Fate: How About a New Savior?

I had that dream again.

The same one from when I was alive.

Mordred stood before the unyielding stone, beside a Magus whose appearance seemed to flicker between youth and age, clad in a white cloak.

A sword was embedded in the stone, and the Magus proclaimed loudly to the knights of the realm:

"Whoever pulls this sword shall become king."

Brave warriors, knights renowned far and wide, and those confident in their strength all stepped forward to try. But none could move it—not even slightly. One by one, they gave up.

What fools.

That sword existed solely to choose a king. It could only be drawn by the one chosen to save the realm. And they thought they could rip it out with brute strength? Their stupidity knew no bounds.

And so, Mordred approached the Sword in the Stone, now long abandoned and overlooked.

"You are King Arthur's trueborn child. A vessel created in his image, a copy of the king's essence."

Her mother Morgan's voice echoed in her ears, laced with obsession and madness. Words that reminded Mordred she too had the right to claim the sword.

"Then, what vow will you offer this sword? What will you entrust to it?"

Morgan's voice suddenly shifted—distant, aloof—as though speaking of something entirely different.

To be a good king.

To govern justly, strategize wisely, and support the country with rightful strength. Where was the flaw in absolute justice and absolute power?

Then the dream ended.

...

Mordred opened her eyes to the familiar study of her Master.

Across from the sofa where she lay came the soft sound of turning pages.

She didn't need to look to know who it was.

"You're awake? Then get moving. The Holy Grail War isn't over yet," Morgan said coolly. "Finish your mission, Mordred."

Mordred sat up, hands pressed against her knees, leaning forward, eyes locked on Morgan, who didn't even glance her way as she spoke.

It had been more than half a day since the battle at Einzbern Castle. Night had fallen.

After returning to the Shiomi household, Mordred had collapsed on the study couch to recover from the heavy Mana drain.

Since her summoning as Saber, Mordred had rarely ever shifted into spirit form unless absolutely necessary.

It was boring—and she couldn't enjoy the pleasures of this era like that.

"Why?" Mordred stared hard at Morgan's face.

"As a Servant, isn't it natural to serve your Master with everything you have?" Morgan replied with impeccable logic.

"That's not what I meant!" Mordred's brow furrowed deeper. "Why did you become a Servant? What's your wish?"

"I have no wish. Servants aren't free beings. We're tools—devices called 'guardians,' used at the whim of others," Morgan said flatly.

Mordred didn't believe a word of it.

She knew all too well what kind of person Morgan le Fay was—the one who had used Arthur's blood to create her as a Homunculus, planted her within the Knights of the Round Table, revealed her identity as Arthur's heir... and led Britain to ruin.

To the rebellious knight, that was the Morgan le Fay she remembered.

"Huh?"

Mordred wasn't confused—she just had far too many questions about the Morgan standing in front of her. She asked the biggest one.

"Are you really... Mother?"

Morgan finally looked up and met her eyes.

"Looks, magic, personality—everything matches. It's just like Mother," Mordred said, pressing both hands against the coffee table as she stared hard at Morgan. "But my soul refuses to accept it!"

"How passionate. Believe it or not, I am Morgan le Fay," Morgan replied calmly. "How you choose to see it is your business, not mine."

"Tch..." Mordred had nothing more to say and clicked her tongue bitterly.

At this point—having died, now existing as a Servant—she no longer knew what to make of her mother.

From the moment she manifested in this Holy Grail War, she'd never imagined she'd run into Morgan here.

Just then, a knock came at the study door, and it slowly creaked open.

"Ah, figured you'd be here." Rin Tohsaka stood at the doorway. "Saber, Sakura's calling for you."

"My Master? Why didn't she come herself?" Mordred frowned, confused.

Rin crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "Not sure. Maybe she didn't want to interrupt your conversation. Did I interrupt something?"

"No." Mordred stepped away from the sofa.

Anyone who walked in just now would've thought Saber and Morgan were having an argument, with the tension between them practically visible.

Rin herself wasn't so sure she'd come at the right time.

"Dinner's almost ready. Sakura asked me to tell you both to come when you're done," Rin added. "There's also a strategy meeting after that. We've got a lot to go over."

"Now that you mention it, aside from me and your Archer, the only active Servant left is Caster, right?" Mordred looked at Rin with a slightly teasing grin.

Rin smiled back brightly. "Who knows? Isn't there still a Servant leftover from the last Holy Grail War?"

"Fair enough."

The interruption ended the conversation. Saber had no interest in continuing the back-and-forth with Morgan, so she yawned and walked out past Rin.

Rin lingered in the room a little longer, her eyes still on Morgan.

"Something on your mind, Rin?" Morgan asked.

Rin strolled forward with her hands behind her back. "No, not really. I just realized... it makes sense why Sakura's so strong."

No wonder Sakura had never shown up to any of the Magecraft tutoring sessions at the Shiomi household.

Turns out she had a far better teacher.

"I watched your fight with Sakura. Against an opponent you had no intel on, you were far too complacent for a Magus," Morgan said, pausing for a moment. "Or maybe it's because she's your little sister, and you never expected a real fight?"

"Ahaha..." Rin could only offer a strained smile.

She had indeed held back, hoping to subdue Sakura and let Archer handle Saber afterward.

Looking back, the flaws in that plan were obvious.

"Still, the gemstone Magecraft passed down through the Tohsaka line is rather limited by its reliance on materials," Morgan observed casually. "You've got an affinity for all five elements—why not put that to proper use?"

As she spoke, her pale blue eyes gleamed faintly.

"Magic Circuits—forty primary, thirty auxiliary. You're capable of simultaneously channeling three types of Magecraft. With that level of talent, your Magecraft shouldn't be so one-dimensional. Is your Mystic Code the limiting factor?"

"...Please, I'd appreciate your guidance."

Rin stood there in awe. Morgan had seen straight through her potential with just a glance.

With a teacher like that, it was no wonder Sakura had grown so overwhelmingly powerful.