Fate: How About a New Savior?

The Shiomi household kitchen was unusually lively today.

Along with Shiomi and Sakura, Archer was helping out as well.

Despite his rugged appearance, the man moved with practiced ease in the kitchen, cooking as if he did it every day. Mordred was so caught off guard she nearly forgot she had something to say to Sakura.

"Dinner's going to take a bit longer," Sakura said, setting utensils on the table. "I still haven't fully recovered my Mana since we got back. Saber, do you want to rest a bit more?"

"No need. I'm fine now." Mordred pulled out a chair and sat down casually, resting her chin in one hand as she watched the three moving back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, silently observing.

All of them were attuned to others' gazes—naturally, they picked up on hers.

Archer, after covering a pot, turned with a cheerful smile. "Got something to ask one of us, Saber? Maybe about your Master?"

"Mind your own business!" Mordred shot back, clearly annoyed.

"As for Mother, I just felt we didn't really know each other. I planned to keep it secret until the Holy Grail War ended," Sakura said, clasping her hands together and bowing slightly to Saber. "But in the end..."

"Eh, forget it. It's not that big of a deal." Mordred found it impossible to stay mad when faced with her Master's sincere, almost pitiable expression.

She was a knight, after all. Picking on girls wasn't exactly honorable.

—Though Mordred often forgot her own gender.

More importantly, Saber didn't have any deep-seated attachment to her mother. She understood that everything about her existence was orchestrated by Morgan—and had no fond feelings toward such a cold, calculating woman.

But her Master was different.

Sakura seemed to have grown up around Morgan, yet she didn't give off the slightest hint of that woman's twisted aura.

In that case...

Mordred's eyes drifted toward Shiomi, who was still busy at the stove, back turned.

It was probably thanks to that man.

She hadn't spoken with Shiomi much—just fought alongside him briefly against Berserker—but that was enough to glimpse his true nature through his combat.

In temperament, Sakura was definitely more like Shiomi.

"You've got a great father, Master!" Mordred declared, no attempt to hide the admiration in her voice.

"Eh? You could tell?" Sakura looked both happy and flustered.

Even though the compliment wasn't directed at her.

"I agree," Archer added. "Whether as a warrior, a Magus, or even a cook—he's flawless."

More than that, there was something Archer genuinely respected about Shiomi:

His unwavering dedication to both his roles—as a Magus and as a father.

That said, entrusting the Witch of Britannia to teach his child Magecraft was, in Archer's opinion, just a bit extreme.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Shiomi said with a faint laugh, shaking his head. "Besides, don't forget—if we reach the end of the Holy Grail War, Saber, you and Archer will be enemies."

"You really are too practical. Can't you loosen up a little?" Saber sighed in exasperation.

Anyway, the idea that she was supposed to call this guy "Dad" in some twisted way made her skin crawl.

"That's right. From how things stand now, Saber's kind of your relative, in a way," Archer said, spreading his hands with a teasing grin.

Sakura blinked, only now realizing it. She covered her mouth. "Oh... does that mean I'm related to Saber...?"

"Don't you dare call me big sister!" Mordred pointed at her in protest. "And brother's off the table too!"

"Kind of strange, though. No matter how you look at it, you seem more like the younger one," Archer quipped. "Aside from the different eras you were born in, legend says your actual age doesn't even hit double digits."

"...Archer, do you die if you stop talking?" Mordred growled, clearly flustered.

She'd been hit where it hurt. It was true she was a Homunculus, rapidly matured through Morgan's Magecraft before being sent into the Knights of the Round Table. That was fact.

"Ah, my bad," Archer said with mock apology.

"You really have a terrible personality." Shiomi let out a sigh, rubbing his temple. "If you two start wrecking things, I'm sending the repair bill to your Master."

"The Tohsaka family's a prestigious line with deep pockets. If the house gets wrecked, they can just build a new one," Archer said lightly, clearly still enjoying himself. His snark spared no one—not even his own Master.

Shiomi raised a brow. "No wonder Rin's down to one Command Spell. Let me guess—the other one was used just to make you behave?"

"Huh?" Saber looked shocked. "Archer, you really are hopelessly rebellious."

"You're the last person I want to hear that from, Saber," Archer retorted smoothly.

At that moment, Sakura—who had been mulling it over—asked, "So, what exactly is my relationship to Saber? How do we figure out the family hierarchy?"

"Can we not get hung up on this, Master?" Mordred groaned, overwhelmed.

She had no real concept of "family," and even less experience dealing with one.

That's why, even though she was deeply concerned about Morgan, she'd been avoiding the heart of the matter all along.

"Well, now that it's been pointed out, Saber just feels kind of familiar to me," Sakura said openly.

"You just want to be the big sister," Shiomi teased. "Wasn't Caren and Gray enough to keep you busy?"

"They're them, and Saber is Saber. That's all," Sakura said firmly.

She wanted everything—a clear case of wanting it all.

"Pretty greedy, huh," Archer said, half impressed.

"And what's wrong with that?" Shiomi shrugged. "People are born with all sorts of desires. Greed's just one of them. Most people just suppress it. Besides, greed can show up in a lot of forms."

He paused a moment.

"Wanting to save everyone from suffering... wanting a second chance... wanting to rule the world... they're all forms of greed. It's not so easy to label them good or bad."

That offhand comment brought a sudden hush to the room.

"Man, that stings," Archer muttered with a wry smile.

Saber turned her head away, sulking in silence like a scolded child, staring off at the dining table.

"Sakura, help me bring out the stew," Shiomi said, changing the subject.

"Ah, right!" Sakura replied quickly, hurrying over to his side.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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