IBHJ 1240

"I'm not here for that. I just want to ask about someone who made a contract with you."

"Who?"

"Artoria Pendragon," he said seriously. He hadn't forgotten that Artoria's body was still in Alaya's possession.

"There are countless versions of King Arthur who made deals with me when they died across all the different worldlines. But I'm guessing you're talking about your King of Knights from Pan-Human History. Given how things stand now, I could easily release her." Alaya paused before adding, "Unfortunately, her body was taken away a long time ago."

"What?" Shirou's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Back in 2003, after what happened at the Castle of Separation, the King of Knights' soul was partially pulled toward Gray's body and managed to escape from the prison of time. Then Fuyuki was attacked. That's when a Holy Spirit carrying a Holy Grail came and broke our contract, taking her body away."

"A Holy Spirit with a Holy Grail?" His expression changed. "You're talking about the Emperor, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Yes, him."

He frowned. What was this Emperor really up to?

First, he dug up his grave from Avalon and took his crown. Now he'd also taken Artoria's body...

What kind of grudge did this guy have against him?

And was the Emperor that Alaya mentioned the original one, or the current one?

"Anything else you want to know?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head.

"Then I have a question for you." she studied him carefully. "Why are you taking Gaia's side? You're human, and you're part of what makes me who I am. Shouldn't you be putting humanity's interests first?"

"I haven't sided with Gaia," he replied. "I only side with myself."

With that, he turned and walked out.

"Such a shame. He still hasn't reached the realm of pure consciousness,"

The rainbow light in Mana's eyes slowly faded, and a smile spread across her face. "But maybe that's for the best. If someone as unusual as him entered pure consciousness, he'd end up just like my mother—devoured by that thing lurking behind the Origin."

…

On his way back to the place Astraea had set up for him, Shirou saw Mordred standing alone in the courtyard. She was wearing her silver dragon armor and staring up at the star-filled night sky.

He walked over to her.

Hearing his footsteps, she spoke without turning around. "You've come, father."

"It's pretty late. Shouldn't you be getting some rest? What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"I just... can't seem to relax."

"Is it because we're about to attack Londinium?" he nodded to himself. "That's definitely going to be a tough fight."

Londinium had always been Britain's gateway, a difficult target in any era - whether during ancient times with agriculture and myths, or in modern industrial civilization. And now it was even worse since the Imperial dominion controlled it with their eternity.

"Maybe," Mordred said softly. She lowered her head, her blue eyes shifting from the starry sky to him. "Actually, there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now."

"What is it?" he asked. "Is it about your mother?"

Mordred had always been curious about his relationship with her mother, but he had already answered those questions back at the South American connection point.

Instead, she shook her head, her blue eyes filled with complicated emotions as she looked at him. "What I really want to know is... if you could go back and do it all over again, would you make the same choice? Would you still leave the Eternal Kingdom behind? Walk away from the Camelot you built?"

He was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected this kind of question from her.

At first, he thought about making a joke to lighten the mood, but seeing how serious she looked, he knew he couldn't dodge the question. After taking a moment to think, he nodded. "Yes, I would."

"Even knowing what happened to the Eternal Kingdom afterward?" she pressed.

He nodded again. "Yes."

"But why?" she couldn't help asking.

He smiled gently. "Because if I hadn't left, you wouldn't have been born."

There was another thought he kept to himself. His true feelings were something he couldn't share with anyone, especially not Mordred. After all, this child idolized the Eternal King so much it was almost an obsession.

"I see," Mordred nodded with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She gave him a formal bow. "Thank you for being so honest with me, Father."

He raised an eyebrow. "You being this formal with me... it feels strange. Are you sure the Grail hasn't messed with your head?"

"Not at all," she shook her head. Her blue eyes, as calm and gentle as moonlight, looked at him. "This is just the genuine respect and love I've always had for you, Father. But I need to warn you—your Eternal King records and 'Evil' have all disappeared, and even the Vortex has vanished without a trace. You need to watch out for the Emperor. He... he's a threat to your very existence."

He nodded. "You should also be careful. I don't want to see you getting hurt," he added with a warm smile.

"Yes." She nodded and added, "Thanks for taking such good care of me when I was sick, Father."

"When you thank me like that, it actually gives me goosebumps. You don't need to—you're my only daughter. If I don't look after you, who would I care for?" he asked with a smile.

To be honest, seeing Mordred this polite and well-behaved was definitely something he approved of, but it still felt a little strange.

If this was another effect of the Grail...

Well, he wouldn't complain about that.

They heard footsteps approaching from behind. When Shirou and Mordred turned around, they saw the Witch walking toward them with her head down.

The witch spotted them too and hesitated. "Sorry—am I interrupting something?" she asked awkwardly.

"Not at all," Mordred shook her head. "Actually, your timing couldn't be better."

The witch looked genuinely surprised. By now, Mordred would usually have made some sarcastic remark.

"I tend to be pretty guarded around people I don't know because I never know who might try to hurt me," Mordred explained. "But after spending this time with you, I can tell you're actually a good person—someone I'd like to be friends with." She walked up to the witch and held out her hand. "So what do you say? Friends instead of enemies?"

Shirou smiled as he watched Mordred. With her defenses lowered, she truly carried herself with royal dignity. He could see she was trying to win the witch over for the sake of Pan-Human History.

But the witch hesitated and didn't take her hand. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

Mordred seemed to understand and gave her a gentle smile. "That's okay. We don't have to be friends—as long as we're not enemies. Honestly, I'd rather not fight with anyone if I can avoid it."

She lowered her hand and looked at both Shirou and the witch. "I should probably get some sleep now. Father, Lady Artoria, you both should also rest early."

With that, she turned and walked away.

The witch watched Mordred walk away, then turned to him with a confused look. "Is your daughter sick or something? Did she hit her head?"

Shirou had been in a good mood, but his expression soured at the witch's comment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, why is she suddenly being so nice to me?" she asked. "She usually just makes snide comments and tries to avoid me."

"Maybe you should think about what you did to her," he suggested.

The witch looked completely lost. "I didn't do anything to her. I definitely didn't put a curse on her or anything like that. I'm not Morgan, you know."

"Think harder. She might be stubborn, but that kid can't help responding when someone shows her a little kindness."

He smiled and headed toward his room, leaving the witch standing there completely confused.

She had completely forgotten about that emotional moment she'd shared with Mordred on the battlefield.

And it was that small, seemingly insignificant interaction that had actually touched Mordred's heart.