Viviane—that was Morgan's fairy name, and most fairies of the Rain Clan addressed her as such.
And now, for a fairy to be able to walk directly into Morgan's room ... her identity was self-evident.
"Huh? Mother—you heard all that?!"
Morgan's expression changed completely upon seeing the gentle-faced woman, a fairy with the serene grace of a yamato nadeshiko. Gone was the confident Morgan from earlier.
Now, she looked like a child caught misbehaving, her eyes darting nervously, unable to meet the gaze of her worried foster mother.
"Even if you cast a barrier, Viviane, you caused such a commotion... how could I not notice? You'll need to be more careful next time. But what worries me more is... Are you truly planning to leave Orkney with this human?"
Morgan's foster mother, the Queen of the Rain Clan, sighed gently as she asked.
From her expression, it was clear—she wasn't scolding Morgan, but genuinely worried.
Though fairies in Britain couldn't reproduce, they possessed deep emotions, no different from humans.
And even though Morgan had drifted in from afar as a Paradise Fairy, the Queen had come to care for her deeply over the years they spent together.
"...I'm sorry, Mother. I was planning to explain everything to you later."
Morgan bowed her head, guilt welling in her heart.
Though her foster mother had always been warm and gentle, she feared that acting on her own might have truly angered her this time.
"There's no need to apologize, Viviane. I knew this day would come eventually. As a Paradise Fairy from the Inner Sea of the Stars, it is your destiny to begin your Pilgrimage across Britain, to ring the Six Bells of the Six Great Clans. That is your mission."
But instead of anger, the Queen's gaze grew deep and complex.
She said something that Shirou didn't understand at all— and yet, she had granted permission to Morgan, just like that.
—Wait, was that... a request?
"Wait, Mother, why would you think I'm going on a Pilgrimage?"
Morgan's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly denied it.
"I just wanted to travel with Shirou, to explore other parts of Britain. I... I never once thought of starting a Pilgrimage."
To her, that word clearly held a deeper meaning. She didn't want her mother to misunderstand.
"Viviane, there's no need to lie. I know you're just trying not to hurt me... But don't worry. None of us in the Rain Clan will stand in your way. We'll help you. Let the first bell of your Pilgrimage ring here in Orkney— We of the Rain Clan acknowledge the original sin we carry. We accept our guilt."
Despite Morgan's protest, the Queen gently shook her head and continued speaking.
"Mother..."
Morgan's voice grew faint. That was a sign—she had regained her composure.
She realized that letting emotion take over would only make things worse.
After a few seconds of silent thought, her eyes turned firm again, and she spoke with resolve.
"In all my time with the Rain Clan, I've seen nothing but kindness from its fairies. That's why I believe that the other clans must be just as good—"
"If I truly begin a Pilgrimage, in the end... all of Britain will disappear. Including the Rain Clan."
"I don't want that. I refuse to let that happen—absolutely."
"So please understand... I will not accept that so-called mission."
"My dream is to make Britain into a land like a fairy tale—a beautiful kingdom, where every living being on the island can live in peace and happiness."
"That dream... was one you once shared with me. Wasn't it?"
"I want to inherit that dream. I want to save Britain, and all its fairies."
These were not the words of a rebellious child— but the will of someone who had made her choice.
—And Shirou, listening beside her, was struck by those words. His body trembled as he remembered something from five years ago—his final conversation with his foster father, Kiritsugu Emiya.
Morgan's unshakable resolve had reached even him.
The Queen, too, was moved. Her expression softened.
"...Viviane, you truly are a kind-hearted Paradise Fairy."
With a sigh, she admitted it had all been a misunderstanding. Then, she took a step back.
"Well then, Viviane... before you leave, come to my room and change your clothes. Don't you want to show your beloved something a little different?"
With a knowing smile, the Queen turned and delivered that sudden strike— and Morgan, who had just gathered all her composure, completely crumbled.
"Mother! What are you even saying?!"
From Shirou's perspective, Morgan's face now looked like an apple— perhaps not quite as red, but close enough.
"Oh? Really? And what are the two of you doing here, if not... flirting?"
"Th-this—this is a misunderstanding! I was just helping Shirou!"
"Helping, huh...? Well then, it's a good thing I arrived when I did. Any later and I might've walked in to find you both on the bed."
"M-mother!!!"
Morgan, now completely flustered, was being effortlessly teased by her foster mother.
Her retorts were losing structure—clearly overwhelmed. It was likely a gap in experience between them.
And Shirou, caught in the middle but feeling more like a bystander, could only give a helpless smile that didn't know where to land.
Even if Shirou wasn't the most socially aware,
the conversation had been far too blatant for him not to understand.
And yet... as he glanced at Morgan, so beautiful and full of resolve— he felt a strange, conflicting feeling begin to stir in his heart.
.....
The daytime "farce" had come to an end, and Shirou was assigned to another room within the palace.
It wasn't nearly as luxurious as Morgan's, but compared to the tatami room back at the Emiya residence, this one was still vastly superior.
Lying on the bed, Shirou stared up at the ceiling. Outside, the never-ending sound of raindrops filled his ears again. His thoughts drifted... back to his own world.
"I wonder how Sakura is doing right now..."
He sighed softly, thinking of the white-haired kouhai who visited the Emiya household day and night.
"If only I could call her... I really don't want Sakura to worry."
He couldn't shake the thought. If Sakura noticed his disappearance, as the current head of the Matou family, she might panic and do something reckless in the heat of the moment.
"Ugh... no, I can't keep thinking about this."
Even though he had projected something during the day, his nightly training couldn't be skipped.
Shirou cut off his spiraling thoughts.
He knew that what he feared might very well happen— But simply worrying wouldn't change anything. That just wasn't who Shirou Emiya was.
At times like this, the only thing he could do... was turn his attention to magecraft.
Though tonight, he wouldn't be practicing reinforcement magecraft like usual. There was something else he had to study.
His gaze shifted as his thoughts aligned. He looked at the knightly lance standing beside his bed and recalled Morgan's words.
"Shirou, even though you projected this Divine Construct, to truly master it... you still have a long way to go."
"Treat it like a friend. Even a weapon—has its own will."
"Becoming friends with it will help you."
Shirou nodded silently.
Tonight, until he fell asleep, he would focus on attuning himself to the Holy Lance.
No more thinking. Just action.
He reached out with both hands, grasping the spear's shaft. He used magecraft to try and resonate with it—to synchronize.
"——Trace, On."
And just like that, the quiet of night passed swiftly, wrapped in the rhythm of practice.