"I just can't seem to settle down..." Shiomi said. "Camelot... the Lion King's side is too quiet. It's hard to feel at ease."
The sand buggy sped through the boundless desert, heading toward the territory of Ozymandias. Shiomi sat at the wheel, speaking to the two beside him as he drove.
"Maybe Camelot's already preparing to activate the Rhongomyniad," said Scáthach, reclining against the side of the buggy. Her hair fluttered in the scorching desert wind.
Morgan crossed her left leg over her right, poised and graceful. "That would be a foolish assumption, Scáthach. The Holy Lance signifies the Tower at the End. Once activated, its location becomes the world's boundary. If Artoria fully initiates the Tower at the End, this entire Singularity will begin collapsing. In the end, not even the city may remain—perhaps only the central tower will be left behind."
"So you're saying the Holy Lance hasn't been activated yet?" Scáthach asked.
"Of course not. A fortress was lost, and Mordred's defection aside, the overall damage is minor," Morgan replied with a composed smile. "Now that she's aware I can wield the Holy Lance too, it makes far more sense to fall back to Camelot and wait for our attack. That's a much more strategic move."
Conserving strength while forcing the enemy to make the first move.
"Then let them wait a bit longer," Shiomi murmured.
...
After a day of rest in the eastern village, Shiomi departed for Ozymandias' territory the next day.
Morgan and Scáthach had spent the entire day debating who would accompany him—until late into the night. In the end, they agreed to go together at Shiomi's suggestion.
Of course, getting them to accept the idea had required quite a bit of effort. Shiomi had to do everything he could to satisfy both of them before they finally relented.
Following the Round Table Fortress battle, Camelot rapidly pulled back its forces from across the Singularity and concentrated them in the Holy City to strengthen its defenses in preparation for a final confrontation.
As a result, the road from the mountain region into the desert was completely deserted—not a single patrolling Enforcement Knight or Knight of the Round Table in sight.
Shiomi relayed these findings to Sakura in the mountain village, and the forces stationed there also began their advance, slowly marching toward the Holy City.
Once Shiomi confirmed whether an alliance with Ozymandias could be formed, they would launch a full-scale assault on the Holy City, adjusting their strategy based on the finalized troop strength.
"Even though we have five Servants on our side, our overall combat strength is still inferior to Camelot's. Attacking the city won't be easy. If the enemy takes advantage of our march and launches a cavalry raid led by the Knights of the Round Table, it could turn into a serious problem," Morgan said, looking at Scáthach.
"What are you getting at?" Scáthach raised an eyebrow.
"We should head back now and regroup with the others. That way, we can help ease the pressure they might be facing," Morgan suggested.
Scáthach slowly nodded, looking as if she agreed. "In that case, it's better for you to return. The main force will stay here on standby. If capable Magus assist in setting up the position, defense will be much easier."
The tension in the air was palpable, and Shiomi, sensing the metaphorical gunpowder from behind, fell silent.
Ultimately, these were all just assumptions. Camelot hadn't made a move yet, and if they truly launched a preemptive strike, Morgan could always use Water Mirror magecraft or teleportation to return the three of them to base quickly and prepare to counterattack.
In the end, it was clear Morgan and his teacher were just trying to send each other away.
"Hahaha..." Shiomi let out an awkward laugh to break the tension. "Sorry, Morgan. Since it was my idea to have the three of us visit the territory of the Sun King together, please don't argue with Master."
"Why apologize, my husband?" Morgan looked genuinely puzzled.
Shiomi sighed. "It's rare for us to get a chance to travel alone. The last time it was just the two of us was when we went to Gray's village."
He knew this decision, while helping to ease last night's conflict, wouldn't fully satisfy Morgan.
"Don't get the wrong idea, my husband. I don't mind things like this," Morgan said casually, adjusting her sun-shielding hood. "I'm just shooing away unnecessary company."
"...Did you have to be that blunt?" Shiomi couldn't help but turn back.
But then he saw his master was smiling as well. "If I really had an issue, your idea wouldn't have been approved in the first place."
"Fair enough," Shiomi murmured, turning back to face forward again.
"And speaking of being alone..." Morgan's tone suddenly turned distant and wistful.
"What?"
Morgan fell silent mid-sentence, instantly piquing Shiomi's curiosity.
"Nothing. You'll find out when the time comes," she said, shaking her head lightly.
During that long pilgrimage, even though she eventually gained many companions, only one person had remained by her side from beginning to end.
"Now that's really suspicious," Scáthach said teasingly, not quite denying her interest.
She had already more or less figured it out—Morgan, who had stayed by her disciple's side as a Servant, had likely come from a future point in time.
The so-called Fourth Holy Grail War was probably just a convenient excuse to cover the truth.
And that truth, Scáthach was sure, had something to do with her beloved disciple.
"Even if you're dying to know, I won't say a word. Why don't you use that Wisdom of Dún Scáith of yours and take a guess?" Morgan said with a faint, amused smile.
Scáthach rested her chin on one hand. "I'm not interested in obvious stories, especially not ones involving my disciple."
"Trying to cover up your lack of insight with excuses?"
"Wisdom should be used on more meaningful pursuits—not for idle speculation."
As the two exchanged jabs again, Shiomi began to understand. Morgan and his master didn't actually hate each other; they just found each other annoying.
Of course... thinking about it like that might still be a little harsh.
But that was his fate. At least their bickering served as decent entertainment on the road.
Anything was better than becoming their mutual target.
They had set out in the morning, crossing mountains and deserts in a sand buggy. A fast-paced journey like this could only work with this particular lineup.
"Oh? We're here already?" Morgan said.
The outline of the Sun King's territory had just begun to emerge at the edge of the desert. The sun was nearly set.
She was referring to the oasis where they had previously stopped to rest.
"It's already this late. Why don't we spend the night at the oasis and head to meet the Sun King tomorrow?" Scáthach said as she lightly lifted her hood. "That buggy was hardly comfortable. My beloved disciple, you'll have to give me a proper massage."
"...Rare to agree with you," Morgan said flatly.
Shiomi wasn't sure how sincere that was, but he kept his mouth shut and obediently entered the oasis to set up camp.