When Morgan returned to the inn after completing her task, she discovered that both Ryuuto and the homunculus maids who had been stationed at their base were nowhere to be found.
The entrance hallway was dim and completely silent.
Had enemies attacked? Or had her Master simply gone out somewhere?
Neither, as it turned out.
Caster raised her eyebrows, immediately understanding the situation.
Without calling out, she walked directly to her Master's room at the back of the building.
"Just as I suspected," she muttered.
As Morgan approached the door, she could hear muffled sounds of pleasure coming from inside.
The incoherent female voices left little to the imagination.
"That fool thinks only with his lower body," Morgan said with distaste, pressing her lips together in disapproval. She knocked firmly on the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Master, it's me."
"!"
The suggestive noises from the room stopped abruptly.
After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence:
"Oh, Caster, it's you. Back already? That was quick."
His voice sounded calm, but Morgan could detect a hint of nervousness beneath it.
"Yes, Master. There was a slight complication. Are you free to talk now?"
"Give me a minute. The maids are just... helping me tidy up my room. Wait for me in the living room, would you?"
"As you wish."
...
Fifteen minutes later, the door finally opened.
Two homunculus maids emerged from the room with messy hair and flushed faces, quickly making their way downstairs.
Ryuuto followed shortly after, leaving his room and strolling casually toward the inn's common living area.
When he entered, he found Morgan already seated on the sofa with her legs crossed. The witch looked even more distant and somber than usual.
"You've returned, Caster."
His voice was unexpectedly deep and his manner composed—completely different from his typical frivolous attitude.
Anyone who didn't know him might have mistaken him for a priest with remarkable self-discipline.
Morgan raised an eyebrow. "The maids certainly took their time cleaning your room."
"I apologize for that. Let me make you some tea to make up for it."
While appearing regretful, he was secretly amused thinking about how she must have been treated by Gilles de Rais earlier.
He retrieved some Lipton tea bags from the cabinet and put water on to boil.
A few minutes later, he returned with two steaming cups of tea. He placed one in front of Morgan on the coffee table before settling at the opposite end of the sofa.
"You seem upset... did something happen, Caster?" he asked with a smirk.
"I found the enemy Master where you said he would be."
As she spoke, she raised her hand. "Oh, and I should return this to you."
"Coo coo... coo coo coo!"
She tossed a gray pigeon onto the floor. The frightened bird flapped its wings frantically before finally managing to fly out of the living room.
'Would it kill you to be gentler with my familiar…' he thought while taking a sip of his tea.
But her next words nearly made him choke.
"When I arrived at the location, the man who appeared to be Ryuunosuke was already dead."
"Dead? He's dead?"
She nodded. "The magus has been dead for about five days. The body was completely unrecognizable. It had turned purple with blood pooling in the lower areas. There was evidence of loss of bladder and bowel control, and it had started to smell terrible. If I had arrived just two days later, the neighbors would likely have noticed and called the police."
Even Morgan's typically emotionless face showed a hint of disgust as she recalled the condition of the body.
"It was definitely the man you were looking for. I brought back his Command Seals after some... processing."
She snapped her fingers, and with a flash of blue light, a pale right hand appeared on the coffee table.
On the back of this hand—which was beautiful enough to fascinate certain individuals—the red Command Seals were clearly visible.
"The Command Seals were still there, which means he wasn't killed by another magus in the war?" He quickly processed this information. "What exactly caused his death, Caster?"
"He died from having his internal organs, bone marrow, brain tissue, and magic circuits burned from the inside while he was still alive. This wasn't the work of an ordinary person—it had to be done by a Servant."
"Burned from the inside?" He was completely confused. Was this done by a Servant he wasn't familiar with?
Why would any Servant kill their own Master?
Was it some kind of justice after discovering Ryuunosuke's terrible crimes?
But there was now a more pressing issue to consider.
He looked up and studied Caster's face carefully.
Morgan, having finished her report, was gently blowing across the surface of her tea, her crimson lips slightly parted.
"What is it?" the witch asked without looking up.
Ryuuto stood up from the sofa without saying a word and glanced around the room.
"Caster, thank you for completing my task. You did well, but there's one small problem."
When he spoke in that patronizing tone, Morgan's delicate eyebrows furrowed with irritation.
"A problem?"
"Yes, a problem," he nodded. "Morgan, you're too sure of yourself. Even if you are the most capable Servant, that's only in terms of magical ability and intelligence. You should remember that our opponents in the Holy Grail War are all extraordinary individuals who have reached the highest levels in various fields."
Morgan's elegant hand holding the teacup handle trembled slightly as she lost her composure. 'I'm out there working hard on missions while you're just playing with women at home. Why am I being criticized by you for no reason?'
A wave of unexplained anger rose in the witch's chest. "Ryuuto," she said, using his name directly, "what exactly are you trying to say?"
"You were followed, Caster."
"Eh?"
Before she could process what he meant, a sudden wave of killing intent came from behind her.
Morgan instinctively turned her head and saw a delicate pale hand reaching toward her face.
A dull thud echoed through the room. While she was still confused, Ryuuto suddenly pushed her down and covered her with his body.
Looking down at her face, he said flatly, "Don't make this kind of mistake again."
The hand that had been reaching for Caster's face was now pressed against the back of his head—
"...Zabaniya: Cyber Phantasy..."
The next moment, there was a sickening sound—
The face of the handsome young man suddenly contorted and twisted.
Like a watermelon being smashed, his head burst open, spraying brain matter that turned Morgan's shocked vision red.
"...Ryuuto!!!"
...
Get the latest chapters up to Chapter 83 on my Patreon: patreon.com/bcloud