[FMMISM] Chapter 14: Journey Back to Tokyo

Crackle!

As the roaring blaze turned tonight's darkness into a fiery orange hue, the centuries-old mansion of the Matou family finally crumbled to dust.

Like the city of sin, Sodom, it burned for its wicked deeds.

Needless to say, the one who set the fire was none other than Ragna, the boy who had wreaked havoc in the Matou residence.

In his hands was a thick stack of Matou family property deeds he had scavenged, making him rich overnight.

Beside him, Morgan stood in the night, her cold, blue eyes watching indifferently as the luxurious mansion succumbed to flames.

By the way, Morgan was just like Artoria in the original work, couldn't use the spiritual form because she was still alive.

"Why do something like this? Creating such a commotion—other mages participating in the Holy Grail War are bound to notice." Morgan asked, not accusing or advising, just genuinely curious.

Even for her, a woman who had dived into the world of magecraft all her life, the thoughts and mindsets of Beasts were a completely unknown domain.

"Well, I was deeply impressed by the scene in the game I played before, so I wanted to try it out early... Yeah, It really is quite a sight." Ragna replied to her in a casual tone. "Isn't it touching to see the last trace of the 800-year-old Zolgen family disappear from this planet?" 

Morgan, who had lived as a witch for over 1500 years, should have some thoughts about this.

"...Hmph, insects like them are better off dead and clean." Morgan seemed to not care.

"Alright, let's go back."

After looking at the flames, Ragna walked to the station with his hands in his pockets.

"By the way, Caster, have you ever played Red Dead Redemption 2?"

"...No."

Of course not, this was still in 1994 after all.

"What a shame, the protagonist's name is really interesting, you know?"

===

Walking through the night, Morgan was clad in a revealing dress that accentuated her fair skin and sinuous curves, her creamy legs peeking out from beneath the skirt.

Particularly eye-catching was a deep red tattoo on her exposed midriff, yet no one seemed to pay her any attention along the way.

Without a doubt, she must have been using some magecraft to obscure people's awareness.

"Hey Caster, if you can, could you teach me too? I want to learn hypnosis magecraft like that, definitely won't use it for weird stuff!"

After half an hour's walk, Ragna and Morgan boarded the night bus bound for Tokyo without a hitch.

"Master, how much do you know about the participants in this Holy Grail War?"

Morgan asked as soon as they settled into the bus's soft seats, clearly ignoring his request to teach him magecraft.

Resting her chin on her hand, legs elegantly crossed, Morgan gazed out the window at the swiftly retreating scenery. Her ample bosom subtly trembled with the bus's movements, its perfect curves blending seamlessly with her slender waist, tracing countless alluring lines.

Watching Morgan beside him, Ragna felt somewhat moved by her diligence for work, even though it was already 1 AM.

He quickly organized his thoughts and then answered.

"Sorry, I have absolutely no idea... All I know is that the Master of the Tohsaka family might, possibly, maybe, their family head...?"

"...Is that so."

Morgan pursed her vibrant lips as she saw him pretending to be ignorant.

Did he think she was a fool? She could see he was spouting nonsense.

"No, wait... I remember reading in some world of magecraft-related newspaper last month that El-Melloi from the Clock Tower's Department of Mineralogy seemed to announce his participation in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War..."

Of course, Ragna made it up.

Even if there were academic journals in the world of magecraft, like those in nature and science, they would only circulate internally within the Clock Tower—something outsiders like Ragna would never get to see.

After all, magecraft, unlike science, was fundamentally secretive.

With its truths held by only a few, its value became all the more precious.

As for why he didn't inform Morgan about the participants, it wasn't because he tried to conceal his identity as a transmigrator or something; he just wanted to see her vexed expression as she pondered over it.

"Foreign mages are fine but no matter how illustrious their background may be, outsiders can never win against the hosts in the end..." Ragna continued.

'Unless they encounter cunning monsters like you, who exceed expectations.' Morgan retorted inwardly, silently glancing at him with a playful smirk on her face.

Turning her gaze back to the night scenery outside the bus window on the highway, Morgan spoke up.

"The three founding families of Fuyuki Holy Grail are Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern, right? The Matou family, who created the Command Spell system, has been wiped out by you tonight."

"Of the remaining two, the Tohsaka family manages the ley lines of Fuyuki, providing the battlefield for the Holy Grail War."

"And the last one, Einzbern—they are the ones responsible for the Holy Grail."

"If my guess is correct, they will send a homunculus to Fuyuki as the vessel to absorb the fallen Servants and summon the Greater Holy Grail."

Upon hearing her long words, Ragna blinked his eyes and clapped his hands in realization.

"I see! So, the Master from the Einzbern family is the vessel of the Holy Grail! Gotcha!"

"Impossible."

Morgan glanced at him, speaking bluntly.

"Homunculus is just an artificial being, not a Beast. How could they contain fallen Servants without side effects? A puppet made to be a Lesser Holy Grail will gradually lose human characteristics as it absorbs more Servants throughout the battle, eventually becoming an inhuman object."

"How could they possibly perform Master's duties in combat in that kind of state? If it were me, I'd prepare different people to act as the Master."

"Is that so? Umu, hearing you say that, it does seem to make sense." Ragna lightly clapped his hands. "Impressive! You truly deserve to be called a Caster! Now, please teach me hypnosis magecraft!"

"I don't see how that relates to hypnosis magecraft." Morgan pursed her lips slightly.

Although she knew her Master was pretending to be ignorant, she still somewhat enjoyed being flattered. It was the first time someone had been so completely supportive toward her, even if it wasn't entirely sincere, it was enough to make her feel happy.

"Speaking of hypnosis magecraft... I think I'm getting a bit sleepy... Haaah..." Ragna gave a big yawn. "Caster, the bus won't get to Tokyo until tomorrow noon so I'm going to sleep for a bit."

"...Understood. I'll keep an eye on the surroundings. You can sleep soundly." Morgan responded calmly.

"Nope. You're human too, so you need sleep. No need to do all that, just get some rest."

Upon hearing that, Morgan, a bit surprised, quickly turned her gaze from the window to look at Ragna.

"..."

"Did I say something wrong?" Ragna asked with raised eyebrows as he saw her looking at him with a somewhat surprised gaze.

"No, you didn't."

Morgan gently shook her head before closing her eyes with a faint smile.

"Good night, Master."