Seeing the stunningly beautiful woman in the black dress appear by his side uninvited, Amakusa Shirou couldn't help but sigh softly.
However, knowing that the other party was a haughty Empress and couldn't possibly listen to him on every minor detail—and considering that Souya, who was present, was his closest relative and one of the trusted Masters officially designated by the Red Faction—Amakusa Shirou thought for a moment and didn't try to hide anything, instead introducing them to each other.
"As you can see, Souya, this is my Servant, and also the Assassin of the Red Faction, which makes her one of our seven. Her True Name is Semiramis."
"Assassin, this is the summoner for the final Servant, Caster, whom I mentioned to you. He is also my adopted brother, Kotomine Souya."
"So it is the legendary Empress of the Assyrian Empire. As an emperor and the oldest poisoner, it's no wonder your aura is so coolly elegant and noble."
Even though he already knew Amakusa's companion would be Empress Semiramis, he definitely had to keep up appearances.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, this was his future sister-in-law, so building a good relationship was essential.
Thinking this, Souya also evaluated Semiramis opposite him, just as she was evaluating him.
He had to admit, compared to her image in the anime and games, the Empress standing vividly in front of him right now was indeed beautiful. She truly lived up to the title of a peerless beauty recorded in history books.
It was just that for some reason, Souya felt that the Semiramis in front of him looked a bit familiar. If he looked closely, she actually reminded him of the person he had been longing for.
Britain's Brilliant Queen, Morgan, and also his former lover.
Perhaps it was because they were both female kings who held high positions and led their countries to brilliance, Souya felt that Semiramis and Morgan were very similar—not in appearance, but in aura.
Although both were peerless beauties, in all fairness, Souya still felt Morgan was slightly more beautiful.
But setting that aside, he and his brother Amakusa didn't just share similar circumstances and a fateful encounter; even the type of women they liked was the same...
What kind of non-blood-related brothers are we!
Souya's mind wandered.
Meanwhile, the Empress had finished evaluating Souya. After her woman's intuition confirmed that this guy was pleasing to the eye, combined with the fact that he was her Master's younger brother and spoke pleasantly...
Even though she kept a cold face, the corners of her mouth still curved up slightly.
"Compared to your boring brother, you, also a clergyman, are much more eloquent."
Saying this, Semiramis seemed to cast an intentional yet casual glance at Amakusa next to her.
Seeing this, the latter could only offer a wry smile.
"Hmph."
Semiramis scoffed lightly, ignoring Amakusa Shirou, who pretended not to understand, and instead nodded in approval at Souya.
"Acceptable. Seeing as your first impression is satisfactory, I shall acknowledge you as my vassal. When the 'Gardens' are complete, you are permitted the qualification to come up and take a look."
"It is my honor, Your Imperial Majesty," Souya replied with a smile.
"Ahem. Alright, Souya, you don't need to be so formal."
Seeing that there were no major issues in their first meeting, Amakusa also breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, Semiramis was the oldest poisoner who bore the title of "Poisonous Woman." If his younger brother displeased her, it would be truly difficult for him, the older brother, to be caught in the middle.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
Thinking this, Amakusa turned his gaze back to Souya.
"Since you have already met my Servant, Souya, it is about time you summoned your own Servant, right?"
"The next optimal summoning time—which is also the final one for this Great War—should be tonight at nine o'clock. How about it? Have you found a Servant you desire?"
Saying this, Amakusa smiled, pretending to be very casual.
"If you don't have a suitable one, I do have a few items here that are very suitable to be used as catalysts for a Caster summon."
With a light wave of Amakusa's hand, several ancient-looking books and relics appeared in front of him.
Clearly, among them was likely the catalyst for the original Red Faction Caster, the great English writer Shakes-bear... oh no, Shakespeare.
Hearing Amakusa's words, Semiramis's eyes twitched slightly, and the look she gave Amakusa couldn't help but carry a hint of a different meaning.
But the latter acted as if he didn't feel it, still staring at Souya with a smile, waiting for his answer.
Unfortunately, Souya's answer was decisive. His gaze didn't even sweep over those books from start to finish.
"There is no need, Brother. No matter what, I am a member of the Eighth Sacrament Congregation. Naturally, I have long been prepared regarding the choice of Servant for this Holy Grail War."
Hearing this, Amakusa showed no other emotion, merely asking as if somewhat curious:
"Oh? Then which Caster do you plan to summon?"
Hearing this, Souya merely smiled faintly, then said with a firm tone:
"The Queen of Britain, Morgan."
This was originally a planned outcome, but after experiencing Britain, this matter had become a promise.
After seeing Amakusa and the Empress, Souya couldn't wait to see his own Queen.
"Morgan?!"
Hearing Souya's answer, even someone like Amakusa, who had seen great storms and was not participating in a Holy Grail War for the first time, couldn't help but freeze.
Even the Empress Semiramis, who had been listening to the brothers' conversation, couldn't help but cast a surprised look upon hearing Souya's words.
As a Servant who had, upon manifesting, filled in all the history and knowledge from her death to the present, Semiramis naturally knew which Morgan Souya was talking about.
One of the brilliant Twin Kings of Britain, the Wise King, and also a great Queen who, with a female body, led an entire country to its peak.
To a certain extent, Semiramis also had to admit she admired her a little.
But can Morgan truly be summoned?
So-called Heroic Spirits can only become Heroic Spirits after death. But the Morgan in mythology ended in disappearance, not death. There were even many folk legends stating that she was still alive even today.
With that, it seemed she couldn't even meet the most basic summoning condition: "Death," right?
And Amakusa naturally knew of this issue as well. Therefore, after hearing Souya's answer, his handsome brow instantly furrowed.
"The Queen of Britain...? From the perspective of seeking victory, she, who holds the entirety of Britain, indeed seems like a very suitable Caster for us."
"However, Souya."
Amakusa thought for a moment, trying his best to speak tactfully.
"You also know that the Queen does not seem to fulfill the conditions to be a Servant. Furthermore, across all recorded Holy Grail Wars and Heroic Spirit summonings outside of them, there seems to be no precedent of her being successfully summoned, correct?"
"So, in order not to waste this final opportunity, would you reconsider choosing one of these catalysts I've given you as a temporary Servant?"
But Souya ultimately just shook his head and insisted:
"Just because others cannot summon her does not mean I cannot either. Please believe in me, Brother."
"Since that is the case, alright."
Seeing Souya's resolute blue eyes, Amakusa, knowing he truly couldn't persuade this younger brother, had no choice but to let it be.
However, under his strong insistence, Souya still selected a manuscript suspected to belong to Andersen as a backup catalyst.
Afterward, the two brothers chatted for a while longer, and Souya bid farewell to Amakusa, proposing to return to the leylines and residence provided by the Church to rest.
The latter naturally agreed. After all, no matter how much he cared, Heroic Spirit summoning was Souya's own business; it was not his place to interfere.
After politely declining Semiramis's parting gesture of conjuring a cup of fragrant tea like a magic trick and inviting him to taste it, Souya left the church, taking the information on the Black Faction's Masters, deductions about their Servants, and the basic information on the Red Faction's Servants provided by Amakusa.
Are you kidding me? No matter how you look at it, the Empress seems to have the idea of controlling me with poison. The color of that tea... although it's colorless and odorless, that only makes it more suspicious, right?
Although he didn't know what his brother's attitude toward him was, facing his Servant—the Empress who was the world's number one poisoner—Souya had to be vigilant.
He didn't want to end up like the Red Faction Masters in the original work, controlled by Semiramis's poison and suppressed in the "Gardens," leaving their Servants to be manipulated by them while they themselves were reduced to mana-providing tools.
After all, regarding that ideal that pierced through Amakusa's life and death, Souya truly wasn't sure if he would place righteousness above family.
This Holy Grail War was full of undercurrents right from the start, even between brothers on the same side.
Inside the church, Empress Semiramis stood by the window, watching Souya's figure in the black cassock gradually disappear. The look in her eyes was obscure and indistinct.
"Hey, Master. I remember you seemingly saying that your plan takes precedence over everything else."
"So why didn't you cooperate with me just now, letting Kotomine Souya drink this heart-corroding poison so we could control him?"
Saying this, Semiramis turned her head, looking somewhat dissatisfied at Amakusa Shirou, who was still standing in the center of the church.
But the latter merely smiled softly, looking at the Empress amidst the sunlight streaming down from the ceiling.
The light in those amber eyes couldn't help but make her heart flutter slightly.
"It's fine, Semiramis. He is my brother, a believer, and someone who walks on the same path as I do."
"If it is him, he will definitely understand my great ideal, right?"
Those who walk the same path should naturally support each other forward.
At this time, after Souya returned to his temporary base, he wasn't in a hurry to prepare the Heroic Spirit summoning ritual. He had already prepared those materials and formulas long ago and didn't need to worry about them much.
But when he opened the documents Amakusa had given him to compare them, the first thing he noticed were changes in the Red Faction's information.
"Lancer: Karna—no change. Archer: Atalante—no change. Rider: Achilles—no change..."
"Saber Class... a bounty hunter hired by the Mage's Association... the identity of the Servant is temporarily unknown."
"Finally, Berserker... wait?! Why isn't it Spartacus…Kriemhild... who is this?!!"