Chapter 241 Giving Up

'Really now, isn't this becoming more and more troublesome?

I knew I shouldn't have casually accepted a commission from the Mage's Association in the first place.'

Feeling the firm will radiating from Mordred, and the way she began to drain magical energy from him in large amounts following her declaration, Kairi Shishigou couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

To be honest, he really didn't want to continue fighting against Shirou Emiya and his companions any longer. It wasn't just that Mordred seemed to be losing her head again; it was that he couldn't beat Shirou Emiya.

Though he was deeply unwilling to admit it, he was indeed dragging Mordred down. Previously, when Mordred was capable of suppressing Saber, he had been struck through the chest and had a Command Spell stolen from his hand by Shirou Emiya without even perceiving how the attack was launched.

He hadn't been killed by Shirou Emiya entirely because Shirou had shown mercy.

Thinking of this, Kairi, whose eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, kept them closed for a long time. After a long silence, he finally spoke to Mordred: "Saber, what is your wish?"

"Is it really, just like that guy said, that you want to use the Holy Grail to wish to return to the past and become the King of Britain?"

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Mordred, who had already been denied this wish by Saber, replied unhappily. As the orthodox (in her own mind) successor to King Arthur, what was wrong with her succeeding as the new King of Britain?

...No, she should say that this new position of King was hers to begin with. She was simply going back to take what belonged to her.

She worshipped King Arthur. After discovering that she was actually a homunculus born because her mother (Morgan) had stolen King Arthur's bloodline, and that the blood flowing through her veins was indeed Arthur's, this adoration grew even more profound.

She was just like those people who spent their childhoods looking up to tokusatsu heroes, and then actually managed to buy the genuine Bandai toys—the kind that could transform. Having learned her true identity, she had always held onto a certain conviction.

"No, there's no problem. In fact, I quite agree with your wish, Saber," Kairi Shishigou said. "Because in my eyes, Saber, you are undoubtedly an excellent King."

"Besides, since you have the talent to be King, isn't it only natural that you would want to become the King for real?"

This wasn't just him saying flattering things because Mordred was his Servant. In their brief time together, although Mordred's personality struck Kairi as being a bit like a bear of a child who wouldn't grow up, she was someone who could restrain her own desires to protect the common people.

(She wanted to explore the modern city, but because the Yggdmillennia clan didn't mind launching attacks in the middle of the city, and Mordred's Noble Phantasm was an Anti-Army type with a wide attack range, she could only suppress that thought.)

In Kairi's eyes, she was already a qualified King. After all, in human history, if a King could show compassion for their people, they could already outclass ninety-nine percent of the Kings and Emperors in this world.

Regardless of what Mordred's personality might be in the Legend of King Arthur, at least for the Mordred that Kairi Shishigou had encountered, the personality she subconsciously displayed in daily life was perfectly fine.

"Master..."

'...You actually have quite a good eye, don't you?'

Mordred, who had been on the verge of having her psychological defenses shattered by Saber, froze for a long time after hearing this. Before she could shyly finish her sentence, Kairi Shishigou continued.

"However, precisely because your wish, Saber, is to become King, it is most irrational for us to continue this standoff against the King of Knights here."

As he said this, Kairi deliberately looked in the direction of Shirou Emiya and the others.

'They haven't come over to stop us even now? Are they recovering their magical energy? If that really were the case, that would be fine...' Kairi sighed inwardly.

If the expenditure for Shirou Emiya's earlier attack meant he could only use it once, then Kairi could try to put up a desperate fight. As a necromancer, he had a few tricks up his sleeve for when his life was on the line. But if that wasn't the case... then this was truly a difficult situation.

However...

"...Uh, sorry, Master. I can't do that," Mordred said in a low voice. "I have a reason I cannot back down."

Retreating now was the best option. Not only had Kairi Shishigou realized this, but Mordred had also realized it. After Shirou Emiya proved he could kill Kairi with ease, unless Mordred could easily dispose of Saber, she absolutely could not win in this head-on confrontation.

But was Mordred capable of doing that?

She was not.

Although Kairi had anticipated this answer from Mordred, given how well he had come to know her, he couldn't help but secretly sigh when he actually heard her say it.

His journey in this Holy Grail War would likely end here. Having consumed so many materials, he wouldn't even get to win the war or obtain the chance to make a wish to the Grail. He hadn't even made it to the very end. To be exiting the stage without having seen many of his enemies, or even his own teammates... it really was...

Kairi Shishigou rested his forehead against the back of his hand and sighed.

Tsk...

Looking at the single remaining Command Spell on the back of his hand, Kairi Shishigou probably guessed Shirou Emiya's intentions.

"Forget it. I got the reward (the Hydra offspring) anyway."

"As for the Holy Grail... since even the Clock Tower didn't take this Grail seriously enough to keep the participation slot for themselves, I might as well pretend it doesn't exist."

Kairi Shishigou thought, his mentality gradually returning to a state of calm.

—"Although the magi of the Clock Tower are hard to trust when it comes to other matters, they are absolutely serious when it comes to their obsession with the [Root]. If they knew for a fact that the Holy Grail could truly reach the [Root], and they were still so indifferent, then they couldn't possibly be real magi."

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