Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“Um, as far as I know, Senior Xia Yu isn’t that kind of person,” Mashu hesitated. The events of a few days ago were still fresh in her mind. These two were unruly. Could she be part of their game this time as well?

Seeing her beloved daughter siding with someone else, Fujimaru Ritsuka was furious and blurted out, "He...he hugged me without my permission and pressed his face against mine...he tried to kiss me forcibly!"

"It took me a lot of effort to escape!"

"Mash, use your shield on him, just for my sake!"

"What?!" Mashu was shocked to hear this. "I've never even kissed her!"

No, how could I do such a thing to my senior!

She drew her shield in a flash and charged aggressively into the fortress.

"Hey, wait a minute," Fujimaru Ritsuka was dumbfounded when she saw this. It wouldn't matter if she said a few words, since he couldn't hear her anyway, but if Mashu rushed in, they would be doomed.

Mashu is a good girl; she wouldn't just slam her shield into Xia Yu's face as soon as she went in. She would only question him first.

But wouldn't that be enough with just one question? Looking at the two contrasting perspectives, oh dear.

If Mashu found out that I was crying and acting cute in someone's arms, my reputation would be ruined!

He just wanted to act cute with Mashu, and he absolutely couldn't let her know that the wise and mighty senior in her eyes could also have such a vulnerable moment!

Although Fujimaru Ritsuka felt a warmth in her heart that Mashu was so excited for her sake—she cared about her! She wanted to stand up for her!—she knew better than to risk her freshly made-up embarrassing past.

“Um, Mashu, it’s not that serious,” Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly grabbed her sleeve and said, “You don’t have to be so… well, excited.”

"But Natsumi-senpai kissed you forcibly!" Mashu excitedly waved her shield, the gust of wind she created making Fujimaru Ritsuka's face sting.

"Uh, I told you, it wasn't that serious. We didn't actually kiss, did we?" Fujimaru Ritsuka turned her head away shyly.

Damn it, I was so embarrassed when I first came out, and after meeting Mashu, I started to say things I shouldn't have... Sigh, Fujimaru Ritsuka, how could you be so depraved!

In the Lostbelt where every step is fraught with danger, I would never have made such a basic mistake... Sigh, have I been too lax these past few days?

Her mind raced with thoughts of quitting... quitting what?

A comfortable life, free from the constant worry of survival and burdens...

"Senpai, say something, Senpai!" Mashu was clearly a little flustered as she watched her lost in thought.

“Mash,” Fujimaru Ritsuka took a deep breath, her eyes calm and devoid of any worldly desires, “Forget about it, let’s just ignore him.”

“We haven’t explored this place together yet,” she said, taking Mashu’s hand. “Come on, let’s ignore him and explore the area properly.”

Mashu, a pure girl, was clearly unable to resist the affectionate advances of her admired senior, and was dragged away by Fujimaru Ritsuka in a daze.

“Heh,” Xia Yu stood on the terrace of the fortress, watching their backs in the distance, “Little Ritsuka is laughable, laughable.”

He saw everything.

“That child is under a lot of pressure,” Leonardo da Vinci sighed behind him, watching the two girls chatting and laughing as they walked away. “She shouldn’t be carrying such a burden at her age.”

"But what can we do when we have no other choice?"

At this point, she couldn't help but grit her teeth in hatred. Damn it, Rafe, one bomb destroyed the originally planned Group A, and in the end, Ritsuka, the candidate Master, had to shoulder the heavy responsibility.

If it weren't for this, a more mature person would naturally take over the responsibility, and Ritsuka wouldn't have to work so hard.

Yes, Fujimaru Ritsuka has performed perfectly all this time. She is determined and decisive, overcoming unimaginable difficulties time and time again.

But she was ultimately just a minor, and entrusting the lives of all humanity to her was far too heavy a burden for her.

Especially in Lostbelts, to survive, one must end the history and existence of other Lostbelts... How cruel... and she, a child, has to bear it all.

“Thank you for your guidance,” Leonardo da Vinci said sincerely. “If it weren’t for this, I don’t know how long this child would have kept it bottled up inside.”

Ritsuka was always aware of these emotions, but she was always powerless to change them.

Because in the eyes of everyone in Chaldea, Ritsuka is the indomitable Master, the savior who can overcome any difficulty in the end, she cannot and does not want to show her helplessness and confusion in front of the people of Chaldea.

As the only Master, she is the backbone of everyone. If even she has doubts, Da Vinci himself will not think much of it, but what about the surviving staff of Chaldea?

Perhaps they could accept it, but Ritsuka doesn't dare to take the risk.

If I show any hesitation, can they handle it?

Everyone knows how much pressure they've been under along the way.

Little Da Vinci could only watch anxiously, and she tried to comfort Ritsuka, but to little avail.

Because she would always appear incredibly strong in front of every Chaldea member, including Leonardo da Vinci.

This child is so sensible...

The more this happened, the more heartbroken little Da Vinci felt, but Ritsuka wouldn't open her heart to them, and there was nothing she could do.

Fortunately, here, in this unfamiliar world, an opportunity has finally arrived.

Why is Fujimaru Ritsuka so impressed with Artoria of the Britannia Lostbelt? And why was the Britannia Lostbelt the easiest of all her journeys?

Because destroying this Lostbelt doesn't require much effort at all.

Thanks to the fairies' great lack of virtue, no normal person would like this Lostbelt, so Ritsuka wouldn't hesitate to sever its future.

Those fairies are absolutely disgusting.

It was really hard for her to feel empathy.

If all Lostbelts were like this, children wouldn't have so much psychological pressure.

“I just did what a friend should do,” Xia Yu sighed. “Ritsuka… she really had a tough time.”

“Do you know? She’s a completely different person in front of you than in front of us,” Little Leonardo said sadly. “In front of us, she is always that unwavering Master, the last hope of human history. This child is just too sensible. Being precocious isn’t always a good thing.”

"I see you carrying everything on your own shoulders, and it pains me to see it."

“Then I’m sure she and Amiya will definitely have something in common,” Xia Yu smiled slightly upon hearing this. “Teacher, I can’t help you much, but at least in Terra, she can get through a period of time with ease.”

"No need to worry about any pan-human history, no need to worry about the threat of alien gods, no need to live in constant fear, no need to face life-or-death situations time and time again."

"Don't worry, you can stay here as long as you want, even for a hundred years. When you return, you will only appear one second after you leave."

“That sounds wonderful,” Leonardo da Vinci sighed upon hearing this, and said, “You…you’re all the same after all.”

"How so?" Xia Yu asked with a smile.

“You want her to stay, but she wants you to come back with us,” Leonardo da Vinci said helplessly. “You all know that this is destined to be fruitless.”

“Ritsuka is a stubborn child. She can’t give up everything in Pan-Human History… especially after making so many efforts and sacrifices.”

“That child has already carried so much; she can’t possibly stop.”

"As for you, my student, I can see that you have poured your heart and soul into this land. Countless people depend on you for survival, and you cannot abandon them and leave with us."

“You are all smart people, you know this is doomed to failure.”

She saw clearly Fujimaru Ritsuka's repeated verbal probing and Natsume's polite rejections and rebuttals.

These two people... are so awkward.

“Teacher, this is something you don’t understand,” Xia Yu said seriously upon hearing this, “This is a unique way for young people to maintain their friendship.”

"Fine, do whatever you want," Leonardo da Vinci said, rolling his eyes at him. "Let's get back to our research."

"I still don't understand what's going on. Why can you convert Originium into magic power, while we can't do it no matter what we do."

"Using its internal energy is fine, but it just can't be converted into magic."

"Perhaps... you're just missing an ID card?" Xia Yu guessed, stroking his chin. "You know, Originium... well, it's not a simple thing."

"Teacher, you should be able to see this."

“Based on what you’ve said, and what you said before, we can stay as long as we want, and since you happen to need someone who knows magic, we’ve appeared here immediately,” Little Leonardo gave him a meaningful look. “I can say that you actually know why we drifted here, right?”

“Actually, the answer is very simple,” Xia Yu said seriously, “Tara’s mother loves me.”

“…I think I know what’s going on,” Leonardo da Vinci said, covering his forehead. “It’s…unbelievable.”

"But it's a good thing, it allows everyone to relax a bit. Sigh, the pressure on the alien gods is just too great."

“But I’m getting more and more curious about you, my good student,” she looked up into Xia Yu’s eyes, “You know so much.”

“I remember back in Babylon, not only me, but Romani was also teaching you.”

“But after you met us, you didn’t mention Romani at all, and you weren’t curious about where he was.”

“I am deeply honored to receive the teachings of King Solomon,” Xia Yu said sincerely.

“So, you knew all along, didn’t you?” Leonardo da Vinci sighed. “Well, you knew… never mind.”

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pried into your secrets."

"Teacher, you're being too polite. I'll definitely help you if I can."

Xia Yu placed her hand on little Da Vinci's head in a serious manner. "Of course, I don't know too much about alien gods, and I may not be right. It's just a direction for thinking. I can only say that... the so-called alien gods may really come from 'alien planets,' but they may not necessarily come from the universe."

“You mean…” Upon hearing this, young Leonardo da Vinci immediately began to think, and then noticed the hand constantly rubbing above his head.

"You unfilial disciple!!!"

505 Today's expenses will all be paid by Young Master Xia!

"Mash, try this!" Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a smile, picking up a piece of pineapple and offering it to Mash's lips.

“Senior…is it not right for us to do this?” Mash hesitated.