Chapter 48: Giving Up Halfway

A silent sigh sounded after Artoria finished speaking.

The one who made the sound was Morgan.

Unlike the disapproval in Iskandar's expression or the teasing in Gilgamesh's statement, a trace of melancholy appeared on the witch's icy face.

No one knew why she sighed.

"Even knowing the truth and the outcome, you still want to persist in your dream of saving Britain?" Morgan's eyes showed reluctance and helplessness. "No matter how much I want to distance myself from you, in the end... in some ways, you and I are really the same kind of people."

Artoria was speechless and sat down again. "...maybe."

She and Morgan were incompatible and could only deny each other, but Artoria knew—though she had never mentioned it to anyone—that Morgan loved Britain more than anyone, even more than herself.

"But..." Morgan continued, this time addressing everyone, "whether your goal is to gain a physical body to conquer the world, punish the thieves who stole your treasures, or save your destroyed homeland, your premise or purpose revolves around the omnipotent wish-granting machine, the 'Holy Grail.'"

Iskandar's gaze sharpened as he stared at Morgan. "What are you trying to say now? Are you going to persuade us to give up the Holy Grail at this critical moment?"

"That's unnecessary." Morgan played with the exquisite golden wine glass in her hand. "If you want the Holy Grail, just go and fight for it. After all, isn't that why you all participated in the Holy Grail War? Of course... the premise is that Fuyuki's Holy Grail can truly fulfill your wishes."

Irisviel, who had remained silent and had no intention of joining the heroes' debate, finally couldn't help but listen in.

"What are you talking about, Berserker? The Holy Grail War is a system jointly constructed by the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou families. The ultimate goal is to summon the Holy Grail and obtain the universal wish-granting machine," Irisviel said, not understanding the meaning behind Morgan's remarks. "Even if it's not as grand as the Great Cup of Uruk, it is undoubtedly a universal wish-granting machine!"

Nine years ago, Emiya Kiritsugu had accepted Einzbern's recruitment, leading him to meet Irisviel.

Irisviel firmly believed that her husband's wish could be fulfilled through the Holy Grail, and she understood Kiritsugu's wish from the depths of her heart. So, even though she knew that as the Lesser Holy Grail, she would never escape the Holy Grail War, she willingly chose to give everything for the one she loved.

"Hey, Berserker, what are you talking about?" Waver also felt he couldn't understand.

He wondered if this Servant had gone mad and lost her mind. Even though she seemed to speak fluently, perhaps she had been talking nonsense all along. Otherwise, why would she say such strange things?

"Haven't you noticed yet? Fuyuki's Holy Grail War system was designed from the beginning to summon Heroic Spirits from different eras as Servants. But this time, something is different. The Caster-class Servant cannot be called a Heroic Spirit at all." Morgan looked at everyone with a half-smile. "Servants of that type should be called evil spirits or murderous spirits; that would be more accurate."

Her words shocked everyone.

Indeed, all the Servants except Caster had left their names in history and legends, but Gilles de Rais was different.

It's true that this Servant was a hero of the Hundred Years' War, but afterward, his actions were recorded in human history and passed down as various horror legends, ultimately twisting him into an evil spirit.

"Please explain more clearly..." Irisviel was already weak, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Since Lancer's departure, as the Lesser Holy Grail, she had absorbed the soul of the first Servant, and her bodily functions had begun to gradually deteriorate. Even sitting here and having a conversation like this was pushing her limits.

However, what Berserker said felt like a bolt of lightning to Irisviel.

"Simply put, the answer is straightforward: the Holy Grail has gone mad." Morgan dropped this bombshell in the quiet courtyard with a calm voice.

Gilgamesh showed a subtle expression. Compared with ordinary treasures, "mad" things were far more worthy of his attention.

Iskandar and Artoria were even more shocked.

"Mad? What's going on?" Iskandar didn't want to entrust his wish to a problematic wish machine. "It doesn't seem like she's trying to scare us on purpose."

"Impossible... How could this happen..." Artoria still struggled to accept the fact.

So far, the problem with the Holy Grail was still Morgan's one-sided statement. Even if she used Caster as an example, it could still be attributed to coincidence or the fact that Caster's Master was a serial killer who summoned such a Servant.

But soon, no one had time to dwell on this problem.

A strange chill filled the air, and through the Suzuki family barrier that filtered out magical information, the chill became particularly clear.

The magic circuits in Waver's body, which had been completely silent, began to ache as if they were spasming.

"This ominous magical fluctuation..." Tatsuya Suzuki turned his head.

The King of Conquerors and the King of Knights also looked in the same direction as him.

Clearly, tonight's banquet seemed destined to end here, and in vain.

Someone had already started the war tonight in the Weiyuan River area.

There were four Servants present, and although the news of Lancer's defeat had not yet spread, the Saber camp was already aware of it.

Assassin could not generate such a massive amount of magical power, so the only remaining option was—

"It's Caster." Morgan said calmly, "This kind of magical fluctuation is a multi-segment chant registered in the ritual spell, and the magic power used is equivalent to that of dozens of people."

In just a moment, Morgan determined the scale of the magic that produced this power.

"Hmph, it seems some of these bastards aren't planning on spending the night peacefully." Gilgamesh's body shone with golden light as he gradually turned into a spirit and disappeared from the Suzuki family courtyard, leaving only his voice echoing, "Fight as hard as you can and defeat Caster and his ilk, so I can see your worth, hahahaha—"

As his laughter faded, Iskandar got up from the blanket, grabbing a sandwich and swallowing it in one gulp.

"Since you dare to interfere with the party, we'll take care of Caster tonight, even if we couldn't defeat him last night!"

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