What If You Switched Saviors

Then, Xi Jianxi, who had received a new mission, stopped walking. An instruction, not long absent, arrived, causing his head to spin.

"What is it?"

"Regarding the Holy Grail, I want to change our strategy," Xi Jianxi said seriously, looking at Morgan in his arms.

After hearing what he had to say, Morgan was slightly surprised but did not object, merely nodding her assent silently.

By the time the two returned to the embankment, Xi Jianxi had already noticed another problem.

That was that the dense fog created by Morgan showed no signs of dissipating. If he were to force the issue now, Morgan probably wouldn't be able to maintain her disguise.

However, seeing how much she was enjoying herself, Xi Jianxi also played along.

After all, Morgan wasn't heavy, and holding soft jade and cool fragrance in his arms... it was quite a good deal.

"Thank you for your hard work, Xi Jianxi-kun, and Lady Witch," Tokiomi said, thanking the two. "It's great that we could resolve the issue so quickly."

This way, the reward for defeating Caster would fall into Xi Jianxi's hands.

But Tokiomi couldn't help it; after all, the situation had developed to this point beyond his prediction. He hadn't expected Caster to create such a mess.

Without the timely intervention of Xi Jianxi's Servant, the sheer amount of work required just to cover up the facts would have been enough to give Tokiomi a headache for a while.

"It's nothing. Since the Holy Church issued a summons, we merely responded to the situation," Xi Jianxi replied calmly. "It's just that regarding this Holy Grail War, its development to this point... I don't think it's just me. Mr. Tokiomi, the Einzberns, and the Holy Church didn't anticipate it either."

As he spoke, he looked at Irisviel.

As one of the two participating families among the Three Founding Families of the Holy Grail War, after witnessing the battle to defeat Caster, Irisviel had also begun to ponder what Morgan had said earlier.

Just now, she had recovered Caster's defeated soul. This was the second one.

Although she was still standing in place, Irisviel could already feel her physical functions further declining.

"I am deeply ashamed," Tokiomi admitted.

"So, Mr. Xi Jianxi, do you have any advice?" Irisviel asked.

Xi Jianxi glanced at the three people, including Waver. Including himself, and Kirei who was not present in the shadows, the remaining Masters' identities were already clear.

"It's not advice, but regarding the Holy Grail War, there is something very important that needs to be discussed with all Masters and Servants," Xi Jianxi said. "Tomorrow at noon, we will be at the Holy Church to explain the hidden problems of this Holy Grail War and decide its future course together."

The unexpected topic surprised Tokiomi Tohsaka.

Tokiomi of course knew the inner workings of the Holy Grail War.

If it were merely a wish-granting machine, defeating the other six Masters and Servants would mark its end.

But if it were a device to reach the Root, the seventh Servant would need to be killed.

This was why Tokiomi was so concerned about the Command Spells, even colluding with the Holy Church to plan the operation to defeat Caster.

Although the outcome eventually fell into Xi Jianxi's hands due to Gilgamesh's lack of cooperation.

"Don't be so tense, Magus who manages this land," Morgan said, still exuding authority despite lying in Xi Jianxi's arms.

Even if others found it a bit amusing.

Tokiomi immediately understood, and his worried heart settled slightly.

"Very well, then we shall proceed as you say, Xi Jianxi-kun," Tokiomi expressed his agreement.

If it were a hidden problem, then it was necessary to listen and see whether it was utter nonsense or had some basis in fact.

"There's no choice, we'll have to go and see," Waver said, crossing his arms, also accepting the proposal.

Like Irisviel, he had heard the words Morgan spoke at the banquet and was naturally very concerned now.

"The Einzberns will also participate," Irisviel said.

Xi Jianxi, who was already walking towards the side of the road on the other side of the embankment, stopped and looked back at Irisviel meaningfully before driving away with Morgan.

Irisviel couldn't help but be startled by the meaning behind that look.

—If Saber's true Master does not appear tomorrow, they will refuse to provide an explanation.

It seemed that Kiritsugu would have to show himself, otherwise, from any angle, he would be excluded from the rest of the Holy Grail War and might even become a common enemy of the other factions.

Chapter 54: A Moment of Respite

After concluding the battle at the Miyuen River and returning home, Xi Jianxi remembered that the remnants of the banquet in the courtyard had not yet been cleaned up. He had no choice but to rush to tidy up the courtyard things in the middle of the night.

As a result, he was sweating all over again and had to go to the bathroom to take a second shower.

After coming out, Xi Jianxi sat on the sofa with his slightly damp hair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

It's all my own doing, he muttered to himself.

If he had known it would be like this, why bother playing the host? He should have just let those Kings drink cold wine on an empty stomach.

After all, Servants wouldn't get upset stomachs.

Thinking of this, Xi Jianxi sighed again.

What kind of madness had possessed him to go looking for trouble for himself...

"You've worked hard. Lie down and rest," Morgan's voice sounded from beside him. He then remembered that Morgan was sitting in the living room, watching him busy himself.

As Morgan spoke, she used her overwhelming strength to pull him down. He found himself resting on her soft thighs, a cold, sweet scent wafting to his nose, surprisingly soporific.

"…Sigh…" Xi Jianxi let out an instinctive, weary sigh.

After all, even with magical energy supporting him, he truly hadn't slept for two days and a night. He'd also had some alcohol earlier, so if he wasn't feeling drowsy, it would be cause for concern about his health.

What made it even worse was that he just remembered he'd been driving under the influence… Fortunately, it was late at night, and he hadn't encountered any police patrols.

The thick fog had already spread, covering all of Fuyuki. Xi Jianxi had driven quite slowly on his way back. Along the road, he took the opportunity to ask Morgan about the Greater Holy Grail's status.

"Speaking of which, you're really amazing, changing the weather like that and covering all of Fuyuki," Xi Jianxi commented subconsciously.

"Even you could do something like this if you wanted to," Morgan said calmly. "Besides, the dense fog is completely out of my control now, and it no longer possesses any magical properties. It should dissipate by the latter half of the night."

"I wonder if the TV will be talking about this tomorrow, calling it an unexplained abnormal weather phenomenon, and if it will become one of Fuyuki's mysteries in the future," Xi Jianxi chuckled heartily.

With the tension in his nerves finally easing, the after-effects of the alcohol surged, and his eyelids began to feel heavy.

Xi Jianxi, who had practically never touched alcohol before, wasn't sure if he had a high tolerance.

"...Speaking of which, when Gilgamesh left, he left a whole set of wine vessels behind," Xi Jianxi murmured, his eyes half-closed, complaining softly to Morgan. "The wine was good, and the vessels were real gold… judging by the craftsmanship, they were definitely from Uruk's fifth dynasty."

"You're not planning to return them?"

"Finders keepers. I'm not some saint who's above greed," Xi Jianxi said with a casual smile.

Morgan also smiled. "Then let's not return them."

Then, as if stroking a pet on her lap, she stroked Xi Jianxi's soft hair. "Regarding the Caster's Master, whom I executed before you came to my aid—"

"Mm, what about it?" Xi Jianxi, assuming the outcome was already clear, hadn't given it much further thought.

"When I found that Master, they were already under control," Morgan continued. "Another Magus had secretly intervened. Although I didn't investigate thoroughly, they undoubtedly used insects to invade the brain and silently influence their thoughts."

As she spoke, Xi Jianxi could clearly feel Morgan's body stiffen slightly, like a drawn bow. An almost imperceptible emotion was conveyed through their physical contact.

Disgust, fear… or perhaps, discomfort.

She's not good with insects? Xi Jianxi thought to himself.

So, Xi Jianxi reached out and took the hand Morgan was using to stroke his hair, holding it firmly, conveying warmth and the message, "I'm here."

This subtle "tension" then faded, and her usual composure regained control of her emotions.

"Is it that Zouken Matou again?" Xi Jianxi didn't point it out directly, quietly continuing the previous topic.

"That's right."

Xi Jianxi had a general idea. "As expected… Even though the Matou family's magic lineage can no longer be passed down due to incompatibility with the land, they still have no suitable candidate to participate in this Holy Grail War, so they have to intervene personally and try to snatch what they can."

Though, to be more precise, among the current generation of the Matou family of age, there was still Kariya Matou, a descendant who retained some magical aptitude.

But Kariya had long since left the Matou family out of disgust for their magic.

Before the Holy Grail War officially began, Kariya had just finished a brief stay in Fuyuki and had gone abroad again for travel and research.

If this trend continued, the Matou family's magic lineage was bound to end here, and their magical inheritance would perish.

As Magus, they would inevitably be unwilling to accept this.

"It seems so," Morgan said, having learned about the Matou family's situation from Xi Jianxi.

Lacking successors, and with the current head barely clinging to life through magic.

Undoubtedly, the Matou family couldn't wait for the next Holy Grail War sixty years later to participate. Therefore, Zouken Matou's impatience was an inevitable outcome.

However, perhaps Morgan's warning at the Greater Holy Grail in Ryuudou Temple had been effective, and Zouken Matou had made sufficient preparations. Even though Morgan could easily sever the old man's control over Ryunosuke Uryu, she couldn't trace the origin of the magical control to curse him.

The semi-automatic manipulation method, on one hand, made Ryunosuke Uryu believe it was his own consciousness, and even Caster didn't notice. On the other hand, it could sever the connection in the magical pathway if it was discovered.

In other words, what Zouken Matou was truly guarding against were Divine Era Magus like Morgan, who surpassed contemporary Magus.

"Additionally, when I executed them, I confirmed that Caster's Master had used up all their Command Spells," Morgan added. "Therefore, the Sea Monster was able to act on such a scale with the magical support of the Command Spells."

"They really know how to cause trouble for us," Xi Jianxi said. "Now that the Caster camp has retreated, among the remaining factions…"

As he spoke, Xi Jianxi considered the other Masters.

After eliminating one possibility after another, the only one left was Waver Velvet.

That Magus, who was a little younger than himself, had shown brilliance in handling certain issues, but ultimately, his abilities as a Magus were quite poor.

In a one-on-one confrontation with Zouken Matou, he would likely become the old man's meal.

"Rider's Master," Morgan also arrived at the same conclusion. "However, the King of Conquerors is different from other Servants; he's not so easy to find an opening against."

"Who knows. My knowledge about Zouken Matou is very limited. As a magical family living in Fuyuki, the Matou are even more reclusive than the Tohsaka," Xi Jianxi mused. "It looks like tomorrow, regardless of how the meeting goes, I'll need to remind Rider and his Master."

If the situation remained as it was, Xi Jianxi wouldn't care how the various factions fought amongst themselves.

But if the Holy Grail War continued, leading to the elimination of other Servants, it would further disrupt Xi Jianxi's current new plan, which required the souls of Servants to accumulate for the Greater Holy Grail.

"If possible, try to keep the number of eliminated Servants within four," Morgan suggested.

Xi Jianxi began to feel his senses becoming hazy.

Already exhausted, his thinking about the Holy Grail War was unexpectedly taxing on his brain, and sleepiness came on faster than usual.

"...Sounds like you're assuming we won't lose," Xi Jianxi said with a soft chuckle.

Morgan was silent for a while. Xi Jian thought she didn't want to answer and let his consciousness be completely swallowed by sleepiness.

"If we fight separately, we will lose. But if we join forces, we have always been invincible."

After she finished speaking, she realized Xi Jian had already fallen asleep.

Listening to his peaceful breathing, Morgan smiled silently.

Chapter 55: Departure

He had a dream.

A witch diligently studied knowledge, and a young man who called himself a sage taught her everything he knew.

Magic, martial arts, strategy, statecraft... the sage answered every question without reservation.

He had a dream.

The witch traversed the island surrounded by the sea on foot, traveling, enduring hardships, and saving people. By her side was the sage, who never fell even half a step behind, his form unchanging for a thousand years.

He had a dream...

But he dreamed of the sound of something shattering. The witch vanished without a trace, and the sage disappeared without a sound.

All that remained were the queen and the tyrant, and a war with no end in sight.

When he opened his eyes, Xi Jian found himself lying in bed.

His sleeping posture was so terrible, he looked as if he were possessed by an evil spirit. He was sprawled in the covers like a gecko, and the bedsheets were a mess.

Through the bangs scattered across his vision, Xi Jian saw the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was a little over half an hour until noon.

He had slept quite a long time.