Half an hour later, Guinevere was back at the manor outside London. After bringing her guest, she immediately sought out Morgan and Lia.
In this Great Holy Grail War, she was the commander, general, and strategist—she had to do everything, and she wanted to do everything.
For far too long, Guinevere had lived days of training in the morning, drawing manga in the afternoon, and only finding free time in the evening.
In the classically decorated dining room, lit by flickering candles, over half of the ten hearty courses had already been devoured.
Even with her physical body, Lia still ate voraciously.
"Merlin's gone again, hasn't he?"
"He's off chatting with that Merlin from the other timeline. Apparently, that Merlin is on a marathon, planning to walk all the way to Babylon from six thousand years ago."
"Huh?"
Guinevere remembered that in the Singularity of the Demonic Beast Front, Merlin should have been summoned first by the King of Heroes. Only after being dismissed once did he flee back to Avalon. How...?
Shaking her head, Guinevere decided not to dwell on it. Even if she were summoned by the other timeline, the one who would go there would still be the main body currently seated on the Throne of Heroes, who periodically receives her memories.
She didn't need to overthink things. All she needed to focus on was the Holy Grail War at hand.
"Sister Morgan, what about the Berserker you and Merlin sealed?"
As she spoke, Guinevere pulled up a chair and sat down, then picked up a knife and fork to cut off a piece of rare beef. Using her "Imaginary Creation" ability, she ignited a flame and slowly cooked the beef to a more well-done state.
She wasn't particularly fond of eating things too raw.
Watching her, Morgan, clad in a shirt and short skirt that accentuated her prominent curves, leaned back, further accentuating her curves.
After catching the apple the King of Knights had tossed her, she took a playful bite and remarked:
"I sent Shiki Tohno back. He possesses the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. If push comes to shove, he can easily kill his Servant."
Guinevere opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. Her fragmented memories from her previous life contained only scattered remnants of Tsukihime. She wasn't even sure if her recollection of Shiki Tohno was accurate.
Right now, she remembered that Shiki Tohno wasn't originally named Tohno at all. He was a member of the Nanaya Family, a Demon-Hunting Family annihilated by the Tohno Family.
The Nanaya Family were demon-hunting specialists, skilled not only in combat against creatures like vampires but also in human-targeted assassination techniques using short blades.
As for Shiki Tohno himself, after being adopted by the Tohno Family, his memories were sealed, and he grew up as their foster son. It wasn't until his foster brother, Shiki Tohno, experienced an "Inversion Impulse" due to his bloodline. While protecting one of their foster sisters, Shiki was killed, and the sister shared her life force with him. Revived from death, he awakened the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
"According to the information Aoko Aozaki provided, she gave Shiki Tohno the Mystic Eye Killers glasses, which could seal his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Once his condition improved slightly, she recommended he work here to pay off his debt.
Aoko said that one shift here would cover the cost of the Mystic Eye Killers he'd pre-ordered."
"So, he came straight here after being discharged from the hospital?"
"Exactly."
Morgan slammed the dossier Kayneth had compiled onto the table in front of Guinevere. Because it was delivered directly to Guinevere and arranged by Aoko Aozaki, one of the Magicians...
The Tohno Family Head couldn't voice a single objection and was forced to tacitly approve the arrangement.
As Guinevere flipped through the file, the King of Knights, who had nearly finished eating, fed her. She cross-referenced what she knew from this life with her memories from her previous life, forming a rough assessment of Shiki Tohno.
Having been sent to participate in the Great Holy Grail War, he hadn't undergone a second memory sealing. His combat skills honed within the Tohno Family remained intact, and he still remembered the accident that had claimed his life once before.
Moreover, after learning about the Holy Grail and realizing Guinevere could potentially grant his wishes, he began yearning to cure his Foster Brother's Inversion and restore the half of her life that his Foster Sister, Akiha Tohno, had sacrificed to save him.
"So, he's been quite motivated these past few days."
"Exactly. He's even become quite close with Waver and has been asking him for tutoring."
Feeding isn't the King of Knights' forte. After yet another overly deep bite, Guinevere, her face full of gentle reproach, stood up and moved her chair closer to the King, taking over the feeding herself.
"Lia, ah, it's your favorite rice!"
Even after a century together, the King of Knights still blushed at such teasing, but she didn't back down. Feigning composure, she swallowed the spoonful, leaving only a few glistening grains for Guinevere.
Then, Guinevere scooped up another spoonful of rice—but this time, she fed it to herself, holding the spoon in her mouth for an uncomfortably long moment before withdrawing it.
"Guinevere, you fool! Are you two flaunting your affection in front of me again?" Morgan snapped.
"Sister, you should be used to it by now," Guinevere retorted.
She was indeed accustomed to it, but habit didn't diminish her annoyance.
Tapping her knuckles on the table, Morgan forcibly drew her companions' attention back to her. Plucking a strand of lake-gray hair, she declared, "If you don't want my help, I can leave. After all, I wasn't chosen by the Holy Grail because I have any grand desires."
Hearing this, Guinevere stuck out her tongue, while the King of Knights subtly stepped on Guinevere's foot.
They subtly widened the distance between them, and the King of Knights assumed a more solemn demeanor, regaining the regal bearing she had possessed when she still ruled.
Morgan's wish was simple: she longed for closer bonds with her family.
For example, she wished Guinevere and the King of Knights wouldn't deliberately maintain their distance due to her past.
She wanted Mordred to let go of her resentment and stop dwelling on her past as a "failed" successor.
She also hoped Gareth wouldn't be so intimidated by her, stammering whenever she spoke to her.
"Lia..."
"Yes, we should have done this sooner."
Through their conversation and mutual gaze, Guinevere and the King of Knights reached an understanding. Ever since Morgan had resolved her inner conflicts, she had truly gone above and beyond for them both, proving herself a proper elder sister.
"Sister Morgan, let's take a bath together tonight? Guinevere had an artificial hot spring installed."
"You don't mind?"
"We're all girls. As long as we don't go to bed together, what's there to mind? In fact, minding it would be more of a problem."
Speaking and thinking, the King of Knights rounded the dining table and approached Morgan from behind. Mimicking Guinevere's gesture, she reached out and embraced Morgan's shoulders.
"Sister, we agreed we'd take a bath together tonight."
Now that she knew Morgan's wish was so simple, she needed to act practically and prevent her from pinning such a small matter on the Holy Grail.
As for how she knew Morgan harbored these wishes, the answer lay in daily observation. Morgan genuinely yearned for closer bonds with her family.
Orphaned at a young age, betrothed as a teenager, and widowed before marriage in her early adulthood, Morgan bore children who never truly loved her. It wasn't until she resolved her inner conflicts that Mordred, whom she had conceived with Guinevere and the King of Knights, became the closest to her heart.
Yet, even after over a thousand years, Morgan still harbored lingering regrets from her past.
"Foolish sister, I accept your invitation. Just the two of us?"
"No, I'll invite Little Mo, Sakura, Gray, and Mrs. Irisviel as well. Tonight, after the bath, we'll have a girls' night chat. We're flying to Romania by the day after tomorrow at the latest, so we need to give Gray and the others instructions before we leave."