After breakfast—
"So… Sister Scáthach was summoned by Sister Morgan," Sakura said, piecing it together, "by exploiting the Holy Grail system rules and Caster's special properties?"
"Yes," Morgan nodded.
"Then if that's possible," Sakura asked, "since Sister Scáthach is also Caster… can she summon a third Caster?"
"And then the third summons a fourth, the fourth summons a fifth…?" Morgan finished for her.
"Uh… can't we?"
"We can," Morgan said calmly. "But we don't need to."
She looked Sakura in the eye.
"'Illegal summoning' is illegal because it violates the normal rules. Not just the Grail War—remember this: many things that break order, if you do it once, people will think you're ignorant, or reckless, or inexperienced. But if you do it again and again…"
Morgan's voice cooled slightly.
"…then you can't blame others for using out-of-rule methods too. Or for the 'rules' themselves stepping in."
From the side, Baiye—currently learning rune magecraft under Scáthach—finally couldn't hold it in.
"Don't tell me you taught her like this when I wasn't around."
"I'll admit it isn't 'upright' thinking," Morgan said, meeting his gaze. "But whose idea was 'Caster can illegally summon additional Servants'?"
"…."
Baiye shut up.
Everyone knew it was Medea. But if he said it out loud, Morgan would just call it "passing the buck."
Baiye refocused on Scáthach. In the short time he'd been arguing, Scáthach had already filled the air with dense rune-written theory.
He hurried to copy it.
As his finger formed rune after rune, Rune Magecraft proficiency climbed rapidly.
Whenever he hit a paragraph he didn't fully grasp, he claimed the AFK proficiency—because "claiming" also delivered the associated "experience," deepening comprehension far beyond the raw points.
An interesting talent, Scáthach thought.
More than once, she'd been sure Baiye should get stuck for a while—yet he always reached integration after brief reflection.
Scáthach had answered the summon simply because "it's rare to get to go outside," and she hadn't expected to find a student this promising—rare even in the Age of Gods. She watched him with growing interest.
"…Ma'am?" Baiye asked cautiously, noticing her gaze felt… unusual.
"It's nothing. Continue," Scáthach said.
In any case, they still had about a week before the latest possible start of the Grail War. And because Morgan had classified Scáthach outside the official roster during summoning, even after the war ended, Scáthach could simply cut Morgan's contract and find a new Master to remain in the present—if she wished.
Scáthach decided she'd observe longer.
Two hours later, 9 a.m., Kariya Matou arrived right on time.
Seeing Sakura—no longer the lively girl he remembered from Aoi and Rin's home, but clearly cared for and safe—Kariya finally felt the stone in his chest drop.
He explained his next plan.
"You're not leaving again?" Baiye asked.
"No," Kariya nodded. "The root cause of my leaving was the old man. These years I didn't contact my brother, but he understood why I did it—he even envied how decisively I walked away…"
Remembering last night's drunk, honest conversation with Tsuruno, Kariya's expression turned complicated.
"If you've decided, stay," Baiye said. "You didn't even need to report this to me. I told your brother: as long as the estate's needs are met, until Sakura comes of age, everything in the Matou family's mundane assets is his to decide. I won't interfere."
Would Tsuruno siphon assets into his own name over a decade?
Baiye trusted that someone who'd learned what "magi" truly were from the thing called "father/ancestor" would be smart enough not to play stupid games.
"You said that," Kariya replied, "but my brother and I both felt we should inform you first."
After confirming Sakura's well-being and securing permission, Kariya left without lingering. He told Sakura he'd visit often when he could.
Once the visitor was gone—
Sakura continued studying fundamentals under Morgan.
Baiye continued studying rune magecraft under Scáthach until noon.
In the afternoon, Baiye went to Esdeath's world—not for class, but to hunt, improve his body with Danger Beast blood and meat, and test his rune progress in a "lighter" setting.
Morning rune class. Afternoon hunting. Dinner, then sparring with Esdeath. Back to the Matou estate for Scáthach's night lesson.
That became his routine.
Until the sixteenth day after Baiye stormed the Matou estate and saved Sakura—the final day of the fifteen-day preparation window granted by the Greater Grail's mana surge, before the Fourth Grail War would forcibly begin early.
A system prompt appeared:
[Skill: Rune Magecraft (Lv.5)] proficiency is full. Upgrade to a higher level?
Finally.
With Scáthach's help, Baiye had filled what would have taken over a hundred AFK days—in barely a week.
"Yes."
Rune Magecraft (Lv.5) has been upgraded to Rune Magecraft (Lv.6).
Rune Magecraft (Lv.6) gained +1 extra Strength (Total extra Strength: 6).
....
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