Chapter 140 Shirou's Best Partner
"Try calling me a boy one more time!" The girl immediately summoned a silver greatsword, her expression fierce as if she would strike Shirou for a single wrong word. At the same time, her body became even more translucent from overusing magical power.
Da Vinci hurriedly intervened: "Calm down, calm down! Let me introduce! This is Shirou-kun, an experienced participant of the Holy Grail War, who previously helped Gudako defeat the Subspecies Singularities in Shinjuku. He's our ally."
"And this is Sir Mordred, from the Round Table Knights. Her class is Saber, and she's a very famous knight in Britain, with powerful offense and sturdy defense—a formidable Servant."
"Mordred…" Shirou frowned at the name.
Looking at the irritable, bratty delinquent girl before him, it was hard to imagine that this was the rebellious knight who ended the legend of King Arthur, leaving Artoria alone in the battlefield of swords covered with corpses, driving her into despair.
No, even without Mordred, Arthur's fate was already sealed… At that time, due to changes in the world, Britain's lands became barren, food supply was insufficient, and imports from abroad were necessary. Arthur had to continually wage campaigns abroad, sacrificing a few for the short-term peace and stability of Britain. That outcome was inevitable.
Yet the king, perfectly righteous and saint-like, was incomprehensible to his knights and inspired fear. Those exhausted, unable to follow Arthur's righteousness, weary of war, or selfishly focused on immediate gains and power—the feudal lords—would inevitably rebel. Mordred was merely the trigger for it all.
Seeing the girl now, who ended Arthur's legend while bearing Artoria's blood and rebelled due to a lack of recognition from the king, Shirou felt complicated.
"What's your problem?" Mordred noticed the complexity in his gaze and glared at him.
"No, this Saber is… spirited. Hey, Da Vinci, couldn't you find me a Servant more compatible?" Shirou said, looking at Da Vinci's projection.
"Hmph! Even without you, I could clear all the monsters in Britain myself!" Mordred said sulkily.
Shirou frowned at her impudence: "With your body about to disappear? Don't be ridiculous. Listen carefully: no matter how strong a knight you were in life, as a Servant now dependent on magical energy, you can't fight well without cooperating with your Master. And this time, the opponents are even stronger than before."
"Huh? Nagging! You dare lecture me? I'll cut you down!" Mordred shouted.
"Is this what they call like repels like? Even though the entire Round Table should be compatible with you, I think your compatibility with him is the best among them…" Da Vinci remarked curiously.
"Yes, the childish side…" Gudako nodded in agreement.
"And the reckless, headstrong side…" Mash also nodded.
"And the part where you admire your father…" Gudako added.
"Shut up! x2" Both Shirou and the girl shouted, cheeks flushed.
"Shirou-senpai! Now is not the time to be picky! Any force that can be of use should be accepted!" Mash admonished.
"Yeah… I can't believe I got lectured by Mash… She's right. Mordred is a top-tier Saber," Shirou admitted.
"The peak combat power of the Round Table, I, as Saber, will help you. What more do you want?" Mordred asked irritably.
"Well, it's better than having that Lancer and the flashy golden king here. But they're no match for my Saber. I thought it would be her," Shirou muttered.
"Hmph! Acting like you've participated in the Holy Grail War. Even Sabers have many ranks. A Master like you who only drags me back—what kind of Servant could you summon? I'm not really interested, but just tell me—what was your previous Saber like?" Mordred crossed her arms and turned her head, sneaking glances at Shirou. Despite her proud and stubborn attitude, she clearly cared.
"Um…" Shirou hesitated. He didn't fully understand what Artoria meant to Mordred.
In his previous life's historical records from the Clock Tower, Mordred initially seemed to admire King Arthur.
Even under Morgan's influence—training sons to usurp power—Mordred ignored her and fought diligently, adhering to knightly virtues, eventually becoming the lowest of the thirteen Round Table Knights.
But when her mother, Morgan, revealed she was Arthur's child, Mordred sought recognition from her father. She challenged the Chosen Sword to prove herself as a "prince" and gain acknowledgment from the king she most respected.
However, she was rejected, and thus the rebellious knight embarked on her path of destruction. The Battle of Camlann ended in mutual devastation. Local Celtic populations lost their chance for revival, Britain declined, was later invaded by the Anglo-Saxons, and ultimately subsumed by foreign powers.
Modern Great Britain was shaped from these events. By the 19th century, under the sun-never-sets empire and the Hanoverian monarchy (originally German, later renamed Windsor),
the lineage persisted. Today, Diana's niece, the current prince's cousin, Spencer Emiiri, still works as a maid in the girls' dormitory.
"Shirou-senpai's Servant is Saber Artoria Pendragon, and she won the Holy Grail War!" Gudako interjected.
"Wha… what! His previous Servant was… the Father, Arthur King!?" Mordred's eyes widened, and she lunged at Shirou, trying to grab his collar.
Shirou caught her wrist and said teasingly: "Yes, so now you don't have to worry about me holding you back."
This time, Mordred wasn't angry. She went into a daze, murmuring: "Really… to think I'd meet someone who battled with Father… So my Father's Master is now my Master too…"
"Ahem! I retract my previous words. You're actually an impressive Master," Mordred said, smiling as if she had hit the jackpot, her face radiant.
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