[Azure Silver] Gambling Game
Hiroki Sajo was an ordinary person.
The only bright spot is that he has a gifted daughter.
Magicians who get involved in the cruel ritual of the Holy Grail War all understand the importance of assessing the situation. Failure to obtain the Holy Grail leaves only regret, so severing one's bloodline is the most desperate outcome.
Even though Sha Tiao Guangshu has descendants, the inheritance cannot be accomplished in a day.
Sajō Aika is an extraordinary child whose talent is beyond the imagination or reach of ordinary people. Even though Sajō Hiroki tried to cultivate and get along with her, it was like throwing a pebble into an endless abyss, leaving no trace.
It was only natural to turn our attention to the second daughter, Ayaka Sajou.
It's not that family ties don't exist, it's just that they can't reach each other's hearts.
As Morgan watched Aika Sajou's slender back as she offered a strategy to Hiroki Sajou, he suddenly had a sense of déjà vu.
Despite being clearly more capable, he was regarded as a "heretic" and misunderstood.
What appears to outsiders as unrestrained is actually indifference to all things, leading to a questioning of one's own existence.
Ah... that's probably why I can't like Ayaka Sajou.
"To avoid being ambushed by other servants, I think my older sister should stay at home."
The girl who calls King Arthur Saber chooses to address Morgan as "older sister".
If you didn't know they weren't related by blood, their hair and eye colors alone could indeed deceive others to some extent.
Morgan did not correct Aika Sajo's way of addressing her.
Whether she doesn't care about her position in Ayaka Sajo's eyes, or simply doesn't care about anyone other than her younger brother, the latter seems more likely.
Moreover, in Artorius's eyes, Sajou Aika was still a pitiful young girl, and it would not be wise to attack her.
"So, King Arthur will be the main combatant, and Morgan will be the logistical support unit? That sounds reasonable."
The father and daughter, Sajou, finalized the task assignments for the two Servants with a few words. What Sajou Aika didn't notice was that Artoria, who stood behind her like a guardian, slightly furrowed her brow beneath her bangs as she unhesitatingly accepted the means of mutual slaughter.
After the magicians finished their conversation, they rested and recharged for the battle that night.
Sajo Aika left with the words, "I'm going to prepare my things for the trip. Please make yourselves at home," and departed with Yingqiao's graceful steps.
The two Servants standing in the corridor did not move.
It wasn't until the blond youth spoke up: "...You're unusually silent, Sister Wang."
"It's just your imagination, Artorius." Morgan then added, "Are you worried about me? If so, I'd be very happy."
"I'm leaving the responsibility of staying here to you."
Sensing Altoris's attempt to change the subject beneath his stiff tone, Morgan suppressed his urge to tease his younger brother and turned to look at him. "When did I agree to that?"
"…!" Reminded of this, Altoris immediately raised his thorns and asked warily, "What are you planning?"
"I want to make a bet with you."
Artorius's eyes were filled with wariness. "What is the necessity of this bet?" The diligent Knight King was not a gambler, nor did he have any interest in deriving pleasure from gambling.
Morgan smiled gently, and her beautifully shaped lips revealed a soft, melodious voice:
"If I win the bet, I want your trust. But if you win, you can ask me to do one thing."
—That was exactly the kind of temptation that Altoris wanted.
But which has a higher value: trust or the power of command? Artorius weighed the options in his mind.
Altorlis's fear of Morgan stems not only from her exceptional magical abilities but also from her ruthless nature in achieving her goals. Had he not been careful, Morgan could easily have spiraled out of control, leading to an irreparable disaster.
Therefore, after a moment's thought, Altoris suggested, "I hope you won't involve innocent people."
Under the gaze that seemed to come from a distant place, Morgan nodded gently after a moment of contemplation.
"I agree to the bet."
"So what's the content of the bet?"
"I'm betting on whether Morgan will be attacked tonight."
-- It's not "Sajaya" but "Morgan".
Sensing that Morgan was playing word games, Artorius said coldly, "During the Holy Grail War, it is extremely common for outposts to be spied on or invaded by the opponent. This bet is not fair."
As a Servant in the Holy Grail War, facing off against an opponent can, in a way, fulfill the desire to be "attacked".
"How about adding a premise: 'The enemy is taking action targeting Morgan'?"
Morgan's beautiful face lit up with a slight smile.
The island witch's smile deepened Altoris's doubts.
He didn't understand.
—It's as if Morgan had already foreseen the future and knew that something bad would happen to her, so why was she still able to laugh?
The sunlight falling beside them illuminated the colors of their pupils, the warm, golden light shimmering on their cool blue eyes. A warm, shimmering light surrounded the young man's reflection in the woman's iris, and even blinking his silver eyelashes did not diminish his radiance.
Like carefully holding a blooming flower, gently stroking the petals with fingertips tinged with a beautiful rose-red.
A strange yet precious feeling filled Artorius's heart.
—So this is how Morgan would look at King Arthur.
Altorlis suddenly realized that he seemed to have never really tried to understand Morgan.
She is clearly more outstanding than anyone else, and everyone who knows her marvels at her strength; she is clearly more beautiful than anyone else, and countless men and women vie to fall at her feet.
He pieced together Morgan's image from what others said.
Through Gawain, Agravan, Gahrlis, Gareth, and... Mordred.
The witch described by the knights was so vile and cruel that she seemed to be forged from all the malice in the world.
When that malice and resentment were directed at King Arthur, Morgan existed only as the embodiment of Britain.
Although Altolis did indeed fall into a crisis due to the enemy's scheme, resulting in a situation that everyone lamented.
but……
—As the "sister of the king," what were Morgan's thoughts about King Arthur and Mordred?
-
That's a hero.
Even though she is a woman.
Wielding a massive spear... no, it was more like a greatsword, her slender arms deftly wielded the blade, creating a powerful gust of wind.
The Servant who confronted Saber was undoubtedly a highly skilled hero.
"Although very superficial, it possesses divinity, roughly equivalent to a Valkyrie."
Visual sharing.
What should have been a means of communication between Servants and Masters was somehow transformed by Morgan into a channel of communication similar to that of Artoria.
"So, that spear might be imbued with additional abilities or a curse?"
During a lull in the battle, Artorius spoke telepathically with Morgan, holding his own thanks to his superior swordsmanship.
"If I were Ruler, I could see through it using my real name."
"So Sister Wang also has Ruler aptitude?"
"Because I do not seek the Holy Grail."
"Sister Wang once said that our goals are the same. Does the desire to save Britain not need to be achieved through the Holy Grail?"
"If the Holy Grail truly is an omnipotent wish-granting machine, why didn't Lord Galahad, a pure and noble knight, use it to save Britain?"
Saber's movements suddenly paused during the battle.
Lancer didn't miss a single moment!
"Al!"
The howling wind grazed Altoris's neck and brutally cleaved through the concrete wall behind the knight.
"I'm fine, Sister Wang."
Catching the panic in Morgan's voice, Altorlis felt a surge of unfamiliarity and indescribable emotion welling up in his chest.
This reminds Altoris of the first time he saw a chick hatching from its shell.
As a child, he instinctively gasped for breath, marveling at the wonder of life and feeling tenderness for that pure heart.
He never thought about it, nor did he ever imagine it.
It seems that without realizing it, the word "Sister Wang" came out of her mouth effortlessly.
The change in their interaction surprised Altoris.
Before Altolis could react, his opponent launched a barrage of attacks.
Swords and spears clashed once more.
Ultimately, the first battle ended with the Valkyrie's retreat.
But the liquid the other person drank before leaving bothered Altoris.
"Sister Wang, can you tell what that is?"
"...I couldn't tell from close enough, but it was undoubtedly a low-quality potion. Lancer's Master seems to have absolutely no mercy for women."
After discussing the matter further, Artorius put away his weapons and headed to Sajou Ayaka's location as agreed.
Even after the golden-haired king materialized into his spirit form, the thoughts in his mind continued:
"Artoria, guess what Aegean is doing?"
"Split up, gather intelligence, then rendezvous at a designated location—based on this strategy and the speed of human movement, they're probably all on their way to meet up."
After speaking, Altolis continued walking, but all he received in response was silence.
"...Sister Wang?"
The next moment, the view shifted.
Altorlis immediately stopped, the wind that followed lifting unseen strands of hair and the hem of her clothes.
It was a dimly lit bedroom.
The layout and the features provided to Altoli are exactly the same.
At first, Altolis did not notice anything unusual.
Until my gaze fell on the crack in the door.
The red dragon's intuition sent out a warning.
"Sister Wang."
Altolis issued a warning in a low voice.
Morgan still did not answer.
Perhaps sensing that Altoris's "vision" was different from his own, after a flash of light, Altoris "saw" it.
Something is quietly invading through the gap between the bottom edge of the door panel and the carpet.
It was a thin, pale purple wisp of smoke.
"Poisonous fog?" Altoris asked hesitantly.
Wisps of purple smoke drifted silently across the carpet, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier millimeters away before they could touch the island witch's toes.
Only then did Artorius hear Morgan's voice:
"Artoria, I won this bet."
'...'
In the shared field of vision, as the main perspective slowly descends, slender, pale fingers reach into the surrounding smoke, letting the smoke wisps wrap around the rose-colored fingertips in mid-air. '—Not a deadly poison, but more like a mind-controlling incense.'
"Using such sneaky methods... the intruder's goal isn't to attack the Master, but to control the Servant. I think you should be able to understand that."
In the Holy Grail War, killing the Master is the most efficient method.
After all, it's much easier to deal with a human magician than a Servant who is a Heroic Spirit.
But the attackers did not do that; instead, they chose to attack the Servants.
Moreover, since they had already successfully infiltrated enemy territory, why did they take "control" instead of "killing"?
To go a step further, how did the intruders know of Morgan's existence?
After a brief silence, Artorius said calmly:
"You won, Sister Wang."
"Artoria, are you angry?"
That's not true.
The next second after King Arthur took his first step.
The night breeze around them paused for a moment, making the woman's teasing, melodious voice exceptionally clear.
"A boy can't just be stubborn."
Altolis nearly fell off the roof of a building.
—It's really different, no, it's completely beyond my imagination.
King Arthur, with his palm covering his face, took a deep breath before taking another step.
"Was it Assassin who attacked Sister Wang?"
Unless other Servants possess skills related to petty theft.
How did Sister Wang find out that she would be attacked by the enemy?
"If you want to know the answer, just don't reveal our telepathic conversation or anything related to the betting."
Artorius slowly typed: '?'
Morgan did not answer.
Perhaps it was the casual atmosphere built up during their back-and-forth conversation that prompted the British red dragon to blurt out, "Now that things have come to this, is there anything you can't tell me?"
"I thought I had won the bet."
—King Arthur's trust.
Although he was mentally prepared to lose the bet and be annoyed by Morgan, Altolis did not expect it to happen so quickly.
The knight-king, true to his word, could only reply, "...I understand."
However, what Artorius never expected was that after reuniting with Ayaka Sajou, the words uttered by the girl's charming smile plunged him into an icy abyss—
"Assassin is even less of a problem. I've already taken care of that."
"Um?"
"It doesn't mean she's been eliminated. In short, she's no longer an enemy."
"Not an enemy? What does that mean?"
"Because I handled it well."
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