You up for a mock battle?

"So, you're saying your life was so dull that you needed a war to spice things up?" Kaguya said, giving me a judgmental look.

"Well, not exactly..."

"Why are you so excited about it then?"

Her sharp eyes continued to pierce through me, searching for an answer that would satisfy her.

"This is something I have to do. It doesn't matter whether I want to or not. I have no choice."

"There's nothing absolute about that. You can always make a choice."

"Not this time. It's different now..."

Kaguya seemed to notice the frustration on my face as I spoke those words, and she decided to drop the conversation.

"Alright then, since we've settled everything, how about a spar? It will help you all get to know each other better, learn about your servants, and how to fight."

Oh hell nah. I really don't want to spar with anyone here. They all will have powerful servants, while I only have Kaguya.

I glanced at Kaguya, and at that moment, she asked, "Are you thinking something bad about me?"

Without responding, I retreated into my thoughts.

I could hear her yelling at me in the background, but I chose to ignore her.

If we have to spar...

Never mind, it seems like everyone is excited about the idea. I guess there's no way I can avoid it now.

Oh God, I'm going to be a laughingstock because of Kaguya.

"Did you call me, Val?" He (the God) appeared again behind me, grabbing my shoulders.

"No, we're fine. Thanks for your interest, though," I said, pushing him away.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to participate in the spar. Considering Kaguya's current situation, there's no way you're winning any of the matches."

"Aww, so you care about me."

"Please don't make it weird."

"Alright then, I'll just stand and watch the others. By the way, where will we hold the spar? This place will blow to bits if we do it here."

"Don't worry about it. I'll transport us to a more suitable location. Let's wait a bit until the others bond with each other."

"Haven't they already met each other?"

"They have, but it's better to deepen their bonds. Trust is important for them to survive this war. Speaking of which, don't you want to get to know them better? It might come in handy later."

"Their introductions were enough for me. If I want to find out more about them, I'll do it my own way."

"Alright then, mister. Just sit somewhere, and when the time is right, I'll call you," he said before disappearing again, as soon as I stopped pushing him.

I turned around and headed back to where I had left Kaguya. However, she was nowhere to be found.

I scanned the area in search of her and thankfully spotted her engaged in a conversation with another woman whom I hadn't seen before.

Based on Kaguya's personality, I was certain that the other woman had initiated the conversation.

She had silver-colored eyes and short hair of the same color. She wore a dark gray coat that was open, revealing a light gray sweater underneath, paired with black trousers.

I approached them for two reasons: to inform Kaguya about our next steps and to learn more about the woman, whom I suspected to be someone's servant.

Kaguya was the first to notice me approaching. She turned and waved at me, and the other woman also turned, smiling in response to Kaguya's reaction.

"Hey, Val, let me introduce you to my new friend. This is Marie."

"Hello, I'm Marie Curie, a chemist. I've heard a lot about you from Kaguya. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a vibrant yet mature voice.

Oh? Marie Curie? That's unexpected. I thought all the servants would be related to war or be warriors. But I suppose that's not the case.

So she must be Olivia's servant.

"The pleasure is all mine," I said, smiling.

As I took another look at Marie, I noticed that she looked somewhat different from the photos of her that I had seen. She appeared younger and incredibly beautiful, I must admit.

But I still didn't quite understand why someone would choose a non-warrior for a war. There must be a reason behind it, assuming she was chosen and not summoned randomly like Kaguya.

I'll have to ask about the summoning ritual later; I'm really curious to know more.

It seemed like I had been staring at her for too long while lost in my thoughts because Kaguya grabbed my shirt and pulled me away from Marie.

"I'm sorry about that. I was just thinking about what powers you might have, and I ended up staring for too long," I said, apologetic, not wanting to get on her bad side from the beginning. She might prove useful in the future.

"Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough. We have a mock battle to participate in, don't we?" she replied with a smile and a playful tone.

"So, who's your master, Marie?" Kaguya asked.

Honestly, I wondered how she hadn't already figured it out.

If Yuko has Musashi, and I have Kaguya, Marie, who is from Poland, must be Olivia's servant. Although she was born in Warsaw, which was a part of the Russian Empire at that time, I assume we're referring to this era's standards, so Marie's nationality is Poland.

But now that I think about it some more, I'm sure Kaguya doesn't even know where Marie is from, as she didn't even know who she was to begin with.

"My master is Olivia Nowak. We share the same nationality," Marie replied, her expression suggesting she wanted to teach Kaguya something important.

"Ah, there she is," Marie said, causing both Kaguya and me to turn around and see Olivia running towards us, with her short hair fluttering in the wind.

"Why do you always wander off on your own? Do you know how annoying it is to always have to search for you?" Olivia said, her tone soft, yet panting from running.

"I wanted to explore a bit. Do you know how boring it is to stay in one place without anything to do except stare at the sky?" Marie replied, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"I know, I know, but we'll have the spar soon, so it's better if you stick with me until we're finished with that."

"Humph, fine," She replied, turning her head to avoid facing Olivia.

Honestly, it felt like I was witnessing a fight between siblings, reminiscent of the ones I had with Sagiri...

As soon as I thought of her name, her warm smile appeared in my mind. I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away, which caught Olivia's attention.

"You're Val Oswald, right?"

"Yes, that's me. And you're Olivia Nowak, I presume."

"Indeed I am. Nice to meet you."

"N-nice to meet you too," I replied, feeling a bit awkward.

Is it just me, or is she a bit strange? This conversation is getting awkward.

I turned to Kaguya, hoping she would find a way to help me escape this uncomfortable situation, but she was struggling to hold back her laughter. Her face had turned red from the effort.

Marie, on the other hand, lowered her head and shook it disapprovingly, seemingly disappointed by what she had witnessed.

Alright, I know I'm not the best conversationalist, but it's not entirely my fault. Olivia didn't give me much opportunity to speak casually either.

Before I could say anything else, a blue light appeared beneath everyone's feet.

I assumed it was some sort of teleportation mechanism, though a bit too flashy for my taste.

Suddenly, the light grew brighter until it was blinding, forcing us to shield our eyes with our hands to avoid being blinded.

When I finally opened my eyes, we were standing in the middle of an arena.

Glancing around, I immediately recognized our location. We were inside the Colosseum, right in the heart of the arena.

Well, I suppose it's a fitting place for a battle.

I've always wanted to visit this historical site, although not under these circumstances.