"Channeling the magical energy from Britain's ley lines?"
Watching the students before them constantly attempting various spells under Morgan's direction, Mélusine whispered to Barghest beside her.
"Hey, big fella, do you understand any of this?"
"Not a clue."
Barghest shook her head almost without hesitation.
She put her hands on her hips, her brows furrowed.
"Who knows what any of this is?"
"Still, since the King agreed to it, I don't think there's much point in questioning it, right?"
"..."
"Speaking of the King—"
Mélusine glanced around, then whispered.
"Big fella, don't you think the King and her sister's relationship has gotten... ridiculously good lately?"
"Has it?"
Barghest scratched her cheek.
"I haven't really noticed."
"Do you even need to look closely?" Mélusine gestured to the scene before them.
"If she didn't have the King's support, would she dare to carry out such a massive project so openly?"
"This is practically peering into the abyss, isn't it?"
"Now that you mention it..."
Barghest nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, should I go ask?"
"Go ask?"
"Y-Yeah."
Barghest cleared her throat lightly.
"If I ask, I should be able to get some information, right?"
"I mean... probably."
"Then, shall we go take a look?"
Before Barghest could answer, Mélusine was already walking towards where Morgan was standing.
Her intuition was telling her that something she didn't know about had definitely happened.
"Lady Morgan."
Mélusine addressed her respectfully.
Since the white dragon invasion, Morgan's status in Britain had risen steadily, to the point where she was now second only to Artoria.
Considering the conflict between the two, this was more than a little unusual.
"Oh?"
Seeing Mélusine and Barghest approach, Morgan smiled faintly.
"Sir Mélusine, Sir Barghest, what is it?"
"..."
As Morgan's first daughter, Barghest immediately sensed that the emotion carried in her mother's words was completely different.
If the Morgan of before was spiteful and bitter;
Then the one now—
Was genuinely gentle and at peace.
It was as if...
...some problem that had been weighing on her heart for years had finally been resolved.
"I..."
"You want to know what we're doing, don't you?"
As if anticipating her daughter's thoughts, Morgan spoke first.
"There's nothing to hide."
"Right now..."
Morgan turned her head, looking at the magic apprentices who were constantly experimenting according to her commands.
"I'm trying to find a way to turn everyone into dragons."
"..."
This answer did not surprise Mélusine.
After all, this had already been mentioned at the Round Table conference.
"Just by tinkering like this, you can turn everyone into dragons?"
"It just feels... a little unreliable."
The moment Mélusine said this subconsciously, she felt a sense of dread.
She was doubting Morgan. With her personality, she would definitely get angry, right?
However—
Things did not unfold as Mélusine had feared.
Faced with her skepticism, Morgan didn't react as if her tail had been stepped on. On the contrary, in a way that was both very unusual and completely unexpected for Mélusine, she began to answer.
"So, what part of it feels unreliable to you?"
"Tell me, Sir Mélusine."
"Er, well..."
It wasn't sarcasm, nor was it anger, but a genuine desire to know what she was confused about.
"Well, it's like this."
Morgan was no longer as sharp as she used to be.
Naturally, Mélusine's attitude towards her changed considerably as well.
For the next ten minutes or so, she poured out all of her doubts to Morgan.
Soon, Mélusine discovered something—
Once you stripped away the veil of revenge and rivalry, Morgan was actually a very erudite magus who also knew how to share her wisdom with others.
Even for someone like her, or Barghest, who had almost no experience with magic, they could understand what she was trying to do from her examples.
"I see."
Mélusine nodded.
"Because the magical energy contained in the ley lines is simply too vast, you can't extract it all at once. Instead, you have to 'take it out' in batches from various places, like drying grain in the sun, right?"
"Yes, you understand my meaning."
Morgan's smile had become much brighter than before.
"That's wonderful."
"Is there anything else?"
"If not, I'd like to continue my research. Time is of the essence—I must complete this as soon as possible."
"Can I... stay and help?"
Barghest asked cautiously.
"Don't worry!"
"I'm very obedient!"
"..."
Morgan took Barghest's hand and nodded.
"Of course you can."
"Then what about you, Sir Mélusine?"
"I have nothing else." The petite swordswoman answered quickly. "I just didn't quite understand before. Since you have work to do, I won't disturb you."
"Alright."
A crisp, clean reply.
Morgan, with her newly reconciled daughter in tow, walked towards the site that had been set up along the growing "tree."
But before she had taken more than a few steps, she seemed to remember something and turned back.
"Sir Mélusine."
"A moment ago, you weren't thinking about... other things when you came over to ask so many questions, were you?"
"Thinking about other things?"
"Yes," Morgan nodded.
"You know... certain things you might have been doing in secret."
As the princess spoke, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
"That's not it, is it?"
"..."
"Uh, no, of course not."
Mélusine answered, feeling a little guilty.
"Good."
"Because if that were the case, the King... might not let you off the hook, you know."
After saying this, without waiting for Mélusine's reply, Morgan once again led Barghest away.
Mélusine was left standing there, somewhat dazed.
For that one instant, she felt that Morgan had reverted to her old self.
But...
There was still something different.
What was it?
Just as Mélusine was puzzling over it, a hand landed on her shoulder.
She turned to find Baobhan Sith.
"You think Mother has become very strange, don't you, little knight?"
"..."
"That tone of yours..." Mélusine looked at Baobhan Sith. "Do you know something?"
"Of course I do."
Baobhan Sith revealed a smile that was identical to Morgan's.
"Mother..."
"...has gone and married the same person as the King, you know~"
"What?!"