Chapter 104. Mordred: Is She Planning to Become My Stepmother?!

Chapter 104. Mordred: Is She Planning to Become My Stepmother?!

"Ehhh?!"

Startled by Mordred poking at the issue in her heart, Mashu suddenly tensed up like a frightened cat.

She reflexively denied it right away.

"No, no way!"

"I don't like Ian-senpai at all!"

The moment these words left her mouth, Mashu began to regret it.

Because she suddenly realized something important.

Admitting in front of a Servant that she liked their Master didn't seem like such a big deal.

In fact, it might even earn the other party's support—after all, Ian-senpai did seem like a very lonely person.

Surely Servants wouldn't want to see their Masters sad, right?

Mashu felt like she had just made a terribly wrong decision.

Of course.

Mordred was completely unaware of Mashu's internal turmoil.

She simply didn't believe Mashu's words—because she had seen Mashu's shy, furtive glances at her father more than once.

"There's no need to hide it from me~," Mordred said casually as she walked, her hands resting behind her head.

"Liking someone isn't something you can hide, no matter how much you try to deny it with words. When you face the truth, your eyes can't lie to anyone."

"You've already done that several times just now."

"..."

Mashu stared at Mordred, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

She realized that whenever she sneaked a glance at Ian, the Servant he had summoned was also watching her.

But—

Even in this situation, Mashu still couldn't bring herself to admit her feelings openly.

Trying to gather information about combat simulations just to get closer to him was the furthest she could go.

Mashu discovered she was still a long way from being able to confess her feelings without hesitation.

But Mordred didn't care about any of that.

Seeing that Mashu didn't respond, she kept talking:

"Although I know my fath... ah, no, my Master seems to be quite popular."

"And it looks like he cares about you a fair bit, too."

"But—"

"If you're thinking something like, 'Oh, maybe I have a chance with this person,' then I'd say your chances are almost zero."

"W-Why?"

Mashu raised her head, her obvious confusion revealing that Mordred's words had hit home.

Yet Mashu herself didn't seem to notice this.

However, Mordred didn't dwell on it.

She glanced at Ian, who was walking ahead carrying Fou, and pouted:

"Because my... Master already has someone else in his heart."

"..."

Hearing this, Mashu's emotions grew complicated, even a bit disappointed.

But just as she was about to ask more questions, Ian turned around and called out:

"Aren't you two coming? You're already too slow."

"Coming~!"

Mordred waved and answered.

Then she looked at Mashu beside her, flashed a smile with an indescribable meaning, and said:

"In any case, Mashu."

"You... don't stand a chance."

With those words of pure but unmalicious advice, Mordred ran off toward Ian.

Leaving Mashu behind, pondering over what had just been said.

No chance?

Could it be that everything had ended before it even began?

Mashu felt lost.

.....

Chaldea's dining area.

Seeing the surprises before her, Mordred was completely overwhelmed with excitement.

"Whoa——! What is this?!"

"That big floating glowing board over there, what is it?! And what's that thing tossing out round objects and spilling liquid when you press it?!"

"Whoa——! This, that... what on earth is all this?!"

Ian wasn't particularly surprised by Mordred's reaction, which resembled that of a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time.

After all, things like display screens or vending machines were indeed quite foreign to someone like her, who hadn't been granted knowledge of the "modern era" by the Holy Grail.

Moreover, to be honest—

Her naive and adorable demeanor was impossible for Ian to dislike.

"Don't rush."

He patted her head gently and said:

"Sit down. Whatever you want to know, I'll explain it to you."

"Okay, okay!~"

Mordred gleefully grabbed Ian's hand.

She paid no attention to the gazes of those around her—or rather, there was no need to care.

After all, he was both her father and, in this current situation, her Master.

From any perspective, their closeness was entirely reasonable, wasn't it?

Completely opposite to their warm and intimate scene, Mashu sat at the other end of the table, her face heavy with gloom.

Ian quickly noticed her mood.

But before he could say anything, Mordred had already started tugging at his sleeve.

"Father... ah, no, Master!"

"So, what exactly is that glowing blue board?!"

"Well... you can think of it as a kind of bulletin board."

"Bulletin board?"

"Exactly." Ian nodded. "In this area, most of the information is displayed on it. For example, whose turn it is to get food or what someone ordered to drink—it's all shown on there."

As someone with memories from two entirely different eras, Ian fully understood the vast gap between ancient Britannia and the modern Chaldea.

Thus, he tried to use words that were both clear and precise enough to explain things to Mordred.

"I see…"

Mordred nodded as though she understood, but then suddenly thought of something.

"Ehh——!"

"So this place is where you eat, right?!"

"Umu, that's correct."

Ian slid the menu toward Mordred.

"Take a look. If there's anything you'd like to eat, just give it a try."

"Oh! Then I'll try everything!"

Mordred began seriously studying the menu.

Meanwhile, Ian took the opportunity to glance at Mashu.

She had her head lowered, her expression gloomy. Occasionally, she would look at the things she had prepared with her own hands, which only made her appear even sadder.

If emotions had colors, Mashu's would undoubtedly be a dark, heavy shade right now.

"All done~," Mordred's voice snapped Ian back to the present.

"So, what do I do next?!"

"Take it to the lady standing over there."

"Oh, oh!"

—

Ten or so minutes later.

Ian stared at a table covered in fries of every imaginable flavor, feeling a slight headache coming on.

"Mordred, do you really like fries that much?"

"Why did you order so many?!"

"I... I don't know!"

Mordred stared at the mountain of fries, her eyes filled with despair.

"It's just… their names all sounded so familiar, so I ordered one of each!"

"..."

Ian was at a loss for words at this explanation.

"Well, it's done now, so just eat them."

"This... um..."

Mordred hesitated, nervously fidgeting with her fingers and avoiding eye contact.

"Father... no, Master, I... can't eat them. Is that okay?"

"Huh?"

Ian looked at Mordred, confused.

"Why can't you eat them?"

"Because..." Mordred blinked, her face turning adorably naive, almost like a chibi expression.

"These are potatoes, and if I eat potatoes, I'll feel nauseous all day!"

Ian was about to ask more, but when he saw Mordred's face—so similar to Artoria's—he suddenly understood.

[Gawain's mashed potatoes.]

Encouraged by Artoria, Gawain likely believed his mashed potatoes were amazing and had forced his younger sister, Mordred, to eat them.

As a result, Mordred had developed the belief that "eating potatoes equals being sick all day."

This reasoning left Ian both amused and helpless.

But—

Looking at the table full of fries, Ian also had no idea how to handle the situation.

At the same time, Mashu, having overheard their conversation, glanced at the table of fries and Ian's troubled expression.

Her beautiful lilac-colored eyes sparkled with thought.

Suddenly, she seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.

Then, an unexpected question, seemingly unrelated, arose between the three of them and one "cat."

"Ian-senpai, you... still need me, and my help, don't you?"

"..."

Though Ian didn't understand why Mashu would suddenly ask such a question, remembering her earlier sorrowful demeanor, he didn't hesitate to respond:

"Mashu, isn't that obvious?"

"..."

Mordred glanced at her father.

He really didn't reject her, huh.

Mashu's beautiful purple eyes widened, and her expression shifted to that of someone who had walked in darkness for a long time and finally found the light.

Yes.

Perhaps, as Mordred had said, Ian already had someone else in his heart.

But—

Did that mean she had no right to like him?

This was the first time she had met someone like him.

She didn't want to give up!

Though she was a timid girl, when it came to critical moments, she would never back down.

"Then—"

"Senpai, I love fries! Let me handle this!"

Without waiting for a reply, Mashu grabbed one of the bags of fries that Mordred had mistakenly ordered and began eating with great enthusiasm.

Her determination was as if she were savoring hope itself.

"..."

Mordred suddenly didn't know what to say.

Ian, however, remained composed.

He gently set Fou, who had been lying on his shoulder, down on the table and said:

"Fou, you should help out and eat some too."

"Fou, fou, fou! (Fou doesn't like this stuff!)"

"If you don't eat, Mashu will have to eat double," Ian replied calmly.

"Fou… (Fou…)"

Gritting its teeth, Fou glared at Mordred before reluctantly starting to nibble on the fries piled on the table.

"That should take care of it, right?"

Mordred sounded optimistic but quickly noticed Ian staring at her.

"Father… no, Master, what's wrong?"

"Responsibility, Mordred."

Ian picked up a bag of fries and placed it in front of her.

"You need to eat some too."

"Ehh?! But just eating a little makes me feel sick for an entire day!"

"With this much—"

Mordred's expression turned to one of pure terror.

"I'll disappear on the spot!"

"..."

"You won't." Ian shook his head. "That won't happen."

"Because this isn't what you think it is."

"It obviously is!"

"I said it isn't, and it isn't."

"Be good, Mordred. Eat."

A command from her father was absolute.

Despite knowing how dangerous this was, Mordred had no choice but to obey.

With the resolve of someone facing certain doom, she picked up a fry. Compared to Gawain's mashed potatoes, this was practically a suicide mission!

Goodbye, cruel world.

Goodbye, Father.

The child of Camelot will perish here.

Brothers and Sister. waiting for me, I come to you.

Mordred closed her eyes.

But nothing happened—

"Huh?"

She was still chewing the fry in her mouth, her emerald eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Why is this so good?!"

"Is this the flavor potatoes can have?!"

"I want more!"

Mordred's fear of potatoes was instantly cured thanks to proper preparation.

Ian quickly joined the battle to finish off the mountain of fries.

After what felt like a whirlwind of chaos, the table was cleared of all fries—but at a significant cost.

Fou lay sprawled on the table, round as a tennis ball, its eyes vacant, occasionally exhaling the faint scent of crispy fries.

Ian, though not in much better shape, tried his best to comfort Fou.

Today marked the day he ate more fries than he ever had in his life.

On the other side, Mordred slumped on the couch, completely drained from experiencing the true taste of potatoes for the first time.

"So potatoes can actually be this good… Big Brother Gawain, you've really wronged me."

As Mordred lamented her life, Mashu—still the only one unfazed—suddenly approached her and gently patted her shoulder.

"Um… can we talk outside for a bit?"

"There's something I'd like to say to you."

"..."

Although unsure of Mashu's intentions, Mordred remembered her earlier question and nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

The two stepped away to a quiet spot where only the two of them could hear each other.

"What's this about?"

Since Mashu had inadvertently helped her escape the "battle of the fries," Mordred wasn't annoyed by her sudden request.

"Do you have something to say?"

"Ah, um…!"

Mashu hesitated for a moment but finally spoke up.

"You mentioned earlier that there's someone very important in Ian-senpai's heart, right?"

"That's right." Mordred nodded. "And not just important—most important. The absolute number one!"

"Then—"

Mashu clasped her hands in front of her chest, like someone praying.

"The second most important spot is still open, isn't it?!"

"Please look at me properly!"

"I'll give it my all!"

With that, Mashu's face turned bright red, and she dashed off.

Her voice echoed once more:

"Senpai! In a few days, the 48th Master who's been delayed—Fujimaru Ritsuka—will finally arrive at Chaldea!"

"Could you come with me to welcome her?!"

Mordred didn't hear Ian's reply.

Her attention was still fixated on Mashu's earlier words.

"The second most important?"

"She wants to be with Father?"

"Wait—"

"She wants to be my stepmother?!"