Fate, Salvation, and a Deal

Huh?

Take Irisviel away! The Lesser Grail?

Saber's words were so direct that not only did Shiki's eyes widen in shock, but Irisviel, sitting beside him, also stared at her in disbelief, completely unable to understand why she had suddenly said such a thing.

"Saber, you!"

Irisviel could not help speaking up, but Saber raised a hand to stop her.

"Irisviel, let me finish." Saber gave Irisviel a reassuring glance before turning to Shiki and speaking seriously. "Shiki, thank you very much for coming today. To be honest, if you had not come, I would not have known how to save Irisviel."

"Uh..."

Shiki set down his teacup, his heart full of confusion. He wondered whether he had not fully woken up today. How else could he have run into something this absurd?

Everything today felt far too unreal, as though he were still dreaming. But he knew that, as an Awakened, he had long since lost the right to dream. The price of traveling between worlds was becoming someone without dreams.

Looking at Saber's utterly serious expression, he truly could not understand what she was thinking.

Save the Lesser Grail? What exactly was she planning?

After pondering for over ten seconds, Shiki finally asked, "King of Knights, I would very much like to know why you are doing this. To be frank, we had already planned to take Miss Einzbern away today. Since you have voluntarily suggested that I take her with me, I want to know even more why you would do that. It concerns my next course of action."

Shiki's blunt words did not anger Saber.

After all, if someone knew Irisviel's identity and had no thoughts about it, that would have been strange. No one wanted someone else to easily reap the enormous benefit of the Holy Grail after they had fought so fiercely.

Irisviel looked at Shiki, her gaze flickering slightly, but she was not angry.

Before coming to Fuyuki City, she had already anticipated that something like this might happen. As the Lesser Grail, this was the purpose and meaning of their existence.

After Shiki finished speaking, the room fell silent.

After a long while, Saber sighed and slowly said, "I want to save Irisviel's life. Not merely because we are friends, but because I regard Irisviel as my own child. I truly cannot bear to watch her lose her life at such a young age."

"..."

Shiki nearly thought he had misheard her.

The petite Saber, the King of Knights before him, looked like a high school student of sixteen or seventeen, about the same age as him. How could she possibly have a child?

And one the same age as Irisviel?

"No, that's not right..."

Shiki suddenly came back to his senses. He remembered that although Saber, the King of Knights, looked young, her actual age was far greater than his.

More precisely, she was far older than his counterpart—or perhaps older than the sum of all the years he had experienced across several worlds.

As if she had not seen the shocked expressions on Shiki and Irisviel's faces, Saber continued, "You should know the name Mordred. She was one of the representative knights among the Knights of the Round Table. My sister Morgan extracted my genetic material and personally created her for some purpose. Like Irisviel, she was also an artificial human..."

"..."

Shiki felt the urge to make a sarcastic remark, yet he did not know where to begin. That use of "she" was certainly something. He wondered whether that knight Mordred looked like Saber as well.

As Saber spoke, her voice was the only sound left in the living room.

At first, Saber had not known of Mordred's existence because Mordred always wore a mask. Later, the fiercely competitive Mordred had voluntarily revealed her identity in order to gain Saber's recognition.

Only then did Saber learn what her sister had done.

What followed was Mordred striving to prove herself in order to gain the King of Knights' recognition. Yet due to her personality, she ultimately received only Saber's rejection. Saber believed she was unsuited to become an heir.

Then, the incident caused by Lancelot dealt the Knights of the Round Table devastating losses. Mordred took the opportunity to launch a rebellion, and the kingdom fell into turmoil.

At this point, Saber's expression became exceedingly dim. "If, back then, I had regarded that child not as a king, but as a father, perhaps what happened afterward would never have occurred. In the final battle of that rebellion, my holy lance pierced her, and she wounded me with her sword. I do not know whether she is still alive..."

Saber paused, then looked at Irisviel beside her, her eyes filled with unprecedented gentleness. "I think that child might still hate me, her father, even in the end. But I hope she is safe. From her birth to the end, she lived less than ten years, just like Irisviel. That is why I especially hope Irisviel can live on and enjoy this beautiful world. Likewise, I hope that child Mordred is safe as well. Once I return and resolve this rebellion, I will apologize to her for what happened before."

Shiki gradually understood what Saber, the King of Knights, was thinking.

She had complicated feelings toward her child, Mordred. Perhaps they stemmed from herself, from her sister Morgan, and perhaps from many factors involving the kingdom as well.

Seeing Irisviel, another artificial human, filled her with pity. She did not want Irisviel to die as the Holy Grail and wanted to save her.

Likewise, it could be said that Saber hoped that after ending the Holy Grail War and returning to her own world, she could save the kingdom and save Mordred.

"I understand the King of Knights' intentions, but why do you believe that letting Irisviel come with me can save her? I do not think I have displayed any special ability that would make you trust me so much."

This was also what Shiki had been unable to understand.

They had never met before or fought each other. He definitely could not defeat Saber, and his true information had not been exposed. How had Saber decided that he could save Irisviel?

This was far too absurd.

Faced with this question, Saber merely smiled faintly. "Shiki, you underestimate yourself too much. Being able to restore Lancelot's sanity from the madness of the Berserker class is not something an ordinary Master can accomplish. At first, I merely guessed it might be possible. But after meeting you in person, my Instinct told me that you could do it."

Instinct...

That ability was far too unfair.

Shiki had a slight headache. Saber, the King of Knights, who possessed the Instinct skill, truly was formidable.

What he feared most was encountering opponents with powerful intuition. No matter how many preparations he made, even if they did not know the specifics, they could still use their intuition to ruin his plans.

However, he often forgot that his own intuition was not bad either.

After thinking for a while, Shiki turned to Irisviel beside him and asked, "Then, Miss Einzbern, what do you think? Are you willing to come with me?"

At that moment, Irisviel's mind was in a daze.

After hearing Saber's story, she understood why Saber cared so much about her and understood her goodwill.

Yet it was precisely that goodwill that left her at a loss.

After all, leaving Saber and following an unfamiliar Master was something she had never experienced before.

Ever since Saber had descended, they had never been separated.

After hesitating for a long time, Irisviel finally shook her head. "I-I don't know. But I think that even if I refuse, Mr. Shiki will forcibly take me away, right? After all, Saber will not stop you now."

She had not forgotten that Shiki had bluntly stated earlier that their goal today was to take her, the Lesser Grail, away.

"That's right. I will take Miss Einzbern away. But King of Knights, what benefit do I get from saving her? I am not the sort of good person who gives without asking for anything in return."

Hearing that, the corners of Saber's lips curved slightly upward. She stared at Shiki for a moment, then smiled and said, "Since Shiki considers himself not a good person, I will take you at your word. Then, as the price of saving Irisviel, I can temporarily transfer Avalon's authority to you. What do you think? Shiki should know of Avalon, that legendary treasure. It is currently on Irisviel. I have the authority to decide who possesses it during the Holy Grail War. As for what happens afterward, that will depend on your own ability."

"Oh? So it was that."

Shiki's heart stirred. He had heard of Avalon's great name, but had temporarily forgotten where it was now. He had not expected it to be on the Lesser Grail. That truly was an easily overlooked blind spot.

If he had known earlier that it was on Irisviel, he would have targeted her first before dealing with Archer. That way, he would not have needed to expend so much effort searching for Langser's Noble Phantasm.

But it was too late to say any of that now. Archer had already been dealt with.

Although he would only have authority over Avalon during the Holy Grail War, that was still well worth it to Shiki.

However, how much use this treasure exclusive to King Arthur could have in his hands was hard to say.

Unlike a Servant's Noble Phantasm, Avalon was a real treasure, a conceptual armament, and one that already had an owner. Saber, the King of Knights, and King Arthur were not the same person.

Yet Shiki immediately agreed anyway. He could worry about the future later. The urgent matter was to first bring the Lesser Grail under control.

"Alright. I accept the King of Knights' terms. I will save Miss Einzbern's life."