"Heave-ho—"
Shiomi hurled the last rune-etched stone into the desert just beyond the oasis.
As the stone landed, the prearranged boundary spell began to form around the oasis.
The barrier served three purposes: first, to ward off snakes, insects, and other desert pests; second, to block detection and observation, cloaking the area like a mirage that might be ignored or overlooked; and third, to act as a reverse radar—alerting Shiomi, the caster, to any Servant or person approaching.
Once everything was set, Shiomi returned to the center of the oasis to find the tents already pitched. Neither Morgan nor his master were the type to avoid manual tasks—if anything, trying to do it all himself would have been harder.
Still, he didn't see either of them nearby. Instead, he heard the sound of water from the pond.
Looking up, he saw Scáthach standing in the shallows, gathering her hair into a single bundle. Morgan was just emerging from the water, droplets sliding down her skin.
Bathed in moonlight, the two looked like flawless sculptures of white jade—beauty beyond the reach of even the most skilled artisan.
"Well, I guess we can't drink that water anymore... or maybe now it's finally worth drinking," Shiomi said, squatting by the pond and speaking to the two in the water.
"We've got plenty of fresh water and food," Scáthach replied with a smile.
Morgan traced a hand along her shoulder, tilting her head slightly. In her pale blue eyes shimmered a cold allure. "If you really want a drink, I won't stop you. But first, ask someone to leave, purify the water with magecraft, and let me soak in it again—"
"I was joking. Don't take it so seriously." Shiomi rubbed his nose. "After all that wind and sand, we do need a bath."
"You're not going to bathe?" Scáthach asked.
Shiomi hesitated. "Of course I am, but..."
Back in Chaldea, the three of them had never bathed together—let alone shared the same pool.
"But what?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.
"I figured you'd take turns," Shiomi said as he reached into the water. It was crystal clear—impossible to resist.
"These are unusual times. You can't afford to be picky," Scáthach said calmly. "Besides, when the female pharaoh Nitocris hosted us at Ozymandias' palace, we all shared a pool. Granted, it was with those girls."
"Ugh..." Shiomi let out a deeply regretful sigh before asking tentatively, "So... can I join you?"
"That depends on what my husband wants."
Everyone knew what was about to happen wasn't just a bath in the oasis. Shiomi felt the heat rising in his body, heart pounding faster.
He stripped down and stepped into the water, wrapping his arms around Morgan and his master, clinging to them like a parched traveler savoring his long-awaited oasis.
"Really... is it okay? All three of us?" Shiomi didn't hide his desire. After all, last night had felt like a series of separate encounters.
There was no answer—only a response that made even the cool water feel warm and heavy.
[No matter how you reject the forbidden realm of the gods, one day, you will become one.]
The Lion King's voice suddenly echoed in his ears, stirring unease.
So he held the two women he loved close, pouring everything he had into this moment—seeking, with the purest part of himself, to silence those haunting words lingering in his mind.
...
Lying on a blanket, he gazed up through the sparse canopy at the star-strewn sky of the Singularity, and the massive band of light suspended above.
The desert night wind brushed against their bare bodies, cooling the lingering heat.
"Is it just me, or were you even more intense than usual, my husband?" Morgan whispered beside his ear as Shiomi caught his breath.
"And more greedy too... like it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance," Scáthach murmured from his other side, resting her head on his arm. Her hair was tousled and clung to her face, red eyes brimming with affection.
There was no counting how many times they'd gone at it.
The open sky and bare earth stripped away restraint, sweeping them into unfiltered bliss.
Of course, they'd noticed it.
Shiomi's breathing gradually slowed. He let out a deep sigh, then wrapped his arms around them both.
"What happened with Artoria?" Morgan's voice carried a teasing edge, but there was a hint of danger in it. "Don't tell me it was more than just a ride around the countryside?"
"If that were the case, my beloved disciple would've told me already," Scáthach said, her tone suddenly hard to read.
It wasn't jealousy—it was something closer to quiet displeasure. Not directed at him, but at the Lion King.
"The reason the Lion King captured me was because she wants me to accompany her to the end," Shiomi confessed, revealing something he hadn't shared back in the village.
He'd originally intended to tell them in private when the moment felt right.
"She wants you?" Morgan's tone returned to its usual composed smoothness.
"Because of the authority I've come into contact with," Shiomi continued, "she believes that one day I'll become the same as her."
Scáthach gave a slight nod, her hair brushing gently against his neck. "That makes sense. After being consumed by the Holy Lance and turning into a god, she'd want someone who's also destined to reach the divine throne to accompany her."
"How discerning of her," Morgan murmured thoughtfully. "It's one thing to set her eyes on my husband... but she even plans to have him become a god alongside her."
Shiomi didn't comment on either woman's remarks. He simply spoke his truth.
"She said it doesn't matter how much I resist—one day I'll become a god. That thought... scares me."
Morgan slipped from his arms and half-sat beside him, leaning in to look him in the eyes.
"I see."
"So you tried to reject that future through human desire?" Scáthach asked, her tone understanding.
"But if that's all it takes, it just proves you still haven't lost your humanity," Morgan said as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Uh..." Shiomi noticed his master had sat up too.
With both of them gazing down at him, a chill ran down his spine, and his barely steady heartbeat began racing again.
"Realistically, accepting the Lion King's offer would be the most advantageous choice for you," Morgan said, her fingertip lightly touching his lips.
"I can't abandon you to survive alone. And I definitely can't turn a blind eye to the world's crisis," Shiomi replied, speaking from the heart.
What he wanted was a world full of life where the ones he loved could thrive—not an isolated, godlike existence at the end of all things.
"Then—" Morgan began slowly.
"—you deserve a reward," his master finished.
Their words once again snapped the last thread of reason in Shiomi's mind.
All that remained was the quiet, brilliant moonlight.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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