Fate: How About a New Savior?

The next day, in Miyama Town's shopping district.

Another night had passed, and Marisbury still hadn't ordered Caster to attack. Shiomi had no idea what the Lord of the Department of Astromancy was planning, but life had to go on. He left the others at home to prepare for any siege and went out alone to buy groceries.

But—

"Was it really necessary for you to come too, Saber?" Shiomi asked.

"Well, you're the one who said I should," Mordred replied, following behind him with a helpless look. "Besides, you've still got two Command Spells left. You could summon me anytime like yesterday."

Shiomi thought about it but didn't mention that the King of Magecraft might be able to interfere with Command Spells and render them useless. He just nodded.

"You were talking with Morgan pretty late last night," he said.

"Wasn't much of a conversation. Just had to ask about a few things," Mordred replied, eyes on Shiomi's back. "Stuff like quantum record tapes, the foundation of human history, and how it ties into Britannia."

"Well, she's the only one who could answer that." Shiomi chuckled.

"What are you laughing at..." Mordred clicked her tongue.

Shiomi's smile faded. "But judging by how you're acting today, it seems there's still something she didn't tell you. Or maybe she never intended to."

"Huh? Like what?" Mordred asked, unable to think of what it could be—whether something about the Holy Grail War or some hidden truth about Britannia.

"It's about the last Holy Grail War," Shiomi said. "Morgan was my Servant back then, summoned under the Berserker class."

"I know that already," Mordred said. Sakura had told her. "Honestly, Berserker probably suits Mother better than Caster. I mean, she always was a bit—"

"Mordred..." Shiomi cut in, his tone displeased.

"Yeah, yeah, forget I said anything." Mordred pulled back, biting back the rest. She didn't want to start a fight—especially not with this guy. If they went at it, it'd never end, and Caster might exploit the opening. Getting eliminated because of that would be a waste.

"There was someone else in the war ten years ago. Another Servant summoned under the Saber class," Shiomi continued.

"Who?" Mordred asked, though she had a feeling she already knew.

"The King of Knights—Artoria Pendragon," Shiomi said, then added, "Or maybe it's more accurate to say Arthur Pendragon?"

Before he could finish, Mordred grabbed him by the collar.

"Who cares about the name! Why would Father join the Holy Grail War?! Don't tell me... he hated me for destroying Britannia, didn't he?!"

The Knight of Rebellion's voice shook, clearly rattled by the revelation.

"You're close—but not quite," Shiomi replied calmly.

"Huh?"

"The King of Knights didn't enter the war out of hatred. She just couldn't accept Britannia's destruction." Shiomi gently pried Mordred's hand off his collar and looked her in the eyes. "So she made a contract with the Counter Force—trading her afterlife for a chance to obtain the Holy Grail."

"Traded... her afterlife?" Mordred froze. "So you're saying..."

"That's right. Until ten years ago, King Arthur's time was frozen at the moment right after her battle with you—just before her death," Shiomi said, continuing to walk. Mordred silently followed.

"So in the end... Father lost?"

Since Morgan had remained in this era, Mordred could only grit her teeth and draw that conclusion.

"No. The Greater Grail had been corrupted. Arthur joined forces with us and the Rider faction to purify it and bring the war to an end," Shiomi explained. "But before that, she found her answer—and gave up on trying to save Britannia."

"Why...? Why would she give up after sacrificing so much?" Mordred asked, unable to comprehend it. "She gave up her very soul, so why stop?"

"You should know better than anyone," Shiomi said.

Mordred stiffened. "...I get it."

It wasn't that Arthur gave up on saving Britannia. She realized the price of doing so would mean sacrificing the entire history of humanity—separating Britannia from the world to preserve it as an anomaly.

On one side of the scale was a world still moving forward. On the other, a Britannia long since destroyed. And after weighing both, Arthur chose the future.

She was willing to pay any price to save Britannia—but that price could never include the rest of the world.

"Then if saving Britannia were really possible, how would Father have done it?" Mordred pressed. "Did Father truly... not hate me?"

"That king was far too noble. In the end, she didn't hate anyone—not even you," Shiomi said, shaking his head. "She just believed she wasn't strong enough to change Britannia's fate. That's why... she wanted to return to the moment she drew the Sword of Selection and choose someone more suited to be king."

Mordred felt like the air had been knocked out of her. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

That person—saying she wasn't worthy of being king?

No way. That was absurd!

Mordred's hatred had always been rooted in King Arthur's refusal to acknowledge her, in the belief that she was unfit to inherit the throne.

To her, her father had always been the perfect king. Even when she raised her banner in rebellion and clashed with him at Camlann, she never denied that truth.

And yet, that same king had wanted to find someone more suitable than herself?

"That's nonsense! There's no way that's true!" Mordred couldn't accept it.

"You should know better than anyone whether I'm lying," Shiomi replied evenly, his tone calm and sincere.

He hadn't originally planned to tell Mordred any of this.

But Sakura didn't know.

And Morgan—she never seemed particularly concerned about Mordred. If Mordred didn't ask, Morgan wouldn't say a word.

With the Holy Grail War approaching its final stage, Shiomi couldn't ignore it anymore. So while Saber was out with him on this errand, acting as his escort, he took the chance to share what he had witnessed.

Most Heroic Spirits carried regrets—goals they had never achieved in life. Mordred was no exception.

Shiomi didn't even need to ask to guess what her wish in this war was.

He couldn't say whether that wish was right or wrong. But he did believe Mordred deserved to know what it truly meant.

"Believe it or not, the King of Knights ultimately accepted her death, and Britannia's fall. She accepted the outcome of all her efforts, and with the recovered scabbard, returned to Avalon."

Shiomi let out a sigh.

Though... the process of coming to terms with that result had been anything but gentle.