Fuyuki City was divided into two main areas. On one side was Miyama Town, which felt like an old traditional district and had been the setting for several Holy Grail Wars. On the other side of the Mion River, which ran through the middle of Fuyuki, was Shinto, an area that had been growing rapidly in recent years.
In a BBQ restaurant in Shinto, two striking foreign women were having dinner. One was the Einzbern princess, who looked to be about twenty years old. She had an otherworldly beauty—gleaming silver hair, porcelain skin, and eyes that blazed like crimson flames. People would call someone like her a natural-born lady. Though she wore only a simple white fur coat with no fancy accessories, her presence alone outshone any jewel.
The woman standing beside the Einzbern princess was even more impressive. She had soft golden hair neatly tied back and blue eyes that sparkled like precious gems in her perfect face. Despite her goddess-like appearance, she wore impeccable men's clothing—a navy blue dress shirt with a tie, a black French-style jacket, and a red long coat draped over her shoulders. While her outfit was understated and masculine, her figure was anything but subtle. Her curvaceous body flowed from her high, full chest down to her slender waist and round hips, creating lines that would spark any man's imagination.
"I've been thinking about this for a while," said Irisviel, half-pulling Artoria's arm as they walked to their seats.
"Artoria, you have such a huge appetite. Is this what they call the royal treatment?"
On the tray that Lancer was carrying, the grilled meat was stacked into a fragrant, towering pile.
Though it was meant for two people, Irisviel's appetite was quite small, so it was essentially all for Artoria to eat.
"Do you think so? This portion seems just right to me. I am Irisviel's knight, and if I don't eat properly, I won't have the strength to ensure your safety."
Hearing this, Irisviel's eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Hehe. That's a good point. Lancer is so dependable. If it's not enough, we can always order more later."
"We can get more? I understand, Iri." The blue-clad big eater nodded with a solemn expression. "I'll do that."
"...Hehe."
Irisviel let go of Artoria's arm and placed her hands behind her back.
She walked backward through the restaurant while smiling at her knight beside her.
And then—
She bumped into someone passing by.
Thud.
Irisviel, who thought she was about to hit the floor hard, felt something cushion her fall.
On the other side.
The black-haired handsome boy who was now lying on the ground with Irisviel's voluptuous, childbearing hips sitting directly on him exclaimed, "Who are you! Even my mother hasn't ridden me like this!"
...
Irisviel was a homunculus created based on the model of the "Holy Maiden of Winter," Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.
Although she appeared to be in her twenties, she was actually only 9 years old.
As the Lesser Grail prepared by the Einzbern family for the Fourth Holy Grail War, her purpose was to collect the souls of defeated Servants.
While officially she held the title of lady of Einzbern, with a noble mission and prestigious status, in reality, she was merely a disposable vessel created specifically for this Holy Grail War.
Because of this, Irisviel had never been allowed to leave the castle before.
An imprisoned princess since birth—this description suited her perfectly.
Experiencing the outside world for the first time, her eyes gleamed with excitement, and she behaved more carelessly than usual.
Until she walked backward and knocked down a boy, ending up on top of him.
"Oh... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that, I truly apologize."
Irisviel, still on the ground, continued apologizing to the boy with her head bowed, not realizing she should move.
"Isn't it just common sense to get your butt off someone's back when you're saying sorry?"
"...Oh, you're right!"
Irisviel's face turned bright red as she hurriedly scrambled off the boy's body.
Ryuuto then slowly picked himself up from the floor and looked at the person who had just delivered a soft but substantial impact to his spine.
The woman bowing to him had beautiful silver hair, a stunning figure wrapped in a white fur coat, and expensive boots on her feet.
Japan is so small, Ryuuto thought to himself.
He casually shifted his brain into high-speed thinking mode.
Had Irisviel just arrived in Fuyuki? If that was the case, she should be accompanied by—
He looked past the homunculus to see who was behind her, and sure enough, found exactly who he was looking for.
"King Arthur... Huh, so it really is like this after all. Caster, how does it feel to see your sister again? Is there a little spark of happiness in your heart?"
"...Hmph."
The target had already spotted them.
"Irisviel, get back," Lancer said quietly, taking her hand.
After moving Irisviel behind her for protection, she gave Morgan an intense stare.
"...Not Saber but Lancer?" He shifted his gaze from the King of Knights to her sister.
Morgan crossed her arms under her chest, glaring back at her well-endowed sister with a look of disbelief on her face.
Caster's confusion didn't escape his notice; it seemed she was just as surprised by Artoria's class.
"Huh? What's wrong? What's happening?" At that moment, Irisviel was the only one who didn't understand the situation.
As she wasn't Lancer's true Master, she couldn't communicate telepathically with her, which was extremely inconvenient in battle situations. However, after exchanging a quick glance with Lancer, she immediately caught on.
"...Is that an enemy Servant?"
"Yes."
When Artoria answered, her eyes didn't move from Morgan even for a second.
There was probably no one in the world who understood better than she did how cunning and dangerous an opponent the witch named Morgan could be.
As if affected by the tension between the Pendragon sisters, the entire BBQ restaurant fell into a deathly silence.
Artoria's face was rigid with concern. She hadn't changed into her armor or drawn her Noble Phantasm at the first sight of her enemy because there were too many tourists and ordinary people around.
Lancer knew exactly how powerful her opponent was; if Morgan decided to start a battle here, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Clap!
The tense, deadly atmosphere in the restaurant was broken by a sharp clap from Ryuuto.
"Everyone needs to calm down. There's no way a battle could start in a place like this. Master, I don't know who this lady is to you, but there's no need to be so on edge."
After he said this, Lancer's face showed surprise. What did this mean... was this short boy in front of her actually the Servant? Which would make her sister Morgan a Master in this Holy Grail War?
The boy's hand clearly had no Command Seals. She discreetly glanced at the back of Morgan's hand. It was covered with what looked like expensive silk wrappings, making it impossible to tell either way.
"Can I assume you have no intention of fighting?" Irisviel asked.
"Yes," Morgan responded immediately, smoothly stepping into her role and addressing Irisviel's question.
"If possible, I'd prefer not to start a battle in a place like this. It's just that my foolish sister's killing intent is really... hehe." A hint of mockery escaped from Morgan's lips, while Artoria continued to stare at her with a completely hostile expression.
For the Caster team, this was a perfect display of teamwork, despite having never rehearsed this scenario.
If Ryuuto had been the one to answer Irisviel, or if Morgan's response had been even slightly delayed, this reversed Master-Servant act would certainly have been exposed immediately.
Caster's words made Irisviel pause to think.
Foolish sister? Is the opponent's Master actually Artoria's sister?
How could that be possible? Lancer is from the 5th century AD... wait.
Isn't King Arthur's sister Morgan le Fay?
If it's that Morgan le Fay... even if she were still alive today, it wouldn't be strange for her to participate in the Holy Grail War as a magus.
"Miss Einzbern, could I have a word with you?"
"Hmm?"
With those words, both Irisviel and Lancer shifted their attention from Morgan back to him.
"There's something I'd like to tell you," Ryuuto said as he walked toward Irisviel.
"Yes, what is it?" Irisviel bent down halfway, waiting for him to approach.
"...No, Irisviel! Don't trust him just because he looks young—he's dangerous! My instincts are telling me he's far more dangerous than he appears!"
Lancer's urgent warning came from behind her, but surprisingly, Irisviel raised her hand to stop her.
She shook her head at the concerned Artoria and said, "It's fine... if it's this boy, it's fine."
With his refreshingly handsome, boyish appearance and limbs much more slender than Irisviel's own, he looked completely harmless no matter how you looked at him.
But it wasn't just that. Irisviel also felt a strange sense of familiarity with him that she couldn't explain.
A pure, almost pale boy looking at her with eyes that seemed to yearn for love. As she gazed at him, Irisviel felt her heart tremble.
She watched as Ryuuto approached her step by step and asked in the gentlest voice possible: "Hello, what did you want to say?"
Then, while the three women looked on in disbelief, he acted as if no one else was around, stepping forward and embracing Irisviel directly.
His left arm wrapped around her waist while his right hand gently cradled her perfect face.
"Ah."
During those moments, Irisviel seemed almost entranced, unable to speak a word as she stared into his black eyes.
"I've finally met you, beautiful daughter of Justeaze..."
After saying this, Ryuuto—with everyone watching in shock—kissed the Einzbern princess's luscious red lips.
...
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