The living room of the Shiomi residence.
"I've delivered the letter to Artoria's Master, just as you asked," Morgan said, seated at the edge of the sofa as she looked toward Shiomi.
"Thanks. I could've done it myself..." Shiomi replied, shaking his head.
Morgan gave a faint smile. "Still, it's part of my duty as a wife."
"Uh... are you seriously sticking to that role?" Shiomi asked weakly.
Any man would falter if a stunning beauty called him her husband—but the issue here was that it was Morgan le Fay.
Even if it was only nominal, could he really handle something like that?
"May I ask what you've invited my Master here to discuss?" Artoria waited for their banter to end before speaking in a deliberately serious tone.
She was aware of the message carried by the familiar.
"As you've seen, Lancer's Master has declared war on me—he's even issued a death sentence," Shiomi said slowly, taking a deep breath. "So, my priority now is to defeat Lancer and his Master as quickly as possible. Once Lancer is out of the picture—"
"That's how war works. That's why my husband proposed an alliance," Morgan interjected. "If you don't plan to accept it, Artoria, that's fine. It's just a matter of whether we take care of you or Lancer's camp first."
"Sister..." Artoria let out a sigh, clearly exasperated.
But this was how Morgan always operated—and Artoria knew that well.
Even if her Master had his own strategy, if Morgan disapproved, she would oppose it without hesitation.
"You've heard him. My husband needs Lancer eliminated. Once the Servant is gone, the Master will be easy to take down," Morgan continued smoothly, keeping control of the conversation. "If we're going to fight them, we need to keep other Servants and Masters from interfering."
"So this is about cooperation," Artoria concluded.
If necessary, she and Irisviel might even have to help fend off other factions that could interfere with Shiomi and Morgan's assault on Lancer.
Shiomi had revealed far too much tonight—Kayneth wouldn't be the only Master seeing him as the biggest threat now.
Helping Shiomi and Morgan wasn't without benefit either.
After the previous battle, Artoria understood just how difficult Morgan would be to face. Even if they did end up as enemies, better preparation would be essential.
Trying to ambush Morgan's Master without careful planning would likely fail.
"But how did you know where my Master was?" Artoria asked her second question.
Morgan smiled with indifference. "You should gather intelligence before the Holy Grail War begins. The Einzbern family came from Germany to participate in the war in the Far East—they were bound to have a base of operations. It wasn't hard to uncover."
Even as she spoke, Morgan didn't turn around. Her gaze remained on Shiomi's drowsy face.
"Now that you know where your Master is, you're free to leave whenever you want. Tomorrow, Tenkei and I will be waiting for you and your Master."
It wouldn't take Artoria long to return to the Einzbern castle from Miyama Town.
That was already her plan.
"Much appreciated."
Artoria never imagined she'd be saying those words to Morgan.
But even as she left the room, Morgan didn't look at her—she simply leaned back on the sofa, looking completely at ease.
"You should get some rest too. I'll keep watch. Lancer's no match for me."
Sakura and Caren were already asleep, and Shiomi was clearly exhausted, so Morgan would stand guard.
Whether as a Servant—or in some other capacity.
"Then... I'll leave it to you." Shiomi couldn't turn down Morgan's kindness and agreed sincerely.
After witnessing tonight's battle, every participant in the Holy Grail War would be reevaluating their stance.
…
"I see. So Shiomi has caught the attention of Lord El-Melloi."
At the Tohsaka residence, Tokiomi sighed lightly after listening to Kirei's report through the Magecraft communicator.
"The conflicts within the Clock Tower are escalating—now they're even trying to eliminate opposing factions during the Holy Grail War."
Kirei offered his thoughts. "After tonight's battle, Kayneth probably realized how much of a threat Tenkei Shiomi poses—on par with a Servant. If he and Lancer had to face Shiomi and Berserker together, their odds of winning would be slim."
And not just them—even Kirei himself had to seriously consider whether he could actually win against Shiomi in a real fight.
He had observed Shiomi's combat methods up close during joint operations between the Mage's Association and the Holy Church.
That man's approach had always been to perceive the bigger picture through small details—dissecting enemy Magecraft by exploiting its weaknesses and using precise, refined techniques to dismantle it from within.
But what Shiomi displayed tonight—casting large-scale Magecraft back-to-back—was something Kirei had never witnessed before.
Could that be the power granted by the restored Age of Gods Rune System?
"Tactically sound, no doubt. But in doing so, Kayneth has ensured that Shiomi will now make him the top priority," Tokiomi said with a slight smile. "No matter what happens next, Shiomi will focus on taking down Lancer."
Based on Kirei's intelligence, Tokiomi was fairly certain they had a good grasp of Lancer's true identity.
"On top of that, they've taken Saber with them. It's likely they've already come to a private agreement—not to interfere when Tenkei Shiomi and his Servant attack Kayneth," Kirei added. "What's your decision, Master?"
"Let them fight," Tokiomi replied, opting for the most cautious strategy.
He would allow the other Masters and Servants to wear each other down. Once only one or two groups remained, Gilgamesh would step in to clean up the rest. Victory in the Holy Grail War would naturally fall into the Tohsaka family's hands.
"I understand."
"I'll find a way to send Shiomi a message. Let him know that I won't interfere in his battle with Kayneth."
Tokiomi didn't want Shiomi to die fighting Kayneth. What he hoped for most was that Gilgamesh would defeat Shiomi's Servant, while he, as a Master, would spare Shiomi himself.
That way, he would not only win the Holy Grail War, but also secure a future for both Sakura and Rin.
"Pardon the interruption, Tokiomi. Kirei's Assassin just reported—Caster and his Master have been located."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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