[FMMISM] Chapter 70: Retaliation?

Suddenly hearing the door knocking, Ragna and Artoria exchanged nervous glances.

"Who is it?"

Ragna carefully asked toward the door.

"It's me, Caster."

Of course, it was Morgan's voice.

Since Ragna, Artoria, and Irisviel were together in this room, Morgan was the only other person in the castle.

Ragna and Artoria glanced at each other, then he reluctantly released her waist.

[Let her in.]

Artoria said telepathically to Ragna.

As Ragna's Servants, Artoria and Morgan had their own telepathy channels, as well as a shared one among the three of them.

[...Huh? Are you serious?] Ragna's mouth twitched. 'I see you want me dead.'

He knew well that Morgan's emotion was especially sensitive when Artoria got too close to him. If she saw them together in bed, she would probably use some big magecraft directly, like summoning a meteor, to blow up the Einzbern Castle.

[...]

Artoria did not respond but lifted her hand to turn off the desk lamp.

With the only light source turned off, the room became completely pitch black.

[...Let her in.] Artoria repeated.

"..."

Given the current situation, Ragna had no better option and could only nod.

"Come in, Caster." Ragna called out.

"No, I won't come in. I just wanted to hear your voice. It's fine to just talk here."

'What the heck is happening?'

Ragna was momentarily taken aback but soon understood Morgan's intention.

Apparently, her behavior tonight was a bit like a girlfriend calling in the middle of the night just to be cute.

To Ragna, this adorable behavior made him feel both warm and happy.

'But… what's with this whole game of talking through the door?'

Ragna glanced at Irisviel, who was sound asleep by the bedside, and then it dawned on him—Morgan probably didn't want to see him and Irisviel lying in the same bed.

"..."

He suddenly felt a surge of guilt and a bit of shame.

'Sorry, Morgan... What I was doing just now was even worse than you imagined; I was secretly flirting with your little sister…'

"Could you come to this side of the door, Ragna?"

Realizing there was no response from inside, Morgan, unusually, did not use honorifics as she spoke.

Ragna quickly jumped out of bed and went to the door, placing his right hand on it.

"I'm here, Caster."

On the other side of the door, even though Morgan couldn't see inside the room, she placed her left hand on the door as well.

Surprisingly, their hands, separated by a thick door, overlapped each other. It was as if they could feel the warmth of each other's palms through the cold door, and they both shared a knowing smile.

This was something only Ragna and Morgan could do.

It had always been this way.

Somehow, there was no need for words between them—their understanding was almost instinctual.

"What about the Einzbern homunculus?" Morgan asked.

"Iri is already asleep."

"I see..." Morgan paused for a moment. "I'm a bit… unable to sleep."

Through the door, her voice was surprisingly cold and noble-sounding. If an ice fairy could speak, it would probably sound just like this.

"Why don't I come to your room before bed tomorrow night?" Ragna suggested.

'Tomorrow night… Why can't tonight?' Morgan's lashes trembled slightly with sadness. "Got it, Master. I'll allow you to stay in my room until midnight."

'Until midnight? Are you Cinderella or something?' Ragna thought speechlessly, then chuckled wryly. "By the way, aren't you cold standing out in the hallway?"

"It's fine. I'm used to this kind of temperature... Master, are you dressed properly though? Don't catch a cold after getting out of bed." Morgan's voice softened.

"Ahh, now that you mention it, I do feel a bit cold. I'll go grab a coat."

On the other side of the door, Morgan seemed somewhat pleased after hearing his response.

"Honestly, Master, whenever you're away from me, you always struggle with even the basic needs."

"Haha, yeah, I'm embarrassed. Wait a moment while I get some clothes. Don't go anywhere, okay? I'll be right back after—?!"

As Ragna turned around, his words abruptly stopped.

He suddenly felt two warm and soft things, carrying a familiar, alluring scent, pressing against the upper part of his face. Such arrogant and unyielding things were undoubtedly one of Britain's proud 'national treasures'.

While Ragna was focused on chatting with Morgan, Artoria had quietly approached him from behind and launched a surprise attack.

As the voluptuous body of the King of Knights pressed down on him, Ragna instinctively took a half-step back, causing his back to be firmly pressed against the door.

"What's wrong, Master?"

On the other side of the door, Morgan asked as she noticed something unusual inside the room.

"...No, it's nothing. Let's not bother with the coat. I want to chat with you a bit longer."

"No way, quickly put on a coat. If you catch a cold, I won't forgive you." Morgan's somewhat angry voice resounded.

'What's actually happening? Where did such a perfect woman come from? Morgan, you might as well consider becoming one of my moms.' Ragna was at a loss for words for a moment, then joked to himself.

"Forget it… If you catch a cold, I'll take responsibility for treating you. Just stay here and chat with me for a while." Morgan's voice came again.

"Okay..."

Ragna gently pushed away the troublesome Artoria and shot her a glare.

[What are you up to, Lancer?]

[Just retaliating against what you did on the bed earlier.]

[Come on, stop bothering me.]

Ragna turned back to face the door.

'Is it really just simple retaliation…?'

At the moment when he locked eyes with Artoria earlier, he seemed to see a suspicious light in her eyes.

Clearly, it was the King of Knight's unique competitive spirit and the jealousy of a goddess gained after her semi-transformation into a goddess.

Just as Ragna was about to say something, he suddenly felt a delightful, soft pressure on his shoulder—it was undoubtedly an embrace from behind.

Her chest pressed against his cervical spine.

Her lower abdomen pressed against his rear.

Artoria, with her aloof poker face, was doing to Ragna what he had done to her three minutes earlier. Even someone as perceptive as Morgan couldn't possibly imagine what was happening on the other side of the door.

With an expression of expectation in her blue eyes, Morgan spoke again.

"Master, let's go out for a bit before we head out for the investigation tomorrow night. I'm kind of in the mood to try something... Master, are you listening?"

"Ahh... Yeah, I'm listening."

Pinned from behind and too nervous to breathe, Ragna quickly replied. He put his right hand back on the door, aligning it with where Morgan's hand had been.

However, it seemed the greedy King of Knights wasn't planning on leaving even this small sanctuary for him.

[Wait... not there...] Artoria muttered telepathically.

[What are you talking about?] Ragna frowned.

Artoria exhaled a warm breath into his ear and then took his right hand, which was marked with the Command Spells of Lancer.

[Is this... mine?] Artoria muttered softly.

"Master?"

Morgan's slightly worried voice suddenly came from the other side of the door.

Ragna curled his lip, furrowing his brow in distress.

Imagining the lonely Morgan braving the cold air in the hallway outside while he was in the warm room pressed against his sister made Ragna realize that something degenerate was happening at this moment.