Merry claimed she had delegated all the work of building the barrier to others, but in reality, activating the barrier still required her presence. After all, only she could sustain an illusion encompassing the entire city.
As flowers began to dance around Merry, beams of invisible light started rising from various corners of Fuyuki City, connecting with the thousands of fluttering flowers, gradually forming a network that enveloped all of Fuyuki.
Then, the massive web slowly descended, like a thin layer, completely covering Fuyuki City in another dimension.
"That should do it."
Only after the light and fluttering flowers vanished did Merry retract her staff.
"The transformation is complete. From now on, as long as I'm alive or this Magecraft isn't dispelled, any damage that occurs in Fuyuki City will ultimately be handled by my illusion."
"I thought it'd be more dramatic. The movement was surprisingly subtle."
"Hehe, that's because my skills are exceptional. You could praise me more, you know."
Seeing Merry acting smug again, Naoki couldn't help but give a wry smile, raising his hand to tap her head. "Control yourself. If no one knows, they might think you're… Hey! Merry!"
Before he could finish, Merry suddenly collapsed like a kite with a cut string, falling off the bridge. Naoki hurriedly grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms.
"Ugh…"
"Merry, are you okay? Why did you suddenly faint?"
"Probably a side effect of the Magecraft." Morgan said after some thought. "A Magecraft affecting an entire city, even with preparations, she still has to pay a price to use it."
"A price?"
"Not the kind you're thinking, like losing lifespan. It's just that her Mana will be continuously drained to maintain the barrier, and her resistance to external impacts will be very low since she has to focus entirely on sustaining the illusion, leaving no room to care about external matters."
Merry weakly nodded. "Hmm… It's not that bad. I can still talk…"
"Enough, don't talk too much. I'll take you back right away. After this, you're lying in bed for a while." Naoki said, scooping Merry up in his arms. "If I'd known it'd be like this, I wouldn't have helped you build this barrier. Why didn't you say you'd end up this weak?"
"Hehehe~~~ It's rare for me to want you to take care of me. It was always me taking care of you before."
"QUIET!"
Stepping into the spatial displacement portal that appeared beside him, Naoki and Merry vanished from the spot.
Watching them leave, Morgan couldn't help but sigh, then smiled. "Worrying can make people act foolishly—but her acting was pretty convincing, don't you agree, Lia?"
"Half and half. I think Merry's weaker now than before, but not that weak. Seizing every chance to cause trouble—she's no different from any Merlin. I'm heading back too."
"Wait a moment."
Morgan pressed Artoria's shoulder, causing her to stiffen instantly.
"What's that for? Merry's task is done. I have no more business with you, Morgan."
"Saying that makes me sad. I want to get along with you, Father of Children."
"Ugh—don't… don't say that. I'm kind of…"
Though under Naoki's influence, Artoria had started accepting Mordred as her child, being indirectly called out like that by Morgan still made it hard for her to accept.
"By the way, on the way here, I saw a popular bakery. Let's sit there and chat properly. You love sweets, right? Big Sister's treating."
"Ugh… F-for the sake of cake—no, I refuse, Morgan."
"Eat as much as you want; I've got plenty of money. We can hit an all-you-can-eat restaurant later too." Morgan said with a smile. "We're both Servants now. Though your situation is a bit special, you're someone who'll die soon too. Let's not talk about the past or future. For now, let's get along, Father of Children?"
"Please stop saying that, Morgan… Fine, I'll go with you."
Artoria gave in. She had a feeling that if this continued, Morgan would say even more mentally damaging things. Since Morgan only wanted to mend their relationship and hadn't done anything to her on the way—just said a few words—Artoria would trust her for now.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the base.
After tucking Merry in neatly, Rei gave her a meaningful look, then stood and spoke to Naoki. "It's just a bit of physical weakness. Master, you don't need to worry too much. If she rests and doesn't move much, there won't be any major issues."
(Her acting was spot-on, Miss Merry. Master didn't suspect a thing—your preparations were solid. Since my other self didn't say anything, I won't either.)
"Thanks for looking after her, Rei."
"No big deal. Any task Master assigns, I'll complete as perfectly as possible." Rei said with a smile. "But for this caregiving task, leave it to Gray. I actually have something I'd like to discuss with you, Master."
"Discuss with me? What?"
Rei pursed her lips. "Actually… about the upcoming fight with King Solomon, I hope I can accompany you."
"You mean… you want to fight alongside me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"It's one of the ways I've thought of to deal with King Solomon. He can nullify Magecraft performed by human hands, and his own Summoning Magecraft is extremely powerful. If you use Summoning Magecraft yourself, I'm afraid it won't work against him."
Hearing this, Naoki nodded in agreement. That's why, in the fight against Solomon, he only planned to use Imaginary Manifestation, his Mystic Eyes, and the Holy Sword.
However—
"Even if it's ineffective, nullifying Summoning Magecraft will still distract King Solomon. So, in the upcoming fight, I'll use Summoning Magecraft to divert his attention as much as possible, aiding your battle—how does that sound, Master?"
"It could reduce some pressure on me, so no problem. But are you okay?"
"Master, I've been connected to the Root before. Plus, my body is now made of Philosopher's Stone. For me, there's no such thing as injury or death. As long as you provide enough Mana, I can reconstruct my body multiple times. Please don't worry about my safety."
Rei smiled as she explained. "However, my current abilities can't use Summoning Magecraft since my physical form isn't like yours, Master. To unleash power on your level, I still need two preparations. I hope you can help."
"Tell me, what do I need to do?"
"One is analyzing your physical form to better harness spirit and fairy abilities. The other is expanding the magical circuits between you and me. Right now, their scale is a bit insufficient."
"Hmm, specifically, how do we do that?"
"It's very simple, and you'll enjoy it too, Master."
With a mischievous smile, like a girl who'd succeeded in her hidden plan, Rei approached Naoki. Standing on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips.
[My other self! That's too much!]
Manaka immediately shouted.
And beside them, Merry, pretending to be extremely weak, couldn't help but widen her eyes.
(This… was definitely on purpose! Flirting like that right in front of me… Rei, you're really playing dirty!)