The rebellion launched by Mordred was ultimately subdued by Naoki and a few others—joking aside, with a room that small, what would happen if she unleashed her Noble Phantasm? Where would they sleep?
After restraining Mordred, Naoki explained the situation in detail to a bewildered Artoria.
"So, you participated in another Holy Grail War in a parallel world, and because of that, you gained a physical body."
Artoria looked at Mordred.
"No wonder I see a maturity in you I've never noticed before. You must have gained a lot of experience over the past four years, Sir Mordred."
Experience?
Naoki thought about Mordred's various antics over the last four years—including but not limited to: gathering her followers to roam the streets, establishing her own territory in the city as a street king, skipping school, dodging exams, and defying teachers… Though she didn't cause any major trouble in the end, she actively resolved and apologized for various minor issues.
"Uh… well… experience… there's a bit of that."
"Master, you could sound more convincing!"
Naoki sighed in resignation, "But your behavior makes it impossible for me to back you up convincingly… Saber, since you're here now, please discipline your daughter better going forward."
"Very well, leave it to me. I'll train you with the strictest methods, Sir Mordred."
"Hey! This isn't how it's supposed to go! I was told I could hit Father King! Master!"
"Hit me?" Artoria frowned. "By the way, Sir Mordred did radiate killing intent toward me earlier. While not surprising, do you… still hate me?"
Naoki shook his head, "No, it's something else. Mordred probably doesn't hate you anymore, Saber. After all, her obsession with you has gradually faded since she failed to challenge the Sword of Selection."
"Challenge the Sword of Selection? What do you mean?"
"The Holy Grail." Mordred explained. "Master and I won until the end in the previous Holy Grail War, so I made a wish to the Grail to challenge the Sword of Selection. If I could pull the sword, your claim that 'I lack the capacity to be king' would be disproven—but in the end, I couldn't pull it at all. I could only watch Father King as a child pull the sword."
Watching herself as a child?
Artoria couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. When it came to her own childhood, anyone would hesitate to share it with others, and she was no exception, even if she had no dark history to speak of.
"But, although it's said to be returning to the Day of Selection, it wasn't truly going back to the past. The Holy Grail requires Mana to grant wishes. Going back thousands of years would require an astronomical amount of Mana. So, in the end, the wish could only manifest as a 'dream very close to reality.' But for Mordred, that was fine."
"She saw you in the past, understood your will, and gradually let go of her obsession and hatred toward you. That outcome was already very satisfying for her."
"Don't talk like that in front of Father King, Master!"
Mordred now wished she could find a hole to crawl into. How could she just blurt out all her thoughts like that! That jerk of a Master should understand her feelings! Could it be that all Father Kings have steel brains that don't grasp others' emotions?
Hearing Naoki's words, Artoria smiled happily, but soon realized another issue. "Then… why is Sir Mordred still in this world? If her wish was fulfilled, a Servant should return to the Throne of Heroes."
"Because there's still something I want to do."
Mordred suppressed her embarrassment and answered, staring directly at her Father King. "Father King, the wish you wanted to fulfill through the Holy Grail was to return to the past, redo everything, and let someone more suitable than you become king, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Though curious how Mordred knew this, Artoria nodded seriously, confirming. "I indeed hoped to change Britannia's fate through the Holy Grail—or rather, if someone else had pulled the sword instead of me, Britannia might not have fallen the way it did, and perhaps it could have been better in some ways."
"That's what I thought."
Artoria had known from the start that Britannia would fall. Merlin had told her about Britannia's fate.
Yet, despite this, she refused to accept such a fate. Even if destruction was inevitable, even if her fate was predetermined, Artoria hoped that fate could be changed for the better, leaning toward good.
"However, after hearing Master and Sir Mordred's words, I no longer hold much hope for this wish."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Sir Mordred's wish and mine are similar—returning to the past. But since Sir Mordred's wish couldn't truly be fulfilled, mine likely won't either."
Logically, it made sense. Moreover, the Greater Grail in Romania had a Mana reserve far greater than the Greater Grail in Fuyuki, about a hundred years' worth. If even that couldn't fulfill a wish, the Fuyuki Grail stood even less chance.
"But, Master, don't worry. I won't lose my fighting spirit because of this. In the coming Holy Grail War, I will fight with all my strength for you and bring victory. I swear this as a knight."
Unexpectedly.
Artoria's attitude genuinely surprised Mordred. Though she knew Father King was indeed such a noble knight, this wasn't right. Wasn't Father King supposed to be the one with a flawed mind, lost in delusion? If she could think this clearly so easily…
(How am I supposed to hit Father King!)
"Mordred, your expression is too obvious." Naoki said with a wry smile, poking her cheek. "But Artoria, is this really okay? Giving up so easily…"
"It's unavoidable. Of course, I'm not saying I'm giving up now. Whether the Holy Grail can truly grant wishes, I'll judge for myself. If it can't, then I can only give up and wait for the next Holy Grail War that can fulfill my wish."
Artoria smiled, "By the way, I haven't asked about your wish, Master. Since you're participating, you must have a wish you want to fulfill, right? If I may, could you share it? I'll do my utmost to help you realize it."
"Oh, my wish is to marry Merlin (Merry)."
"…"
Eh?