Morgan suited modern clothing even better than expected—so much so that Tenkei Shiomi found himself momentarily flustered when he saw her.
Noticing his reaction, Morgan was clearly pleased.
"So, what now?" she asked, her tone light and amused. "Since the Holy Grail War hasn't officially begun due to the Servants not yet assembling, is my Master planning to parade a stunning beauty like me around town to show me off?"
"Even if it's true, most people wouldn't call themselves a stunning beauty out loud," Shiomi muttered with a weary sigh.
He would've much preferred to head home, check the boundary field around the house, tend to final preparations, and await the war's opening when all the Servants were summoned.
But there was something more pressing today. Steeling himself, he pushed aside his fatigue.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I do need to take you around Fuyuki today. It's not for show."
"So this is about helping me familiarize myself with the city for any situations that may arise later?"
"Exactly."
...
After leaving the boutique district where they had bought clothes, Shiomi drove while explaining everything he'd learned over the past two years about the Holy Grail War.
"...Fuyuki is an exceptional spiritual land. It has a spiritual vein second only to the one under the Aozaki family's jurisdiction. While it's not enough to reach the Root, it comes very close. That's why Magi have lived here for generations."
As they passed the Fuyuki Civic Center, Shiomi spoke with a calm tone.
"When the Holy Grail War reaches its final phase, the Grail will descend at the strongest point in Fuyuki's spiritual network. The past three Wars ended at the Tohsaka residence, Fuyuki Church, and the underground cavern beneath Ryuudou Temple on Mount Enzou. I already pointed out the first two locations to you in Miyama Town. The Civic Center we just passed could theoretically host a Grail descent too, but it's never happened."
The Holy Grail didn't provide this kind of information to Servants. They only knew it could grant wishes—and that was enough to answer their Master's summons.
"So what's the point of telling me this? Servants don't need to know," Morgan remarked.
Shiomi shook his head. "Maybe not, but even though you were summoned under the Berserker class, you're still a Magus by nature. For strategy and planning, it helps to understand the bigger picture."
He pulled over. From Morgan's seat, she could see a flight of stone steps across the street. At the top lay the last spiritual site Shiomi wanted her to inspect.
Mount Enzou—Ryuudou Temple.
"There's a barrier here," Morgan said, standing at the base of the steps and scanning the surroundings.
"According to old accounts, long before the Grail system was formalized, a high-ranking monk created a spiritual barrier here using secret techniques. It's highly specialized—so much so that even Servants, despite being advanced spirit forms, can't just pass through. They have to enter via the front gate."
Shiomi started up the stairs.
Morgan followed closely behind.
With each step, her senses grew sharper. Spiritually speaking, Mount Enzou's leyline far outclassed the others. Her intuition as a Magus told her as much. Shiomi hadn't said a word—probably assuming she'd notice it herself.
And she did. The sensation became clearer with every step.
When they reached the main gate of Ryuudou Temple, Morgan stopped.
"Master, go on ahead into the temple. I want to look around nearby," she said in a commanding tone.
"Something bothering you?"
"Yes and no." With that, Morgan shifted into spirit form and vanished from Shiomi's side.
She reappeared at the back of the temple, where a large pond rested.
Directly beneath it lay Fuyuki's highest-grade spiritual vein.
"Right beneath here, huh..."
Morgan dissolved again into spirit form and descended the mountain. It didn't take long for her to find the entrance.
The mountain was cloaked in a magical illusion—one that let her hand pass through like mist. An invisible veil disguised the true path.
This is it, she thought to herself.
The location of the Greater Grail.
Shiomi had never mentioned it. Either he hadn't discovered the exact spot, or he didn't think it mattered.
What concerned him was the Lesser Grail.
But from Morgan's perspective as a Magus, the Holy Grail War's system itself warranted scrutiny. If she wanted to understand what troubled her about it, she needed to analyze the Greater Grail directly.
As she prepared to step into the underground cavern, the sound of wings flapping nearby made her frown.
Insects.
In the dead of winter, no insects should be active.
Swish—
Without even turning her head, Morgan summoned a blade of magic that materialized out of thin air and sliced the winged creature apart. The remains fell to the ground.
"Stop skulking in the shadows, Worm Magus," Morgan said coldly. "Don't think that just because your true body isn't here, I can't curse you to death."
As if in response, a sinister chuckle echoed through the trees. An old, hunched man emerged from the forest's darkness, leaning heavily on a cane.
"Hehehe... I didn't expect a Servant to try and seize control of the Greater Grail before the war even begins. What are you—Caster class?"
The old man stood beneath the shade, his voice rasping like a snake slithering through tall grass.
Morgan turned slowly to face him. "So it's you—the head of the Matou family, one of the original Three Families who created the Holy Grail system. And now so degraded, you can't even produce a proper Magus."
"Don't get cocky, you're just a Servant," the old man snapped, his sunken eyes flashing.
"You've clung to life with Magecraft alone, and look at what it's turned you into." Morgan raised her hand. "I had half a mind to show some respect to the family who engineered this system, but clearly, that's unnecessary."
With no chant, no ritual, just a gathering of mana, light bullets shot forth like rounds from an automatic rifle.
The old man's body was shredded in an instant, collapsing to the ground and crumbling into dust.
"I'm not foolish enough to face off against a Servant directly, let alone in Magecraft," his voice echoed through the trees even as his body disappeared. "Take the Greater Grail if you like, but don't think that means you've already won."
His mockery barely registered with Morgan.
Without a glance back, she stepped through the illusionary veil concealing the entrance to the underground cavern.
After all, Morgan had never intended to claim the Greater Grail as her own or use it as a base.