The night sky glowed with an orange-red hue as flames consumed the century-old Matou residence, slowly reducing it to ashes.
Like the biblical city of Sodom, it burned away for its sins. The arsonist was, of course, Ryuuto, who had been up to no good inside the Matou household. But he hadn't left empty-handed—he clutched a thick stack of Matou family land deeds he'd stolen, instantly making himself wealthy.
Morgan stood in the darkness, her cold eyes watching the grand western-style mansion crumble in the flames.
Just like in the original story, neither Morgan nor Artoria could shift into spirit form since they hadn't actually died.
"Why burn it down?" she asked with a neutral tone. "Making such a scene will definitely attract the attention of the other magi in the war."
It wasn't a criticism or scolding—she was just curious.
Even for someone like Morgan, who had mastered every mystery and piece of knowledge imaginable, this Beast's thoughts remained completely unpredictable.
"I saw this in video games before and always wanted to try it," he said, sounding quite pleased with himself. "I have to admit... it's a pretty impressive sight."
He glanced at Morgan with a smirk. "You know, we're watching the last trace of the Zolgen family—eight hundred years of history—just disappearing from existence. Don't you find that somewhat moving?"
As a witch who had lived for over 1,500 years, Morgan certainly knew something about the once-renowned Zolgen family. What might she think about their end?
"...Hmph. Vermin like them are better off completely extinct."
Well, looks like the witch lady didn't have even a hint of sentimentality about it.
"Let's head back," he said, having seen enough of the burning mansion. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned toward the station.
"Hey Caster, have you ever played Red Dead Redemption 2?" he asked as they walked.
"No," she replied flatly.
Of course she hasn't, he thought to himself. It's 1994 after all.
"That's too bad. The main character has a really interesting name—I bet you'd love it."
...
As they made their way through the night, Morgan walked beside him in her robe that left little to the imagination. The revealing garment showcased generous amounts of her pure white skin and the enticing curves of her body. Her creamy-colored, lustrous legs—long and perfectly shaped—occasionally became visible beneath the hem of her skirt as she moved.
What really caught the eye was her bare midriff, where a deep red symbol was etched in the center of several marks on her smooth skin. Yet strangely, nobody they passed on the street seemed to give her a second look.
She must be using some kind of perception-altering spell, he said. "Onee-sama, could you teach me that trick sometime? I want to learn a hypnosis spell, and I promise I wouldn't use it for anything weird!"
"…"
She pretended not to hear him, unknowingly doing everyone a favor.
After walking for about half an hour, Ryuuto and Morgan finally caught the night bus heading to Tokyo.
"Master, what do you know about the other participants in this Holy Grail War?" Morgan asked as soon as they settled into the comfortable bus seats.
She rested her chin on one hand, her slender white legs crossed elegantly as she gazed at the scenery rushing past the window. The gentle movement of the bus caused her impressive chest to sway slightly. Her perfect curves flowed from those full breasts down to her narrow waist, creating an alluring silhouette that would catch anyone's eye.
Looking at the woman beside him, he felt touched—not by her beauty, but by her dedication. Even at 1 AM, his Servant was still focused on their mission. Talk about a workaholic!
He gathered his thoughts for a moment, then replied with a sheepish grin, "Sorry! I actually don't know anything about them. Well, except that the Master from the Tohsaka family might, possibly, perhaps be their family head, hehe."
"...Is that so." she pressed her gorgeous lips together in obvious skepticism. As if she'd believe that! This rascal was clearly playing dumb with her again!
"Oh wait... I did read something in a newspaper last month. Waver El-Melloi from the Mineralogy Department at Clock Tower announced he was joining the Fuyuki Holy Grail War."
He was completely making this up.
Even if the magical world had academic journals like Nature or Science, they'd only circulate within Clock Tower. Outsiders like him wouldn't have access to them. After all, magecraft was the opposite of science—its power lay in secrecy.
Truth was only valuable when it belonged to the few. As for why he wasn't giving Caster genuine information about the other participants, he wasn't trying to hide his identity as a transmigrator. He simply enjoyed watching her thoughtful, troubled expression.
"Foreign magi don't really matter anyway," Morgan said dismissively. "No matter how impressive their reputation, outsiders can't possibly defeat the local participants on their home ground. Although..."
She glanced sideways at the young Master beside her, her lips curving into a smile. Unless they happened to run into a monster like him—a rule-breaker with a ruthless streak. That would be an entirely different story.
As the bus continued down the highway, she gazed out at the night scenery. "The Holy Grail was established by three families—Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern, right? And the Matou family, who created the Command Spell system, has just been reduced to ashes by you tonight."
"Of the two remaining families, the Tohsaka manage the leylines in Fuyuki. Their main job is essentially providing the battlefield for the Holy Grail War."
She shifted in her seat, uncrossing and recrossing her legs before continuing, "And then there's Einzbern—they're really the technical core of making the Holy Grail manifest in the first place."
Her voice dropped slightly. "If I'm not mistaken, they'll send a homunculus to Fuyuki as the vessel of the Holy Grail. Its purpose is to absorb the souls of the defeated Heroic Spirits and complete the Greater Grail."
His eyes widened with feigned surprise as he slapped his palm against his knee. "Hold on—so there's a chance that the Einzbern Master in the war is actually the vessel itself?"
Morgan gave him a look of disbelief. "Don't be ridiculous. A normal homunculus isn't anything like you—a Beast. How could it possibly contain a Servant's soul without suffering terrible consequences? That doll they transform into the Grail gradually loses its human characteristics as the war goes on and it absorbs more heroic spirits. Eventually it becomes something that can't even be considered human anymore."
She shook her head slightly. "Think about it logically—in that condition, how could it possibly handle a Master's responsibilities during battle? Do you really think Einzbern would just hand victory to someone else? If I were in their position, I'd use separate magi as Masters and keep the dolls solely as Grail vessels for the ritual. That's just common sense."
"Oh, I see! Now that you explain it that way, it makes perfect sense," he replied, lightly clapping his hands together. "That's so clever! As expected from my brilliant Caster! So anyway, about that hypnosis spell we were discussing..."
Her lips formed a slight pout. "I don't see what any of this has to do with teaching you hypnosis."
Even though she knew her Master was just pretending to be impressed while already understanding everything, Morgan couldn't help feeling a little pleased by the flattery. It was the first time anyone had ever affirmed her so completely. Part of her recognized he wasn't being entirely sincere, but it still gave her an unexpected sense of happiness.
"Speaking of hypnotic spells... I'm actually getting pretty tired. Haaaaaah..." he stretched his arms and yawned widely. "Caster, this bus won't reach Tokyo until noon tomorrow. I'm going to get some sleep."
"...Very well. I'll stay alert and watch our surroundings, so you can rest without worry."
"That's not necessary. Morgan, you're also human—you need sleep just like I do. There's no reason to keep watch. Please get some rest yourself."
Morgan looked a bit surprised as she turned away from the window to look at him.
"..."
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No, not at all," she replied with a gentle shake of her head.
She closed her eyes as a faint smile formed on her lips. "Good night, Master."
...
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