"That's...Excalibur?"
Mordred's Master asked cautiously, staring intently at the sword Arthur had revealed. Having summoned a Knight of the Round Table, he naturally knew the legend of King Arthur inside out.
When Arthur had unexpectedly produced the sword, it immediately brought to mind the weapon Arthur obtained after Caliburn was destroyed—Excalibur, granted by the Lady of the Lake under Merlin's guidance.
Observing Mordred's stunned expression, he quickly confirmed his suspicion—this sword was undoubtedly the genuine article.
"Why do you have that sword…?"
Mordred struggled to speak, her heart in chaos as confusion overwhelmed her.
Could it be that Arthur was actually male, then Mother used magic to disguise him as female so he couldn't become king, only for Merlin to then disguise him back into a man?
Mordred's brain couldn't process such convoluted thoughts. Her confusion was practically visible, steam nearly pouring from the seams of her armor.
"Is she really Mordred?" Shirou asked Arthur uncertainly. From what he remembered of Arthurian legend, Mordred should be male—not female. And if she truly was Mordred, shouldn't Arthur have recognized her immediately?
"I believe she is Mordred—just not the Mordred I know," Arthur responded, offering an embarrassed smile to Shirou.
He'd heard of parallel worlds and knew they existed, but he'd never imagined he'd actually experience one firsthand—especially one in which he'd meet his…hmm, "daughter."
It certainly felt peculiar, having a son turn into a daughter. He wasn't quite sure how to describe his feelings.
"What do you mean?" Shirou was confused. How could someone be Mordred and yet not be the Mordred Arthur knew?
"You…are you really my father?" Mordred cautiously asked Arthur. If this man before her truly was her father, she'd just thoroughly embarrassed herself by loudly proclaiming herself the legitimate heir in front of him. She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to end this Holy Grail War as quickly as possible and hurry back to the Throne of Heroes.
"Conceptually speaking, I suppose I could indeed be considered your father," Arthur replied after brief consideration.
"Huh? What the hell does that mean? Don't talk nonsense! Either you are or you aren't!" Mordred snapped, frustration flaring. She raised her sword threateningly, as if ready to charge Arthur again.
The surrounding residents had never witnessed such absurdity. Intrigued, they pretended to casually stroll by while eavesdropping on the conversation. It wasn't exactly that they believed these two were truly King Arthur and Mordred—they just found it hilarious watching four perfectly serious-looking individuals discussing something so outrageous.
After all, King Arthur had been dead for centuries. Naturally, the locals assumed this was some elaborate street theater.
"I am King Arthur, but not the Arthur of this world," Arthur clarified, attempting to calm the fiery Mordred. However, his explanation only made him sound even more cryptic.
Fortunately, someone else quickly understood his meaning.
"A parallel world, then?" Mordred's Master swiftly grasped the implications of Arthur's words. Given that the legendary "Old Man of the Jewels" still existed, comprehending the idea of parallel worlds was easy enough for him.
"I see, so in this world, Arthur was actually a wom—"
Before he could finish, a silvery-red sword pressed firmly against his neck.
"If you dare finish that sentence, I'll sever your head from your shoulders," Mordred growled coldly, clearly uncaring whether he lived or died.
"Mercy, please," her Master responded calmly, seemingly indifferent to her threat. Internally, though, he'd already reached a logical conclusion. Even across parallel universes, people generally resembled their counterparts. If Mordred hadn't recognized Arthur, then gender was the most logical difference.
After all, no one would immediately assume a childhood male friend had grown into a woman at first glance.
"Hmph! I'll have you know, I'll definitely draw the sword from the stone and inherit the throne!" Mordred declared again, pointing her sword defiantly toward Arthur. Knowing this Arthur wasn't her actual father brought some relief. Even though he was technically King Arthur from another world, the embarrassment she'd felt instantly faded.
Arthur didn't respond immediately, instead staring intently at Mordred as if assessing her carefully.
"W-what are you looking at? Even if you're my father from a parallel universe, I'll still cut you down—I've done it before!" Mordred shouted irritably, unnerved by Arthur's piercing gaze. She swung her sword around, making another threatening gesture toward him. Indeed, Mordred should logically have a special advantage against King Arthur.
Arthur finally spoke up, offering a calm, sincere assessment. "If you could steady your temperament a bit more, I think you'd become a worthy king."
He'd long since freed himself from his past regrets about saving his kingdom, choosing instead to view his past deeds as proud achievements rather than burdens. In his eyes, someone capable of leading a rebellion and rallying the Knights of the Round Table into nearly defeating him clearly possessed natural charisma and leadership potential—both key traits of a good ruler.
"Eh?"
Caught entirely off guard by Arthur's praise, Mordred froze, utterly bewildered. She immediately overlooked the crucial qualifier—if she steadied her temperament.
Even if he wasn't her actual father, this man was still undeniably King Arthur. Whether Artoria or this man, Arthur Pendragon remained Arthur Pendragon. If King Arthur himself acknowledged that she could be a worthy ruler, didn't that mean her father had recognized her worth after all?
Excitement surged through her heart.
"D-don't think that just because you praised me a little, I won't cut you down! Just you wait—tonight will be your end!" Mordred stammered, pointing her sword shakily at Arthur.
"Did I say something wrong?" Arthur turned to Shirou uncertainly, genuinely puzzled. He wasn't sure how to handle his "daughter" at all—though he knew exactly how he'd handled his son: by immediately saying, "You're not fit to be king."
Arthur abruptly realized he'd fallen into a strange line of thought. Perhaps he'd been too harsh on his own son. A different approach might have worked better…
"I think what you said was fine," Shirou replied, nodding along with Mordred's Master.
Shirou understood Mordred's reaction perfectly—after all, he himself always felt incredibly happy whenever Kiritsugu praised his cooking.
Mordred's Master, meanwhile, simply knew his Servant's personality well enough to grasp exactly how she felt in this moment.