Chapter 142 Moving Forward in the Cloak
Thinking about her, the all-powerful genius, who wasn't inventing or creating art, yet every day diligently worked. She drank tea for only three hours, lazed around for only three hours, fully using her genius to solve various problems. Not only did she complete massive amounts of work at triple the efficiency of others, but she also had to calculate Chaldea's operations and maintenance.
Yet, no matter how hard she worked, why did no one understand her? The staff always looked at her with complex, cold eyes, and even now Mordred did not understand her.
Da Vinci hung her head, feeling a bit disheartened.
Gudako patted her shoulder, comforting her: "Well, Da Vinci dear, actually none of the Servants really see you as the commander either."
Meanwhile, Shirou chased Mor-chan across the long green slope, reaching the hilltop. By the dim moonlight, they could see the entrance to a distorted interdimensional black hole. A pale white light glowed from inside, forming a doorway.
"For safety, it's better to hide before entering," Shirou recalled the lesson from last time at Mount Lu: entering recklessly had him surrounded by thousands of soldiers. He projected the invisibility cloak again.
Mor-chan peeked curiously at the cloak that could hide one's presence and said: "Shirou, you really do have strange abilities. No wonder you could be the Master assisting Father. Are you some amazing mage?"
"No, I'm just good at crafting and imitating equipment or Noble Phantasms, mostly swords. Simple shields or armor too," Shirou replied.
"Really? Then you could make Father's armor too?! Like the blue holy one, the stylish black one, or the cute white armpit-exposed knight outfit? Isn't that super unfair?! And the everyday dresses too, I really want those!" Mor-chan excitedly asked, forgetting even their current mission.
"…Mor-chan, I'm good at forging weapons, not tailoring. And even if I could make those clothes, what would you do with them?" Shirou asked helplessly.
Mor-chan's eyes wandered as she tried to defend herself: "N-nothing… I'm just curious. At most, I'd keep them as a collection, not to wear them!"
"Ah… If Father saw that, she'd probably just be annoyed," Shirou warned.
"Why would it be wrong to wholeheartedly study King Arthur! Even if Father saw it, wouldn't she think this knight is loyal and diligent, and praise her as my child?" Mor-chan exclaimed.
Shirou asked: "Mor-chan, imagine if someone stood opposite the door wearing the exact same outfit and using the same Noble Phantasm as you. What would you do?"
"That imposter! Of course I'd strike with one blow! Ah… well… I guess I'd have to endure it," Mor-chan said, disappointed, lowering her head while muttering softly, "I could do it in my own room, though."
Mor-chan turned her mouth aside: "Tch, familiar people are no good. I wonder if Magic Melly's store sells it. But I'd need a magical artifact for the trade. If I could return to Camelot, I could take a few pieces from the royal treasury and sell them…"
Shirou, wearing the cloak, looked at the space inside. It could hold two people, but it would be a bit cramped.
Looking at the girl, he thought for a moment: "Mor-chan, this invisibility Noble Phantasm can only be used by one item at a time. Why don't you wait here for a bit while I scout ahead, then I'll return to meet you?"
"Why leave me out? Take me in too! I want to try this cloak!" Mordred pouted like a child left behind.
"No, it's inconvenient if we're close together under the cloak," Shirou explained.
"What are you talking about? Why does it matter?" Mordred looked puzzled, then stepped forward, jumped into Shirou's arms, and covered herself with the cloak.
"See? That works! Let's go! Shirou," the girl laughed, leaning against Shirou, tilting her head and tapping his chest to urge him.
"Uh… no, that's not what I meant," Shirou stammered, a little flustered.
"What do you mean!? Shirou, don't dawdle, hurry up!" The girl squirmed impatiently, swishing her high ponytail in front of Shirou's face.
"All right, all right, stay behind then," Shirou replied quickly, feeling her hair brush his face, realizing she was really childish and had little sense of danger as a girl, which worried him.
Mordred refused outright: "No! I'm the Servant, the stronger one! I should be in front!"
"Thinking about it… Artoria always preferred to sit in the front when riding, too," Shirou thought and stopped worrying. He pulled the hood over, activated the Noble Phantasm, and erased their presence as they moved into the interdimensional world.
"Oh! Shirou, can people outside see us now?" Mordred asked.
"No one who didn't perceive us before can see us," Shirou explained.
"I got it," Mor-chan whispered.
Side by side, wrapped in the cloak, they stepped into the small interdimensional world.
"Are they a father and daughter sharing a raincoat?" Da Vinci couldn't help but comment from Chaldea.
"No, it's actually a silly couple, right?" Gudako tilted her head, then suddenly asked excitedly: "Could this be a newly developed play-style?"
Fortunately, the two ready for battle didn't hear this and quietly proceeded, controlling their breathing as they entered the world.
They saw a vast mountain range with no visible end. The scale was immense—ten times the size of the valley in the Mount Lu small world.
No magical reactions, no hidden soldiers, no creatures. Just one mountain with tall trees, wide grasslands, and air thick with mana. In a magical era, elves or fantasy beasts could easily appear here.
The land felt alive. Its leyline undulated like a heartbeat, or perhaps like the breathing of a massive creature.
Mor-chan lifted the cloak, peeked around, and confidently stepped out: "See? Nothing here, Shirou. You and Da Vinci are overreacting. Maybe everything hid because it sensed me, Mordred!"
"Shirou! One kilometer south, there's a huge mana reading!" Da Vinci warned via hologram.
"What!" Mor-chan exclaimed.
"Let's go! Mor-chan, follow me," Shirou called, heading toward Da Vinci's indicated direction.
At the hilltop, the land ahead erupted with battle cries. Barbarians in animal skins wielding axes clashed with knights on horseback armed with lances, bows, and axes. Corpses littered the battlefield.
Leading them was a middle-aged man in red armor, wielding two silver lances atop a white horse. He twirled the lances like pencils, exploiting opponents' weaknesses, piercing throats and hearts, and throwing lances to kill distant archers.
"Is that a Servant?" Shirou asked Da Vinci.
"Yes. By the mana readings, definitely a Lancer! His silver lance is a Noble Phantasm. His stats are excellent but not extraordinary. He's not a Black Mud Servant," Da Vinci analyzed.
"That guy is King Pellinore!" Mor-chan recognized the middle-aged man, shouting angrily.
"Pellinore? The one who dueled King Arthur and broke the Sword in the Stone?" Shirou asked in surprise.
"That bastard! He dared challenge Father and ruin the chosen sword! He was taken out by Gawain, so now it's my turn!" Mor-chan raised her silver greatsword, ready to fight.
This explained why he appeared as a middle-aged man here; defeating Arthur had been his highest honor.
Arthur had drawn the Sword in the Stone as a delicate-looking child, becoming the nominal king over strong knights. Many ambitious lords resented him, waiting for him to make a mistake and seize the throne by force.
But the young king never erred, and the lords had no choice but to accept Arthur's rule.
Some still opposed him, seeking ways to provoke him.
Pellinore was one of them, a claimant to a portion of England after Uther's death, who looked down on the young Arthur and challenged him. Skilled with a lance, he demanded a lance duel because Arthur carried only the Sword in the Stone.
In that duel, Pellinore broke three of his own lances before knocking Arthur from his horse. He mocked Arthur, who drew the Sword in the Stone in response, breaking it in their clash due to chivalric rules.
Behind Pellinore stood a tall, heroic knight with even sharper lance skills, sweeping away several barbarians.
"Lamorak! That bastard too! Let's fight first!" Mordred gritted her teeth and charged.
"Hey! Mor-chan!" Shirou had no choice but to chase after her.
"Da Vinci, why is Mor-chan so angry? That guy is a Knight of the Round too," Gudako asked.
"Yes, but relationships in the Arthurian legends are complex. After Lancelot fled due to Guinevere, the Round Table was no longer united, causing many issues," Da Vinci explained.
"Lamorak is Pellinore's son and one of the three strongest knights under the King of Knights, alongside Lancelot and Tristan. He's incredibly strong, the top lance knight, loyal to Morgan. When his affair with her was discovered, the Round Table attacked, and Mordred killed him," Da Vinci added.
Mordred donned red-and-white armor, leapt from the hill, knocking back barbarians and knights in her path, charging toward the tall lance-wielding knight.
Arrows imbued with magic flew, aiming to assassinate her from behind, but she sliced through them.
"Rebellion against my noble father—(Clarent Blood Arthur)!!!" Mordred's crimson lightning swept away the barbarians and struck the lance knight.
Lamorak jumped from his horse, lowered his lance, and smiled: "Isn't this Mordred? I wondered why you weren't summoned here. So that's why."
"Hmph. Lamorak, if you have complaints, use your lance to speak!" Mordred said.
Shirou, covering her with his bow, also caught up: "Calm down, Mor-chan. If he's a reasonable Servant, we can clarify the situation."
Lamorak glanced at Shirou and continued: "Oh, Mordred, you seem to have a fine Master. He's doing a knight's work…"
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