By the time he delivered Hassan of the Hundred Faces to the inn, the battle at Warehouse Street had long since ended.
Shirou returned home.
The moment he arrived, Lady Avalon released her Spirit Form.
Unusually quiet, she walked over to a corner, hugged her knees, and sat there, radiating a gloomy mood.
Is she really this upset just because I didn't go see Saber?
Shirou paid her no mind and picked up the crystal ball beside her.
Lady Avalon's crystal ball had built-in recording and playback functions. Even if you missed the live broadcast, you could still watch it afterward.
That alone was a huge help.
He adjusted it to show tonight's battle at Warehouse Street.
Although the view from the crystal ball was somewhat distant, the blonde hair, blue eyes, and that Holy Sword of the Planet were unmistakable even in the night.
"Morgan… is that you…?"
Shirou began to think.
If it really was Morgan, then why had she been summoned into this world?
Servants that can be summoned, like Magi, all possess a wish without exception.
Morgan's wish…
Shirou knew it well. To her, nothing mattered more than Britannia.
But she should have already obtained Britannia.
He remembered Makiri once saying that there was no concept of time in the Throne, and that the Heroic Spirits who could be summoned were not necessarily the great heroes of recorded history.
The Saber who appeared now might not be Morgan from the era of the Savior Aesc. Could she be from the future?
That would explain why she was using equipment, that scabbard, which he didn't recognize. But that Holy Sword was beyond doubt… and her fighting style was unmistakably hers as well.
I'll confirm all of this when I meet Saber. No point overthinking it now.
Shirou slapped his cheeks lightly and continued watching the aftermath of the Warehouse Street battle.
Rider and Archer appeared one after another.
Lancer withdrew under his Master's command.
The situation quickly turned into a chaotic three-way battle between Saber, Rider, and Lancer.
There was no need to mention the extraordinary Golden Servant. Rider was also a top-tier Servant.
"I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors," he declared.
Alexander the Great of Macedon.
Even Shirou knew that name well.
And yet, even against such a powerful opponent, Saber showed no signs of being at a disadvantage.
Hm? King of Knights? What is that supposed to mean?
Why would Rider call Saber the King of Knights?
Are you blind?
Or is King Arthur a woman in this world?
He quickly grabbed a reference book nearby and flipped it open. The illustration of King Arthur showed a bearded middle-aged man.
"..."
Shirou felt a twinge of embarrassment for having actually believed the King of Conquerors, even for a moment.
"To call such a delicate, beautiful girl 'King Arthur'… was the world really almost conquered by someone that foolish?"
In the end, the golden Archer, seemingly acting on his Master's orders, withdrew early with a thoroughly displeased look.
Next was the King of Conquerors, who had thrown Saber's battle into complete chaos.
"King of Knights, we'll part ways for now. When we meet again, I'll make sure to savor that blood-stirring thrill once more."
Leaving those words behind, the bold Rider tucked his unconscious young Master under one arm, flicked the reins of his ox-drawn chariot, and disappeared into the distant night sky.
The recording from the long-range magecraft ended there.
As expected, without seeing it in person, I still can't be sure.
With that thought, Shirou returned to his room and went to sleep.
That night, he had a dream for the first time in a long while.
...
...
It seemed he had dreamed something last night.
He couldn't remember what exactly happened or who he met.
Only that it was a very warm dream.
In it, he spent a carefree holiday by the sea with a girl.
Shirou frowned slightly.
Who was that cute, lovely girl…?
Today was a day off.
After preparing breakfast for Taiga Fujimura, Shirou left Lady Avalon, who was sulking in silence, and headed out.
Only after fully calming down did he realize how reckless his actions last night had been.
To actually think about rushing straight to Saber… what was I even thinking?
He decided to spend the day wandering outside, clearing his mind and settling his emotions.
…Then he sensed something.
Last night, when Lady Avalon carried him across Shinto, he had already noticed an incredibly familiar presence, something that felt like it came from Avalon le Fae.
At the time, he thought it was just his imagination.
But now, that same nostalgic presence appeared again.
"That is…"
Shirou inhaled slightly.
It felt so familiar, yet he couldn't place it.
Following that sensation, he walked through several streets before arriving in front of a building.
This was currently the tallest structure in Shinto, the Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel.
Although it would soon lose that title to the nearly completed Shinto Central Building, its towering presence remained impressive.
Standing beneath the hotel, Shirou craned his neck and looked toward the top floor.
No doubt about it.
That familiar, nostalgic presence was coming from there.
...
...
In the top-floor suite of the Hyatt Hotel, the one who had reserved the entire space was Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
He was the head of the Archibald family, a Magus Family that had lasted for nine generations.
From his student days, he had displayed genius-level talent, becoming the youngest lecturer in the history of the Department of Spiritual Evocation.
At a young age, he was already one of the twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, Lord El-Melloi.
Kayneth's abilities were not limited to magecraft. He was also politically adept. With his distinguished background, he had extensive connections, and some even believed he could one day grow into a force capable of challenging the Three Great Families.
A man who had possessed everything since birth, he too had entered the Holy Grail War.
Not to fulfill a wish, but simply to add another achievement to his record.
Yet last night, this absolute victor tasted defeat and humiliation for the first time in his life.
…Unforgivable.
Especially Waver Velvet and Rider. They would pay for this in blood.
The Lord El-Melloi who had originally intended to enjoy a honeymoon with his fiancée, casually claim the Holy Grail, and return to the Clock Tower to receive praise, now found his mindset completely changed.
Restless, the man made his way into the suite next to his own.
This room had no guests and no other purpose.
Inside the vast space, only three "stones" were quietly displayed.
They represented the torso, the heart, and the wings.
These were the greatest spoils of war obtained by Kayneth's ancestors during a long and brutal conflict.
They were the supreme Mystic Code that laid the foundation of the prestigious El-Melloi family and all its future glory.
The oldest fantasy of the planet, left behind upon the corpse of a great dragon after being caught up in the "Grand Dragon's" journey toward death.
...
...
"..."
Feeling the presence emanating from the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel, Shirou finally recalled the dream from last night.
It was a dream where he played freely by the sea with a girl.
And the name of that girl was—
"…You're there, aren't you… Melusine."