I'll Take Your Heart

"Mordred, stop staring at her. She's not your Father King; she just looks a bit like him."

Yuxian quickly stopped Mordred, otherwise Gretel might turn around and run away.

"Huh? Of course I know she's not my Father King!"

Mordred was completely oblivious to her own reaction and laughed loudly, "Father King is not that cowardly."

"Another bowl, please!"

Mordred reached out and handed the empty rice bowl to Emiya. In terms of having a big appetite, she and Artoria were indeed of the same ilk.

Of course, her fighting spirit at the dinner table was far inferior to that of her Father King, and they were not comparable.

As dinner was drawing to a close, the children exchanged glances.

They put down their bowls and chopsticks at the same time, as if by unspoken agreement.

"I'm full!"

They all got up from their tables and left the restaurant, showing no intention of participating in the discussion that followed.

They were perfectly aware of Yuxian's intention in calling so many people over.

Staying here at this point would inevitably expose a weakness; it's better to withdraw promptly.

Furthermore, they need to discuss what to do next, so they don't get caught.

Yuxian watched the children leave with a smile. He was quite pleased that these children had been very self-disciplined lately and hadn't caused him any trouble.

After dinner, everyone began to discuss matters concerning the Holy Grail War.

Arash's appearance instilled a sense of crisis in everyone; the unknown enemy is the most terrifying.

"Kiritsugu, do you have any news about Master Arash?"

Yuxian first asked Kiritsugu Emiya Kiritsugu, who was most familiar with the situation in Fuyuki City, hoping that he could find out the identities of those unknown Master through some special channels.

Kiritsugu shook his head with a serious expression. "I have not received any news of any Magus appearing in Fuyuki."

"As for Medea's former Master, I've already found out that he's in the next city, but after losing his Servant, he probably won't have the courage to come to Fuyuki again."

Yuxian frowned. "Did these Master fall from the sky? How come there's been no news of them at all? I wonder which faction they belong to."

"Judging from Arash's tone, there must be quite a few of them, not like a lone Magus without any organization."

Kiritsugu shook his head; he had no clue either.

The identities of these newly emerged Master are too mysterious, and no trace of them can be found in Fuyuki's entry and exit records.

Yuxian said seriously, "If it really is someone from a large organization, then we really need to be careful."

In fact, Yuxian guessed correctly. They were indeed backed by a huge organization, and that organization was... Chaldea!

Waver then spoke up, "Why dun it?"

"What is their purpose? No one does something meaningless."

Yuxian nodded; this was exactly what he couldn't understand.

"Arash said they had no desire for the Holy Grail, but Magus's desires are nothing more than a few things."

"If it's not the Holy Grail... could it be the Root?!"

He was horrified when he thought of this. If the other party's demands were the root of the problem, then things were really in dire straits.

"Wait a moment!"

Olga Marie interrupted Yuxian.

She stared sharply at Yuxian, "You just mentioned the root cause? I can't pretend I didn't hear that."

The pursuit of origins is the ultimate desire of every Magus, Olga Marie, as Magus herself, is naturally very sensitive to this concept.

Yuxian has no intention of hiding it.

He took a breath and explained, "In fact, the original purpose of the Greater Grail was to reach the Root."

"The so-called Holy Grail is an all-powerful wish-granting machine. This is just a publicity stunt by the Three Founding Families to attract Magus."

"The essence of the Holy Grail is the Third Magic, the Soul Materialization."

"The Holy Grail War utilizes the return of the souls of Servants to the Throne of Heroes after Servant death to open a hole leading to the Reverse Side of the World, and then uses immense magical power to fix this hole."

"So, in reality, all the Master and Servant in this ritual are just bait."

Yuxian's words stunned everyone present; the Holy Grail War actually had such a secret.

"It's insane that someone would think of such a method to reach the root cause..."

Waver murmured to himself, his desire still being to see Iskandar again, and the root cause could not change his heart's wish.

"It is indeed crazy, but in fact, no one has actually done it yet, so whether it will succeed is still unknown."

Yuxian shook his head. "It's probably true that the root is outside the world, but if you think about it carefully, does the Reverse Side of the World equal the root? That's just Magus's delusion."

Everyone present listened attentively to Yuxian's words. He knew the most here, and no one could ignore his opinion.

What is your basis for this claim?

"Basis?" Yuxian said dismissively, "Hall of Heroes is Reverse Side of the World, and Avalon is also Reverse Side of the World."

"Oh, the Shadow Land is also on the Reverse Side of the World. Are you going to travel to the Shadow Land? Perhaps I can be your guide."

"To give another example," he pointed at Gretel, "She has the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad. Do you think you can reach the inner world by following the anchor point of the Holy Lance?"

Chapter 54, Section 275: I've Accepted Your Heart

Yuxian's words silenced everyone present.

The allure of the Root is truly extraordinary for Magus; it is the essence of everything, the origin of all things.

For Magus who thirst for knowledge, the source is their greatest pursuit, an existence that is both incredibly mysterious and incredibly desirable.

However, Yuxian's words directly pointed out the flaws of the Fuyuki Holy Grail.

Furthermore, the fact that this is the Fifth Holy Grail War and no one has ever succeeded in this long-standing conflict indirectly proves Yuxian's words.

Everyone present fell silent.

Bang!

Mordred suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

She had no interest in these topics. Just now, she was like a hyperactive child, touching and looking around by herself, entertaining herself.

She finally reacted when Yuxian uttered the words "Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad," a word she could not ignore.

Mordred glared fiercely at Gretel and said, enunciating each word clearly, "The Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad!"

Yuxian was taken aback, then covered his forehead. He had gotten so engrossed in the conversation that he had forgotten Mordred was also present.

The Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad is Artoria's weapon, and also the murder weapon that killed Mordred, so it's normal for her to react this way.

Back in Camlann, Artoria killed Mordred with the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad; this was her last memory before her death.

Moreover, the Holy Lance has always been one of the King of Knights' weapons. Mordred may not care about anything else, but when it comes to her Father King, she will never pretend not to hear it.

"Why do you possess the Holy Lance?!"

Mordred's eyes were fierce, her tone intense, her gaze fixed on Gretel like a sharp bolt of lightning, unblinking.

"Who are you?!"

At this moment, Mordred was like an enraged little lion, baring his teeth and exuding ferocity, ready to devour anyone who might harm him.

Yuxian quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Mordred, calm down. She's Gretel, not Artoria."

"Calm?"

Mordred gave a heavy snort, and with a clang, she put on her armor, covering her entire body, including her face.

Fully armed Mordred hoisted Caliburn onto his shoulder, surveyed his surroundings, and turned to walk outside.

"Come out! Let me see what makes you qualified to use Rhongomyniad."

Mordred's tone was firm, giving Gretel no chance to explain or refuse.

Gretel looked at everyone innocently, then pleaded with Waver, "Teacher..."

Waver was at a loss; Mordred's behavior clearly showed that she wouldn't be easily persuaded.

The third night of the Holy Grail War began in such an unexpected way.

In the open outdoor space, Mordred and Gretel stood facing each other, while the others watched, wanting to stop them but unable to do so.

Although Kiritsugu could use Command Spells Mordred to temporarily give up, that would definitely not be a wise choice.

Unless he intends to abandon Mordred and completely sever ties with her, using Command Spells at this time will only make Mordred even angrier.

"Mash, keep an eye on them. If they really get into a fight, you'll be the only one who can break it up."

Yuxian now filled with regret, and he couldn't help but want to slap himself a few times. Of all things to say, why did he have to bring up the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad in front of Mordred? He had really brought trouble upon himself.

"Don't worry, senior. With so many of us, we can definitely guarantee their safety."

"This is the only thing we can do now."

Yuxian felt helpless; it was truly one problem after another.

"Take it out, you don't even have the courage to fight back, do you?"

Mordred was furious when he saw Gretel's hesitant look.

"With your magnanimity, how can you be worthy of wielding the Holy Lance!"

She stepped forward, slashing at Gretel with the Caliburn in her hand, forcing Gretel to fight her.

Bite!

Gretel hastily transformed Ad into the Scythe of Death form, barely managing to block Mordred's greatsword.

"I... I..."

Gretel didn't know what to say; she didn't want to fight, especially not such a pointless one.

She was never a strong person to begin with, and facing Mordred, she had no will to fight and felt an indescribable grievance in her heart.

Under Mordred's attacks, Gretel could only dodge left and right, barely managing to resist.

This time, she was facing a true Knights of the Round Table. Even though Mordred was known as a rebellious knight, her fighting skills were far beyond Gretel's reach.

If Mordred hadn't been constantly putting pressure on her instead of focusing on defeating her, Gretel would probably have been taken care of long ago, given her current condition.

Bang!

Mordred once again used Caliburn to knock Gretel's Scythe of Death away.

Gretel lost her balance and stumbled backward several steps before falling to the ground.

Mordred pointed his sword at her, looking down at Gretel lying on the ground. "Aren't you going to use the Holy Lance?"

"Or do you think I'm not worthy of you wielding the Holy Lance?!"

"Ah!—Say it!—"

Mordred roared at Gretel, who was now completely agitated, as if she had returned to the moment at Camlann Hill.

That's how she yelled at her Father King back then.

At this moment, Gretel's figure seemed to overlap with that of her Father King, and the anger in her heart was rekindled.

Why won't you acknowledge me? Why are you ignoring me? What have I Mordred, done to fail me? I will surpass you, King Arthur!

Gretel gritted her teeth, got up from the ground, and regained her balance.

Facing Mordred before her, she still felt no will to fight and said softly, "I have no reason to fight you."