The younger one looked four or five, while the older one had to be at least six or seven.
"Mm."
Ignoring Irisviel's surprise, Xi Jianxi nodded to her and Artoria, then led the way.
After entering the house, he set Karen down and told her to play with Sakura in the garden while he received the two guests in the living room.
"Your Servant... Morgan isn't here," Artoria said.
She had actually dared to meet another Master and Servant alone without having her own Servant accompany her. Even though they had agreed beforehand not to fight, that was truly remarkable courage.
"She's playing with the children." Xi Jianxi gestured toward the living room window facing the backyard garden.
From there, they could see Morgan sitting on the sunlit green-and-yellow lawn, teaching Sakura magecraft.
She had found lessons in the workshop too stifling, so she changed the venue halfway through. Xi Jianxi could only let her do as she pleased.
Artoria withdrew her gaze in surprise and did not pursue what Morgan was thinking. After all, even if she knew, she would not be able to understand it.
"Before we discuss business, there's something I'd like to confirm first." After indicating that they could pour themselves tea, Xi Jianxi asked, "The Holy Church issued an emergency notice this morning, asking all the other groups to join in subjugating the Caster group for violating the secrecy rules of the Holy Grail War. Are you two aware of this?"
Irisviel's expression gradually turned serious. "Yes, we are. According to the Church, they appear to be the true culprits behind the recent kidnappings of sleeping children in Fuyuki, as well as the disappearances and murders. And—"
"And?"
Following Irisviel's gaze, Xi Jianxi looked at Artoria beside her.
"In fact, after leaving your residence yesterday, I encountered Caster on the way to reunite with my Master in the Einzbern forest." Artoria frowned deeply, apparently finding the situation quite troublesome. "Caster seemed mentally unstable. He even mistook me for some Joan of Arc..."
"Joan of Arc?" Xi Jianxi was slightly surprised. "Could Caster be a Servant connected to Joan of Arc?"
"He called himself Gilles de Rais," Artoria added.
"So it was Bluebeard." Xi Jianxi named the title Caster was known by in modern tales.
But that was secondary.
He had originally only wanted to discuss with the Einzbern whether they should fully follow the Church's proposal, agree to a temporary ceasefire, and subjugate Caster first.
But now, it seemed...
"Judging from Caster's attitude toward Saber, he will most likely approach us on his own initiative." Irisviel relayed Kiritsugu's words. "If we can use this opportunity to ambush and subjugate him—"
"I'm afraid it won't be that simple." Xi Jianxi said, "The Church's reward for this subjugation mission is the restoration of one Command Spell. Judging from the current situation, the one who has likely already used a Command Spell is Tokiomi."
He did not know whether Archer's retreat had anything to do with a Command Spell, since Tokiomi had not shown himself. Still, that was the most likely possibility.
Command Spells were precious magical resources. Even when used to support a Servant, they could turn the tide at a critical moment.
"Just as I thought." Irisviel nodded. Xi Jianxi's judgment was nearly identical to Kiritsugu's.
Xi Jianxi considered it. "Suppose we use his mistaken belief that King Arthur is Joan of Arc to set an ambush. Kayneth will inevitably seize that chance to send his Servant in, claim the results of the subjugation, and replenish his lost Command Spell."
"You want to kill two birds with one stone?" Artoria guessed Xi Jianxi's intentions.
Xi Jianxi smiled in agreement. "Yes. Originally, I only wanted to make temporary ceasefire agreements with any other Masters willing to negotiate, so that we could focus on dealing with the Lancer group. But now that the Holy Church has issued this subjugation mission, whether I participate or not, Caster will inevitably seek you out again."
"So you want to upgrade the previous proposal from a ceasefire to an alliance?" Irisviel calmly picked up the thread.
The negotiations were proceeding exactly as Kiritsugu had predicted.
Xi Jianxi was not a typical Magus. Instead, he was full of human warmth.
Especially since... he had children too.
"Caster is running wild in the city. Sakura and Karen could easily become targets as well." Xi Jianxi's expression darkened as he turned to look toward the garden. "Even if I can ensure that my own barrier will not be easily breached, as the father of two children, I cannot simply stand by and ignore this."
It was a perfectly reasonable statement. Neither Irisviel nor Artoria had any reason to doubt him.
"I understand. If Illya were living in this city too, I would ask Saber to eliminate Caster as quickly as possible, no matter what." Irisviel said.
"Illya?"
"She is my daughter, Illyasviel von Einzbern." Irisviel's smile was warm and bright, the expression of a mother. "When the Holy Grail War ends, she may come live in Fuyuki. I hope that when the time comes, she can become friends with the children in Mr. Xi's family."
Xi Jianxi smiled in understanding. "Let me make one final formal confirmation. Mrs. Irisviel, do you agree that, on the basis of a ceasefire between our two sides, we will join forces to subjugate Caster, along with Lancer and his Master, who may interfere or attempt to seize the results at any time?"
"Mm." Irisviel extended her hand.
She actually had another selfish motive.
Kiritsugu believed the man named Kirei was dangerous. If possible, she hoped to use Xi Jianxi's hand to remove him from the Holy Grail War.
This alliance was essential to both Kiritsugu and herself.
"Then the alliance is formed."
He reached out and shook Irisviel's hand. The two nodded together.
After releasing her hand, Xi Jianxi did not immediately see them out. He leaned back against the sofa again and said:
"Also, as a gift to commemorate our alliance, and as a way to hinder the other groups, I can reveal Archer's true name to you two."
"Please do." Artoria's expression sharpened.
Xi Jianxi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"His name is Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes of Babylonia."
Winter Sunlight
After the meeting ended, Xi Jianxi went to find Morgan in the courtyard.
This witch of Britain clearly had great patience for playing with children. As Xi Jianxi crossed the soft green-and-yellow grass toward them, Sakura and Karen were using magecraft to awaken blooming flowers, then placing the flower crowns they had woven atop Morgan's head.
A coronation ceremony with the flavor of playing house.
"It wasn't something I wanted. It was their own idea." Morgan sat on a blanket, as though explaining herself to Xi Jianxi.
Xi Jianxi gave a dry laugh. "I haven't even said anything yet."
"..." Morgan suffered a quiet defeat and smoothly changed the subject. "Finished talking?"
"When I met with the Einzbern, didn't I share my five senses with you?"
Xi Jianxi slowly sat down. The blanket, warmed by the sun, eased the fatigue accompanying his injuries. Watching Sakura demonstrate magecraft to Karen nearby, he continued:
"I thought you would oppose forming an alliance with the Saber group."
"The Holy Grail War was never a game of fighting alone. When necessary, allying with one side to deal with another is a reasonable tactical and strategic option." Morgan smiled faintly. "I have no particular obsession with Artoria Pendragon. I was merely a little curious."
Xi Jianxi found her words strange, but did not know how to press further.
The person before him had personally lived through that legend. How could someone born afterward possibly make sense of it?
In the end, Xi Jianxi chose to trust Morgan's attitude.
An alliance was only temporary, anyway. Once the immediate crisis was resolved, they would inevitably return to being enemies and resume hostilities first. Xi Jianxi was already mentally prepared for that.
"Still, when I told them Archer's true name, both of them found it hard to believe." Xi Jianxi reclined slightly, speaking lazily. "...Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes. A hero recorded in humanity's oldest epic... and also the king who led humanity in parting from the gods and opened the curtain on the decline of the Age of Gods."
Beginning with the King of Heroes, and until roughly fifteen or sixteen hundred years later, when Solomon, the Magus King, returned the gods' blessings to heaven, the Age of Gods began declining across the world.
In short, no matter how he looked at it, Xi Jianxi knew Gilgamesh would become the most troublesome enemy in this Holy Grail War.
And he had descended as an Archer, with the skill Independent Action. Even if he lost his Master, he could continue acting.
Even if the contract between Tokiomi and Gilgamesh were severed, he would have enough time to find a new contractor and continue participating in the war.
"You know your history." Morgan made a casual joke.
Xi Jianxi rolled his eyes, taking it as praise. "But there's one thing I don't understand. How did you recognize the King of Heroes? Nearly two thousand years lay between the end of Britain's Age of Gods and the Fifth Dynasty of Uruk."
"There were reasons. We met a few times." Morgan explained vaguely.
She did not want to explain too much to Xi Jianxi. Once she went into detail, it would touch upon the future and cause fluctuations in matters already fixed in quantum records, tilting them toward outcomes no one could predict with certainty.
"Living a long life sure is nice. You get to meet people like that." Xi Jianxi did not press further.
After all, the Fuyuki Holy Grail War ritual had only been formally established two hundred years ago, yet in the Holy Church's records, it was merely the "seven hundred and twenty-sixth Holy Grail."
If similar Holy Grail War rituals had occurred before that, before the Age of Gods faded, then it would not be strange for Morgan to have met the King of Heroes. That was what Xi Jianxi thought.
Even without Morgan, he could have obtained Archer's true name, though explaining how would have been difficult.
Additional mission: Teach that arrogant Gil-gil guy a lesson, no matter where he is.
Reward: Information on Archer's true name.
After Gilgamesh appeared last night, Xi Jianxi received that notification.
Because he had not been able to communicate with Morgan in time, he had not known she possessed such important information. So at the time, Xi Jianxi had gone to probe Archer with both reluctance and the need to act.
Of course, he was also confident that no matter how absurdly strong his opponent was, he could still retreat safely.
Morgan being able to identify Archer's true name was both good and bad news for Xi Jianxi.
The bad part was that it had not been useful at all.
"Your mood seems low. Now that you know your opponent's identity, are you filled with anxiety for the future of the Holy Grail War? If so, you may sever your contract with me now."
"Stop using that kind of provocation. I may not have joined the Holy Grail War willingly, but I'm not cowardly enough to retreat." Xi Jianxi bared his teeth as he refuted Morgan's teasing.
Morgan nodded slightly. "That's more like it. Those are the words and attitude my husband should have."
"...Tell me, how long are you planning to keep up this playing-house act of pretending we're married? Until the Holy Grail War ends?" Xi Jianxi was still unaccustomed to how Morgan treated him.
"Does being my husband displease you that much?" Morgan revealed a thoughtful expression.
"Ah, whatever. Do as you like. It's not like I'm losing out."
Xi Jianxi finally gave up thinking about it. He shifted over, used Morgan's thigh as a pillow, and lay down.
At the end of the day, Morgan was a stunning beauty capable of toppling nations. Even if it was merely playing house, Xi Jianxi did not think he was getting the worse end of the deal.
Taking a little advantage and getting a lap pillow should not be a problem.
"Are you already planning to sleep? It would set a bad example for your children." Morgan did not reject what he did. Instead, she teased him leisurely.
"I'm conserving my strength. The Einzbern will contact us tonight. If Caster truly insists on mistaking King Arthur's identity and launches a surprise attack—" Xi Jianxi closed his eyes, refusing to look at Morgan's expression. "Then we can serve as an ambush force and strike the enemy mid-crossing."
"Isn't there only a forest over there?"
"..."
Morgan's jab was unexpectedly sharp, leaving Xi Jianxi, who had been faintly excited at facing a hero from legend and wanted to imitate ancient military tactics, thoroughly deflated.
"In your opinion, will Lancer's Master truly go to the Einzbern forest instead of directly attacking this place?" Morgan suddenly changed her tone, sounding like a lord consulting her strategist.
"That's hard to say, so we'll bring Sakura and Karen with us then." Xi Jianxi said, "I don't want to drag them into the Holy Grail War. Allies still need to be guarded against, and enemies are even less trustworthy."
"Human Magi truly never learn, do they?" Morgan commented sharply.
Xi Jianxi smiled with his eyes closed. "By that logic, I'm a human Magus too. Should I be included among those who never learn?"
"Hard to say." Morgan remained perfunctory. "You should be classified as the type who never learns, yet is capable enough to get away with never learning."
"...You really don't hold back."
Ambush
Night fell over Einzbern Castle.
"Is that so? Berserker's Master is truly naive. To agree to an alliance so easily." After hearing Irisviel's account, Kiritsugu Emiya gave his assessment. "It does not match that monstrous combat strength at all... No, perhaps he is simply cautious by nature and wants to resolve the problem safely..."
Irisviel looked at her husband's cold expression—the expression belonging to the 'Magus Killer'—and shook her head.
"No, Kiritsugu. I don't think that's it. Perhaps Berserker's Master was willing to prepare an ambush against Caster with us for a simpler reason." She furrowed her brow and analyzed the matter seriously.
"Oh? Since Irisviel met him in person, she should know more details than I do." Kiritsugu smiled. It was a smile meant only for his wife and daughter.
"Because he is a father too." Irisviel said. "His two children are about the same age as Illya..."
There was no denying the empathy surging within Irisviel. It was a sincere emotion she could not suppress.
"...Then it is likely as you say, Irisviel." Kiritsugu did not wish to argue, nor would he argue.
He still retained human emotions himself. How could he suspect Xi Jianxi, who possessed the same sense of humanity?
"Also, did they say how we are supposed to rendezvous?" Kiritsugu asked. "From Miyama Town to this forest, even driving would take some time."
Irisviel took out a piece of obsidian and placed it on the table. "This is a token Mr. Xi gave me. He said it contains magical energy attuned to his own. Once the obsidian is destroyed, he will know our location. Then—"
"Then he will appear here." Kiritsugu's voice turned cold.
Before you continue