After returning to the Shiomi residence, Artoria was temporarily placed in a guest room, with Iri keeping her company.
anwhile, Shiomi, changing clothes in his room, found the whole situation oddly amusing.
Just last night, Iri was the one who needed looking after. Now, in a sudden reversal, she was the one tending to Artoria.
Was this what they ant by "the king's carriage has changed hands"?
After stripping off his torn, bloodstained clothes and tossing them into the trash, Shiomi noticed Morgan was already sitting in the room. He hadn't even realized when she arrived, but she didn't look well.
"Just to be clear, Artoria Pendragon was injured by Gilgash's Noble Phantasm. That thing's his ace—it even overpowered the Holy Sword." Shiomi raised his hands slightly. "I was just—"
Morgan gave a faint smile, feigning puzzlent. "Do you really think I'm that jealous of a woman?"
Shiomi considered replying, "Aren't you?" but for the sake of his own survival, he wisely stayed silent.
"In any case, the fact that they attacked in broad daylight shows they're no longer bothering to conceal the supernatural," Morgan said. "When I sensed your battle, I thought the final showdown had already begun. Looks like they're not quite ready yet."
Shiomi nodded. "One thing's for sure after this morning—if anyone's going to stop Gilgash, Kirei Kotomine, and that tainted Holy Grail, it'll have to be us."
"That's not all. The Einzbern homunculus received word that nothing seems out of place at the Civic Hall in Shinto. But Ryuudou Temple on Mount Enzou... they're preparing so kind of large-scale ritual," Morgan added.
Three of the four ley lines in Fuyuki had now been fully confird.
If Kirei intended to forcibly activate the Greater Grail and fend off interfering Servants, his only viable location would be the Greater Grail site at Mount Enzou.
That place already had a spirit barrier set up. Any Servant trying to break in would have to co through the front gate.
And if Gilgash were defending from atop the mountain gate, already having the high ground and a strategic advantage, the situation would beco even more difficult to handle.
But that was a problem for later. Right now, Shiomi was more concerned about sothing else.
"Then why do you look… unwell?"
If it wasn't jealousy over Artoria, then sothing else was bothering her.
"It's nothing. I just saw a glimpse of her past when treating Einzbern's assistant," Morgan said with a small shake of her head.
Maiya Hisau had collapsed too quickly inside the Garden of Lost Will, and hadn't regained consciousness even after the Magecraft had been dispelled.
Still, it was a fairly simple matter for Morgan. She used a bit of magic to interfere with Maiya's unconscious mind, resealing the mories that had awakened in the Garden. Once that was done, Maiya began to show signs of waking up.
"I see," Shiomi said, a little surprised.
Morgan leaned gently against him. He didn't pull away.
"People can be so cruel to one another sotis," she said quietly, not wanting to recount what she had just witnessed.
Shiomi sensed the heaviness in her voice. He couldn't help but question himself—was it really right to trouble Morgan with things like this right now?
"I won't deny it. But even so..." he said, embracing her.
It was the first ti he'd ever held his Servant like this outside the battlefield.
He didn't think of Morgan as a familiar, but as a master-class Magus of the Age of Gods—a heroic spirit etched into legend.
As for treating her as a woman… that felt presumptuous.
Even knowing she was female, even sensing that Morgan might feel sothing more than duty toward him—
Sothing that went beyond what a Servant felt for their Master.
"Even so, I still believe this human world is beautiful—sothing worth protecting," Shiomi said sincerely to Morgan, though he didn't expect her to share the sentint.
"I know. It's just... I've always harbored a bit of fantasy about the unknown world," Morgan replied. "Because I only saw it in passing. Because it's the world you live in, so…"
So she had ended up placing unrealistic hopes on the world he had always lived in—the world that, over six thousand years, had never once turned its back on her.
Naive thoughts she should have long since abandoned had resurfaced the mont she laid eyes on it.
"I see. That must have been tough on you," Shiomi said softly, understanding her.
Without realizing it, Morgan leaned a little deeper into him.
"How are your injuries?"
But the faint scent of blood still lingering brought her back to her senses.
"It's nothing serious. Wounds like this won't kill ," Shiomi said, letting go and flashing a confident smile.
Morgan lowered her gaze, thoughtful. "Still, Gilgash's trump card is without a doubt beyond conventional standards. We only managed to counter it this ti because Artoria unleashed the full power of her Holy Sword and used grand-scale Magecraft."
"Exactly." Shiomi stood and began to pace the room. "That's why, next ti, we'll need to coordinate with Saber and Rider to launch an assault, make sure Gilgash doesn't get the chance to even pull that Noble Phantasm out."
"No need to be that grim," Morgan said. "There aren't many ways to block that Noble Phantasm head-on—but if I'm willing to sacrifice my Spirit Origin, I can create a window for my husband to win."
Shiomi froze. "Do you really have to go that far?"
He wasn't afraid of death. He wasn't afraid of bleeding out in a fight against the King of Heroes. But hearing Morgan speak so casually about sacrificing herself—passing that burden to her—suddenly made Tenkei Shiomi hesitate.
If it had been Iskandar or Artoria proposing this, he might have accepted it more readily.
"It's only one of many possibilities," Morgan said, giving her blue kimono sleeve a graceful shake. Her voice was calm and refined. "As distasteful as it is, there are alternatives. But when the ti cos, my husband will need to put that silver tongue of his to work—convince soone to part with a treasure they paid dearly to obtain."
Shiomi imdiately understood what she ant.
"That thing can heal wounds as severe as a lost heart in an instant, sure... but are you saying it can also defend against Gilgash's Noble Phantasm?"
"Don't you trust your wife's judgnt?" Morgan asked.
"...If it's the judgnt of the Grand Magus Morgan, of course I trust it..." he muttered.
Still, deep down, Shiomi couldn't help but admit—he was no match for this witch.
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