After finishing the dumplings, Shichen headed to the courtyard in high spirits, ready to summon his own Servant.
The dumplings Sella and Leysritt were amazing—each one plump and round, silky on the bite, and packed with filling. They'd made them for family, by hand, with real care.
When you've got people in the house who can cook, daily life becomes a luxury.
And with how many people Shichen had at home, there was no shortage of good food—or "seasoning" for life.
"Shichen, which hero are you planning to summon?" Irisviel asked from the corridor, holding Illya's and Sakura's hands on either side of her.
Artoria was there too, along with Sella and the others.
Summoning a Servant wasn't a small matter, so everyone had gathered to watch—including his Master, Rin Tohsaka.
In this household, the Holy Grail War wasn't a secret. Everyone knew the basics.
Standing in the middle of the courtyard, Shichen rubbed his chin, still savoring the lingering taste of dumplings, and shook his head blankly.
"I don't know either."
"You don't know?" Rin blurted out, confused.
"I'll leave it to fate. I didn't prepare any catalyst… and you didn't either, did you?"
"Well… that's true," Rin admitted. "But I went in like that because I figured most Heroic Spirits are strong anyway—and I'm strong myself—so I just summoned directly."
"Oh? Confident, aren't you."
"It's because you messed with it, Shichen!" Rin shot him a look.
"What—don't like summoning me? Hate me that much?" Shichen asked casually.
"That's not it… I just wanted to summon a historical hero—see one in person…"
That kind of admiration for legends and heroes was totally normal for a mage. Wanting to see them with your own eyes was only natural.
"But Artoria's right here," Shichen said with a grin. "And she's a girl, too."
"That's different!" Rin sighed.
"How is it different? You can't 'see' that King Arthur is a woman?"
"Of course I can! Don't start stirring things up—I really like Artoria."
"Then why say it like that?"
"I just… wanted to summon someone myself…" Rin mumbled.
"I see… It's fine. I'm your Servant—so if I summon one, it's basically you summoning one. We're a unit."
"That… sounds weird, and it doesn't make me happy at all."
Shichen shook his head dramatically. "So you missed me before the summon, and now that you've got me, you're indifferent? Wow."
"Shichen, you're not even a Heroic Spirit!"
"I am right now, aren't I? Wasn't I summoned by you?"
"…Whatever. If you're happy, fine. Just hurry up and summon already."
"Then come draw the magic circle for me."
"..."
Rin silently walked over, drew the circle, then went back without a word.
"Spoken like a true Master," Shichen said, giving her a thumbs-up at her retreating back.
Rin couldn't be bothered to respond. The more she interacted with him, the more she realized how unserious he was. Not a hint of "adult dignity."
Men are boys until the day they die, huh?
But compared to that growing understanding of Shichen, she was more worried about the Grail War itself.
"Is it really okay for a Servant to summon another Servant?" Rin asked, returning to Artoria's side.
"It should… be fine?" Artoria said, not entirely sure.
"Of course it's fine. I'm doing it within the rules," Shichen replied breezily.
"There is no 'within the rules' for this! That's just because you're abnormal—!"
"It's not just me, you know," Shichen cut in, meaningfully. "A Servant summoning a Servant isn't unheard of."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You'll see soon enough."
He didn't elaborate. He wanted to see who he'd end up with when he had no catalyst—who he had the strongest "compatibility" with.
And that person "she" mentioned—someone waiting for him—could it be the Servant he was about to summon?
Shichen closed his eyes, extended the hand bearing Command Spells toward the circle, and began chanting.
The chant itself didn't really matter, but the ritual vibe did.
As soon as he finished, the circle flared. Mana gathered.
The commotion was loud, but no ordinary people—or outsiders—would notice. He'd set up a barrier so nothing inside could be seen.
The barrier was mainly to protect Illya and Sakura. Shichen still had to teach during the day; if he wasn't home and someone tried something, he didn't want the girls even getting startled.
Not that Illya and Sakura were the type to be frightened. If anything, they'd probably be excited someone tried.
In the circle, a silhouette appeared, slowly solidifying—until the figure became clear.
"How is that possible?!" Artoria gasped.
"Wow. So something like this really can happen," Irisviel said with a hand to her cheek, smiling.
"A second Artoria-oneechan? Interesting," Illya nodded thoughtfully.
"Onii-chan really is fated with Artoria-oneechan," Sakura said softly.
"…She looks different," Rin said, studying the figure. "Isn't she a bit too young?"
"She is different," Artoria murmured. "That's… me, when I was younger."
"So it's Lily," Shichen said, recognizing her instantly.
It made sense. His strongest connection right now was with Artoria—so pulling another version of her was practically inevitable.
In the Grail War, it wasn't unheard of for different "phases" of the same hero to be summoned.
"Nice to meet you, Master!" the young Saber greeted brightly.
"I'm not fully mature yet, so please call me Saber Lily!"
Saber Lily was petite and delicate, with a refined face. Her golden hair faded in tone and was tied into a single ponytail with a black ribbon. Her eyes were emerald green, her skin fair, and her armor—primarily white—gave off a clean, pure impression.
She looked like the very definition of a "pure knight-princess."
She was undeniably adorable… and yet her face was exactly the same as Artoria's.
This was Artoria Pendragon Lily—the version from right after she drew the sword from the stone, still inexperienced, still carrying hope in her eyes. Unlike the older Artoria, who'd already lived through so much and had settled into calm.
"Then I'll just call you Lily," Shichen said.
He instinctively lifted his hand to pat her head—then stopped himself.
Lily felt so small and youthful she came off like a kid. She looked like Artoria, sure, but the sheer freshness about her made her feel younger, while older Artoria's seriousness made her seem far more mature.
Lily blinked at Shichen's hovering hand, understood immediately, and smiled—then grabbed his wrist and placed his hand right on top of her head.
"Master wants to pat my head, right? It's okay. That's a good way to build closeness~"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. It does make me feel like I'm being treated like a kid… but I'm not that old anyway." She tilted her head, thoughtful. "And somehow… I feel weirdly familiar with you, Master."
"Is that so…"
Shichen guessed it might have something to do with Excalibur inside him. Artoria's holy sword was literally within him.
But then he reconsidered—Lily, at this point in her life, shouldn't have Excalibur yet. So why would she feel that familiarity?
"Lily… do you know me?"
"Aren't we meeting for the first time?" Lily asked, blinking uncertainly.
"…Right."
So the one "waiting for him" wasn't her.
"Master? What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Shichen shook his head and changed the subject. "From now on, we're comrades."
"Okay! I'll do my best!" Lily beamed.
"Then let me introduce you to someone," Shichen said, his grin turning a little mischievous.
"Someone… Master's family…?" Lily followed his gaze toward Irisviel and the others—and saw Artoria.
"…You—" Her eyes widened in shock.
"Hello," older Artoria greeted, her expression complicated.
She honestly didn't know how she was supposed to react. Normally, you don't get to meet your younger self.
"H-hello," Lily replied politely.
Her manner was earnest and plain, with no royal gravitas at all. If you had to sum up the vibe in one word, she felt more like an earnest countryside girl than a king.
"Lily, aren't you curious?" Shichen asked, amused.
"I am," Lily admitted. "But I can understand it. This is the Holy Grail War, after all."
Two versions of the same person showing up in one Grail War… wasn't actually impossible.