"I will absolutely not hand Master over to you!"
Under the dark night sky, Miss Illya stood in front of the [Illya] who was her 100% identical twin, declaring this to the blonde, green-eyed girl.
Manaka Sajyou just smiled, holding that expression for a long moment before finally speaking. "Say, my Prince~ can I kill this thieving cat?"
"That would be quite troublesome for me. After all, Illya is my Servant."
"I see, I understand... I wouldn't want to trouble you, my Prince."
"However—since this thieving cat is also a participant in this Holy Grail War, then... I won't be holding back, you hear!"
Miss Manaka smiled sweetly at the Illya standing in front of the other her.
"I will absolutely kill you!"
The faint killing intent made Illya flinch for a moment, but she quickly mustered her courage.
She wasn't the useless Miss Illya anymore!
"I won't lose!"
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, Miss Manaka Sajyou performed an elegant curtsy.
"Then, I shall take my leave for now... my beloved Prince."
"Morgan, we're leaving."
Morgan said nothing, simply dissolving into spirit particles as Manaka vanished from the spot.
"Phew... they're finally gone."
Watching the two figures disappear, Miss Illya couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Ahem, weren't you acting quite bold just now?"
"Cough... cough, cough! I wasn't scared of that woman!"
"But I never said you were scared of her."
"...Urusai!"
"Well, as long as you're happy."
With that, [Illya] smiled and led her back into the Einzbern villa.
---||---
"How did it go?"
"I suppose we've come to an agreement."
"Although that child's emotions are exceptionally heavy, she's also quite cooperative."
"Is that so? It seems you like that woman a lot."
Illya sat cross-legged to the side, suddenly making the comment. Her words carried a subtle, sour undertone. ...Yes, that was definitely jealousy.
"Of course. Didn't I say so? That child herself is an incredibly cute and beautiful girl."
"Guh..."
Faced with this unabashed declaration, Miss Illya puffed out her cheeks. Unhappy!
"Well, of course, I like Illya very much too."
"?!"
"After all, Illya is also a very cute child. So small, so soft~ makes you just want to eat her all up."
"That description doesn't make me happy at all!"
Despite her words, her expression softened.
"Oh, right! Master, when you were talking to that woman, what was that thing you mentioned?" Remembering what had piqued her curiosity earlier, she couldn't help but ask.
"Ah, you mean that."
"It's nothing major."
"Do you know Morgan's wish?"
"How could I possibly know something like that?" Illya couldn't help but retort. I'm not an omnipotent wish-granting machine!
"Hmm, that's true."
"Then, why don't you tell Illya about that Servant, Mom."
Irisviel was taken aback for a moment, then her face lit up with delight. Of course, she wanted to show off her parental authority a bit more.
Honestly, always being led around by [Illya] made her feel so defeated!
"Me? That's not a problem. Because of Saber, I specifically looked into the legends of King Arthur."
"As for Morgan... in the legends, she and Arthur were half-siblings, sharing the same mother... but now it seems they were sisters."
"But aside from that, there isn't much about Morgan in the Arthurian legends," Irisviel said, frowning with some vexation.
To this, the silver-haired girl just smiled.
"Well... that's only natural. After all..."
"She was the destined Queen of the Isles, the one who was meant to continue the Age of Gods, but was replaced."
"...She sounds... kind of pitiful."
Illya blinked.
"Don't say that to her face. The Age of Gods has already faded. After the gods withdrew into the Reverse Side of the World, the era that followed belongs to humanity."
"Therefore, to the World, humanity is the protagonist after the gods—naturally, the World didn't need a Fae Queen who would continue the Age of Gods, but a human king."
"The Saber you see, she is the King of Men chosen by Uther and Merlin. Her mission was to bring a complete end to the Age of Gods."
"But Morgan was unwilling to be replaced, which led to all the plots against King Arthur you know from the legends—that was essentially Morgan's rebellion against Arthur and against fate."
"So... her purpose for joining the Holy Grail War is to get revenge on King Arthur?" Jeanne asked, surprised.
"Nope."
"Well, I suppose you wouldn't know."
"While Morgan does indeed hate King Arthur... as the destined ruler of the Isles, Morgan's true wish is to see a glorious and powerful Britain."
"The Knights of the Round Table led by Arthur perfectly matched her desires. Only King Arthur could shape Britain into the form she envisioned."
"Eh? But that Mordred..."
At Illya's reaction, [Illya] nodded.
"That's right. Morgan successfully destroyed the kingdom of Camelot through Mordred."
"...Isn't that a complete contradiction?"
Miss Jeanne was dumbfounded.
As the saint who once saved France, she felt... that Morgan's way of thinking was a bit outrageous.
To believe Camelot was her ideal, her dream, yet still seek its destruction.
"You're not wrong to think so."
"Camelot under King Arthur was the Britain she hoped for. In that case, she should have just accepted it and joined in, right? I'm guessing that's what you're all thinking."
"However, there's something you probably don't understand."
"Morgan... that one, she's a Great Fae, you know."
[Illya] stated calmly:
"The Fae are exceptionally special beings, much like incubi. Their way of thinking is fundamentally different from humans."
"If humans seek meaning throughout their lives, for the Fae, the purpose they are born with is their entire existence. Or rather, they are born precisely for that purpose."
"A spirit born from the world's longing for a blacksmith, who then becomes a blacksmith—that is what a Fae is."
"Morgan is no different. As a rare Great Fae, her obsession is far stronger than almost any other."
"To become the Queen of the Isles, to wish for Britain to exist forever, powerful and radiant—that is her everything."
"And if those two goals became contradictory..."
"The guardian spirit of King Arthur, the one who gifted her Excalibur, the Lady of the Lake, Vivian, was born."
"As the Lady of the Lake, Vivian would protect Arthur as king for the sake of Britain's glory."
"And as the ruler of the Isles, the other side of her, Morgan, would desperately try to assassinate Arthur to become the Queen of Britain. Her two sides became completely contradictory."
"It all ended with the fall of Camelot."
"Unfortunately, it wasn't a win-win, but a lose-lose."
"Morgan did indeed defeat Arthur and topple Camelot, but she also lost the chance to create the great Britain she envisioned."
"And Vivian failed to protect what she sought to protect, returning to square one."
"After King Arthur's death, in order to realize her own wish, she has been secretly interfering with the affairs of the planet's surface, attempting to resurrect King Arthur and restore Britain."
"That's wrong!"
"The world has never been measured by right and wrong, has it?"
"..."
Miss Jeanne was left speechless.
"As I said, her wish is to become the Queen of the Isles and rebuild Britain."
"So naturally, as a Servant, Morgan's wish can only be one thing."
"To have the fallen Britain... no, to create a Britain that surpasses the one of legends, by offering up this current world as a sacrifice."
"That's..."
"The Fae don't care about the cost, you know~"
"...I won't stand by and let that happen!"
Heeding [Illya]'s warning, Miss Jeanne was completely serious.
She could not allow Morgan's wish to come true.
To bring back the fallen Britain, it would mean erasing the current timeline and everything that exists, treating them as unnecessary things.
If the world's progress was reversed, and an error of this magnitude occurred, it would surely turn this world into a Singularity.
At the mere thought of it, the corrupt Ruler couldn't hold back her urge to blow the whistle on foul play.
"That's your business. Just like with François, try to obstruct her with your own power and will."
"On a side note, carelessly trampling on the ideals of others will bring you karmic retribution, you know~"
"...So, are we going to stop her, Master?"
"I don't really care. Whether it's moving forward or backward, it's all just a process. If necessary, I wouldn't mind lending a hand."
"Ultimately, the ones who have to make the choice are you, the ones experiencing it firsthand."
"If I were to make the decision, everything would become too boring, too cruel."
"...I get the feeling you're like a salted fish, Master."
"Well... maybe I have been influenced a bit by an old acquaintance of mine? She looked particularly energetic~"
"And tasted pretty good, too~"
"I don't share that sentiment at all!"
Illya waved her hand dismissively, then pouted.
"Besides, even if I don't want to fight or anything... that woman has completely set her sights on me."
Even if she didn't become Morgan's enemy, that woman would still eliminate her without hesitation, right?
If that was the case, she couldn't just sit back and wait.
After all, she didn't want to see [Illya] get snatched away by that woman!
"That's true."
"Well... alright."
"In that case, let me find you a teacher and an assistant~"
"A teacher?"
"If your opponent is a Fae, seeking the help of another Fae is undoubtedly the right choice, isn't it?"
"After all, as the saying goes... hmm!"
"It takes a fae to fight a fae!"