That same night, on a small path within Homurahara Academy.
Scathach and Ian sat on a bench by the side of the road.
"What are you looking at?"
Scathach, who had temporarily secured Ian's "fake couple promise," looked at the man beside her with a puzzled expression. "You've been staring at the sky over there since a moment ago. Are you—do you find seeing me annoying, so you have to look at those?"
"Of course not," Ian replied with a smile. "It's just... I noticed something strange."
"Something strange?"
"Yes." Ian looked at the sky Scathach had mentioned once more. "Something seemed to rush up just now."
"But it's gone now, isn't it?" Scathach linked her arm through Ian's, showing a rare, shy side that would never normally appear. "Now—don't look over there anymore. Isn't it better to look at me?"
"...Understood." Ian nodded.
"Mm, that's better then~" Scathach nestled beside him, no longer speaking. She knew this was all just a winter's illusion. But—it was truly beautiful.
Your feeling was indeed correct.
In the night sky at this moment, something was indeed flying towards the heavens.
It was the magic overflowing from the summoning circle Viviane had prepared—her Servant summoning was now completely finished.
However, Viviane was currently facing something far more troublesome than the summoning itself.
In the forest outside Fuyuki City.
Viviane's situation was quite awkward. Just a moment ago, she had finished listening to her summoned Rider, Artoria, describe her mount, Dun Stallion. This made the witch realize something—Artoria's feelings for Ian were incredibly deep.
Isn't that as dangerous as Tohsaka Sakura?!
With this conclusion established, Viviane knew she absolutely couldn't let Artoria participate in any Holy Grail War. Otherwise—she would inevitably come into conflict with her because of this.
So... should I make her commit suicide here?
Such a thought suddenly popped into Viviane's head. However, at that moment—Artoria, completely unaware of the witch's current mood, wasn't thinking too much.
Summoned in this form, she seemed to be in quite a good mood. She quickly continued, "Well—Master, do you have any more questions? If not, shouldn't it be my turn to ask you?"
"..." Artoria's words pulled Viviane back from the edge of madness. The witch's mind cleared up a bit. I can't mess around now. I only prepared this one summoning circle. If she casually let Artoria commit suicide, the next Servant summoned might not have her level of strength.
Besides—Viviane looked at the young girl who was nominally her sister. She... doesn't seem to be guarding against me at all.
After much consideration, the witch decided to temporarily put aside her inner thoughts and listen to what Artoria wanted to ask. "I understand, it's indeed your turn. Speak, what's your question?"
"Hmm..." Artoria, leading Dun Stallion, slowed her steps. Her eyes, which had been dazed before, were now incredibly clear. "Since—Master, if you can summon me... that means you're still alive, right?"
"..." Viviane's expression was a bit strained—Artoria's question implicitly reminded her of her failures over the past millennium.
She still replied, "You could say that."
"Then—" A glimmer of hope appeared in Artoria's eyes. She didn't intend to understand why this new King of Britain could live for so long; instead, she held a maiden's desire to confirm what she hoped for. "Have you seen Ian again since?!"
"..." Artoria's question silenced Viviane completely. She had guessed right, but she was also terribly wrong. The Artoria summoned now did indeed have extremely deep feelings for Ian.
No.
It should be put this way.
Any Artoria summoned through normal means would definitely become like this. Viviane had now confirmed this fact. Artoria truly loved her husband.
So he was that good after all...
The witch felt a chill in her heart—the deeper others' love for Ian, the more she regretted her original choice. However, even so, Viviane still insisted that Ian belonged only to her. She would absolutely not concede an inch on this!
So—when faced with Artoria's inadvertently sharp question. The witch not only didn't provide an answer but instead turned the sharp edge back at her. "Artoria. As the King of Britain, do you... want to know about Ian first, rather than caring about Britain's condition?"
Viviane's question was quite profound in its intent. She thought this might make Artoria realize the inappropriateness of her thoughts.
However—what the witch didn't know was that Artoria didn't hesitate much over this incredibly sharp question. She had found a reason to let go.
"Britain, indeed, is very important."
"But—Master Ian has already told me... its ending cannot be changed by me alone. What path Britain chooses, what future it heads towards... is decided by everyone together. A 'King' doesn't need to exist, or rather, everyone is a 'King'."
"So—" Artoria looked directly at Viviane, her eyes no longer filled with past struggles. "No matter what outcome Britain faces, it's something I should accept. Now, I want to do what Ian asked me to do before—to pursue my own life."
At this point, Artoria smiled. "To be honest, I didn't know how to do it before. But after seeing you, I suddenly realized I already had the answer. What I want, what I pursue, is him after all—so I will keep participating in the Holy Grail War until I reunite with him. Master, perhaps that's why we've reunited."
With that, Artoria showed a happy smile. It was clear she spoke these words sincerely, answering with a clear conscience. In contrast, Viviane, full of suspicion, felt a bit like a clown. The witch realized she had lost completely.
After a long time, Viviane sighed. She still couldn't discard this Servant who held such fervent feelings for her husband. She answered Artoria's earlier question.
"Britain has ended."
"As for Ian's current situation... it's also quite complex."
"So—" Viviane's eyebrows drooped slightly, a sign of unwillingness but also helplessness in the face of reality. She never imagined that one day she would have to stand on Artoria's side.
"Sister, can you help me?"
"..." This was the first time Artoria had heard Morgan call her "sister," and also the first time she had seen the immensely proud princess ask her for help. Perhaps she truly had no other option. Realizing this, Artoria was very willing to accept her request—it was a reconciliation with the past.
So, the young girl smiled and said in a manner befitting the other, "Big sister, I am your Servant, of course I'll try to help you. Let's discuss it slowly after we reach that castle."
"Mm," Viviane squeezed out a strained smile, "Let's go first."
The forest was still quite large. Viviane and Artoria walked for a while before they arrived at the castle. However, the sight that greeted them after passing through the trees made both of them freeze.
There was indeed a castle here. But—! It was now entirely scorched black, as if it were the skeleton of something consumed by endless fire. The falling snow piled thickly on the vast castle structure, forming heavy winter decorations, silently proclaiming the building's demise.
"How could this be?!" Viviane was surprised. She really didn't know of this castle's existence—otherwise, she wouldn't have needed Artoria to mention it to find out. But the witch wasn't so slow that she wouldn't have noticed if the castle had caught fire.
Was Artoria lying to me?! Viviane looked suspiciously at the girl beside her.
However—this malicious speculation vanished in an instant. Because Artoria's reaction was written directly on her face. Leading Dun Stallion, she instinctively recoiled a few steps.
That castle. That castle where she once lived with her close friend Irisviel, how could it have become like this?
Seeing the completely undisguisable shock in Artoria's green eyes, as if it would turn into a shout any moment, Viviane knew her judgment was wrong once again. She had to admit that whenever Ian was involved, her rationality became quite chaotic.
"Sister."
"Was this castle... not like this originally?"
Artoria quickly gave her answer—because the answer was too obvious. She shook her head and replied, "Big sister, this was originally quite a magnificent castle, but now it's..."
"..." Hearing this, Viviane covered her forehead—she realized that ever since stepping onto Fuyuki's land, nothing had gone smoothly.
"Are you alright?" Artoria asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." Viviane sighed, "It seems the situation is more complicated than I thought. I should have investigated thoroughly first."
"It's not too late now." Rider-class Artoria dissipated Dun Stallion. She looked at the forest castle, now like ashes with only its skeleton remaining, and spoke her thoughts. "Sister, let's go inside and take a look."
Without surprise, the two sisters, having let go of the past, reached a consensus at this moment.
"Of course." Viviane responded without hesitation. "I have to figure out the true situation."
A few minutes later, inside the forest castle.
As soon as Viviane stepped inside, she felt the presence of magic. More accurately, the air here was permeated with a large amount of magical energy, to the point where it was impossible to ignore.
However—Viviane, visiting for the first time, couldn't be sure if this was something that originally existed or a trace that appeared after the fire. But one thing was 100% certain—someone had performed magic here. She decided to get more information from Artoria, who had been here before.
"Sister, here..." Knowing what Viviane wanted to ask, Artoria, who also felt the magical traces, quickly answered. "No, these weren't here before. It must be after the big fire that this situation came about."
"..." "Then it seems we need to investigate more carefully," Viviane said as she walked deeper into the castle.
However—as the investigation deepened, the situation became even more bizarre.
Indeed. The castle had suffered a fire. But it had skillfully avoided certain areas—like the dining room and several rooms downstairs. And the stairs, for instance, were perfectly preserved in the fire.
It could be said—if one disregarded the shocking burn marks, the castle was actually completely usable at this very moment. From this perspective, the scene before them didn't look like a fire at all; instead, it seemed more like a thorough prank.
At this point, not only was Viviane, who was new to the place, confused, but even Artoria was perplexed.
There hadn't been such a strange situation before. But the young girl knew this certainly wasn't a coincidence. After all, the nature of fire determined that it wouldn't show such obvious regularity.
Unless—someone had controlled it using special methods.
Almost simultaneously, Artoria and Viviane looked at each other. They both realized a reasonable explanation for this situation.
That another Master and Servant pair had visited here! Because they were a Master and Servant, they could cast magic; because they could cast magic, there were traces.
The moment they realized this, the already wary duo immediately became even more cautious. After all—the other party might still be nearby!
And the British sisters' premonition soon became reality. Footsteps echoed from the unburnt staircase.
Pitter-patter.
In a moment, a small figure appeared vaguely in the shadows. Artoria immediately became alert, drew her blade, and shielded Viviane behind her. The figure continued to walk towards them, finally revealing its true identity.
It was a small loli with yellow hair and a pair of fiery red horns on her head. A pair of blazing eyes surveyed Viviane and Artoria, looking rather displeased. Her body radiated heat, and even her words carried a scorching intensity.
"Who are you all?"
"Why do you visit the land of me and my Master!"