A late-night talk

At night, everyone except Kayneth and Kiritsugu Emiya had fallen asleep. Bai Mo went downstairs and found that the lights in the hotel restaurant were still on, and the sound of knives and forks clattering could be heard. There was someone there who surprised him.

"What are you doing, Artoria?" Saber was sitting in the empty restaurant, the plates on the table piled higher than her. When she saw Bai Mo arrive, Saber wiped her mouth awkwardly, then resumed her business mode.

"Good evening, Bai Mo. Are you hungry?" Bai Mo sat opposite Saber, gazing up at the astonishing victory. "I don't need to eat. Compared to this, you're Servant, right? Do Servant even need to eat?"

Artoria cleared her throat, trying to hide her embarrassment. "As the saying goes, you can't go to war on an empty stomach, and eating can also replenish magic power to some extent." She casually picked up a piece of foie gras and swallowed it in one gulp. Seeing her hearty way of eating, Bai Mo gained a new understanding of this King of Britain.

"Fine, whatever you want. I came here to ask, Fran seems to have a special fondness for you. Do you have any memories of her?" Bai Mo ordered a plate of steak from the chef. Watching Artoria eat so heartily, he couldn't help but feel tempted. Besides, it would be too awkward for one person to eat while the other just watched.

"Hmm, I still don't remember. Could it be Morgan's offspring? Hmm, that madwoman's descendants are mad too, that seems quite reasonable." Artoria replied while chewing on foie gras. "It's not an important question. You should swallow this first, and besides, your words have offended almost half the Knights of the Round Table."

"But apart from that, I really can't think of anyone else. Ah, being killed and then suddenly popping up as if nothing happened is somewhat similar to Merlin, but Merlin's was an illusion."

The Bai Mo cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth; it was delicious, but it tasted almost like chewing wax.

"After this incident, where are you going, Bai Mo?" Artoria asked as the two chatted idly in the deserted restaurant that night. "I have to go to a place called Mifune City to find someone, but I don't know the specifics. But compared to me, what are you going to do, Artoria? Where are you going next?"

Artoria lowered her head, swallowed a whole steak, and said with a downcast gaze, "I... want the Holy Grail you gave me back."

"What? You have a new wish?"

Artoria nodded, looked at Bai Mo, and said solemnly, "I think... if we change the fact of the Sword of Destiny, Britain may not be saved, but if I'm not the one who pulls out that sword, then perhaps there will be a better ending."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Mo casually flicked the steel fork in his hand, which hit Artoria on the forehead.

"It hurts."

"You can still feel the pain, so why are you talking nonsense?"

Artoria wasn't angry, but solemnly repeated, "I made this decision after careful consideration. The Holy Grail couldn't change Britain's Britain due to the fading of its mysteries, so... at least this is something I can do, right?"

"So all I said at the Banquet of the Three Kings was for nothing." Bai Mo sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead. Artoria hesitated to look at Bai Mo's disappointed gaze, but still stubbornly said, "I don't think I was wrong. Britain met its end in internal strife under my rule. Bai Mo, I'm grateful that you acknowledge my kingly way, but perhaps in that era, a king who understood people's hearts would have been better."

"How could you have such an idea?" Bai Mo was a little angry. Looking at Artoria, he stood up and said, "You have sacrificed so much for your country and people, and now you want to erase it all? Don't be ridiculous. It's true that in the course of history, many things are difficult to distinguish between right and wrong, but I can assure you that your idea is absolutely wrong, Artoria. You are not allowed to deny yourself."

Artoria hesitated for a moment. "But..."

"No buts, let's do a simulation. What would happen to Britain if your wish came true?" Bai Mo sat back on the sofa, his voice teasing. This scene was somewhat familiar to Artoria, exactly the same as when he tortured Gilgamesh before.

"First of all, if Miss Artoria quits, then the Round Table might never be established," Artoria retorted. "How could that be? Merlin would have chosen someone to lead it, wouldn't he?"

"No, no, no, Miss Artoria, given the circumstances of your time, without you as the protagonist, even if Britain had fought with all its might to defeat Vortigern, it would have been Morgan's Tianxia."

Upon hearing the name Morgan, Artoria visibly paused in her eating.

"That's right, isn't it? You know quite a few outstanding knights. Don't talk about great talents in the countryside or anything like that. During your tenure, you promoted the virtuous and capable, and most of the talented ones were under your command. You've met them all. So tell me, without you, who among them could defeat Morgan?"

Artoria lowered her head; she was already greatly shaken. "It's about time, "Bai Mo thought to himself.

"So, Miss Artoria's wish isn't just about self-denial, but also about admitting defeat to Morgan," Bai Mo said sarcastically to Artoria, provoking her to slam her hand on the table. "Impossible! I'd rather die than admit defeat to that crazy old woman who curses everyone all day long! Never!"

Bai Mo continued to look at Artoria with a teasing gaze, as if the performance before him was nearing its climax. His gaze made Artoria uncomfortable. "So, Miss Artoria's wish just now wasn't to admit defeat to Morgan?"

"Absolutely impossible, never!"

"So it seems that Artoria just had a brain fart and said something stupid." Artoria lowered her head in shame, muttering "what a pervert," before turning her grief and anger into appetite, chewing the steak on her plate in large bites as if it were just Bai Mo of meat.

"Looks like our conversation is back to square one. So, what are you going to do next?" Bai Mo's playful gaze vanished, finally putting Artoria at ease. "I don't know... I'm different from other Heroic Spirit. My time stopped at the very moment before my death, the instant Britain. That being told me to go and fight for the omnipotent wish-granting device, to fight for the Holy Grail, but I never expected..."

The steel fork twisted erratically in Artoria's hand. She gritted her teeth and said, "This is too much! How could you be so cruel!"

"Who says otherwise? We've really been screwed over this time." Bai Mo sighed in agreement, equally speechless. "Omnipotent, not all-powerful. Why are there word games and contracts here?" "In that case, after this battle, let's not leave this world. How about trying to live in the present?"

"Living in the moment?" Artoria chewed on this completely foreign phrase. "Living for myself? I've never tried that."

"You've already tried it; at least now you're Gluttony late at night to relieve your depression."

"This is preparation for tomorrow's battle..." Artoria's voice trailed off. She suddenly remembered that the person in front of her could read minds, and blushed as she lowered her head. "I didn't read your mind, did I?" Bai Mo explained.

"You even know this and you still say you didn't?" Faced with the question, Bai Mo spread his hands and said, "That's because you're too easy to guess, like a blank sheet of paper." Then, Bai Mo crossed his arms and smiled at Artoria, saying, "In that case, could you do me a favor, someone who supports you in front of the King of Conquerors and the King of Heroes?"

"What? Don't laugh like that, it's creepy." Artoria felt a chill run down her spine. Seeing this, Bai Mo stopped smiling and put on a serious expression, saying, "Sakura and Illya seem to be having a lot of fun. After this Holy Grail War, help me take care of her. Anyway, you're a familiar, so even if the Holy Grail War ends, as long as the contract is in place, you won't disappear, right?"

"What, is that all?"

"Yes, that's it." But Artoria's expression suddenly changed. "But I refuse."

This sudden change of attitude startled Bai Mo. "Why? Is there a problem?" Artoria, however, revealed a victorious smile and said, "Even without your request, Bai Mo, I would still take good care of Sakura. I can't let her go wandering the world with you, can I? Bai Mo, you usually don't eat. I can't even imagine what would happen to Sakura if she were with you. You'd probably forget about meals."

"I'm nowhere near as bad as you make me out to be!" Bai Mo retorted. Artoria opened one eye and said mischievously, "Have you ever raised children? It seems like Illya and Sakura were both taken care of by Sella and Leyritt, right?"

This really stumped Bai Mo. After thinking carefully for a moment, she replied, "I've owned cats."

"How can this be the same? It seems Sakura can't be handed over to Bai Mo, otherwise it might turn into a wilderness survival situation." Bai Mo rolled her eyes at Artoria's mockery, while Artoria looked victorious. "That makes it one to one. As for my earlier refusal, it was just to test whether Bai Mo really couldn't read my mind."

"Hehe, you've changed pretty quickly." After Bai Mo finished the last piece of beef, Artoria put down her fork and said with some emotion, "Yes, maybe it's because I knew my wish couldn't be fulfilled that my spirit was completely shattered. But just like you said, this journey was definitely not meaningless. Meeting someone like you, and also Irisviel, Kiritsugu, and the others, has been incredibly lucky for me. I will continue to protect Irisviel and the others, and of course, I will also ensure that my friends can complete their tasks without any worries."

"But all of this is contingent on us winning tomorrow. Chatting with you has been quite enjoyable. See you tomorrow." Bai Mo turned to leave, Artoria suddenly spoke up, "Don't worry, we will definitely win."

Did you say something similar when you set out to suppress the Mordred Rebellion?

"Bai Mo!" Artoria glared fiercely at Bai Mo like a hissing little lion. The latter didn't turn around and left the hotel restaurant. As he passed the glass, he glanced at his Bai Mo to control his muscles. "Am I that creepy?" he thought to himself.

Only Artoria remained in the restaurant. Looking at her reflection in the glass, she said with some distress, "Is it really that easy to guess?"

On the rooftop, Kiritsugu Emiya adjusted his sniper rifle, aiming it in the direction of Ryuudou Temple.

"Tomorrow we face a life-or-death battle, and my teammate is a gun-wielding idiot. It's truly despairing." Kayneth appeared on the rooftop at some point, adjusting his Magecraft equipment. Kiritsugu Emiya coldly asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Through this astrological Magecraft, we can transmit information to the Clock Tower the fastest possible way. Hopefully, there are researchers there studying Beelzebub, and... information about that Bai Mo." Kayneth answered Kiritsugu's question while controlling the Magecraft.

"Aren't you afraid that Bai Mo will be Sealing Designation?"

"That group of Sealing Designation targeting Bai Mo? They must be out of use to be sent on such a pointless suicide mission. I'm just reporting what I know. Besides, you should worry about yourself more than Bai Mo." Kayneth's voice was still full of disdain as he looked at Kiritsugu Emiya and continued, "Just now down there, when Lancer died, you were about to take action, but you were afraid of incurring his displeasure? How disgusting."

"That's not the main reason. Saber was being targeted by a clearly troublesome guy, and his actions were undoubtedly a declaration of war against the entire Holy Grail War. He was also extremely powerful. To be honest, at that time I was quite hoping that your wife could summon another Servant, so that she would at least be more useful."

The next moment, Kayneth grabbed Kiritsugu by the collar, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "If you dare lay a hand on Sola-Ui, I'll kill you. I swear I will." Kiritsugu remained calm and said in a deep voice, "That's what I meant back then. Now, the Holy Grail is something that must be destroyed for me. As for now, I actually hope that no more Servant join, otherwise, who knows if they'll just be adding to the other side's fighting power." He shook off Kayneth's hand, and the two glared at each other with mutual disgust.