Shiomi rose to his feet and, bathed in the soft morning light and the gentle mountain breeze, carefully wrapped Morgan in a warm embrace.
"Chaldea's Mystic Code and communicator are gone," she said, resting against his chest with a hint of playful teasing in her voice.
"Well, I had just escaped captivity," Shiomi replied.
"Artoria captured you and stole your contract—you must know why," Morgan asked, her tone calm but direct.
"About that—"
Shiomi gently helped her rise slightly from his arms, holding her by the shoulders, just as he was about to explain—when voices from the gate cut him off.
Sakura and Caren, having heard that he had returned safely, came running from the village.
Morgan, with practiced ease, stepped away, giving him space as the two grown daughters threw themselves into his arms.
"We were so worried..." Sakura's voice trembled, nearly in tears. "You showed up out of nowhere, then suddenly stayed behind to cover us... We thought you'd be captured again."
"If that happens again, I suggest Dad stay put in Chaldea during the next Singularity," Caren said coolly. "I'm sure the director would love to have you on control room duty."
Shiomi gave a helpless laugh. "Let's not go that far. Besides, the unusual circumstances this time might actually be useful reference for the final Singularity investigation."
"Forgive him," Morgan said with a graceful smile, arms crossed. "He did block Artoria's Rhongomyniad for your sake. But while we were running through deserts and wilderness, my husband was sitting comfortably in the White Chalk City, living the easy life."
Scáthach chimed in, perfectly timed. "This is exactly the kind of moment when a beloved disciple should be the one working hard."
"...Uh..." Shiomi glanced at his master, trying to guess what kind of 'work' she was implying.
"Director Olga Marie is still in Ozymandias's territory. She's stationed there as Chaldea's envoy," Morgan said, turning to Shiomi. "It's time you went and brought her back."
Shiomi blinked in surprise. "Marie's still in Ozymandias's domain?"
He hadn't been there himself and knew little about the place—only that Ozymandias was the real name of the Sun King, currently one of Camelot's main enemies.
"That territory retains the environment of the Age of Gods," Scáthach explained. "When Ozymandias was summoned to this Singularity, his domain was brought along with him."
Shiomi nodded slowly. "That makes sense... No wonder Marie made that choice."
What came next was clear. Just as his master said, it was his turn to take on the burden—aside from, well, that. As Chaldea's representative, he would head to the Sun King's domain.
The others would stay behind in the mountain village, regroup and consolidate their forces, then rendezvous in the desert for a final assault on the Holy City of Camelot.
With a rough plan now in mind, Shiomi gently patted Sakura and Caren, still clinging to him.
"All right, all right. You're both adults now, enough with the clinging. You want your mother and Grandmaster to laugh at you?"
Scáthach gave a small, amused smile. "No need to stop. It's nice."
"Didn't you once say children can act spoiled no matter how old they are?" Morgan added, unbothered.
"You two..." Shiomi muttered, fondly ruffling his daughters' hair.
Then, without warning, Caren stepped back, ran to Morgan, and reported in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear:
"Mother, besides your scent and Master's, there's also the scent of an unfamiliar woman on Father."
As soon as she said it, Sakura froze. She sniffed the air intently. "...She's right. It smells... pure. Sacred."
The mood collapsed instantly.
Shiomi found himself seriously considering jumping off the terrace—though even that wouldn't kill him, and he'd still be hunted down by both wife and master.
With no escape in sight, he decided it was best to just come clean.
The unfamiliar scent on Shiomi undoubtedly came from the Lion King.
They had shared a warhorse for a long time, close enough that any Knight of the Round Table would've killed themselves on the spot. So picking up her scent wasn't strange.
What surprised him was just how sharp Caren's senses were.
Sakura quietly stepped back to a safe distance, puffing her cheeks with a sulky look that clearly said, "I don't care about Dad."
Morgan, still folding her arms, raised her left hand slightly. The tip of her index finger glowed with a golden light.
"My husband just renewed our contract. It's the perfect chance to test the limited deployment of Rhongomyniad."
"The Rhongomyniad's too brutal. Maybe just freeze him and toss him into Ozymandias's territory instead," Scáthach murmured, narrowing her eyes. A set of Runes instantly formed—a spell that even Shiomi might not be able to break.
For the first time in his life, Shiomi felt ice crawl down his spine. Cold sweat soaked through his inner shirt.
"L-Listen to me… It's not what you think! I was just… just riding horses with the Lion King, that's all!" Shiomi swallowed hard.
It was a near-death pressure even worse than facing the King of Magecraft. Watching Morgan and his master steadily approach, Shiomi genuinely began weighing whether jumping off the terrace might be the better option.
"Riding horses together?" Morgan's smile was ice-cold.
"That close?" Scáthach's voice cut like a blade.
Shiomi threw up both hands. "I-Isn't there any way to talk this out?!"
"This is the time to surrender, Dad." Caren clasped her hands together in front of her and spoke with composed grace, though her tone was merciless. "Mother and Grandmaster are both very gentle. I'm sure you'll be off to Ozymandias's domain bright and early tomorrow."
"No, no, no! This isn't about whether I live or die!" Shiomi protested, drenched in sweat.
"To think you'd get all buddy-buddy with the enemy's leader... I'm really disappointed in you, Dad," Sakura sighed. Her usually bright eyes now looked dull and lifeless.
The sunlit terrace had suddenly become a courtroom, and Shiomi the accused.
There was no backup. No one to plead his case.
Even Chaldea's comms were dead silent—or more likely, completely cut off.
After all, there had been a Rhongomyniad-level Mana blast here just before dawn. Of course the signal would be scrambled.
With a thunderous blast, the terrace erupted. Smoke drifted away in the wind.
Shiomi lay on the ground, covered in frost and soot, trembling slightly.
"Can't you go a little easier...?" he muttered.
As he dragged himself up, brushing off the debris, he realized that he wasn't actually hurt. More sound and fury than substance.
"Take a short break, then report to Chaldea that you've returned to the front," Morgan said. "Also, that Round Table knight—Bedivere—wants to speak with you."
"Me?" Shiomi blinked, surprised, as he dusted himself off.