Shirou had once heard Makiri say that Magi who take part in the Holy Grail War sometimes dream of their Servants' lives before death.
Perhaps it was because the connection between Master and Servant reached all the way into the deepest layers of the mind.
When a Master and Servant were especially compatible, the Master would, in their dreams, arrive in the era when the Servant had still been alive. It was apparently a fairly common phenomenon in the first three Holy Grail Wars.
Though it took the form of a dream, it was not merely a dream. It was reality.
A "vision of the past" made possible by the Holy Grail's power, where the Master witnessed the past within a dream.
Shirou did not think his compatibility with Lady Avalon was good enough for that to happen, but he had at least prepared himself a little in advance.
And yet.
The moment Shirou truly saw Lady Avalon's past, he was struck speechless.
"You've got to be kidding me... this is..."
At that moment, Shirou was standing right beside Lady Avalon.
Their positions had been reversed.
Normally, Avalon hid behind Shirou in Spirit Form, but now Shirou was the one secretly hiding behind her.
It seemed that even Lady Avalon could not see Shirou within the dream.
No, even if she could, her gaze probably would not have rested on him for even a second.
And the reason was simple.
Standing beside her was a boy with flame-red hair, dusk-colored eyes, and a magnificent golden sword at his waist.
The boy Lady Avalon was watching with such gentle eyes seemed to be named.
"Arthur!"
More than a dozen armored knights crowded around the red-haired boy, shouting his name in excitement.
"Thank goodness, it's Arthur! And Merlin-sama!"
"Arthur! You finally made it! We're saved now!"
The knights all looked filthy and exhausted, their equipment battered and torn. They were clearly the remnants of a defeated force.
And yet Arthur's appearance swept away their earlier dejection, and every one of them seemed to find their spirit again.
"Sorry I'm late. Is everyone all right?"
The red-haired boy everyone called Arthur showed a bright, easy smile, the kind Shirou knew he himself would never wear.
That smile seemed to carry a power that lifted people's hearts, and under the sunlight, his red hair shone with the brilliance of the sun itself.
"..."
Staring at the red-haired knight whose face was identical to his own, Shirou thought of a single phrase.
The King of Glory.
His name was Arthur, and he was Lady Avalon's disciple.
In other words, he was the future King of Knights, Arthur.
This was strange. Wasn't Arthur supposed to be a cute blonde girl?
If you're Arthur, and I'm Arthur, then who exactly is Saber?
Arthur began checking the knights' injuries.
He walked up to the wounded, and simply by placing a hand over their wounds, dazzling light flowed from his palm.
No matter how severe the injury, once Arthur treated it, it healed in no time.
Shirou's eyes widened slightly.
Instinctively, he tried to move closer and grasp the nature of the Mana within that light, but in this dream, he could not touch anything.
Even so, his intuition told him this was not healing Magecraft, but some power far closer to a miracle.
...It's the power of the "Sheath," Shirou thought.
After healing everyone's wounds in an instant, the young knights gathered around Arthur and began discussing what to do next.
"Please tell me the current situation."
One young knight explained, "The situation is extremely bad.
"King Mark, under pressure from Vortigern, finally chose to surrender. Cornwall has fallen completely.
"We once urged the king to maintain his stance against the Angles, but after rejecting our advice, he drove us out of the city."
After hearing the report, Arthur's expression darkened.
"How could this happen... Even the valiant King Mark has yielded to Vortigern?"
King Mark, who had submitted to the Usurper King Vortigern, was the lord of Cornwall.
Even among the kings of Britannia, he was famous for his martial strength and iron rule.
That was why the late King Uther Pendragon had valued him so highly and appointed him lord of Cornwall.
Before Uther was defeated by Vortigern, that land had been home to Pendragon's cliffside stronghold, Tintagel.
Arthur himself had no memory of it, but it was the place where he had been born.
Now Cornwall had fallen completely, and together with Tintagel, had become a vassal of Vortigern.
For some reason, perhaps in the same way the Holy Grail grants Servants knowledge of the modern age, Shirou's mind was automatically filled in with background knowledge about Britannia.
"What do we do now, Arthur?"
All the knights turned toward the red-haired boy.
Arthur thought for a moment, then spoke.
"We have to retake Cornwall. If we're going to stand against Vortigern, King Mark's strength is indispensable."
"Oh! If that's what Arthur says, then let's do it!"
They had been arguing endlessly over whether to seek shelter under another lord or remain in Cornwall, but the moment Arthur said they should retake Cornwall, they immediately rallied behind him.
One young knight asked, "Arthur, which lord are you planning to ask for reinforcements from?"
"...No."
Arthur shook his head.
He looked around at the dozen or so knights surrounding him, then said,
"We don't need to borrow another king's army. There's no need to widen the war."
"We'll take back Cornwall with our own strength."
No one could hide their shock.
"R-really? We can take back Cornwall with just us?"
"Isn't that impossible?"
"Even with you and Merlin-sama... storming that fortress city with only a dozen men is just too difficult."
It was not only the knights. Even Shirou, within the dream, felt Arthur's idea was far too reckless.
Still, he thought he could somewhat understand Arthur's reasoning.
The lord of Cornwall had only submitted for the moment because of pressure from the Usurper King.
If they sought aid from other lords and attacked Cornwall now, then it would become a war between lords.
Even if Cornwall's rebellion were put down by force afterward, the wounds left by that war would never truly heal.
And that was exactly the outcome the enemy wanted.
Arthur probably felt that, with the common enemy known as the Usurper King right in front of them, the last thing they should do was start a war among themselves first.
At that moment, the wise sage, the Magus of Flowers, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"I understand how you feel, Arthur... but what exactly are you planning to do? Do you already have a strategy?"
Arthur answered in an oddly proud tone.
"Of course not."
Lady Avalon: "..."
After a brief pause, she asked, "You're not seriously planning to attack Cornwall's stronghold with just this handful of people, are you?"
Arthur nodded.
"Of course I am."
"As a knight, no matter how desperate the situation is, you must never shrink back. You have to believe in the sword in your hand at all times."
"I will show the King of Cornwall my resolve, my conviction, my honor, and my chivalry."
"King Mark was once a great knight whose name was renowned throughout Britannia in his younger days. If I challenge him to a duel, he definitely won't refuse."
"Once our swords cross, I'm sure he and I will understand one another."
"When that happens, King Mark will surely remember his noble original ideals and regain his determination to fight Vortigern."
"This is the knightly battle I seek."
Arthur spoke at length with a confident smile, and the young knights around him all looked at him with admiration.
Shirou could not help frowning slightly.
Arthur's so-called method for taking Cornwall was, in simple terms, winning the enemy over with his own chivalry.
But... could that really work?
At the red-haired boy's call, the group of a little over a dozen men mounted their horses and set out for the lord of Cornwall's castle.
Lady Avalon moved to Arthur's side and, while the others were not paying attention, voiced the same thought that had also crossed Shirou's mind.
"Arthur, are you really planning to fight the King of Cornwall with only these people?"
Hearing his teacher's question, the red-haired knight showed a sly expression.
"Of course not."
"I was just saying whatever sounded good. If I hadn't, nobody would have followed me here."
The Magus of Flowers knit her brows slightly.
"But you already said all that. What if King Mark refuses your challenge?"
Arthur replied,
"King Mark was my father's most loyal follower. More than anyone, he hates Vortigern for killing my father."
"How could a man like that sincerely surrender? He's actually waiting for me to come so we can discuss a grand plan to subjugate Vortigern together."
"That's why he drove those knights out of the city. He was really just giving them a way to lead me here."
As Arthur spoke, he rested a hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"And if, by some tiny chance, King Mark refuses my request for a duel, then I'll blast open the city gate with this golden sword, Caliburn."
Blasting open the city gate with a beam of light... did that still count as chivalry?
Shirou's mouth twitched.
He felt like he understood this Arthur, the one who shared his face, a little better now.
I see. So the King of Glory really isn't all talk. No wonder the knights admired him so much.
This Arthur possessed not only a knight's pride, but also a remarkably flexible moral bottom line.
He clearly understood that chivalry was an important tool for winning people's hearts. But chivalry alone would never be enough to defeat Vortigern and the foreign invaders who had crossed the sea.
Before long, a city appeared at the far end of the horizon.
That was their destination, the city where King Mark resided.
Although he had already heard on the way that it was a fortress city as unshakable as an iron wall, when Shirou looked at it from a distance, he sensed something wrong.
A bad feeling rose in his chest.
Arthur and the others arrived before the city gate.
The red-haired boy tried announcing his name, but no one answered.
"Wait... Arthur... the city gate isn't closed."
One of the knights stepped closer and realized in shock that the gate was actually slightly ajar.
"Hm? Why? Has King Mark changed his mind and decided to let me in just like that?"
Arthur dismounted and quickly made his way into the city.
He was a little later than Shirou, but he too sensed the unnatural atmosphere.
And then he saw it.
The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, and the streets were littered with corpses.
One of Britannia's foremost prosperous cities had already ceased to exist a day earlier.
Every building in the city was still intact, neither destroyed nor burned, yet the entire city was, in the most literal sense, dead and lifeless.
Everywhere they went, corpses lay swarmed by flies, each face frozen in pain.
By the time Arthur arrived, Cornwall had already become a city of the dead.
This was neither a massacre nor the aftermath of street fighting. Death itself had come to this city.
Merlin crouched down and carefully inspected one of the bodies before reaching a conclusion.
"I'm afraid someone poisoned the city's water supply."
"As for why... the enemy probably realized Cornwall's surrender was only a pretense on the surface."
"To prevent Cornwall from returning to your side, they decided to wipe everyone out in advance."
"That's unforgivable..."
"They actually targeted civilians!"
After hearing the female Magus's explanation, the young knights all burned with righteous anger.
Only Arthur ran silently through the streets. He had started searching for survivors.
After spending an entire afternoon searching, they finally found a single survivor.
It was a little girl, only seven or eight years old.
She was barely still conscious, but it was obvious she was beyond saving.
No matter how Arthur used his miraculous healing power, he could not pull the child back from death.
Even the Sheath had very limited healing power when used on anyone other than himself.
Held tightly in the red-haired knight's arms, the little girl widened her eyes, though she could no longer see clearly.
"Arthur... are you Lord Arthur...?"
The red-haired knight tightly held her tiny hand, which had almost no warmth left.
"Yes. I am Arthur."
"Ah... ah... it really is Lord Arthur... You've finally come..."
Choking back sobs, the little girl said, "Thank goodness... we're saved..."
Arthur nodded solemnly.
"Yes, I'm here now, so everything is all right."
"How... is everyone?"
"I already saved them all."
Arthur said it without the slightest change in expression.
"Your parents, your brothers and sisters, they've all been moved somewhere safe. They're all fine now…"
"So don't be afraid. I'll heal you right now. You'll be all right."
"...Thank you, Lord Arthur."
The little girl showed a blissful smile, then forever lost consciousness within that gentle lie.
"..."
Arthur gently closed the girl's eyes, then rose to his feet. His calm expression held neither anger nor pity.
The red-haired boy walked toward the deepest part of the city.
In truth, the moment he entered the city, he had already sensed a certain familiar presence.
Pursuing that familiar aura, Arthur rushed toward the tallest bell tower in the city.
Shirou's viewpoint followed the red-haired boy as well, racing forward with him.
And then, at their destination, they saw a bewitchingly beautiful woman dressed in black.
She had a head of gorgeous platinum-like hair, and ivory skin that seemed born from the night itself, as though it had never known sunlight.
Black lace wrapped around her body.
Her proudly rising breasts and long, shapely legs traced smooth, alluring curves, and her entire body radiated the sensual aura unique to a mature woman.
A black veil hid her face.
Her features were impossible to make out, yet anyone who saw her would instinctively conclude that beneath that veil must lie a beauty so devastating it could topple nations.
Could that possibly be...
Shirou's eyes widened, and he unconsciously held his breath.
This felt completely different from when he had seen Saber inside the crystal ball. It was as if someone's hand had seized his heart.
A girl's name surfaced in Shirou's mind.
"Morgan! Why are you in a place like this?!"
Arthur ground his teeth and shouted the question.
Morgan answered without even turning around.
"We haven't seen each other in years, and the moment we meet, you're already shouting."
"Arthur, is that really how you speak to your sister?"
"Honestly. Is this how Merlin taught you manners?"
Only then did Shirou finally become certain that the woman in the black dress before him was Morgan, the Fairy Queen from the legends of King Arthur.
Over the course of his life, King Arthur had fought many enemies of unbelievable power.
The Usurper King Vortigern. The three-eyed cat monster Cath Palug.
Both were terrifying foes on the level of a chief god from an entire mythological system.
And yet, when it came to the greatest nemesis, the one who had caused Arthur the most trouble, it could only be his sister, Morgan, the Fairy Queen.
Shirou was stunned by the woman's voluptuous figure and seductive aura, and could not help thinking, She's way too different from my Morgan, isn't she?
What kind of disastrous upbringing would it take to turn someone into a black witch like this?
Then again, there was also a red-haired King Arthur here. Compared to that, a silver-haired Morgan did not seem all that strange anymore.
On the other side, the young King of Knights with Shirou's face kept pressing his sister without letting up.
"Enough nonsense! Was poisoning the city's water supply your doing, Morgan?!"
With her back to the red-haired boy hurling accusations at her, the black witch let out a mocking laugh.
"So what if it was? So what if it wasn't?"
"I only want to know one thing. Was it you, or wasn't it? Depending on your answer, I'll decide how to deal with you."
The witch curled her pale blue lips into a smile.
"Hehe... and what if my answer is yes?
"Arthur, are you really going to kill your own..."
"Caliburn!"
Arthur's answer was the Sword of Selection in his hand.
The brilliant slash unleashed by the red-haired knight punched straight through the wall of the entire building.
And yet the black witch seemed completely unaffected. The beam passed right through her body without leaving any real damage behind.
"Did you use Magecraft to evade my attack again?"
Arthur believed Morgan had used some kind of spell to twist his attack aside, but Shirou had a different impression.
Maybe Morgan was not there at all.
What he and Arthur were seeing might have been nothing more than a visual projection. The real Morgan, the Fairy Queen, might still be somewhere much farther away.
If that was true, then Morgan was not the real culprit behind the cruel slaughter of the entire city's people.
"..."
Shirou was startled to realize that he was actually hoping Morgan was not that kind of evil witch.
She was obviously not the Morgan he knew, and her name was infamous in the legends, yet deep down he still wanted her not to be a bad person.
"Let's go."
Even though the Sword of Selection in Arthur's hand could pierce city walls, it could do nothing to the witch standing right in front of him.
"Next time we meet, I won't show any mercy."
"Oh my, are you going to run off and cry to that succubus?"
After exchanging a few more sharp, hostile remarks, Arthur turned and left without a trace of hesitation.
Once Arthur was gone, the silent palace was left with only the black witch standing there alone.
"Do you think the tragedy in this city was my doing?"
Morgan's voice suddenly broke the silence around them.
"In your eyes, was it an evil witch who killed those innocent people?"
"?"
Shirou was baffled. Who was she talking to?
Arthur had already left. There was no one else here.
A chill ran straight through him.
Can she... see me?
No. She's probably just talking to herself.
I'm only viewing Lady Avalon's past through this dream. There is no reason someone from within this memory should be able to see me.
Morgan slowly turned this way.
Their eyes met.
Even with her face hidden behind black gauze, Shirou could feel that she was staring straight at him.
Shirou: "..."
This dream was a [vision of the past] brought about by the Holy Grail's power.
Since Shirou was able to observe this past from a different timeline, then it was also possible for someone who existed on this timeline to observe Shirou across that void-like phase.
For example, that person could definitely do it.
Lady Avalon. The Magus of Flowers, Merlin, who possessed the highest rank of Clairvoyance. She had definitely noticed Shirou's presence already.
Even knowing that he had been following her the whole time, she had chosen to ignore him completely.
The reason was simple. She had no interest in him whatsoever.
At this moment, the only one reflected in the dreamlike eyes of the Magus of Flowers was her Arthur.
And yet Morgan, the Fairy Queen, had taken the initiative to speak to Shirou.
Why?
Shirou took a deep breath, then answered her question.
"It wasn't you, was it?
"By the time you arrived, everyone in this city was probably already dead."
"Correct."
The Fairy Queen nodded in satisfaction.
In truth, it was not just Shirou. Arthur had also vaguely realized that the Fairy Queen was not the one responsible for the tragedy in the city, which was why he had left without another word.
But if the Fairy Queen had not acted against this city, then why had she gone out of her way to appear here today?
"Question."
Morgan murmured in a gentle yet playful voice.
"What is the reason Fairy Queen Morgan chose to appear here today?"
"Huh?"
Shirou had no idea how to answer, while Morgan had already started counting down.
"Ten, nine, eight..."
"Wait, hold on."
"No waiting. Three, two, one, zero."
The witch mercilessly finished the countdown.
"Now then, time for the answer."
Staring straight into Shirou's eyes, the Fairy Queen spoke in a low voice.
"The only reason I appeared here today was to wait for someone."
Shirou already had an answer in mind, and asked in return,
"The person you were waiting for... was it me?"
"Mhm."
Morgan gave a faint nod, then revealed a beautiful, bewitching smile.
"It's been a long time, my younger brother from the future."