How About You Guys Find a Different Savior

Xi Jianxi placed the mackerel, its skin grilled to a crisp, onto a plate and brought it and the other dishes to the dining table.

Another typical morning at the Xi Jianxi residence had begun.

Sakura and Karen were very well-behaved, waking up on time. Especially after the magical enhancement from last night, they had slept exceptionally soundly.

The two who had woken up were, to say the least, full of energy.

"Are you... not going to school today either?"

Sakura asked in surprise after Xi Jianxi spoke.

"It's a bit inconvenient right now. I feel more at ease with you two by my side," Xi Jianxi apologized to the children, "As compensation, how about I take you to the amusement park today?"

Sakura's eyes immediately sparkled with anticipation. "Really? That's great!"

"You haven't slept all night, aren't you going to drive the whole family into the Miyu River to feed the fish?" Karen, however, was very calm and pointed out a more serious issue.

Xi Jianxi froze. "How did you know?"

"I can tell by your complexion," Karen blinked.

This made Xi Jianxi rush to the washroom and repeatedly check his reflection in the mirror.

Of course, he knew that not sleeping all night had no benefits, but it was a special period, so after returning, he had cast a spell on himself to compensate for the lack of sleep.

This method was also a temporary solution. If he used it too much, he might end up with an ethereal aura and perhaps one day naturally return to the Shadow Realm.

If that happened, his master would surely laugh at him. Xi Jianxi washed his face.

His complexion was normal, even rosy and invigorated.

"That's not true, don't scare me," Xi Jianxi complained to Karen.

Karen blinked. "I was just guessing, but it seems I was right..."

"You really don't have to force yourself, Dad," Sakura also became worried and wanted to refuse the outing.

Xi Jianxi cleared his throat. "It's fine, I said it's fine, so it's fine."

"Yes, there's no need to worry. If any accident were to happen, I wouldn't mind lending a hand," Morgan said at this moment.

Karen nodded. "In that case, there's nothing to worry about."

"If Mother comes too..." Sakura nodded vigorously.

Xi Jianxi's mouth twitched, and he let out a dry chuckle.

He really wanted to ask Morgan what secret technique she had used to win over Sakura and Karen in just two days.

However, there were no signs of magical interference on them, so Xi Jianxi could only swallow these baseless "accusations" and retort:

"I say, can't you guys wish for something good for a change?"

Chapter 41: Where the Heart Lies (1)

New Town, the more modern part of Fuyuki City, supported the city's economic lifeline. Although it was separated from Deep Mountain Town by only the Miyu River, it had developed very rapidly.

Many new establishments opened in this area. Coupled with the fact that it only took a short bus ride from Deep Mountain Town to New Town, many citizens chose to live in Deep Mountain Town, work in New Town, and spend their holidays there.

The amusement park in New Town had become one of the primary choices for Fuyuki citizens for weekend outings.

"I can't tell at all. Everything here is so peaceful," Morgan leaned against the railing, looking towards the carousel.

Sakura and Karen were riding on two horses, laughing with the other children.

"The Holy Grail War is ultimately something that happens in the shadows. Both the Mage's Association and the Holy Church operate under the principle of concealing mystery from the world," Xi Jianxi responded casually. "If they couldn't keep it hidden, the Holy Grail War itself would likely involve both sides intervening and completely abolishing it."

"It sounds just like an illegal underground activity," Morgan smiled slightly.

"Who knows if it's legal or not? I can't exactly run to Tokiomi Tohsaka to ask about such things," Xi Jianxi said with a wry smile. "He'd just think I'm crazy."

After this complaint, Xi Jianxi turned to Morgan. "I'm sorry."

"I don't recall anything that requires your apology," Morgan smiled. "Or are you secretly having an affair behind your wife's back? If that's the case, then 'I'm sorry' won't be enough."

Xi Jianxi rubbed his temples. "I mean..."

"Don't worry about it. It's rare to have a moment of respite, so spending time with the children is perfectly fine," Morgan changed the subject.

Clearly, Morgan had guessed Xi Jianxi's unspoken thoughts before he could even voice them.

"As expected of a witch," Xi Jianxi joked.

"Since you call me that, it wouldn't be impossible to let you witness a witch's even more impressive abilities," Morgan said.

Xi Jianxi was speechless and was considering how to reply when the carousel gradually came to a stop.

Two beautiful and cute little girls got off the horses and walked out, calling "Dad." Xi Jianxi hurried to greet them. He then noticed that their group was attracting more attention than usual.

This was definitely not the case normally.

The reason for this was, to a large extent, inseparable from Morgan, who was accompanying them.

So, Xi Jianxi and Morgan, holding Sakura and Karen's hands, went to a cafe in the amusement park to sit down and eat something to replenish their energy.

Time passed surprisingly quickly at the amusement park. They went out in the morning, let the two girls play a few rides, and it was already past noon.

"You're usually so quiet and don't ask for much," Xi Jianxi said to Karen while holding his coffee. "I didn't expect you to enjoy the amusement park so much."

Karen nodded, "I'm really happy, especially when we were on the roller coaster."

"You're lying... I was so scared I screamed," Sakura said, looking incredulous.

"That part was just fun," Karen said, eating a cake with extra whipped cream. "Just hearing others scream there made me happy."

Sakura was speechless. "Ahaha..."

"So it was this side, huh," Xi Jianxi said, looking at Karen with some concern, and then gently sighed.

"It's not really good, is it?" Karen asked.

Xi Jianxi paused, then frowned and shook his head with a wry smile, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Karen looked at Xi Jianxi strangely. "You're my dad, you're an adult, but you don't know."

"Then what do you think?" Xi Jianxi smiled.

"Generally speaking... like Sakura's reaction, it wouldn't be considered a good thing, right?" Karen, who was only five years old, already had a considerable degree of self-awareness.

"But humans, as beings, have no obligation to feel sad for others' pain or happy for others' joy," Xi Jianxi shook his head. "In the end, what people need isn't 'good things,' but 'good tomorrows.' These are two different concepts."

Morgan, uncharacteristically, spoke up at this moment, showing a hint of amusement. "Tell me more?"

"I'm just stating a basic fact," Xi Jianxi said, looking into Karen's golden eyes, earnestly and doing his best to answer her. "Everyone is similar, and everyone is different. What is 'good' for you might be 'bad' for someone else. That's all there is to it."

After saying that, he felt the words lacked some substance and could only offer an apologetic smile.

After all, he wasn't a qualified adult.

It wasn't difficult to say the "correct answer" that aligned with common ethics, but it was difficult to believe it from the heart and then speak it aloud.

If he himself couldn't believe it wholeheartedly, would Karen truly believe it if he told her?

"If I had to say, it's just that Karen's feelings are unacceptable to most people," Xi Jianxi said, picking up a napkin and wiping the cream from the corner of Karen's mouth. "At least until you cross a certain line, I won't blame you."

Karen nodded gently, not replying.

"Truly an unqualified adult," Morgan commented lightly at this point.

"I was never qualified in the first place, I'm just doing my best to do what I can for certain reasons," Xi Jianxi said, referring to being their father.

He knew nothing about this role.

All he knew was how to give them relatively better things.

Whether it was magic or daily life. It was all like that.

"Then, can you tell us the reason? Perhaps your daughters would be very interested," Morgan interjected.

Xi Jianxi simply smiled skillfully. "What good would it do to know, really... At least I have a clear conscience and don't feel like I'm completely failing as a father."

It was clear he had been asked similar questions by different people before.

Though those people might have been neighbors, school teachers, or shop assistants.

So, Xi Jianxi arrived at this answer. Morgan understood.

"What do you guys think? Am I a good dad?" Xi Jianxi asked with a smile, but his demeanor was quite weak, as if he could be defeated with just a single word.

Then, he received the same nodding heads and bright eyes.

Xi Jianxi had been quite nervous about asking such an embarrassing question for the first time.

Now, he felt much more at ease and picked up his coffee to sip.

"In my opinion, you shouldn't spoil him too much, or he'll get conceited," Morgan teased lightly.

"You seem to have quite an opinion of me, Ms. Morgan," Xi Jianxi mumbled.

Morgan, however, flashed a perfect smile. "Not at all, I've been very satisfied with my husband from the very beginning."

They bickered like this, ate some food, and then continued to wander around the amusement park.

In the afternoon, Xi Jianxi took the two children to a shopping mall in the new city to pick out some new clothes and daily necessities. Even though there were only four of them, it felt like they had ransacked the entire store, and the trunk of the car was filled to the brim.

Chapter Forty-Two: Where the Heart Lies (2)

"They are just children, after all," Xi Jianxi said, glancing at Karen and Sakura, who had fallen asleep leaning against each other, through the rearview mirror.

Morgan smiled faintly. "It's quite good for children. They go out to play when they're happy, and sleep when they're tired. On days when other children their age have to stay in school, their parents sneak them out for a day of fun. If they told anyone, people would be so envious they'd think the world was unfair."

"That's quite good too, isn't it?" Xi Jianxi said sincerely. "At least today, both Sakura and Karen were able to fully enjoy their time playing."

"You seem to be worried about Karen in a completely different way than Sakura," Morgan pointed out.

Xi Jianxi nodded slightly. "In all aspects, I suppose. Especially her personality, I always feel uneasy about something."

"Perhaps it's due to a congenital defect," Morgan added.

"Congenital... huh..." Xi Jianxi tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"There's no need to worry. Humans, as beings, are inherently both young and incomplete. Most people are born with defects, and what they eventually become often depends on the people around them," Morgan's words carried a subtle tone of comfort.

It was as if she was saying, 'Since they are your children, they are bound to be alright.'

Xi Jianxi wasn't sure where she got this confidence from. Perhaps their different experiences allowed her to see things from a more distant perspective.

"I hope you're right," he said, expressing his sincere gratitude.

"But I'm not just talking about her personality. Karen's constitution is a bit different. Besides having magic circuits, she also has a constitution that reacts to spirits," Morgan said, changing the subject.

"I know."

"You know?" Morgan sounded slightly surprised.

"It seems to be something innate. After Kirei entrusted her to my care, I noticed something strange. I confirmed it after checking some records; it appears to be a 'spirit-sensitive constitution.' As long as she's near something like an evil spirit, holy marks will appear," Xi Jianxi said earnestly. "But don't worry. I already cast a protective Rune on Karen when she was still in swaddling clothes. Unless the protection is voluntarily removed, even the manifestation of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse wouldn't be able to affect her."

"It seems I accidentally forgot. You're naturally a considerate man," Morgan's tone suggested she knew him well.

Xi Jianxi found it strange but suppressed his urge to ask further. Instead, he changed the topic with a hint of regret, "Speaking of which, after all this fuss today, I probably won't be able to have my magic lesson tonight."

"There will always be time," Morgan said with a relaxed attitude.

"That's true," Xi Jianxi nodded. "After all, it's hard to find such an excellent teacher, and I really don't want to waste time."

"If that's the case, then you shouldn't have taken them out to play in the first place. That way, no time would have been wasted at all," Morgan stated.

"That won't do... If you don't play properly when it's time to play, then time is truly wasted," Xi Jianxi expressed his opposition quite firmly.

Morgan agreed with him wholeheartedly, simply nodding in silence.

The car turned at the intersection and stopped at a crosswalk near the Fuyuki train station, waiting for the red light.

In two more turns, they would be on the Mihama River Bridge.

After playing outside all day, Xi Jianxi felt his body growing tired. He planned to settle Sakura and Karen down to rest, and then take a bath himself to relax.

His nerves were too tightly strung; he wouldn't be able to handle the Holy Grail War, which was bound to escalate, if he remained like this.

"Huh..." His peripheral vision caught sight of the station exit, and he let out an instinctive sound of surprise.

Following Xi Jianxi's gaze, Morgan saw a little girl with twin ponytails walking out of the station alone.

She looked to be around Sakura's age.