[FMMISM] Chapter 65: Mine or My Sister?

After the kissing incident, Artoria did not speak a single word to Ragna for the entire day.

No matter how earnestly he tried to talk to her, he only received a turned-away face with a look of anger.

Seeing her like this, Ragna realized he had gone too far.

After all, it was Artoria's first kiss, so even someone as low as Ragna began to regret his rash actions.

Because of this, the two of them wandered around Shinto and Miyama in silence for the whole day.

Unfortunately, since the daytime investigation yielded no results, by 5 PM, they were walking through the forest to return to the Einzbern Castle, with Artoria and Ragna maintaining a two-meter distance from each other.

"Let's just pretend nothing happened today once we're back at the castle."

As they got closer to the castle, Artoria decided to speak, but she did so while walking, without turning her head toward Ragna.

"Master, you didn't do anything wrong, so please don't feel guilty. I'm just angry because I'm still immature, nothing more."

Artoria's voice was calm and indifferent.

"Nonetheless, with this, we're even now. Let's continue as allies in the Holy Grail War."

"Got it. If you dislike me, then so be it." Ragna replied calmly.

"..."

Artoria suddenly stopped in her tracks, her golden eyebrows twitching slightly. After a moment of silence, she turned to Ragna, took a deep breath, and asked an unexpected question.

"Which lips… did you find more satisfying? Mine or my sister?"

'What the hell? What kind of question is that?' Ragna was speechless, his mouth twitching. "No… I haven't even kissed your sister."

"?!"

Upon hearing his answer, Artoria's fair and beautiful face suddenly turned a brilliant crimson, even reaching her ears.

"I see... I've noted today's events, Master. Just remember, though, insulting a woman's dignity will eventually make you pay a heavy price."

"Mm..." Ragna nodded slightly with a smile and thought, 'Well, I like it when you're so stubborn. Keep it coming.'

"Oh? Did I hear that right? Did my Master do something insulting to a woman's dignity today?"

Suddenly, another voice chimed in, causing the atmosphere to swiftly change.

Before long, a graceful figure slowly emerged from the shadow.

"I can't just pretend I didn't hear it. Let me, as your elder sister, take care of this for you, Arthur."

Looking at Artoria, Morgan stated lightly, her expression calm.

Morgan's arms were crossed over her chest, her words seemingly considerate, but she radiated an aura that pushed people away, breaking the tension between Ragna and Artoria.

'…Why isn't she staying in the castle? What's she doing out here?'

Seeing Morgan's sudden appearance, Ragna felt a shiver run down his spine.

Clearly, the best strategy for this trouble, according to Sun Tzu's Thirty-Six Stratagems, was to withdraw.

While the two sisters were locked in a gaze, Ragna quietly slipped behind Morgan and stealthily began making his way back toward the castle.

Unfortunately—

"Good evening, Master."

Morgan's voice from behind seemed to magically pin Ragna in place.

"…Ahh." Ragna turned around with a forced smile, greeting her. "Yo, I'm back, Caster. Did you come out specifically to greet me? I'm so happy!"

"Isn't that obvious? I certainly didn't come out to greet Lancer." Morgan said coldly. "So, Master, what did you do to her during the day?"

As she approached earlier, she had overheard part of Ragna and Artoria's conversation.

She heard vaguely that her sister had asked her Master which was more satisfying between her and her sister.

What exactly were they discussing?

What did Ragna say in response?

Morgan was extremely curious and anxious about it.

"Hahh..."

Ragna sighed helplessly, not wanting to lie to her.

"It's nothing. There's nothing worth mentioning."

Artoria suddenly answered on his behalf.

She glanced at Ragna for a moment and then met Morgan's gaze.

"We didn't come across any leads on Assassin during the day, and nothing really noteworthy happened."

"Hmm... really nothing at all?" Morgan raised an eyebrow, casting a skeptical look at her sister's beautiful face.

Shaking her head, Artoria's lips curled into a slight sneer.

"You're so suspicious, Caster. Do you not even trust your own Master?"

"Hmph."

Morgan was well aware that her sister’s words were merely a form of deception; after all, Ragna, the one in question, hadn’t said anything yet.

However, she chose not to pursue the matter further since persisting would only make her seem like an annoying woman to Ragna.

Since Morgan's homunculus maids hadn't arrived at the Einzbern Castle yet, dinner was still takeout. She planned to take Ragna out to the city for dinner and to conduct some nighttime investigation.

At this point, the three of them began discussing the shift change in the garden in front of the castle.

After a day of observation, Ragna and Artoria found that the disappearance of Zealot was clearly not simple.

Currently, the Holy Grail War had reached its halfway point, with the remaining Masters being Tokiomi, Kirei, Kayneth, and Waver—a total of four.

Earlier in the day, as Ragna and Artoria inspected the Tohsaka residence, where Tokiomi resided, and the church, where Kirei resided, the magical energy traces left by Zealot were still intact.

In other words, excluding the possibility that they had deliberately ignored Zealot, they probably had not noticed her repeated intrusions. From this, the likelihood that she was captured by either of these two people was quite low.

"In the first place, why capture Assassin? If it's an enemy Master, it would be better to just eliminate her directly. Besides, capturing an Assassin-class Servant who is most skilled at escaping from imprisonment—being counter-attacked by her later wouldn't be surprising... No matter how I see it, the risk is too high..." Artoria muttered to herself, resting her chin on her hand.

"Yeah, I also feel like there's more to it." Ragna nodded in agreement.

He recalled the plot of the Fourth Holy Grail War and still couldn't figure out who or why Zealot was captured.

"In any case, the remaining Masters to investigate are El-Melloi and his student. Let's visit them tonight." Morgan pointed out.

"Well then, my work ends here for today." Artoria nodded her head. "The night shift is up to you."

With that, she turned and walked toward the entrance door of the Einzbern Castle.

"Oh, by the way, Caster."

Artoria suddenly stopped, turning her face towards the witch.

"Now I kind of understand why you're so obsessed with matters between men and women."

"...Huh?"

Morgan frowned, clearly confused.