When night fell over the Anomaly Domain, Artoria had already lit a campfire at their mountainside campsite.
They weren't afraid of the cold, but once the flames were burning, the warmth still chased away the night's chill and lifted everyone's mood.
"Where did you go?" Scáthach asked, poking at the fire with a branch as Shiomi returned from outside.
"I set up a few key points to strip control of the ley lines." Shiomi brushed his hands off and sat on a rock beside the fire. "By the time we leave tomorrow, the ley lines here will be out of Koyanskaya's hands."
Little by little, they would shave down the Beast's control over the ley lines and force her to feel the pressure.
At first, only the area around the recreated Ivan the Thunderous Emperor's stronghold was manageable. But once the severed territory expanded, Koyanskaya would inevitably try to take it back.
If she still refused to leave the core region and deal with it personally, then she would have no choice but to stay there on constant alert.
The problem was, she had failed to collect the species from all seven Lostbelts as planned, and she also hadn't gathered enough power to undergo metamorphosis.
In the end, Koyanskaya was still an incomplete Beast. It was hard to say how much power she truly had left.
"Since everything here is an unknown species, we didn't hunt or fish," Morgan said, carrying over a bowl of porridge with meat and vegetables. "I made this with the supplies we brought down from the ship."
"Thanks. You went to the trouble." Shiomi took the bowl, blew on the steam at the rim, then began eating with a wooden spoon, one bite at a time.
"I have to say, even in a situation like this, your cooking is excellent," Scáthach said, praising Morgan's food.
Morgan looked pleased. "I learned during our pilgrimage, from my husband. He treated me very well. He never made me do the hard or tiring work unless I asked to."
"So you got through those lonely years by relying on Tenkei?" Artoria asked. "All just to save Britain, to save those… fae living on the island?"
"It wasn't 'getting through,' and it wasn't lonely." Morgan shook her head. "When one person fills your heart to the brim, it becomes hard to care about the changes and hardships around you. The island fae could hate me, resent me, glare daggers at me. Even if I knew it was there, it would vanish before it ever reached me."
"To bear the nation's filth is to be its altar; to bear the nation's misfortune is to be its king," Scáthach murmured, lips pressed together.
Morgan, understanding the sentiment, nodded.
"To be honest, when I first lost the Rain Clan, my foster parents, and my sister, I truly did suffer." Morgan stared into her bowl. "But after a long time, after my husband's hands smoothed over every scar, all that remained in my heart was a single knot. Later on, I almost stopped understanding why I kept doing it. I only remembered the ideal I began with, and that's what led to the outcome."
It had been her own ideal, and the wish entrusted to her by the Rain Clan.
In the end, both that ideal and that wish were shattered. Yet Morgan did not regret it. She accepted the outcome as what remained after six thousand years of effort.
And the fact that she had not lost what mattered most was already, in itself, a rare mercy.
"So now you're supporting my disciple's path instead?" Scáthach asked with a smile. "The ideal of saving the world, saving Proper Human History."
"It's a wife's duty," Morgan replied without hesitation.
At that moment, Artoria realized Shiomi hadn't spoken once. She looked over and saw him sitting with his head lowered, quietly eating his porridge.
The bowl was still hot, yet it was empty before long.
"What are you thinking about, Tenkei?" Artoria asked.
That question snapped Shiomi out of his thoughts and also cut off Morgan and Scáthach's casual conversation.
"Nothing," Shiomi said, lifting his head with a slight hesitation. "The porridge is really good."
"That's not what I'm asking." Morgan met his eyes. "It's what you've been thinking about. The Survival Domain… it's been bothering you, hasn't it?"
Shiomi gave a small nod. "Not just the Survival Domain. Today, too… It's like I suddenly understood the full meaning of why I was born. It's a lot to take in, but… I can accept it."
"And now the responsibility feels heavy?" Scáthach asked.
"Yeah." Shiomi set the empty bowl down. "If we keep things as they are, humanity's destruction is still inevitable. So what are we supposed to do? What future are we supposed to shape? What choice is actually the right one?"
"I'm sorry. I can't answer that," Artoria said, shaking her head. "All I can think of is preserving the best of humanity as data and passing it on to future generations."
"The Demon God King chose to remake all of human history," Morgan said softly, watching him. "What my husband wants is to preserve the existing world while still avoiding the path of destruction."
There was no doubt about it.
That would be far harder than abandoning everything, or starting over.
To lead Human Order out of the dead end of annihilation.
"Better not to overthink it."
At some point, Scáthach had set her bowl aside and moved behind Shiomi, wrapping her arms around him.
The soft press of her full chest against his back made his breath hitch despite himself.
"Deal with the anomalies still lingering on the planet while you search for the answer," Morgan said gently. "I believe the answer will grow clearer as my husband walks forward. It won't reveal itself prematurely, long before the end."
"Exactly." Scáthach leaned in and lightly caught his earlobe between her teeth, her hands beginning to roam.
One hand traced over his chest. The other slid down without hesitation, reaching the most sensitive place.
A full stomach inevitably led to certain impulses. Some truths never changed.
"Master… wait…"
Shiomi tried to reclaim the initiative, but Scáthach was unusually forceful tonight and gave him no room to argue.
"Be a good boy and listen to your master." Her warm breath brushed his ear. "I'll make sure you don't have the time to sit there brooding on your own."
Before he could react, she lifted him clean off the ground and tossed him onto the prepared bedding.
"At least finish tidying up first," Morgan complained, though there was no real heat behind it.
"Who has time for that?" Scáthach pressed a hand against Shiomi's chest and swung herself over him, straddling his waist. "A certain foolish god needs drastic measures to clear his head. I'm taking the first round."
"I'm not confused." Shiomi caught her hand and laced their fingers together. "You just want to—"
Before he could finish, Scáthach lowered her hips.
In that instant, it felt as though a crimson lotus exploded inside his mind, scattering every lingering thought.
After that, he couldn't manage another word.