What a tired old story.
It was... not funny at all.
"You don't look well. Hungover?" Morgan's voice came from beside him.
Only then did he notice that she was sitting at the edge of the bed, her head slightly tilted as she looked down at him, as though admiring a pet.
"My tolerance isn't great, but I only drank that much last night. It wasn't enough for a hangover. If anything, I slept pretty well." Xi Jianxi replied, "Did you carry me back to bed?"
"At the very least, sleeping on the sofa is not a good thing." Morgan did not deny it.
"Consider it repayment for last night." Xi Jianxi chuckled to himself. "Still, that habit of yours—treating people like pets and staring at them while they sleep—is really not something worthy of praise."
Morgan did not care in the slightest. "It was nothing. Clearly my Master was asleep, yet mana kept flowing endlessly. As a Servant who does not need sleep, all I could do was pass the time. I just did not expect your sleeping posture to be so strange."
"I've always looked this awful." Xi Jianxi mocked himself.
In truth, he had never been like this before. If he had to say why, it was probably because he had dreamed a series of dreams that seemed connected, yet lacked any logic, leaving him feeling completely awful.
And he could not exactly tell Morgan, "It's all your fault for making me see those things."
"If you're not in good spirits, why not cancel the trip to the Holy Church?" Morgan said. "An imperfect condition could cost you your life in the Holy Grail War at any moment."
"No need. I'm fine." Xi Jianxi sat up in bed. "The longer this drags on, the more likely something will go wrong. It would not be good to keep delaying."
"Is that so? Then good." Morgan did not insist. "There is no need to worry about Sakura and Karen. Sakura heated up the food you made last night in the microwave, and she and Karen ate it for breakfast."
Xi Jianxi silently nodded.
Sakura was actually very sensible. It was simply that Xi Jianxi did not want her to start managing the household at such a young age, so while he had taught her how to do chores, he had never required her to do them herself. At most, she helped him out now and then.
The gathering at the Holy Church should not take long.
It was probably fine to be a little less attentive to Sakura and Karen's daily needs today...
Having made up his mind, he went to a nearby supermarket to buy boxed meals and leave them at home. After washing up, Xi Jianxi gave up on taking a car and used transfer magecraft with Morgan to arrive near the Fuyuki Church.
This area was sparsely populated at all times, so even using magecraft during the day would generally go unnoticed.
With only a few minutes left before noon, Xi Jianxi and Morgan walked up the slope leading to the church's front gate.
"Come to think of it, Morgan, you do not seem to be skilled only in magecraft," Xi Jianxi said.
Morgan nodded. "It is common sense that a Magus excels at magecraft, but believing that one can only use magecraft would be far too narrow-minded."
"No wonder. I always felt that your Demon Spear was not merely a weapon meant for close combat," Xi Jianxi said.
"Is there something about my Demon Spear that concerns you?"
"Its structure looks rather unreasonable at first glance, but once you actually pick it up and use it, you realize how well it handles." Xi Jianxi clasped his hands behind his back and looked toward the church gate gradually appearing in view. "The weight distribution of every part is extremely well-balanced. Even as armament forged from mana, something like a Noble Phantasm, it is highly commendable."
"Oh?"
"After all, if one were not highly skilled with a spear, they would likely overlook such needs while forging it themselves. They would only consider it a weapon for self-defense and an extension for casting magecraft." Xi Jianxi turned around and smiled as he shared his thoughts with Morgan.
"If you are so satisfied with it, then should the need arise on the battlefield, feel free to use it without concern." Morgan lowered her gaze slightly, looking at the brick road beneath her feet. "Unlike the weapon you possess, my Demon Spear can assume other forms when necessary. It can even become a longsword of the same grade as Artoria's Holy Sword."
Seeing the faint smile on Morgan's face, Xi Jianxi knew that what he had just said had put her in a rather good mood.
But—
"True, I'm the type who prefers to go to the front lines myself." Xi Jianxi looked away. "But if we end up fighting on two fronts again, like on the first night, would it not be dangerous for you to face the enemy unarmed?"
"In that situation, there would naturally be appropriate ways to deal with it." Morgan tactfully conveyed that she did not want Xi Jianxi to use the Spear of Dead Flight.
"...You seem to have some objections to my weapon." Xi Jianxi decided to be blunt.
"No, that is not the case." Morgan answered just as directly, though the way she averted her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.
Soon, the two of them stood outside the church doors.
Beyond the open doors lay the church's chapel.
Simply standing there, they could sense several presences imbued with mana.
There were both Masters and Servants.
Xi Jianxi raised his wrist to check the time. There was still one minute until noon, so he was not late.
"Is that so? Good, then." Xi Jianxi lowered his wrist. "I'm not insisting on it. I just have a feeling that no matter how things turn out, the King of Heroes will stand in our path. So—"
Therefore, Xi Jianxi would definitely need his own Spear of Dead Flight even more.
It was a weapon he had refined to the utmost, one that belonged to him alone and would offer him greater help in battle.
"If the opponent is the King of Heroes, then that is understandable." Morgan looked at Xi Jianxi. "Even I would not be so nitpicky toward my husband."
The first time he heard Morgan address him that way, before helplessness could set in, Xi Jianxi felt happiness instead.
Then, together, they entered the Fuyuki Church.
Thoughts on Going Premium
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grave
The Summons
For Rin Tohsaka, the supervisor of the Fourth Holy Grail War, this Holy Grail War had demanded far more effort than he had imagined.
Perhaps it was because he was no longer as young as he had been sixty years ago, or perhaps because this Holy Grail War contained too many exceptional cases that had not appeared in the previous one.
Caster's actions had caused far too great a disturbance. Not only the Holy Church, but even the Mage's Association was making moves in secret.
Thus, when the old priest saw Xi Jianxi and Berserker push open the doors and walk in, his first thought was not a greeting of welcome, but words of thanks.
It was precisely because Berserker had covered the Miyuen River area in an immense fog when Caster summoned that massive Sea Monster. Afterward, the fog continued spreading, enveloping both Miyama Town and the new city district.
The extremely low visibility had somewhat hindered the city's operations, but it had also concealed traces of mystery with remarkable effectiveness. Only a few quick-reacting residents on both sides of the riverbank had witnessed Caster's actions.
Most people could only see the weather phenomenon of a heavy fog rising at night.
As a result, both the Holy Church and the Mage's Association had been spared considerable trouble.
No matter where this Holy Grail War went from here, Xi Jianxi's decisiveness and handling ability as a Master in "concealing mystery" would undoubtedly further bolster his credentials as a Magus within the Association.
"Mr. Xi, welcome." As the administrator of the Fuyuki Church and the supervisor of the Holy Grail War, Rin Tohsaka extended his welcome to Xi Jianxi.
It was exactly noon.
"It was I who asked Mr. Tokiomi for this gathering in the first place. The church's support could not be more welcome." Xi Jianxi walked down the aisle between the pews and arrived before Father Rin.
As he walked, he glanced around. Tokiomi Tohsaka and Gilgamesh had already arrived, each seated on a different bench.
There were also Iskandar and Waver's pair.
Unlike Gilgamesh, who coldly treated everyone else as though they did not exist and occupied a front-row pew, Iskandar was inspecting the church's architecture and artifacts with keen interest, as though he were touring a museum full of antiques.
The remaining pairs were Kirei and Kiritsugu Emiya.
Kirei aside, the church clearly intended to continue concealing the fact that Assassin had already been defeated.
Therefore, Xi Jianxi could only sense Kirei hiding behind the door leading from the chapel to the backyard, with no trace of Assassin's presence.
"Because the matter you spoke of, Mr. Xi, is of such great importance, the Tohsaka Family cannot simply stand by as Fuyuki's administrators." Tokiomi stated his position sincerely enough.
After all, if the Holy Grail War truly had an issue unknown to Tokiomi, as Xi Jianxi claimed, then it had to be suspended or even brought to an end.
If a flawed Holy Grail were allowed to descend and the Association's personnel in Fuyuki learned of it, the Tohsaka Family's reputation would surely suffer.
"That would be ideal." Xi Jianxi nodded and looked around. "I thought we would be the last to arrive. It seems someone is still late."
The instant he finished speaking, the chapel doors were pushed open, and a figure wrapped in a black trench coat emerged from the sunlight spilling in.
Kiritsugu Emiya.
The moment Tokiomi Tohsaka saw him, his expression stiffened for an instant. He had assumed Kiritsugu Emiya was merely a Magus hired by Einzbern to assist in combat, but now it seemed matters had returned to his original prediction.
The true Master was Kiritsugu Emiya. The Einzbern homunculus was merely the nominal representative.
Tokiomi could not criticize such behavior, since his own side had likewise colluded with the church in secret and used every possible method.
In that case, the only Masters acting openly and aboveboard were Xi Jianxi and Waver.
After pushing open the door and walking in, Kiritsugu released it and let it swing shut. Yet the door was blocked a second time as expressionless Artoria entered behind him.
That single action revealed just how terrible their Master-Servant relationship was, and made it understandable why Irisviel had acted as the nominal Master.
Kiritsugu walked to a pew about five steps away from Xi Jianxi, entered it, and sat down.
Saber merely stood behind Morgan's right shoulder.
Waver was the only one who found this strange, but when he tried to speak, the King of Conquerors pressed down on his shoulder, forcing the question at his lips back down.
"Very well, now everyone is here." Xi Jianxi looked over the remaining Masters in the church, even vaguely including Kirei, who was hiding behind the door and listening to this discussion. "Thank you all very much for honoring me by accepting my invitation. You already know the reason. Simply put, there is a problem with the ultimate reward of this Holy Grail War—the omnipotent wish-granting device itself. I believe hiding this issue any longer would harm everyone's interests, so I have decided to make it public."
As he spoke, his gaze naturally swept across the other Masters present.
Tokiomi and Waver listened intently. Only Kiritsugu, though looking in this direction, wore a disdainful expression that said, "Let's hear what kind of act you're putting on."
He probably did not believe Xi Jianxi at all. He likely thought Xi Jianxi was bluffing, trying to make everyone voluntarily give up and withdraw from the Holy Grail War.
At that moment, Morgan placed a hand on Xi Jianxi's shoulder and informed him through telepathy that she would explain the rest.
Xi Jianxi did not object. After all, he had only heard a rough explanation from Morgan on the way home last night.
When it came down to it, the person who understood the situation best was undoubtedly her, the one who had entered the underground cavern where the Greater Holy Grail was located and inspected it personally.
"I will explain from here."
Unlike Xi Jianxi's calm and sincere manner, Morgan's voice was filled with businesslike indifference.
"Time is precious, so I will begin with the conclusion." Morgan glanced at Artoria out of the corner of her eye, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Fuyuki's Greater Holy Grail has already been contaminated. The mana gathered within it is no longer colorless."
That single sentence stirred the chapel into an uproar.
Both Masters and Servants wore expressions of shock.
As members who had attended last night's aborted "banquet," the King of Conquerors and the King of Knights finally understood what Morgan had meant when she said, "The Holy Grail has already gone mad."
But shock was one thing. Whether they should believe her was another matter entirely.
"What basis do you have for saying this, Lady Witch of Britain?" Tokiomi asked in a respectful tone. Though he did not care about Servants, he still held respect for the identity of Heroic Spirits, especially one who was a Magus from the Age of Gods.
Waver was also somewhat agitated. "That's right, where is the evidence? If you are only using Caster as an example like last night, I won't believe you."
On the other side, a crack appeared in Kiritsugu Emiya's expressionless face, and his eyes widened in surprise.
The Masters' reactions were within Morgan's expectations.
If no one had raised any objections at all, Morgan would have found it boring instead.
The Contaminated Greater Holy Grail
"Of course I have evidence. Whether you believe it is up to you." Morgan remained unhurried. "The day after I was summoned, once the Holy Grail War began, I followed my Master to learn about Fuyuki and thus discovered the location of the Greater Holy Grail."
Ryuudou Temple on Mount Enzou.
Back then, the Tohsaka, Makiri, and Einzbern families had established the Greater Holy Grail system under the witness of the Marshal of Magecraft, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, and gradually refined it through each Holy Grail War.
Its location had instead become an open secret among Masters.
Since he knew the Servant he had summoned was Morgan, it was an entirely reasonable tactic for Xi Jianxi to bring this Magus wearing the Berserker class to investigate the ley lines and even the Greater Holy Grail.
"So, Lady Witch, you entered the underground cavern where the Greater Holy Grail is located and confirmed the Greater Holy Grail system?" Tokiomi cared deeply about this, so he took the initiative to press the question.
Morgan nodded, then deliberately said, "Originally, I had only planned to use the ley line at Ryuudou Temple as one of our bases after the Holy Grail War reached its middle stages, but—"
"But you discovered that the Greater Holy Grail had been contaminated?" Artoria pressed.
She could not accept that the wish-granting device she had answered the summons to pursue had already been contaminated.
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