IBHJ Chapter 977

Shirou was curious about the matter between Morgan le Fay and Koyanskaya, so he asked her about it.

"That stinking fox and I? Don't even get me started!" Morrigan gritted her teeth, her face clouded with anger. "Although I met Hinako because of her, she's easily the most despicable person I've ever met. Well, second only to you."

He blinked, taken aback. "Second to me? Geez, what'd I do to earn that honor?"

"You really need to ask?" she scoffed. "To win my trust, you stole—" She cut herself off abruptly, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Stole what?" he frowned. "The throne? I gave that back, didn't I?"

"Ah... yes, never mind." she said dryly. "Weren't you asking about me and Koyanskaya? I met her in Kaffa, and that's also where I met Hinako."

"Kaffa?" he looked confused, as it was an unfamiliar city to him.

"Port city on the Black Sea," Morrigan explained. She paused, considering. "This was... several hundred years ago, probably in the 14th century. I was interested in Middle Eastern magecraft, so I passed through Kaffa. But I hadn't been in Kaffa for more than a few days when the Mongol army attacked. And along with the Mongols came Hinako, who had left the Yuan Dynasty, and Koyanskaya, who was chasing after her..."

After the Eternal Kingdom and the Hun Empire had perished together, Morgan le Fay, already transformed into a fairy and searching for Shirou in Avalon, was scolded by Guinevere and forced to leave.

Seeing the devastation of her kingdom, filled with remorse and unaware of her sister's fate, she left a ritual for her sister's resurrection in an Irish village.

Following this, she used Altrouge to transform herself into an immortal Dead Apostle, wandering the vast world like a living corpse. She abandoned everything from her past, including herself, and devoted all her immortal time to the study of magecraft. She conducted her research while hiding from the Holy Church.

By the mid-14th century, she was preparing to go to the Middle East to continue her studies there, as well as to learn more about the magical foundation of the Han Empire as recorded by Rome. When she entered Kaffa, preparing to change routes, the Mongol Golden Horde attacked the city.

Although she was a magus from the Age of Gods and a Dead Apostle, in the chaotic medieval era, she needed to keep a low profile to avoid being targeted by the Holy Church and other mysterious organizations. After all, in that era, even the Order of Assassins led by Hassan had been suppressed by the Mongols.

Luckily for Kaffa, its defenders weren't about to give up without a fight. They were ready to resist to the bitter end.

The Mongols took heavy losses against Kaffa's fierce resistance. Furious, the Mongol general ordered his men to catapult corpses into the city, infecting the soldiers and civilians inside with the plague. This way, Kaffa would fall without a fight, and at the same time, the shadow of death that would engulf countless countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia - the Black Death - was born.

Along with the Mongols and the Black Death came Hinako, fleeing westward, and Koyanskaya, hot on her heels.

Morrigan sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Back then, I was fascinated by the Way of Immortals and Fangxian techniques. I also had no idea Koyanskaya was hunting Hinako. I foolishly made contact with her, and Koyanskaya assumed I was her accomplice and started chasing me too."

"Way of Immortals? You mean Fangxiandao?"

Hearing this, she looked at him with surprise. "You know about it?"

"A little."

Fangxiandao, originating in the Yan-Qi region during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, served as the prototype or predecessor of Taoism. It later developed into the School of Immortals, centered around the worship of eternal life ("Xian"), captivating numerous emperors, including the renowned First Emperor.

Following Emperor Wu of Han's reign, Huang-Lao studies permeated the populace, merging with Fangxiandao to form Huang-Lao Dao. This, in turn, was eventually supplanted by the Zhengyi School, giving rise to early Taoism.

The Fangshi (masters) of Fangxiandao possessed the most classical Fangsu, or Fangxian techniques as Morrigan referred to them – a mystical practice unique to the Central Plains. Japan's Onmyōdō later evolved from these very Fangxian techniques.

"You know so much," Morrigan grumbled, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "Is it that Noble Phantasm of yours?" It had always been like this; her brother always seemed to know more than he should. Even people from China themselves might not be familiar with Fangxiandao, yet her brother knew it inside and out. The only explanation she could think of was that all-knowing Noble Phantasm of his.

Shirou merely smiled in response. He didn't need to rely on his Noble Phantasm; he had his own brain and the knowledge he'd accumulated over the years.

"Anyway," she continued, "back then, things were pretty dangerous. Luckily, Arcueid showed up and caused a scene. We took advantage of the chaos and slipped away."

"Huh? Arcueid?" he was stunned.

She nodded. "Roa had just been reincarnated near Kaffa, so she was on his trail. I tried to say hello, but since we hadn't met before, she just swatted me away. But thanks to the ruckus she caused in Kaffa, Hinako and I managed to escape Koyanskaya."

She paused, then added, "After that, Hinako and I hid in France. Koyanskaya didn't dare follow us there because she was wary of the Holy Church."

"Wait a minute. Isn't Koyanskaya a Beast? The Holy Church shouldn't be that big of a threat to her, right?"

She shook her head. "You're selling the Church short. They've been keeping all sorts of nasties in check for centuries - the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, the Age of Gods Alliance, you name it. They're the ones maintaining the balance between our world and all the hidden mystery lurking in the shadows. If the 'Council' hadn't messed with the Foundation of Human Order, the Church wouldn't have fallen so easily."

She paused, then added, "And don't forget, back then, the Heavenly Father's miracles were still happening. Saint Michael even appeared to give Joan of Arc her marching orders to save France."

Shirou nodded. He knew that in the medieval era, God's miracles were still a thing. The most famous examples were Saint Michael and Joan of Arc.

God, Saint Michael... these higher-dimensional beings, like the Bodhisattvas and the Lord of Salvation, were forces to be reckoned with. Even though Koyanskaya was a Beast, she couldn't stand up to them. It made sense that she'd stay away from Europe.

He hadn't expected that the tangle between Koyanskaya, Morrigan, and Hinako would also involve Arcueid. Time and causality were truly strange things.

"By the way," he asked curiously, "why was Koyanskaya hunting Hinako in the first place?"

Koyanskaya's true identity was the infamous consort of the tyrannical King Zhou of Shang, Su Daji, while Hinako's true identity was the beloved consort of the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, Xiang Yu. She wasn't human, but a True Ancestor-like being, similar to Arcueid. Both were ancient, non-human beings from China. Given the classic "those not of our kind must be of a different heart," or more simply "us vs. them" Chinese mentality, how had they ended up in such a deadly cat-and-mouse game?

"I don't know, Hinako was tight-lipped about it." She frowned, adding, "But what confuses me is how that fox claims she owes Artoria a favor. That doesn't add up at all."

She was baffled. This was what really bothered her.

He nodded, equally puzzled. "I asked Artie about it. She's just as clueless and says this is the first time she's met Koyanskaya."

"That sly fox is just impossible to figure out," Morrigan muttered under her breath. Then, looking at him with a serious expression, she said, "That fox is a master manipulator. Nine and a half out of ten things she says are lies, and the other half is a mix of truth and lies. Don't trust a single word that comes out of her mouth, Shirou."

He nodded, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Got it. Trust Koyanskaya about as far as I can throw her."

"Good," she said, her expression softening slightly. "Once the festival is over and the Archbishop is free, we'll go to him for our class promotion. Then we'll tell him about the Saint Quartz. He'll help us."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed, relieved they were on the same page. It was exactly what he'd been thinking.