After pointing Shiomi and the other two toward the village, Orion seemed confident they wouldn't get lost. He headed off in the exact opposite direction and disappeared into the island's forest.
Not toward the beach where the Storm Border was docked, and not toward the village.
"Think he went to tip off the Olympian gods?" Morgan guessed, half-teasing.
"Huh?" Olga Marie jolted. "…Is that actually possible?"
In myth, Orion was Artemis's lover. The moon goddess would even force her way into his Spirit Origin to manifest alongside him, all to protect him. Orion always came off as fickle, constantly trying to chat up unfamiliar women, but in the end, he still loved Artemis.
And in this Lostbelt, Artemis was surely among the Olympian gods. So Morgan's suspicion wasn't exactly out of nowhere.
"Did he look like someone about to do that?" Shiomi laughed. "To me, that Orion looked like he had something on his mind. He acted blunt and straightforward, sure, but he didn't hide the fact that he's tangled up over something."
Morgan nodded. "His answers were vague, but he never denied that he's a Servant from Proper Human History."
"So… that means Orion, summoned by the Counter Force for the sake of Proper Human History and sent to the Atlantis Lostbelt, is being forced to fight the goddess he loves, Artemis?" Olga Marie covered her mouth. She could understand why he'd be torn.
"Even if it's a different existence because of the Lostbelt, being made to oppose the goddess you love is still brutal," Shiomi said, feeling it himself. "If a Proper Human History Morgan showed up in front of us… I'm not sure I'd be able to raise my hand against her, either."
"I won't force you." Morgan idly combed at her hair by the temple, speaking in an unhurried tone. "And if it really comes to that, I'll do it myself. My husband doesn't need to suffer over it."
Shiomi couldn't help laughing. "That's still another 'you' from a different history. I'm impressed you can say that with a straight face."
"It's better than watching you get stuck on the same face, over and over, and then end up dying at her hands," Morgan said quietly, shaking her head. "In the end, she's a king who inherited Britannia's Mystery. I'm a fairy from the Garden of Eden. By nature, we aren't the same."
It was like how Shiomi treated Pendragon and Caster differently.
The latter was simply the second fairy from the Garden of Eden that he'd taken in out of kindness and protected. She'd been raised well, but he didn't hold her nearly as close.
The former, though, was the one he cherished most.
"In short…" Morgan paused, weighing her words. "My husband might waver when he sees the same face, but he still knows what matters. The only difference is who that person is."
Olga Marie murmured, a little envious, "If it were Lady Morgan, the Master would definitely lose his composure. But if it were someone else, he'd still be able to keep a clearer head."
Back in the Scandinavian Lostbelt, Shiomi had proven exactly that. If Skadi hadn't been so friendly, he wouldn't have accepted an invitation to the royal capital so readily.
"More or less." Morgan laughed lightly and continued chatting with Olga Marie. "The more you care, the more you panic. If you don't panic, it's because you never loved them in the first place."
After that, Olga Marie started asking Morgan for advice about romance, and Morgan, with the air of someone who'd been through it all, calmly pointed her in the right direction.
The mood wasn't bad.
So Shiomi didn't interrupt, focusing on leading the way.
Following Orion's directions, he avoided the Magical Beasts moving through the woods. Before long, they crossed the island's forest—hardly an untouched wilderness—and reached the village on the far side of the island.
As if nothing had changed for thousands upon thousands of years, the islanders were still dressed in ancient Greek-style clothing.
These outsiders, dressed differently and clearly from beyond the island, didn't put the villagers on guard so much as they simply surprised them.
But when Shiomi mentioned that they'd found their way here because Orion had pointed them in the right direction, the villagers' attitude immediately warmed.
"Since Orion sent you, go find the 'porter.' He should be in the tavern right about now."
After giving them directions, the islander who'd spoken with Shiomi and the others hurried off to get back to his own business.
"What a peaceful little island," Olga Marie said. "A battle like that just happened out at sea, and they don't seem to care at all."
"They probably don't see anything strange about it," Morgan said, thoughtful. "Under the rule of gods, humans never develop the kind of critical thinking they should. They end up treating abnormalities at sea as perfectly natural."
Shiomi nodded. "Because the gods here aren't something out of legend or faith. They exist. They're real—and they're literally watching over all of Atlantis from above."
Since they needed to survey the local environment and gather information useful for exploring Atlantis, they headed toward the tavern to make contact with this "porter" the villagers had mentioned.
"We don't need to hurry that much, do we?" Morgan suddenly stopped at a roadside stall, studying the goods on display. "These are genuine ancient Greek items. Even if we just buy them as local souvenirs, we're not losing out."
Shiomi folded his arms. "You're not wrong, but we don't have their currency."
"Currency isn't a problem. I've got some gold." Morgan produced several gold coins from beneath her cloak—keepsakes she'd brought from the Fairy Kingdom. "We're travelers from out of town. Would these be acceptable?"
"What's this?" the female vendor asked.
"Hm?"
"If you want something, bring materials, clothing, or game to trade," the stall owner explained calmly. "Those little thin pieces won't do."
"…I see. Then we'll come back later."
Morgan put the coins away.
Gold, something that ought to pass anywhere, was being dismissed as worthless little discs.
When she turned around, Shiomi was already laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking, and Olga Marie looked like she wanted to laugh but didn't dare.
And then Morgan proceeded to "punish" Shiomi the entire way, keeping him firmly in hand, until they finally reached the tavern and his ordeal came to an end.
Inside, a male Servant in splendid clothing was drinking. He seemed to have already heard that outsiders had arrived. When he saw them, he lifted his cup in greeting.
"Welcome to Hestia Island."