Something Lost, Something Found

by Avenger013

This is a story of a new beginning and a growing bond...and it all started with a chin scratch. Advance Warning: There will be spoilers for Fairy Round Table Realm: Avalon Le Fae in this story. If you'd rather not be spoilt then refrain from reading.

6. Fairy vs Beast

As the finishing touches were finally added to the last sentence of the page, a pen slipped from the grip of a youthful hand and Hans Christian Andersen slumped forwards onto his workspace, breathing out a ragged sigh of relief.

It had been VERY touch and go for those last few pages...but he'd done it. He'd met the current deadline, despite all the hardship and setbacks forced upon by the antics of his fellow Servants. If he could, he'd strangle Shakespeare for swapping his writing paper out the way he had…

Now, he could finally take a well-deserved break before starting on the next chapter.

Grasping the handle of his favourite mug and tipping it towards his mouth, Andersen groaned in dismay when he did not feel the expected rush of hot, invigorating coffee sliding down his throat. He must've run out.

Well, that was simply no good at all. Especially since the closest coffee maker was all the way over in the cafeteria.

One of these days, he'd need to go badger Master about getting a coffee machine in his room. Or a stash of alcohol...either one was good for him.

Sighing, the Caster slipped off of his seat, collected his mug, and began approaching his door.

Only to stumble back in surprise as the door in question was practically knocked down and a cloud of dust was kicked up and swept across the room.

Once Andersen had finally finished blinking the tears out of his eyes and coughing, he looked up and met the gaze of none other than Achilles, hero of the Trojan War. The Rider was standing ready, his expression serious.

"The Clairvoyants picked up a possible class 2 threat, I'm gathering the other Response Team members and your name came up, get ready and go to the Rayshift room as soon as you can."

A class 2 threat was the second highest priority of urgency they'd devised, reserved for when their Master was in danger and second only to Chaldea itself coming under attack, a class 1 threat.

Since their Master was actually AT Chaldea right now...

Whatever threat it was they'd picked up, it must be quite a serious one, especially if it was able to locate AND breach the Wandering Sea base.

Andersen mulled it over for a moment.

"No."

Then did an about face and began marching towards his bed.

"What are you doing?" Achilles asked, confused.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm going to bed. Wake me when you've dealt with whatever it is that's snuck in here." Andersen waved over his shoulder.

"Are you seriously slacking off right now!? There's a threat to our Master's safety!" Achilles insisted, now looking irritated.

"Yeah, because I doubt I'd be able to do anything against it. After all, I'm just an author who's nearly helpless on his own. What am I going to contribute to the fight other than being a minor nuisance or an ineffective meat shield, hmmm?"

"It's a threat on the level of the Beasts, that's what I was told! Are you seriously not going to help?!"

"...again, how am I going to help out AT ALL here!?" Andersen retorted, now getting frustrated himself. "Especially against a being on that level of power. Just forget it! You want some good Casters? Go find some Age of Gods level mages and conscript THEM instead!"

Achilles tried one last time.

"Alright, alright, just one more thing, then. I was told that if I said this to you, you'd help without question."

"Pffft, FUHAHAHAHAHA! As if I'd do something so stupid!" Andersen couldn't keep from cracking up at how absurd Achilles sounded, actually turning back to face the Greek hero again with an expectant smile on his face. "Alright then, let's hear it! What are these magic words that'll change my mind?"

"The meat woman's found a new toy." Achilles recited, sounding just as confused about the words as he had when they had first been told to him.

Andersen's expression dropped like a stone, his face twisting into a combination of exasperation and utter irritation.

His cup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

His free hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he blew out a heavy breath that quickly turned into a frustrated, angry growl.

"...fine. FINE. I'll be there."

"Right! Assemble at the Rayshift room, I'll go get the others!" With that, Achilles was off in a blur of motion.

Now alone, Andersen took a moment to bemoan and curse whatever entity it was that hated him enough to engineer this situation. Especially when he'd just been doing so well on his latest manuscript…

Well, if nothing else, the headache and stress he was going to get from dealing with that fat cow's shenanigans again would surely give him a head start when it came to inspiration for his next chapter.

"The things you put me through, woman." Andersen sighed, stomping his way out of the room. "One of these days…"

---

"Mmmm...you're the new arrival, aren't you? Such a lovely looking thing, too...fufufu, how wonderful to finally meet you, my dear."

Every word from Kiara's mouth sounded like delightful music to Morgan's ears, especially her laugh. It was...unnerving just how entrancing it was to listen to.

The shivers up her spine slowly faded, but her heartbeat remained as irregular as ever.

"My, are you quite alright, dear?" The demonic nun asked, taking a couple of steps forward.

Morgan did not miss how she exaggerated the sway of her hips...or how her own cheeks had practically lit up at the sight.

"Oh dear, you're looking awfully flush...let me take your temperature to see if you're coming down with anything."

Morgan jerked away from the hand that stretched out to press against her forehead, re-aiming her spear in the process.

What was happening to her? She'd been ready to fight just moments ago! Why was she reacting this way to such a dangerous woman?!

And why did this woman smell so...invigorating? So good?

The Fae Queen was finding it hard to keep her breathing steady at this point.

"My my, you're quite tense, aren't you? There's no need to be afraid, dear…I promise I don't bite." Golden eyes flashed bright as Kiara's gaze met Morgan's own. "So why don't we put away that long, hard weapon of yours, mmm?"

A lone hand snaked out and steadily pushed aside Morgan's spear, with the Berserker doing little to resist it.

"Mmmm mmmmm...it's harder than I thought." The nun practically licked her lips at the realisation, suggestively running her hand up and down the spear a few times and biting her lip before muttering, almost inaudibly. "Just the way I like it."

Morgan found herself drawn to those lips. To those quite...seductive words...

No, NO. Stay FOCUSED and THINK for a moment! This...this reaction is NOT normal! Something must be happening to me!

But how? I made sure to summon my barriers beforehand…

Although, they only block out the more physical variants of magic, don't they? Then perhaps-

She was being mentally manipulated.

Well, one way to find out.

Morgan summoned a purification rune to ward off any interfering charms, added a mental fortification spell to protect herself against further attempts at twisting her mind, and touched the rune to her forehead.

Almost immediately, the sweet fragrance vanished, her focus returned to her and the flush on her cheeks was chased away, the false feelings of fluster and nervousness being replaced with the Fae Queen's proper emotions; wariness at the presence of the ex-Beast and anger at her brazen manipulation effort.

"Hmmm, you seem to be doing much better all of a sudden." To her credit, Kiara was rather unphased by Morgan throwing off her mystic charms so suddenly. "Perhaps I should make sure, mm-"

"Remain where you are." Morgan growled, shoving her spear at Kiara again and this time, she charged her spear with magical energy and prepared to unleash a barrage of offensive spells and curses.

"Moouu, so aggressive...is there really any need for that?"

"You were altering my mind somehow. Manipulating me. Trying to turn me into your mindless puppet no doubt. I will NOT stand for that sort of violation."

"Aaaahh, that was just to loosen you up a little bit, my dear! After all, you looked so tense and nervous...how am I supposed to help you if you're too on guard to let me?" Kiara asked, affecting a concerned smile.

"So that's your excuse for twisting my mind, hmm? Help?"

"But of course...help is what I offer here at Chaldea!" Kiara insisted, offering a sugary sweet smile that Morgan did not fall for.

"How about you, dear newcomer...is there any particularly hard, pressing...burning problem that you need dealt with?" She asked, practically moaning a particular few words out, her voice re-taking that sensual quality.

Morgan's mental barriers were still holding, though! Could she...did she just sound like that naturally!?

"Wh-What!?" Morgan barely managed to hiss.

"I said, is there anything particularly challenging that you need dealt with, dear?" Kiara asked, the seductive tone in her voice now turning teasing. "After all, I am quite adept at helping others solve their problems...I presume that's why you decided to try and barge into my session with our cute little Master, mmm?"

"Session!? E-Explain yourself, immediately!" The Fae Queen demanded, cheeks blossoming red at the way the demonic nun stressed that particular word.

"Fu fu, quite filthy minded, aren't we?" The demonic nun teased, bouncing her eyebrows up and down suggestively and licking her lips.

"But there's nothing to worry about on that front, I assure you. I was simply giving our poor, tormented Master some valuable advice and comfort to ease his troubled mind in his time of need. My Bounded Field was there simply for the sake of privacy...I can't have some shrill, possessive harpy or foul-mouthed child author come barging in, now can I?

"A Bounded Field is quite the suspicious method of ensuring privacy, I would say…surely some sort of sign or notice would have been sufficient?"

In response, Kiara tittered and gave Morgan an almost condescending look.

"You haven't been in Chaldea very long at all if you think just that will work, have you?" Kiara tutted. "There are oh so many clingy Servants prowling the halls here, who would think absolutely nothing of barging in and interrupting my therapy session with our needy Master, just to drag him away for their own needs. I can't possibly allow that now, can I?"

"I can see the...the logic in what you say, false nun." Morgan admitted, much as she hated to, refusing to lower her spear or power down her runes and spells.

"Wonderful. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I just managed to lull him to a pleasant sleep, and I need to put the finishing touches on a little ward of mine that will guarantee the poor boy a very sweet dream indeed."

Kiara moved to return to the cafeteria, but a tap of Morgan's spear on her back stopped her.

"Hold on a moment."

"Hmmm? Still curious, are you?" Kiara asked, a knowing smile on her lips.

"About just one thing...why do you insist on helping our Master so?"

"Mmmm? Is that not the duty of a Servant? To help and aid their Master?"

"In combat, yes...but not like this. The kind of support you offer...it seems highly irregular, above and beyond what any other Servant would be inclined to provide."

"Oh ho, now that's being a little unfair to our fellows, I think. Certainly, there are many here who would certainly like to offer a bit of extra help...but only I am truly qualified to soothe our Master's troubled mind in this manner."

What an arrogant presumption...just because she is one of those Beasts does not automatically give her a monopoly over helping our Master like this.

"Perhaps it sounds arrogant to you, but it is not incorrect. Do you know of any other professional therapists residing here?"

Kiara's reply caught the Fae Queen off guard, mostly because it was directed at something she had only thought, rather than vocalised aloud.

"H-How did you-!?"

"Fufufufu, let's just say that desires and feelings are something of a speciality of mine. I could see it in your eyes, you know. You felt that I was a little arrogant with my statement, yes?"

"Wouldn't you assume likewise, if you were in my shoes?"

"Perhaps...but to return to your original question, I do this because I care. Because seeing our Master as mentally healthy and happy as can be makes me happy, you see. I have the skills and I have the experience, why not use them to soothe the poor dear who needs them the most?" Kiara said, raising her hands and shrugging.

In response, Morgan snorted.

"You'll forgive me if I don't quite believe you, fake nun."

"Oh? And why is that?" Kiara asked, an amused smile on her lips.

"Because you are the Beast of Rapture. You care for no one. It is an integral part of your nature."

The atmosphere, already quite frigid, chilled even further as Kiara's gaze turned from teasing to threatening, irises narrowing and body stiffening.

"Is that so...who told you those things about me?" The demonic nun asked, voice no longer playful. In fact, she sounded almost insulted.

"A girl with purple hair, she said she came 'from the moon', whatever that means. She warned me about you, about what you were and the threat you posted."

She never did give me her name, did she? Just some advice about this woman…

Kiara laughed. Not the relaxed or flirty laughter from before, but a cruel, mocking bark.

"Of course that little construct girl would try to poison others against me. Fufufu, that is just like her. I have always been her superior, even in the Moon Cell...it stands to reason that she's too afraid to face me personally. Well, she'll just have to try a little bit harder in the future if she wants to intimidate me out of spending any time with our Master."

"'Try harder'? You mean to say that a suspicious, dare I say it...hostile, Lostbelt King does not intimidate you?" Morgan asked, feeling more than a tad insulted at being so easily dismissed as a threat.

"Oh, heavens yes, dear!"

What?

"Perhaps you might have had some sharp little fangs once upon a time, but you're a Heroic Spirit now...and that poor little container of yours is ever so limiting, is it not?" Kiara gave her a condescending smile, already knowing the likely answer.

Morgan said nothing, but couldn't hide the angered twitches of her mouth or eyes.

"Precisely, whereas I-" the whole corridor seemed to darken for just a moment as a dangerous gleam flashed across Kiara's golden orbs, accompanied by a wicked looking smirk "-am only constrained by the limitless benevolence of our dear, dear Master.

"If he so asked, I would gladly rampage, unshackled by this container's limits, until his enemies prostrated themselves before him, begging his forgiveness...but alas, our contract and his own limits bind me to this form. Aaaaaaahh, what a shame. But no matter, I will make do."

"That still does not convince me that you care, merely that you are content to play the role of a dutiful Servant. That does not equal affection for our Master." Morgan insisted.

"Ufufufu...so small minded, I see. I'll admit, I didn't think much of him at first, beyond mild curiosity and a passing fancy, but after coming here...I've certainly changed my mind, oh yes."

Another lip lick, followed by a bite.

That look in her eyes again...that look of want.

Morgan was starting to worry for Ritsuka's safety. Just a little bit more than she already was.

Enough to think that leaving him within THIS woman's care was not the best of ideas.

But what to do?

Mmmm...hadn't her successor mentioned something about an 'Emergency Response Unit' or something of that nature, to deal with rulebreakers?

Surely there was some sort of rule about just arbitrarily walling off the entire cafeteria in a Bounded Field, like Kiara had done?

And if not, then surely Chaldea had some sort of rule or regulation against these ex-Beasts being alone with their only remaining Master?

They might have been incredibly careless when it came to all of those unstable Berserkers, but surely they weren't quite so delusional and naive as to think that giving former Evils of Humanity unrestricted access to Ritsuka was a good idea?!

I suppose there is only one way to find out.

She would have to stall her. Keep her talking, fight her, anything to stop her going back inside.

Oh yes, she said that what she was doing was 'helping', and Morgan's Fae Eyes told her that it was no lie on Kiara's end, but having been told of this woman's interests and desires, Morgan was NOT about to trust in just her word that Kiara's idea of 'help' was within the bounds of what was considered professional for a woman of her vocation.

"How?"

"Mmmmm?" Kiara was about to re-enter the cafeteria again, but the Fae Queen's question drew her attention back to the Berserker.

"You say that your mind has been changed. That your opinion of our Master has changed. Explain to me how, I am curious. For that matter...why are you even here at all?"

"Aaaahh, is that all? Fufufu, I suppose I can tell you. Come, come, sit." Stepping gracefully out of the doorway and around the spear pointed at her back, Kiara ushered Morgan over to the nearby windowsill.

It was more than large enough for both of them to sit on, with Morgan simply plopping herself down on the left end, while Kiara very deliberately sashayed over to and practically draped herself over the right end, wriggling and squirming to try and get comfortable.

At first it was merely irritating, watching a grown woman seeming to struggle so much with the simple act of sitting down.

And then the light, breathy gasps of what Morgan told herself were annoyance started up, which just made the situation uncomfortable.

Then the glances started to get thrown her way…

All right, this has gone on for FAR too long.

"Enough, just pick a position you like and stick with it!" She barked.

All she needed was one look of barely suppressed delight from Kiara to know that she'd screwed up.

"Oh my...making advances so soon, dear? We've just met, you know. Of course, if you really are quite so desperate, I wouldn't mind helpi-"

"That is NOT what I meant! Pick a SITTING position and stick with it!" Morgan snapped, jabbing her spear at the demonic nun.

"Ooooh, so harsh and forceful. Are you going to punish this wicked lady if I don't comply, mmmm?"

"Stop that. Just STOP and tell your story, you lust-filled monstrosity!"

"My, my….are you going to make me if I don't? Are you going to sear my skin and flay my body with those dark spells of yours? Trample me under your foot? Dominate me? Make me submit like a good little girl, mmmm?"

Kiara was practically salivating in front of her. At the prospect of being hurt, no less!

All right, so threats of violence aren't working. But what can I-?

Wait, didn't that girl give me some useful advice about what to do?

I believe it went something like...

"I'll go and get the author."

Kiara simply laughed again.

While she did so, Morgan thought about the advice a little further, realising there'd been a few more specifics to it.

"Fufufu, do you think you can scare me with threats of a writer, of all things? Why would I possibly fear- ?"

"That fairy-tale spinning child with the foul mouth, specifically."

Kiara's laughter and explanation cut off immediately, the Alter-Ego's eyes widening as she stiffened.

"Excuse me? I didn't quite hear you correctly there." She said, suddenly sounding FAR less confident, even a little angry. "What did you say you'd do?"

"I said, I'll go and get that fairy-tale spinning child with the foul mouth to come here and deal with you." Morgan said.

Kiara's eyes narrowed to pinpricks, eyebrows knitting together in anger even as she plastered a thin smile on her face.

"Hmph, fine. I was only having a little fun, there is no need to go that far, dear. At least have some decency, won't you?"

Morgan was sorely tempted to start laughing at the notion of this woman, who had done almost nothing but flirt, act lewd and EXTREMELY inappropriate their entire meeting thus far, telling anyone to act with either decency or standards. Fortunately, she held her tongue and managed instead to be diplomatic.

"Perhaps if you stop acting inappropriately from now on and give me the answers I seek, I will refrain from summoning the author you fear so much."

"Very well." The ex-Beast sighed, quickly suppressing the anger and offense she felt at being forced to accede to the demand of someone she deemed beneath her. However, she put her best smile back on, sat cross legged and gazed at Morgan.

"Now then, where to begin?"

"Why did you decide to come here? To serve the species you tried to enslave to your whims." Morgan asked.

"The same could be asked of you, you know. Why serve the history you tried so hard to overwrite and overthrow?"

"My reasons are my own, and we are not discussing them right now. Begin your explanation."

"Hmph, you're no fun…"

After pouting for a good moment or two, Kiara cleared her throat, then began again.

"Believe it or not, my tale begins in the future. On the remains of a sinking oil drilling platform that, for a brief while, I took as my body."

Morgan cocked her head in confusion but gestured for her to continue.

"I was dying. My limbs were destroyed, my plan was foiled, and my backup body had been snatched from my grasp. I was so clooooose."

The breathy way she flat out moaned that last word sent a shiver down Morgan's spine, but she sat still and kept listening.

All because of those filthy AIs, that Round Table Archer and...him."

Kiara spat the last word out, golden eyes narrowing in anger as one of her fists clenched.

"That nameless, broken, despairing fool just had to come back for one last attempt...that walking corpse really is determined to defend the human race, I'll give him that.

"But I suppose that was my folly, wasn't it? For playing with him, for taking him as my toy, rather than just killing him where he stood."

The flash of anger vanished, replaced by a tired sigh as the demonic nun relaxed herself as much as she could.

After a moment, she continued.

"I suppose all of this started because...I simply could not understand how it was that I was beaten.

"How could Meltryllis, that broken little doll, have overcome me? How could I, the Demonic Bodhisattva, have been bested at the eleventh hour? How could mere Heroic Spirits have triumphed over the Beast of Rapture?

"I had nothing else to focus on or think about as my body fell apart. As it became wreckage on the ocean floor, and so I held those questions in my mind until the very end...trying to find the answer.

"But then I realised that perhaps there was another way. A way to find the answers I was looking for that also doubled as a way out, a second chance, if you will.

"It was easy enough to plant a fragment of myself within the Throne for summoning, and then tweak the summoning system just enough to make sure that I arrived here when it was next activated. Luckily, no one seemed to know who I was when I showed up, no doubt a very helpful side effect of the Singularity I created taking place in their future, and our dear Master was kind enough to not say anything at first.

"My identity was eventually discovered, alas, but I used my window of opportunity well."

"To do what?"

"To study them, of course."

"'Them'? Explain."

"The Servants, of course. Especially Meltryllis. I wanted to understand...I wanted to know just how they got quite so strong. How she managed to break time itself to help defeat me."

Break time? What? Morgan pondered on the implications just for a moment, then shelved them for later, as Kiara was still talking.

"At first, I thought it was her Servant Class that bestowed these skills on her, or perhaps all of those Goddesses fused into her Saint Graph, so I took the form of an Alter-Ego myself to try and emulate her. But alas, that was not the answer.

"I thought that it might have been some strengthening or other from Chaldea's systems, but then I realised that she wasn't a Chaldea Servant at the time of our confrontation in SERAPH, so that was not the answer either. I was at a loss.

"That is, until I decided to take another look at the way our dear Master interacted with all of his Servants...and I came to a realisation. A very enlightening realisation."

That look in her eyes...what is that? She looks almost enraptured.

"And, what would that be?" Morgan asked, cautiously.

"It isn't the Servants or the system that's the source of all that strength...it's him."

Kiara cocked her head back in the direction of the cafeteria, giving Morgan a very clear idea who she was talking about.

"Our Master is the key?" She ventured.

"Yes, that's precisely it." Kiara whispered, almost to herself, eyes glazing over a moment before she re-focused on Morgan.

"Don't tell me you've not seen it, hmmm? How much loyalty he inspires, how much affection...how much love?"

Morgan shivered at the sheer intensity in Kiara's voice, feeling quite uneasy all of a sudden.

"I...I can't say that I have."

"Are you sure? You MUST have met those Berserkers that like to nest in his room by now, yes?"

Morgan couldn't hide her small sneer of distaste at the reminder, prompting Kiara to clap her hands and smile.

"Fufufu, you HAVE met them!

"You've surely seen how obsessed they are with him, hmm? How attached they all are. Of course you have. And they aren't the only ones, it's just that everyone else has a much healthier way of expressing their devotion. But still, the fact that our dear Master has amassed such a devoted army of Servants around him...truly fascinating, no?"

Morgan couldn't deny that she was quite intrigued by the phenomenon herself.

How many Gods and God-like beings did Chaldea have who would readily go above and beyond a Servant's normal call of duty? Do just about anything, simply because it was him asking?

Hadn't those Valkyries, that enma Judge who chirped like a bird and that Sumerian Underworld Goddess all promised that they would do their utmost to give him a safe and happy existence in their respective afterlives?

And if the stories she'd heard around the cafeteria a few days ago were true...that rebellion-obsessed gladiator had been willing to go against his core beliefs and allow Ritsuka to issue him an order as his superior. Yes, the situation had apparently been very dire at the time, or so the story had gone, but still...for a Berserker to be willing to put aside their beliefs like that…

Extraordinary.

"Fufufufufu, of course it is. I can see that look in your eye, feel the desires in your mind...you're curious about him and his charm."

Under Kiara's knowing look, Morgan simply nodded.

"I admit, it's quite fascinating to behold. For this one young man, who by all accounts is no-one extraordinary, to have gathered such a large following of Servants around him...it's simply very unexpected."

"That's where my interest started too, you know. I saw how he interacted with them. How he bonded with them...befriended and sympathised with them. How he accepted them all, no matter who they were in life. How his limitless kindness and benevolence inspired such deep loyalty and respect in them in turn. Oh yes, it was quite a thing to behold indeed.

"That is how Meltryllis was able to defeat me, in the end. Because she was fighting for the sake of their love. Aaaahh, I should have realised sooner. That look on her face as he disappeared into my embrace forevermore...that sadness and heartbreak, followed by rage, determination, passion and drive, could only come from the heart of a maiden in love.

"And with that determination, she did the impossible. She flew from the lake, oh so high. She turned back time itself. Damaged herself beyond repair and condemned herself to oblivion...all for the chance to save him.

"I understand now, I do, why they succeeded. Those girls had the kindness and love of our Master on their side. With his blessings driving them onward, there is no obstacle barring their path that cannot be overcome...not even a Beast."

Kiara chuckled softly.

'Benevolence?' 'Blessings?'

That choice of words...it almost sounds as if she REVERES him.

"So I decided that I would need such power for myself. After all, I'm abiding by my contract for now...but should our dear Lord and Master ever fall into depravity, well...I might be free to do as I like, but I would likely be up against those Alter-Egos again, as well as every other Servant in this place, like my other half.

"I may have a high degree of confidence in my powers and skills, but even I am not quite so delusional as to think I can take on all of Chaldea's Servant population at once. Well, not completely sure that I'd do so and win, anyway.

"I needed an equalizer to be sure of victory, to be sure that I could pursue enlightenment again...and what better equalizer than the love, care and blessings of the one whose affections empowered Meltryllis and the others against me in the first place?

"Yes...a delicious form of a vengeance, wouldn't you say? To take what she cares for, bend it to my will. Turn her strength and power into my strength and power...then crush the girl with it. It's a pity that the Meltryllis residing here is not truly the same girl that halted my plan back then...that would certainly make killing her all the sweeter."

A sinister smile crossed Kiara's face as she spoke.

Morgan, on the other hand, was rather disgusted at this new revelation.

So this monstrosity was just using Ritsuka and his kindness like some sort of twisted battery? Leeching off of him to empower herself and realize her own ambitions?

This was exactly the sort of malicious intent she'd been worried about when she'd first pierced her way through to the cafeteria. As a Servant of Chaldea and, indeed, a person with even a semblance of traditional morality on hand, she was not about to let those ambitions be realized.

Morgan levelled her spear and began charging a mighty blast of energy, intent on turning the Beast of Rapture into a stain on the floor of Chaldea's corridor.

"At least, that was the plan at first...before I actually started talking to and getting to know our lord. Haaaahh…"

'Lord'? Though she is not the only other I've heard refer to Master in that manner, she is certainly the only one to use that tone, besides that despicable Onmyodo practitioner.

He, too, was a dangerous one. Morgan didn't need her Fae Eyes or mind probing mystics to tell her that, just the way the man acted, the reports from that he delighted in the suffering of the enemies he faced, spelt trouble in the Fae Queen's mind.

'The Beautiful Carnivore'...there is NOTHING beautiful about that man. Nothing more than a rotten, feral beast, barely kept in check.

Though he seemed disturbingly devoted to serving their shared Master, she'd keep an eye on him all the same. Better safe than sorry.

That wistful sigh, coupled with an almost blissful smile across the Demonic Bodhisattva's face, stopped Morgan's attempted attack in its tracks. Rather dumbfounded, the Berserker powered it down, deciding to let her fellow Servant keep talking.

"It started out as just...I suppose those militaristic types would call it 'intelligence gathering'. Getting to know the lord. What he might like. What bothered him. What his worries were. What his dreams were, what he desired. Things I could use to help ingratiate myself to him when the time came.

"And scoping out my 'competition's' weaknesses and vulnerabilities as well. That too was important. After all, had I gotten the opportunity to repeat my attempt to reach salvation, I had no intention of losing again.

"Everything was going so well too. I'd eventually managed to establish myself as a trustworthy Servant. Or at least, one that was worth cutting a little bit of slack with all her good deeds. I'd managed to ingratiate myself to our lord properly, helped along quite nicely by assisting him against my...other half."

Morgan did not miss the distaste in Kiara's voice.

"I even started serving as his therapist and counsellor. After all, resolving the Singularities were hard enough on our lord and savior-"

Lord and SAVIOUR? What is going ON here for her to be so reverent of him!?

"-what with witnessing all of that death and destruction firsthand, especially when he learnt that they would be carried over to the proper history once the Singularity was dealt with, I had quite a bit on my plate already. But it was during this particular journey that he really started needing my help.

"After all, the lord is caught up in a clash of worlds, a conflict of incompatible histories. Destroying whole timelines, like yours for example, and condemning their inhabitants to erasure in the name of preserving the 'correct' history...quite the heavy burden to bear, wouldn't you say?

"Especially for our lord, whose heart is so overflowing with compassion and kindness. I've never bothered trying to advise him to detach himself, there's no point in it where he's concerned. Inevitably, he socialises with the people of the Lostbelts, gets to know them, grows to care for them...and is then forced to kill him by destroying the anchor that preserves their home.

"He hides it well, the poor dear. He says he has to, for the sake of those around him and those relying on him. But still, the hurt and trauma is there...and it is my responsibility to help him cope with it and move on in a healthy way."

Kiara sighed, glancing out of the window for a moment at the nothingness that surrounded the Wandering Sea.

"Well, I suppose I am a little thankful...after all, without everything that's happened so far, I wouldn't have been given the many opportunities I had to spend time with him, even as his councillor.

"I'm especially thankful to your world, little Fairy. Oh, the horrors he saw there...the savagery of the people, the hopelessness of any efforts to preserve what few innocents there were in your land, how quickly and completely everything fell apart and collapsed near the end...yes, our poor lord was quite distraught when he returned.

"He even considered simply giving up, abandoning the remainder of the quest. He told me that he couldn't bear to confront the final Lostbelt if it was anything as bad as the Fairy Kingdom was. I ended up needing quite a few sessions to calm him down and convince him to keep fighting...but the demons are still there.

"Sometimes days are better. Some days are worse. Were I not quite so...restricted in my abilities, I would surely be able to deal with his problem completely, but alas, my contract is binding, so I will do all I can in this lesser form."

"How very noble of you to help because it serves your interests, rather than out of a sense of morality." Morgan spat, hot anger welling up inside her at Kiara being so glib, even thankful, about the horrors of the Fairy Kingdom. She was tempted to send a spell or two her way to punish her, but refrained.

"I'll admit, that was my intent when everything began. But now, aaahh...now I'm afraid I'll have to disagree."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because somewhere along the way, I cannot quite remember when, I fell into the lord's embrace...drowned in it, even. And now I serve for his sake. To repay his kindness, devotion and blessings with devotion and kindness of my own.

"Fufufu, I suppose you could even say that I've fallen for him by now, been seduced so thoroughly by his charm." Kiara giggled, happily twirling some strands of her hair and blushing like a schoolgirl.

What? WHAT?

"Y...You'll forgive me if I don't quite believe you, monstrosity." Morgan said, thoroughly sceptical.

"To think I would find someone else like myself...someone who can truly understand the universe, who can draw in and rally their lessers so easily. Someone who understands just how all-empowering the carnal can be...truly wondrous." Kiara mumbled, not paying any attention to Morgan anymore.

"What are you blathering about now?!" The Fae Queen hissed, thoroughly confused.

"At first I was blind, but now I see...I see your truth and your power, dear lord and saviour. I should have never tried to fight against the change in perspective you offered to me. Aaahhh. But now that you've taken me into your embrace, I'll serve faithfully, I'll support you no matter what happens. Yes...I'll serve you and bask in your light for as long as you'll have me."

At this point the Alter-Ego was completely lost in her own musings, while Morgan was starting to both lose her temper and get extremely concerned over the demonic nun's perception of their Master.

Was there any other Alter-Ego, nay, any other Servant that thought of Ritsuka as a saviour the way this woman did? Was that truly how he was perceived by some of them? She'd never heard such messianic terms before.

Or was it just a product of the twisted mind of this ex-Beast?

Reaching over, Morgan jabbed Kiara in the side with her spear, snapping the woman out of her mumblings. Blinking a few times just to get her bearings again, she looked back over to Morgan with a half-sincere smile of apology.

"Ah, my apologies...I was a little lost in thought."

"A little?" Morgan's right eye twitched. "Y-You were practically venerating our Master just now, exalting him as some sort of messiah or deity. What exactly is the meaning behind such nonsense?!"

Kiara simply laughed.

"Fufufu, it's alright. Your ignorance is excusable...you've not been here for very long, after all. However-"

Bright golden orbs pierced deep into dull blue as the demonic nun seemed to evaluate her peer. After a few moments, a thin, wry smile appeared on her lips and she glanced away.

"You've been exposed to the lord's light and kindness already, I can see it. You've gotten just a little taste so far, but it's tantalizing...and you. Want. More.

"Don't you?"

Morgan's hair stood on end at the intensity in the Alter-Ego's voice.

"I have no idea what you mean." She replied, keeping her voice even.

"Oh please dear, there's no need to act evasive and ignorant here, it's beneath you anyway. Besides, it's obvious that's what you're doing here...you heard about our poor saviour's troubled nights and came here hoping to be the one to soothe him, yes?"

Curses.

"Perchance, was it the Tzar that directed you here?"

How did she-?

"Fufufu, when possessing a body weighing more than two tonnes, it's very difficult to move quietly. Even if he had, I still would have sniffed him out by his magical presence...or the desires in his heart, if I so chose.

"But enough about him, this is about you."

Morgan glared at Kiara, rather irritated at her fellow Servant so easily discerning her motives.

"Did you come here hoping to curry favour, perhaps? To build a connection with our dear lord and saviour? Worm your way into his good graces by offering him empathy and understanding? It's not a bad idea, I must say. After all, you're so far behind everyone else already...best to start catching up as soon as possible."

"I simply came here in Ivan's stead to see if our Master was alright...our relationship is fine as it is." Morgan insisted.

"Your mouth says yes, but your heart says no~" Kiara sang playfully.

Ignoring her, Morgan continued on.

"I'm not sure what exactly you see in him, but you're quite wrong. Despite all of his impressive feats, accomplishments and the strength of his character, our Master is merely human, nothing more. You would do well to dispense of these strange fantasies of yours before you delude yourself further...it will do you no good in the long run."

Kiara considered the Fae Queen's words for a good ten seconds.

Then she burst out laughing.

After a good half minute of giggling to herself, the Alter-Ego reached over to pat her peer on the head, a thoroughly condescending smile on her face all the while.

"Oh, sweet little girl, you are so blind. So ignorant of our lord's power. Haven't you seen just how many Servants he's bent to his will already? The veritable army of Heroic Spirits gathered here under his banner? Do you think an ordinary human could possibly manage that? Could you manage that?

"Through them, he wields more power than any other Mage has ever had. They are dedicated to him, absolutely and completely. It manifests in different ways for each Servant, but the dedication is there nonetheless. Some might try to deny it, others embrace it proudly, but it is still present. They are his followers, and he is their saviour. And hopefully, one day, he will be mine too."

"You...you're insane." Morgan whispered, eyes wide at just how warped this woman's worldview was.

"So says the blind girl, stumbling about. Ignorant to the truth of the world. In denial of the saviour's power. It's alright...I was as ignorant as you once. I denied his truth. I thought of him as a mere plaything. A convenience for pleasure, to be used and thrown aside as I saw fit.

"But I know better now. I see the wisdom in becoming his follower, in devoting myself to him. Eventually, the might of his love will surely reward me with the Nirvana I've been seeking, I see...and eventually, so will you.

"The seed of devotion is there, ready to grow and bloom. All it needs is a little push, a little nutrition from our lord. Perhaps I should take you to him, hmmm? Let you stay with him a while, let you fall into his embrace as I did...it would certainly be interesting to see things play out. Will you try to resist? Will you embrace his love and kindness? Will you devote yourself completely to him?

"I predict the latter, myself. After all, you've been so criminally starved of affection and pleasure for so long now...why, all it's taken are a few meagre offerings of kindness from our lord and here you are, like a desperate pet, slavering for more of those delicious treats. How far will you be willing to go to get them, I wonder?"

Morgan growled at the insult, clenching her staff tight.

"I have not been ensnared by him, nor does he ensnare anyone! And why are you blathering on about 'Nirvana'?!" The Fae Queen snarled.

Kiara merely laughed again.

"Aaaahh, to be this ignorant again...what a nostalgic feeling."

"Dispense with the insults and answer, monstrosity!" Morgan jabber her spear towards the demonic nun, charging it with dark magic.

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier, dear? Our lord and Master's endless love and affection, and the power it provides, will help me reach the end of my journey. After all, he has enough space in his heart for dozens of Servants. All of them are loved, though not all are loved equally. Not that that's a problem for me, though."

Kiara leant close, smiling happily even as the tip of Morgan's spear touched her nose.

"I've managed to prove myself to him, you see. It took a lot of time, and a great deal of effort on my part, but it was all worth it, to stand among his inner circle of disciples. To receive the warmth and power of his loving embrace directly, aaaahhh...I'll never get tired of it.

"To think this was the power that I was missing out on. The power that allowed Meltryllis to put an end to me, even with all of my power as the Demonic Bodhisattva...quite a funny thought, really. But it's within me now, as well, and I don't regret the sacrifices I've had to make to get it.

"In the beginning, I tried my best to drag our lord down into the depths of depravity with me. But now...now that's not quite what I want to happen, no. I think that now...I'll be fine with the opposite happening as well.

"Whether I pull him down to lie with me, to indulge the basest of desires and passions, or he raises me up to walk with him, to embrace a life of pious living and spiritual satisfaction, either outcome is fine. As long as I am at his side, as long as I am acknowledged by him as a valued person, even a little bit, then that will surely be reward enough. For this life, at least.

"I wonder what it will be like...to live in the light once more?

"The memories from my time before Zepar, before Seraphix, are so very vague. But I can still remember bits and pieces. I can still remember, just a little, how it felt to help others. Before, I didn't think much of it...it was just a fanciful whim to pass away my time. It was akin to acting in a dream, if I really must describe it. Interesting and perhaps pleasant while it lasts...but eventually one must wake up and dispense with the fancies.

"But now, I can look back on those moments and say...would it truly be so bad to have more of those moments? To return to the life of the good Samaritan? I'd never have dreamed of doing so before, but perhaps now, walking with the lord and saviour...mmmm. I'd certainly consider it.

"Embracing his kindness as my own, acting on his beliefs and spreading his love further, yes...that sounds like a grand idea. The lord will surely reward me for it. Yes, I'll be one step closer to the ideal that way, and I'm sure that the lord will be very happy indeed. More than worthwhile, I think.

"Or perhaps I'll be able to indulge myself a little more. Yes, considering how they reacted the last time, I can't imagine those fools that pass for 'Mages' taking kindly to our lord's truth. Mmmm, he'll surely have plenty of enemies to deal with once the world is restored, and since I'll be there at his side...that means plenty of toys to amuse myself with, oh yes."

By this point, Morgan had taken a few steps back, listening to this utterly deranged monologue with wide eyes and short breaths.

Just...just HOW?

How is it POSSIBLE for someone to be so misguided and out of their mind!? How could she possibly THINK of our Master this way!?

Yes, he was quite the charismatic individual, to have so many Servants from all eras and cultures willing to help him, but...but to translate that to him being some sort of all-powerful cult leader who could bring about some enlightenment?!

What sort of 'logic' was this monstrosity operating off of!?

"You...you are delusional. What else is there to say?" Morgan insisted.

"Our Master is certainly a kind and...accepting man, no doubt. But to say that he has some sort of power that you can tap into, purely through gaining his affection? That's absurd.

"Have you ever stopped to consider that perhaps the whole reason no one else sees things the way you do is because you are, quite simply, out of your mind?"

Kiara just laughed that mocking laugh again, ticking off the already angry Fae Queen even more.

"Fufu, it sounds to me as if someone's jealous." The demonic nun said, her smile equal parts teasing and smug.

"Jealous? Is this your attempt to change the subject?! What does jealousy have to do with any of this?! The only jealousy here is the jealousy that exists in your damaged, twisted mind!"

"Oh, but that isn't quite true now, is it? Not when I can sense it in your heart...see it written on your face. There's that desire there, a desire for closer companionship with our dear lord...accompanied by a deep feeling of jealousy for those closer to him than you. Those closer to him than you'll ever manage to be."

"Oh? And why is that?" Morgan hissed, her free hand curled so tight that her knuckles were turning white as a hot anger bubbled up inside her.

Who are you to just dismiss me like this, hmmm?

"Fufufu, it's obvious dear...because you just don't stand out."

...what?

"Explain."

"What exactly is there about you that is 'unique', hmmm?

"Is it your powers? Of course not, there are plenty of other magic users in Chaldea, including the dark and demonic side of magecraft. Myself, for instance-" a glowing ball of threatening purple energy materialized in Kiara's left hand as she held it out "-or that Pretender that has joined our ranks.

"And if we do need raw power, the King of Heroes and the Mage of Flowers are more than qualified to provide that. If we need skill and talent, well...the Flower Mage can provide that too. As can the handful of Casters that were born during the Age of Gods. Perhaps that treacherous witch? Or the witch queen? Or even the Queen of Sheba herself?

"Our lord has so many options to choose from when it comes to mystic power...and all of them have been here longer than you. Have worked with our lord longer than you. Why choose the newbie when he could just so easily choose a Servant he knows is both powerful and reliable, hmmm?"

Trying to contain her rage at the mention of Merlin being among the 'powerful' and 'skilled' Casters in Ritsuka's employ, Morgan sneered at the demonic nun.

"You must not have been paying too much attention over the last week or two, monstrosity. I proved myself well enough when I helped kill the Vile King. The entirety of the Round Table battling together couldn't even scratch his true form, and yet I brought him down."

"Fufufu, you've been involved in one serious combat engagement and you think that counts as proving yourself, do you?" Kiara asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking mockingly. "Be honest with yourself, dear, that's not exactly very impressive in the grand scheme of things.

"Oh and of course, 'power' isn't solely what matters, is it? There are other forms of uniqueness where you fall short too, hmmm?

"After all, you're not the only Lostbelt Ruler we have here in Chaldea. You already met the Tzar of Russia, and that Scandinavian Goddess, Indian God and Chinese Emperor are bound to be around here somewhere, I know for a fact they were all summoned not long after their Lostbelts were collapsed. You've actually been the most stubborn one in that regard, it took our poor lord trying for a few months before you decided to grace our institution with your presence.

"Keeping our dear saviour waiting like that...how naughty of you."

For just a scant few seconds, all light in the corridor was extinguished.

All that was left was the golden glow of the Demonic Bodhisattva's eyes...and the strange purple/pink energy lighting up her throat.

Morgan flinched back, summoning a half dozen runes and preparing for combat.

Then the light returned. Kiara was once again all smiles (albeit of the mocking variety), and Morgan was left just a tad bit shaken.

The other Servant did not wait for Morgan to fully recover from the earlier spectacle before she continued on.

"Oh, and you're not the only Berserker, either. Why, one of your fellow rulers shares this very class with you, as a matter of fact! How wonderful is that? You two can keep one another in blissful company...that is, assuming he doesn't try to smite you for being 'evil', but with all of your actions against your people, well...I wouldn't hold out hope that he'll warm to you quickly.

"Perhaps one of the other Berserkers might be able to help, hmmmm? There's a good, ooohh...thirty plus Berserkers here to choose from, the last I checked. What a bountiful crop of aid and information, no? Aren't you happy to be sharing a Servant class with so many others?"

Kiara kept on smiling, innocently this time, even though the grinding of Morgan's teeth grew audible through the corridor and veins popped across her forehead.

"Or perhaps one of those lookalikes, hmmm?"

"Lookalikes? What. Lookalikes?" Morgan growled out, shaking with rage at the implication.

If this is what I THINK it is...

"You know, one of those many copies of the King of Knights we have roaming around the building. I'm sure they'd be happy to help out a fellow copy."

A fellow copy.

Copy.

Copy.

COPY.

How...how DARE you.

"I can understand your need for recognition from the saviour. The need to bask in as much of his love and praise as you can get. But stealing the face of someone better to try and endear yourself to him is quite cheating, don't you thi-?"

"BETTER!?"

It was only thanks to Kiara's Beast Clairvoyance that she was able to dodge the barrage of light beams and dark magic waves coming from the Fae Queen's staff.

"SHE is NOT better than ME! How DARE YOU! That weakling girl kept her kingdom standing for a mere twenty years, while I kept MY kingdom standing for two millennia! I wielded power far beyond her pathetic holy blade with my Divine Magecraft! I remade my world as I saw fit! I kept order throughout Fairy Britain, while that girl couldn't even keep her own Round Table in line!

"If anything, SHE is the one who stole MY face! My Proper History self was born BEFORE her, and I was born millennia before ANY of those Artorias were even dreamed about! So do NOT call ME a copy of HER! SHE has been copying ME all this time! My FACE, my BIRTHRIGHT, my POWER, my GLORY, my very VICTORY! ALL OF IT STOLEN BY HER!" Morgan raged, swinging her spear with wild abandon to send yet more magic blasts Kiara's way.

Ordinarily, she would have thought better of trying to engage an ex-Beast in one-on-one combat, but the boiling anger surging through her veins stained her vision red and overpowered her sense of logic.

She'd teach this demonic nun just what a grave mistake it was to anger the Winter Queen.

"Aaaah, but your world was only brought back into existence in the modern day, was it not? In terms of pure chronology, you are their younger." Kiara replied, calmly weaving through or blocking the Berserker's attacks, a teasing smile on her face.

"Besides, what use is all of that supposed power and skill when you won't dip into it, hmmm? Where is the skill of the witch that remade her world? Where are those ground breaking mystic techniques of yours? Why, the spells I've seen you use are spells almost any mage can learn to cast.

"Which in itself is simply another point in favour of you being just oh so bland, dear Morgan...oh so forgettable."

"SHUT UP, FILTHY MONSTROSITY! I AM NOT FORGETTABLE!"

"Well, you certainly won't be forgotten any time soon if you're caught like this, I assure you.

"Go on, keep damaging Chaldea like this...see how swiftly you're pushed for it. How swiftly you'll lose the trust of our Master and saviour for breaking the rules."

The demonic nun's eyes sparkled with glee and malice.

"Fufufu, go on, keep going! He'll never look upon you with favour again! And he'll be oh so upset to see that a promising member of his flock betrayed his trust like you're doing, damaging his holy sanctuary with your magic! And then, in the throes of despair, I'll be there to be his soothing balm! His oh-so reliable and loyal councillor, laying his troubles to rest! We'll grow even closer still, and I'll have you to thank for it! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Something within Kiara's deranged rant struck a chord within Morgan, piercing through the hateful miasma that had clouded her mind to reach her rational side.

Yes, she was playing right into the demon's hands, wasn't she?

From the beginning of the conversation, Kiara had been trying to get under her skin. Unnerve her. Anger her, even.

And here she was, falling right for it.

All because that fake nun had mentioned that woman.

How shameful, to lose my composure like that...

Lowering her spear, Morgan ceased her assault. After levelling a seething glare at the Alter-Ego standing just a few feet from her, Morgan did an about face and stomped back to the windowsill and slump down onto it.

"Aaah, I got a little too caught up there, didn't I?" Kiara sighed, striding over to lean against the wall opposite Morgan.

She'd barely touched her back against the wall when a fresh shout reverberated through the corridor.

"THERE SHE IS!"

Looking up, Morgan was both surprised and not to see more than a half dozen Servants barrelling towards them.

The presence of Dantes, Raikou, Hassan of Serenity and Kiyohime was not a surprise to the Fae Queen. The trio of women were all infatuated with Ritsuka romantically, while the Cavern King had sworn to protect him as his 'accomplice'. Wherever he went, they usually followed at varying distances, with equally fluctuating levels of respect for his personal space. She was actually a tad surprised that they'd taken this long to get here.

Okita Alter, Chiyome and Qin Liangyu, on the other hand, were slightly more surprising. Yes, she'd heard that the other Alter-Ego could be quite...forward with her affection, and inclined towards physical displays like hugs, but that didn't exactly translate to her being as needy or obsessed as the 'Stalker Trio'. The other two, as far as she was aware, didn't make a habit of hanging around or in Ritsuka's room. What were they doing here?

Well, perhaps she'd find out soon enough.

"Aaaah, thank goodness you're here!" Kiara called out, faux fear in her tone and on her face as she strode forward to meet the incoming Servants. "This Berserker here is completely out of control! Why, she attacked me not a moment ago, completely unprovoked!"

"Unprovoked!?" Morgan cried, incredulous. "You have been provoking me from THE MOMENT we met, you monstrosity!"

"Are you alright, lady Morgan?" Dantes asked, the Cavern King moving close to inspect her. "You don't seem to be injured in any way, that is good."

"What exactly are you doing here!?" Kiyohime demanded, the Berserker eyeing Morgan suspiciously.

"I came here to check on Master, I heard from Ivan that he was might have been in a bad way, so I came to-"

"Steal my Anchin-sama from me!" Kiyohime screeched, cutting Morgan off.

The Fae Queen glared at her, offense and anger flaring in her gaze, until Raikou calmly wrapped an arm around Kiyohime and placed a hand over her mouth. Though she struggled, Kiyohime was no match for the Mystery Killer's strength.

"My apologies, dear Kiyohime can get quite jealous out of nowhere like that, please continue." She said, smiling kindly.

"As I said, I came here to check on our Master when I was informed by Ivan that he was on his way here in a quite gloomy mood. I was simply going to verify that he was alright and, if he wasn't, offer what support I could."

Kiyohime's fresh round of insults and snarls were smothered by Raikou's iron grip.

"What of you? What are you all doing here?" Morgan asked the group.

"We're here because Master hasn't come back." Serenity said.

"Yes, my lord said that he'd only be gone a while. When he didn't return promptly, we grew concerned!" Chiyome said.

"Master-chan would usually tell us if there were any delays, so Majin-san thought we should look for him." Okita Alter mumbled, the Alter-Ego glaring at Kiara while unsheathing Rengoku.

"And of course, I agreed to that readily! After all, what good would I be if I left my accomplice alone in the presence of possible danger? And lo and behold, I was RIGHT! KUHAHAHAHA!" Dantes exclaimed, stabbing a flaming finger in Kiara's direction.

The demonic nun had the gall to look shocked at that.

"Why, the nerve of you! Are you accusing me of being a possible threat to our dear Master's safety?"

"YES!" The whole group, plus Morgan, chorused back.

"Aaaahhh...the indignity of these insults, oooohh. It's so hurtful." Kiara whined, all while wriggling and writhing around in a very excited fashion, sighing happily.

The other Servants, meanwhile, suppressed a shared shudder at the Alter-Ego's antics.

"Erm, so then...I know that you four are essentially permanent residents of our Master's room at this point-" Morgan gestured to Dantes and the trio, before turning her attention to Chiyome, Okita Alter and Qin Liangyu "-but what are you all doing here? I was unaware that Master had acquired more…"

She glanced over at the still simmering Kiyohime.

Hmmm. Perhaps a kinder word will do here.

"More protectors."

Yes, that'll do.

"Well, we're part of today's rotation to watch over Master, you see." Chiyome said.

"As you might have noticed, Miss Morgan, there are...quite a large number of Servants who want to spend time with our Master. To help keep the peace, we designed a 'schedule' of sorts so that each and every Servant has their time in Master's room, while stopping them from conflicting or squabbling with anyone else." Qin Liangyu offered a further explanation.

Ah, I see...he really DOES have that many admirers, hmmm?

There was that unpleasant pain in her chest again.

Kiara, as if noticing it, smirked sideways at her.

Morgan kindly refrained from trying to strangle her in turn.

"So, to move things back on track then…" Raikou began.

In a flash, her sword was out of its sheath and at Kiara's throat. To her credit, the Alter-Ego barely flinched at the swiftness of Raikou's movements, or the fact that the Berserker's expression had gone from serene to murderous in under a second.

"What exactly were you planning to do with my child, insect?"

"I was simply helping him-" Kiara began.

"Oh really? Then why didn't you take him to your office first? Or inform anyone else that you would be having a therapy session with my child? You know there are rules and procedures in place for this sort of thing, we have explained them to you many times...so why don't you follow them?" Raikou hissed, sounding angrier than either Kiyohime or Serenity could remember her being.

Not even finding Ibaraki and Shuten cuddling up to Ritsuka one morning had gotten her as furious as she was now.

"Why, I believed that the wellbeing of my patient should come first! Our dear Master was just oh-so troubled, so I decided to help him on the spot rather than let him suffer and abide by the rules, just this once of course." Kiara replied, matching Raikou's fiery glare with a calm stare.

The Mystery Killer growled, angling her blade closer, before...

"Well, it seems you were wrong. They've not killed one another yet." A new voice interrupted.

Turning her head, Morgan was quite shocked to see a whole gaggle of Servants approaching them...before her heart sank like a stone at seeing them being led by-

"Ah ha ha ha! I guess my Clairvoyance isn't as accurate as I thought it was!"

Oh joy, he's returned ALREADY.

As the group came to a halt, Morgan tore her eyes away from Merlin and appraised the group properly.

Flanking him was Gilgamesh, his Caster self on the right and Archer on the left, with the latter being naked from the waist up for some reason. Flanking them was an absolute mountain of a man, with enough pure muscle to match even Heracles, and what looked to be someone decked out in full plate armour, carrying a huge shield and greatsword, with a skull for a face (or at least mask) and blue fires in place of eyes.

Floating a head and half above them all was a dark-skinned, blue-haired man, completely adorned in ornate golden armour with large mechanical wing-like thrusters extending behind him. His arms were folded in front of him and he surveyed the scene before him with a calm, contemplative expression.

While Morgan had encountered Gilgamesh before, and interacted with Merlin far too much for her own liking already, she had not met any of these men in person, merely hearing stories about them from other Servants. That said, she'd certainly heard more than enough to recognise them all on sight.

These were the First Hassan, Orion and Romulus Quirinus, three of the seven Grand Servants. The peak of their respective Servant Classes.

Well, there IS a Beast here, apparently breaking some rule or other of Chaldea. It certainly makes sense that they would be dispatched to bring the nun to heel.

"I am pleased to see that, despite the damage I see to the corridor, no one is hurt." Quirinus commented. "I do hope that our Master is similarly unharmed."

"Maybe someone should go check on him?" Orion suggested, the bowman keeping a sharp eye on Kiara himself, just in case.

"Why don't one of you go do it? You were concerned enough about him to get here before us, right?" Merlin gestured to the previously arrived group.

Serenity, Okita Alter, Qin Liangyu, Chiyome, Dantes and Raikou all shared looks among themselves, as if unwilling to let a potential threat out of their sight.

A few seconds later, Kiyohime dashed past them and charged into the cafeteria.

"Anchin-saaaamaaaa, your Kiyohime is coming!"

"Fear not, this Beast shalt not escape mine gaze. Go and check on the contractor." The First Hassan's voice was gentle, even as his fiery eyes were fixed directly on Kiara.

As if on cue, Raikou, Serenity and Chiyome all peeled off to enter the cafeteria themselves.

Dantes, Qin and Okita Alter all remained behind, all of them keeping watch over Kiara themselves, along with the group of Grand Servants.

"So...why exactly are all of you here?" Morgan asked. "Not that I'm complaining, of course, but it seems a little strange. They-" she indicated Dantes, Qin and Okita Alter, while also gesturing inside the cafeteria "-were residing in our Master's room, but you all were nowhere near. Why are you here? I take it that this has something to do with this 'rule breaking' I've been hearing about?"

"Mhmmm, you're looking at the Chaldea Response Team, here because this reliable big brother picked up a level two threat!" Merlin explained, that cheeky smile of his still firmly in place.

"And we are here because the threat in question is one of the very Beasts we were intended to combat. Even if it weren't, I would never allow a threat to one of Rome's children to go unchallenged." Romulus Quirinus picked up from there, levelling a stern stare of his own at Kiara.

"Level two threat?" Morgan asked.

"A direct threat to the Master of Chaldea, the highest threat classification that we've devised, second only to a direct assault on Chaldea itself." Caster Gilgamesh said.

"And since this creature here is the one responsible, an Anti-World level response was decided on. Thus, here we are." Archer Gilgamesh continued. "And this is far from the full group. Consider us an advance guard of sorts."

"I...I see." Morgan said, before turning her gaze back to Merlin. "But what of YOU? All of your cohorts are either former Grand Servants or monstrously powerful regardless, why would they require YOUR help, Merlin?"

"Oh, I suppose I never got around to telling you." Merlin drew two fingers from his free hand sideways across his left eye, grinning.

"You're looking at the one and only Grand Caster!"

Morgan's heart, and expression, plummeted like a stone all over again, the Fae Queen feeling a cold shiver up her spine at the sheer horror she felt at that statement.

Merlin was humanity's finest Caster? MERLIN?

"The what?"

"Yep! That's me!"

"...how? HOW is that possible? I REFUSE to accept that YOU are the most skilled and qualified Caster humanity has! You are LAZY, JUVENILE and a complete CHILD! How did you POSSIBLY get the role of Grand Caster!?"

The tension within the corridor seemed to bleed away, replaced by an overhanging feeling of...melancholy?

Why did everyone (except the nun, of course) look morose all of a sudden?

"What?" Morgan asked, looking around. "What was it that I said wrong?"

"I suppose you could say that I'm not the actual Grand Caster, really. Just...consider me a permanent seat warmer." Merlin said. Even his previously cheeky grin had dipped into a much smaller and sadder smile.

"Ah." From the expressions on everyone's faces, even Gilgamesh looked somewhat sad, and Merlin's choice of words, Morgan could guess quite well why he was the Grand Caster.

"How did your predecessor...vacate his position?"

"Fairy Queen, hast thou heard the tale of King Solomon of Israel?" King Hassan asked.

"Not in its entirety, no. But I've heard enough of what happened during the Incineration of Humanity that I think I understand now. Rest assured, there is no need to explain more if you don't want to." Morgan assured him.

I wonder, just how long was the true King Solomon among them to have garnered this level of respect? Especially from that excessively prideful oaf.

"How then, if we could return to the matter at hand…" Caster Gilgamesh directed his attention to Kiara once more. "What is the meaning of this breach, Beast? Explain."

"As I've explained several times already, I was simply helping our dear Master."

The corridor was lit up in a bright golden glow as dozens of portals from the Gate of Babylon manifested behind the Grand Servant party. Swords, spears, arrows, mystic staves and wands appeared from them, training themselves on the Alter-Ego.

"Explain further." Caster Gilgamesh growled.

"And why should I do that, hmmm? I've already explained myself to you all enough, I think. I'm the innocent party here, simply trying to offer our Master some comfort. Why not ask one of them what happened?" An indignant and exasperated Kiara gestured to Morgan, Okita Alter and Dantes.

Orion nocked an arrow.

Merlin readied his staff and summoned his Caliburn Replica.

King Hassan levelled Azrael in her direction.

Romulus Quirinus didn't move himself, but his hands began crackling with red lightning.

"My my my, such a belligerent bunch. What would our dear Master say?" Kiara asked, half-mockingly, keeping her calm smile while filling her hands with demonic magic in turn. Even as Morgan, Okita Alter and Dantes all began readying themselves against her, she still kept calm.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind us knocking some sense into you if it comes to that." Orion replied. "S'why we're here, after all."

The standoff continued for at least a full minute, the tension suffocatingly thick all the while, until…

"Aaaawww, they're not fighting each other already! I was hoping that this dashing Kouhai would be able to sweep in and snatch her useless Senpai away from danger, so that he might shower her with the praise she deserves!"

"Shut up BB, we should be happy that this place isn't a warzone already! What if Ritsuka had been killed?!"

Morgan tried angling her head to peer around the backs of the Grand Servant group, since that was where the voices were coming from. It turned out that she needn't have bothered.

A trio of Servants, all female, appeared from around the sides of the Grands and stepped forward, two of them to the left of the group and one of them to right.

The first thing Morgan noticed about them was that they all had virtually the same face, barring a few minor differences in hair colour and eye colour. Their bodies, on the other hand...were quite radically different.

The first girl's arms and hands were entirely covered by her sleeves, while her legs seemed to be cut off at the knees and were continued on with glowing blue blade-stilts. She also seemed to be alarmingly under clothed, with what looked to be a metallic thong around her crotch and some straps covering her chest.

Perhaps it's some form of psychological warfare? Or she simply doesn't care about her appearance.

The second girl was more modestly dressed, with a proper top, dress and tights on, though the top itself looked like it was struggling to contain her unnaturally large chest, in contrast to the other girl's slim figure. And then there was the fact that her arms below the elbows had been replaced by huge, threatening metallic claws. Even balled up the way they were, the girl needed to hold them close to herself to keep them clear of her fellows.

The last girl, however…was quite familiar indeed.

"It's you again." Morgan muttered.

Seemingly hearing her, the third girl turned to look and her face lit up.

"Oh, it's you! Hiii there! Are you here to pry Senpai from this old hag's clutches too?"

"Old hag, eh?" Kiara's mouth twitched upward, anger flashing across her face.

"I was actually here for a welfare check. I'd heard from Ivan that our Master might be here, perhaps dealing with his own demons. I decided to stop by to check up on him. How did you know to come here?"

"Ah, that carrot top Greek Hero came by to warn us about the hag getting a weeee bit outside her boundaries around Senpai, so naturally, this reliable BB-chan gathered up all of her children and came to save the day!"

"You mean you pranced past our rooms singing about how you were going to 'save' Ritsuka, then flipped out when Lip and I decided to come with you, because you didn't want us stealing your thunder?" The blade-stilts girl asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, Meltryllis, that's exactly what I meant!" BB's left eye twitched a little, her happy smile turning strained.

"A-Anyway!" The third girl, 'Lip', continued, addressing Kiara. "You better not have hurt Master!"

"Yeah, if you've laid a hand on him, I'll kick you to death all over again. Virgin Laser Palladion will feel like getting tickled compared to what I'll do to you now." Meltryllis warned, extending the left stilt threateningly.

"Oh, you'll certainly try, dear Meltryllis." Kiara said, her face a twisted mix of anger and arrogance as she gathered yet more magic in her other hand, looking as if she wanted more than anything to rip the newly-arrived Alter-Ego to pieces. "But I think you'll find that I'm quite a bit stronger than you're prepared for. Fufufu, our lord's love and blessings truly do wonders."

"There you go again with that delusional talk…" Meltryllis' face wrinkled in disgust. "For the last time, you crazy hag, Ritsuka's not your lord! He's not some saviour who'll take you off to your paradise, and he CERTAINLY isn't doing something as crazy as BLESSING you! He's not even capable, and if he was you're the LAST person he'd favour!"

"Yeah, Master's a kind and gentle person who just wants the best for us! There's no way he'd give a monster like you more power to use people like toys!" Passionlip yelled, bringing up her claws and whacking them together threateningly.

"Wow, you're even crazier than everyone says I am if you think Senpai would give his favour to a demon woman like you!" Morgan spied that BB's eyes had gone from purple to red, while her laughter was saturated with barely restrained malice.

"Ignorant fools, all of you." Kiara spat, golden irises and pupils narrowing to pinpricks. "Now, I've been willing to put up with your distrust, I've been willing to put up with your 'security measures, but what I will not put up with is this insult to my sincere devotion. Perhaps I should just put all of you in your place right here."

"You aren't going to do that, mongrel." Archer Gilgamesh said, the sheer finality of that statement catching Morgan's interest as she turned her gaze to him.

Did he have some sort of pre-prepared ace up his sleeve to deal with this woman?

"Oh, and why not?"

The King of Heroes did not reply verbally. Instead, he summoned a portal and drew forth a…

What was that?

The golden hilt and pommel looked as if it belonged to a club or large claymore weapon, but the blade…

It more resembles some form of miniature obelisk than the blade of a sword.

Of course, the appearance was a secondary concern to how Morgan's senses and spells reacted to the weapon and what she was picking up. Or rather, what they weren't picking up.

Ther-...I'm not getting anything from this 'blade'. No emanations, no internal workings. My structural analysis spells aren't registering anything. It's like there might as well be NOTHING there.

Gilgamesh levelled this strange blade at the demonic nun in front of him, his expression a stern scowl.

"Submit and cease this foolishness, or I will show you the might of the Sword of Rupture."

That blade is his strongest weapon?! The weapon he boasted could outpower every other blade, Divine Construct or not, in this place?!

Now that she could get a good look at it...Morgan could certainly see why he would think that.

Every other blade and Divine Construct she'd encountered could be analysed and understood through sufficiently strong and complex scanning and structural grasp spells, but this blade. This 'Ea'...

She couldn't make sense of it. No matter how much energy she poured into her spells, or how many scans and inspections she tried carrying out, Morgan couldn't get anything save the mystical equivalent of gibberish.

"Fufufu, you wouldn't dare use that weapon here." Kiara laughed the threat off. "It's far too destructive for this oh-so small space. You'd be risking yourself too, you know?"

Gilgamesh cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

With a hiss and screeching whine, the three parts of Ea's obelisk-like blade began to rotate slowly. The Top and bottom pieces did so clockwise, while the middle piece did so counter clockwise.

"Submit."

Kiara's confident smile began to slip as she realized just how serious the first hero was.

"You can't be serious…"

Every other Servant began to slowly back away as Ea's rotation gradually accelerated, while still maintaining their own defensive stances.

"You wouldn't dare. You'd destroy everything else here." Kiara insisted, her breathing quickening just a little.

"Hmph, do you really think me so stupid?" Gilgamesh sneered, snapping his fingers on his free hand. A few moments later, the Gate of Babylon manifested two new half-portals...right at the Alter-Ego and Archer's feet.

"They are not open...yet. However, if you persist in this foolishness, then I will grant you the honour of experiencing the might of my treasury from within. Should you choose to do so, then rejoice well, Beast, for this is a luxury rarely offered." Despite his words, Archer Gilgamesh's expression did not shift from the scornful, determined scowl had previously adopted.

"You would sacrifice your treasury to stop me?"

"A mere sliver of my treasury, and yes. After all, I am the King of Heroes. This world is my garden and its people are citizens of my kingdom. They are mine to do with as I please...and only mine.

"I will admit, there is a certain beauty in corruption. In taking a once beautiful thing and twisting it, soiling it. But you...you would not stop at that. You would destroy and trample this world, this garden of mine. Twist it beyond repair on your own whims.

"As the owner of this garden, I cannot permit that. And since you threaten my garden, I refuse to put my faith in those beneath me to deal with you. Consider that my treasury will persist even if I must damage it to stop you, while this world, my world, may not. The answer is obvious."

Ea began to spin even faster, faint reddish-black energy gathering around the drill-blade while a steady, whining hum began building in the background.

"Yield to me. Prostrate yourself and BEG for forgiveness for even thinking of soiling my garden."

"Would you bow to a wild beast, if it demanded you do so?" Kiara asked, mockingly.

"I do not heed the demands of those beneath me."

"Precisely."

Both King of Heroes and Demonic Bodhisattva narrowed their eyes to slits, preparing to fight for real...as did everyone else.

Morgan braced herself, preparing as many magical barrier spells as she knew.

She also thought about preparing a magic nullifying rune to try and apply it to Kiara, but as a dark aura began to flare around the demonic nun, she thought better of it.

"Shit, this is about to go sideways real damn fast. BB, do something!" Meltryllis snarled.

"Hey, BB-chan might be a miracle worker, but not even I can defuse something like this so easily!" BB shot back, the Moon Cancer looking rather alarmed at the seeming catastrophe blossoming before their eyes. "Ooooh, if only Senpai was here! I bet that stupid hag put him to sleep or something, or he'd be out here by now!"

"...um, I might have a solution." Passionlip mumbled, catching both of her siblings' attention.

"Eh?"

"What is it?"

"Well, remember that little detour I made along the way?"

"Yeah, what the hell was that for anyway, Lip!? We were waiting four whole minutes for you!" Meltryllis demanded.

"I...I thought we might need some extra help. I just hope that she's close enough to hear me…"

"Who'd you get, anyway?" BB asked.

"Look it doesn't matter who! At this point I'll take anyone! Whoever it is, just call them now!" Meltryllis ordered, looking increasingly nervous as both Kiara and the Grand Servant group moved closer and closer to all-out combat.

Sucking in a breath, Passionlip leaned back, cupped her claws to her lips as best she could and opened her mouth.

"PROOOOOOOOOOTEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA! MASTER NEEEEEEEEEEDS YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUU!"

Morgan slammed her hands to her ears as fast as she could, even dropping her spear to do so, but the sheer force of the yell rattled her skeleton and strained her eardrums.

This girl…I understand that a call for aid must be well heard, but is she trying to kill us with her voice!?

More pleasantly, Passionlip's cry for help had inadvertently smothered the slowly growing fire in front of her, as all of the potential combatants were now far too occupied with jamming their fingers in their ears (or in the case of the two Gilgameshes, pulling a pair of noise-cancelling earmuffs from the Gate of Babylon) to actually focus on or think about fighting.

Morgan was the first to properly recover (save for the two Gils, who were mostly fine thanks to their earmuffs). After blinking a little and rubbing at her ears to try and clear the ringing, she turned to face Kiara and, seeing her still rubbing at her ears, decided to try and place a few of her nullification and sealing runes on the demonic nun while she had the opportunity.

...only to watch as perhaps the largest woman she had ever seen simply appeared out of absolutely nowhere.

She was so large that, even with Chaldea's plentifully spacious corridors, enough to comfortably accommodate the likes of Ivan, the girl was forced to practically lie on all fours, just barely pushing herself up, to keep from banging her head on the ceiling.

Who in the blazes is THIS!?

Just from her face, Morgan guessed that she was somehow related to BB, Meltryllis and Passionlip.

The giant black horns and orange blossom growing out of her head, the fact that one of her eyes was red, the tattoo on her stomach (not wholly unlike Morgan's own), and the fact that her bandage-like outfit looked, to Morgan's practiced eyes, to be made from Imaginary Numbers had the Fae Queen guessing that their similarities probably ended there.

Before anyone could react to the new arrival, most likely the "Protea" whose aid Passionlip had just yelled for, she reached over to pluck the still disoriented Kiara from the ground and hold the demonic nun up to her face, like a child inspecting a toy.

At this point, Kiara managed to regain her bearings and lock eyes with the new arrival.

Morgan grew slightly concerned at seeing her face go white as she recognised who it was that was holding her. After all, this was the woman who had just decided to fight more than 10 Servants at once, with four of them being (former) Grand Servants and two others being versions of the very first, and thus the strongest, hero Panhuman History's humanity had ever recorded, all with a confident smile on her face.

And yet here she was, looking scared.

How absurdly strong was this "Protea" that the Beast of Rapture would fear invoking her wrath?

Kiara tried opening her mouth, trying to say something in her defence.

Only for her impromptu captor to pancake her into the ground.

And then she hit Kiara again.

And again.

And again.

Then she began hitting her faster.

Each and every impact of her fist shook the ground beneath their feet, reminding Morgan all too much of Ivan's body-slam maneuver near the end of their spar. By the time the giant began speeding up, everyone was far more preoccupied with staying on their feet than focusing on the merciless beating she was dishing out.

Morgan shuddered to think of the devastation that would be caused by this girl repeating Ivan's 'body-slam' trick. A two and a half tonne ice colossus was bad enough, but this "Protea" looked to be thirty feet tall!

After a full half-minute of continuing the beating, the giant finished off by raising both hands up, wreathing them in some sort of golden energy, then bringing them down on her opponent in an explosion so bright it nearly blinded everyone in the corridor.

Picking up the stunned and battered nun, 'Protea' placed one hand around her legs and the other around her head, to give her a very rough shake.

"Master convinced me not to hurt you when I first noticed you...he said that you were a friend now. If you've hurt Master...I'll rip you to pieces."

Morgan was no stranger to hatred and rage. She had succumbed to it more often than she cared to admit, especially after being summoned here...but the sheer depth of the giant's rage against Kiara, of the murderous intent expressed in those last five words, actually had the Fae Queen staggering back.

"KUHAHAHA, what an unexpected source of punishment for her!" Dantes called out, the Avenger having recovered and watching the spectacle with his arms folded and a grin on his face.

"Well, thank goodness that confrontation didn't end in violence. Ah, well...a lot more violence, I suppose I should say." Liangyu commented, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Indeed, I would hate to have any of Rome's citizens hurt in our efforts to subdue this beast." Quirinus agreed.

"Now now, Rengoku, the fighting's over...maybe." Okita Alter chided her sword gently, earning a curious raised eyebrow from Morgan.

"Haaaahh, thank goodness for that! I was worried I'd actually have to fight for a moment, there!" Merlin said as he wiped his forehead, dismissing his Caliburn Replica.

"I see that not even getting torn to shreds can convince you to shape up and work a little harder, foolish incubus." Morgan snarked, before looking away from him and back to the scene in front of her.

As much as she wanted to continue ripping into him for his failings, there was a slightly more urgent matter to deal with first.

"So, what about this monstrosity here? What to do with her now that she is subdued?" Morgan asked, gesturing to the constricted Kiara.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm aaaaaall for letting my little Kingprotea here crush her into tiny pieces!" BB cheered.

"Huh, for once, you and I actually agree on something, BB." Meltryllis muttered. "Go on, Protea, rip her apart!"

"Um...shouldn't we wait until the others come back with Master?" Passionlip asked, surprisingly meekly. "I...I know that Kiara's a terrible person, but what if she really did help Master? Wouldn't he be upset with us if he finds out we had Kingprotea crush her into paste like this?"

"...ah."

Meltryllis and BB both looked rather embarrassed at that.

"I-I mean...I guess...uuurrrgghhh, fine! We'll do it your way, Lippy-chan! J-Just so I don't have to deal with Senpai complaining to me, and showing me that...that dumb sad face of his."

"With those...those stupid p-puppy dog eyes that...that lure you in and make you want to hu-...I-I mean throw up!"

"I don't want Master mad at me…" Passionlip whined cutely.

Why are they all blushing so hard? Is the prospect of getting scolded really so hard t-?

Ah.

Really? These three AS WELL!?

Perhaps there is some truth to the nun's claims of the nature of our Master's allure...no! NO! Do NOT indulge that monstrosity's twisted viewpoint for even a moment! That way lies complete madness.

"Speaking of our Master, the others went to check on him a while ago, did they not? Why have they not returned yet? The cafeteria is not that large a place." Liangyu wondered.

"They're probably worried that they might step into a brawl out here." Orion said. "One of us should probably give them the go ahead to come out."

Before anyone else could move, First Hassan vanished in a plume of blue-black flame.

A few moments later, he returned.

"As I have beheld with mine own eyes, the contractor seems well. Thy tongue speaks truth for the moment, vile beast." The Assassin said, addressing the limp figure of Kiara in Kingprotea's hands, the Alter-Ego having given up after a minute or two of fruitless struggle.

"Hmph, perhaps to YOUR gaze, but outward appearances can be very deceptive. I must see for myself if this monstrosity has placed a curse on our Master's mind." Morgan replied.

"And I will take a look at my accomplice's dreams! If the nun is truly telling the truth, then I expect to see a calming and pleasant one!" Dantes said.

Soon enough, the door to the cafeteria opened and the Servant group emerged. Ritsuka was indeed asleep, and he was being cradled in Rakou's tender grip, with Chiyome, Kiyohime and Serenity all crowding around.

"So, what of the mongrel?" Archer Gilgamesh practically demanded.

"My child is sleeping very quietly. Fufufu, look at him, I've not seen him have such a relaxing sleep in quite some time." Raikou cooed softly.

"Anchin-sama seems fine, it looks like that slimy woman was telling the truth." Kiyohime groused, conflicted between happiness that her beloved was alright and irritation that she now had no excuse to try and punish Kiara.

"One moment, let me verify that." Morgan insisted, pinking up her spear, summoning a few scanning runes to her hand and approaching her sleeping Master.

"Allow me to join you!" Dantes followed along after her.

"Fu fu fu, when it comes to dreams, no one knows them like me! This reliable old mage will tell you what you want to know!"

"Very well." Morgan tried to hide her look of disgust at Merlin shamelessly butting in the way he did.

Morgan allowed her scanning runes to float over Ritsuka's head, while Merlin and Dantes touched their hands to the boy's forehand, wafting petals and gentle flames over him as they peered into his mind via their powers and links to him.

Closing her eyes, Morgan allowed her vision to be synchronised to the scanning runes, letting her see what it was they were picking up in Ritsuka's mind. What sort of dream he was having.

And what she saw was...a peaceful, lush green field, filled with colourful flowers and occupied only by Ritsuka and Mash. Judging from the hamper and blanket in front of the duo, with the blanket stacked to the brim with treats and snacks, they seemed to be having a picnic.

Though Morgan could not quite make out what either of them were saying, from the expressions on their faces Ritsuka and Mash seemed to be having quite a pleasant time.

Hmmm, the monstrosity really wasn't lying after all. She did give him a peaceful sleep.

Smiling and nodding, Morgan cancelled the channelling and, upon opening her eyes, found herself back in the corridor with everyone else.

"I've seen enough, I'm satisfied. The nun's explanation was correct on one count...she truly did give him a pleasant sleep, and I can sense no other tampering of any kind."

"Yep, all clear on my end as well! Aaaahh, what a pleasant little encounter he was having…" Merlin said, grinning like an idiot the whole way.

"I agree, I saw that my accomplice was perfectly safe in his dreams!"

"So...what do we do now?" Liangyu asked. "There is clearly no threat to Master or Chaldea, like we all expected. I know that Miss Kiara has breached the rules set for her, but she did help our Master when he needed it…"

"Perhaps we should discuss it with Master in the morning? I'm sure if anyone can come up with an appropriate punishment, it would be him." Orion suggested.

"Mmmmm, Majin-san agrees with that. Master knows us the best." Okita Alter mumbled, already starting to struggle with keeping her eyes open thanks to the earlier adrenaline finally wearing off.

"Alriiiight theeen…...but I want in on the discussion!" BB insisted.

A muffled noise of discontent and irritation managed to slip from Kingprotea's giant fingers, as Kiara glared angrily at BB, who only winked cheekily in turn.

"Hmph, so this was all a waste of time then, was it?" Archer Gilgamesh grunted, finally stowing away Ea and dismissing his Gate of Babylon.

"Only as long as this beast can behave herself." His Caster self pointed out, before glaring at the bound Kiara.

"You will behave yourself, won't you...both of you?" His glare flicked towards BB, who huffed and folded her arms.

"Hey! Just how untrustworthy do you think I am!? I am the ever-reliable BB-chan!"

"...don't you also call yourself things like "Devilish Kouhai" and "Demon BB-chan" when it suits you?" Meltryllis 'innocently' asked.

"Oh shut up, Melt." BB grumbled.

"Um, Protea...could you release Kiara-san please? I'm sure she'll behave if you do." Passionlip asked.

"Okay then, as long as Master's fine." After one last glare for the demonic nun, Kingprotea nonchalantly dropped her onto the floor, before casting a slightly longing look at the sleeping Ritsuka.

As if sensing what she wanted, Raikou kindly beckoned her to come closer.

"Come on now, dear. Would you like to make sure my child is okay before you go?"

"Mmmm hmmm."

Gingerly, Kingprotea bent down and stretched out even further, slowly and carefully approaching the teen. When she got close enough, the Alter-Ego gently rubbed what little she could of her nose against Ritsuka's head with a bright smile on her face.

"Ehe, Protea's glad that you're alright Master...Protea loves you a lot."

With that, in a flash of light, she teleported away, seemingly satisfied that her work there was done.

"Aaaaah, how wonderful that my child is so loved." Raikou gushed. "Now if you'll excuse me, he needs his rest."

With that, she began walking back to Ritsuka's room, followed closely by Kiyohime and Serenity.

"Well, I shall resume my duties for tonight. It was nice to meet and work with you all, even if it was under these circumstances!" Liangyu said, following along with the Stalker Trio.

"Majin-san will be going too, she wants to make sure Master gets his rest too." Okita Alter mumbled, plodding along after the Lancer.

"Oyakata-sama seems fine, but as a good Servant I will still continue my watch over him! Thank you all for being willing to help!" With that, Chiyome dashed off after the others.

"Of course, my accomplice may still have need of me, so I will bid you all farewell!" Dantes didn't bother with running, or even walking, merely vanishing in a flash of that blue-black fire of his.

After his departure, only the Grand Servant group, Morgan and Kiara were left in the corridor.

At least, until what was essentially a blur came speeding up to them, so fast that it was generating a very sizable air funnel simply through sheer speed.

For a moment, Morgan began preparing some protection and barrier spells, worried that the blur might just ram into them.

Until it slammed to a halt just a few feet away, revealing it to be none other than Achilles.

"The rest of the group's assembled right now outside central and the Casters are ready to teleport everyone here! What's the verdict? Do we need to send in the big guns? I mean, it already looks like a fight went down here." Achilles gestured to the ruined floor where Kingprotea had used Kiara as her punching bag.

"Apparently not. The crisis seems to be resolved, at least for now." Morgan replied.

"Oh rest assured, if that is how I'll be treated from now on, I think I'll try harder to abide by the rules next time." Kiara huffed, still brushing herself off and straightening up her ruffled nun habit. "It's far from worth the trouble."

Achilles nodded slowly, glancing at the Grand Servant group.

"Yep, everything's a-okay here!" Merlin nodded, offering a thumbs up.

"Fortunately, the conflict was de-escalated before any damage could come to Rome and its citizens." Quirinus smiled.

"Well...alright then. Guess I'll tell everyone else to stand down, then." Achilles muttered.

"Before you go, if I might ask...who exactly is a part of this 'Anti-World' threat response team of yours?" Morgan asked. "I understand that the Grand Servants are powerful assets on their own, but you must have quite a few other Servants in this force if they are meant to take on Beast-level threats."

"Ah, we've got quite a few people, actually! Let's see…"

Achilles began holding up fingers as he ticked the group's membership off.

"There's Circe, Medea, the Queen of Sheba, Karna, Arjuna, Rama, Asvatthaman, Quetzalcoatl, me, Lu Bu, Xiang Yu, that consort lady of his, Ishtar Ashtart, both Gilgameshes, Sitonai, those AI Alter-Egos, Gorgon, that 'Heroine XX' lady, all the Grand Servants here...oh, and all the other Lostbelt Rulers we've got too. That's...pretty sure that's most of them."

"I...I see. That is quite the formidable force indeed."

"Yeah. Well, it kinda has to be, considering the sort of threats it was assembled to fight. Anyway, I gotta go tell the others that everything's calmed down, don't want them stomping in here waking everyone else up, right? See you later!"

With that, Achilles took off in a blur of motion.

"Hmph, then the king shall take his leave as well." With that, Archer Gilgamesh began strolling off with nary another word, his Caster counterpart soon joining him after at least a nod to the others.

"Uooooaaahhhh!" Merlin yawned widely, stretching his arms. "Well then, all this drama has made me tired, so I think I'll be taking my leave now too."

"Don't overwork yourself lazing around too hard, Merlin." Morgan sniped at the retreating Caster.

"I thank you for your willingness to confront threats to our home, brave Heroic Spirit. I believe that I will be taking my leave as well. Please, if there is any other issue that arises, don't hesitate to call on me again." Quirinus smiled and bowed his head in respect, before simply vanishing in a flash of white-red light.

"Ah, I gotta get back too, I guess. Artemis will probably wanna know that I'm okay. Thanks for helping out back there!" Orion then began jogging off, leaving only Morgan and Kiara alone in the corridor.

For at least a full half minute, neither of them spoke, with Kiara still fixing up her outfit and Morgan feeling far too awkward about everything that had happened to speak up.

She was about to leave, about to walk away, then…

"Haaah...I suppose that, if nothing else, the saviour will surely give me his sympathy for this thoroughly unprovoked attack on my person, when I was simply trying to help a soul in need. Mmmm, yes."

Alright, that does it. I CANNOT listen to this delusional rubbish any longer.

However, getting angry wouldn't solve anything. Nor would getting drawn into a debate. She'd just approach this calmly, say her piece, then leave.

"You won't succeed, you know."

"Oh?" The demonic nun's attention turned to her once more, golden eyes brightening as Kiara tilted her head. "And why is that?"

"Because you've misjudged our Master. Even now, you continue to do so."

"Oooohh, you think so? Alright, I'll entertain this line of thought. Why not explain to me why?" Kiara's tone was teasing, but Morgan could note a hint of malice in her eyes at the mere notion of her challenging the ex-Beast's devotion.

At least she cares, in her own way...or she's deluded herself into thinking she does, at least.

"Our Master is a kind man, yes. He is a caring and forgiving man, yes. But he is not a naive man.

"He extends the hand of friendship and cooperation to any Servant he summons, that is true. But do not mistake that for trust, which is something you will never earn, if you continue as you are."

"You think so, do you? And why is that?" Kiara was blatantly glaring at her now, but Morgan pressed on regardless.

"Because you've not changed. You're not repentant in any way for anything that you've done. You are a leopard that cannot, or will not, change its spots, not even for the 'saviour' you claim to have come to care for. And for all of your talk of caring for him...of loving him, I don't believe you do. What you feel is not love, not real love."

"Queen Morgan. Britain is no longer your garden. You must leave your girlish dreams behind."

"If violence will not sway you, then how about diplomacy?"

"Baobhan...Sith?"

"Your daughter for the throne. Quite the simple binary trade, really."

Despite her throat clogging and eyes misting up at the repulsive memory, Morgan pressed on.

"If you...if you love someone, then you should want to see them happy. Their happiness should make you happy, even if you aren't a part of it. You should...you should be willing to give of yourself to ensure a loved one's happiness. Because you care for them. Because they and their wellbeing matter to you...perhaps more so than your own.

"Fujimaru's wellbeing may matter to you, I believe that much, but it is wholly subordinate to your own interests. In other words, you are invested in his well being because you see it as an investment for yourself and your future. You offer him kindness and support to ingratiate yourself to him, to try and worm your way into his confidence so that he might take you along with him once the day is won. Your affection is conditional, monstrosity. You offer it because it serves your purposes, because you believe it will bring you closer and closer to the 'enlightenment' that you seek.

"If you practiced as you preached, Beast, then you wouldn't care about ingratiating yourself to Fujimaru. You wouldn't be oh-so obsessed with trying to have his 'power' for yourself. You would be helping him and easing his burdens simply because it is the right thing to do for him! Because his relieved and happy smiles brighten your day! Because her...because his words of thanks and gratitude are your strength, even through the darkest of times.

"You want examples, then look around you! Look at the other Servants in this place! Look at the Golem Maker, the Patriarch of Alchemy, or even the Archtraitor of Camelot! They all consider at least one previous action of theirs to be wrong, they all recognise that change is necessary for them...so they make that change. They are willing to adapt. To walk a new path with new values! And for that, they are praised, supported, encouraged but most importantly, they are trusted by our Master.

"As long as you cling to your self-centred mindset, monstrosity, what you seek will be forever out of your reach. The sooner you understand that, and the sooner you sincerely realize that a change in thinking is needed, the closer you will be to a real chance at happiness."

"Hmph, you're free to spout whatever drivel you wish, but that doesn't force me to listen." Kiara shot back, turning and moving to stride away.

"Don't worry, the fat cow's just doing that because she knows you're right." Came a deep male voice from behind Morgan, who whipped her head around in surprise.

Standing behind her was a...child?

Was he really the one who spoke? With that voice?

Said child shot her a tired but sympathetic stare as he walked forward.

"Hans Christian Andersen, at your service. Yeah, this really is my actual voice, before you ask. Don't worry about the meat woman, I'll make sure she gets back to her room and doesn't drive anyone else crazy with her nonsense."

"Oh, will you indeed?" Kiara had turned back around to face Morgan and Andersen, a slight twitch in her left eye. "You know I can crush you in an instant, right?"

"And we both know that's just an empty threat, you'd never actually harm me. After all, it would just prove me right about what a dangerous hag you are. That's an image you're trying to distance yourself from here, remember?" The Caster shot back.

Kiara did not reply, merely blowing out a heavy breath through her nose.

"But anyway-" Andersen turned back to Morgan "-I wouldn't worry about her denials too much, because that's just what they are. Has she given you that whole "You're a blind ignorant beast" spiel yet?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact she has." The Fae Queen replied, quite relieved at finding someone who had some experience dealing with Kiara.

"Yeah, that's pretty classic hag speech right there. It's what she says when deep down, part of her knows you're right, but her twisted mind just won't let her accept it, so she tries rationalizing it away." Andersen explained. "So how long were you stuck with her for?"

"I...it must've been at least twenty minutes, I think, if not half an hour."

The Caster patted her lower arm sympathetically.

"Well then, I won't force you to spend any more time dealing with her. Believe me, putting up with this meat woman is not a punishment I'd inflict on anyone...except maybe Shakespeare if he's being a complete ass."

"Yes, it is certainly very tiring dealing with her."

"Hmph, well, you two enjoy your little gossiping session then." Kiara snapped, turning around again.

"Oi, cow, just one more thing before you go."

"Mmmm, what now?"

"You ever wonder why that other half of yours isn't anywhere near as high up as you are on the threat chart?"

"...what?" There was a dangerous edge to the Alter-Ego's tone as she turned her head to glare at Andersen.

"Yeah, she's not considered anywhere near the threat you are to Chaldea. Wanna know why that is? Ah, nevermind, I'll just tell you anyway." He waved her off even as Kiara opened her mouth.

"It's because, like this woman just said, she's willing to change. Sure, she still hates herself and doesn't think that much of love, but at least she's thinking about giving it a try. She actually does like our Master now, rather than just seeing them as a tool. She'll deny it, yeah, but that's just her being defensive and embarrassed about being vulnerable.

"She talks a big game about corrupting Master and proving that she's a threat, but one look at her and you'll tell that her heart's not really in it anymore. It's all just puffing herself up to try and seem intimidating, and she's always been too lazy and afraid to really follow through on her threats anyway. That's why nobody here really considers her a serious threat anymore, you see?"

"Hmph, that little brat might have fooled everyone else, but I don't think our lord is that stupid." Kiara sneered down at Andersen. "He sees her for what she really is, a-"

"-complete non threat, which is why he had her ranked as low as she is." Andersen cut her off.

That piece of information took both Beast and Lostbelt Ruler by surprise.

"Jeez, you're even more of a dumb cow than I thought." The Caster sighed, shaking his head at the incredulous looks he was getting.

"Is it really so surprising? There's no one else here who knows us Heroic Spirits better than our Master. That was why, when we were originally putting together the process for assigning threat ratings, it was agreed that Master should have the final say on who goes where.

"And lo and behold, he agreed that you should go right at the top, because he doesn't actually trust you nearly as much as you've deluded yourself into thinking he does. After all, if you're not willing to change your nature, then it doesn't matter which Saint Graph you manifest in or the appearance you put on, you'll always be the same rotten demon inside."

Hans shook his head in exasperation.

"Forget it, I'm leaving."

"Oooh, and here I thought you were going to escort me back to my room?" Kiara mocked.

"I've got better things to do than deal with you! In fact-" Hans upped his slow walk to a jog "-I think I've got an idea for my new chapter now! I guess you are good for something after all with how annoying you are!"

Morgan decided to leave as well, without even speaking to the Alter-Ego. She was NOT about to be drawn into another pointless dialogue, and she'd said what she'd wanted to say anyway.

She was roughly ten steps down the hall when Kiara's voice floated into her ears.

"Oh my, that's very interesting indeed. Fufufufu."

Just ignore her.

"Oooohh, all of that pain and heartbreak, just from trying to get a little bit closer."

It's not important.

"Oh my, all of those holy sword wielders, willing to comfort him? Aaahh, my saviour really is oh so loved, isn't he?"

...she's doing this to get in your head again. Just keep walking. Just KEEP. WALKI-

"Ufufu, it's obvious that you're interested, dear. You can try and weasel your way to Master's good graces all you like, but I'm afraid that without a little more effort, you'll be just another face in the crowd. Oh but by all means, do try your best...I'm sure the results will be very entertaining for me either way."

At the end of her patience all over again, Morgan swung around and raised her staff...only to find the ex-Beast's heel already vanishing around a distant corner.

Growling, the Fae Queen turned back around and began making her way back to her room.

Between the revelations about her Master, the Singularities, Kiara's few...disturbingly insightful comments, she had a lot to think about.

Perhaps she'd mull it over for a day or two, then ask for her knights to come along again. She still needed to ask Baobhan Sith about her progress, after all.

Yes, that sounds like a decent enough plan.