"That's my daughter, of course."
As soon as I acknowledged it, another topic arose.
"My, my~ how beautiful she is, just like her father. But, I wonder if she has any younger or older sisters?"
"I would like a son who resembles Marduk."
"Are you thinking of treating him as a treasure again? You haven't learned your lesson."
"The beast-san is about the same size as me... you should be careful what you say, you know?"
It took more than 10 minutes just to end the situation.
I was about to greet the returned Morgan warmly, but I couldn't help but be surprised.
Morgan was holding the queen's clothes and staff she used to wear, but her whole body was covered in wounds.
Blood was also flowing from her head. It was definitely not a light wound. And yet, Morgan walked over nonchalantly.
"I'm a little late. Cael, I've finished the investigation of the Singularity."
"The investigation isn't important. What's with that blood, and who did that to you?"
"Since everyone seems to be here, I'll explain."
Blood dripped from the tip of Morgan's chin.
Her toughness was such that no one could worry about Morgan.
"My aunt was the same at this time too..."
Morgan glanced at our daughter. She seemed to have already figured out her identity, but she said nothing.
"This Singularity is structured to end when Cael dies, as I expected."
The atmosphere became heavy. The number of gazes looking at me with concern increased.
"Don't misunderstand. It's not the real Cael who is here. Rather, the already eliminated Servant, Assassin, has caused a problem."
"You mean the 'me' that was summoned from Chaldea?"
Morgan nodded.
I had heard that 'I' had rejected Morgan and been eliminated. But the truth was not so comforting.
"We were fighting the Holy Grail War until just before. The eliminated Servants are all converted into the magical energy of the Holy Grail. Although Assassin was Chaldea's Servant, he was devoured by the Holy Grail of this land."
The Assassin 'me' who should have been quietly eliminated.
It seems the Holy Grail of Fuyuki absorbed 'me' because I was a Servant anyway.
"As a result, the Holy Grail was completed. The Holy Grail War was over."
"I know there are still many Servants left, has it already been completed?"
"The core of the Holy Grail War is the magical energy generated by the battles between Heroic Spirits, Cael. When I checked the Holy Grail before, I found out that it was already close to completion."
"I see."
That was also the reason I came to Fuyuki. To keep in check, or eliminate, the beast hiding in this land.
In the end, it fizzled out, but its influence has now been transmitted to this Singularity.
"Cael made a wish to the Holy Grail that the King of Heroes gave. However, the Holy Grail of the Far East also reacted to that wish."
"So?"
"An eternally repeating Singularity has been created. Whether Cael is satisfied or not, this amusement park will continue. A prison where one can live happily forever. A Singularity that cannot be escaped has been created."
It feels like looking at a monkey's paw that only 'grants' wishes.
No, I don't know why it's arbitrarily hearing and trying to grant a wish I didn't even make.
"Oh? Isn't that Her Majesty the Emperor Morgan's fault? In any case, you're the one who completed the Holy Grail by eliminating a large number of competitors in the Holy Grail War. Besides, since the original Master was Father, it's only natural that the Holy Grail would grant Father's wish, isn't it?"
Tamamo's retort was very sharp. Seeing that Morgan couldn't argue, there was a very high possibility that it was true.
Still, Morgan had improved. Instead of avoiding her gaze, she lowered her eyes slightly.
What came out of her mouth was not a self-justification or an evasion, but a proper apology.
"I'm sorry, Cael. It seems you've been harmed by my arbitrary decision."
"No. It's fine as long as we had fun. It was something we couldn't have predicted, so what can we do? I don't want to argue about it anymore."
I gave Morgan a small hug.
I could hear a tongue-clicking sound from behind. It's Tamamo...
Morgan, who had cleared her throat a couple of times, continued her explanation.
"The way to eliminate the Singularity is as I said before. Either Cael dies, or Cael must be killed for the Singularity to end."
"...You're going to kill me twice?"
"There are two Caels in this Singularity. Don't worry."
Two people.
Morgan said that the Assassin 'me' was the mastermind who had twisted the Singularity.
"The Spirit Origin of the Assassin is stained with the filth of the Holy Grail. The power of that malice is radiating its power, even breaking the rules of the Singularity."
"The rules of the Singularity, you mean, no magical energy?"
Morgan nodded.
"Then how can we win? Not to mention me, who has been sealed of my magic and authority, aren't you all also incompetent?"
"No problem. If you touch the filth, you'll be damaged, but at the same time, you can bend the rules a little. You can use magical energy to the extent that you've touched it."
"Hmm... even so, won't you just die if your whole body is covered in filth?"
"Dodge it. Don't tell me you can't even do that?"
Draco's veins bulged at Morgan's particularly chilly words.
"Ha! A fae who doesn't know her place is crawling up! I can tear you apart with just one hand back!"
"I can pierce your head with just my finger right now."
"Wait. Both of you, calm down."
I can't understand why it's turning into a fighting atmosphere again.
I forcibly separated Morgan and Draco. The cold air between them did not warm up easily.
"Morgan, how strong is the enemy?"
Morgan returned badly injured. I had to steel my resolve not to be surprised no matter what I heard.
But surprisingly, Morgan turned her gaze away. She didn't even try to meet my eyes.
"Morgan?"
"...Ahem. They're not that strong."
A strange reaction.
"It can't be, right?"
My daughter's mumble, as if she had realized something we didn't know.
And so, a party of 7, including me, centered around my daughter, set out on an expedition.
The future Johanna is in charge of watching the house.
-Mom, you stay here and guard the place well.
-Okay~.
It was my daughter's judgment that she would only be a hindrance, since her body was no different from a civilian's due to having lived a life without battle for 10 years.
It seems like she just left her because she was annoying, but, well. The future me will take care of the future family matters.
The large group of 7 departed with confidence, but this infinite castle was a rather troublesome place.
It was ridiculously wide, but there was no substance. In the end, it was just a series of worlds that were slightly twisted versions of my memories.
I don't know why there are so many meaningless wooden structures. Aren't they all made with magical energy? Is there that much magical energy to spare?
If we keep walking around here, we'll collapse before we even fight. For sure.
"Where is the other me?"
"He must have moved. He'll be hiding somewhere in the cracks, just like when I first encountered him."
"Where did you meet him?"
"...It's a secret."
She's been hiding things since earlier.
As my eyes narrowed slightly, Morgan became wary.
She wasn't looking at me. The direction of her gaze is... towards my daughter?
"Hey, my daughter?"
"Why?"
"Let's split up here. Since there are many of us, it's better to investigate separately. I'll investigate the left corridor with Morgan and Johanna. You, Tamamo, Draco, and Gilgamesh, please investigate the right corridor."
"Okay."
There's no reason to object. The members were quickly divided as I said.
"Aha~. Is that how it is? It can't be helped. I'll tactfully step aside."
"See you later, Marduk."
The quick-witted Tamamo and Gilgamesh seemed to have noticed, but they let it pass without a word.
Draco is... Draco. She's engrossed in finding the enemy.
The four of them moved away like that. Actually, I wanted to send Johanna with them too, but surprisingly, Morgan stopped me.
It's more accurate to say that she held onto Johanna, as if she had to hear it.
"I think they're far enough away. It's okay to talk now."
"Look at this."
The tip of Morgan's staff glowed. The light created a picture on the wall.
It was a happy picture of a family of three against the backdrop of an elementary school.
The people in the picture were very familiar.
"That's me and Lupus."
"The one in the middle is our daughter."
"How cute!"
It's a picture that warms the heart just by looking at it.
But Morgan wouldn't have shown me the picture for no reason. I have to find the hidden intention.
First of all, seeing the blue sky, it's not the Fae Kingdom. I can't confirm if there's magical energy or not. It is Earth.
Looking at the other people who are dotted in the picture, there's no doubt about the picture itself.
That's not to say that the me, Johanna, or our daughter in the picture are strange. They're ordinary.
Except for the fact that I have a few more wrinkles and Johanna is a little chubbier, it's ordinary.
"I can't find anything strange in this picture."
"Why... ah."
Morgan glanced at the picture once and then turned off the light.
What could be the matter? I focused all my attention on Morgan's actions, my heart pounding.
"I took out the wrong one."
Johanna and I let out a sigh at the same time.