[F/Z] Unauthorized Summoning
When the priests of the Holy Church issued a special mission to subdue Caster and his Master's servants, they would receive additional Command Seals. The fact that there were five familiars present who received the message also confirmed that the Lancer group had not been eliminated in the previous surprise attack.
Disregarding the principle of secrecy, the Caster group, which openly kidnaps young children, is seen as their primary prey. In order to obtain Command Seals outside the rules, many groups with their own ulterior motives begin to stir and start their under-the-table operations with the help of this situation.
--Eindzbern Castle, deep in the mountains.
In the brightly lit conference room, a black-haired, black-eyed man, with a map of Fuyuki City and stacks of collected Master information spread out, reported in a calm, monotonous tone: "A powerful barrier has been set up centered on Ryudou-ji Temple on Mount Enzo, so beings other than natural spirits like Servants cannot enter the pilgrimage path."
"Be extra careful when instructing Saber to act," the man, Kiritsugu Emiya, instructed his wife, and continued, "There are three main points where the ley lines converge: the Tohsaka Mansion, the Fuyuki Church, and the newly built residential area in the eastern part of the city. In addition, there are four locations in Fuyuki City that are the best places to gather spiritual energy for the Holy Grail Summoning."
"In the latter half of the war, when the number of Servants decreases, we will start to occupy these places as strongholds, right?" Irisviel listened attentively to her husband's explanation, cleverly drawing inferences from it.
"That's right." Kiritsugu Emiya nodded, and after confirming everyone's understanding, he heard Irisviel's follow-up question.
"Kiritsugu, can we assume that all the other Masters are dealing with Caster?"
"That should be the case. We have an advantage over Caster. Regardless of whether he's insane or not, he mistook Saber for Joan of Arc, which is advantageous to us. We just need to wait for them to take the bait."
After saying that, Kiritsugu Emiya changed his tone and addressed the silver-haired Servants seated at the long table: "But he's a formally recognized Caster group by the Holy Church, so the extra group became you guys. Irisviel, have there been any similar cases in the past?"
Faced with Kiritsugu Emiya's questioning, and under Irisviel's undisguised trepidation, Morgan casually uttered these words:
"They probably summoned it illegally, after all, the book that young man was holding contained quite a lot of filthy stuff."
Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel fell silent.
Given the master-disciple relationship between the son of the Church's overseer and the Archer's Master, and the Lancer's decision to have someone other than the Master provide the magical power to maintain the Servant's presence, exploiting loopholes in the rules is an unspoken tactic among the participants. However, what they never expected was that this tactic could be realized through an "unintentional" "coincidence."
Kiritsugu Emiya, however, pinpointed the key point and pressed the silver-haired, blue-eyed British princess, "You can see Caster's Master? Besides that, what other interference can you do?"
Upon hearing this, Morgan narrowed his icy blue eyes, which were like a winter lake, and coldly retorted, "I am not a prop in your hands, Magician Killer."
In an instant, a tense atmosphere enveloped everyone.
Emiya Kiritsugu, Maiya, Irisviel, Artoria, and Morgan—the first two maintained their indifferent expressions, while Irisviel looked around anxiously, and Artoria, as Emiya Kiritsugu's Servant, remained silent.
At the heart of the conflict, Morgan maintained a cold and solemn demeanor, but inwardly he was panicking terribly.
Morgan's goal was not the Holy Grail; if she had been summoned through legitimate means, her class would have been Ruler.
She never identified herself as a Caster; from beginning to end, she merely disguised her presence as a Servant. Her contract with Irisviel was simply to justify her existence, and the so-called Command Seals were at best a mimicry of her spare magic.
In other words, Morgan didn't care at all about winning or losing this Holy Grail War; she wasn't even a participant.
Although he was quite confident in his magical skills, Morgan couldn't help but feel guilty about deceiving others, and this was vaguely noticed by the perceptive British Red Dragon.
But since Artoria hasn't exposed Morgan yet, the latter continues to maintain his enigmatic image, as if burying his head in the sand.
Morgan, with her fairy eyes, could see that Kiritsugu Emiya had a noble cause in mind, but that did not mean she agreed with his actions, let alone Kiritsugu Emiya's attitude of not taking Artoria seriously (even if it was anger stemming from a sense of justice).
Morgan, determined to become a sister-complex, has no intention of considering any of Kiritsugu Emiya's feelings.
"...If Gilles de Rais is considered a regular Seventh Group, it will also be advantageous to us. When Gilles de Rais is defeated, no one will think that there is actually another Caster Master-Servant group," Irisviel said slowly.
Amidst the suffocatingly tense atmosphere, the white-haired, red-eyed android tried to smooth things over, "Besides, if Caster could remotely curse her Master, she could have done it from the start. So, there must be other limitations or conditions, right?"
"Moreover, the more important issue now is the curse on Saber's left hand. Eighteen hours have passed since your attack on Kenneth, and Saber's left hand still hasn't healed. Lancer must still be alive." Irisviel analyzed point by point, "In order to deal with Caster in the best possible condition, we should first defeat Lancer."
"Don't worry about that. Just make the most of the terrain and have Saber dodge around or attract attention to confuse the enemy."
"Aren't you going to fight Caster?" Irisviel asked in surprise.
"Even if Caster is left unattended, someone will naturally take care of him. In fact, those guys who are blinded by rage after chasing Caster are the best prey," Kiritsugu Emiya said coldly. "I will ambush them from the sidelines."
"Master, are you planning to continue using such despicable methods?" Artoria, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, her clear voice laced with undisguised anger. "You are insulting Heroic Spirits! Why won't you let me fight? Don't you trust me, your Servant?"
Upon hearing Artoria's words, Irisviel couldn't help but add, "The battles, except for the one against Caster, should have all ceased by now."
"I don't trust the supervisor this time," Kiritsugu Emiya replied calmly. "The other party is protecting the Assassin Master without any hesitation. They might be in cahoots with Tohsaka. It's better to be more cautious."
Let's disband today.
Leave Artoria, her face full of anger, and Kiritsugu Emiya ended the meeting.
—Only two British heroes remained in the huge conference room.
Even though Morgan wanted to get closer to Artoria, seeing the anger on her lowered face, she couldn't help but worry that she might have stirred up a hornet's nest instead.
Morgan hesitated for a moment, thinking that it was because she was not decisive enough that the red-haired servant had taken the initiative. She cautiously called out, "Artoria."
When those emerald green eyes moved toward him, Morgan hadn't yet figured out what to say.
—Ignore what Kiritsugu Emiya says, I'll support whatever you want to do.
Would saying this be suspected of being an attempt to sow discord?
—It's getting late, you should get some rest.
No, no, no, she wanted to talk to Artoria more!
Suddenly, Morgan heard himself say this:
"...How about I go beat that man up for you?"
Before Morgan could even recover from his astonishment after realizing what he had said, a voice came from the other end of the line: "What?"
So Morgan had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep her previously indifferent expression in check, continuing the conversation: "Didn't he make you unhappy? Then as your sister, it's only natural for me to stand up for you."
Faced with this declaration that seemed to cover up wrongdoing, Artoria first frowned, then gave a self-deprecating snort, "If you were to make everyone who makes me feel uncomfortable pay the price, that would be quite a lot of work."
Morgan stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "Was the mighty King Arthur really such a petty person?"
Artoria shrugged helplessly. "These are two different things."
Seemingly realizing the purpose of Morgan's banter and that it had successfully put her at ease, Artoria began to look at Morgan from a different perspective.
"Morgan, you seem quite different from what I thought you were."
Eager to show goodwill, Morgan quickly spoke up: "Alto..."
"Although I can't completely trust you yet," the blonde woman in the suit interrupted Morgan, her expression solemn, "—but given our alliance, I believe we can get along peacefully."
After speaking, Artoria gave a gentle smile.
Artoria's words gently touched Morgan's heart.
Like a spring breeze and gentle rain, it swept across the frozen continent with boundless tenderness and warmth, silent yet deafening.
Morgan murmured to himself, "...That would be very nice."
"Yes, I should say I like it very much. Let's do it this way, Artoria."
As Artoria stared in disbelief, Morgan's beautiful face broke into a smile that could melt even the coldest winter.
Compared to herself as Vivian and as Morgan le Fay, "Morgan" remained dormant in the depths of her consciousness, never even deeply recorded in anyone's memory, as if... she was superfluous simply because she was a human (the older sister).
So why does she still exist here?
If it is not needed, it is of no importance; simply remove "Morgan".
But if Morgan hadn't been abandoned, would it mean that there's still something in this world... this continent of Britain that only she could do?
If the answer is yes, then what are the specific hopes?
Once that hope is fulfilled, will "Morgan" be able to possess the brilliance inherent in every life?
Morgan, her mind preoccupied with these questions, gazed at King Arthur with an expectation he couldn't comprehend. "Even though I don't have much relevant experience or knowledge, as your sister, I have so much to say to you, and so many things I want to experience with you. Artoria, from now on, will you give me those opportunities?"
"...Of course, Sister Wang."
—Artoria heard herself answer like this.
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