This was ancient Middle East, a land of endless deserts and barren, rocky mountains. It was hard to imagine how difficult life must have been for people in such an environment.
Mo Shuying and the others were on their way, following a small river that wound along the foot of the mountains.
No life could exist without water, so by following the river, they were bound to find signs of human presence eventually.
"We should reach Eastern Village after a few more mountains. Heh heh, that's how I found it back then—I just followed the river east until I stumbled upon that village."
Mordred looked incredibly pleased with herself, as if she'd accomplished something truly remarkable.
Mo Shuying approached the riverbank, cupped his hands, and scooped up some water. He found it crystal clear, an excellent water source.
It was quite incredible to find such pristine water quality in this region, but actions spoke louder than words. Mo Shuying didn't dwell on the water quality, turning instead to look at Mordred.
"Little Mo, it's a good thing you found it. If any other Knights of the Round Table had, that Eastern Village would probably be in ruins by now."
There was nothing difficult about following a water source to find a village. It was only because it was Mordred; otherwise, it would surely have been discovered.
"Hmph~ Of course! Who else but me is responsible for the East? Among the few knights still active, Gawain and Agravain can't come out. Tristan rarely leaves. Only Lancelot and I are always out and about."
Mordred showed no awareness of being a mere employee. She was quite happy to be able to roam around; otherwise, facing the Lion King every day was a torment for her.
"Sir Lancelot…"
Artoria sighed with a hint of melancholy. Her memories, overlapping and somewhat muddled, left her feeling helpless.
These Knights of the Round Table of hers truly were her good knights!
Like an overprotective mother, not a single one of her "good sons," the Knights of the Round Table, gave her a moment's peace. They either rebelled, betrayed her, said something hurtful and ran off before dying, or just died outright.
What was going on? The collapse of the Knights of the Round Table truly happened in an instant.
Now that they were all Heroic Spirits, she had thought they had all come to terms with things and could reunite. But who would have thought these "good sons" would run off with others again? It broke their old mother's heart!
Thinking this, Artoria reached out and pulled Mordred closer. To Mordred's horrified expression, Artoria pressed Mordred's head into her embrace, gently stroking her hair to comfort her.
"..."
Mordred was stunned. This happiness came too suddenly. Even though her face was pressed against a hard breastplate, cold and painful, her heart was burning with joy and warmth!
"F-Father King? What's wrong?"
After being held for a while, Mordred also sensed Artoria's unusual behavior and asked.
Artoria released her, and Mordred lifted her head, then—
"Mordred, you won't betray me again, right?"
Artoria said with a smile, cupping Mordred's face in her hands.
Mordred suddenly shivered. Her Instinct told her that if she said the wrong thing, lives would be lost.
"What are you talking about, Father King? Don't worry, from now on, Mordred will absolutely never betray you again."
Mordred felt a hint of yandere in Artoria's tone. If she said the wrong thing, she'd probably get a beating.
"Heh heh~ Good girl~"
Patting Mordred's head, Artoria turned and continued along the river.
Mordred stood rooted to the spot, the chill down her spine still lingering.
Mo Shuying drew closer.
"Your Father King must be traumatized. How can King Arthur have such a weak mentality? Sigh… It must be due to past heartaches."
Mo Shuying sighed, glancing at Mordred. Mordred immediately understood that Mo Shuying was mocking her past betrayal of King Arthur.
"Go to hell!"
Mordred suddenly kicked out, but missed. Mo Shuying had already jumped away to dodge. This dodge only infuriated Mordred more. She swung her fists and chased after him, shouting that she would teach Mo Shuying a lesson.
So Mo Shuying ran, and Mordred chased. Their playful scuffle brought a faint smile to Artoria's face.
Meanwhile.
A troop of cavalry in purple armor entered the mountains.
Leading them was a burly knight with purple hair—Lancelot.
After entering the mountains, another knight approached and asked,
"Captain, did we take the wrong direction? This is east."
Lancelot glanced at him.
"No, we didn't take the wrong way. His Majesty told me to deal with the Western Village, but he didn't specify a route. I can go whichever way I please."
"..."
The knight was speechless. His captain truly was capricious.
"But Captain, if we don't achieve something, I'm afraid Lord Agravain won't let us return."
The knight spoke again, and this time Lancelot glared at him.
"Who told you to call him 'Lord'! That guy is a treacherous minister! A petty man! Hmph, ignore him. Let's explore the east first. Maybe we'll find something unexpected."
Lancelot said casually.
The knight thought for a moment before finally speaking.
"Then why not go west instead?"
Lancelot glanced at him, then sighed.
"Because in the west… there really are things to be gained."
"..."
As night deepened.
Having traveled since dusk, Mo Shuying and the others set up camp by the river in the middle of the night to rest.
Worried about pursuers, they didn't light a fire for cooking. After a simple meal of pre-made food, they crawled into their tents to rest.
Mo Shuying stood watch.
As they ventured deeper, the landscape transformed into a vast expanse of mountains and valleys, with rocky peaks and sheer cliffs stretching a thousand feet high.
His tent was pitched beneath a deep cliff. Mo Shuying sat on the edge of the cliff, gazing absently at the massive glowing circle in the sky.
He knew what that circle was: the result of Humanity's History burning, comparable to the simultaneous release of thousands of Excalibur Noble Phantasms.
Such a concentrated and powerful attack.
What could possibly block an attack like that? Their lives?
In the game, Mash had used her own life to block that attack. Was Mash going to have to bear it again?
That was impossible.
Mo Shuying would not allow such a thing to truly happen, and the Doctor couldn't die either!
So…
"I wonder if I can steal a big hit from him then, and go head-to-head with him…"
Mo Shuying looked at his hand, slowly clenching his fist.
Although he knew it was unrealistic, it was still a possibility. What if it worked?
"Hmm?"
Just as Mo Shuying was pondering, he keenly sensed a faint aura steadily approaching. Although the other party had concealed their presence, they were clearly not a professional Assassin. Their concealment wasn't thorough enough, and Mo Shuying still detected them.
So.
"Who's there…?"
Mo Shuying slowly rose, his figure vanishing into the dim light.
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