It wasn't that no one had noticed—Morgan had simply earned the full trust of her Chaldea comrades through her own actions.
So how she became a Servant, or what she experienced in life, no longer mattered. After all, even an enemy like Artoria from the previous Singularity could become an ally in the next. Restoring human history had always required exceptional measures.
In contrast, Morgan had already fought alongside Shiomi as a Servant during the Fourth Holy Grail War—and she was his wife. If even Shiomi, the one most qualified to question such matters, chose not to, then no one else had any reason to.
Thus, when the issue resurfaced, everyone finally began to understand the true nature of it all.
"If Morgan didn't originate from the proper human history, but instead from a Lostbelt we've observed to exist yet still don't fully understand…" Scáthach paused, thinking aloud. "Then it would make perfect sense for my beloved disciple to be inside a Lostbelt right now."
Looking back, they realized the problem had been there from the very beginning. The Fourth Holy Grail War had indeed been abnormal—because of the Greater Grail's corruption, Servants like Gilles de Rais, closer to vengeful spirits or evil entities, had been summoned. But Morgan, who wasn't from the "correct human history," appearing in that war as a Servant couldn't be explained by the Grail's corruption alone.
Moreover, when the Greater Grail was finally purified, Morgan—the Great Witch—had been indispensable to the process.
"Could it be that everything up until now was inevitable?" Sakura asked softly.
She couldn't bring herself to doubt the mother who had raised her alongside her father. Even if Morgan seemed to know what the future held, she still chose to fight while keeping her silence.
Neither Sakura nor Caren wanted to suspect her. Rather than speculate, it would be better to see their mother in person and ask her directly. And without question, Shiomi knew more than anyone, yet quietly stood by Morgan's side, keeping her secret.
"Don't be so pessimistic, you two." Sion patted Sakura and Caren's shoulders. "I heard that during the Holy Grail War, your father summoned Morgan—the Berserker-class Servant and your foster mother—without using any catalyst."
Da Vinci nodded. "If you think about it from another angle, maybe all of this was fate. For us, these events are still unfolding or yet to come—but for Morgan, they're already decided."
Shiomi's silence, then, was likely just his way of following that flow—of moving toward the destiny waiting at its end.
"But... the Tower at the End is a fixed anchor in this world," Artoria interjected. "How did Tenkei enter that Lostbelt without any tools? Could it be that Morgan used Magecraft of equal scale—"
Sion shook his head. "There's something strange about that. When the seven Lostbelts first took root on the Whitened Earth, the Britannia Lostbelt was briefly surrounded by the same kind of storm wall as the others—then it was quickly replaced by the Tower at the End."
Mysteries continued to pile up. Everyone understood that whether they were searching for the missing Shiomi and Morgan, resolving the Whitening of the World, or investigating the Lostbelts' interiors, making the Britannia Lostbelt their top priority was inevitable. Even from a purely practical standpoint, Shiomi's unmatched combat strength alone made finding him imperative.
"Even so... that still doesn't explain everything," Artoria said, unsatisfied.
She knew that Morgan's magically reproduced Holy Spear was already almost identical to the true Noble Phantasm, capable of achieving the same effects except under the most extraordinary circumstances.
At that moment, Scáthach placed a hand on Artoria's shoulder, gesturing for her to step aside for a private word.
"Then, preparations for the upcoming investigation into the Britannia Lostbelt shall be entrusted to you all," Scáthach declared. "Though my beloved disciple is absent, we shall all participate as vital combat forces in the frontline investigations and battles."
Everyone reached a consensus and began discussing how to enter the Britannia Lostbelt, unaware of the exchange between Scáthach and Artoria.
Leaving the war room, Scáthach and Artoria made their way to the Wandering Sea Workshop outside, stopping at a deserted corner of a corridor.
"What do you wish to say, Scáthach?" Artoria asked.
"This is merely my conjecture, but under those circumstances—surrounded by Servants of unknown origin and extraordinary combat power—could Morgan and my beloved disciple, who hadn't yet fully recovered, really have escaped the Antarctic snowfields and even reached the heart of the Lostbelt... without any assistance? Is that possible?" Scáthach smiled faintly.
"If it were Morgan—"
"That alone would be concerning, but what if—" Scáthach's tone hardened. "What if it was BB?"
"Eh?" Artoria was slightly taken aback.
The incident at the offshore oil platform base had long been classified as an Imaginary Numbers phenomenon. Other than those directly involved, no one knew what had happened there. The existence of BB and Mooncell was just as unknown.
"Why would Mooncell do such a thing?" Artoria asked.
"Again, this is merely my conjecture," Scáthach replied. "My disciple was originally chosen by Mooncell as the Saver. Perhaps his journey to the Lostbelt was part of that supercomputer's design."
"Tenkei... what kind of existence is he, really?" Artoria murmured, her head beginning to ache.
A human who could reach the authority of the gods—an existence akin to her own, as the goddess Rhongomyniad. She had thought that alone made him extraordinary, yet now she realized the truth ran far deeper.
"And there's one more thing I didn't mention during the meeting," Scáthach continued. "Why is it that only the six frozen Masters of the original Team A identify themselves as Crypters, when there are seven Lostbelts rooted on this planet?"
"Tenkei was also a Master of Team A." Cold sweat formed along Artoria's temples. "If he, too, was originally meant to become a Crypter like the others but somehow deviated from that path—"
Scáthach exhaled softly. "That's why I called you here—to prepare yourself mentally. The worst-case scenario is that my beloved disciple, for some reason, has become a Crypter of a different kind."
"You mean... you want me to be ready to fight Tenkei?"
Just saying those words made Artoria's heart ache.
"Not just you," Scáthach said quietly, tilting her head toward the ceiling. "When I fought Cú Chulainn, I only felt regret. But now, the thought of opposing my own disciple... it frightens me."
An indescribable silence filled the corridor.
Both Scáthach and Artoria knew that the answers to all their doubts and fears could only be found once they faced Tenkei Shiomi in person.