The sheath of the Holy Sword...?
Alvin's eyes instinctively shifted forward.
As the sheath of the Holy Sword, the symbol of Avalon, silently rose from beneath the lake's surface, a brilliant golden radiance washed across the water, dispersing the lingering mist around the shore.
Alvin focused his gaze, and the intricate, profound golden patterns woven across the sheath came into full view, sacred and mysterious.
—The Distant Utopia (Avalon).
It was the sheath of the Sword of Promised Victory. Whoever possessed it could heal from any injury, their wounds recovering almost instantly, and even the aging of their body would come to a complete halt.
Alvin was far from unfamiliar with this artifact.
Back when he played the original game, he had personally witnessed how terrifying the "sheath" truly was.
An almost unsolvable healing ability, the power to nullify all physical harm, and an absolute defense so impenetrable that even the Five Magics could not breach it… that was the "sheath" of the Holy Sword.
It was just that…
"Why is the sheath with you...?"
Alvin instinctively looked toward Morgan, a hint of disbelief flickering in his eyes.
"Before I left back then, the sheath had already been in my possession."
Morgan spoke softly as she began explaining the secret history behind it.
Back when she had planned to overthrow King Arthur, Morgan had already learned of the scabbard's existence.
She also understood perfectly well: as long as the scabbard remained with Artoria, Artoria could never be defeated.
So she stole the scabbard and hid it deep beneath a lake inside the royal palace.
Only after that did she launch the war that shocked all Britain...the clash between the Red Dragon and the White Dragon.
'I never would've guessed... even someone as upright-looking as Big Sister was hiding an ace like this the whole time.'
After hearing Morgan's explanation, Alvin couldn't help giving the woman beside him a strange look.
"Then why didn't you return it to Lily?"
In the end, he couldn't help but ask.
After all, this wasn't like before when her heart was consumed by hatred.
The two sisters were no longer at the point of cutting off all contact forever.
At the end of the day, Morgan had already faced her own heart and accepted the truth.
"You think Lily doesn't know the scabbard went missing?"
Morgan's tone was calm. "I mentioned it to her long ago, but she had no intention of taking it back."
"She said you would need it more in the future."
Alvin was a citizen of Britain while he remained in Britain, but when he was at the Clock Tower, he was a "modern person."
The White Dragon's furnace-heart granted him enormous magical energy, yes, but once the Age of Gods completely vanished from the land, the scabbard might save his life at a critical moment.
"And what about you? You don't need it?"
Alvin asked instinctively.
"I'm the same as Lily. We are both children of Britain. We will fade away when the Age of Gods ends. But you are different... In the future, the scabbard will surely be able to help you."
Morgan's voice was perfectly serene, as if she were merely stating the most ordinary fact in the world.
Alvin unconsciously turned to look at her.
Those amber eyes, tranquil and luminous, seemed utterly devoid of any emotional ripple.
This was the love of Morgan Le Fey: silently, from the shadows, never asking for anything in return.
She clearly knew that once the Age of Gods receded, Britain itself would slowly crumble, yet her tone remained extraordinarily calm, as though she had long since prepared herself to face it all with grace.
"Didn't expect me to drag you out here just to give you this, did you?"
Noticing the complicated expression on Alvin's face, the corners of Morgan's lips curved upward.
She rose and walked to the water's edge, then reached toward the scabbard floating in the center of the lake.
The sheath, radiating soft golden light, instantly flew to her hand and settled gently into her palm.
She spread her arms and spun gracefully once in front of the young man.
Sunlight poured over her magnificent court gown, making it look almost holy.
Her fair skin seemed to glow with a faint halo, as though a true goddess had descended to the mortal world.
Morgan slowly lifted the scabbard in her right hand and smiled. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
If not for King Uther's choices long ago, perhaps she would have remained like the young Artoria: a pure, innocent girl forever.
For a single heartbeat, watching this breathtaking woman bathed in sunlight, Alvin's pulse quickened.
He quickly cleared his throat. "Yeah... really beautiful."
Morgan's smile grew even brighter. She spoke as if it were nothing, "Actually, besides the scabbard, there's one more thing I want to give you."
"What?"
Alvin asked without thinking, as Morgan opened her left hand. In her palm lay a weapon the size of a dagger.
"... Penetrating Blade of Gold(Erosion)?"
Alvin blurted out instinctively.
He recognized it.
As a mystic code, this blades could pierce the gap between body, mind, and soul, forcibly peeling the soul from the flesh.
Legend said it could also transform into scythes, swords, and many other shapes.
But... why on earth was Big Sister handing him both her own creation and Lily's treasure?
"Penetrating Blade of Gold is one of the mystic codes I crafted myself. The scabbard is intimately tied to King Arthur... Even in history, these two are the most iconic items."
She gazed at Alvin, her voice soft yet firm.
"They belong with you now."
Hearing this, Alvin's eyes flickered. He had already guessed what she was thinking.
As if reading his mind, Morgan gave a faint smile and said, "Even in a Holy Grail War, if you use these as catalysts, you will definitely be able to summon both me and Lily."
By the time she finished that sentence, Alvin fully understood her intention and spoke almost without thinking, "You want me, in the future at the Clock Tower, to use these two items as relics… to summon you and Lily as Servants…?"
Morgan gave a noncommittal nod, her smile teasing. "Why do I feel like you're hesitating? Could it be that you've hidden a few little sweethearts at the Clock Tower and are afraid Lily and I will find out?"
Her face was radiant with mirth, but a strange chill crawled down Alvin's spine all the same and he quickly turned serious. "I'm only thinking about the feasibility of the Grail summoning… Besides, you know perfectly well who I even know at the Clock Tower."
Morgan narrowed her long, beautiful eyes and looking carefully at him for a few seconds before letting out a soft huff. "You'd better not dare."
Come to think of it, aside from Manaka Sajyou (the girl who got tangled up with him during the Fourth Holy Grail War), this guy really didn't have any other ambiguously close women.
If one had to nitpick, the student she was currently teaching, Tohsaka Rin, did seem to have a bit of a crush on him… but the child was still young and completely clueless about romance.
She probably didn't even know what love was.
At most, she just admired an older boy.
A faint, gentle smile appeared on Morgan's cool, exquisite face. "Let's head back. On the way, we can check how Rin's studies are going."
…
Time remaining until return: 00:00:30:00.
In the final half hour, Morgan gave Tohsaka Rin another round of instruction.
Not wanting to disturb them, Alvin watched quietly from a distance.
When Rin successfully fired another magic bullet using the magical core she had just learned to form, a rare look of genuine appreciation crossed Morgan's face.
"Not bad. A clear improvement from this afternoon."
Rin's eyes sparkled with delight. "That's because you teach so well!"
Now she remembers to be modest… Morgan raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "Don't get cocky. This is only the most basic magic. You still have a very long road ahead."
Truth be told, Rin really was quite talented.
Although Morgan had originally started teaching her only as a favor to Alvin, at this point she wouldn't mind passing on a little more knowledge to the girl.
Come to think of it, the people this guy brings back all seem to have pretty good aptitude… At that thought, Morgan's gaze drifted, half-intentionally, half-unintentionally, toward Alwin in the distance.
He was watching them too.
When he noticed her looking, he immediately raised a hand and waved with a bright smile.
Rin followed Morgan's line of sight and suddenly asked curiously, "Do you like Lord White Dragon a lot?"
Morgan's expression remained calm at first, but the moment her brain processed the question and registered the little girl's innocent, curious stare, a faint blush rose on her icy, refined face.
She glanced down at the girl and replied frostily, "Children shouldn't ask so many questions. Go practice your magic."
Such a tsundere… Rin muttered inwardly, then turned to look at the boy not far away.
In the warm afternoon sunlight, the young man in black sat on the grass beneath a tree, waving toward them.
The breeze stirred; dappled tree-shadows danced across the ground.
Warm light brushed across the boy's rather handsome face, giving it a gentle glow.
Rin gazed at that figure for a long, long time, as though trying to etch this dreamy, beautiful scene deep into her memory.
Many years later, when Tohsaka Rin had become the head of the Tohsaka family, whenever she dreamed of this moment again, she would always remember the boy's brilliant smile, along with a faint, lingering trace of melancholy and nostalgia.
.
.
.
Thirty seconds remained until the return.
In the final thirty seconds, Rin Tohsaka said her goodbyes to Morgan and Alvin, then quietly waited for the countdown to reach its end.
When the deep blue countdown in front of her dropped to "1," a flash of white light swallowed all the transmigrators completely.
Rin slowly opened her eyes.
A warm and familiar room came into view.
She was seated on a soft, classical-style sofa.
On the wall, the clock's second hand ticked forward one step at a time.
"So… I'm back."
Rin lowered her head and looked at her hands, whispering to herself.
For this entire period, she had been moving back and forth between Fuyuki and ancient Britain.
And in the royal palace, she had even been taught personally by Morgan le Fay.
Just thinking about it made the girl feel a strange sense of unreality, as if she had just woken from an impossibly vivid dream.
She reached into her pocket and took out a piece of black cloth.
The torn fabric carried a weight of history so old and heavy that she could feel it just by holding it.
Even though she had obtained it only recently, there was no doubt, it was unimaginably ancient.
A corner of the White Dragon's cloak.
If she used this for the future Holy Grail War, she might really be able to summon the White Dragon…
That thought softened Rin's eyes slightly.
At that moment, she suddenly heard light footsteps outside the door.
Instinctively, Rin lifted her head and saw a girl in a school uniform standing behind her.
The instant she recognized the girl's face, she almost blurted out the name without thinking.
"Sakura…?"