New Chaldea Summoning Control Room
With the successful end of the Russia Lostbelt campaign, New Chaldea entered a rare, brief period of rest. For Ritsuka, it was a chance not just to catch up on sleep, but to pull cards as well.
"Alright! May this stroke of luck from saving the world help me land a great summon!"
Ritsuka stood before the summoning circle, clutching several rainbow-hued Saint Quartz stones. Her eyes blazed with the ferocity of chaotic evil.
In a corner behind her, Kadoc—fresh from signing his servitude contract and still wearing a temporary pass—leaned against the wall, wearing an expression that asked, "Why am I here?"
"Why do I have to come to a place like this...?" Kadoc muttered. "I'm just a prisoner, aren't I."
"Because you're a special member!" Mash explained with a smile. "Senpai said you should learn how Chaldea summoning works, since you're fighting with us from now on... Alright, let's begin!"
Ritsuka tossed the Saint Quartz into the summoning circle—a blinding golden light filled the room.
The first responder to the summon was a figure in a mask and deep blue mantle.
"Caster, Avicebron."
A gentle voice echoed, a hint of relief visible in the eyes beneath the mask.
"I have answered your call. This time... I hope to serve you as an ordinary magus. To atone for past sins, and witness a new future."
"Welcome back, Professor Avicebron!" Ritsuka exclaimed, taking his hand.
Kadoc watched, his gaze softening slightly. Even during the Lostbelt campaigns, he'd heard of this magus' final betrayal and sacrifice. Their roles had been different, but he recognized the other's resolve.
But the second golden light made Kadoc gasp.
She was small and slender. Her long silver hair flowed like moonlight; her icy blue eyes sparkled mischievously, and she cradled a strangely shaped doll.
There was an elegance about her, but also a girlish air—traits Kadoc could never mistake, not even in dreams.
"Caster, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova." The young woman bowed gracefully, lifting her skirts in a perfect court curtsy. She grinned. "Summoned and reporting for duty."
"This is Viy. Please, guide us both!"
"..."
Kadoc felt as if his heart had stopped. His hand reached out involuntarily, freezing midair. Her face, her voice, even the elf named Viy... Exactly as the princess he had relied on in the Russian Lostbelt.
But, she was different.
There was no trace of the unique warmth or trust he had known, nor the weight of guilt for the world's destruction that had bound them. The girl before him was not his Anastasia, but the last royal princess of Human History.
"Oh?" The summoned princess looked his way, perhaps feeling an unusually intense gaze from the corner. "Who's that gloomy-looking guy? He looks like he's got a stomachache. Viy, shall we go scare him?"
"Hmm..." Kadoc suddenly turned, faced the wall, and covered his face with one hand.
"Kadoc?" Mash asked with concern.
"...It's nothing." Kadoc's response came through gritted teeth, pained to the point of being unable to speak. "Just... having a little trouble adapting. Don't worry."
Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes, trying desperately to convince himself: "Calm down, Kadoc. That's not her. Your true love waits in that exiled world. This is just... a stranger with her face!"
Yet, even so, when her familiar laughter echoed through the room, the god of pure love couldn't help but ache as if his stomach was tying itself in knots.
…
Da Vinci's Workshop
Unlike the event of the summoning chamber, this place was technical—a scent of secret deals in the air.
"Hm? Steve?"
Still childlike in appearance, technical consultant Da Vinci Lily looked up from debugging the Shadow Border engine as the red silhouette entered her workshop. "If it's an MS maintenance request, the auto-robotic arms are already—"
"No, not that today."
Steve smiled, approaching the control panel, giving the artificial heroic spirit before him a Mona Lisa smile. "Leonardo, I'm here to talk to you about your expiration date."
Da Vinci Lily's hand paused. Though she always seemed energetic, she was keenly aware—created as a backup machine by the original Leonardo da Vinci, she knew her structure exactly. To function at top performance in emergencies, her body had always sacrificed longevity.
Frankly, she knew her lifespan was short. She couldn't be sure she'd still be alive when this journey ended.
"Oh—so you noticed, huh?" She quickly recovered her smile, shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it... After all, I'm the emergency substitute plan. As long as everyone makes it to the finish line before I break down, I'm happy…"
"But I can't agree with tragic aesthetics like as long as the journey is wonderful, the ending doesn't matter."
Steve interrupted, reaching deep into—no, apparently from a fourth-dimensional space—and took out a cryogenic chamber containing a large object.
"Take a look at this."
The cryo-chamber's lid opened slowly. There was no sign of life, but a perfectly-crafted body, almost an artwork, appeared before Da Vinci Lily.
It looked like her current form, but the internal construction was completely different.
Grand-Class Doll Body
"What… What is this?!"
Leonardo da Vinci, multitalented genius, could see the value almost instantly. Eyes wide, she nearly dropped her wrench. "Such refinement in spirit core construction… A magical circuit for soul return, as if imbued with life! Even the Association's master puppetmaker could never build this in such a short time…"
"For someone from the future like me," Steve replied, gently stroking the cryo-chamber, "it wasn't that hard. Your current body is like an overclocked CPU—efficient, but burns out quickly."
"This is the permanent version I've prepared for you."
"When your soul transfer is complete, you'll never have to worry about lifespan again."
His eyes brimmed with unwavering resolve.
"The future I want to create is one where everyone lives happily. That includes you, Da Vinci."
"I won't allow Chaldea's technical consultants to bow out over something so trivial."
"..."
Da Vinci Lily was silent. She stared at the new body and then looked at the always-confident man before her. Her eyes grew oddly warm.
She'd always been ready for the worst. She was prepared to shine and vanish like fireworks.
But now, someone was telling her—she didn't have to disappear. She could see the real dawn arrive.
"Really… Steve, that's too unfair." She sniffled, and gave a smile brighter and more heartfelt than ever before. "If you say so… Then it would be far too ungrateful for me, the almighty genius, to refuse!"
"Let's get started! Though, the operation might hurt a bit."
"Hmph, don't underestimate me! I'm Leonardo da Vinci!"
…
A few hours later.
When Ritsuka returned to the workshop with the newly summoned Servants, she found Da Vinci Lily, already in her new body, eagerly running data tests and flexing a new wrist.
"It feels fantastic! Ritsuka, Mash—look, look! I feel like I could work three days straight without breaking a sweat now!"
"Da Vinci-chan?" Ritsuka asked, surprised by the transformed, energetic little Da Vinci. "She looks… even livelier than before?"
"Of course!" Da Vinci puffed out her chest, winking at Steve, who hid his contribution in the shadows. "Because now I'm a complete genius. No matter how long the road ahead, I'll always be with you!"
Watching this scene, Steve quietly crossed one more task from his internal checklist:
[Version 2.0 Final — Tragedy Avoidance Project: Da Vinci's Lifespan — Solved]
"All right." He turned, heading into the depths of the hangar. "Next, time to prepare special transport for Northern Europe…"