[FMMISM] Chapter 30: French Kiss

On a certain day, in a certain place on the island of Britain, a witch constructed the original ritual to reach the Root—the realization of the First Magic.

In the same year, in a place in the southern part of Jerusalem, a virgin named Mary gave birth to a baby boy—the birth of the Messiah, known as Jesus.

Later on, this year was defined as the first year of the Common Era.

This beginning altered everything, with the second and third changes following closely.

These changes included the homunculus known as the Holy Maiden of Winter, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.

In order to fulfill her family's sorrowful wishes, the holy maiden offered herself as a living sacrifice. Her physical connection to the Root was shattered by stone pillars, blood spreading across kilometers in a massive magic circle.

And so, the Holy Maiden of Winter became the centerpiece of the future Holy Grail War, known as the Cup of Heaven—the Holy Grail.

In Ragna's eyes, Justeaze was both a crude imitation and a shameless blasphemy of his own existence, yet she could also be considered his daughter.

For this reason, as a clone of Justeaze, Irisviel naturally became his daughter as well.

===

Artoria, Morgan, and the onlookers gawked in astonishment as Ragna and Irisviel engaged in a passionate French kiss right in the middle of the BBQ restaurant.

When Ragna finally released Irisviel's lips, she slumped to the ground as if all strength had left her.

"What are you... wait, no..."

Irisviel covered her mouth, staring incredulously at Ragna, her red eyes trembling uncontrollably.

"Shh..." Ragna smirked slightly, raising his index finger before the lips that had just violated Irisviel's mouth.

"Iri!"

Artoria, unable to bear it any longer, rushed to Irisviel's side, placing a hand in front of her and glaring fiercely at Ragna.

"Unknown Servant! What have you done to her?!"

Even Artoria, whose feelings were as calm as those of a god, was furious at seeing the princess she had sworn to protect insulted so publicly.

Morgan stood behind Ragna, wearing a mocking expression as she observed her sister, ready to intervene at any moment.

"I didn't do anything, really. Just engaging in casual greetings and exchanges. That's how we express affection where I come from."

Facing Artoria's threatening gaze and question, Ragna raised both hands defensively, as if emphasizing his nonexistent French origin.

In order to strengthen his argument, he added.

"Did you know, Lancer? Your sister and I communicate like this regularly, you know."

Hearing his nonsense, Morgan raised an eyebrow, silently expressing confusion.

On the other hand, Artoria gazed complexly at her sister, eventually showing a face that said, 'I'm starting to understand everything', somewhat accepting Ragna's explanation.

Taking advantage of the brainstorming among them, Ragna turned to Irisviel.

"Hey, Irisviel. Will you come with me?"

"Come with you? What do you mean?" Irisviel asked in a daze.

"Hahh, I can't stand this anymore..." Ragna sighed deeply before speaking with a somewhat serious tone. "My dear Iris, my lovely child... Seeing you, so innocent and pure, deceived by a man with a twisted mind, truly saddens me... That's why come with me. I'll give you a normal life. I promise that the three of us—me, you, and Illya—will live happily together."

'Another Sir Lancelot?!'

Artoria's mouth half-opened in shock, unconsciously recalling a purple-haired knight. She was left speechless by Ragna's absurdly blunt statement to snatch someone's wife.

At this moment, in the quiet restaurant, even the drop of a pin could be heard.

After a moment of silence, Irisviel spoke up.

"Don't insult Kiritsugu..."

Irisviel's momentary daze vanished instantly as she clenched her fists, glaring fiercely at Ragna.

"…And don't you dare mention Illya's name with your mouth."

"Ahh, sorry, that was quite rude of me." Ragna shrugged awkwardly, then turned to Morgan. "Looks like she is not in the best mood today. Let's call it a day here, Master."

"Do you think you can just strut out of here after what you've done?!" Artoria's fists tightened as she trembled, letting out a low growl.

"Hm? Do you want a kiss too, Lady Knight? Just kidding, don't glare at me like that… Your beautiful face would go to waste with that expression." Ragna remarked teasingly, then turned to Irisviel. "Whether I leave or not isn't up to you. Right, Iri?"

"?"

Artoria turned to Irisviel, who had her hand over her chest, head bowed in silence.

"Enough… Leave them be, Lancer..." Irisviel pursed her lips.

"But—"

"Enough already. We shouldn't cause a scene here. Just let them go." Irisviel cut her off.

"Bye-bye~ Until next time, my lovely Iri."

Ragna winked frivolously at Irisviel who blushed and turned her head away in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Let's aim to claim the Holy Grail this time, Arthur." Morgan wore a victorious smile and said with a mocking tone.

Under the deadly gaze of Artoria, Ragna and Morgan departed smoothly through the restaurant's main entrance.

===

"Master, I understand your strategy to control the Lesser Holy Grail, but wasn't your method too extreme?"

As the orange sunset cast its glow over the Fuyuki Bridge, dividing the city of Fuyuki in two, Ragna and Morgan were walking from Shinto towards their base in Miyama.

As they walked, Morgan calmly spoke about her perspective on Ragna's recent actions.

"By contaminating her through a kiss, you're aiming to dominate the Lesser Holy Grail. Once the fallen six Servants enter her body, you'll seize control, erase her personality, and gain full control over the Grail."

"In this way, you'll directly win the Holy Grail War. Truly a perfect strategy, Master."

"Should I have offered my blood for her to drink instead?" Ragna, with hands in pockets, remarked and seemed unconcerned about what had just happened.

Morgan's speculation was mostly correct, except he had no intention of erasing Irisviel's personality. On the contrary, he ensured she could maintain herself after receiving the fallen Servants.

Ragna simply wanted a fail-safe—to ensure no one could make a wish.

"Although it's indeed a perfect strategy, your approach was too conspicuous, Master." Morgan calmly continued. "By doing that, you've already alerted the Lesser Holy Grail and Lancer. Do you think they'll sit idly by? Once the Einzberns check her body, they'll surely notice something's amiss. If that happened, your efforts are futile."

Upon hearing that, Ragna chuckled in response.

"Heh, that remains to be seen..."

Ragna truly couldn't imagine Irisviel telling Kiritsugu that she had been kissed by a boy, but Instead of resisting, she found herself enjoying it, even extending her own tongue.