Two weeks after Naoki visited Morgan.
Nighttime.
In the apartment's dining room.
Naoki stared at Mordred standing beside him. "I said… Mordred, what are you up to? Do you really need to wear full armor like this?"
"Absolutely necessary, Master."
Mordred, who rarely manifested her full armor, answered in a heavy tone while gripping her sword, which was planted in the ground. "Master doesn't need to worry about me. Just summon Father King as planned. Isn't the magic circle ready?"
As Mordred said, a magic circle for summoning a Servant had already been drawn in front of Naoki.
Tonight was the optimal time to summon a Servant before the Holy Grail War began. While it wouldn't affect the Servant's strength, for a Magus, timing was crucial in performing Magecraft. If the ritual was conducted at the wrong time, it was likely to fail.
Naoki, however, thought this was nonsense. Summoning Magecraft was essentially a magical ritual—couldn't he use it anytime, anywhere?
"Alright, it's almost time. Hurry up and start, King."
At the dining table nearby, Merry, casually chatting with Gray, Rei, and Atalanta, smiled urgingly.
"I'm quite curious to see what another Arthur is like. It sounds more entertaining than Arthur."
"Big Sister Merry, please restrain yourself a bit. King Arthur is very important to Big Sister… Uh."
Before Gray could finish, Merry stuffed a piece of biscuit into her mouth. After patting her head, Merry continued, "Of course I know it's important, but I'm just curious about what'll happen next."
"Once she appears, she'll immediately face her overly enthusiastic child ready to strike her… Hehe, I've got the camera ready. I'll print a copy for Morgan too."
"Can you act a bit more human, Merry?"
Naoki looked at his succubus with resignation. In the five years he'd been gone, Merry was perhaps the only one who hadn't changed a bit. Still as heartless as ever, only thinking about amusement. Her level of "trashiness" hadn't decreased—it had only grown.
Beside Merry, Rei also spoke with a smile, "Actually, I'm a bit curious too about how King Arthur will react when she learns her Master is you. King Arthur and King Arthur…"
"Right? Right? See, Rei, you and I are the same type."
"No, I'm not… Atalanta, help me!"
"Sorry, I'm passing on this one."
In the two weeks since her return, Atalanta had learned one thing clearly: don't argue with Merry, or you'll suffer greatly.
Seeing Rei being teased by Merry, Manaka suddenly laughed in Naoki's mind.
[Hah, serves her right. My other self needs to be tamed by that succubus, or she'll keep spouting nonsense.]
(Aren't you just insulting yourself?)
"Master~ Hurry up, I can barely hold back!"
"I told you not to rush me! Ugh, it's like fighting over a bathroom."
Sighing, Naoki approached the magic circle, pulled Avalon from his body, and placed it in the center of the circle. Then, he began chanting the incantation—
"Declaration."
"Your body is under my command, my fate is bound to your sword. In response to the call of the Holy Grail, O one who follows will and reason, answer me."
"I am the one who achieves all the good in the world, I am the one who gathers all the evil in the world."
"Seven heavens entwined with three words of power."
"Emerge through the wheel of restraint, O Guardian of the Balance."
As the declaration was spoken, a fierce wind blew, and powerful mana surged from the summoning circle, stirring the atmosphere with its sheer mass. A blinding light suddenly radiated from the circle.
As if in response, as a shadowy figure gradually appeared in the summoning circle, Naoki felt his body slowly heating up, his heart beating faster.
Mordred standing beside him, was the same. Beyond physical changes, her excitement grew as the figure became clearer. Her hand gripping the sword trembled slightly, as if ready to swing at any moment.
"Ugh…"
Not far away, Gray suddenly clutched her chest. A faint, persistent pain, like a bubbling fountain, surged within her, causing her brows to furrow slightly. At the same time, as her breathing quickened, powerful mana began to emanate from her.
Seeing this, Rei gently placed a hand on Gray's back, softly channeling a bit of mana into her. "How is it? Feeling better?"
"Mm… Much better, thank you, Sister Rei."
"You're welcome. Your body is starting to change. This is a very normal phenomenon, so don't panic."
Even without Rei's explanation, Gray could feel it. An unprecedentedly strong Mana flowed through her magic circuits. Every breath produced Mana—a situation she'd seen countless times in her older brother.
(This is… the power that can help Big Brother…)
*WHOOSH!*
The fierce wind generated by the Mana finally began to subside. As the blinding light faded, the excitement in Naoki's body calmed as well. In the summoning circle, where the ground had been empty, now stood an individual.
It was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a classic long blue dress and a gleaming silver breastplate over it. She didn't seem very tall, and her figure was slender, yet she exuded no fragility—only an imposing, valiant aura, like a female CEO.
"Servant, Saber, answering the call."
Artoria leaned on her invisible sword and looked at Naoki.
"I ask, are you my Master?"
"Ah… Yes, that's me, Artoria—By the way, I suggest you prepare to attack now. It's a bit sudden, but your situation is actually quite unfavorable. My child can barely hold back."
Artoria nodded. In truth, she had already sensed a powerful murderous aura targeting her from the start.
This Master performed an emergency summoning while being pursued. The situation didn't seem good. For now, she needed to repel the approaching enemy, protect her Master, and then discuss the next steps.
—Thinking this, Artoria turned toward the source of the murderous aura.
A familiar horned helmet came into her view.
"…"
[For my great Father King—]
Naoki: "Mordred, you rebellious child, stop!"