Chapter 242 - 241: Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father

"I actually thought..."

Mordred, who had felt a touch of emotion upon initially believing that Kairi Shishigou was questioning her, suddenly didn't know what to say after hearing the true meaning behind Kairi's words.

This... this isn't right, is it? Under normal circumstances, shouldn't he have...

"Saber, what did you think?" Kairi Shishigou asked, looking at Mordred.

"No, it's nothing." Mordred replied weakly. "I just... right! Master, are you an idiot?!"

"How can you be such a Master, giving up on participating in the rest of the Holy Grail War just because I wanted to defeat the King of Knights!?"

"Even though that's exactly what I suggested, mind you..." Mordred added in a small, tsundere whisper.

It wasn't just that. Perhaps even Mordred herself hadn't noticed. Unlike Saber—who could shrug off all fault onto herself and held little resentment even toward the person who was the true culprit in the destruction of Britain—Mordred had been harboring resentment toward Saber all this time.

'Why did Saber have to say I wasn't suited to be King?'

The adoration she held for Saber, and the hope that sprouted after learning she was Saber's biological child—the depth of the hatred and resentment Mordred felt after hearing Saber's rejection during her lifetime was equal to the magnitude of her original hope and adoration. This hatred had not been erased even after she truly succeeded in destroying Britain.

Because in the end, faced with a daughter who had completely abandoned all reason and embarked on a path of self-destruction, Saber never regretted what she had said back then, and still felt that Mordred was not suited to be King. This wasn't because she decided Mordred was unfit only after the destruction of Britain; Saber had felt from beginning to end, before the destruction even occurred, that Mordred's personality was ill-suited for kingship. Britain's fall simply served as further evidence of Saber's conclusion, and Saber's only self-reproach was that she hadn't properly guided Mordred once she discovered the issue.

It could be said that no matter what Mordred did, Saber never acknowledged her. For Mordred, who desperately wanted Saber's approval, how could she not feel hatred? Moreover, when they met again in this Holy Grail War, Saber had rejected her once more, further fueling the hatred in her heart.

It was twisted. To such an extent that when Mordred decided to unleash her Noble Phantasm, the hatred—surging along with her own magical energy into the Clarent—became substantial enough to affect the surrounding environment, causing the air to grow colder.

But now, after Mordred uttered those tsundere words, the hatred in her heart was gradually beginning to vanish!?

"Yes, yes, yes, it's my fault," Kairi Shishigou said, soothing her as one would a child. "But Saber, I've staked everything on this."

"You absolutely cannot lose this duel against the King of Knights!"

"Isn't that obvious, Master?" Mordred, holding the fully liberated Clarent—a Noble Phantasm now completely transformed into a giant blade of pure magical energy—pointed it at Saber. "Who do you think I am!?"

'Sir Mordred's expression has changed.

What in the world is this...?'

Saber, who had been focused on Mordred—wanting to know if this was merely Mordred's personal wish or if her fellow Knights of the Round Table also wished to undo the ruin of Britain—felt a subconscious sense of loss upon seeing Kairi use his final Command Spell, which practically signaled Mordred's defeat in this Holy Grail War. At the same time, she was inevitably drawn to this new change in Mordred.

Through the magical energy radiating from Mordred, she sensed a shift.

"Exiting this Holy Grail War means it is impossible for Sir Mordred to wish upon the Grail to return to the past, nor can she change the fate of Britain."

"Having given up on that wish, why has she become happier than before?"

Saber could not understand. Even if Saber didn't believe Mordred could be a good King, that didn't mean other Knights of the Round Table couldn't. Saber, who always believed that many of the other Knights were superior to her, would naturally feel a sense of bewilderment. That was the reason she had waited for Mordred to "prepare" herself.

But now, this was the answer she received.

"Saber, let us also use our Noble Phantasm."

Shirou Emiya's words pulled Saber back from her confusion. "Whatever wish you want to realize, or whatever answer you want to know..."

"You must overcome the hurdle in front of you, must you not?"

"...Yes, I understand, Shirou." After a moment of silence, Saber replied firmly. "Please, provide me with support."

Indeed, there was no time for hesitation now. Although the hatred in Mordred's heart had dissipated significantly, that didn't mean the power of her Noble Phantasm, which had been driven by that hatred, would weaken. Normally, that would be the case, but Mordred, who inherited Saber's bloodline, had used the technique of [Mana Burst] combined with the

amplification of her emotions to release her own unique version of a Noble Phantasm beam cannon.

Now that the emotion of hatred had faded, she could naturally alter the composition of the magical energy in the beam, infusing it with the new emotions she felt. Furthermore, Kairi Shishigou had added the magical energy of two Command Spells on top of that. Regardless of the emotional component, this sheer volume of energy was enough to make Saber get serious.

She immediately dispelled the [Invisible Air] shrouding her holy sword, revealing the full radiance of [Excalibur].

"That's right! That's how it should be, King of Knights!" Mordred roared in excitement.

'To defeat Saber, one must defeat Saber in her strongest state!

What was that pathetic, mana-starved display from Saber before?'

Mordred didn't acknowledge that kind of suppression; she only saw it as Saber looking down on her. But now, she was undoubtedly an enemy worthy of making Saber wield her holy sword!

Along with Saber's words, she chanted loudly: "This is the evil sword that destroyed my father—!!"

"——Clarent Blood Arthur!!!"

"Excalibur!!!"

Read ahead by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting