Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

In the shop, Shirou had turned off the faucet, cold water slowly dripping down his face.

"Drip, drip."

The sound of water.

Lifting his head, he looked at himself in the mirror. The chill had finally sobered him up a bit.

After wiping his face, he thanked the shopkeeper and walked outside.

"Mr. Fujimaru!" Mash interrupted her chat with Gray to wave at him. Gray looked over as well.

He smiled and nodded, ambling over slowly.

"Long time no see, Fujimaru-sama," Gray greeted.

"Yes, long time no see, Gray. You've changed so much," he replied with a smile.

Indeed, Gray had transformed dramatically - not just outwardly, but inwardly. She radiated confidence and vitality now, no longer lifeless as before. Most importantly, she smiled freely at him, mature as a young lady.

The change was truly profound. Only the passage of time could spur such growth.

He understood why Gray's appearance had changed - as Artoria's vessel, the more contact with her, the more she would resemble the King of Knights.

But changing into this loli form...

"Someone cursed you, right?" He asked bluntly.

Mash started in surprise. Nero, who had been studying Saber, also turned in shock to look at Shirou. As Gray's Servant, she knew of the curse Gray had received on a mission.

But Gray was indifferent, as if nothing unusual had happened. She nodded, then glanced at Mash - clearly not wanting to worry her.

Shirou understood. This was an adult's typical tactic. He made an excuse to pull Gray aside for more private conversation.

"How are Artie and Ritsuka?" he asked first.

"Um, they're fine," Gray nodded, then hesitated and carefully asked, "Fujimaru-sama, have you become a Heroic Spirit?"

"Sort of, but I didn't die. My state is similar to Artoria's," he explained all at once, avoiding any misunderstanding or worry.

"I see," Gray nodded.

She smiled. "If I'd known Mash contracted you earlier, I wouldn't have worried so much."

Their conversation flowed smoothly, as he already grasped the general changes since leaving this world. And Gray assumed he knew the situation from Mash, skipping unnecessary explanations.

"Why didn't Artie come with you?" He asked.

"Her Majesty is on missions in other connection points," she replied.

Shirou nodded.

"By the way, did you mistake me for someone else earlier?"

"Though hard to explain, I mistook you for my daughter," he sighed.

"Mordred again?"

"Again?" He frowned.

"In fact, I contracted another Mordred before."

"Was that Mordred calling Artie 'Father'?"

"Yes." she nodded.

He fell silent, feeling a pain in his stomach.

She happily continued, "I didn't expect to meet more Mordreds and King Arthurs here! I'm so lucky. If they were uncontracted, I could collect them...I mean, contract them."

He remained silent, shaking his head. "Gray, I'll help with the points after resolving things with Mordred first."

"It's okay, this depth is just E - I can handle it myself," Gray shook her head. "Also, I'm very interested in what happened in Vâlcea, and want to explore it."

"I see," he nodded. "Then you can communicate with Jeanne."

"Jeanne? You mean the French saint who saved her country?" Gray looked at him strangely.

He nodded. "Yes, that's her. She's currently in Valcea, working to free the local believers who have fallen into a cult."

"I see. Your Majesty, I'll take Mash with me for now so you don't have to worry about her," Gray said with a nod.

"You've become very reliable, Gray," he said with an appreciative sigh.

"It's nothing, Fujimaru-sama."

They parted ways, Gray taking Nero and Mash to find Jeanne where she was preaching, while he took Saber to search for Mordred.

Shirou's mind was racing, making it hard to focus. In his distracted state, he had overlooked many things.

Saber had come here with Mordred, so she must know the location of Mordred's base. With her as a guide, he should have realized this point sooner.

But he couldn't be blamed for the oversight. When you're in the midst of a situation, it's hard to have perspective. The participant is lost, while the bystander sees things clearly.

Shirou had only ever met two people who remained calm and detached at all times.

One was the Enlightened One, who had attained perfect understanding of the world. The other was King Solomon, when he entered the state of "nothingness."

Even great heroes like Gilgamesh, Crimson Moon, Karna, and Spartacus could not achieve such equanimity.

It was unsurprising that Shirou could not either.

...

Saber did not refuse Shirou's request. In fact, she was quite interested to learn more about the Eternal Kingdom.

Although she acted annoyed by Mordred, Saber had complicated feelings toward her. In their time together, Mordred was dissolving Saber's guilt and obsession in her own way.

While it was ultimately fruitless, Saber could sense the softness in Mordred's heart, so different from her own rebellious knight.

Saber admitted she did not fully grasp empathy or the human heart. Yet she was no unfeeling stone. How could she not feel something?

Deep down, Saber did not actually loathe Mordred. The broad-minded king found it very difficult to truly hate anyone.

Indeed, Saber's heart held a certain fondness for this Knight Mordred...

No, to be precise, this King Mordred.

Saber was a principled woman, rigid in her ways.

Though this King Mordred was the same individual as her rebellious knight, Saber would not confuse the two.

This was one of Saber's shining qualities.

Saber led him to Mordred's base. The two hurried along the whole way.

Through talking with Saber, he learned that Mordred was actually the red Saber!

Mordred's base itself also surprised him somewhat. It turned out to be an old cemetery!

"I see... Her Master is still Sisigou," he murmured.

He was a little surprised that Mordred's Master choice had not changed. But no matter - Shirou was determined to get Mordred back!

...

Mordred stumbled into Sisigou's workshop, panting and disheveled. Her clothes were torn and dirt smudged her face.

Sisigou looked at her in bewilderment. "What happened to you, Sir Galahad?"

She said somewhat gloomily, "I ran into the black Assassin and was ambushed by him."

He was startled, then frowned, "You mean that...Grand Servant, the Eternal King that you and the priest were very nervous about?"

She nodded grimly.

"And what about the black Saber?"

"She's still back there with him. I'm the only one who made it out."

"I see..." Sisigou murmured. He studied Mordred's frustrated expression. "You seem pretty upset about this, Sir Galahad."

"Of course I'm upset! I didn't even get a chance to do anything before having to retreat. That can't be considered losing!" she said hotly.

She had been caught off guard by Shirou's black mud, chased down by his black hands before she could even begin. How could she accept this?

What frustrated Mordred the most was that she had impulsively wanted to duel Shirou earlier. That wasn't her style at all.

A frontal battle? She had to admit she was no match for Shirou, Karna, or even Saber in direct combat.

She needed to rely on the Grail, ambushes, and assassination. After all, though she was summoned as a Saber, Mordred knew she was an Assassin at heart. What had she been thinking, wanting to fight head-on?

Calmer now, Mordred realized how foolish she had been. But things had come to this, there was no way out.