[FMMISM] Chapter 60: Morgan's Unwillingness

Meanwhile, on the other side, Morgan's mood had plunged to the bottom.

Not only her long-awaited 'sister training plan' was in ruins, but her sister was also shamelessly giving her Master a warm and affectionate look!

Naturally, all of this made Morgan furious.

Soon enough, the witch's negative emotions quickly turned into action.

[Ahh, it hurts! Tsk! Caster, why are you pinching me?!]

Ignoring Ragna's complaint, Morgan glared at Artoria, sending a telepathic message with a forced smile.

[Master, say something to piss off Arthur.]

[…Huh?] Ragna was speechless.

[Arthur wants to join us, right? Just give her a hard time. Knights like her are easy to provoke… Master, show me your manly side and make her cry!] Morgan said with a firm voice.

She had to admit that when it came to flattery and provoking others, Ragna was the most skilled she had ever encountered.

Since she was one of the biggest victims of his dirty mouth, often driven to frustration by him, she was certain that his words could easily turn Artoria from an ally into an enemy.

'How should I humiliate her?' Ragna looked confused. 'Maybe, something like—Artoria, we had already obtained the Holy Grail before you joined us…?'

In the end, he shook his head and rejected Morgan's demands.

[No way. Why should I make her angry? You handle that yourself. Aren't you the one who is on bad terms with her?]

Originally, Ragna had hoped Morgan would put on a show of teaching his sister a lesson but since Artoria had already joined his side willingly, offending her was something he was unwilling to do.

[Didn't you promise me you'd make Arthur my toy? Are you really going to break your promise?] Morgan said frustratedly.

[Duh, that's beyond my control. Who knew she'd be so reasonable?]

Ragna rolled his eyes.

[By the way, wasn't I the one who brought us victory? Caster, you didn't contribute much in this battle.]

Changing the subject, Ragna began critiquing Morgan's performance on tonight's battle.

[Hah? Master, are you serious? It was me who faced Arthur head-on. It was also me who used my Command Spell to teleport you to the location of Arthur's Master, and you dare say I did not contribute much?]

Just as she said, Morgan's role in this victory was certainly no less significant than Ragna's.

Her quick use of the Command Spell to move Ragna directly into Kiritsugu's position right after he was shot by the sniper rifle was considered the best move for this battle.

In fact, this wasn't a pre-planned strategy at all but a spontaneous move.

Morgan quickly grasped Ragna's intention after seeing his smile as he was shot and made an impromptu assist. Without her swift reaction and excellent teamwork, they wouldn't have achieved such a smooth victory.

By the way, after Ragna had taken Kiritsugu's Command Spells, Morgan impatiently took one of them and refilled her own used Command Spell.

'Seriously, it's just a Command Spell... what a petty woman.'

After thinking that, Ragna was about to retort to Morgan when Artoria suddenly spoke up again.

"...Caster's Master. If you want me to obey you, there must be one condition. If you cannot accept this condition, I fear we won't be compatible."

"Condition?" Ragna squinted his eyes and began to ponder. 'It's probably some boring condition like not involving civilians in the fight, right?'

[Good! Master, refuse her, quickly!]

Morgan, realizing there was still a chance, looked excited.

Artoria, with a gentle gaze, looked at the dejected Irisviel beside her and calmly said, "As long as you can ensure Iri's safety, this lance shall be your strength."

"..."

Upon hearing the condition, Ragna was truly at a loss for words. After all, even if she hadn’t said it, that was what he had been planning from the beginning anyway.

After reading the answer from Ragna's expression, Artoria finally lowered her last bit of guard.

She walked up to him and extended her hand.

"Well then, I look forward to working with you, Master."

[No way! You can't shake her hand!] Morgan suddenly grabbed the corner of Ragna's clothes, her eyes filled with reluctance.

In fact, she herself vaguely understood why she was so resistant to Artoria.

She had become so sensitive, not because the other person was King Arthur, with whom she was always at odds, but because she believed that she alone should be Ragna’s one and only official Servant.

Glaring at her sister’s hand reaching out to her Master, Morgan gritted her teeth, her heart filled with unwillingness.

'Are you going to take away what's rightfully mine again, Arthur!' Morgan screamed inside her mind.

Ragna, whose clothes were about to be torn by Morgan's hand, clicked his tongue and telepathically said, [...Morgan, please don't make a fuss.]

"..." Morgan bit her lower lip.

'Hmm?'

As Artoria observed the pair of Master and Servant leaning together, she found Ragna's strange expression particularly perplexing.

She first looked at the boy, then at her sister beside him, who was fluffed up like a wild cat, before finally realizing something.

"Hmm… Could it be that you don’t actually welcome me, Master?” Artoria asked with a teasing expression.

"Impossible!"

Ragna quickly stood up, rubbing his hands eagerly.

"It's truly an honor to be the Master of the King of Knights. I've been a fan of yours for a long time, y'know. Unfortunately, there was no need for a handshake. Since Caster doesn't want me to shake your hand, I've decided to respect her wishes."

"!!!"

Morgan looked at him in disbelief.

'Why… is it like this? He didn’t accept Arthur’s goodwill and is actually going along with my whims and selfishness?'

She was completely unprepared for this turn of events, causing her heart to race and fill her thoughts with an almost overwhelming sweetness.

"...Hmm." Artoria raised an eyebrow. "I see... It seems Caster holds quite a bit of weight in your heart. Truly worthy of my sister, who excels in politics and conspiracy, manipulating men like puppets."

"Hmph..."

Instead of anger, Morgan took her sister's sarcastic remark as a compliment

In the next instant, she lowered her head like a little girl, hiding the bright flush on her face in the darkness.

"Ahh, I'm heading back! This damn forest is freezing!"

Hugging herself with her arms, Morgan made an excuse and fled toward the castle deep in the forest.

"Yeah, let's head back."

Ragna agreed as he followed, with Irisviel and Artoria close behind.

===

"By the way, I was quite curious earlier... Master, why does your Command Spells look like that?"

On the way back to the Einzbern Castle, Artoria suddenly slowed her pace and struck up a conversation with Ragna, who was walking at the rear of the group.

"Huh? What's wrong with my Command Spells?"

Ragna looked at the Command Spells he got from Kiritsugu and found that they didn't seem particularly unusual.

"It looks very strange." Artoria nodded.

"Strange? Really?" Ragna placed his hand between himself and her, examining it under the moonlight.

At this moment, Artoria silently extended her hand.

Her long, slender fingers, wrapped in blue knight's gloves, suddenly grasped his small hand—tightly and forcefully, their fingers interlocked—though, of course, where Morgan couldn't see.

'What—?!'

Experiencing something unexpected, Ragna was speechless and found his heart racing.

Although similarly soft and boneless, unlike the cold and smooth touch of her elder sister, Artoria's hand was filled with warmth and strength.

Ragna anxiously glanced at Morgan ahead, then turned back to see Artoria's composed face.

Artoria expressionlessly examined the small hand she was holding and the Command Spells on its back, symbolizing their connection.

"Sorry, I must have been mistaken. Your Command Spells don't seem to have any issues. They're actually quite delicate and beautiful."

With that, Artoria glanced at his sister's back and gave the boy a meaningful smile.

"Let's go, my Master... We would not want to worry my sister, would we?"