
Feeling Nameless's subtle gaze, and vaguely seeing that the page displayed on his terminal concerned Rhodes Island, Amiya felt that she needed to restore some of Rhodes Island's reputation.
"I know."
Seeing Amiya suddenly put on such a serious expression, Nameless naturally understood what she was thinking.
Besides, this was not the first time Warfarin had tried something on him. Unfortunately for her, he was a Servant. Researching him through non-magical means was impossible.
Sadly, Warfarin refused to listen in this regard. Unless she truly hit a wall, she would never give up.
Nameless had no intention of indulging her, and Kal'tsit shared the same opinion, which was why Mon3tr had been deployed especially frequently lately.
As a result, the deck of Rhodes Island's landship had gained a regular visitor.
"No, I saw Mr. Nameless mark Rhodes Island with a 'questionable' label in your evaluation."
Hearing Nameless's words, Amiya pointed at the two characters meaning "questionable" displayed on his terminal.
It was not because she deliberately peeked. Nameless simply had no intention of hiding it from her.
"There are quite a few strange experiments on Rhodes Island."
Shaking the terminal in his hand, Nameless directly voiced his thoughts.
This terminal was not used to record important matters. It was simply for noting down his personal opinions and observations.
Technology certainly was convenient, but Nameless only used it for secondary matters.
As for truly important things, he recorded them in a notebook. Partly because he was used to it, and partly because handwritten records were naturally far more secure.
Strictly speaking, that notebook could also be considered a product of magecraft. If he wished, nobody else could even touch it, much less read it directly.
"There are not! Absolutely not! Aside from Doctor Warfarin being slightly aggressive, the other doctors are all ver—"
Before Amiya could finish speaking, she saw a green-haired female operator dragging two people down the corridor in the distance.
The woman seemed to be muttering complaints about how patients these days never listened to advice.
"Alright, I understand."
Seeing Amiya fall speechless, unsure of what to say, Nameless finally deleted the "questionable" label.
He knew both Warfarin and the Gavial from earlier. The former aside, the latter had gained a rather delicate reputation among the medical operators because of her infamous "physical anesthesia."
In addition, Hibiscus's reputation was about the same, except she was famous for her nutritious meals. Nameless did not understand why everyone avoided them so desperately.
Was the combination not quite nutritious? He often brought them to Ace's squad, and he would even personally supervise everyone until they finished eating the meals.
To this day, Rhodes Island's operators no longer dared to use Nameless as a betting stake. They knew very well that if they did, they would end up following in Ace and the others' footsteps.
The reason Nameless specifically marked Rhodes Island as "questionable" was merely to remind his future self to pay extra attention to such issues. The current Rhodes Island had only just set sail, so those unpleasant matters had not appeared yet, but that did not mean they never would.
It was not that he distrusted Amiya, his little Master. It was simply that dark things always had a way of quietly breeding and corrupting otherwise good things.
"Ugh…"
Although Nameless deleted the "questionable" label in front of her, Amiya did not feel happy about it, because the situation felt more like an adult indulging a child after a tantrum.
Her goal had been achieved, yet something still felt off.
"Come on. We still need to head to Logos's place later to study Originium Arts."
Seeing Amiya wearing a conflicted expression, Nameless reminded her.
Amiya had many things to learn now. Besides basic knowledge and management-related studies, she also had to study matters related to Originium Arts.
Of course, the goal was not for her to deeply research Originium Arts like ordinary casters. For now, the main objective was simply learning how to use her own power properly.
As for Nameless, aside from his duty of protecting his Master, he had also spent this period researching Originium and Originium Arts.
He had learned quite a lot from Logos and the other Rhodes Island casters, and had gained a certain level of understanding regarding the existence known as Originium.
"Oh no! It is already this late!"
After hearing Nameless's words, Amiya checked the time and realized they had delayed here for too long. Hugging the things in her arms tightly, she immediately began jogging away.
"Honestly…"
Watching Amiya panic because she was running late, Nameless finally saw behavior from her that actually matched someone her age.
Still, he quickly followed after her. Amiya's jogging speed was not much different from his walking speed anyway.
Days like this were rather peaceful, but Nameless knew very well that this was only temporary.
Once he fully understood the customs of this land, along with matters related to Originium and the Infected, it would be time for him to become busy again. After all, he had never been the type who could remain idle.
After this period of testing, he confirmed that he could remain away from Amiya for a long time.
Perhaps the Independent Action ability of the Archer class had been strengthened. Or perhaps there was another reason.
Nameless was still investigating the matter, and he had directed his attention toward Originium.
In the end, though, this was good news. While he could not operate outside Rhodes Island for extended periods like other operators, short trips lasting three to five days were still possible.
On top of that, Rhodes Island itself was a gigantic landship that did not stay in one place for long, so as long as enough time passed, there would be many places he could explore.
The only thing he truly needed to worry about was Amiya's safety while he was away.
Ever since he had been summoned, there had been no further movements or reactions, and that made Nameless uneasy.
Still, with Rhodes Island's elite operators, along with Ascalon and Kal'tsit present, plus the existence of Command Seals, it was not really a major problem.
That said, things like Command Seals were better saved whenever possible. Compared to the Heroic Spirit Servants, his direct combat capabilities were still somewhat lacking.
Only by making use of every possible advantage could he achieve victory.
Even if the thing he had to sacrifice was himself.
"Are you daydreaming? That is quite rare."
After an unknown amount of time, Nameless's thoughts were interrupted by a man's voice.
It was Logos. He had just finished today's lesson with Amiya, told her to review things on her own for a bit, and as usual skillfully rolled over on his office chair toward Nameless to answer questions, only to discover that the latter seemed lost in thought.
Sitting with crossed legs, arms folded before his chest, and eyes slightly narrowed, Nameless certainly looked intimidating, but to Logos, that was nothing remarkable.
At the very least, the Nameless before him still looked humanoid, and as long as nobody offended him, he would not do anything.
Thanks to Ace's sacrifice.
"I was thinking about some things."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Nameless replied.
Recently, whenever he focused on certain problems, he would easily ignore the outside world. For example, he had barely absorbed any of Logos's lecture just now, and did not even know when it had started or ended.
However, if there were any actions directed toward him, he could still react instantly.
Nameless merely assumed that he had stayed at Rhodes Island too long and had been influenced by this peaceful lifestyle.
"Oh? Have you encountered another difficult problem?"
Hearing that Nameless seemed troubled by something again, Logos became slightly interested.
The questions Nameless asked previously had all been quite tricky. Although troublesome, they had benefited both Logos and the other casters researching Arts greatly. More importantly, the things Nameless proposed were extremely practical.
Especially regarding combat.
Although it might sound somewhat impolite, Logos believed that more than seventy percent of Nameless's thought process existed purely for the sake of battle.
Yet unlike people obsessed with combat, Nameless was not particularly battle-hungry. On the contrary, he was remarkably rational.
That contradiction was quite striking, but Logos had no intention of digging deeper into the man himself. He was not suited for that sort of thing.
Those matters could be left to Ace, Scout, or Amiya.
Right now, his thoughts were very simple. He just wanted to know whether Nameless had come up with another question capable of surprising him.
"Not exactly. I was simply thinking about some future arrangements."
Tapping on his terminal and opening the section related to Originium Arts, Nameless confirmed that there was nothing he particularly wanted to ask, then answered honestly.
"The future? Nameless, are you planning to leave Rhodes Island?"
Hearing that Nameless had no questions, the interest that had appeared in Logos's eyes faded back to normal. He even propped one hand against the table, looking extremely lazy and relaxed.
"There are some things I need to personally see for myself. Otherwise, I cannot feel at ease."
After speaking, Nameless glanced in Amiya's direction and noticed that her rabbit ears were unusually active. One look was enough to tell that she was secretly listening to their conversation.
So he continued:
"However, I do not currently have a specific destination in mind. When the time comes, I will probably request permission from Kal'tsit to accompany Rhodes Island operators on missions."
"Participating in Rhodes Island operations, huh… That is good. Scout and the others already opened a betting pool."
After learning that Nameless intended to act alongside the operators, Logos casually revealed Scout's gambling activities without the slightest hesitation.
Nameless did not react much, but not far away, Amiya vaguely sensed danger. She lowered her ears and focused intently on the book before her.
She had already enjoyed enough harmless gossip. Dangerous gossip like this was something she would rather avoid.
"After you single-handedly dealt with Ace's squad, Scout secretly started betting with several familiar elite operators on when Kal'tsit would finally start exploiting you and sending you on missions."
Feeling the drop in atmospheric pressure around him, Logos calmly added more details.
"I see."
After learning the full story, Nameless revealed a very dangerous smile.
"Looks like Hibiscus will not have to worry about leftover nutritious meals for quite a long time."
Logos also revealed a smile, the kind people wore when they were enjoying a good show.
A few days ago, Scout caused trouble and made him take the blame. Today, he was selling Scout out in return.
To prevent Nameless from being unsure how to handle things, Logos even thoughtfully provided a suggestion.
After all, he had not participated himself, so he was not afraid of being dragged into it.
He gained entertainment, Hibiscus's nutritious meals would finally be sold out, and Nameless could deal with the people using him as a betting stake. A three-way win.
"I will deal with that later. Once Amiya's schedule is finished today, I will have a proper talk with Kal'tsit… Do you think I should directly participate in elite operator operations?"
Nameless was not in a hurry regarding this matter. There would be opportunities later anyway.
Since Logos appeared to be in a good mood and rather free at the moment, he decided to ask for the man's opinion about whether he should accompany elite operators in future operations.
"Rhodes Island elite operator missions are usually carried out in teams. Suddenly adding an outsider like you might affect their performance."
Hearing Nameless seek his advice, Logos put away his smile and voiced his thoughts.
At present, the elite operators each had their own teams, or else operated independently. Whether it was the former or the latter, it was difficult for Nameless to fit in.
Allowing Nameless to act alone might also be a decent choice, but clearly his understanding of this land still contained many gaps. Letting him operate solo carried too much risk.
As for pairing him with ordinary operators… that would honestly be worse than letting him act alone. Ordinary people could not keep someone like him under control.
After thinking for a moment, Logos came up with a compromise and continued:
"I would suggest considering operations alongside veteran operators instead. Compared to ordinary operators, their missions are more intense, and most of them have completed many assignments and earned the approval of the majority of Rhodes Island's personnel."
When veteran operator missions reached higher difficulty levels, they were no less dangerous than elite operator operations. The difference was that Rhodes Island's elite operators were generally granted that title only after approval from Kal'tsit and most of the upper management.
Many veteran operators were simply stuck at that final stage. The criteria for those decisions covered many aspects, from past combat records to character, strength, and more.
"…Fine. I will see how Kal'tsit arranges it."
Nameless had only asked Logos because he wanted to hear another perspective. He also knew very well that he was unsuited for group operations. Limited cooperation was manageable, but functioning like a true team… better not.
Those headaches could be left for Kal'tsit.
After that topic ended, the room once again fell silent, with only the sound of Amiya turning pages while reviewing her studies.
"That should be enough for today. Looking at the time, it is about right. You and Amiya can head out now."
Glancing up at the clock, Logos decided that although it was slightly early, letting Amiya leave ahead of schedule would not be a problem.
Amiya studied very diligently. Her progress had already far surpassed expectations, so relaxing once in a while was perfectly fine.
Besides, he also needed a bit of personal space.
"Really?! At this time… I should still make it in time!"
The moment she heard Logos's words, Amiya's eyes lit up instantly.
After all, there were many children around her age on Rhodes Island. During this part of the afternoon, they would usually gather together to look at interesting things brought back by other operators.
Everything from television programs to strange little gadgets could be found there. There were even video games.
Although she could always watch or play later by herself, doing it alone felt rather lonely.
After confirming she could leave early, Amiya quickly packed up all her belongings. After informing Nameless, she rushed straight out the door.
The two of them could faintly hear Amiya cheering outside.
Only after the sound disappeared did Logos shift his gaze toward Nameless, silently attempting to ask through his eyes how exactly Amiya had been spending her days recently.
"…I will mention this matter to Kal'tsit as well."
Facing Logos's questioning look, Nameless stood up and shrugged.
He had no intention of following Amiya there. Nameless knew very well that if he appeared, all those children would scatter instantly. It would be better for him to do something else instead.
Perhaps visit the training grounds, or maybe the library.
But before that… he should first see whether Kal'tsit currently had time available.
Whether it was his own matters or Amiya's situation, both still required arrangements through her.