Chapter 118

Mordred suddenly turned to look at Ryougi Shiki.

"Father King confessed his love to you?!" Her voice suddenly rose several decibels, and a hint of surprise appeared in her clear and bright eyes.

How could that be? Given my Father King's personality, how could he possibly confess his feelings to a girl he'd only known for less than two days?

"You... you're not lying to me?"

Mordred had barely uttered the question when he glanced at Ryougi Shiki's faint smile and then shut his mouth again.

Given the Master's personality, he wouldn't lie to her or anything like that.

What's more, it's this kind of lie!

But isn't that too strange?

"Could it be that Father King has fallen under Merlin's illusion...? "Mordred muttered to himself.

She always felt that Lan Ze wasn't the type to confess his feelings to a girl so easily... after all, her Father King was a very respectable man.

He asked me to be his girlfriend.

Ryougi Shiki tucked a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear, and her wooden Ryougi Shiki clicked on the floor. Her arms were slender and fair, and from her appearance alone, she gave off a sense of tranquility like a secluded orchid. Being by her side, it was as if one's restless heart would slowly relax.

Mordred fell into a daze.

Now that things have come to this, Mordred has no choice but to believe it, even if she doesn't.

It seems the Master really is going to become her mother...

If that mother found out about this, she'd definitely beat him to death... Just imagining what would happen if Artoria found out, Mordred felt a chill slowly creeping into her heart.

At that moment, watching the two people strolling down the street ahead, Ryougi Shiki suddenly asked, "What do couples do?"

Mordred snapped out of her reverie, gathered her thoughts slightly, rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a moment, and then scratched her cheek with a hint of embarrassment.

To be honest, she was a complete novice in this area and had no experience whatsoever.

"You don't know either?" Ryougi Shiki asked.

"How could I not know?!" Mordred retorted stubbornly, then his gaze darted left and right before suddenly settling on a magazine in the bookstore beside him. His eyes lit up slightly as he said:

"Master, why don't you buy a book and study it?"

Ryougi Shiki followed Mordred's gaze.

"Love counseling room?"

She repeated the magazine's name, then opened it and glanced at it.

The magazine provides a general overview of various elements and scenarios for dating. In addition, it also records dating locations for couples, things to do after the date, and so on.

After buying the magazine, Ryougi Shiki followed behind Lan Ze, holding it in her hand and reading it as she walked.

After an unknown amount of time, the girl closed the magazine and muttered to herself thoughtfully:

"I see... Our current shopping behavior is like dating, and after the date comes holding hands, hugging, kissing, and then... going to a love hotel?"

"Looks like you've made some good progress, Master." Mordred put his hands behind his head and turned his head slightly to look at the kimono-clad girl beside him.

"Um."

Ryougi Shiki nodded slightly, a faint smile on her face, and said softly, "I think I know what to do."

"Do you know what to do, Master?"

Mordred was clearly surprised when he heard Ryougi Shiki's words.

I never imagined that my Master, who had only been reading magazines for a short time, would already know what to do after a date?

She picked up the magazine from Ryougi Shiki's hand, flipped through it, and glanced at it briefly.

Then, Mordred scratched his head as if countless question marks had appeared above his head, and handed the magazine back to Ryougi Shiki: "I still can't understand it."

"But it doesn't matter, I will do my best to support you, Master," Mordred continued.

Mordred's world is simple, and her feelings aren't that complicated. Anyway, she likes her Father King, and she likes those who like her Father King, and she usually likes those her Father King likes.

What? If you like it so much, why are you trying to screw over your dad?

How can that be called "pitting one's father's life"? That's called "helping the Father King choose a queen"!

"Master, so what are your plans next?"

As Mordred finished speaking, he looked up and saw Lan Ze Ryougi Shiki, who had already caught up with Aizawa.

"Hmm... As expected of my master, quite bold indeed." Mordred muttered to himself, quickening his pace to catch up with the three.

"Arthur, when did your relationship with Miss Shiki become so good?"

On the empty street, Irisviel glanced curiously at the kimono-clad girl beside her several times, then raised her red eyes to look at Lan Ze with a puzzled expression. She felt something was strange. When they went out together earlier today, Lan Ze and Ryougi Shiki seemed to have a rather ordinary relationship, but now their relationship seemed to have suddenly progressed by leaps and bounds... This was truly perplexing.

"... It's a long story, I'll tell you when we get back." Lan Ze just smiled at Irisviel, his expression full of helplessness.

He didn't know how to explain it properly. He couldn't very well tell Irisviel that he had just confessed his Ryougi Shiki under Merlin's prompting, could he?

At this point, the gentle Irisviel would probably just say "Oh," and then understand Lan Ze's predicament.

But what about Ryougi Shiki?

After hearing his explanation, what will this Origin Shiki think?

Therefore, the best approach right now is to resolve these issues separately, and then let Irisviel know the truth when we get back.

This woman always considers the bigger picture; as long as things are explained properly, she definitely won't mind.

With this in mind, Lan Ze quickly shook his head, dispelling the jumbled thoughts in his mind, and then took a leisurely stroll with Irisviel and the others under the Fuyuki during the day.

Before evening, they went to the amusement park in Fuyuki. It was quite a distance from Einsbern Castle, and the amusement park was empty, probably because of the season. The facilities also felt a bit old, but Irisviel was still very excited, and her eyes sparkled with an unprecedented light.

"Is this the amusement park?" Irisviel's eyes were filled with excitement as she turned to look at Lan Ze. "Can we play on all the rides here, Arthur?"

"Of course, that's what amusement parks are like, after all." Lan Ze nodded with a smile.

Irisviel tugged at Lan Ze's sleeve, pointed to the bumper cars not far ahead, and said, "Caster, let's go play on that!"

Lan Ze was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself, "It seems a bit unreasonable for you to ask a Servant me to go play bumper cars with you..."

But thinking about it carefully, it seems like I haven't been to an amusement park in a long time, let alone played that kind of game with a woman.

Seeing Irisviel's excited expression, Lan Ze couldn't bear to disappoint her, so he nodded gently. "Okay."

"Master, do you want to play?" Mordred looked at Ryougi Shiki with a hint of anticipation.

Ryougi Shiki paused for Ryougi Shiki, then gently shook her head. "I'm not interested in this."

Mordred was immediately disappointed, but soon, as if she had thought of something, she suddenly said, "Going to an amusement park together as a couple is an important way to enhance your relationship. I don't mind, but Master, don't you really want to give it a try?"

Ryougi Shiki paused slightly, glanced at Mordred, then at the two people already on the bumper cars ahead, and finally nodded gently. "Alright, let's give it a try."

"Great! "Mordred clenched his fist inwardly and revealed a triumphant smile.

At this very moment, Lan Ze was huddled in a corner, motionless, after being bumped around by the bumper car controlled by Irisviel. He never expected that this woman, who usually seemed so gentle and lovely, would get so engrossed in playing games.

Irisviel seemed so gentle and delicate when she first got on the bumper cars, but once she got used to the rules, her whole demeanor became noticeably off.

This isn't hard to understand. After all, she already knew her fate when she was created and had never left the castle. Today was the first time she had been taken out of the castle. This seemingly mature woman actually had only a little girl inside her heart.

"Huh... Xiao Mo and Shi-jie are here too?" Lan Ze was operating the bumper car while fending off Irisviel's "attacks" when he suddenly noticed the two girls who had paid their tickets and entered the car. He was slightly surprised.

I originally thought Ryougi Shiki wouldn't be interested in this kind of game.

But it's good to relax a little once in a while... Lan Ze didn't think much of it, just shook his head to clear his mind, and was about to look away.

Just then, a girl with medium-length purple hair suddenly appeared in his field of vision... no, she should be called a loli.

She looked incredibly cute, yet her face held a sweet smile that was hard to decipher. Despite her petite appearance, when Lan Ze gazed into her eyes, he felt a heart-fluttering sensation.

That's strange... I'm not really interested in lolis, so why am I so interested in this girl...?

Lan Ze couldn't help but narrow his eyes, wanting to look at her a few more times.

However, when he squinted and opened his eyes again, the little girl who had just been standing in his field of vision had disappeared.

Lan Ze stared ahead in astonishment. There had clearly been a little girl standing there just moments before, but now she had completely vanished.

What's going on...?

Or was I just hallucinating?

But that shouldn't be happening. I'm Servant, how could I be hallucinating... Unless I'm being bewitched by Merlin's illusion?

"Arthur?"

"Arthur!"

Just then, Lan Ze suddenly heard a gentle and pleasant voice beside him. He turned his head slightly and saw Irisviel looking at him with a worried expression. She said with concern, "Sorry, I think I got a little too excited just now. Were you really just playing the game with me out of necessity?"

Lan Ze pulled himself together, shook his head slightly, and smiled, "I was just thinking about something, don't worry about it."

As he spoke, he glanced at the setting sun that was gradually sinking below the mountains and continued, "We should probably head back too."

"It would be better to go back for dinner."

After all, the Holy Grail War officially begins at night. During the day, they can go out for a walk openly, but at night, they have to be more careful.

And... I also need to explain to Irisviel that I accidentally confessed my feelings to Ryougi Shiki.

"Are we going back, Father King?" Mordred asked, turning his head.

Lan Ze nodded slightly. "Let's come out again next time if there's a chance."

"Hmm... alright." After a moment of contemplation, Mordred nodded slightly.

Although she still hadn't had enough fun, she knew that this was the Holy Grail War, and the Holy Grail War had to be the priority.

"Be careful on your way back," Ryougi Shiki said softly.

Lan Ze nodded gently. "Don't worry, I will safely send Master home."

Lan Ze glanced at Ryougi Shiki and said calmly, "You should also be careful."

As she said this, a faint smile appeared on her face. Under Irisviel's astonished gaze, she slightly raised her hand and placed it on Lan Ze's face, continuing:

"Let's hope nothing unexpected happens before the Holy Grail War ends."

Seeing Lan Ze nod slightly, Ryougi Shiki withdrew her gaze, then turned and quietly left the amusement park.

She needs to double-check the route and time of the upcoming date before proceeding with the next step of her plan.

After watching the two leave, Lan Ze turned to Irisviel beside him and said, "Master, let's go back too."

However, when Lan Ze turned around, he saw Irisviel staring at him from some point in time. Her eyes were calm and gentle, but for some reason, they gave him an inexplicable sense of danger.

"Master?" Lan Ze called out tentatively again, but Irisviel still did not speak.

"Irisviel?"

When Lan Ze called out softly again, Irisviel finally spoke, asking gently, "Arthur, I've been wanting to ask this all day... are you and Ryougi Shiki very close?"

Although she sensed during the day that her Servant seemed to have a close relationship with Ryougi Shiki, she never thought about it in any other way, simply believing that they were friends who got along well.

... But now it seems that it's not just a simple friendship?

"This is a bit complicated... Let's talk about it on the way back," Lan Ze said.

Irisviel glanced at Lan Ze, and finally nodded slightly, which was considered as agreeing to his suggestion.

On the way back, Lan Ze began to explain what had happened that day. When Merlin was mentioned, Irisviel showed even more anger than Lan Ze, saying angrily, "How could that person do that! How could he force you to do something you don't want to do!"

Actually, I don't mind... Lan Ze muttered to himself, chuckled, and said, "Merlin is a nightmare; he doesn't understand human emotions, so everything he does prioritizes his own interests."

"Arthur, aren't you angry?" Irisviel suddenly asked.

"What's done is done, there's no use being angry now, is there? Instead of getting angry, we should prioritize dealing with what has already happened," Lan Ze said.

Irisviel looked thoughtful, then suddenly asked, "By the way, why did Ryougi Shiki accept your confession?"

Lan Ze was taken aback. This question touched on a blind spot in his knowledge. To be honest, he was just as puzzled as Irisviel about this issue.

"It seems you don't know either?" Irisviel stared at Lan Ze for a long time, then smiled and said:

"Well, although I don't know why Ms. Ryougi Shiki accepted your confession, since we're now in an alliance, becoming a couple doesn't seem like there would be any problem."