I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [193]

This brat… is she dumb or what?

Artoria furrowed her brows, staring silently at Mordred, who appeared to be reconstructing her entire worldview from scratch.

“Uh… are you really King Arthur?”

Hearing the voice, Artoria turned toward the source and saw a somewhat disheveled Kairi Shishigou approaching cautiously.

Artoria blinked in surprise. Only then did she remember—there was still Mordred’s Master to consider.

She had been so focused on Mordred that she had unintentionally overlooked him. Judging by his bedraggled state, it seemed he had been caught in the aftershock of her earlier clash with Mordred.

Even magi were fragile compared to Servants. Like Caules during her battle with Karna, they could easily die if caught in the crossfire of such clashes.

“I… I can’t say for certain whether I’m truly King Arthur, but I can assure you that I’m not the King Arthur Mordred once knew.”

The moment she finished speaking, Shishigou, now standing beside Mordred, placed a hand on her arm.

“Hold on, Mordred! Don’t attack yet—let’s hear her out first.”

Shishigou was clearly nervous. He had seen how furious Mordred was earlier, and if he hadn’t been standing far away at the time, he might have ended up as just another corpse littering the area. Now that he was right beside her, if she lost it again, he’d be doomed.

Mordred glanced at him, her expression blank. Shishigou swallowed nervously.

In the next instant, her fist slammed into his face, leaving a purple bruise on his cheek.

“Shut up! Do you think I’m some brainless idiot who only knows how to swing a sword?”

But you just hit me…

Of course, Shishigou kept that thought to himself. Otherwise, the next time might not be as “gentle” as a punch.

That said, he did know Mordred well. If he hadn’t stopped her, she probably would’ve charged in again. But now that she’d been calmed down, she seemed to be thinking things through a little.

The earlier outburst? Just a way to save face.

Crossing her arms, Mordred glared at Artoria, her face slightly flushed. Yet the moment she met Artoria’s calm gaze, she instinctively looked away.

“Fine… I’ll hear you out.”

Artoria repeated the same explanation she had given the Black Faction.

“King Arthur, having lost her holy sword, was granted divinity through the holy lance and ascended to godhood…”

The story seemed outrageous enough to make Shishigou want to light a cigarette. But when he reached into his pocket, he found it empty.

It wasn’t until then that he realized there was a hole in his coat pocket, and his pack of cigarettes was nowhere to be found.

Damn it! Where are my smokes?!

The cigarettes could wait. Right now, the matter at hand was far more mind-blowing.

A literal deity, right in front of me…

If he reported this to the Mage’s Association, ninety-nine percent of their magi would probably flood Romania by tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Mordred studied Artoria, frowning and rubbing her chin.

“So… you’re saying, Father, that you became like this because of the lance that killed me?”

“After losing the holy sword, my body was able to grow further. But it was because of the holy lance that I ascended to divinity.”

Artoria’s tone was calm as she watched Mordred circle her with suspicion. “However, the me standing before you now is neither King Arthur wielding the holy sword, nor the goddess wielding the holy lance. I am merely an ordinary Ruler.”

“…Ordinary?”

Ordinary, my ass!

“If you’re just an ‘ordinary Ruler,’ then why are you here to find us?” Shishigou asked while massaging his bruised nose. “We haven’t broken any of the Grail War’s rules, as far as I know.”

“I came to meet the Red Faction’s Servants.”

Artoria’s emerald eyes met Shishigou’s directly, their piercing gaze seemingly able to cut through all pretense. The pressure made him sweat. “When I arrived here, I was attacked by your faction’s Lancer. Is…”

“What?! Someone dared to attack my father?! They’ve got a death wish!!”

Artoria barely reacted to the statement, but Mordred was livid, practically jumping in rage.

“Let’s go, Master! We’ll pulverize those bastards who attacked my father! I’ll smash their heads like watermelons!”

Mordred clearly wasn’t joking. She’d already donned her armor and grabbed Shishigou by the shoulder, ready to drag him along.

“W-wait! My shoulder! You’re going to break it!!”

Artoria sighed, stepping forward to intercept Mordred and rescuing Shishigou from her iron grip.

“Thank you, Ruler. Otherwise, my shoulder might’ve been permanently dislocated…”

With a Strength stat of B+, Mordred could easily crush his shoulder if she wanted to.

“No, I should apologize. Mordred must’ve caused you quite a bit of trouble.”

“Uh… not too much, I guess?”

Beads of sweat formed on Shishigou’s forehead as he glanced nervously at Mordred, who was glaring at him as if she wanted to eat him alive.

Artoria turned her head to find Mordred gazing skyward, feigning indifference.

Really now? You’re not even trying to make it believable. Mordred wasn’t exactly the type to quietly enjoy the scenery.

“Fine. I understand now that you and those who attacked me aren’t allies.”

“Of course not. If I wanted to attack you, my Servant would be the first to strike me down.”

Shishigou shrugged helplessly.

“That’s because no one but me has the right to kill King Arthur! She can only die by my hand! No one else is qualified!”

Hey, the person in question is right there! Isn’t this a bit too bold?

Shishigou glanced nervously at Artoria, only to find her completely unfazed by Mordred’s declaration.

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T/N: mordereededfa is so cute!

This is a fan translation of 我才不要当英灵 by 死神的挽歌. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!