What’s Your Connection to King Arthur?!

What was King Arthur like?

Perhaps no one could fully answer this for Gray, not even Mordred, a Knight of the Round Table, because everyone has a different perspective. When judging others, people inevitably bring their own biases, especially Mordred, the "Rebel Knight."

So, "All I can tell you is the King Arthur I knew."

Mordred leaned against the railing, beginning to recall her father in her memories.

In her recollection, King Arthur almost never smiled. Anytime, anywhere, she was calm, unshaken, as if nothing in the world could waver her resolve. Even when the scandal of Lancelot and the Queen came to light, King Arthur showed no harsh reaction.

If Lancelot's actions hadn't violated the religious taboos of the time, and if the people and knights hadn't clamored for petitions to attack Lancelot, Mordred suspected her Father wouldn't have punished Lancelot and Guinevere at all.

That was the kind of person King Arthur was—completely suppressing personal emotions, making "protecting Britain" her sole purpose and acting accordingly.

She ruled the kingdom with unmatched precision, repelling foreign enemies with invincible strength, handling affairs flawlessly, and punishing foes impartially. She was like a perfectly calibrated scale, measuring profit and loss to several decimal places.

That was King Arthur.

The "perfect" king.

"—This is your future." Mordred said, "and also the person I wanted to become."

"The person you wanted to become?"

Gray was slightly surprised by Mordred's words.

"Um… Miss Mordred, you're King Arthur's child, and in the end, you killed King Arthur, didn't you?"

"Yes! With this sword in my hand, I blinded her eyes and crushed her skull!"

As she spoke, Mordred materialized her sword and reenacted the scene in the air. Seeing the somewhat excited and gleeful expression on her face, Gray couldn't help but feel confused.

Based on the current situation, Mordred should hate her father, so why?

"Why do you want to become someone like King Arthur?"

"…"

Gray's question silenced Mordred.

'Of course, to become king! So that Father, who never acknowledged me, would acknowledge me!'

—The answer she could usually blurt out without hesitation, she couldn't say in front of this girl who bore the same face as both her father and mother.

Hate, love… Mordred harbored a tangle of feelings toward her father, impossible to explain quickly. Did she want to surpass her? Stand as her equal? Or outshine her?

Mordred didn't know, but for now, with what she could think of—

[This person actually just admires King Arthur.]

An out-of-place voice suddenly rang out. Mordred, her thoughts exposed, froze for a moment before erupting in anger and embarrassment. "Who's the bastard talking?! Who admires King Arthur?!"

[Ha! Isn't it normal for a son to admire her father? You naughty kid!]

Naughty kid!?

This time, Mordred clearly heard where the voice came from. She reached under Gray's cloak and yanked out the birdcage!

"You're the bastard slandering me, huh?!"

[Who's slandering you?! I'm just telling the truth! And you idiot Gray, help me! This naughty kid's gonna crush me!]

"Add, you talk too much." Gray said with slight exasperation. "Miss Mordred, I'm sorry. Add's always like this, saying whatever comes to mind. I deeply apologize if he offended you."

"Ugh… ugh… please don't do that."

Faced with Gray's apology, Mordred, who had been fierce, instantly softened. Blushing, she turned away as if she couldn't bear it. "It feels like Mother is apologizing to me so seriously… I feel so uneasy, I've got goosebumps!"

[Hahahaha! Idiot Gray, keep apologizing, a few more times, aaaaaa! Don't shake me! I'm gonna puke, gonna puke!]

Add hadn't finished provoking when Mordred swung him like a windmill.

Though she knew Add was at fault, he was a companion who'd been with her for years. Gray quickly stepped forward. "Miss Mordred, um… I'll scold Add later, so please go easy…"

"I told you not to talk to me like that! Here!"

As if shocked by electricity, Mordred's body jolted twice, and she tossed Add to Gray like he was a hot potato.

Too weird!

Absolutely too weird!

Even knowing it wasn't the same person, seeing her young mother speak to her so politely made Mordred's hair stand on end!

"By the way… hearing this just reminded me, that troublemaking personality… you must be Kay, right?" Mordred said to Add. "Why'd you end up like this?"

"It's not the real Knight Kay, just a simulation of Knight Kay's personality."

The one answering wasn't Gray or Add but Naoki, who had appeared beside them at some point.

Mordred frowned. "Personality simulation? What's that?"

"Ask your mother; she made this thing." Naoki said, poking Add. "But I think you'd know the thing inside it very well. Add itself is a Mystic Code, sealing a Noble Phantasm."

Mordred about to say something, was instantly intrigued by Naoki's words. "Noble Phantasm? What Noble Phantasm? And I know it?"

"It's the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad that pierced you, your father's."

"…"

Mordred was utterly numb.

Another Father and her Holy Sword, a revived Mother, a girl with her mother's face… and now the Holy Lance that killed her?!

Her Master's connection to King Arthur was too deep, wasn't it?! Why was everything around him tied to King Arthur?!

"Oh, by the way, I'll lend this to you for now. I don't need it at the moment."

As he spoke, Naoki pulled Avalon from his body and handed it to Mordred.

"Merlin gave it to me as a precaution, but I've barely used it. So during the Holy Grail War, you can use this scabbard temporarily."

"…"

You even have the scabbard?!