Saber and Irisviel arrived, while Kiritsugu Emiya, as always, remained out of sight, operating from the shadows.
After ushering them inside, they saw Waver and Iskandar already present, and couldn't help but be a bit surprised at how efficiently Shiomi had acted.
"Are your injuries alright?" Shiomi asked courteously.
"Yes," Irisviel replied. "Avalon is an incredibly powerful conceptual weapon. Just by being touched by its original wielder, Saber, my heart—though taken—began regenerating almost instantly."
"But as a consequence, you've lost your function as the Lesser Grail," Morgan, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up.
Shiomi had already discussed everything with her in advance, so there was no need for her to repeat her opinions. But since this involved the Einzbern homunculus, which Shiomi wouldn't be able to explain in detail, Morgan took it upon herself to clarify.
"I began to realize that after I woke up," Irisviel said, her expression difficult to read—caught somewhere between relief and sadness.
Shiomi sat back down. "In the end, I bet Kirei never expected his malice would actually do something good."
Joking aside, they needed to return to the matter at hand. Though a bit late, Shiomi quickly recapped what he'd discussed earlier for Artoria and Irisviel.
"So, we need to reassess the situation at the Tohsaka residence and the Fuyuki Church—and determine whether Tokiomi Tohsaka and the Overseer are still alive?" Irisviel summarized. "Given the current state of things, only Mr. Shiomi holds the initiative. We Einzberns agree to join in, especially considering the plan to purify the Greater Grail."
Hearing her speak, Shiomi didn't feel the need to press further. He was confident Kiritsugu Emiya wouldn't oppose it now. After experiencing the emotional whirlwind of losing and regaining his wife last night—on top of the Garden of Lost Will—Shiomi suspected Kiritsugu had lost interest in pursuing the Grail, wanting only to bring this chaos to an end.
"Exactly. With the Einzberns now with us, it's three versus two in terms of Servants." Shiomi gave a slight smile. "Considering we're up against the King of Heroes, whose Noble Phantasms are countless, it's hard to say how much of an edge we truly have. But it's still something to be optimistic about."
Everyone present silently agreed.
"And the last point we haven't discussed yet—we need to locate Kirei Kotomine. If Gilgamesh has already reformed a contract with him, then the two are undoubtedly acting together," Shiomi added. "But that's for later. First, we follow through on the two initial plans."
Irisviel paused to think. "Then Saber and I will head to the Tohsaka estate, and for the church..."
"But in your current condition, if a fight breaks out, you'll only become a burden to your Servant," Shiomi interjected, dismissing her proposal. "Leave the Tohsaka residence to Waver and the King of Conquerors. As for the church, we'll repeat our approach from when we intercepted Caster. Saber and I will investigate, and Morgan will stay behind to guard the house. That way, Assassin won't be able to take advantage and try kidnapping the children as hostages."
Though Morgan held the Berserker class, she possessed Caster-class abilities in Territory Creation. Combined with the Shiomi family's established workshop, even the King of Heroes wouldn't easily breach their defenses.
Of course, Shiomi's personal reason was simple: with Morgan protecting Sakura and Caren, he could head to the front lines without worry.
"You really do enjoy partnering with Artoria, don't you, my husband?" Morgan suddenly asked.
Shiomi pressed a hand to his forehead. "Don't start with that now. You know why I need you holding the fort."
"I'm just teasing. Thought you could use a little laugh." Morgan gave a faint smile. "Right now, both the priest and the King of Heroes are lurking in the dark. If things get critical, just use a Command Spell to summon me."
"Alright."
Their slightly sentimental exchange lightened the tense mood. Led by Iskandar, the others began to chuckle, even making the usually composed Shiomi feel a bit embarrassed.
Only Morgan continued sipping her tea like nothing had happened.
"There's one more thing..." Irisviel spoke hesitantly.
"Go ahead," Shiomi said, just as he was about to make departure preparations. He sat back down.
Irisviel looked between him and Morgan, clearly troubled. "Miss Maiya still hasn't woken up. It seems she was also affected by that large-scale magecraft last night."
Morgan's expression shifted slightly in surprise.
After all, the effects of the Garden of Lost Will had already been dispelled. For her to still be unconscious, there could only be one explanation—
That cold, emotionally detached assistant had been completely overwhelmed by the Garden of Lost Will.
"If it's alright, have her brought here. Let Morgan examine her personally," Shiomi said, casting an inquiring look at Morgan. After she gave a slight nod, he continued.
With their approval, Irisviel's expression finally eased a little.
She'd spent a long time last night speaking with Kiritsugu—about the Holy Grail War, about their ideals, and about their daughter, Illya.
Everything.
Kiritsugu had made his decision. Irisviel knew it was painful for him, but had he chosen otherwise, he might have faced a far deeper, lifelong regret.
"By the way, Waver Velvet," Shiomi said as he stood, remembering something he'd forgotten earlier. "You didn't run into anyone using magecraft to attack you, did you? Like, say, someone controlling insects?"
Waver looked puzzled. "Magecraft that uses insects? No, I don't think so..."
Though not an exceptional Magus, he wasn't clueless about magecraft either.
"If nothing happened, that's good... The Matou family is the only one of the three founding families not participating in this Holy Grail War. Their head has been moving behind the scenes," Shiomi informed them seriously. "Since his intentions are unclear, I hope you'll all stay alert."
Irisviel nodded quietly. Recalling the intelligence Kiritsugu had gathered on the various factions in Fuyuki, the Matou family, as one of the three core families, had always warranted special attention.
"The Matou family has no heir. They might be trying to cheat their way forward since they can't find a proper solution."
Shiomi, also aware of this, gave the group this final reminder before they set out.
And with that, he made up his mind—to find an opportunity soon to pay Zouken Matou a personal "visit."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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