Helping Xi Jianxi and Morgan was not without its benefits.
After their previous battle, Artoria knew Morgan would not be easy to deal with. Even if they were destined to become enemies in the end, she needed more thorough preparations.
Trying to ambush Morgan's Master rashly would probably be difficult to accomplish.
"But how did you know where my Master was?" Artoria asked her second question.
Morgan smiled dismissively. "Information should have been gathered before the Holy Grail War began. The Einzbern family came from Germany to participate in the Holy Grail War in Japan, so they were bound to have a base of operations. Obtaining that information was no difficult task."
As she spoke, Morgan still did not turn around. Her gaze remained fixed on Xi Jianxi's sleepy face.
"Now that you know where your Master is, you may leave whenever you wish. Tomorrow, Tianxi and I will await your arrival with your Master."
Returning from Miyama Town to Einzbern Castle did not take Artoria much time.
That had been her intention as well.
"Thank you very much."
Artoria had never imagined that one day, she would say such words to Morgan.
Yet even until Artoria left the room, Morgan did not look at her. She merely leaned comfortably against the sofa.
"You should get some sleep as well. I'll watch the surroundings. A mere Lancer is no match for me."
Sakura and Karen had long since gone to bed, and Xi Jianxi was exhausted as well, so Morgan would stand watch here.
Whether as a Servant or in some other capacity.
"Then... I'll leave it to you." Unable to reject Morgan's goodwill, Xi Jianxi agreed earnestly.
Having witnessed tonight's battle, every faction participating in the Holy Grail War would have their own thoughts.
"I see. Xi Jianxi has caught Lord El-Melloi's attention."
At the Tohsaka Family residence, Tokiomi let out a slight sigh after listening to Kirei's report through the magical communicator.
"The Clock Tower's conflicts are becoming ever fiercer. They are even willing to kill members of opposing factions during the Holy Grail War."
Kirei had his own view on the matter. "Perhaps after witnessing tonight's battle, Kayneth saw the threat posed by Xi Jianxi himself. He is no less dangerous than a Servant. If he and Lancer had to face Xi Jianxi and Berserker at the same time, their chances of victory would be exceedingly slim."
Not only that, even Kirei himself had to consider whether he could truly defeat Xi Jianxi in a serious battle.
When carrying out missions jointly commissioned by the Mage's Association and the Holy Church in the past, Kirei had indeed observed Xi Jianxi's fighting style from close range.
That man had always excelled at seeing the greater picture through the smallest details, breaking through from subtle points by exploiting the weaknesses in his opponent's magecraft with the most exquisite methods.
Kirei had never once seen him cast large-scale magecraft continuously as he had tonight.
Was that the power possessed by the restored Ancient Rune Foundation?
"From a tactical perspective, it is entirely reasonable. However, by doing so, Kayneth has successfully shifted Xi Jianxi's strategic focus onto himself." Tokiomi smiled. "No matter what, Xi Jianxi will prioritize eliminating Lancer from here on."
Based on the intelligence Kirei had sent back, Lancer's true name could already be roughly deduced. Tokiomi was certain of it.
"Furthermore, they took Saber with them. I fear the two sides have already reached a private agreement. Saber's side will not interfere when Xi Jianxi and his Servant attack Kayneth's side," Kirei said. "What should we do, my teacher?"
"Of course, we let them fight." Tokiomi chose the safest strategy.
They would first let the other Masters and Servants slaughter one another. Once only one or two pairs remained, Gilgamesh would step in to clean up the survivors. Victory in the Holy Grail War would surely fall into the Tohsaka Family's hands.
"I understand."
"Afterward, I will find a way to send Xi Jianxi a message and tell him that I will not interfere in his battle with Kayneth."
Tokiomi did not want Xi Jianxi to die in his battle with Kayneth. His most desired outcome was for Xi Jianxi's Servant to be defeated by Gilgamesh, while he, as a Master, spared Xi Jianxi, another Master.
That way, he could not only obtain victory in the Holy Grail War, but also secure Sakura and Rin's future.
"Excuse me, Tokiomi. Kirei's Assassin has just sent word that Caster and his Master have been spotted."
Awakening
—Then Xi Jianxi had a dream.
It was a dream someone had once dreamed in her youth.
A witch's dream, one who loved quiet, gentle stories.
A library with no one in it.
A gray, overcast sky could be seen through the window.
The soft patter of rain falling gently.
Among shelves of books too numerous to count was a girl endlessly seeking knowledge without end.
In that dim yet warm library, she was like a child sitting at a desk reading fairy tales.
She... was painting a certain "dream."
Between a Master and a Servant existed a passage formed through magical energy. It was originally a mechanism solely intended to allow the Master to provide the magical energy needed for the Servant to maintain a physical body, but it also carried a "side effect" that the Holy Grail War system's original designers had never anticipated.
Occasionally, while dreaming, a Master would see memories from the Heroic Spirit's life.
They might be fragments, or more complete experiences.
It varied.
"...Ah." Xi Jianxi opened his eyes and looked at the familiar ceiling of his bedroom.
The lingering traces of the dream had yet to fade. His body felt exceptionally heavy, and he did not want to move at all as he lay in bed. He could only make a brief sound.
Then he could not help letting out another sigh. Even Xi Jianxi did not know where that emotion had come from.
"You're awake?"
A childish voice sounded beside him. He turned his head and saw Karen's young face.
"Is it already this late...?" Xi Jianxi glanced at the alarm clock by his bed and was startled. "I need to hurry and take you and Sakura to school."
Karen shook her head. "No need. Lady Morgan called the school today and said my sister and I would be resting at home."
"She certainly knows how to adapt..." Xi Jianxi had no objection to that, merely making a joking remark to himself.
Still, it was fitting. If Sakura and Karen continued attending school for the time being, Xi Jianxi would only remain distracted.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Karen's eyes gleamed.
"No, I'm just a little tired," Xi Jianxi said.
"Oh." The light in Karen's eyes dimmed, as though she were somewhat disappointed.
Xi Jianxi was at a loss for words. "It feels like you were hoping for something terrible."
"It's your imagination." Karen gave him an obedient, dignified smile.
There had actually been faint signs of it before, but as she grew older, Karen gradually began to display her precocious nature. Along with that precocity, however, came that somewhat "terrible" personality.
Had something gone wrong with my parenting? Xi Jianxi asked himself.
After all, he had never been married and had no experience raising children. It was not impossible that he had made mistakes.
"Who exactly does she take after?"
By the time Xi Jianxi said that, Karen had already run out.
He struggled to sit up in bed and recalled the dream from moments ago.
Since Masters and Servants were connected through their souls, one could accidentally enter the other's layer of memories while asleep.
Generally speaking, one only needed to cut off one's consciousness to avoid glimpsing them.
Xi Jianxi had fallen asleep last night entirely because Morgan had abruptly used magecraft on him.
"That woman really does have a terrible personality. I suppose that is only fitting for the Witch of the Rain Country..."
Recalling last night, he instinctively wanted to complain, but his words stopped halfway.
The Rain Country... what kind of place was that?
In all sorts of legends, records of Morgan often appeared as one of the characters in King Arthur's tales. Even in the world of Magi, there was very little that could be verified.
Was that Morgan's past... or rather, the time when she had still been a girl with dreams?
And she had looked remarkably like Artoria. It was impossible not to believe the two were sisters.
Breakfast at the Xi household was never simple. Especially with two children under ten, both at an age when they were growing, Xi Jianxi could not neglect their daily meals.
After eating a nutritious breakfast, Karen watched television in the living room.
Xi Jianxi went to inspect the magic workshop.
Since she was resting at home today, Sakura was studying magecraft with Morgan, specifically Imaginary magecraft.
Sakura possessed the innate "Imaginary" attribute. In the world of Magi, this attribute was defined as "something that may be possible, yet does not exist in the material world." Some Magi proficient in modern science also called it the Imaginary Element.
As for the essence of this magecraft, it was an exceedingly mysterious thing to modern Magi. Magi who possessed this attribute were already rare, and those with truly outstanding aptitude appeared only once in a century.
"Looks like you're picking it up quickly." Holding a glass of water, Xi Jianxi watched Sakura practice magecraft and offered his assessment.
Though she was still far from entering the field, the fact that she could already touch a realm that did not exist forced even Xi Jianxi to marvel at Sakura's talent.
"This child has excellent aptitude. With only a little explanation, she can naturally understand the 'Imaginary,'" Morgan said calmly from her chair nearby.
Xi Jianxi smiled when he heard that. "That is because the teacher is good. I could never teach Sakura these things. I could only teach her things that would be useful, while wasting her talent."
He knew that even without learning Imaginary magecraft, Sakura could become an outstanding Magus.
But if she had the chance to study and cultivate an attribute aligned with her inborn talent in depth, then given enough time, attaining the rank of Grand within the Mage's Association might not be impossible.
"Mother is really amazing! She knows so much!" Sakura suddenly chimed in with praise.
The way she addressed Morgan caused Xi Jianxi to swallow his water wrong, and he choked violently.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."
Though he wanted to complain that Morgan had instilled strange ideas in Sakura.
Today, however, she had both pretended to be their stepmother to call the school and request leave, and was now teaching Sakura magecraft at the level of the Age of Gods.
Xi Jianxi could only cough while shooting Morgan a resentful glare.
"You should not get too agitated. The curse has not yet faded, and my magecraft can only ensure that your daily movements are not restricted." A faint smile appeared on Morgan's face. "Besides, you look as though you did not sleep well. Did I accidentally use curse magecraft instead?"
"...Can someone accidentally do something like that?" Xi Jianxi's eye twitched furiously. "It's nothing. I just had a few too many dreams."
Morgan's gaze became meaningful. "Then shall I personally prepare something to calm your mind? The Holy Grail War is a matter of life and death. If you cannot rest sufficiently, you will die."
"A witch's sleeping incense?" Xi Jianxi neither agreed nor disagreed. "Besides, I am not going to die just because I slept badly. I would rather discuss how we should attack Lancer and his Master."
"It is good that you have the resolve, but before that, there is something else you need to know." Morgan said, "The Holy Church has issued a summons for all Masters."
Xi Jianxi stopped drinking. "What?"
Alliance
After pressing the doorbell outside the Xi residence's gate, Irisviel saw a little girl about the same size as her daughter Illya. The girl had the same silver hair, slightly wavy at the ends, and golden eyes as she came out to open the gate.
"Visitors?" the girl asked.
Irisviel and Artoria had come prepared to visit Xi Jianxi, the Master, but they had not expected this situation.
So Irisviel crouched slightly and spoke through the iron gate. "Yes... We are acquaintances of Mr. Xi, and we arranged to meet him today."
"They are guests. Open the gate, Karen." Xi Jianxi's voice came from the steps before the front door.
Clearly, when Karen had come over to open the gate, he had come outside as well.
"Okay." Karen swiftly opened the front gate and let the two inside.
Xi Jianxi walked down to greet them and lifted Karen into his arms with one hand.
"W-what a surprise. Is she your daughter?" Seeing a child about Illya's age, Irisviel could not help feeling reminded of her own daughter and asked an extra question.
"She is my younger daughter. Her name is Karen," Xi Jianxi introduced naturally.
"More than one?" Irisviel was utterly stunned.
She could tell Xi Jianxi was very young. Having one child was not strange, but two... that was very strange.
Before you continue