[Morgan brought you to an audience with King Uther.]
[You were very curious about this legendary figure who, alongside the great magus Merlin, foresaw the future of Britain and created the 'Child of the Red Dragon' plan.]
[Of course, curiosity aside, you didn't have much of a favorable impression of him.]
[After all, he was the instigator behind both Morgan's descent into darkness and Artoria's tragic end.]
Stepping into the luxurious grand hall, Souya's gaze swept past the knights standing on both sides below and landed on King Uther, who sat upright on the throne. Though his temples were greying, he still exuded an imposing aura without showing anger.
"Father," Morgan bowed to King Uther.
"There is no need for formalities, my daughter."
King Uther waved his hand, dismissing the knights filling the hall. Soon, only Uther, Morgan, and Souya, who was hiding on Morgan's finger, remained in the massive throne room.
Souya remained silent, simply listening to the conversation between father and daughter.
"How have you been lately, Morgan?"
"Everything is as usual, Father."
"Is that so? That is good, then."
Souya could barely hold back his urge to complain.
Seriously, I can understand a father and daughter chatting about daily life, but why does this conversation sound like bots talking?
What is this, humanity's oldest AI dialogue?!
No one noticed Souya's internal grumbling. After that exchange, the grand hall fell into an eerie silence.
In the end, Morgan couldn't hold back. She spoke up hesitantly.
"Father, I heard that the recent campaigns against the Vile King haven't been entirely ideal."
"What you heard is correct."
At the mention of his brother, Uther's expression noticeably grew heavier.
"I originally thought he was merely unwilling to be subordinate to me, but I didn't expect his ambitions to go far beyond that."
"What I didn't expect was that he actually received the blessing of the lingering light of the Age of Gods. Even his army is the same. I underestimated him."
Saying this, Uther couldn't help but sigh.
"In that case, Father, why don't you let me go to the front lines?"
Morgan replied with some urgency. Clearly, she desperately needed an opportunity to prove herself to Uther.
"As long as I can go to the front lines, I can easily dispose of the Vile King's soldiers. Even the Vile King himself..."
"Enough, Morgan!"
Unexpectedly, before Morgan could finish, King Uther interrupted her with uncontrollable anger.
The dignified Celtic King now glared with wide eyes. Besides anger, his gaze held an unconcealable disappointment.
"When will you finally understand what it means to be a king? What it means to be a lord!"
"Do you still not understand the principle that a king must not take the field of battle themselves?"
King Uther stood up in anger. He looked down from above, coldly staring at the flustered Morgan beneath the throne.
"If every battle requires you, as the king, to personally lead the charge, then what use are the knights and soldiers under your command?"
"If you win, so be it. But what if you are defeated? What will happen to your royal authority and the hearts of your people?"
He stepped down the stairs one by one, his stern gaze never leaving Morgan's figure.
Morgan bit her lower lip tightly and ultimately spoke her mind.
"I will not lose to him, Father!"
Uther ignored Morgan's stubborn gaze and expression, speaking coldly.
"You? No matter how strong you are or how profound your mastery of Magecraft is, you will never be able to defeat Vortigern."
At this point, Uther hesitated for a moment and eventually softened his tone.
"The trajectory of fate has already been set. You and I are nothing more than puppets of that fate."
"Let it go, my daughter Morgan."
"You have no possibility of ascending to the throne, nor do you have the shoulders to bear this responsibility. It is all fate."
"Leave us, Morgan."
Souya could feel that all the muscles in Morgan's body tensed up. She didn't even notice her nails digging deeply into her palms.
She took a few deep breaths, finally curtsied, and exited the grand hall.
Upon returning to her bedchamber, almost the instant the door closed, Morgan grabbed a nearby vase and forcefully smashed it against the wall.
"Crash!"
The exquisitely crafted vase shattered into countless pieces, but Morgan didn't care in the slightest. She continued to smash objects against the wall, muttering to herself.
"Why! Why! Why must it be this way!"
Her eyes were red and her face was contorted, completely losing her usual nobility and elegance.
"Why do I lack the qualifications to be king? Why is there no possibility of me ascending to the throne!"
"Why is it like this!"
After smashing the last item, the furious princess slumped to the ground as if drained of all strength, slowly sitting down against the door.
[You watched everything unfold before your eyes in silence.]
[Morgan didn't deliberately block your perception, so you saw everything that just happened, as well as Morgan's current state.]
[Furthermore, due to the characteristics of a Water Fairy, you could perceive the complex emotions within the princess's heart even more clearly.]
[Just then, as if she remembered something, she waved her hand and summoned you out.]
"You heard everything just now, didn't you."
Morgan looked at the ball of water before her, her tone devoid of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.
"Yes, Lady Morgan."
Souya answered truthfully.
"Then tell me, is fate truly unchangeable? Is it destined to be this way?"
Souya thought and recalled.
He knew Morgan didn't actually care about his answer. She just needed a voice to tell her she still had a chance, that there was still hope.
But he didn't want to deceive her or hastily brush her off, even though he knew exactly what to say to satisfy her.
Was fate truly irreversible?
Almost instantly, Souya reached a negative conclusion. Of course, fate could be changed. If fate was so terrifying that no method could alter it, then many things would lose their meaning.
For instance, if the Incineration of the Human Order was destined, Chaldea wouldn't be able to save it no matter how hard they fought. Or if the Bleaching of the Earth was irreversible, Gudako and Mash would never be able to break through the blockade of the Alien God and the Lostbelts.
Even Souya wouldn't have appeared here in Age of Gods Britain.
From the very beginning, this crappy thing called fate was never an unyielding maiden. It was just an obnoxious brat. As long as you applied perseverance and violence, it would definitely submit obediently.
The answer was obvious.
"Lady Morgan, I believe the very purpose of fate's existence is to be broken and changed."
Hearing Souya's words, Morgan was visibly stunned for a moment.
She thought for a second. The anger and gloom in her heart dissipated slightly, and she signaled for Souya to continue.
"No one can glimpse the true face of fate. Since that is the case, how can you so easily believe the fate others tell you?"
Seeing that it was effective, Souya continued to strike while the iron was hot.
"Furthermore, you are the Princess of Britain, a great magus rarely seen in this world. As someone who already possesses the ability to glimpse a corner of fate, how could you be influenced by the baseless fate spoken from the mouths of others, my great Lady Morgan?"
Morgan seemed touched by Souya's words. Her expression shifted slightly, and the negative emotions in her spectral-blue eyes began to fade. The cold and noble princess was returning.
Seeing this, Souya couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Praise God. My silver tongue is truly overpowered.
But truthfully speaking, as a massive Morgan fan, Souya knew that Type-Moon's Morgan incorporated the element of the three Goddesses of Fate from Celtic mythology. This was evident from how she had earlier perceived the bond between him and Saber.
The reason she lost control of her emotions over King Uther's talk of fate was probably due to the helplessness and conviction a diviner of fate feels toward their own destiny.
Thinking of this, Souya decided to add fuel to the fire.
"Lady Morgan, no matter what happens, I will always believe in your greatness and your charm. You will also become the king who leads Britain to glory."
"When you become king, I will be the first to sing your praises."
As if hearing something unbelievable, Morgan's pupils quaked. Her gaze focused on Souya in an instant.
"Do you know what you are saying, fairy?"
Morgan spoke softly. Her lips, painted with an alluring blue lipstick, moved slightly, making Souya's heart grow a little restless.
I want to eat the rouge off big sister Morgan's lips...
"I am very sure of what I am saying, and I will absolutely never regret it, Lady Morgan."
The light in Morgan's eyes rippled. She raised her jade-like hand, an existence akin to a gorgeous work of art, and slowly plunged it into the ball of water.
An icy yet gentle sensation fed back from her fingertips. For some reason, it gave Morgan an inexplicable feeling in her heart.
"You truly have a glib tongue, you little fairy."