Fate: How About a New Savior?

As a facility built atop the Antarctic plateau, Chaldea was equipped with comprehensive amenities to ensure the physical and mental well-being of everyone stationed there.

According to the original plans, Masters were expected to engage in regular physical training in addition to simulated battles, maintaining peak condition to handle the unpredictable conditions of Singularities.

That said, only a handful of Masters were currently active enough to use the training area.

Scáthach launched a quick punch; Shiomi dodged with full focus. The whistle of wind brushing past his ear made it clear—if that had landed, it would've hurt.

His master was training him in hand-to-hand combat.

Neither Scáthach nor Morgan actually needed the practice—they were more like sparring partners.

But Shiomi's training was in a class of its own. Their sessions bordered on death matches in an octagon cage.

"Master… can you go a bit easier?"

Even Shiomi had to voice his complaint while blocking Scáthach's incoming punch.

"Isn't this exactly like training back in the Land of Shadows?" Scáthach smiled. "Don't worry. Even if you get hurt, I'll heal you…"

Shiomi felt a chill run down his spine. He still remembered those early days—getting beaten black and blue every day, only to be healed with Runes afterward.

And yet, he'd fallen for her. Was this what they called Stockholm Syndrome?

Well, maybe not that extreme. The training had been brutal, but looking back, it had brought him a strange kind of happiness.

He started to zone out with those thoughts—and in that moment of distraction, his movements faltered. Scáthach immediately shifted, dropping her power before ducking and launching a spinning side kick.

If he'd dodged even a second slower, his jaw would've been dislocated.

"Ugh… seriously…"

Shiomi tried to break away and end their increasingly intense bout, but Scáthach rolled and caught him in a scissor hold around the neck.

"Nope. Everyone's watching," she said, looking entirely too pleased.

She grabbed his arm and locked him in a cross hold.

In raw strength, Shiomi wasn't any weaker than his master. But if this kept going, it'd turn into an actual brawl—and he'd walk away battered.

Even with fast healing, that was still a hassle.

"Can I just admit defeat already?" Shiomi muttered. "And who's even watching? Feels like I'm in a public match."

Ritsuka and Mash were jogging on the treadmills, while Sakura and Caren practiced bench presses with Gray spotting them. Only Morgan was actually watching.

"Giving up already? And you're the same guy who grits his teeth and fights to the death on the battlefield." Scáthach looked disappointed but released him and walked off to grab a drink.

"If you ever become my husband's enemy, he definitely won't hold back," Morgan said as she stood and stretched.

"She's got a point," Scáthach chuckled.

Morgan lightly stretched her arms. "Need a break? Or are you up for a round with me?"

"It's not that serious." Shiomi got up and took a stance. "You could easily keep enemies away with Magecraft alone, but you always insist on close combat."

"You're not one to talk, my husband." Morgan moved in to spar.

The intensity clearly dropped. Their exchanges became more fluid, almost like a choreographed routine.

"I'm my master's student—like master, like disciple," Shiomi said smugly. "In the Scáthach school, the rule is: if you can use a spear, don't use Magecraft."

"What a ridiculous excuse." Morgan laughed, her punches now gentler.

Shiomi was happy to take it easy, meeting her strikes with casual blocks.

As he glanced around the gym, he spotted a small white figure running on one of the empty treadmills.

Fou.

He recalled seeing that little creature in Chaldea since before Singularity F, but no one had ever seriously questioned its identity. Even he hadn't given it much thought—Fou had always seemed harmless.

Still, he never understood how it was able to undergo Rayshifting with the others.

"Worried about Cath Palug?" Morgan asked suddenly.

"Cath Palug?" Shiomi blinked. "Is that Fou's real name?"

"More or less." Morgan's voice was soft, barely audible beyond the training area. "But it's not important. As long as that thing doesn't do anything strange, I won't bother with it."

"Is it dangerous?" Shiomi asked, intrigued.

"By nature, yes. But it's been oddly well-behaved in Chaldea, so there's nothing to worry about." Morgan added, "Besides, I'll keep an eye on things you don't have time to watch. You just focus on what's in front of you."

"Like you?" Shiomi asked.

Morgan paused, her eyes softening. "If that's your way of trying to get me to let you win, then you're seriously underestimating me."

"Uh…"

"It's about time you got serious. Scáthach's glare could kill right now." Morgan's strikes picked up in speed and precision.

"How bold of you to talk behind my back right in front of me," Scáthach said, biting her sports drink's straw.

Morgan sidestepped Shiomi's counter, unfazed. "Talking behind someone's back is cowardly. If you've got something to say, say it to their face."

"Oh really?" Scáthach put down her drink and stood up from the bench.

Shiomi immediately sensed trouble and tried to distance himself from Morgan—but it was already too late.

Scáthach moved like a ghost, reappearing behind him in an instant. A perfectly timed roundhouse kick from one side, paired with Morgan's punch from the other, closed off all his escape routes.

"Isn't this a little much...?"

Since they'd agreed not to use Magecraft and go purely physical, Shiomi was definitely at a disadvantage.

"It's just two-on-one. My disciple should be able to take on a hundred foes alone," Scáthach said, clearly seeing no issue.

Morgan nodded. "The Seventh Singularity is set in the Age of Gods. Too many unknowns. This is a good opportunity to sharpen our teamwork."

"You just want to beat me up." Shiomi dropped the force from both sides and slipped away with a dodge.

Truth be told, this was the first time he'd faced both Morgan and his master outside of "those" situations.

Maybe it was time to use Chaldea's simulation systems for a proper match against these two powerhouses.

"If you want to give up, I won't stop you. This was just Master's whim," Scáthach said casually.

"...Let's do this."

Shiomi hesitated for a beat, then slowly raised his guard, eyes sharpening as he faced the two women before him.

The moment he spoke, Morgan and Scáthach launched another pincer attack—sharp fists and kicks flying in from both sides.

And so began a training session tailored perfectly to Shiomi's needs.