The Master of Masters strolled casually down Chaldea's hallways, humming "My Sanctuary" from Kingdom Hearts II, his voice a mixture of tune and playfulness. His steps faltered when he spotted something interesting: two familiar faces—or at least, similar faces. Lancer Artoria and Lancer Artoria Alter were having a calm discussion by the wall. His curiosity piqued, he decided to approach them.

"Greetings, Artoria, and uh… Artoria?" he called out cheerfully, waving a hand.

Both Lancers turned to face him as their expressions quickly shifted to confused frowns. They exchanged a glance, clearly perplexed by the stranger who seemed to know their names—or something like that.

Artoria Lancer spoke first. "Do I know you?"

"Nope! But I know you," the Master of Masters replied with a grin, pointing a finger in her direction, then toward Alter. "And you. Sort of. It's getting hard to keep track with all the look-alikes running around here. You're everywhere!"

The two Lancers raised their brows.

"L-look-alikes?" Alter asked, her voice edged with annoyance.

The Master of Masters clasped his hands behind his back, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah! Let's see… there's the one with the swimsuit who seems like she'd love to eliminate all her doppelgängers. Then there's that adorable one who calls herself 'Ecchan'—still not sure what that's about. Oh, and that Saber Lily one! She's like sunshine in a bottle. There's a caster-y version of you, all magic and whimsy. And don't even get me started on the one obsessed with burgers!"

The Lancers stared at him in silence. The sheer casualness of his assessment—and the clear lack of awareness for how inappropriate it was—left them momentarily speechless.

The Master of Masters tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I mean, at this point, I'm starting to wonder if our Master has a thing for you lot. Is this a fetish? Or—"

Before he could finish, a hand clapped down on his shoulder, causing him to jump and yelp in surprise. He spun around to find Merlin, who wore his usual smug grin.

"Ah, I see you've discovered the truth," Merlin said dramatically, leaning close. "Our dear Master is, indeed, what you might call... a harem protagonist!"

"A harem what-now?" the Master of Masters asked, tilting his head.

"You see," Merlin continued, his tone dripping with mischief, "our Master's ability to summon an army of Artorias is no accident. It's fate, a romantic destiny! Truly, a man—or woman—of refined taste!"

The Master of Masters blinked, utterly baffled, but decided to roll with it. "Huh. So that's what's going on. Makes sense, I guess."

"It does not!" Lancer Alter snapped. "What nonsense are you two spouting?!"

Artoria Lancer crossed her arms, glaring at Merlin. "Do you always have to cause trouble, Merlin?"

"Of course," Merlin said with a wink, "it's what I do best!"

The Master of Masters raised his hands defensively, taking a step back. "Hey, don't look at me! I'm just the new guy. Blame the harem wizard."

The two Lancers exchanged a look before stepping forward menacingly.

Merlin leaned toward the Master of Masters, whispering conspiratorially, "Time to run?"

"Time to run," the Master of Masters agreed with a nervous chuckle.

Moments later...

After several minutes of sprinting through the halls of Chaldea, narrowly avoiding the wrath of the two Lancer Artorias, Merlin and the Master of Masters finally came to a stop in a quiet corner. Both men leaned against the wall, catching their breaths, their earlier playful demeanor momentarily subdued.

Merlin glanced at his companion, his eyes narrowing as an air of curiosity replaced his usual mischief. "You know," he began, his tone uncharacteristically serious, "there's something that's been bugging me ever since you showed up here, Moon Cancer."

The Master of Masters, still catching his breath, tilted his head toward Merlin with a casual, "Oh? What's that, Flowery Foresight Guy?"

Merlin ignored the jab. "Who are you really?"

The question hung in the air, the change in tone catching the Master of Masters slightly off guard. He blinked at Merlin, his usual playful smile wavering before he recovered.

"Who am I?" the Master of Masters repeated, placing a hand on his chest theatrically. "Why, I'm just a humble scholar, here to observe and learn! Totally harmless, not causing any trouble at all."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You're harmless? Please. I've seen you poke at people's nerves, stir up chaos, and leave a trail of confusion wherever you go. That's not the behavior of someone who's simply 'harmless.'"

"Poke? Stir? Trail? You make it sound so dramatic," the Master of Masters said, chuckling as he waved a hand dismissively. "I'm just a guy who likes to ask questions and… maybe have a little fun along the way. It's not my fault people get all riled up!"

Merlin crossed his arms, leaning slightly closer. "You're deflecting, aren't you? Every time someone tries to pin you down, you slip away with a joke or some cryptic nonsense. You're hiding something."

The Master of Masters gave an exaggerated gasp, clutching his chest as if wounded. "Me? Hiding? Oh, Merlin, you wound me. I'm an open book! Well, maybe more of a half-written scroll. But still!"

Merlin's gaze didn't waver, his tone firm but not unkind. "You've been summoned as a Moon Cancer, a class tied to contradictions and enigmas. That alone tells me there's more to you than meets the eye. So, what's the truth?"

The Master of Masters' playful demeanor faltered for a brief moment, just a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. Then, he broke into a wide grin, spinning around dramatically.

"The truth, my dear wizard, is that the truth is boring!" he declared. "Why spoil the mystery? Where's the fun in that? You should focus on the big picture, not little ol' me."

Merlin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're exhausting, you know that?"

"Exhausting? Pfft! I prefer entertaining," the Master of Masters quipped, giving Merlin a playful nudge.

"Fine," Merlin said, stepping back with a resigned shrug. "But don't think I'll stop asking. I have a feeling your 'little ol' me' act is hiding something much bigger."

The Master of Masters simply gave him a cheeky wink. "And I have a feeling you're too nosy for your own good."

As the two men shared a moment of mutual exasperation and amusement, the Master of Masters glanced down the hall, his voice turning softer. "But hey, if it makes you feel better, let's just say I've got my reasons for keeping things under wraps. Not everything needs to be spelled out, right?"

Merlin studied him for a moment before nodding slowly. "For now, I'll let it go. But I'm watching you, Moon Cancer."

"Aw, you care!" the Master of Masters teased, strolling away with his hands behind his head. "Don't worry, Merlin. I'm just here to make sure things stay… interesting."

Merlin watched him leave, shaking his head with a small smile. "Interesting, indeed."

Then Master of Masters jogged back to Merlin with an exaggerated grin, his hands on his hips, he asked, "Alright, Merlin, I've got a question for you. Which Artoria do you think our Master has the best chance with? You know, the whole 'romantic potential' thing?" He leaned in, giving Merlin a knowing look. "Is it Saber? Is it Alter? Or maybe… someone else?"

Merlin, who had been attempting to relax after their earlier chase, was already preparing his response when a voice like ice-cold fury interrupted the conversation.

"Merlin!"

Both men froze as the unmistakable voice of Morgan Le Fay cut through the air. She was storming down the hall with a glare so fierce it could melt steel.

Master of Masters immediately recoiled as he slowly turned toward her. Merlin, on the other hand, merely sighed, his face taking on a resigned expression.

"I knew this was coming…" Merlin muttered under his breath.

Morgan stopped just a few feet away, her arms crossed and her face livid. "Merlin, you absolute troublemaker! Did you think I wouldn't find out about that prank you pulled earlier?" Her voice was sharp, like a whip cracking through the air.

Merlin scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ah, Morgan, it was just a little harmless fun—nothing too major, right? You know I'm always joking around."

Morgan's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Harmless? You switched my potions, Merlin! I had to spend hours cleaning up your mess!"

"Oh, come on! I just swapped the labels. I didn't expect you to be so dramatic about it," Merlin grinned sheepishly. "It's not like anything really bad happened."

"Really?" Morgan's voice rose as she took a threatening step forward. "You ruined my whole afternoon!"

Master of Masters, who had been quietly watching the exchange with a slight smirk, suddenly cleared his throat and chimed in. "I must admit, Merlin, I did wonder what your deal was with pranks… but you've really outdone yourself this time." He then raised his hands, playfully adding, "I mean, at least I didn't get involved this time, right?"

Morgan's gaze snapped toward him, and she gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "You." She pointed directly at him. "You're no better. Just another pawn in Merlin's games, aren't you?"

Master of Masters blinked. "Pawn? Pawn?" He put a hand over his chest dramatically. "I'll have you know, my dear, that I am no mere pawn. I am far too important to be someone's pawn."

Morgan's glare intensified. "That's rich, coming from someone who's been running around causing nothing but trouble since his arrival."

"Hey, I'm a scholar, not a troublemaker!" Master of Masters defended, raising his hands in protest. "I merely enjoy the chaos of things. What's wrong with that?"

Morgan took a step closer. "What's wrong with it is that you're a distraction. Both of you are. You've been nothing but a nuisance since you arrived. I'm going to put you both in your place!"

"Run!" Merlin told his comrade who literally screamed like a little girl and sprinted down the hallway.