Chapter 30: Francesca: I Like Her! I'm Going to Give Her a Hand!
Somewhere in an underground facility in Snowfield City.
Faldeus leaned forward, both hands braced against the control console, his eyes locked onto the largest screen in front of him.
Playing on the screen was the footage of Olga Marie's declaration.
"..."
He wanted to say something.
Something like "this is impossible," or "what is she doing," or "this is completely illogical."
But all the words were stuck in his throat.
In their place came a wave of intense vertigo.
"Gah—!"
He suddenly slumped over the console, clutching his mouth.
His stomach was convulsing, acid surged into his throat, and the edges of his vision began to darken.
"Sir!"
A female staff member nearby cried out in alarm and stood up, moving to support him.
Faldeus raised a hand, signaling her not to move.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to vomit. Then he slowly straightened up and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
His face was as pale as paper.
"I'm fine," he said, his voice raspy.
But everyone could tell he was not fine.
Far from it.
Faldeus looked back at the screen.
In the footage, Olga Marie was still laughing.
It made Faldeus's stomach hurt even more.
"President of the Earth..." he repeated in a low voice, his mouth twitching, "Taking over the planet... governing everything..."
With every word he spoke, his stomach spasmed.
He pulled at the corners of his mouth, squeezing out a smile that looked more painful than crying.
"Now... things are truly in trouble."
In trouble?
It was more than just 'in trouble.'
This was a goddamn disaster! A nuclear-level political crisis!
It was a massive mess capable of dragging down the entire Holy Grail War, Snowfield City, the United Nations, and even the entire Magecraft World!
Faldeus closed his eyes, his mind beginning to calculate rapidly.
It wasn't just those privy to the Holy Grail War.
The ordinary citizens of Snowfield City couldn't possibly ignore such a massive commotion.
If previous events could still be covered up by the authorities as riots or terrorist attacks...
Now, Olga Marie's radiant figure and her declaration had completely shredded the fig leaf of the "Holy Grail War being conducted in secret."
She was using a global broadcast!
This meant the government could no longer pretend it was a "gas explosion," a "terrorist attack," or a "military exercise."
It meant the Mage's Association could no longer hide in the shadows, using "cognitive interference" and "memory manipulation" to clean up the mess.
The Mystery Side had been forced into the spotlight.
And at the center of that spotlight was that silver-haired lunatic calling herself the "President of the Earth."
"...Ha."
Faldeus let out a laugh that grew increasingly uncontrolled, turning into a hysterical roar.
"Hahaha! Hahahahahaha—!"
Everyone in the control room froze, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Has the Chief... gone mad?
Faldeus's expression darkened as he turned and walked toward the door.
"Notify all departments to request maximum-level support. Also—"
He stopped at the door and looked back at the screen.
In the footage, Olga Marie's amber pupils shimmered under the moonlight like two burning stars.
"Get me a direct line to the military."
With that, he pushed the door open and left.
The sound of his footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.
High above Snowfield City, inside a flight pod.
Francesca sat cross-legged on a soft carpet, a light screen made of magical energy floating before her.
On the screen was the live broadcast of Olga Marie.
"Pfft."
"Pfft-hahaha... hahaha... Ah-hahahahahahaha—!"
She laughed so hard she doubled over, rolling around on the rug, her silver hair scattered everywhere.
"Too good! Absolutely brilliant! Ahh, why didn't I think of this move!"
She slapped the floor while laughing, tears streaming down her face.
On the other side of the pod, Francois leaned against the wall.
His face was still swollen, covered in blue and purple bruises, his lips split with gauze taped to the corner of his mouth. Those were the injuries slapped onto him by Olga Marie; even with magecraft treatment, they hadn't fully healed.
He stared at the light screen, his gaze so dark it looked like it could drip ink.
"Heh."
He let out a short, cold laugh.
"A lunatic, as expected."
"A lunatic?" Francesca sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "No, no, no, this is no lunatic."
She leaned closer to the screen, her eyes shining terrifyingly bright.
"This is a genius! An artist! The most interesting spoiler who breaks all the rules and flips the entire chessboard!"
She reached out, her fingertip gently touching Olga Marie's face on the screen.
"Look at her expression, how happy she is. She genuinely thinks 'governing the Earth' is a fantastic idea!"
"This kind of pure, baseless confidence is simply captivating."
Francois didn't respond.
After a few seconds, he spoke, his voice muffled:
"By doing this, she is essentially declaring war on the entire world."
"So what?" Francesca tilted her head. "War is what makes things fun. What's the point of a calm water surface? If you're going to stir things up, stir them until the world turns upside down!"
She stood up and walked to the window, overlooking the brightly lit city below.
On the streets, crowds began to gather.
They looked up at the sky, at the screens still playing Olga Marie's declaration.
Discussions, exclamations, and screams of panic could be faintly heard even from hundreds of meters away.
Chaos was spreading.
"Look~"
Francesca said softly, her voice filled with irrepressible excitement.
"What a beautiful sight. Order collapsing, common sense overturned—everyone is forced to wake up from their complacent dreams and face this mad world!"
She turned around, spreading her arms wide.
"This is how a Holy Grail War should be! This is—the true carnival!"
"It's decided! I'm going to help her!"
Francois: "...Huh?"
Francesca turned her head. "It's rare to meet someone so interesting. I have to add fuel to her fire and make this play even more lively!"
"Go give Faldeus's side a tip. Say 'Olga Marie might be a Vessel for the descent of a high-spec Outer God, and her goal is to sacrifice all of humanity to achieve ascension.' Remember to make it sound mysterious—half-truths and half-lies—let him ruminate on it himself!"
Francois looked at his Master's face, which was glowing with excitement, and fell silent for three seconds.
"...You're even crazier than she is."
"Thanks for the compliment~ And besides, we are one and the same~"
Francois looked at her and said nothing. He only raised a hand to touch his still-aching cheek and twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Suit yourself," he said.
"I'm just the one who gets hit, anyway."