After Kama finally left, Ryuuto began to prepare the summoning ritual.
This was the real reason he'd come here in the first place. If you wanted to summon a servant for the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, you had to physically be in Fuyuki City. Pretty much the only ones who could bypass this rule were the Einzberns, who basically cheated every time and always secured their contracts first.
Despite living with a prestigious magus family for three whole years, Ryuuto—who preferred spending his time chasing wine and women—had obviously never bothered learning any actual magecraft.
So now this ambitious but utterly unskilled guy pulled out a small notebook that his mom had lovingly prepared for him. It was filled with cute handwriting detailing all the steps for a proper summoning ritual.
First, set up a bounded field. Next, arrange the offerings. Finally, place the catalyst in front of the eight-pointed magic circle drawn with white chalk.
The catalyst was a relic he'd dug out from the old worm's workshop just half an hour ago—the same one used to summon Lancelot in the original timeline.
Even though Lancelot might be at a disadvantage against Iskandar and Diarmuid in the Fourth War, he was still clearly a top-tier heroic spirit. Not that Ryuuto particularly cared how strong his summoned hero was—after all, none of them would be stronger than him anyway.
That said, if the Fourth Holy Grail War played out exactly like the original plot, it would be mind-numbingly boring. For someone like Ryuuto, who viewed the Holy Grail War as his personal entertainment, shaking things up was essential.
He placed the catalyst on the ground, stepped out of the magic circle, and walked over to the wall of the worm pit.
The summoning ritual officially began.
"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times. But when each is filled, destroy it. Set. Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny."
He quietly extended his arm, hiding a smile as he focused all his scattered thoughts and emotions into a single point. In that moment, the simulated magical core within him stirred.
"If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me."
His shoulders trembled slightly as magical energy rushed through his simulated magic circuits like hot water, flowing endlessly.
Ryuuto continued chanting the incantation, savoring the feeling of absolute power filling his mind.
"I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all evil in the world." He couldn't help but burst into laughter at this part, though he somehow managed to continue smoothly.
"You seven heavens, clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of the Scales!"
As he finished the ritual, a whirlwind burst from the summoning circle. Brilliant blue light flooded the basement, washing the walls in a shimmering lake-blue glow. Then...
A crisp, noble voice rang out sharply, instantly clearing away the lingering stench of worms throughout the Matou's basement.
"Servant Caster, Morgan. I have answered your summons."
She stood before him with platinum-colored hair flowing down her back, skin pale as ivory, and an elaborate, luxurious outfit that hugged her provocative figure. The bewitchingly beautiful woman studied the room with an expressionless face before asking, "Enemy of Human Order—are you the one who summoned me?"
The scoundrel couldn't hide his surprise. He'd definitely placed Lancelot's summoning catalyst there, so how the hell did Morgan show up instead? Ryuuto put thoughts of the newly summoned servant aside for a moment and stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"...Hmm. I think I understand what happened," he murmured.
Perhaps the catalyst could summon not only the Knight of the Lake, but the Lady of the Lake as well? After all, Lancelot only received his title "Knight of the Lake" because Vivian raised him in the first place.
In historical legends, Morgan actually combined three distinct figures into one character. She encompassed both of Arthur's half-sisters—Morgan le Fay and Morgause—as well as Viviane, the Lady of the Lake.
Morgan le Fay appeared as the primary villain in the Knights of the Round Table tales. Morgause, though also portrayed as an antagonist, earned respect as the mother who bore five Knights of the Round Table. Viviane, meanwhile, raised Lancelot as her foster son, studied under Merlin, and as the Lady of the Lake, presented King Arthur with his holy sword.
This version of Morgan contained all these different identities and personalities. And among these aspects of Morgan, her most dominant trait was undoubtedly her vengeful enchantress side. Despite being the rightful heir who inherited the island and was beloved by Britain itself, her father Uther had passed her over in favor of her younger sister as the kingdom's successor. This betrayal sparked her hatred—for her father, for her sister, and for the entire "Human Order" that had rejected her. She transformed into a dangerous femme fatale who dedicated her entire existence to revenge.
"Well, that explains it..." Ryuuto muttered to himself. The catalyst that Zouken had prepared was probably something the historical Morgan had given to Lancelot, which meant summoning either one of them was possible. But when it came to compatibility, it made sense that he could only summon Morgan. After all, Ryuuto himself had British witch and fairy blood running through his veins, inherited from Manaka's mother's side of the family.
Come to think of it, shouldn't Morgan still be alive right now? Her main body supposedly exists in Avalon, having lived from the fifth century all the way to the present day. She's even been spotted occasionally in Wales, where people call her the "Black Madonna." So... how was it even possible to summon her as a Servant?
"Master, are you unhappy with the result of your summoning?"
Morgan's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Only then did he realize he'd been quiet for way too long—pretty rude, considering the circumstances.
Looking up, he saw Morgan's elegant face remained completely expressionless, giving away neither pleasure nor annoyance. The young man scratched his cheek with an apologetic smile.
"Oh, sorry about that. It's definitely not what you're thinking. If anything, I'm just blown away that I managed to summon such an incredible heroic spirit. I mean, wow—I never imagined my Servant would be the legendary fairy queen Morgan herself! This practically means we've already won! What do you say, Caster? Should we celebrate with some champagne tonight?"
He was genuinely excited, though not because he'd summoned some overpowered heroic spirit. He was thrilled because such an interesting character had arrived. The Anti-Messiah paired with the Black Madonna... this Holy Grail War was turning out to be quite entertaining.
Morgan seemed completely unmoved by her Master's flattery as she raised her eyebrows. "Master, may I ask you something?"
"If you're wondering about a girlfriend, I'm currently single. Now mistresses, on the other hand—I have quite a few..."
In the dim cellar, Morgan settled her blue eyes on the black-haired youth. "What I want to know is how many Servants you plan to kill."
Her voice was crystal clear yet utterly emotionless, as if she already understood everything.
"Huh?"
What kind of question was that? The number of enemies was obviously 6... wait. Ryuuto's expression suddenly froze. After a long moment of silence, his face broke into wild, uncontrolled laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! So that's what you're getting at! You're asking whether I plan to kill 6 or 7! You've already figured it out? The moment our connection formed, you analyzed my body and discovered the truth hidden within this Holy Grail War system. I'd expect nothing less from the brilliant witch. Morgan, you really are incredible!"
After his burst of laughter faded, the youth's expression became serious. "Your deduction is exactly right, Caster. The Grail told you that whoever defeats six Servants gets to make a wish, correct? But that's not the complete truth. The three founding families kept the most important part secret: gathering seven souls can actually open a pathway to the Root. That's why Masters who know this secret plan to use their command spells to kill their own Servants after defeating the other six. From the very beginning, these Servants never actually had any right to make wishes on the Holy Grail."
Ryuuto held his breath, genuinely impressed. Morgan had simply stood there studying his body and somehow managed to analyze the Beast's structure within him, determining that he could contain not just six heroic spirits, but seven. From that observation alone, she had unraveled the entire deception behind the Holy Grail War.
"...Interesting." Caster slightly lowered her head, the corner of her mouth lifting in a barely noticeable curve. Was she pleased by her Master's acknowledgment, or was she simply happy to have finally met someone who understood her after so many centuries? Probably a bit of both.
"..."
Morgan's smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. She shook her head slightly, then spoke in a voice as cold as winter frost. "Please answer my question, Master. How many souls do you intend to sacrifice? Six? Or seven?"