After taking a bath, Shiomi finally felt the fatigue gradually rising.
He put a towel around his neck, changed into his home clothes, and stepped outside, but couldn't see Morgan anywhere. Both children were asleep in their respective bedrooms—they were already able to sleep on their own, which meant that Shiomi didn't have to worry so much most of the time.
He looked around the room casually and eventually found Morgan sitting on the floor facing the garden, her feet resting on the green stones of the courtyard, gazing off into the distance. The winter air flowed into the room through the open glass windows, but it wasn't particularly cold.
From here, one could see the garden behind Shiomi's house, as well as the night sky. Earlier, the sky had been overcast, but it had now cleared completely. The nearly full moon and countless stars shone brightly, illuminating the entire courtyard. Moonlight spilled over the fairy queen like a fine, chilly snowfall, giving her an almost melancholic appearance.
"What a nice garden. It doesn't look like much, but the more I look at it, the more I like it," said Morgan.
He hadn't intended to disturb her alone time, but since Morgan spoke first, he stopped and listened.
"If you're not in a hurry to go to bed, stay and chat with me for a while," Morgan invited him.
Shiomi sat down silently beside her and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. He could touch her shoulder if he shifted slightly. But he didn't feel unsettled by that. Was it thanks to the winter night, or had he simply gotten used to it?
Even though he was sitting so close to Morgan, he felt an unusual sense of calm, quieter inside than usual.
"It's a good place to live alone," Morgan said. "A Magus's workshop often reflects the personality of its owner. From that perspective, you strike me as the reclusive type."
Shiomi pursed his lips.
"But I'm not just a Magus. I'm also a person. No matter how much I try to avoid the world, it's impossible to separate myself from it and live entirely alone."
"This is that kind of place," Morgan nodded lightly in approval. "To put it in more general terms—it has a human touch."
As she said this, she turned to him. Shiomi hadn't been deliberately looking at Morgan's face, but when their eyes met, he realized she'd been smiling all along. The expression wasn't as warm as the winter sun, yet not as cold as eternal snow.
It was a smile only Morgan could show. Shiomi stared, forgetting to respond.
"Especially those two children," Morgan continued. "They may have naturally disrupted the original structure of this workshop, yet rather than weakening your identity as a Magus, they've made something even more complete."
She didn't seem to expect an answer and slowly turned her gaze away.
"As you said earlier, people are incomplete."
Shiomi lowered his head, looking at the grass and scattered stones in the courtyard.
"That's why we need someone to fill in what's missing."
"Yet, even with that thought in mind, you still chose to participate in the Holy Grail War." Morgan looked at the Command Spell on the back of Shiomi's hand.
Shiomi raised his hand and smiled at the Command Spell.
"What if I said it wasn't my own decision? That one day, the Command Spell just appeared—not as a Holy Stigmata, but fully formed from the start?"
Morgan looked at him and nodded.
"So, because you received the Command Spell, you had to fight? Even if you don't have a wish you want the Holy Grail to grant?"
"Is that not allowed?"
Shiomi smiled, lips pressed together.
"I'm not the only Magus entering the Holy Grail War with that mindset."
Kirei Kotomine. Waver Velvet. Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
None of the Masters Shiomi knew had a clear wish. The latter two entered the war more for personal glory—to prove the strength of their beliefs.
"Then let me ask you this. If you win in the end and get the Holy Grail, what wish would you make?"
Morgan looked into Shiomi's eyes.
"It can be wealth, power, fame, or even something a little tacky."
"I can't choose just one?"
Shiomi raised his eyebrows.
"You can say you want everything."
Morgan shook her head.
"Or maybe you're actually a very serious Magus who wants to use the power of the Holy Grail to reach the 'Swirl of the Root'?"
Morgan's questions weren't forceful, but every word struck straight at Shiomi's heart.
He didn't have any wish that needed the Holy Grail to come true. Nor did he bear any pain so deep that only an omnipotent wish-granting device could resolve it.
But if... if he had to find a reason...
Not some mission forced upon him by "a certain entity," but a desire of his own.
It did exist. Yet even as he acknowledged that, Shiomi still questioned whether that "purpose" was truly necessary.
If he could, he would rather bury the thought deep inside, unknown to anyone—until the moment it could quietly come to fruition.
Unless... even the deepest part of his heart was laid bare.
Suddenly, without warning, Morgan grabbed Shiomi's wrist. Her expression turned sharp, alert.
Shiomi immediately sensed it too. Though the stars and moon were still visible overhead, a distant rumble of thunder was slowly drawing closer.
The magical energy riding the storm quickly became distinct.
It was clear who the visitor was.
Shiomi raised his hand, breaking the barrier to leave an opening wide enough for someone to pass through. The barrier had been so roughly torn open that repairing it afterward would be more troublesome than just starting over from scratch.
Either way, it was a serious nuisance.
That sound—rumbling through the air—was the roar of Rider's Noble Phantasm, the Gordius Wheel.
Perhaps sensing the barrier open, and taking it as a welcome, the ox cart Noble Phantasm followed the guided path and slowly descended onto the spacious lawn behind Shiomi's house.
"It doesn't look like you're here to fight, Rider."
Shiomi remained seated, not moving.
But the King of Conquerors on the cart rubbed his chin, looking mischievously at the master and servant sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch.
"Did I come at the wrong time and interrupt something fun?"
Iskandar grinned broadly, flashing his white teeth.
"Maybe I should come back later."
Shiomi glanced toward Artoria, who was dressed in a suit and leapt off the ox cart with Irisviel in her arms.
"Since you came so well-prepared and backed off the moment you were told to leave, that's exactly why I find it suspicious."
Shiomi stood up from beneath the eaves, stepping barefoot onto the wooden floor.
"Einzbern, are you planning to abandon our alliance and side with Rider's camp instead?"