Or, you guys find another savior

If it were just like this, Morgan would have simply thought Xi Jianxi was making a connection.

The problem was that the object the girl was holding was glowing. Although extremely faint due to the distance, Morgan could still sense the presence of magic.

"A child with a magic detector..." Morgan said.

Xi Jianxi provided a definitive answer, "Tokiomi Tohsaka's eldest daughter... Sakura's original elder sister, Rin Tohsaka, before she was adopted by me."

"No wonder," Morgan observed with slight interest. "Is that the eldest daughter born with all five elements? The Tohsaka Family has found a good carrier."

"That's a separate matter and not important right now." Xi Jianxi watched Rin Tohsaka jog out of the station and run down the road towards the new city district. "Tokiomi Tohsaka sent his wife and daughter to his father-in-law's house for safety before the war started. Why would she run over at this time?"

"Children with magical talent are always attracted to unusual situations. It's the Holy Grail War period right now," Morgan said.

"That might be so..." Xi Jianxi felt uneasy.

After all, she was Sakura's sister. If the two children were to recognize each other as sisters in the future, and this was all that happened, Xi Jianxi naturally wouldn't stop it.

But what if Rin Tohsaka met with an accident at this time? If Sakura found out the truth later...

"Let my familiar follow and take a look."

He opened the window and released a crow, which chased after Rin Tohsaka.

Soon, Xi Jianxi learned that Rin had run out of the house alone in the middle of the night to investigate the disappearance of a classmate.

In other words, it was related to Caster.

Unfortunately, Caster's Master ran very fast. By the time Xi Jianxi prepared to rush over, the other party had already disappeared without a trace.

Their ability to escape was truly exceptional.

However, it was clear that Caster's Master, whose child-kidnapping plan had been foiled by Rin, had not given up. Caster then arranged for a Sea Monster to intercept Rin Tohsaka, who had saved her friend and intended to leave quietly.

"Ah... Ahh..."

Through the magic detector, Rin realized that the Sea Monster's magic exceeded her ability to cope and she was too scared to move.

The sound of footsteps behind her made her instinctively turn around, but before she could clearly see Xi Jianxi, he had already knocked her unconscious with magic.

Picking up the unconscious Rin, Xi Jianxi turned and left.

Behind him, the Sea Monster was instantly incinerated into ashes by Rune Magic.

Rin Tohsaka, who had slipped out of the house late at night, was naturally discovered by her mother, Aoi Tohsaka, who rushed to Fuyuki to find her daughter.

This naturally fell into Xi Jianxi's sight, as he was quickly deploying familiars to investigate the surroundings. He took Rin Tohsaka and found Aoi Tohsaka.

"Your daughter is fine. I just used a little magic to put her to sleep," Xi Jianxi returned Rin to her mother.

"You are..." Aoi Tohsaka froze for a moment before recognizing who he was.

"Regardless, letting your child run around Fuyuki so late is not in line with the Tohsaka Family's usual caution," Xi Jianxi said, crossing his arms. "When Mr. Kariya returns to the country and hears about this, he'll surely laugh."

"Y-yes..." Aoi also felt guilty for not noticing Rin's movements. "Fortunately, Mr. Xi Jianxi was here. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I just happened to see it," Xi Jianxi waved his hand. "After all... this child is Sakura's sister. I don't want to face Sakura if something happens later."

Upon hearing her younger daughter's name, Aoi Tohsaka paused. The child who had been adopted to inherit the magical arts should no longer be inquired about, but she couldn't help but ask out of maternal instinct, "Is that child... doing well?"

"She's doing very well," Xi Jianxi said with a slight hint of pride. "Especially in terms of magic, she has a teacher who is even more outstanding than those at the Tohsaka Family."

This approachable attitude put Aoi Tohsaka at ease. "That's good."

She couldn't say anything more. At least... as long as Sakura was doing well at Xi Jianxi's place, it was enough.

After seeing off the Tohsaka mother and daughter, Xi Jianxi returned to the roadside. Morgan was leaning against the car door, waiting for him.

"Why did you even get out of the car?"

This made Xi Jianxi a little embarrassed.

"It's nothing." Morgan watched Aoi Tohsaka drive away from the roadside on the other side of the park. "I didn't expect you to directly intervene. I thought you'd at most contact someone from the Tohsaka Family."

"I thought about it and then acted. After all, she's Sakura's blood-related sister," Xi Jianxi explained truthfully.

"Is this also an action taken for a 'better tomorrow'?" Morgan asked.

"I think so."

Xi Jianxi thought for a moment and finally smiled sincerely.

Chapter 43: The Visitor Arrives with a Roar

After taking a bath, Xi Jianxi finally felt the weariness gradually creeping in.

With a towel draped around his neck, he changed into casual home clothes and walked out, but Morgan was nowhere to be seen.

The two children were asleep in their respective bedrooms—they could sleep by themselves now, which made Xi Jianxi worry less often.

He casually searched around the rooms and finally found Morgan sitting on the floor by the floor-to-ceiling glass window, facing the garden, with her feet on the bluestone of the courtyard, looking into the distance.

The winter air flowed into the room through the open glass window, but it wasn't particularly cold.

Sitting here, one could not only take in the entire garden behind Xi Jianxi's house but also see the moon at night.

When they arrived home, the sky was overcast, but now it had completely cleared up, with a waxing gibbous moon and a host of stars shining in the sky, illuminating the entire courtyard.

The moonlight poured onto the Fairy Queen, like a slightly chilly fine snow, giving her a somewhat desolate and sorrowful appearance.

"It's a really nice yard. It doesn't look particularly special at first glance, but the more I look, the more I like it," Morgan said.

He hadn't intended to disturb Morgan's alone time, but hearing her speak to him first, he stopped and listened to her continue.

"If you're not in a hurry to go to bed, stay and chat with me for a bit," Morgan invited.

Xi Jianxi sat down beside Morgan without a word, gazing at the bright moon in the sky.

If he shifted his body just slightly, he could touch her shoulder.

But he didn't feel shaken by it.

Was it thanks to the winter night, or had he simply grown accustomed to it?

Even though he was so close to Morgan, he felt that his heart was inexplicably quieter than usual.

"It's a place that suits living alone," Morgan said. "A Magus's workshop often reflects the owner's personality, but judging solely from this, you, as a Magus, should be the more reclusive type."

Xi Jianxi pursed his lips. "But I'm not just a Magus; I'm also a person. No matter how much I want to avoid people, I can't truly separate myself from the world and live solely on my own."

"That's exactly the kind of place it is," Morgan nodded gently, as if in approval. "In common terms, it's more full of human warmth."

She turned her face as she spoke. Xi Jianxi hadn't deliberately looked at Morgan's face, but when their eyes met, he realized that the witch, who had seemed to possess a clear and lonely aura, had actually been smiling all along.

It wasn't as warm as the winter sun, but it wasn't as cold as never-melting ice and snow either.

It was a smile that only Morgan could show, and Xi Jianxi, gazing at her, forgot to respond.

"Especially those two children. They seem to naturally disrupt the original, complete form of this workshop, yet they haven't damaged your standing as a Magus because of it. Instead, they've made something more perfect," Morgan said, retracting her gaze slowly as if not expecting a response from Xi Jianxi every time.

"Just as you said earlier, people are incomplete," Xi Jianxi lowered his head, looking at the plants and pebbles in the courtyard. "That's why we need someone else to fill the missing parts."

"Yet, with such thoughts, you participated in the Holy Grail War," Morgan looked at the Command Spells on Xi Jianxi's hand.

Xi Jianxi raised his hand and smiled at the Command Spells. "What if I said it wasn't my own will, but that one day the Command Spells suddenly appeared, not in the form of a brand, but as fully formed Command Spells directly bestowed upon me?"

Morgan looked at him and nodded. "Because you received the Command Spells, you have to participate? Even if you don't have a wish you want the Holy Grail to grant?"

"Is that not allowed? There are other Magus participating in this Holy Grail War with similar thoughts, aren't there?" Xi Jianxi smiled, pursing his lips.

Kirei. Waver Velvet. Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

The Masters Xi Jianxi knew, none of them had a clear wish.

The latter two were relying on this Holy Grail War more for personal glory, to prove their beliefs.

"Then, let me ask differently. If you win in the end and obtain the Holy Grail, what wish would you want to realize?" Morgan looked into Xi Jianxi's eyes. "Whether it's wealth, power, or fame, even something as vulgar as that is permissible."

"Do I have to choose one?" Xi Jianxi raised an eyebrow.

"You can say you want it all, and it's still permissible," Morgan shook her head. "Or perhaps, you're actually one of those very serious Magus who wants to use the power of the Holy Grail to reach the 'Root'?"

Morgan's questions weren't aggressive, yet each one hit directly at the core of Xi Jianxi's heart.

He didn't have any particular wish that required the Holy Grail's assistance, nor did he have any suffering that he needed an omnipotent wish-granting machine to overcome.

But if... if he absolutely had to find a reason.

Not a task imposed on him by 'a certain existence,' but his own idea.

Such a thing did exist, but Xi Jianxi would simultaneously doubt whether his 'goal' was even necessary.

If possible, Xi Jianxi wanted to keep this thought deeply hidden in his heart, unknown to anyone, until the moment it could be realized.

Unless... even his innermost thoughts could be completely seen through.

Suddenly, Morgan grabbed Xi Jianxi's wrist without any warning.

Her expression shifted into a combat-ready stance.

Xi Jianxi immediately realized that although the stars and moon were visible, there was a faint rumble of thunder approaching from afar, gradually closing in on Xi Jianxi's location.

The accompanying magical energy quickly became clear.

It was no surprise who the visitor was.

Xi Jianxi raised his hand and opened the barrier here, leaving a wide enough gap for entry and exit.

With such a crude action, the barrier's magic circle was destroyed. After the fact, it would be easier to set it up again from scratch than to restore it.

No matter how you looked at it, it was incredibly troublesome.

That was the sound made by Rider's Noble Phantasm, 'Chariot of the Conqueror,' passing by.

Perhaps seeing the barrier open, the host prepared to welcome the guest. The bull-drawn chariot Noble Phantasm slowly landed on the spacious lawn in Xi Jianxi's backyard along the indicated path.

"It looks like they're not here to fight, Rider," Xi Jianxi said, remaining motionless.

But the King of Conquerors on the bull chariot pinched his chin and looked teasingly at the master and servant whose shoulders were almost touching.

"Am I here at the wrong time, interrupting your good time?" Iskandar laughed heartily, revealing a row of white teeth. "How about I come back another time?"

Xi Jianxi, however, glanced at Artoria, who was dressed in a suit and leaped down from the bull chariot, holding Irisviel.

"Since you came prepared, if you're so easily dismissed, I should be the one feeling threatened," Xi Jianxi stood up from the veranda, his bare feet touching the floor. "Einzbern, are you planning to abandon your alliance with us and choose to ally with the Rider faction?"

Chapter 44: Host's Hospitality

"A banquet?" Xi Jianxi blinked in surprise.

Xi Jianxi had no idea there were any banquet arrangements, so it must have been the rather self-willed King of Conquerors who decided this on his own.

Hiding behind Rider's massive frame, Waver looked at Xi Jianxi and Morgan with an expression that was either hostile or fearful.

But Xi Jianxi could clearly read the words "I really want to go home quickly" written on Waver's face.

"Yes, a banquet."

As he spoke, the King of Conquerors, dressed in faded jeans and a white T-shirt, carried a large wooden barrel from the ox-drawn carriage.

It was undoubtedly a wine barrel, no matter how you looked at it.

"So, you've come to find someone to drink with?" Xi Jianxi and Morgan exchanged glances, once again feeling the casual magnanimity of the King of Macedon.

"That's right. I'll be borrowing the courtyard, it shouldn't be too inconvenient, right?" The King of Conquerors jumped down with the wine barrel, and the ox-drawn carriage Noble Phantasm then disappeared into the void.

Xi Jianxi turned around, "Wait."

And so, these two sets of uninvited guests really waited in the garden for nearly an hour.

Xi Jianxi really didn't reappear until after an hour had passed.

He put on a coat to ward off the cold, but he wasn't changing clothes; he was going to the kitchen to prepare some food that would go well with drinks, as well as some blankets to sit on.

Usually, Xi Jianxi often ate easily portable food with Sakura and Karen in the courtyard, such as handmade sandwiches, handmade bread, and baked pastries.

It was precisely because of this that Xi Jianxi realized he wasn't completely useless and could still do some housework.

The dazzling array of food relaxed Artoria, who had been on guard, her eyes shining, while Irisviel still looked a bit weary, but was in good spirits overall.

"Ho ho! This is truly eye-opening. I intended to hold a banquet on a whim, and now the host who provided the venue is personally cooking and preparing the meal!" Iskandar exclaimed.

"If you knew it was impromptu, why didn't you send out invitations?" Xi Jianxi quipped. "Do they never follow proper procedure when holding banquets in your country?"