Fate Grand Order: Broadcasting Master Love — Chapter 70

Chapter 70: The Only Person in the World the Queen of Sheba Had No Chance Against

High above the heavens and the myriad worlds, the warm golden light screen flickered to life. A salty sea breeze swept across Chaldea’s simulated coastline, catching the silver strands of Atalanta Alter’s wild hair.

The Queen of Sheba leaned casually against a sun-warmed reef. She idly twirled a jeweled tassel between her fingers, a faint, inscrutable smile curving her lips. When she spoke, her voice was as soft and sweet as a honey-soaked evening breeze. “Liking and fearing can absolutely coexist. I can guarantee that much~”

Atalanta Alter’s hand drifted down, her fingers tightening around the leather quiver at her waist. Her silver-gray beast ears twitched. A flicker of sheer, unadulterated confusion crossed her amber eyes. “Is… that so?”

“Yes, exactly. Take my case, for instance~…” Sheba’s voice dipped. The playful glimmer in her eyes faded, replaced by a fleeting, quiet loneliness—like moon shadows shattered by the crashing waves.

She lowered her gaze, letting the silence stretch over the rhythmic sound of the surf. When she finally looked up, her tone carried a wistful, aching tenderness. “…Yes. He is clearly the one person in this world I had the absolute least chance of winning against. Yet, he is also the only person in this world I have ever loved.”

She let out a soft breath. “Although I can never see him again… even now, whenever I think back to the times we spent solving riddles together, it still hurts. It hurts so much—but it also feels incredibly warm.” Her words scattered into the sea breeze. Beside her, her gold-and-red skirts snapped in the wind, burning against the coastal backdrop like a flickering flame.

Inside the New Chaldea Control Room, the overhead lights blazed brightly, yet the silence was absolute. You could hear a pin drop. Fujimaru Ritsuka stared up at the Queen of Sheba’s figure on the broadcast screen. His fingers unconsciously traced the cold metal edge of the command console, a familiar, dull ache tugging at his chest.

The surrounding staff members stood frozen at their stations. Shared, knowing glances passed between them, heavy with unspoken grief. Everyone knew that whenever the Queen of Sheba set foot on Chaldean soil, it was always for the sake of that man.

‘Doctor…’Ritsuka swallowed hard. The image of the man who always smiled so easily, who always greeted him with a cheerful’Ritsuka-kun,’ flashed through his mind. He remembered the figure standing tall and unyielding in the Grand Time Temple. The man who had yet to return, but who remained forever etched into the very foundation of Chaldea. In that moment, the memory was so vivid it felt as though Romani Archaman was standing right beside him.

Up on the light screen, a fierce blush crept across Atalanta Alter’s cheeks, spreading all the way to the tips of her silver-gray ears. She jerked her face away, her voice dropping to a flustered mumble. “I-is that so? But… to just walk up and say ‘I like this’and’I’m afraid of that’ right to someone’s face…”

For a wild huntress accustomed to speaking only with arrows and tearing claws, such a blunt confession was paralyzingly embarrassing.

“Oh, please. A conversation of this level isn’t going to plunge you into some tragic, bittersweet romance.” Sheba waved a hand dismissively. Her tone had instantly snapped back to its usual breezy cadence, as if the deep melancholy from just moments ago had been nothing but a mirage.

“T-that’s! Exactly right!” Atalanta Alter nodded vigorously, latching onto the excuse like a drowning woman finding a lifeline. Her beast ears, however, betrayed her panic, twitching erratically.

“Relax, relax~” Sheba chuckled, reaching over to give the tense archer a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Ugh… Fine. I understand. I’ll… I’ll try to convey it.” Atalanta Alter took a deep, steadying breath, steeling her resolve. But almost immediately, her shoulders slumped. Her ears drooped flat against her head, and her voice lost its edge. “But my chest still feels so heavy. Anyway, tomorrow… tomorrow I’ll ask him about our future schedule—”

“Ah! In that case, I’ll go fetch the Master right now~!” Sheba’s eyes sparkled with sudden mischief. Before the last syllable even left her lips, the Caster had already bolted. She vanished down the coastline like a gust of wind, her gold-and-red skirts tracing a vibrant arc through the air.

Atalanta Alter froze, her brain stalling for a crucial second before the reality of the situation crashed down on her. She stomped the sand in sheer frustration, her silver-gray ears shooting bolt upright. “Ah—wait! I told you to wait, hey!?” she yelled at the retreating Caster’s back. That impulsive, meddlesome woman! Couldn’t she at least wait until the huntress was mentally prepared?!

But the damage was already done. The crunch of familiar footsteps sounded against the sand directly behind her. Atalanta Alter whipped her head around, instantly locking gazes with Fujimaru Ritsuka. He was already smiling at her.

“So—” Ritsuka began, his voice laced with gentle mirth, as warm and inviting as spring sunshine.

“Ah—ahh, yeah.” Atalanta Alter’s face ignited into a brilliant crimson. She wrenched her gaze away, staring intensely at a random patch of sand. Her clawed fingers nervously twisted the dark hem of her dress. “Y-you… you got here so fast…”

“Well, she kept telling me to wait nearby…” Ritsuka offered a helpless shrug. A mild note of complaint toward the Queen of Sheba colored his tone, though the amused crinkle around his eyes gave him away entirely.

“That penny-pincher…!” Atalanta Alter bared her fangs, glaring daggers in the direction Sheba had fled. Indignation flared in her chest on her Master’s behalf, her teeth grinding together audibly.

She forced her hands to unclench. “Forget it. I’d have to say it sooner or later anyway.” Taking another deep breath, she finally anchored her resolve. She lifted her chin, her piercing yellow-green eyes locking onto Ritsuka with absolute seriousness. “—I hope you’ll listen to what I have to say.”

Her gaze wavered slightly. “Listen to these trivial, extremely boring worries that… that aren’t really like me at all.” She lowered her eyes, suddenly looking incredibly vulnerable. Her ears drooped flat again, bracing for rejection.

Ritsuka didn’t hesitate for a fraction of a second. He nodded firmly, his posture open and attentive. “No problem.”

The immediate, unquestioning acceptance made Atalanta Alter’s eyes brighten. Despite her nerves, a small, genuine curve lifted the corners of her mouth. She closed one eye, flashing him a rare, almost playful smile. Then, keeping her voice soft over the sound of the ocean, she began to pour out the tangled worries hidden deep within her heart, piece by piece.

“…Anyway, that’s it.” She finished her explanation and peeked up at Ritsuka, only to find him staring at her with wide, surprised eyes. Embarrassment flooded her system all over again. Her ears pinned back defensively. “What? Why are you making that surprised face?!” she snapped, her tsundere edge returning.

“Ah—your worry, well…” Ritsuka snapped out of his daze and scratched the back of his head. His tone was caught somewhere between amusement and disbelief, yet laced with a deep sense of relief. “It’s just… so ordinary.”

“…Ah. I see. So that’s how it is.” Atalanta Alter blinked, stunned for a moment before the words registered. She lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes casting shadows that masked the swirling emotions beneath. When she spoke again, her voice was calm, entirely devoid of its usual defensive ripples. “Well, we have different perspectives. It’s only natural for you to think that way.”

She paused, the coastal wind pulling at her dark dress. “I… we are indeed heroes. We are existences pulled straight from myth.” Suddenly, she looked back up. Her yellow-green eyes shone with a fierce, earnest light. “But we are also humans. We have manifested here with the knowledge of what is called ‘common sense’ in this world, in this reality.”