AN: Here's CH26 people, hope you all like it. Please review :D

Updated (4/20/2017): Updated the final scene a little since I realized that I forgot to include some things there due to my desire to get the chapter out soon.


"Hmph, losing Archer and as well letting that homunculus and Rider to get the best of you..."

Beatrice remained in silence as Julian gazed upon her with silent fury in his eyes. The young man wasn't outwardly lashing out her, but that made it all the more unbearable as he recounted her failures that day. Currently both were standing upon a balcony that overlooked land below them.

The sunset over the horizon, a boy and girl together out alone... had this been any other time, Beatrice would have loved being able to just stand there together with her beloved Lord Julian. However, this was not one of those times.

"Well then? Do you have anything to say...?"

"U-Uh... I'm so sorry Lord Julian! It's just that... well, those two...! Archer, he...!"

"Must you be so strict?"

Both perked up at the sound of the voice calling out to the former. Looking towards the source, they saw Shirou arriving while accompanied by Semiramis. The two Servants both having grins on their faces as they greeted Julian.

"Must you be so intrusive?" Julian shot back, crossing his arms as he continued. "Whatever my business with my family servants is mine alone. Do not interfere Kotomine."

"Come now Julian, I am yours and Erika's legal guardian." The former smiled much to the latter's annoyance. "I was appointed by your father after all, that makes me family as much as you want to deny it."

"Believe what you want..." The black-haired youth scoffed in reply.

"At any rate, I don't believe that this little scolding of Beatrice will do any good." Shirou continued. "True, while Robin Hood is lost to us we did managed to recover the card of the Hound of Ulster. And we did manage to take down Rider of Red in the process. I believe that to be an even trade no?"

"Be that as it may, we didn't accomplish our true goal of eliminating Lord El-Melloi II." Julian stated. "We may have taken out his Servant, but that doesn't make him any less of a threat than he already is. Together with Shishigou, that man has the most experience among the Masters of the Alliance and ties to the Association."

"Indeed, which is why we'll be careful in the future and wait for another opportunity to strike." The young hero replied. "For what it's worth, Beatrice actually did well. She did managed to keep both Rider and his Master at bay by herself long enough for us to take out Lancer and Rider of Red. That's an accomplishment in itself, especially given that the card she used has yet to be perfected after all."

"Tch, you have a point..."

At this, Beatrice gave a look of astonishment towards the white-haired hero. She hadn't expected Kotomine to come to her defense like that. While she still didn't like him, she supposed she had to give him thanks for that later on.

"Speaking of which, Assassin...?"

The Assyrian Queen nodded as she stepped forward, pulling out a Class-Card from the space between-

'STOP SHOWING OFF YOU DAMN HAG!'

Beatrice so wanted to scream right then and there. While she wasn't one to dwell too much on the topic, the fact that Assassin sent her a knowing look while doing what she did annoyed her to no end. Especially since she was doing it right in front of her Lord Julian!

Oblivious to the red-head's frustrations, Julian examined the card that Assassin held between her fingers. He realized that it was the very same Class-Card that held the spirit of Cu Chulainn within it.

"Lancer's Class-Card? What about it?" He asked.

"Having witnessed the battle between Lancer and our forces, I've been wondering to myself if perhaps there's any way to make him more powerful." Semiramis spoke aloud, tucking the card back. "Indeed, the Hound of Ulster is already quite powerful in his own right. But now that he's on our side, perhaps there's something that we can do to give him a little boost. With the enemies we face, it's not a bad idea no?"

"I see." Julian quickly nodded in understanding, seeing the fruitfulness of the idea for himself. "What did you have in mind then?"

The Assyrian Queen simply smiled in delight at this.


Chapter 26:

Arthur and Mordred


"A toast to our fallen comrade!"

"Here here your majesty~!"

Within the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were Richard and Shakespeare, both seated at a table with several bottles of champagne laid atop it as the two drank down their respective glasses.

"Ah! There's nothing quite like taking moment to sip down a glass of wine. Most especially after the lost of dear Robin."

The former stated with a look of grimace. Though they knew each other for only a short time, he had already considered the man who shared a name with one of his oldest friends to be a comrade as well. It was quite a shame that they couldn't fight together anymore.

"Indeed, an unfortunate lost to be sure. However, with his death new possibilities have been opened for this grand tale that we've found ourselves in. As a writer, the scenarios that could happen to us are limitless! I thank you Sir Robin Hood, for your sacrifice is most appreciated~!"

"Hahaha! I sincerely doubt that he would be amused by such a thing."

Richard laughed. As usual, Shakespeare was rather lively despite recent events. Perhaps it was because he was more or less an observer rather than a true ally to their cause. He had a feeling that if it came down to it, the English Writer would betray them if it suited his desires. All for the sake of writing the grandest tale of them all so he said.

In truth, Richard didn't mind it. In fact, he had already read the works of the former, thanks to Shakespeare giving him copies, and found himself enjoying said books. He was now looking forward to his rendition of the Great Holy Grail War.

That is, so long as they were still alive by the end of everything...

"You're both rather lively."

A voice called out, and both men turned to see Atalanta standing to the side.

"Ah, the Chaste Huntress. Care to join us gentlemen this fine evening~?"

"You'll forgive if I make a habit of avoiding cockroaches such as yourself."

"Hahaha... how harsh."

Richard merely chuckled in response, once again shot down by another beautiful woman. Not that he minded. He was already quite glad to be able to meet and work together with a legendary figure such as the Chaste Huntress of Arcadia.

"How do Lancer and Rider fare? I haven't seen them since you all returned." He asked.

"They're fine, just resting for now in order to recover. Both them exhausted themselves thanks to using their Noble Phantasms."

"And what of you? I heard that you made frequent use of yours as well."

"Indeed, but mine isn't so taxing compared to theirs." She replied. "I worry about Lancer..."

"Oh? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing serious I suppose, he wasn't badly injured during the last battle." Atalanta stated with a sigh. "That armor of his managed to stave off the worst of Lancer of Red's attacks. However, I do admit that it's rather disturbing that some of his wounds have yet to heal. They're already closed, but still..."

"A Noble Phantasm perhaps...?"

Richard suggested, an inquisitive look in his eyes as he began to think. Servants had quick regenerative abilities compared to most beings. By Atalanta's words, Karna's wounds were minor in nature, which would have meant they would have healed up in no time with the right application of healing arts.

"Most likely." The Chaste Huntress nodded, crossing her arms. "I believe I've seen this before. Rider has a Noble Phantasm with a similar effect, and Lancer already had this one wound on his chest that never healed until today, a wound that was inflicted upon him by the Child of Light. Once he was dead, it started to heal once more. I suppose that it's the same case with Lancer of Red."

A part of her was fretful over the possibility of their enemies taking advantage of Lancer's condition. There was no denying that her comrade was incredibly powerful. But even the smallest of cracks could be used to overcome the greatest of fortresses...

"Hah..."

She sighed to herself once more. Just when did she become such a worrisome woman? Lancer most certainly didn't need it after all.

"In other words, to heal our comrade's wounds we must first take Lancer of Red out."

Atalanta was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Richard speak with a growing smile on his face.

"I do admit, the idea of facing off against one of the great heroes of Ancient Greece is exhilarating. I'll likely lose, but I suppose that's natural."

"Your majesty, should you wish it then I'll record this tale of grandeur for you. Richard the Lionheart vs the great Achilles himself!"

"Yes, I would like that. Please do Shakespeare."

"Don't tell me you're seriously planning on having a duel with him like you did with the King of Knights?" Atalanta interrupted, an incredulous look on her face. "Don't even think about it, you stand no chance against someone like Achilles. Besides, I believe that Lancer has already laid his own claim on his life."

"Oh? With how stoic our demigod friend is I somewhat have a hard time believing as such."

"True I suppose, but if you've already fought with him as much as I have then I believe you would come to the same realization yourself."

"So you say..."

Richard stated with a growing smirk on his face as his mind came to a realization. With the way the Chaste Huntress was acting and her words about Lancer... it honestly made one stop to think about the possibility.

"What is it?"

The former asked, taking note of the strange look the blonde-haired knight was giving her. Just as Richard was about to speak...

"Enough Saber. Say any more and you'll likely anger her."

The trio then turned to their attention to the source of the voice to see Karna making his way towards the small group.

"What? What kind of woman do you take me for Lancer?" Atalanta muttered in annoyance at the former's statement.

"A somewhat prideful sort. That when insulted intentionally or otherwise you'll likely threaten the person in question responsible for it."

The Chaste Huntress opened her mouth to speak, but found no words coming out. She hated to admit it, but Lancer was correct given some of her interactions with Perseus. To be fair, he was the one who started it. Then again, it was clear to her that he wasn't being actively malicious either.

'Ugh, now I feel like a child...'

"How fares your wounds O Child of the Sun? Our dear Huntress here was worried about you." Shakespeare asked.

"It's nothing to fret over, my wounds aren't so severe that they will slow me down." Karna replied before crossing his arms and turning his attention towards Richard. "And what of you Saber? How are your injuries so far?"

"Recovering quite nicely, I may even return to the fray very soon."

"I see, that's good then."

"Hmm? Is something the matter?"

"We've received word from one of Assassin of Black's personas. One of them caught wind of our enemies scouting the forest to the far west of the city. They went to observe, and bore witness to a battle taking place between the Alliance Servants and a group of three unknown Servants."

"Could it be that other faction led by Sajyou Manaka girl?"

"It was, their appearances matched with what Master described them by. One of them was even the same woman that I encountered the other night." The white-haired demigod replied. "One of them had apparently been taken out."

"Then good new for us is it not?"

"Is it? I'm not entirely convinced." Karna replied. "Be wary all of you, I feel that the coming battles are going to become much harder from here on out."

"Oh? Is that fear I hear Lancer? That's quite uncommon for you if I do say so myself." Richard stated with a grin.

"On the contrary, I merely feel the need to worry all of you once we cross blades with them in the future." Karna replied, unimpressed by the former's attempts to mock him. "I cannot be held responsible for any of you should you all perish, steel yourselves for when the time comes."

With that, the Child of Surya left and walked off elsewhere in the fortress.

"Hahaha...! What a troublesome man." Richard chuckled at the former's departing form. "I suppose that was his way of saying that he cares?"

"Who knows?"

Atalanta shrugged, a small smile on her face as she shook her head. A part of her somewhat agreeing with the former's statement.


"Tch!"

"What's the matter?"

Kairi asked as drove around the city in his car, with Mordred sitting on the passenger seat next to him. She was frowning angrily as she stared off into empty space.

When she didn't reply to his question, he merely sighed. While the blonde being mad wasn't anything new, it was obvious to the former that the blonde was upset over something. Over what, he couldn't tell given that his Servant's short temper. She was always acting out against Archer and that wasn't going into the problems she had with the King of Knights.

'Maybe it's because she's still pissed about that match with that other Archer?'

A day had already passed since the recent battle. Thankfully there were no attacks during said period which gave him and the others time to recover their strength. Thanks to Caster's handiwork, Mordred herself was already near fighting fit once more. She just needed to take it easy for a while longer. Thankfully her injuries weren't anything serious, otherwise she might have been handicapped for the rest of the war.

Given her near lost against the Archer Servant known as Arash, he wouldn't have been surprised if the girl was indeed still mad about it.

However, he had a feeling it was something else...

'Yeah, it probably has something to do with her old man.'

Thinking about it now, the red knight was rather adamant about leaving the estate when she found out that her father was to continue to remain there as he continued to recover from own his injuries that he received during his duel with the Rogue Saber.

"Let me guess, your old man?" He decided to ask.

"No." She replied flatly.

"Knew it." Kairi chuckled and smirked. "What's the problem this time? Same or did something new happen?"

"It's nothing, stay out of my business." The blonde nearly exclaimed.

"Geez, you really are like a little kid..."

"What was that!?"

"There you go, that's the Saber I know." Kairi added with a grin as Mordred merely huffed in the other direction. "Come on, talking will probably help you get it off your chest. And I'm not talking about it like that, so stop with the murderous look already."

Mordred merely sighed. Her Master wasn't going to let up was he? Damn him, he was like... well, she didn't know what the word was but he was really annoying her!

"Then tell me, if you were faced with the prospect of facing off against someone who betrayed you, what would you do?"

She asked, turning her full attention towards her Master. Despite his sunglasses, she was able to take note of his surprised expression. It was clear to her that he hadn't expected such a topic to be brought up.

"Hmm... that honestly depends. Is it supposed to be personal or business?"

"Does it matter? Put your faith into someone, and then to have them stab you the back? What would you do?"

She demanded, sounding somewhat desperate. A tone of voice that came off as somewhat disturbing to Kairi given what he had seen of his Servant and she was never like this.

Personally, if someone were to betray him, he was likely to treat it as something that couldn't be helped depending on the circumstances. The world that magi lived was filled with a number of bastards to begin with, so the occasional back stab was to be expected every now and then. As a mercenary, he's done it a number of times already. He wasn't proud of it, but neither was he going to lose any sleep over it either. Most of it was due to business, so it couldn't be helped either way.

With the way Mordred spoke, it was clear that she was referring to something personal. As such...

"To be honest, I'd probably shoot them in the head."

"Right?" Mordred nodded in satisfaction, smiling a bit before frowning once more. "However, my father is...!"

Why? Just why would he think like that...!?


"Tch, what are they both up to...?"

Mordred muttered to herself as she saw her father dragging Ruler out to the greenhouse very suddenly. It was right after their meal when she suddenly saw it take place, a part of her growing suspicious as she quietly followed the two.

After Ruler's little episode earlier... she was annoyed beyond reasons known even to her. Perhaps now was a good moment to observe, to see what was disturbing her about the woman who called herself her father's Master.

Once she was there, she overheard both speaking.

"Tell me something, did you know the truth behind Berserker this entire time? About him being Lancelot?"

Wait, what...!?

Mordred froze up, unable to believe what she just heard. She hadn't expected that at all...!

"Yes, I did."

"I see... You knew the truth since then didn't you? During the night you summoned me..."

That night her father was summoned... if she remembered correctly, that was the night when they were also attacked by two unknown Servants. Ruler had mentioned before that one of them was the Black Knight that had interrupted her duel with her father that one night and engaged in combat with Archer at the castle.

"So it was that adulterous bastard the entire time!?"

Mordred growled quietly to herself. The blonde clenched her fists, fury began to consume her once more. Not for anything that Lancelot did to her personally, but what he did to the Round Table...

Though she was the one known as the Knight of Treachery, he was the one who had raised his sword first against their kingdom.

Perfect Knight... what a joke!

He had killed Gareth, and killed Agravain and Gaheris as well. He betrayed her father's trust, stealing his wife away from him! Mordred didn't particularly care for Guinevere as a person, but she knew well enough that stealing another's spouse was perhaps one of the greatest forms of betrayal there was. While the blonde did make a proposal towards her when she began her uprising, it was more of an attempt at mockery on her part than anything serious.

That bastard deserved death, more than anyone else she knew!

"Despite everything, you still consider him a friend don't you?"

Her thoughts quickly cleared when she heard Ruler speak again. Speaking a question that Mordred herself was curious about.

For everything that happened between them, surely her father didn't... did he?

"I do. If there's anyone I would trust my life with, it would be none other than Lancelot."

...!


"Wow, gotta respect your old man. Not many people would still trust a man who betrayed them by stealing their lover and killing their comrades."

"Shut it, that's not the point!"

Mordred exclaimed, currently seated at a bench with an angry frown on her face together with her Master. With their discussion taking longer than expected, Kairi decided to pull up momentarily near a park so as to better focus himself on their discussion. For good measure, he had also created a small boundary field to prevent people from interfering with or listening in on them.

Still, it was something that the King of Knights still felt that he could trust someone who betrayed him and his kingdom. Though as admirable as it was, it was also something that was inhuman to a degree for someone to be that forgiving...

"Why...?! Just why does my father not hate that adulterous bastard?!"

Mordred stated, asking no one in particular as she smashed her fist against her other hand's palm. It was just so frustrating...!

Was it not natural to hate Lancelot? He killed Gareth, Agravain, and Gaheris after all! While she never really got along with them or any other members of the Round Table aside from Gareth herself, she did to an extent still consider her fellow Round Table members to be good comrades at the very least. Even she did betray them as well later on, what Lancelot did was even worse in her eyes. All for the sake of a woman...

Back then, he should have been hanged! Yet her father chose to pardon him for his crimes and banish him instead. At first she believed that he only did so as a way of honoring Lancelot's numerous great deeds he had done for the sake of their kingdom, but now it was clear to her that it wasn't the case.

Her father, he still cared for Lancelot as a friend. Just the thought of it was so maddening!

"Why are you getting so upset about it? It's his choice after all."

"Despite everything that bastard has done!? Father should be furious with him! He should want to see him dead!"

Kairi merely sighed at this, scratching the back of his head as he was unsure on how to deal with the situation at hand. Clearly Mordred was upset over her father's decision, but he felt that there was something more to it. But he wasn't about to grasp at something that wasn't there either.

As such, it was time to set the record straight. While he didn't really think it was his business to interfere with her relationship with her father, it was getting kinda annoying to deal with his Servant constantly acting the way she did whenever the topic of her father was brought up.

He wasn't being paid to play therapist, but dammit he might as well give it a shot if it meant ending his Servant's troubles!

"Saber, just what are you really angry about?"

"Huh? What kind of stupid question is that?"

"Might be, but the point stands. What's really bothering you?"

"What? I-"

"Are you mad about Lancelot or just your old man in general?" He asked, leaning back as he relaxed himself. "No wait, that's not right at all. Let me rephrase that: Are you mad about your old man's decision or is it something else about him completely?"

"What are you getting on about?"

"You still care about your old man don't you? That's why you're getting so upset isn't it?"

...!

Mordred gazed at her Master with an incredulous look on her face, speechless with her jaw agape at what he had just said.

It was but a short moment however as soon enough the blonde began to rant once more.

"Hah?! Where in blazes did that come from?!" She demanded. Just how in the world did her Master come to that conclusion!?

"You ask me where... but it's pretty obvious."

Kairi replied, having taken off his sunglasses to clean them for a moment as he looked his Servant clean in the eye before putting them back on.

"You act like you hate your old man a lot, that you're going to surpass him and be a greater king than he was and all that. But the fact that you're still concerned over him and what he says and does says differently. If you're really going to do what you say you will, then what he does shouldn't even bother you at all should it?"

"No, that's...!"

"But it is isn't it?" The mercenary asked, crossing his arms as calmly spoke once more. "Look, I'm not going to say that you should try to make up with your old man. It's not my business and I know that much. But I am asking is what do you really feel towards him."

"I..."

Mordred began, but was unable to continue as she found no words to speak.

As much as she hated to admit it, her Master was right in asking her that. Just what did she feel towards her father? She didn't even know herself anymore.

Anger, hate, admiration, regret... she felt all this and more whenever she thought of her father. Dammit, why couldn't it be all so simple?

"Can't tell can you? I think I have an idea for that." Kairi said, standing up as he motioned the blonde to follow.

"And that is?" She asked, still sitting down on the bench.

"Go and pick a fight with him." Kairi turned and replied with a smirk. "Last I heard, your old man is well enough to do a light spar isn't he? Get into a scrap I say, and maybe then you can figure things out for yourself."

"Hmph... why are you helping me like this?" Mordred asked, crossing her arms. "You said it yourself, it's none your business what I do with my father isn't it?"

"True, but you're really starting to get on my nerves with this love-hate thing you have with your old man. Just pick one already!"

So her Master said. At the very least, Mordred believed that he was being sincere about that, but she also felt that there was another factor as well.

Wait, could it be...?


Two nights ago...

"Master, this place is...?"

Mordred began, taking note of the graveyard that she and Kairi had entered. As expected from such a place, numerous graves littered the area. To her, being in such a place was troubling to say the least. Her Master wasn't thinking of doing that was he...?

"Hey Master, if you plan on grave robbing you're on your own."

"Shut it, just what the hell do you take me for anyway?!" Kairi exclaimed in annoyance.

"A necromancer, a person who willingly makes use of the remains of the dead as instruments in magecraft. Just what do you think you are?"

"One with standards." The mercenary grimaced as he scratched his head. "Even I know better than to advantage of people laid to rest. I only use materials from things or people I personally offed or found laying around somewhere, never from places like this."

"That makes it all the better I suppose..." The blonde muttered dryly with a smirk.

Soon afterwards, her Master told her to wait for a moment as he went further in before stopping at a certain grave. He knelt down on one knee, placing a hand on the pedestal.

Unable to contain her curiosity, the blonde went in a little closer to get a better read on what the grave said. Thanks to the grail, reading and understanding foreign languages like that of the East was quite simple for a Servant.

"Shishigou-"

"That's being rude you know!"

Mordred froze up at Kairi's yell towards her, the latter of whom didn't even turn his back to face her. Embarrassed, the blonde decided to let the matter slide.

Moments later her Master stood up once more, a small grin on his face as he spoke.

"Sorry to cut this visit short, I'll come back again kiddo..."

He muttered low enough that she barely heard it. Did she hear that right?

In the end, Mordred didn't really ask who the grave belonged to as they left.

However, if she heard right and her Masters words were anything to go by, then...


"That night... that grave you visited belonged to your child didn't it?"

Mordred blurted out, not bothering to think about what she was saying.

When she saw that her Master had stopped moving, she knew that she had hit the mark with her question.

"Close, she was my stepdaughter to be precise." Kairi replied, turning his attention back towards the blonde. "Died a few years back, I'll spare you the details for now but let's just say she died because of a mistake I made."

"I see..." Mordred muttered.

"And that was random, why are you bringing her up?"

"Are you helping me because of her?" She simply asked with an annoyed frown. "Because if you are doing this because I remind you of her or something, then I'll hit you."

The red knight felt as though she was being pitied. She hated that, least of all by her own Master. Her pride as a knight and warrior wouldn't allow for it!

"Hah! In your dreams!" Kairi laughed as he smirked at the young blonde. "Listen here, my kid was hell of a lot cuter than you so don't you even bother to try and compare yourself to her you hear me? There's just no contest at all."

Mordred blinked in silence at this. Somehow, she felt she had been greatly insulted just then.


"A fine day today..."

Atop a cliff, surrounded by a forest as far as the eye can see, stood Arash. The Iranian hero of myth quietly gazing at the scenery before him. Whether it be the past or in the present, there was always a sense of tranquility to be had when looking down one's surroundings from such high places.

And as an Archer-Class Servant, he was at a place where he could fight most effectively. It gave him a perfect view of everything within a mile radius and more. Aside from maybe the stronger ones, he believed he wouldn't have had any problems picking off their enemies with ease from where he was.

"I'm still alive, huh..."

Arash muttered to himself, still unable to believe what had just occurred yesterday evening.

Last he remembered it, he had sentenced himself to death by deciding to utilize Stella against Saber of Red. No, that name longer suited her did it? Clad in red she might have been, but the Black and Red Factions had more or less united already weren't they? He might as well refer to Saber by her given name.

Mordred... was it? Yes, last time he had used his Noble Phantasm against her only for his attempt to end her be foiled by the gold clad Servant who he would later find out to be none other the King of Heroes himself. Arash knew of him well enough, the mythical God-King of Uruk. Their lands were located near each other, with location of Mesopotamia's old territories being south to his homeland. As such, though they were separated by time, he supposed the Golden King was in a sense a neighbor to him.

Had he not been dying then, he would have been glad to have a formal exchange of words with such a hero of legend. Perhaps now he had the opportunity to do so, he wondered what his and Mordred's reactions were going to be when they found out he was still alive.

"Is something the matter?"

Behind him, Assassin appeared as she walked up next to the black-haired hero.

"Oh Assassin, I guess that Caster's finished with you then?" He asked with a smile.

"Y-Yes... and I do hope that I never go through that again."

What the fox-eared woman did... it sent shivers down her spine just thinking about it. Who knew that the people of the East would be able to think of such things? She shook her head trying to forget as she turned her attention fully towards her current companion.

"Were you thinking about something?"

"Nothing much, I was just wondering about how Mordred and the King of Heroes would react to the idea of me being alive." He grinned in response. "And because of this, I still have a chance of meeting with Saber again. He'll probably be surprised too!"

"I see." The former nodded before lowering her head. "Archer, I have to apologize..."

"Hmm? What for?"

"During the last battle, if I had done better, then maybe..."

"Hey come on now, it's not your fault. I probably would have used Stella either way. The child of Saber was quite a volatile young woman if I do say so myself, it was inevitable that battle nearly ended the way it did."

"Still..." The violet haired assassin began.

...!

She flinched when she felt a light tap on her forehead, inflicted upon her by Arash.

"Come on, I said it's alright didn't I?"

"Hehe..."

Serenity could only give a small smile in response. Archer really was a kind person, she could see him being popular with the people because of it. An ideal hero as they say. Better than some plain old assassin such as herself who hid and struck from the shadows.

"Tell me Archer, what was it like? Dying and coming back to life again?"

She then asked, a question she had been meaning to ask since Archer's return to them yesterday evening.

"Aren't we technically already like that to begin with?" Arash joked before crossing his arms. "Well, I get what you really mean. I'll admit, it's really strange. One minute I'm dying and then the next I'm still alive. I suppose it's nothing new for Servants, but it's still strange in a way. Our Master sure is something to be able to pull off such an incredible feat without even trying."

"Indeed. She's a young girl at heart, but she's also something else entirely."

Serenity nodded in agreement. Even now, she still wondered to herself how their Master managed to pull it off. But she supposed that such things were beyond her understanding to begin with. She was an Assassin after all, not a magus.

"Oh, here you two are~"

A voice called out. Turning their backs, the two looked to see Caster coming upon them with a smile on her face.

"Wait, am I interrupting something? My apologies Serenity-chan~"

Tamamo teased. It was no secret to her that Assassin had an attraction towards Archer. She actually found it rather sweet.

"N-No, nothing's going on." Serenity replied, a frown on her face as she narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Is there something you need Caster?"

"Oh no, don't mind little old me." The fox-eared woman replied. "I'm just here to take in the breeze, being in that cave all the time is not good for a beauty like myself~"

"Great, now that you're here, I've been meaning to ask you both something."

"Hmm? What is it Archer?" Tamamo asked. Serenity perked up as well, curious to hear what the Iranian hero had to say.

"Do the two of you remember anything about your old Masters?" He asked, scratching the back of his head as he continued. "I've been trying to remember mine, but everything is sort of a blur to me. I remember a red-haired woman with a white hairband, but not much else. I think she and I went drinking once..."

"My Master was a decrepit old man, I believe that he was killed by someone but I cannot remember who to be honest." Serenity replied, somewhat flippantly to be precise.

"As for me, my Master wasn't anyone special." Tamamo declared as huge grin grew on her face. "Right now, all that matters to me is my adorable little Manaka-chan. Having a little girl for a Master is so much fun~!"

Arash and Serenity could only smile ruefully at this, feeling pity for their Master as they knew how friendly Tamamo was with her.


"Thank you again for this Sieg."

"It's alright Ruler, it's not really a problem for me."

Back at the estate, seated within the living room of the Sajyou Manor was Jeanne, Sieg, and Astolfo. The former two currently in the middle of doing Laeticia's homework.

'This is multiplied by ten...? And that is...'

Though she made a promise to do it, Jeanne was ashamed to admit that this was the first time in days she actually got to doing Laeticia's homework properly. She had been staving off the problem for a while, not knowing how to solve most of it.

Currently, each of the members of the alliance were off doing their own thing. Having decided to take some time off to gather their strength, most decided to remain at the estate while others went out on patrol near the area. She would have participated herself, but she had been reminded of the problem left to her by her host.

'Ugh, this is so hard...'

The young saint mentally groaned as she stared at math problem before her. While reading and writing was no longer an issue for her thanks to the knowledge she had gained from Laeticia, it seemed mathematics was still somewhat beyond her. She could do basic math well enough, she needed to know as such thanks to her time as a soldier.

A part of her would have asked Arthur for help, but it would have been too embarrassing for the young saint and he'd likely tease her over it. And she didn't really know if he would have been much help to begin with. She needed someone else, and luckily Sieg provided the answer to her when the young homunculus came across her and offered his assistance. It turned out that he and the other homunculi were all quite skilled in said matters.

Perhaps it was to be expected given the nature of his existence. Either way, in her eyes he was a blessing from God...!

"Um... what does this problem ask?"

"Oh, that's quite simple actually."

So said the former. In truth, to Jeanne it seemed endlessly complicated. Coefficient? Square Root? What was all that? She could feel her mind going mad trying to solve the endless riddles presented before her. Truly, the modern generation was to be admired if this was what they had to face all the time in school.

"I don't understand Ruler, why do you have to do something like this?"

Astolfo asked, being just as confused as Jeanne herself as he went through the math book owned by Laeticia. Swirls in his eyes as he tried to make sense of everything he read. This is what people of the modern age had to go through in their studies!?

"It's simple really, I made a promise to owner of this vessel that I'm currently using." Jeanne replied, turning to look at Sieg as she continued speaking. "At any rate, I'm curious about something. How did your training with Caster go earlier Sieg?"

The young saint asked, knowing that during the early morning the young homunculus had been pulled aside by Medea. Knowing how strong he was now, the Servant of Magic proceeded to take Sieg and help him gain mastery over his draconic powers.

Sieg paused, not knowing to respond to Ruler's words.

"Um... complicated I suppose."

"The training went well." Astolfo interrupted. "The only thing complicated is this book!"

The young paladin cried as he threw it into the air.

"That's no good Rider, you can't do that."

Arthur spoke up, having caught the book as he placed it back down on the table where trio sat at.

"Education is a gift that should be treasured, it's not to be taken lightly."

"So you say, but you're enjoying this aren't you?"

Jeanne stated with a half-lidded look in her eyes, unamused by how the young man was smiling at her the entire time she was trying to solve the problems before her. Instead of electing to help her, the young man instead decided to simply observe the spectacle before him. All with a grin on his face.

"Hehe, I won't deny that..."

The young man stated, chuckling slightly. Jeanne simply pouted in response and huffed while turning her attention away.

Really now, teasing her again like that. At times like this, she noted that Arthur really was too much of a lighthearted person.

'Still, after last night... he really is doing better than I expected.'

A smile grew on her face, her mind filling up with memories from the night before...


Following the return of the groups led by Waver and Kairi to the Sajyou Estate, Arthur took Jeanne to the greenhouse and asked Caster for some privacy. While somewhat suspicious of his intentions, to which he swore that he saw a disturbing glint in the blue-haired woman's eyes, the Servant of Magic nodded in understanding. Leaving the area with her young Master despite Roche's protests of continuing their work there.

Jeanne herself was somewhat curious as well. Why did Arthur bring her out here so suddenly? She and the others were going to have a discussion about their next step soon. As Ruler, it was her duty to be there and add her voice in the matter as well.

That wasn't going into the fact that she was still recovering from her... episode earlier. Just thinking about was highly embarrassing!

'Clear thoughts, clear thoughts...'

She told herself, calming her mind.

"Tell me something, did you know the truth behind Berserker this entire time? About him being Lancelot?"

"...!?"

That caught her off guard, enough to snap Jeanne out from her short mantra.

She didn't... well, perhaps she should have expected it but she didn't think their talk would have happened this soon.

Seeing no point in beating around the bush, Jeanne spoke up in reply.

"Yes, I did..."

"I see..."

Arthur sighed to himself, not really knowing what to say. As such, he decided to keep his questions simple.

"You knew the truth since then, didn't you? During the night you summoned me..." He asked, to which the girl simply nodded. "Why didn't you say anything back then?"

"I didn't know how you would react." Jeanne replied, holding herself slightly. "That day, when I caught you reading Laeticia's book, you spoke of Lancelot fondly. Despite everything, you still consider him a friend don't you?"

"I do. If there's anyone I would trust my life with, it would be none other than Lancelot."

"I knew it. And what do you think of him being a Berserker?"

To be honest, Jeanne herself wouldn't know what to think if someone she cared for in life was summoned as one of the Berserker-Class. True, there were exceptions who could retain their sanity such as Berserker of Black. But the idea of someone she knew, driven to madness by circumstances beyond their control, and having to face off with them in combat as well... she didn't think she could bear it.

That's what she believed, and Arthur was actually going through it right now.

"Indeed, I never would have imagined I would have to cross blades with him as he is right now." Arthur replied, his voice somewhat distant. "I suppose I can see why you would choose to withhold this piece of information from me. Had it been the me from back then, perhaps I might have allowed both him and Mordred to take my head. I've wronged them both after all..."

"You're not still thinking that are you...?"

"Of course not, I'm merely contemplating the idea by itself. Should I face off against Lancelot again, I know what I must do." He replied, facing towards the young saint with a smile on his face as he laid a hand over her shoulder. "As I am right now, I have no intention of dying to anyone. At the very least, not until we've settled all the problems we're facing. It be rather cruel of me to just leave you to solve it all by yourself after all."

Jeanne simply smiled in return at the former's words, quite thankful that Arthur was handling the situation regarding Lancelot better than she had imagined.

She only hoped that it would last...


"Ruler?"

"Huh?"

With Sieg calling out to her, the young saint snapped out from her memories of the night before.

"Is something the matter?" He asked, a confused look in his eyes. "Just now you were staring off into space."

"Sieg's correct." Arthur added as he got off from the wall walked towards his Master with a concerned look on his face. "You're not still feeling hungry are you?"

"Still? Wait, are you calling me a glutton?"

Jeanne muttered in a low tone, unamused by the implications of the young man's statement.

"Wait what?"

"It's true that I eat more than the average person, but I was a soldier so it's only natural that I consume more!" She huffed in her own defense. "And honestly Arthur, I don't know if you should be one to talk. I've seen you eat just as much if not more."

"Ugh..."

Arthur groaned, not knowing what to do at the moment. There was truth to the young saint's words, but that was not what he was taken aback by. Very rarely did the young saint ever get worked up as she was right now in the time that they've known each other. As such, he had little experience dealing with this side of herself.

"M-My apologies, it wasn't my intention to insult you like that."

"Hmph!"

Jeanne huffed as she merely went back to work with Sieg, to which the young man simply sighed to himself as he scratched the back of his head. The last time he had teased her about being a glutton she was much more tame in her reaction.

Ah, but of course. Jests at a woman's weight was a sensitive topic to begin with. He'll have to apologize later once she calmed down.

"Hehe~!"

As for the young saint herself, she smiled slightly as she caught the troubled look on Arthur's face. Though a part of her felt bad for faking anger at her friend, she now understood what it felt to tease someone. It was rather fun, no wonder he often did it with her.

"Father."

All perked up once Mordred's voice was heard calling out to Arthur. Turning their attention towards the source, they saw the red knight wearing nothing but her casual clothes as she stood at the entrance to the living room. A pair of wooden swords in her hands as her Master appeared beside her.

...!

Before any words could be spoken, the young blonde casually threw one of the swords at her father.

"You and me, outside."

With that, the red knight left before hearing her father's response. Gazing at the weapon in his hand, he briefly turned his attention towards Jeanne, Sieg, and Astolfo.

"None of you interfere."

He spoke, walking out of the room as he followed Mordred outside.


"Might I ask what the occasion is for?"

"Do I need a reason to beat you around?"

"Fair enough then."

Arthur and Mordred each spoke, standing across from the other as they readied themselves in the front yard of the manor. It was a smaller space than Arthur would have liked, but her felt that it would have been enough if they were merely going to spar using practice weapons.

He was surprised by the suddenness of Mordred's decision to have a spar with him. She had refused last time, though that was more his fault than anything else due to poor choice of words he had spoken that night. Either way, he wasn't about to refuse either. He had been meaning to get into one himself since he had mostly recovered already from his earlier wounds. He once again would have to thank Caster for it later on.

'Father...'

Mordred silently though to herself, staring down on the form of her father as he readied himself.

Ah, there it was. Always ever in a perfect position, holding the weapon with both hands. The ideal stance for any swordsman. Mordred never cared much for proper form or technique, so long as she managed to defeat her opponents then it wouldn't have mattered either way. In the end, so long as she had strength she was sure she could overcome any challenge that came her way.

Still, for all that she believed in...

'I was still beaten by him... and he wasn't even trying back then!'

The mere thought of it nearly sent her over the edge, it was incredibly insulting to her pride as a warrior. But now wasn't the time to get mad, it would have defeated the entire purpose of what she was planning on doing today.

'Just what do I really feel towards him huh...?'

Her Master had asked of her. Mordred simply scoffed at it, she already knew what she felt towards her father. Why bother questioning it? She wanted him to acknowledge her, and to do that she needed to surpass him! She was annoyed at the fact that her Master was telling her to do this. Then again, she had wanted to continue her fight with her father for some time now. Even if it wasn't to the death like she had imagined, it was still close enough.

This time, she wasn't going to lose...!

"Hah!"

...!

The sound of wood smashing against wood resounded through the area, the fight between Arthur and Mordred beginning in its earnest. A trade of blows swiftly occurring as parent and child fought against the other.

"Ruler, are you sure about this...?"

Sieg asked, as he, Astolfo, and Jeanne stood by the sidelines observing the fight.

"Yes, I am sure. We shall not interfere."

"But..."

"Don't worry about it Sieg." Astolfo interrupted, causing the young homunculus to look at him "Sometimes, people do stupid things. You can't always expect them to do something logical, otherwise life would be very boring you know? I for one cannot stand that no sir~! Which is why I'll always do whatever I set my heart to!"

"No wonder you can be such a flighty Servant then..."

"Yes, a flighty-Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

Jeanne simply giggled at the young paladin as he began to argue with his homunculus Master. Soon afterwards she then turned her attention towards the man that she knew was responsible for instigating the event before them.

"Please stop staring at me like that."

Kairi politely asked, not bothering to turn though he knew of her stare. The way Ruler was looking at him made him feel like a criminal. Now true, in some places he would have been considered as one but that wasn't the point right now. He supposed it was because she was a Catholic Saint? There was something mildly off putting about someone like that staring you down the same way Ruler was doing to him right now.

"Mister Shishigou... just what are you planning by having Mordred fight against Arthur once more?"

"She needed to blow off some steam, and figured the best way to do that is to have her beat her old man around." Kairi stated, arms crossed as he observed the fight. "Say, you're not that mad are you?"

"No, I'm not really mad."

Jeanne stated frankly with a sigh, though it was something of a lie as well. She supposed that it was only natural to assume that another fight would occur between Arthur and Mordred one way or another. Perhaps she should have been glad that they were just using wooden swords against each other instead of their main weapons. At least that way they weren't going to be seriously injured. Then again, it might still be too early to say that.

"Still..."

...!

Another resounding clash occurred between Arthur and Mordred's weapons. Though both were holding back, the force behind their swings still enough to kick the dirt and grass surrounding them as weak shock waves emanated from their blows.

"Those wooden swords are remarkably durable. Did you have anything to do with that Caster?"

Jeanne asked, turning her attention towards the blue-haired woman who had just appeared beside her.

"Good guess Ruler, Saber had asked that I reinforce them the other night." She replied, taking in the sight before her. "They didn't see any use then of course. Are you quite sure that you do not wish to interfere?"

"Yes, in spite of how sudden it came, I believe that Mordred needs this from Arthur. It might be the only way for them to truly communicate..." The young saint noted with a sad smile on her face. "Even should I wish to step in as Ruler, I have no right to interfere what's happening between them."

Medea simply nodded in understanding. The fight in question was incredibly personal to both parties involved. She doubted she would have wanted someone to step in if she ever had a chance to deal with a personal problem herself.

"Speaking of which Ruler, I've finished my task of turning this estate into a proper foothold. We should now be ready for any assault made on this place."

"I see, thank you for your hard work then Caster."

Jeanne smiled brightly at the blue-haired witch, to which Medea simply blushed lightly in response. The blonde truly was quite a beauty. Combined with her earnest and kind nature, she felt embarrassed being thanked by such a wonderful girl.

Hmm, she wondered to herself if the young saint was interested in trying out some dresses she had in mind later...


...!

"Good, you're doing well!"

"Shut up! Stop me praising me like that!"

Mordred demanded as she swung her sword at her father, who simply parried the strike as he continued his defensive streak. An act which was noted by the former as she had noted that he had yet to go on a serious counterattack.

"Fight me seriously would you!?"

...!

"You think I'm someone to be looked down upon!?"

...!

"You thought wrong!"

...!

Three hard strikes, the third having enough force in it that it sent her father's weapon into the air. Smirking, Mordred quickly raised hers and struck.

"You're mine!"

...!

"What!?"

Before she even knew it, her father had managed to stop her weapon by grabbing it with both hands mid-swing. Taking advantage of her stupor, Arthur yanked the sword free and into his own hands as he grabbed his own weapon as it dropped from above.

...!

"Gah!"

Mordred flinched in pain as she felt two strikes land upon her body, resulting in her dropping on the ground after the deed was done.

"Ooh, now that one I could feel even from here!"

Astolfo commented with a grin on his face. One that Jeanne agreed with, silently gazing at the scene before her. She felt that Arthur's strike just now felt more excessive than it should have been. Just what was he doing?

As for Mordred herself, the blonde managed to get on her knees as she held her sides. Gathering her bearings on what just happened.

'Damn it all...!'

It wasn't even that long since the fight started and already her father managed to get the best of her. Just what was she doing wrong!?

"What's the matter Mordred? Your movements are slacking." Arthur stated as he made his towards the red knight and stopped to drop her weapon in front of her. "Unless you put more effort into your movements, everything about you becomes clear as day."

"You saying that you predicted my attack? That you allowed yourself to lose your weapon!?"

"Did you really think that my grip is that weak? You've already fought me before, so you should know."

"Tch...!"

But of course, there was truth to her father's words. She had already swung her real blade at him more times than she could count. There was no way that her father's grip was so weak that she could easily disarm him the way she did just now.

Gritting her teeth, she cursed herself once more. She should have known better than to believe so readily that she had the upper hand!

"Now then, shall we continue this or is this fight already over?"

"No, not yet!"

Mordred exclaimed as she grabbed her weapon and resumed her attack.

...!

Why did you refuse to give me the throne?!

...!

Why did you refuse to acknowledge me as your child?! Do you hate me that much?!

As their swords continuously parried each other's strikes, memories of their duel that fateful day on that bloody hill filled the young blonde's mind. The questions she demanded be answered back then continually repeating within her deepest thoughts.

Her father's answer back then proved unsatisfactory to her. Just what did he mean by that?

Not once have I ever hated you Mordred. Even now, I feel no such thing...

He said he never hated her, so why...?

...!

Why did he reject her?!

...!

Her father was so kind as to forgive Lancelot for his transgressions. For everything the Knight of the Lake did, her father had chosen to forgive him.

A part of her hated her father for it, as Lancelot had killed a number of their comrades. However, that wasn't the only reason why she hated it...

Because, if he was capable of such kindness... then why couldn't he applied it to her and accepted her back then as well?

...!

"Gah!"

Mordred cried out in pain, having been blown back a distance away by her father's last strike. Not about to let herself be looked down upon, she quickly stood up and went on the offensive once more.

As she swung her sword at her father, the latter simply stood still as he anticipated the strike.

...!

He parried it. The red knight struggled as she tried to overpower Arthur, who himself slowly narrowed his eyes at the former as he spoke.

"What's with this display Mordred? I know you can do better than this."

"S-SHUT UP!"

...!

She exclaimed, using her magical power to momentarily increase her strength.

It quickly proved enough as Arthur leaped out of the way as he weapon smashed the ground the where he stood.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT COMING FROM THE ONE WHO DENIED ME EVERYTHING!"

Mordred yelled, dropping her wooden sword as she summoned Clarent into her hands.

Seeing this, Arthur did the same as he summoned Excalibur as well.

...!

As their blades collided, Medea had quickly put up a barrier that shielded them and their surroundings from the force of the impact. While the blast of air by itself, albeit a powerful one, wasn't going to be all that harmful to Servants like her, the estate would have likely been damaged already had she not.

However, if the fight kept up as it did, her spell wouldn't last long either.

"What's going on here!?"

Joining Jeanne and the others was the group of Waver, Gray, Fiore, and Caules. Also accompanied by the latter three's Servants, Siegfried, Achilles, and Elizabeth.

"W-What? Why is the princess fighting with Saber?" The latter cried out in surprise.

"Oh? Let me join too!" Achilles muttered in excitement but was pulled back by Siegfried much to his annoyance.

"Did something happen?" Fiore asked as well, not taking her eyes off the spectacle before her.

"Oh, El-Melloi. I was wondering when you'd show up." Kairi greeted.

"Shishigou? What in blazes is happening!?" Waver demanded as he walked up to his fellow adult. "I went to survey the area together with the Forvedge Siblings and I come back to see Saber and Saber of Red trying to kill each other!?"

"Long story short, I had Saber pick a fight with her old man." The mercenary stated as he raised his arms in defense. "Calm down, I only did this because she's been acting all stressed the entire day. I think she needs this in order to vent. And don't worry, if you pay close attention they're not killing each other... Well, not yet anyway."

"Is that supposed to reassure me!?" The long-haired man exclaimed in annoyance before turning to Jeanne herself. "Ruler, why are you just letting this happen?"

"I know how this seems Lord El-Melloi, but please do not interfere as well." Jeanne simply replied much to the surprise of the new arrivals. "I've already asked the others to do the same, for this is a fight that can only be settled by those two alone. It's not our place to stop it."

Whatever Waver had to say, he couldn't find it in himself to speak for he found truth in the young saint's words. As much as he wanted to end the fight already, as it wasn't a time for them to bickering amongst themselves, there was really no stopping two Servants once they had a go at each other unless something special happened. And given the identities of the ones involved, there really was no turning back from it anymore.


Hours later...

...!

The battle between Arthur and Mordred continued. Since the beginning of their fight during the early afternoon, hours had passed and now the sun had already started to set. Neither side showed any signs of letting up, and the others who were bearing witness to the event could only remain silence they continued to observe.

...!

"Hah!"

Mordred cried out as she charged her father. At that, she and Arthur continued to trade blows with one another. Light traces of lightning emanating from Clarent and golden light from Excalibur with both swords locked with each other. The two knights struggling to overpower the other.

"Tell me something father...!"

The young blonde began, snarling the last word as glared at Arthur. As she was about to speak her question, she found no words coming out from her mouth. She gritted her teeth as a result, cursing her own cowardice.

'Why am I hesitating...?!'

Mordred told herself. This wasn't the time for such things! If she had something to say, she might as well say it already!

And with that...

"Why did you choose to reject me?!"

"...!?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, Arthur's footing had slipped which gave Mordred an opportunity to strike. Not about to let himself be done in, the young man quickly got out of the way as the former swung her sword down hard, kicking up the earth blow.

...!

His time to recover didn't last long however, as soon afterwards Mordred was on his trail again as their blades locked once more.

"Answer me King Arthur! Just why did you do it?!" The latter demanded once more. "Back then, on that hill you said you didn't hate me... so why!? Was it because of my mother?! Was I untrustworthy as an heir because of her?! You and I both know that she was never much of a threat to you, much less a bastard child such as myself!"

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

"Then what?! Give me your reason then!" She yelled once more. "Back at the banquet you said you even acknowledged my potential to succeed you, so why?!"

Arthur remained silent at this, briefly taking a moment to breath as he narrowed his eyes.

...!

"Gah!"

Having been distracted with her demands of him, Mordred failed to see the incoming knee to her gut. Resulting in her taking a few steps back as she held herself in pain, her father stepping back as well to which she simply glared at him in response.

"You...!" She muttered venomously.

"Apologies, but I didn't think we could talk with you so consumed by rage. Have you calmed down?"

"Tch, I'm not hitting you yet am I?" Mordred sarcastically replied.

"Heh, I suppose not." He chuckled slightly. The red knight frowned at this, but decided to not say anything for now.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur sighed for a moment as he gazed at the others. Knowing that he was silently asking for some privacy, the others reluctantly left.

"Don't do anything that I'll get mad at you for alright?"

Jeanne telepathically called out to him as she smiled at the young man for a brief moment, soon turning her attention away as she quickly led the others inside. Arthur merely shook his head, bemused by the young saint's worry for him.

With them gone, Arthur soon turned his attention back towards Mordred.

"Now then, is this the reason why you decided to call me out here? To demand an answer from me about what I feel about you?"

"What do you think?" Mordred sarcastically replied once more, annoyed at her father's insistence of asking questions himself. This situation was already embarrassing enough as it is. "I've already said what I wanted to say, make of that what you will. Or do I even need to repeat myself?"

"I see..."

Arthur smiled briefly with a nod. He supposed that now was the time to say his piece as well.

Here's to hoping all went well...

"Then allow me to repeat what I told you before Mordred... I've never hated you. I've always respected you as a Knight and as a warrior."

"That's a lie and you know it!"

Mordred suddenly exclaimed, a reignited fire in her eyes and her palms tightening into fists as they shook.

"If that was really the case, then why did...! Why did you refuse to acknowledge me as your heir? As your child!?"

Arthur momentarily remained still, taking note of the former's demeanor and felt guilt growing within him as he gazed at her in silence before speaking.

"The fault lays with me." He simply said. "Let me simply say that-"

"No!" Mordred quickly interrupted, raising Clarent towards Arthur. "I want the whole truth, everything! Don't try to hide anything from me or I'll know."

"Very well then, I've said it before and I'll say it again." Arthur replied, crossing his arms as he continued. "Truth of the matter was that I never hated Mordred, I assure you of that. You've always done right by me, the others even if you didn't get along with them as much as I would have liked, and as well as our kingdom. You had your issues, but they weren't anything you couldn't over come with time..."

The red knight remained in silence at this, trying to beat down the sense of elation that quickly formed in her chest.

"However, I was angry at you..."

"Huh, angry...?"

"I suppose it wasn't your fault, I acted out based on my poisoned thoughts that day..."

"Wait, what do you mean...?" Mordred asked, confused by her father's words.

"Do you remember Lucius?"

"...!"

Of course she remembered, there was no way she wouldn't remember.

Lucius... he was her little brother. Though perhaps half-brother was the correct term, as he was the offspring of a union between her father and Guinevere. She didn't really know him well, at least in the way siblings should know each other, but she knew enough. He was a good lad, always respectful of others.

Though more than once she and her fellow knights would sometimes go out to find him when he'd suddenly disappear on them from time to time. His idea of hide and seek she supposed, the boy lacked proper friends his own age so he turned to her and the knights. Some of them were annoyed by his antics, but she didn't mind. After all, whether or not the truth was known, she was the elder sibling so it was her duty to look after her younger brother.

That, and it was certainly hilarious to see the serious Agravain panicking like a maiden whenever Lucius ran off.

"The day he passed..." Arthur began, tightening his grip on Excalibur somewhat as he continued. "I felt like something inside of me died as well at that moment. To cope, I buried myself in my work, and Guinevere found hers in Lancelot's arms..."

"Do you hate her for that...?"

No, knowing her father, his answer was likely...

"Of course not, I could never bring myself to that." Arthur replied, a crooked smile on his face as he shook his head. "She had her reasons, and I don't blame her. But that's another matter entirely... we're talking about you aren't we?"

Mordred waited with baited breath as her father paused for a moment, one that felt like an eternity to her, before speaking once more.

"Not long after Lucius' passing, you revealed yourself to me. My child, born of union between myself and my own blood related sister." Arthur replied, his voice straining somewhat as he continued. "I suppose you still remember that day...?"

"I can... it's not like I'll ever forget it."

Mordred muttered with a sigh, her memories of that day coming forth from the back of her mind...


"Ridiculous...!"

Mordred stared wide eyed at her father's proclamation. She was currently on her knee, having just explained her existence to her father who himself sat on his throne.

The young blonde raised her head, having hoped to see a look of joy on her father's face only to see an expression she rarely thought to see on her beloved father.

It was a look of contempt and anger...

"Father...?"

"Do not call me that!" Arthur exclaimed, narrowing his eyes in anger at Mordred as he continued. "You would dare speak such lies to me? You would dare to think that I would consider you my child!? As if I could ever accept such foolishness!"

"N-No! I-I swear on my name that I'm not lying father...! On my pride and honor as a Knight, I swear that everything I have said is true. I would never lie to you-"

"That's a lie in itself."

Arthur stated, his tone now calmed from his earlier outburst and the fiery gaze in his eyes replaced with a cold narrow stare.

"You say that you would never lie to me, yet by having hid your identity to me this entire time, you realize that you have been lying to me as well?"

"No, that's different! Mother said-!"

"Mother? Ah yes, Morgan..."

Arthur muttered quietly to himself, gritting his teeth at the mention of his sister's name.

"That woman... did she plan this? Lucius' death was suspicious enough as it is, but now this...!?"

Time and again he had made attempts to make peace with his older sister, time and again did he fail. Even despite Morgan's attempts to remove him from power, he never really begrudged her for it either. She was simply following through with her beliefs and he was doing no less by stopping her.

But now this...

"Father...?" Mordred asked, noticing that her father had gone quiet once her mother had been mentioned...

"Get out of my sight."

"Huh...?"

The young knight looked up, trying to make sense of what she was hearing.

"I ordered you to leave. The only child I have is Lucius... I have no other! I will not tolerate any pretenders even from the likes of one of my knights. Especially not from a pawn of my Sister's!"

"W-Wait, father please...!"

"I told you to never call me that! From this moment onward, you are to be sent back to your mother's domain. I accepted you out of good will before, but now I clearly see that was a mistake from the very beginning! Begone from here!"

Had Mordred had heart made of glass, it would have surely been broken into pieces right now. A empty void was in its place, but not for long.

Soon anger began to take shape within the void, her love for her father turning into hatred.

On that day, it was at that moment that Mordred, the Knight of Treachery, was truly born...


"I have no excuse for what I said that day, nor will I make any." Arthur stated, sighing to himself once more. "I wronged you, there's no point in denying that."

"Father..."

Mordred muttered under her breath, trying to find more words to speak but found none.

Thinking about it now, it was truly a foolish move on her part. She should have known better, her origins were completely suspect to begin with. Her mother was a traitorous witch and she herself was no ordinary human.

Least of all, attempting to reveal herself to her father when he was at his lowest...

'No, who am I even kidding...?'

If she was being completely honest, a part of her didn't really care for that. She didn't even care to really notice the depths of her father's pain. She only cared to replace her brother in his heart. Though she never really hated him, she had always been incredibly envious of Lucius for as long as she could remember. From the moment of his birth, he had received the love and affection that she so craved from their father, able to live the carefree life that one would desire for a child to have...

Compared to him, what was she? A bastard child born of an incestuous union between brother and sister. Raised by her witch of a mother to be a tool in her father's death, a child whose abnormal growth made her inhuman.

She wanted to escape that destiny, she wanted to be more than what her mother had intended. With her brother's passing, she felt that she had a chance, but-

'I was too blind...'

Gazing in front of her, she saw her father looking rather lost himself. It was perhaps the first time she had seen such a look on his face. It actually felt painful to see him that way, it was nothing like the father she had come to admire for so long...

Perhaps that was where it all went wrong, she had forgotten the most basic aspect about her father to begin with.

Her father... he was human too after all.

Humans often made mistakes, were emotionally driven beings and such. Such were the words of her mother to her at one point, and she agreed. People tended to be rather frail, which is why she wanted to be strong so as to not be frail. Strong like her father.

However, she was proven wrong. At heart, her father was just as frail as any other person in the world. Why didn't she see it before?

'I really am a fool...'

Mordred didn't know how long she and her father had been standing there. Silence had reigned for some time since their last exchange of words, she couldn't even tell what her father was thinking at the moment anymore either. Not with how lost she was herself.

That is, until he started laughing...

"Hehe..."

Mordred looked up in surprise. What was her father going on about now?

"Aren't we a pair of fools...?"

At her father's words, Mordred merely smiled bitterly as she chuckled slightly in response as well.

"Yeah, we're an extra big pair of idiots...!"


As the two continued on, observing both from a window was Jeanne who simply smiled in delight at the scene.

With a satisfied nod, the young saint decided to leave father and daughter be. She knew that they had more things to talk about, and thus left both to their privacy once more. An outsider like her shouldn't bear witness to such a thing.

Now then, what was she supposed to do now? She supposed she should try and gather the others for a meeting...

Wait a minute, now that she had time to think about it, she hadn't seen the young girl called Reines and the King of Heroes all day did she?


"Tch...!"

The Servants of Manaka stood on guard. Arash, Brynhild, and Serenity on one side, Tamamo and Heracles on the other. The son of Zeus ready to strike at a moment's notice as the intruder came upon them. The others couldn't help but wonder just how in blazes did he find them out so easily!?

"Hoh, so this is where you lot have been hiding out all this time."

Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, greeted as he stood at the entrance to their base. Nonchalantly walking towards the group with a smirk on his face, not even bothering to wear his armor and bring out his weapons. Instead, the Golden King was simply dressed in his casual clothes.

"Hey, don't you think you should be taking this more seriously...!?"

Behind the former stood Reines, the young blonde somewhat nervous as she and the Golden King were the only ones among their group to be here. She had advised against coming on their own, but Archer had been adamant and before she knew it she was already here.

"Calm yourself Reines, you will not come to harm so long as I am here." Gilgamesh assured as he and his master communicated via telepathy. "Once I've finished my business here we'll be on our way."

"And how long would that take...!?"

She demanded in annoyance. Though she was tempted to use a Command Spell to get away with Archer, she wasn't about to waste one on mere simple retreat. At least not yet anyway, her pride wouldn't allow it for now even given her current situation.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

Reines nearly leaped in fear once she heard Berserker roar out.

"Calm down Berserker, I know that this is the first time you've appeared in a good while but you can't kill them just yet~"

The fox-eared woman said, to which the mad giant somewhat relented at her words. Reines simply sighed in relief, Berserker was incredibly intimidating to look at. He didn't even look human at all, not without how tall he was, the jagged structures on his arms, and the crazed look in his dual-colored eyes.

It was hard to believe that the man before he was the legendary Heracles. To be able to control him so easily as a Berserker, it would take great skill to be able to pull that off.

"Greetings King of Heroes, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

Ramesses greeted as he came into view, unfazed by the Gilgamesh's sudden arrival.

"Sun King, your comrades need better manners on how to treat guests." He stated with a smirk, taking time to gaze at Arash. "And I see that one of you that's supposed to be dead is alive, now that has piqued my interest. Pray tell, what happened...?"

"Well that's..." Arash began, unsure of how to proceed.

"Alright, alright, that's enough~"

A voice called out, to which everyone turned their attention towards the source as she walked out of the shadows to greet the Golden King. Much to the surprise of the former and Reines, a young girl came out and greeted them.

"So it was true..." The former muttered in realization.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you King of Heroes, I didn't think we'd meet this soon."

Manaka greeted, a sweet smile on her face.


END


Author's Note:

And so wraps up CH26. First things first, about the Arthur/Mordred thing. I honestly meant to more or less end it by the time Act III got started up. Around maybe the second or third chapters or so. Now I managed to squeeze into a single chapter instead since I felt like dragging it out would be counterproductive as I didn't want to extend it any longer than it already has. Now there won't be any hugs and kisses between the two anytime soon, but they're going to be a lot more amiable now thanks to their fight and talk.

Anyway, I hoped the entire thing with Arthur/Mordred from day one up until now worked well enough. It's my first time writing anything that complex, about a parent and child with a relationship such as theirs. It's honestly pretty difficult nailing it down.


Guest Reviewer Section:

White Wolf: Even without taking into account Sha Nagba Imuru,I just based said ability on what I've actually seen of Gil in the original FSN such as the fact that he managed to tell the fact that Altria was no longer a virgin despite being fully clothed. I mean, what in the actual hell? XD Anyway, Ramesses and Tamamo are the ones that came to the conclusion of Gil being a possible mind reader. If anything, based on what Sha Nagba Imuru is actually capable of, it goes beyond that and more since Gil is more or less able to know whatever he wants when he uses it. But given who Gil is, he doesn't make much use of said ability either.


That's it for now. Again, hoped you all liked the chapter. Please review :D