Noticing the change in her, Shiomi turned his attention to the car as well, suppressing his magical energy and relying purely on his eyesight to observe.
A blonde woman, barely over 150 centimeters tall, stepped out of the car. She wore a black business suit, yet it did not look out of place on her at all. She was the very image of a beautiful woman in menswear.
"That's... Servant Saber?" Shiomi was surprised.
He had only intended to take Morgan around the streets and assess the city's situation, yet he had unexpectedly run into Saber, the foremost of the Three Knight Classes and the class considered the most exceptional.
But Morgan's reaction went far beyond that.
She knew Saber.
In a Holy Grail War, Servants knowing one another was a double-edged sword. It meant their true names could be exposed to each other.
A Saber-class Servant whom Morgan knew, and moreover... that spirited, lovely face looked remarkably like Morgan's, differing only in skin tone and hair color.
Saber was reaching out to help a woman out of the car. She was an Einzbern homunculus named Irisviel von Einzbern.
"Artoria Pendragon..." Morgan spoke Saber's true name. "No, in this age, she was probably better known as Arthur Pendragon."
Shiomi narrowed his eyes. "The wielder of the Holy Sword who founded Camelot of the White Chalk City? King Arthur? The Einzbern family really hit the jackpot."
There was a saying that Servants summoned in a Holy Grail War would, to some extent, trigger related reactions.
Shiomi had thought it was nonsense, but now he could not help believing it a little.
"Since she's your enemy, you decide what to do." Shiomi treated the matter lightly. "I don't want disagreements to create a flaw."
Then Morgan activated a concealment spell. "Let's go say hello after nightfall."
Clearly, Saber and the Einzbern woman who appeared to be her Master were merely sightseeing in Fuyuki City during the day.
The way they lingered through the bustle of the new city made them seem nothing like a Master and Servant who had come to Fuyuki for the Holy Grail War.
Until night fell.
Fuyuki Seaside Park.
As Artoria kept watch over Irisviel, who was strolling barefoot through the seawater by the beach, she also remained alert to her surroundings. Then she turned around warily.
"It is already night, and there is no one else here." The beautiful woman in menswear spoke in a stern yet dignified voice. "You have followed us all day. Isn't it about time you showed yourself?"
Irisviel stopped as well, calmly looking past Artoria toward the direction of her Servant's gaze.
In response to Artoria's words, a Servant emerged from her spirit form.
Once they saw her clearly, both Irisviel and Artoria wore shocked expressions.
Though for different reasons.
"She has... the same face as Saber..." Irisviel covered her mouth in shock.
Even though she had prepared herself for the Holy Grail War, this was simply too unexpected.
Artoria's shock ran even deeper.
"Elder sister..."
"Is seeing me really that surprising, Artoria?" Morgan still wore modern clothes, mockery filling her eyes and brows. "That was quite a lovely reaction."
"Saber's sister... Then that means you are—" Irisviel realized.
Artoria recovered from her shock and stared at Morgan with a frown.
"Since both of us are Servants participating in the Holy Grail War, battle is only natural." Artoria took a guarded stance. "Even if you are my sister, I have no intention of yielding here."
Unlike Artoria, whose vigilance had reached its peak, Morgan remained completely relaxed. That made Irisviel deeply uneasy.
"Be careful, Saber. Her Master hasn't appeared, and I can't sense anyone nearby..."
"Unfortunately, my Master is a bit of a worrier. At a crucial time like this, he's still trying to put a child to sleep." Morgan blinked and smiled.
"What did you come here for?" Artoria asked in return.
She had clearly sensed two presences following her during the day, but near dusk, only one had remained.
Morgan smiled elegantly. "When was the last time we met like this?"
"I can't remember clearly. Ever since I inherited the throne, I was constantly fighting wars and governing the country. Elder sister rarely appeared before me either." Artoria stated the facts.
Morgan looked at Artoria with an expression that seemed both sympathetic and mocking. "And in the end, the Britain you worked so hard to unite still fell apart."
Artoria's sore spot had been struck. Her brows drew tight as she stared at her sister.
After all, the fall of Britain and the disappearance of the White Chalk City were inseparable from her sister.
Yet Artoria had never hated anyone. She only blamed herself for lacking the strength to be a proper king.
She knew Britain would eventually perish, but at the very least, it should have faded away peacefully rather than amid such raging war...
"That is why I came, descended as a Servant to participate in the Holy Grail War." Artoria emphasized her words. "And what did you come for?"
"You have no need to know, hateful Red Dragon."
As she spoke, Morgan's clothes changed. Magical energy swirled around her, and once the light faded, she wore an outfit Artoria knew well, except her face was no longer concealed by a veil.
She held a staff shaped like a lance, its blade as sharp as a sword, pointed directly at Artoria.
"As expected..."
Without the slightest hesitation, Artoria accepted the fact that she would have to fight her sister. Armor woven from magical energy instantly replaced her black menswear.
Artoria understood deeply that she and her sister Morgan were two fundamentally incompatible beings.
Something was wrong.
That was Artoria's most immediate impression.
In her understanding, her sister, Morgan, the Fairy Queen of Britain, was a genius capable of rivaling Merlin the Mage of Flowers.
But that only applied to magecraft. Even with A-rank Instinct and A-rank Magic Resistance, Artoria did not dare treat those advantages against the Caster class as something to rely upon when facing Morgan.
Thus, when Morgan initiated battle, Artoria almost immediately unleashed a powerful surge of magical energy. She closed the distance of less than ten meters in an instant, hoping to defeat Morgan with a single strike.
But... Artoria's invisible sword was not only blocked by Morgan, but Morgan also swung her Demon Spear aside, deflecting Artoria's full-force slash and reopening the distance between them.
Artoria gripped her sword with both hands, lowering her center of gravity as she stared at her sister with complete concentration.
She did not remember her sister being so skilled in close combat, capable of wielding a weapon that was both staff and Demon Spear with such ease.
Historically, after Britain's destruction, her sister had gradually faded from the stage of history. As for when she died and was recorded upon the Throne of Heroes, even Artoria did not know.
Had she learned spear techniques after that?
Or perhaps... Morgan's class was not actually Caster? Was she Lancer?
At that thought, Artoria glanced slightly toward Irisviel on the beach behind her. Irisviel was not Artoria's Master, merely an outward substitute Master acting in place of the real Master, who was unwilling to communicate with Servants.
Without the authority granted by the Holy Grail for Masters to view a Servant's class, there was no way to know the other side's class.
"Saber, be careful. I can only assist you with healing magecraft. Other than that..."
Still standing barefoot in the cold seawater, Irisviel quietly reminded Artoria.
"A quick battle is no longer possible, and I no longer know elder sister's true strength." Artoria calmly assessed the situation. "You are the one who needs to be careful of her magecraft."
If Morgan restrained Artoria in close combat while launching a spell at Irisviel, Artoria would have no time to defend her.
A Magus who was already a genius now possessed close-combat abilities that did not fall behind Artoria's. Artoria was certain that Morgan, summoned as a Servant, would be even more troublesome than she had been in life.
"Not attacking? Then I'll attack instead." Morgan held her Demon Spear in one hand, concealing its shaft behind her.
Here she comes!
Artoria's Instinct instantly put her into a counterattack stance.
Witnessing all this, Irisviel was so shocked she nearly forgot to breathe.
She had originally thought this would be a crushing victory for a swordswoman against a Magus, a straightforward one-on-one triumph after the two closed in.
But the immense magical energy erupting from their battle was beyond her imagination, and so was the sheer intensity of the fight.
A collision of spear blade and sword blade alone could not possibly unleash such destructive torrents.
Every step they took drove deep craters into the shore.
Every missed swing of their weapons generated winds powerful enough to sever the trunks of trees along the coast.
A gale howled across the seaside, and the nighttime sea, which reflected the moon like a mirror, gradually began to surge with waves.
Perhaps because the utterly ruined shoreline offered no foothold and would hinder their battle, Artoria and Morgan moved their battlefield onto the sea.
Blessed by the Lady of the Lake, Artoria could walk upon water as though it were solid ground.
Morgan could do the same.
Another clash between spear blade and sword blade sent a tremendous shockwave detonating across the sea. Water blasted into the sky, only falling like rain moments later. Irisviel on the shore was not spared, and her clothes were soon soaked through.
Facing Morgan atop the rolling sea, Artoria's doubts deepened further.
That feeling of something being wrong grew stronger.
The Servant before her was indeed Morgan, yet she could not fully overlap with the image of Morgan Artoria knew.
Some fundamental difference cloaked this Morgan in an aura that was familiar yet somehow not.
And then there was that Demon Spear.
Its blade seemed to be an existence nearly equal in rank to Artoria's sword.
In other words, her sister—
"Are you really Lancer?"
"Who knows? Perhaps I really am only a Caster?" Morgan raised her left hand. "After all, I truly am a witch."
In Morgan's palm, magical energy rapidly gathered into a dark red mass of energy.
She was going to use magecraft.
Realizing that, Artoria did not hesitate for even half a second. She stomped violently on the surface of the sea and darted backward at high speed.
Half a second later, a violent explosion erupted where Artoria had been standing.
A magecraft attack launched instantly, ignoring distance.
So she really is that same Morgan. Familiarity rose once more in Artoria's heart.
"If that doesn't work, then I'll strike from the inside."
Morgan clearly had not expected such minor magecraft to succeed. She lightly placed a hand against her chest and spoke in a quiet but clear voice.
A Servant's five senses far surpassed those of an ordinary person. Artoria heard every word clearly.
Short blue spears appeared around Morgan, encircling her in a ring before suddenly all thrusting into her body.
On the shore, Irisviel turned her face away in shock, unable to watch Morgan being pierced by those things.
But the scene Irisviel imagined never occurred. Instead, Artoria suddenly fell backward without warning, dropping to one knee atop the sea as blood spilled from her mouth.
"From the inside... So that's how it was..." Artoria coughed several times.
Irisviel immediately activated healing magecraft. "Saber!"
The healing magecraft was highly effective. The injuries inflicted by the great magecraft quickly began to recover.
"Magic Resistance really is troublesome. Even after taking that attack, you only suffered minor internal injuries." Morgan pressed the back of her left index finger against her chin, calmly voicing her dissatisfaction.
The short spears that had appeared to stab into Morgan's body had been spatially transferred before they touched her, emerging from within Artoria's body instead.
"Morgan..."
Artoria had no choice but to start considering retreat.
If she took that magecraft another two times, even with Irisviel, she would not be able to endure it.
And more importantly, if Morgan turned her spear toward Irisviel now, Artoria could see no way to defend against such absurdly brilliant offensive magecraft.
But fortunately, Morgan had no intention of using the same magecraft again. That would be far too boring.
Before you continue