Fate: How About a New Savior?

Summer 2012, a beach somewhere in England.

Shiomi lounged on a deck chair under a parasol, sunglasses on, gazing toward the shallows where Sakura, Caren, Gray, and Reines splashed happily in the water.

This trip had been generously sponsored by Reines.

Aside from Gray, who insisted on wearing a sun-blocking outfit and hood, the other three wore carefully chosen swimsuits to soak in the summer sun. As they grew older, and most had already come of age, their figures matured noticeably—especially Sakura, whose curves were more prominent than before.

By contrast, Caren and Reines were relatively average.

And Gray...

To Shiomi, it felt like she had never grown at all.

Unless the fact of her body being modeled after King Arthur could be resolved once and for all, Gray would remain bound by the Blackmore ritual, her physique forever mirroring that of Artoria Pendragon.

"It's been eight years since Gray left Blackmore. We can't keep dragging this out," Shiomi said, accepting a drink handed to him and turning to Morgan.

"The ritual has been passed down for a thousand years. That kind of legacy is etched into her blood," Morgan replied from the recliner beside his. "As the villager with the highest compatibility with Artoria, it's not something that can be unraveled so easily. Rushing in would only make things worse."

"Even so..." Shiomi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are we really left with no choice but to go after the one who started it all?"

Morgan gave a cryptic smile. "There are still 52 years until the next Holy Grail War. If my husband lives that long, I'm sure he'll still be able to fight on the front lines."

"...Hey..." Shiomi couldn't help but want to protest her flippant tone.

But their conversation was cut short when Sakura came running over, dragging Morgan back toward the water. Left alone, Shiomi settled back into the sun.

Then came the sound of another pair of footsteps—familiar ones. As they approached, he greeted without even opening his eyes.

"This beach is privately leased by El-Melloi. I'm impressed you managed to get past the barrier, Touko."

"I'm a guest too, invited by El-Melloi's little princess. You didn't know?" said Touko Aozaki.

Hearing her voice, Shiomi opened his eyes and noticed something rare—Touko was actually wearing a swimsuit.

"I see. Then make yourself comfortable," he said, adjusting his sunglasses slightly. "You haven't changed a bit."

"And neither have you," Touko replied, sitting down right next to him. Shiomi had to shift toward the edge of his recliner to avoid being pushed off.

"You trying to kill me here?" he muttered, noticing Morgan heading their way.

But Touko, unfazed, pulled out a folder and dropped it on Shiomi's head.

"My husband seems to be in a fine mood, openly meeting an ex like this," Morgan said with a faint, yet dangerous smile.

"Don't worry, I'm just here to deliver a message," Touko replied as Shiomi sat up. She casually leaned against his back.

"You can scold me later—let me finish reading this first..." Shiomi muttered, rubbing his nose as he opened the rather formal letter. "A joint statement from Lord Valualeta and Lord Trambelio... What's this about?"

Touko fished out a lighter from somewhere and lit a cigarette. "You've heard about the human preservation organization mainly funded by Lord Marisbury of the Department of Astromancy, right? Finis Chaldea. It's already in trial operation."

"Chaldea? Yeah, I've heard about it. Marisbury mentioned it to me himself," Shiomi replied.

At that, Morgan—who had moments ago looked ready to confront him—suddenly calmed down and sat beside him.

"It's a gathering of top minds from various fields, including Magus from all departments of the Clock Tower," Touko continued. "Inorai-sensei hopes you'll go as the representative of the Department of Creation and the Department of General Fundamentals as a whole."

Shiomi blinked. "Does it have to be me?"

"The Department of Astromancy says they urgently need a Magus capable of Spiritron Transfer—someone who can lead future restoration operations. Marisbury also personally hopes you'll give it a try."

In other words, because Shiomi wasn't entirely bound by factional constraints, his appointment to Chaldea was the compromise chosen by the Democratic, Aristocratic, and Neutral Factions alike.

"What if I don't have Spiritron Transfer compatibility?" Shiomi asked.

"Then, as a seasoned veteran, you can provide the most effective support to the frontliners," Touko shrugged. "In other words, you're the best candidate."

"That sounds like a trap someone set just for me to fall into." Shiomi tried to decline. "And I have no reason to leave my family behind and head off to Antarctica—"

Touko shook her head. "No, as Chaldea's director, Marisbury said you can bring your family along."

"...That only makes it more suspicious..." Shiomi had no fondness for Marisbury.

After all, the man had once captured Sakura and used her as a bargaining chip just to get his hands on the Holy Grail. He was the textbook definition of a Magus—the kind Shiomi despised most.

Even if Chaldea had gathered top talents from around the world, Shiomi had no interest in going.

"If it's allowed, then why not give it a try?" Morgan suddenly said.

Shiomi blinked. "Huh?"

"Of course, this is only my personal suggestion." Morgan lowered her gaze, as if weighed down by some unspoken reason. "If my husband has no interest in safeguarding humanity's survival, I won't force you to go."

"No, no... I'm just surprised you'd say something supportive." Shiomi paused mid-sentence, then suddenly froze.

After locking eyes with Morgan for a few seconds, he changed his mind.

"Looks like it's pretty obvious who wears the pants in the Shiomi family," Touko teased. "Since you're willing to go, start preparing soon. The base is at the South Pole—far away and hard to reach."

"But I didn't expect you to be the one delivering the message," Shiomi sighed.

Touko removed her glasses, her expression shifting to something more assertive. "No, delivering the message was just on the way. I came to check on you."

As she said that, she gently cupped Shiomi's face and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Just as Morgan gripped Shiomi's neck, radiating a terrifying aura, Touko calmly put her glasses back on, stood up with a smile, waved, and left—without the slightest intention of helping him.

Only after working hard to earn Morgan's "forgiveness" did Shiomi finally have the energy to think about Chaldea again.

But he wouldn't be seeing Marisbury anytime soon.

The day before Shiomi arrived at Chaldea's Antarctic base with his family, Marisbury Animusphere was found dead in his room. The official statement listed the cause of death as unknown...