MMMS 90

Back in the room Ryuuto had left behind—

The Pendragon sisters lay in silence, backs turned to each other on opposite sides of the bed. Neither had slept. At some point during the night, both had awakened, sensing the clash echoing through the castle walls.

“Taking care of a willful Master really is exhausting, don’t you think, sis?” Artoria’s voice drifted softly into the dark.

Morgan didn’t turn. She kept her gaze fixed on the stars beyond the window. “If it’s too much trouble, you can step aside. I’ll take care of Master.”

Above them, the wind chime swayed wildly, rattled by the aftershocks of distant magical force.

Ryuuto’s attack had been powerful—powerful enough that even Servants stationed far from the source could feel it. The subtle shift in mana brushed across the girls’ bare skin, raising goosebumps. It reminded them of their childhood. Of sneaking out of the castle. Of running into a dragon.

“…It’s nostalgic,” Artoria murmured, her voice quieter now. “But I’m sorry. I can’t give up on Master. Even if it means standing against you again, I…”

Morgan’s lashes trembled. “I don’t understand you. You’ve already become a Heroic Spirit. Why are you still so obsessed with someone?”

Artoria didn’t respond right away. The silence between them stretched long, heavy.

Then at last, her voice came.

“I will protect Master from you.”

“…”

Morgan said nothing. She slowly closed her eyes and let the quiet settle once more.

…

…

Deep in Miyama Town—

The Black Keys Kirei threw passed straight through the Black Irisviel’s body like mist. The moment they phased harmlessly through her, the air shifted. Predator and prey had just traded places.

“Too bad,” she said with a growing smile, raising one hand. “My body’s not actually here. What you’re fighting is a construct made from Imaginary Numbers. Even your holy attacks can’t touch me.”

Kirei’s feet left the ground as an invisible force clamped around his throat.

“Grk… urgh—!”

The dark-clad girl didn’t move from her spot. Her hand hovered in the air, fingers slightly curled, as if gripping nothing. Yet dark bruises began blooming around his neck, crushed by pressure that seemed to come from nowhere.

“What a sad expression. You’re dying, and you still don’t understand a thing.” Her tone wasn’t cruel. If anything, it was curious—like she was speaking to something she’d never seen before. “Well, I don’t get to talk to people much. So I’ll be nice and let you in on a secret.”

Her eyes gleamed with amusement.

“I could call myself the personality of the Holy Grail’s vessel… or maybe the baby born from Papa Ryuuto and Mama Iri’s fluids. Gross, right?”

She gave a light giggle, as if sharing some absurd gossip. “This body of Imaginary Numbers is a gift from the Beast’s blood. Incredible, isn’t it? I even devoured that idiot Angra Mainyu, the one stuck inside the Grail before. But I still don’t have a real form. I’m stuck sharing this one with Irisviel. Until certain conditions are met, I can’t fully manifest.”

She paused, then blinked.

“…Oh. Looks like you’re already dead.”

Kirei’s eyes had gone blank.

Kotomine Kirei—dead. Just like that, he left the Fourth Holy Grail War without finding any answers. No regrets. No satisfaction. Maybe, for someone like him, that was the closest thing to peace.

“Mmm~ mm~~~ That’s what you get for picking on Irisviel. Guess we’re even now.” Black Iri stretched casually, her pale arms rising above her head as she let out a satisfied sigh.

“I even slipped a strong aphrodisiac suggestion into Irisviel’s mind... I wonder if those two made good use of it.” She let out a playful hum. “But even if she got pregnant last night, the baby wouldn’t be born for another ten months. Way too late to be of any use to me.”

Hands folded behind her back, she strolled down the empty street, her black dress fluttering faintly with each step.

“…Maybe I’ll just take Irisviel’s body for myself?”

…

…

The next morning, in the dining hall—

An odd silence filled the room.

Ryuuto had just finished explaining what happened the night before—the Berserker and his Master infiltrating the castle, and how he took care of the intruder. But he carefully skipped over the part where he’d carried a weakened Irisviel back to her room.

Irisviel didn’t bring it up either. She couldn’t. She was still blushing over the kiss she’d stolen from him. Just thinking about it made her heart race. She couldn’t even look him in the eye.

The Pendragon sisters, of course, said nothing. Even though they clearly knew what had happened, they just sat there with polite expressions, pretending not to notice a thing.

Once the report was done, the discussion moved on.

“…Lord Ryuuto,” Irisviel said suddenly, “it’s a bit late, but I’d like to honor Lancer’s promise.”

He glanced her way. “Iri? What promise?”

“That night, at New Fuyuki harbor—Lancer and Saber made a vow to duel again. But they haven’t had the chance yet.”

“…Huh.”

Morgan, sipping her tea, raised an eyebrow. A subtle smirk tugged at her lips.

“So that really happened,” he muttered, tapping the table.

“Eh? You didn’t know, Lord Ryuuto?” Irisviel tilted her head. “I thought you were secretly watching from the shadows.”

He shook his head. “Only caught the beginning. After that, I went off to sabotage your husband.”

“…!”

Irisviel froze, her expression twisting into something painfully awkward.

“W-Wait, you were targeting him that early?!”

He gave her a lazy grin. “Nope. I decided to target him the moment I saw his wife.”

A sharp red blush spread across Irisviel’s cheeks as she lowered her head with a soft groan. “Uugh… A-Anyway! I’d like your permission to let Lancer finish that duel with Saber.”

“Sure, go ahead. Let’s hit El-Melloi’s workshop tonight.”

Before he could explain further, Artoria—silent until now—cut in. “No. Last time, Gawain and I fought at night, but the duel ended without resolution. We agreed the next time would be in daylight.”

He let out a tired sigh and rubbed his temple. “…This is why knights are such a pain…”

…

Meanwhile—

When Lord El-Melloi first arrived in Fuyuki, he immediately turned his hotel into a personal stronghold.

He didn’t believe in chasing enemies down. Instead, he focused everything on creating the perfect fortress. Anyone foolish enough to step inside would face the overwhelming power of Lord El-Melloi.

Out of the building’s 32 floors, 24 were covered in layered bounded fields. Three specialized magical furnaces powered the entire structure. Patrols of summoned wraiths roamed the halls, replacing the need for mundane guards. Even the sewers had been overhauled—the space beneath the corridors converted into a secondary battleground.

Calling it a "Mage Fortress" wasn’t exaggeration. It was, by far, the most fortified base in the current Holy Grail War.

But no matter how hard modern magi worked, it was meaningless in front of the Witch of Britannia.

Morgan simply placed two fingers against the wall and whispered a single word in Old English.

In the very next moment, the complex bounded field Kayneth had spent days crafting unraveled like a loose thread. His layers of magical defense collapsed without a sound.

To witness the duel between Artoria and Gawain, all four members of the Einzbern castle party had crossed into enemy territory together.

Arms folded, Artoria frowned. “Was it really necessary for all of us to come?”

She understood Ryuuto and Irisviel being here. But her older sister too? That part rubbed her the wrong way. Watching Morgan show off in front of their Master—it hit a nerve. Artoria’s brow twitched. She didn’t say anything, but the flare of competition in her chest was hard to ignore.

“Well, don’t say that, Lancer,” Irisviel said. “Without Lady Caster, getting inside would’ve been a lot messier.”

“…If even Irisviel says so…” Artoria muttered, biting her lip. Fired up now, she made up her mind—she’d go all out in this duel and send Gawain flying into the stratosphere with her lance.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open.

They’d reached the top floor. The floor where Saber’s group waited.

The air grew still as the four stepped out. No one said a word.

Lancer took point. Irisviel clung to Ryuuto’s arm in the middle. Caster brought up the rear. Their little squad stopped in front of Kayneth’s room.