Morgan's debut

"That certainly felt nice. I can see why Aesc the Savior was born. But to continue doing it for thousands of years... It speaks volumes about your resilience. You are amazing, Morgan." The moment the trio appeared before a familiar cliff, Raito spoke.

Caught off guard by this sudden remark coupled with his praise, the fairy in question lost control over her facial expression, and, for a second, it morphed into a strange mixture of melancholy, regret, sadness, embarrassment and... happiness? Then her expression darkened as she recalled the outcome, and negative emotions took over before she managed to collect herself, putting on her usual poker face as if everything Raito had seen earlier was a lie.

'Wow! I would've never thought that it is even possible to show that many emotions at once. It seems my 『Ruler of Monsters: EX』 supresses the rational mind while amplifying emotions and instinctual behavior of the targets, then asserts my dominance over them, thus compelling recievers to follow the orders. At least, I think it is the intended way to use this skill. If I use this on the girls, they will milk me dry, then either suck me bloodless or bite all over the place. I am both afraid and excited about this prospect...'

While Raito's mind drifted off to somewhere inappropriate, Morgan was contemplating her life choices.

"Husband, don't go down that pointless path of self-destruction. You will find nothing but disappointment and betrayal at the end." In the end, she decided to warn him.

"That idea wasn't even on my mind, but thanks for your concern." Then he turned his head to the silent Knight of the Lake, who just stood there motionlessly stunned by the unbelievable scine before him. "As you can see, the Morgan in front of you is not the same as in your memories. Your current Master is not a human but a Fairy Great Mother, an elemental. She was the last survivor of the Rain Clan, who for thousands of years was a guardian angel for the fairy race. It was only after the weight of countless failures became too much to bear, did she lose the faith in her kin, and became the cold ruthless Fairy Queen that was ready to do anything necessary for her kingdom. Curiously, you both have 『Madness Enhancement: C』despite being Caster and Berserker. Hope you can work well together."

Morgan chose to remain silent.

No one spoke after, and, in that heavy atmosphere, the trio walked through the cliff.

• • •

Artoria Pendragon was on edge.

The presence of Morgan was visibly affecting her. Ever since the Witch enclosed the Einzbern Castle by her 『Territory Creation』, Saber was feeling as if an invisible enemy was eying her. Constant reminders of unseen danger sounding in the back of her mind from her『Intuition: A』were not helping alleviate her anxiety either. The worst part was that she knew there was no way out of this situation.

Her Master and his assistant left after dinner and prior early in the morning, respectively, to scout the area. Even though the Church's announcement implied that Assassin was out of the war, Kiritsugu didn't put it past them for it to be a part of their scheme. In his words, he hadn't survived up to this point by trusting what others said.

In the daytime, she received some disturbing news. One of the 3 Founding Families, the Matou family, was destroyed in one powerful attack and that without anyone noticing anything. There was no camera footage, no eyewitnesses, no residues of magecraft... nothing. It was as if someone had completely erased the mansion, then proceeded to manufacture the wreckage from scratch and all that without the use of magecraft whatsoever. It even sounded ridiculous.

Unfortunately, no matter what absurd assumptions were made, they were still mere speculations of people who feared the uncontrollable unknown and thus tried to find acceptable justification to ease their worries while subconsciously discarding the more disturbing possibilities...

And then there was Irisviel. The woman was like a bright sunshine in the midst of a gloomy day. Her cheerfulness, infectious love for life, and generally positive outlook on her future, no matter how grim her fate was... She was the brilliant ray of hope, tearing through the darkness of negative thoughts and emotions threatening to consume Artoria. The situation might be dire, but it was close to impossible to stay somber next to this radiant cluster of heartfelt genuine positivity.

It was evening. Nothing of the note happened after that discovery, so Irisviel managed to convince Kiritsugu and Saber to let her go on a walk on the beach with the latter.

With a skip in her steps and a smile on her face, she strolled across the shore; her excitement palpable for the onlookers. Watching Irisviel enjoying so much even the smallest wonders of life made a tiny smile appear on Artoria's face as well.

Illuminated by the soft glow of the full Moon with glittering sea as the background, dressed in white coat and white fur hat with bare feet in the water, Irisviel perfectly blended into this picturesque scenery.

Finally sensing that Saber relaxed a little, the attentive woman decided to strike a conversation with the Servant to further take off her mind from upcoming battles to the beauty of the world they were living in. As their conversation progressed, they toched upon the topic of Kiritsugu's feelings that left King of Knights speechless. The silence descended upon the duo, each with their own thoughts.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and so did their peaceful time. Saber detected a barely unconcealed presence of a Servant nearby, likely offering a challenge for anyone to engage in a battle.

Following the trail, they entered the port storage area, where they were greeted by the Lancer. He was a remarkably handsome young man with quirky long hair combed backward in a rough fashion that had a strand hanging down his face. He was wearing a dark teal outfit with a short yellow and a long red spears in both arms.

After the initial conversation, it was evident that they both were knight of honor.

The duel started. Masterfully wielding his two spears, Lancer was on the offensive the whole time. With Irisviel behind posing as her Master, the Master of Lancer nowhere in sight, and others watching from the shadows, the main objectives for Saber were to keep the woman behind her safe and to not give away her true identity. She was at a disadvantage due to their respective weapons' reach, but utilizing her mastery of the blade and honed by numerous battles instincs, Saber held her ground and studied her opponent.

Soon, the voice of Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald sounded on the battlefield, ordering Lancer to use his Noble Phantasm. With that, black-haired heroic spirit discarded his short spear and unveiled the cloth wrapped around the long red one.

That action made Saber think that the other one was a simple one. Mistake that costed her an unhealable injury to her left arm tendon, effectively costing her a lot of her battle prowess due to the weakened grip on her sword. A fatal mistake for a battle of this caliber.

While one particular observer contemplated whether to help her little sister or to let that disappointment perish, Rider was decisive in his actions. With his Master in tow who was screaming bloody murder, he rushed down from his observation point on the bridge to the scene below. With a loud "Alalalalalala!" he landed in between the two combatants.

"Warriors, sheath your blades and behold! My name is Iskandar, the King of Conquerors! In this Grail War, I participate as the Rider class!"

Everyone just stared at him dumbfounded. Even his own Master, Velvet Waver, couldn't believe his ears. "You idiot! What are you thinking?!" His muted shout was exceptionally well heard by everyone in that deafening silence. For his outburst, he received a painful flick on the forehead.

Then Rider continued. "Fate has brought us together to do battle for the Grail. But first, I wish to make a proposition. What do you think of yielding the Grail to me and joining my peerless army?!"

The confusion intensified as people heard him speak. They stood bewildered, and the look in their eyes screaming, "Is he for real?!".

"You would be treated as honorable allies, and together, we shall share the joy of the world conquest!" He finished his passionate speech.

They waited a little bit more, but Rider appeared to be dead serious about his proposition and waiting for their response.

Lancer, a little prior identified as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne the First Spear of the Knights of Fianna by King of Knight, who recognized her in return, gave only a short answer.

"I must decline. I may give the Grail to but one man: my new avowed lord."

Saber, however, was openly offended.

"Did you interfere with our battle merely to make such a ridiculous offer? If so, it is a grave insult."

Undeterred, Rider continued, "I'd be willing to discuss compensation—"

"Silence!" Both knights shouted at the same time.

"Ah. Well then, negotiations have failed. What a shame." At that, he became a little downcast.

However, Saber wasn't done speaking yet.

"And further, I am a rightful King of Britain. I could never lower myself to a mere retainer, even in service to a mighty king."

For some reason, the moment she said that, the weather in vicinity dropped drastically, and everyone felt that the chilly breeze from nearby sea seemed to permeate into their very being. It was as if the very nature was displeased with her statement.

The person responsible for such intense reaction felt more than just chill. Artoria felt danger from all around her. Her body stiffened, preparing for an attack. It never came. Instead, a certain insensitive Macedonian decided to voice his thoughts.

"King of Britain, you say? What a surprise! I'd hardly have expected the King of Knights to be a little girl!"

Surprisingly, the weather immediately returned to normal after his exclamation. But! The person in question became livid. Forgetting for a moment that her duel was interrupted, she threatened to cut down Rider instead. Fortunately or unfortunately, their battle was not fated to happen as it that moment the Master of Lancer spoke to the Master of Rider.

An interesting story uncovered itself from the speech of the former and the trembling of the latter as the only response. Turned out Waywer Velvet was a student of Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald in the Clock Tower, and he stole the catalist delivered for his teacher.

Surprisingly, Rider defended his almost collapsed Master, stating that only a person of courage to stand on the battlefield besides him, not in some place far away from the action, could possibly be his Master.

Then the boisterous Servant raised his hands into the air and proclaimed loudly for all to hear.

"Heroic Spirits, born again through the Holy Grail, gather here and now! Those too craven to show themselves will draw the scorn of Iskandar, the King of Conquerors!"

After those words, a shimmer of golden color on top of a lamp-post nearby caught the attention of everyone present.

Golden hair, pearcing red eyes with vertical pupils, and golden full-body armor. Appeared before them, Archer exuded an aura of regality superior to the 2 kings below him. His presence commanded attention, and his imposing figure had an effect of making those who landed their gazes on him to question their worth.

Soon, a dignified and extremely confident, almost condescending voice came out from his mouth.

"So, two lesser being dared to name themselves kings, even in my presence."

"I fail to see where the problem lies... I am Iskandar, the King of Conquerors." Rider was visibly confused.

"Nonsense. You stand before the one true king. All others are mere pretenders." Objected the golden Archer.

Despite being openly denied his life achievements, Rider didn't become angry. Instead, he was more intrigued by the identity of the speaker, who had such confidence in his claims.

"If you are that insistent, why not name yourself? No true king should be troubled by giving his name."

All rulers witnessing the scene agreed with that, yet they knew the danger of revealing your true name in the Holy Grail War.

"So you would question the king in all his magnificence, pretender? If even in the presence of my glory, you aren't able to discern my identity, your blindness will seal your doom."

In a fit of rage, he activated his Noble Phantasm, and multiple golden ripples manifested around him. From each of them, a unique weapon was poking out. Swords, spears, halberts, tridents... Every last one of them was a flawless model, a treasure of its type.

Saber immediately moved in front of Irisviel, ready to defend her with her all. Despite partially disabled left arm, she was confident in her ability to retreat safely. Yes, a battle was out of the question. Without using Excalibur at her best, her instincs told her that she wouldn't stand a chance.

However, before he could show the world once again why the ability to throw melee weapons placed him in the Archer class, 2 new figures emerged in front of everyone.

A cold, authoritative voice came from one of the figures. "Gilgamesh, cease your tantrum. You are acting like an undisciplined kid."

Pale blond hair with a tinge of blue, sky blue eyes that stare deep into your soul, black with blue ornaments attire and white cape on top, she had a suffocating, cold regal aura around her. It was worth mentioning that she gave off an inhuman feeling in addition to clearly being a Servant.

Next to her stood a black knight shrouded in black fog, which made it very difficult to discern their appearance. Almost no distinct features were visible, the exception being red glow from the eye slit of their helmet. As it turned out that black fog was effective against all forms of identification, as even the innate skill of all Masters, the basic Servant appraisal, was ineffective.

Everyone stood in shock from their arrival. The main reasons were that, first, with them in the mix, all Servants were present in one place, second, on the right hand of Caster were Command Spells, which signified her position of Berserker's Master, and, third, the fact that Archer, now identified as Gilgamesh, actually listened to her words and canceled his attack.

But the most shocked of them was Saber. Artoria was seeing her sister, who was so much different from her memories. Despite looking the same, the aura of the woman in front of her varied that much she was unsure if it even was the same person. Involuntarily, a question escaped her lips.

"Morgan?"

Everybody's attention momentarily shifted to stunned with mouth agape Saber before they focused on the woman in question, that only took a single glance in her direction, once again, now, with a new form of confusion plaguing their mind. Masters couldn't comprehend how a Caster could be this physically strong, durable, and agile, while Servants were bewildered by the difference in the information they received about Morgan le Fay from Holy Grail and the one standing before them. It simply didn't much, which should have been impossible, yet was happening right in front of their eyes.

The first to speak was Gilgamesh himself.

"You are not from the proper human history. What are you doing here, fairy?" He was serious with most of his usual arrogance gone from his tone.

"Fairy Queen, boy, and you are 2 thousand years too young to address me without honorifics. I am here to deliver a message from my husband." She said without even a hint of surprise in her voice about the discovery of the King of Kings.

Naturally, their conversation brought another round of surprises and new questions, but everyone held their tongue. The reaction of the history oldest hero spoke volumes about the threat level of the situation they found themselves into, especially considering the existence of unexpectedly completely quiet Berserker standing next to her.

When Morgan raised her right hand, even not so observant people noticed a silver ring with a sky blue gemstone on her ring finger. Then, a small amount of pana passed through it, and a smartphone appeared in her hand. She unhurriedly activated it and opened the recording app. Selecting the only available option, she pressed play.

"Greetings to all participants of this Holy Grail War. I am the Master of Caster. Please ignore her nonsense about marriage. Most probably, you know me under the codename Ray. Simply put, I am not interested in the Grail, but Caster is, so I made her a Master herself. I entered this farce because a certain someone, whom I don't want to say no, asked me to. Now, she is on her own. I no longer have anything to do with the war. Leave me to my own devices, and I will do the same for you. Otherwise, if you become my enemy, I will kill you. Matou are my guarantee."

The recording ended, and Morgan put away the smartphone into her Mini-Treasure Trove. Then she once again turned her attention to the people present.

"Ignore his claim. He is my husband. The ring is the proof. Today, I am a wife, so I will let you go. Starting tomorrow, I will be acting as a queen I am." She said and prepared to leave but stopped herself and added, "If you ignore his warning, he will simply kill you, but I am different. If you as much as think about harming him, I will know... and death will be a mercy." Her eyes turned lifeless, and the madness could be seen deep inside those pupils. However, the next moment, she returned to normal, making onlooker question if it was just their imagination.

All that time, Berserker was focused on the King of Knight. At the moment notice he was ready to rush at her with the intent to tear her apart. Slowly losing control and succumbing to madness, he tightened his muscles to jump into the battle. He didn't even register what Morgan was talking about.

("Lancelot, we are leaving.")

("...Artoria.") He completely ignored her.

("If you attack now, I will ask husband to confuct a personal training session for you.")

He visibly shuddered. The scenes from earlier that day entered his mind after hearing the word 'training'.

("No, please!")

("We are leaving.")

("Yes!")

All it took was a daytime worth of sparing for a certain white-haired devil trainer to inflict a deep psychological trauma to a supposedly insane person. Morgan was on Berserker's team with the goal of perfecting their cooperation. She didn't receive as much damage but was equally affected. In more ways than intended...

The pair teleported away from the scene as abruptly as they appeared there.

"This war turned out to be interesting. Finally, a worthy opponent. Rejoice mongrels: If you survive long enough, you will witness our battle. It will be legendary. Hahaha." With a last laugh, he turned into his spirit form and left the scene, living behind only dissipating golden particles.

"Lancer, retreat." Kayneth gave a short command.

"Goodbye for now, Saber. I will be waiting to resume our duel."

"Me too." King of Knights absent-mindedly nodded to the First Spear of the Knights of Fianna and received a nod in return. Only then the latter turned to retire from the scene.

"I will be waiting for the winner of your duel to fight me, whoever it might be... We will also take our leave." Then, with dazed from the recent events Waver, he speeded up into the sky under his loud "Alalalalalala".

Assassin also moved from his observation point to deliver a detailed report to his Master.

Only Artoria, Irisviel, and sitting on the sniper positions Kiritsugu with Maya were left on the scene.

"Saber, are you alright?" Irisviel asked, concerned.

"Yes... No. I don't understand. Why? She is not the same Morgan I know... Why did she heal me? What is she scheming?" She responded, showing perfectly fine left arm with the dried blood as the only reminder of her recent injury.

"Let's return to the castle and meet with Kiritsugu. He might have an idea how to answer your questions." Irisviel suggested.

With a nod of agreement from Saber, the last Servant also left the area.

Or so they thought...

Leaning on the wall of a building nearby with a perfect view on the scene, Raito opened his eyes. With the help of his drones, he had the full picture of who, what, and when did during the previous confrontation between Servants. To his left was lying an unconscious Kirei Kotomine, a hand on his head helped with maintaining both physical and metaphysical contact to track down a certain entity through their connection.

"Just as planned."