IBHJ Chapter 876

This cave was massive, big enough for a two-legged wyvern to comfortably fly around inside.

The surrounding area was thick with bushes and giant trees. Inside, it was dim and shadowy.

In the darkness, flickering lights cast two dancing shadows, one of which was trapped in a cage, curled up in a crying position. Sniffles and whimpers could be heard from the cage.

The three of them ducked behind a nearby boulder.

In the flickering firelight, a woman slowly spun the iron cage in front of her, a smile playing on her lips as she asked, "Tell me, what's one plus one?"

The little blonde girl trapped inside, wiping away tears, sobbed, "I don't know, I don't know... Mommy... where are you?"

...

Meanwhile, back at Chaldea...

"Trapped inside a game console?"

"This has to be a trick by the Council!"

"We'll get them out as soon as we can!"

Artoria clenched her fists as she watched Ayaka and Kiara Sessyoin anxiously report the situation to Chaldea. She'd had a bad feeling about Mordred and Illya heading to the South American connection point, and now the king was missing who-knows-where.

Her mind was racing. But compared to Shirou, she was more worried about Mordred.

Shirou was using her body, so even if he fell victim to the Council's scheme, only her body would be harmed. His real body was safe with her. But Mordred was different. That child had long since made peace with life and death, but if she encountered an enemy that both countered her Noble Phantasm and excelled at mental manipulation, it could be dangerous.

Artoria herself had been Altered by [All the World's Evils] before, so she knew firsthand that the thing most likely to counter Mordred's Noble Phantasm was something similar that caused mental corruption.

Mordred, though carefree and incredibly resilient since childhood, was more fragile than anyone else in one regard: loneliness.

What that child feared most wasn't death, but being alone. Maybe Mordred had forgotten, but Artoria, as her mother, had always remembered.

That year, in preparation for the entire kingdom to face the Crimson Moon, Merlin had returned to the capital to help with the war preparations. As the lord of a region, she had to work late to make preparations, leaving the entire manor empty. When she returned late at night, she found Mordred curled up alone in a corner of the room, not even a candle lit, silently crying in the darkness.

She still vividly remembered Mordred's lonely face. For her, death, pain, powerful enemies... those were nothing compared to the mental weakness she hadn't even realized she had. The loneliness of being utterly alone.

That's why Mordred loved to be part of the excitement so much.

If there was someone in the connection point who could exploit that weakness, Mordred would be in serious trouble.

But...

"I shouldn't worry needlessly... There's no way anyone could influence Mordred..."

Artoria took a deep breath.

So, Mordred, my king, you must come back.

...

"Come on, tell me! What's one plus one?"

"I don't know, I don't know. You're cheating... wuwuwu... Mommy... Mommy, where are you?"

"Calling for your mommy? Typical dumb blonde loli. Don't bother, you can scream your lungs out and no one's coming to save you."

"No...!"

Mordred wiped away her tears.

Behind a boulder, Shirou and the others stared in disbelief at Mordred trapped in the iron cage.

"You've got to be kidding me... Mordred... Mordred actually cries?"

Illya looked incredulously at the golden-haired little girl curled up in a ball, sobbing.

She had been de-aged to three years old, which was shocking enough, but seeing her cry was even more mind-blowing.

"It's hard to believe... Artoria's child actually sheds tears," Altera remarked, surprised.

And it was no wonder she was shocked. Just like Gilgamesh's arrogance and the Eternal King's iron will, Mordred had her own distinct trait: resilience.

To foil Sixth Seat's plot, dismantle the already cancerous Eternal Kingdom, personally slay all her assimilated friends and family, and finally raise her sword against her beloved mother, facing death and historical condemnation alone as a traitor...

Through such a tragic life and ending, she never shed a single tear.

But now, she was bawling under the Gatekeeper's questioning.

No.

Wait, was that girl crying like a normal child actually Mordred?

Impossible.

Mordred would never show such a pathetic side of herself.

Anyone who knew Mordred, anyone who had interacted with her, couldn't accept this scene unfolding before their eyes.

The difference...

It was too much!

Enough to shatter their entire understanding of the world!

"Come on, tell me. What's one plus one?" the Gatekeeper prodded.

"Mommy... Mommy... where are you...?" the little blonde girl sobbed.

She was no longer the last heir burdened with the fate of a kingdom, but just an ordinary girl who wanted to be held in her mother's arms.

This is cheating. Shirou sighed inwardly. Originally, I just wanted to see her embarrassment and collect some blackmail material, otherwise I wouldn't know how to get along with her.

But... Seeing this scene, it's impossible to remain unmoved.

Tears...

They're really cheating.

Was it because of their shared blood, or something more?

Seeing Mordred's tears, his heart couldn't stay calm.

So be it.

Because the only one who can tease this kid is me!

Shirou unconsciously unleashed his magical energy, the powerful mana creating a massive storm that lifted the boulder in front of him.

"Boom!"

It split in two!

"Artoria-neesan..."

He turned to look at Illya at her call.

That one glance stunned her.

How...

How intense and burning were those eyes?

Like a fire fully ablaze, no longer warmly glowing, but painfully searing.

Shirou turned away and walked out.

"Artoria... is angry," Altera said.

Illya nodded.

Anyone who had seen those eyes would clearly understand the King of Knights was furious.

Yet, Illya was still confused. How was it that even when angry... he was so much like Shirou-niisan?

...

As Shirou emerged, both the questioning Gatekeeper and the crying Mordred in the iron cage were taken aback.

"You... you are..."

The Gatekeeper looked at him with surprise.

"Mommy, Mommy...!"

Mordred, still crying, grabbed the iron bars of the cage, looking at him with tears of joy.

Shirou turned his head slightly, his bright eyes gazing gently at Mordred, "I'm here, Mordred."

"Mommy..." Mordred's joy quickly turned to panic, "Leave this place quickly, Mommy!"

"Hehehe... It's too late!" The Gatekeeper sneered at him.

Altera and Illya jumped out, standing beside Shirou.

Seeing them together, the Gatekeeper was taken aback, "Illya aside, but this weapon is actually here too, and even on your side..."

She looked at Altera with a hint of astonishment.

Shirou frowned, "Altera isn't a weapon, she's my friend."

Altera froze, turning to look at him with eyes brimming with tears.

"What's wrong, Altera... Don't look at me like that... It's creepy!"

He couldn't handle Altera's gaze anymore.

It was like being stared at by a Siberian Husky.

"I'm sorry... but my heart feels so warm..."

Altera wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes.

What was this urge to cry welling up inside her?

Ah...

That's right.

I am,

not a weapon.