Chapter 107
"Hey, that's a pretty quick reaction, but your luck won't be so good from here on out."
"And also, I hate guys like you who don't even dare to show their faces!" Mordred, wearing a helmet, said.
She stomped her foot on the ground, leaping into the air and raising her greatsword to slash at the cloaked man.
"Quick speed and powerful strength," the kimono-clad girl said calmly, giving Mordred a fair assessment.
The Heroic Spirit I summoned is indeed quite powerful...
But who is that Servant? How can they protect their Master while fighting someone and not be at a disadvantage?
Meanwhile, after a brief exchange, Mordred lost his patience and raised his greatsword once more.
Anyway, her Master's magical energy is plentiful... in fact, it's inexhaustible, so using her Noble Phantasm twice is no big deal.
"A call to action against my magnificent father—"
As the magic gathered once more, the powerful sword wind completely blew away the black robe of the Servant opposite her. Just as Mordred was about to strike, she finally saw the boy's face clearly.
Her pupils widened suddenly, her hand holding the greatsword trembled slightly, and then, under the slightly surprised gazes of the kimono-clad girl and Irisviel, she abruptly came to a stop.
Mordred's composure is starting to crumble.
Just like her Noble Phantasm, "My Glorious Father's Rebellion," Mordred is rebellious.
She was Rebellious Knight; among the Knights of the Round Table, she had the most ingenious ideas and tricks, and no one could make her obey.
When you're with her, you can't treat her like a girl, and you can't treat her like a boy either... That's just how troublesome this knight's personality is.
However--
Not everyone is incapable of dealing with this Rebellious Knight.
From a young age, Mordred had always acted like a good girl in front of her father... This father was not Artoria, but another father.
She was the child of three men. Her father had taught her to play chess before, and in Father King memory, she had always been a well-behaved and sensible child... at least that's how Mordred always saw it.
However, now, she has not only launched an attack on her father... but even the name of her Noble Phantasm has been discovered.
The moment she saw the other person's face, memories quietly surged into her mind, past scenes flashing by like fleeting shadows. Mordred stood rooted to the spot, gripping her greatsword, seemingly lost in a brief daze.
It's alright. I'm wearing a helmet now, so Father might not recognize me. What I need to do now isn't attack him, but find a way to retreat first... and then find a time to "bump into" him again, looking surprised and saying: What a coincidence, Father! You've been summoned too?
Mordred was secretly planning his next move, then nodded quietly.
Feasible!
This method is absolutely feasible!
That's right, my father didn't know her identity. She went out wearing full armor and didn't even show her face. How could he possibly discover my identity?
Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly heard Irisviel's soft reminder: "Be careful, Saber."
She only felt that the enemy Saber was preparing to unleash some terrifying Noble Phantasm at close range.
"Huh? You're Saber, then what am I?"
Mordred abruptly raised her head, and after her gaze lingered on the boy in front of her for a moment, she threw away the greatsword in her hand.
"Fine, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll spare your lives!"
Mordred kept her voice down as much as possible while speaking, in order to make it difficult for Lan Ze to tell whether she was male or female.
Then, she turned and vanished into golden particles. Just before she left, the girl in the kimono nearby suddenly heard Mordred's reminder: "Master, my Heroic Spirit hasn't gone out tonight. I hope you can find a way to tell her this later..."
The girl in the kimono was visibly taken aback for a moment, and then felt a strange unease creeping into her heart.
This was the first time she had ever heard this Rebellious Knight ask someone for help with something.
Besides... the Master is still here, why did she run away first?
"What on earth is going on...?"
On the deserted street, almost the instant they saw this scene, both Irisviel and the girl in the kimono had the same thought.
This is a brutal Holy Grail War. At this moment, it should have been a test between the two sides' Heroic Spirit, and it did indeed develop in that direction at first.
But why... did Saber's Noble Phantasm abruptly stop just before it was about to be unleashed, even coming to an abrupt halt right in front of Caster?
After a brief moment of contemplation, the girl in the kimono was still completely baffled. Although the Heroic Spirit had left, she remained calm and even drew her sword, pointing it at Lan Ze.
Who are you?
Lan Ze was still in a daze of "So my child has grown up so much," and his impression of Mordred was still that of a clever little girl from Britain with a somewhat rebellious personality.
Unexpectedly, I ended up meeting her again in this way...
"You won't answer?" At that moment, the kimono-clad girl opposite her slowly walked forward, sword in hand, her eyes flashing with a chilling light.
Lan Ze finally snapped out of his reverie and said, "This is a long story, but to put it simply... um..."
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I am the father of the Servant you summoned."
The girl in the kimono paused for a moment, blinked, and looked at Lan Ze.
Behind Lan Ze, Irisviel also covered her mouth, looking at Lan Ze with a surprised expression.
"So, that Servant just now was Mordred, the Rebellious Knight among the twelve Knights of the Round Table?"
Before engaging in the Holy Grail War, she had specifically studied the legend of King Arthur. The book recorded the life of King Arthur, and one of the stories went like this: One day, Morgan le Fay was creating a homunculus, Mordred, when suddenly someone broke in. Because of a cut, the blood of the three people merged together, creating the Mordred we know today.
After that, a dragon descended upon the world, Vortigern, who intended to massacre the city, was defeated by another king who drew his Holy Lance.
That king was the second King Arthur.
This is a record from the history she consulted.
However, the history after that is very vague. Some people in later generations believe that there should not have been two King Arthur in this world. Perhaps the two kings were actually the same person, but the records were inaccurate.
Some people believe that King Arthur was just a title, and that there were actually several kings who ruled Britain, but each of them referred to themselves as King Arthur.
Irisviel didn't know the truth, but one thing was certain— Mordred was King Arthur's child.
"So, you're King Arthur?" The girl in the kimono stared at Lan Ze, muttering to herself thoughtfully.
Considering Mordred's strange reaction just now, wasn't it just like a mouse seeing a cat?
Wait... my Servant seemed a little shy just now? The kimono-clad girl thought to herself.
While the girl in the kimono was observing Lan Ze was also secretly watching her.
Despite being the Master, he sensed an extremely strong threat emanating from this girl!
Given his current strength, he should have no problem facing Servant other than the "Golden Trio," yet he's feeling threatened by a Master?
This is something that should never have happened...
Also, this Master... he seems kind of familiar... Lan Ze thought to himself as he nodded slightly, confirming the girl in the kimono. "Your guess is correct."
"Enemy master, I won't harm you tonight, so you can leave."
Just as Lan Ze was speaking, he suddenly saw a girl in a kimono appear in front of him.
Just a moment ago she was still some distance from Lan Ze, but the next moment she appeared in front of him as if she had teleported, and then smiled and extended her hand.
"If you don't mind, you can come to my house for a cup of tea and see the child while you're at it."
This girl's strength is probably even more terrifying than that of an ordinary Servant... Lan Ze stared at the girl in surprise, thinking to himself. He wondered, "Girl, do you really know this is the Holy Grail War? Even if you have some strength, isn't a Master Servant?"
Irisviel's eyes widened slightly, her gaze filled with disbelief.
She hadn't even seen how the girl in the kimono approached them!
"Oh right, I think I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry."
As she apologized, the girl in the kimono smiled calmly and said, "Nice to meet you, Ryougi Shiki."
"As for how you should address me, do whatever makes you happy."
Ryougi Shiki...?
When Lan Ze heard the girl's self-introduction, he was momentarily stunned.
He blinked and stared at the girl in front of him again.
Her long hair was loose, and her gorgeous kimono accentuated her slender figure. Her eyes were exceptionally beautiful, but just one glance was enough to give one an indescribable feeling of unease. She held a katana in her hand, and although she had a faint smile on her face, for some reason, it gave people a chilling feeling.
This person is Ryougi Shiki?!
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Lan Ze finally came to his senses.
He wasn't very familiar with this girl, but he knew that the only known person connected to the Root, besides the big little girl at home, was Ryougi Shiki... or more accurately, Origin Shiki.
Is this person truly the Origin Shiki...?
Also, why is the Holy Grail War that the system has arranged for me so absurd? It's one thing for Mordred to be in the Holy Grail War, but why is Ryougi Shiki also showing up now?
Are you going to give me another beast challenge to make it even harder?!
"System Girl, did you never intend to restore me at all...? "Lan Ze couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Despite his thoughts, he remained outwardly calm, extending his hand to gently shake hands with Ryougi Shiki.
"You should already know my identity. This lady beside me is my Master, Irisviel," Lan Ze said.
In short, the girl doesn't seem to have any hostility right now, and a large part of that is probably because of Mordred... Let's wait and see how things go.
Ryougi Shiki turned her head slightly and looked at the woman beside her.
Then, a faint smile appeared on Ryougi Shiki's face, and she said softly, "Hello, Miss Irisviel."
As she spoke, she remembered what Mordred had just said, and said to Lan Ze, "By the way, Saber asked me to tell you that she didn't leave the house tonight, and that Heroic Spirit just now wasn't her."
Lan Ze was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Are you really helping her cover up instead of betraying her...?"
He nodded slightly and said, "I understand."
"It's very close to my house. If you don't mind, let's go for a cup of tea," Ryougi Shiki continued.
Lan Ze and Irisviel exchanged a glance, then nodded slightly, agreeing to Ryougi Shiki's invitation.
Lan Ze originally thought this was just an ordinary Holy Grail War, and that he should be able to win if he put in a little effort.
But--
Clearly, this Holy Grail War is not normal.
Besides the Three Founding Families, Ryougi Shiki has now joined the Holy Grail War... He couldn't guarantee that the other Master wouldn't have changed as well.
Ryougi Shiki alone is already difficult to deal with; if the other Master also change, then this Holy Grail War can basically be described as hellish.
... Although it's already at hellish difficulty right now.
But at least Ryougi Shiki hasn't shown any hostility yet. If possible, they could cooperate now and consider the final showdown after dealing with the other Master.
Thinking of this, Lan Ze raised his head and looked at the girl leading the way. The streetlights quietly lit up, making Ryougi Shiki's silhouette appear exceptionally slender.
After Mordred returned home with the shopping bags, her armor quickly turned into particles and disappeared. She casually tossed the shopping bags onto the table, then plopped down on the sofa, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
After taking several deep breaths, she pulled a can of beer from her shopping bag and gulped it down, finally feeling alive again.
She never expected that she would encounter her father in the Holy Grail War... and that he would unleash his Noble Phantasm on her Father King without saying a word.
Fortunately, she was wearing a helmet at the time, so her Father King might not have recognized her... It was really close. If he had seen that his daughter's Noble Phantasm had such a name, he would definitely have been disappointed.
After all, she had always been a good girl in front of her father...
"No, I need to discuss this with my Master when she returns, and try to avoid fighting with my father as much as possible."
Then again, given the Master's level, escaping shouldn't have been difficult for him, so why did it take so long?
She didn't end up fighting with her Father King, did she...?
Thinking of this, Mordred stood up from the sofa, grabbed his beer, and went outside to check on the situation.
At this moment, Lan Ze and Irisviel followed behind Ryougi Shiki and soon arrived at a Ryougi Shiki. The house was quiet, and because it was a large Japanese-style house, it seemed a bit cold in the middle of the night.