"Huh...?"
Mordred's eyes widened in shock.
He was entrusting Clarent, the symbol of royal authority, to her.
There was no way the wise King did not understand what those words meant.
"...Tch!"
The girl clenched her teeth, her head going hot, and the words slipped out before she could stop them. "Don't mock me!"
"Hm? I'm not mocking you."
King Arthur tilted his head in confusion.
Come to think of it, the King's appearance had not changed at all for as long as Mordred could remember.
It was said that the King's time had stopped at the very moment he drew [The Sword of Selection], when he was eighteen years old.
When Mordred was little, she had always felt Father lacked dignity. Perhaps it was because his face looked far too young.
Not to mention when compared to Morgan...
If he stood beside his two daughters, it would even be difficult to tell who was older.
"Mordred, you're a famous Knight now. It's about time you had a sword of your own, isn't it?"
"No, something like that..."
"The quality of a sword doesn't matter at all. As long as it can cut people down, that's enough.
Once the blade chips, you can just throw it away and pick up one your enemy dropped on the battlefield, right?"
The King gave her a teasing smile. "That really does sound like you, Mordred."
"...Ugh!"
Mordred could not tell whether the King was making fun of her or praising her, so she could only mutter, "Shut up," her cheeks burning.
"No, Mordred really should have a sword of her own."
Arthur lifted the silver magic sword from the long wooden case and held it out before the girl.
"Take it as a reward for all the effort you've put in until now."
"..."
"What's wrong with you today? Normally, you're never this reserved with me..."
The King knew his daughter's awkward personality well, but today she seemed especially hard to read.
So he raised his voice slightly. "Do I have to make it an order, Sir Mordred?"
The girl bit her lip, then made one final confirmation in a quiet voice that was almost a groan.
"By telling me to accept this... you mean you intend to pass the throne of Britannia to me, right?"
Mordred wished with all her heart that Father would say, "Idiot! How could that ever happen? Keep dreaming!" But things did not go the way she hoped.
Lightly, as if he were talking about tonight's dinner, the King smiled.
"Yes. I intend to make you my heir."
"!!!"
Her ears rang.
Mordred stopped breathing.
It felt as if even the flow of time in the universe had frozen in that instant.
She desperately wanted to tell herself this was a dream, but her trembling legs, which would not stop shaking, told her it was not a dream, but an ironclad reality.
King Arthur had recognized Mordred's worth and decided to make her his heir.
Shock, confusion, happiness...
Countless emotions flooded Mordred's chest, leaving her completely at a loss.
An overwhelming surge of emotion swallowed the girl like a tidal wave.
But that state did not last long.
Soon, a new feeling began to rise inside Mordred's heart.
For the first time in her life, the girl felt anger toward the father she adored.
"Why..."
Mordred glared at the floor and questioned him in a hoarse voice.
Why am I the one being named King Arthur's heir?
Lily...
Artoria is the better one!
In swordsmanship, she and Mordred were practically equal.
But apart from that, there was not a single thing Mordred could compare with her in.
Artoria was a born leader.
Just by standing there, she made Knights want to follow her. It was an almost magical charisma.
Not only among the Knights and nobles, but among the people as well, her reputation was far better.
Unlike Mordred, Artoria always placed protecting the people above killing the enemy.
Kind, modest, gentle, upright, pure...
Artoria Lily, who possessed every virtue, was the one truly suited to become King Arthur's successor.
Only she could inherit Father's radiance and continue protecting Britannia's peace as King. Anyone would think so.
Then why...
Why did Father choose her?
Could the flawless King Arthur's judgment be worse than that of ordinary people?
Could the man praised as the Savior still have to consider the Queen's feelings when choosing his heir?
Mordred was furious beyond words.
She worshiped her father too much to accept him making any mistake in judgment.
"Answer me, King Arthur...!"
Mordred seized Arthur by the collar. "In your eyes, am I more suited than Artoria to become King of Britannia?"
She was already prepared. If this man answered "yes," she would punch him in the face.
"...Mordred."
For an instant, Arthur looked surprised, but he quickly regained his calm.
He nodded, then spoke quietly.
"Very well. Then I'll tell you the truth.
Mordred, you lack the caliber of a king.
If you inherited my throne, Britannia would one day perish by your hand."
"..."
Mordred felt as though she could barely breathe.
The King's tone was far too cold and merciless, completely unlike the gentle gaze he had given her moments ago.
Though she felt as if she might fall apart at any moment, she still gritted her teeth and forced herself to speak.
"If you know that... then why make me..."
"Isn't it obvious?"
The Eternal King with the face of a boy raised his hand and gently stroked the girl's cheek.
"To me, you are more important than Britannia."
"...What?"
Mordred collapsed to the floor.
The image of Father reflected in the girl's eyes looked so terribly unfamiliar.
"Don't... say something so stupid... King Arthur... how could you have personal feelings like that..."
"I've disappointed you, haven't I, Mordred?
I'm not the perfect King you imagined, someone who can offer up everything for Britannia."
The red-haired boy spoke in an utterly calm voice.
"I only wanted to protect this country because your mother loves it so deeply. That is all.
To me, Britannia's survival has never been the most important thing.
You, your mother, and Lily... you are the treasures I cherish most."
"You... liar... ngh... ah...!"
Am I crying? Am I actually crying?
Mordred covered her cheeks with both hands.
A mixture of anger and sorrow poured from the girl's eyes as tears without end.
"Why now...? Stop... don't...!"
Please...
Don't do that...
Don't make me... Stop...
Don't kill the Father in my heart!
"Mor...dred..."
Just as the distraught Mordred tried to rush out the door, the boy's hand came to rest on her head.
"Father...?"
"Mordred, answer me... What is your wish?"
He asked while stroking the girl's hair.
Mordred could not help remembering a similar conversation from more than ten years ago.
My wish is...
What do I really want to do?
"I..."
"Mordred, follow your heart.
Whether you want to become King of Britannia or surpass your younger sister, choose whichever you want.
This is not anyone else's decision. It is a choice made by your will alone."
"Father... I... can I choose?"
"Yes. Choose the one you won't regret."
The King wore the same gentle expression the girl had seen when she was little.
"Don't worry. No matter what you choose, I will never abandon you."
"I want..."
What answer was the correct one?
What could she say to make Father happy, to keep this person from being disappointed?
No matter how desperately the girl searched her mind, she could not figure it out.
"Follow your heart."
Father's words echoed over and over in the girl's mind.
At last, Mordred's heart made its decision.
Rather than making a decision, it was more like she had finally remembered.
Though the girl had forgotten it for a time, with encouragement from the person she revered, she finally remembered.
Mordred raised her tear-streaked face and spoke.
"I want Father's recognition. I don't want anything else."
Even if people said she lacked the caliber of a king.
Even if people said that made her unworthy as a Knight.
From the very beginning, Mordred had only admired the figure of King Arthur she had seen that day.
She had worked so hard until now simply because she wanted his approval.
She longed to hear her father praise her, longed for it so badly that she could not break free.
"I understand."
The red-haired boy crouched down and gently embraced Mordred.
"Then from now on, continue to be my sword and continue protecting my back.
Mordred, you are a daughter I am proud of."
"Ah..."
Mordred felt her chest fill with happiness. She narrowed her eyes, yet still could not stop the tears from falling.
So that's what it was...
It was such a simple thing, but I never noticed it at all. I really am an idiot...
My wish... was to earn Father's recognition...
He is a radiant and perfect King. Truly earning his recognition will not be easy.
So I placed countless shackles on myself...
I arrogantly believed that as long as I worked hard enough, I would earn Father's recognition.
But that was impossible.
Because no matter what I did, no matter what I tried to do, Father would always recognize me.
Mordred's wish had already been granted the moment she became this man's daughter.
"Uu... uuuuu... uwaaaaaaaaahhh...!"
The girl sobbed loudly, unable to stop.
I really do... love Father most of all.
...
...
After that, all sorts of things happened in Britannia.
Although Mordred accepted the Royal Sword Clarent, she refused the position of heir.
"I have no interest in the throne. Just give it to Artoria."
That was what Mordred said.
Yes, she did not need something like that.
All she wanted was her father's recognition.
As long as her father was willing to acknowledge her and praise her, Mordred did not care how low her status might be.
Mordred only wanted to become the King's sharpest sword, to fight beside her father forever.
Once she understood everything, every day that followed was filled with happiness.
Many things happened.
She ran into all kinds of trouble.
Enemies even stronger than the Usurper King Vortigern appeared one after another.
Even so, Mordred still felt that those were the happiest days of her life.
She wished from the bottom of her heart that days like that could last forever.
However...
"Artoria, what did you just say...?"
"Father and Her Majesty Morgan have disappeared."
"They left Britannia and went together to the secluded fairy realm. That is what Professor Merlin said."
One day, Mordred went to Father's office as usual to show her face.
But the King was nowhere to be found.
The girl searched every corner of Camelot, thinking he might be somewhere else, but King Arthur was nowhere at all.
He had vanished like an illusion.
Even when she asked the Knights of the Round Table, they seemed to be searching for the King as well, but no one knew where he had gone.
Still unwilling to give up the search, Mordred received a summons from her younger sister, ordering the Round Table to assemble.
And then she heard the announcement.
"Don't joke around, Artoria...! The King... Father would never leave without saying a word."
Please, hurry up and deny it.
Please, tell me this is a joke.
But Artoria wore an expression both sorrowful and resolute.
"Mordred Onee-sama, and Knights of the Round Table.
I will repeat what I said just now. The King and Queen have left Britannia and gone to the distant Inner Sea of the Planet.
From this point on, the throne of Britannia will be vacant.
In accordance with the edict Father left behind, I, Artoria Lily, will inherit Father's throne from this day forward.
That is all I have to say."
The Knights of the Round Table around her seemed to be shouting something, but Mordred did not hear a single word.
A suffocating feeling came over her, as if all the air had been drawn from her lungs, and her mind went blank.
The girl walked out of the Round Table Hall without realizing it. By the time she came back to herself, she was standing in Father's office.
Even though she knew no one was there anymore, her body had moved on its own.
Normally, at a time like this, her father would spring up from his chair, without a shred of royal dignity.
But today, there was no one in that chair.
The room, having lost its master, was wrapped in a suffocating loneliness.
Father and Mother had already become beings beyond humanity. They could not stay by her side forever.
So she had prepared herself for it.
She should have been prepared.
Her chest hurt.
As if she had lost something unbearably precious, the girl felt a tearing sense of loss.
"What kind of joke is this... disappearing on your own like that... At least... say something to me before you go...!"
Would I really have been able to accept it then?
Parting from Father...
In some corner of her heart, the girl had always believed that Father would remain in Britannia.
I knew better than anyone that Father had already promised all of himself, after his death, to Mother...
Even though... I received so much...
I still... couldn't be satisfied...
Mordred did not hate the Witch of Britain who had taken Father away. It was just that...
She could not help imagining it.
If she had been more outstanding...
If she had said back then that she wanted to inherit the throne, would Father have been willing to stay?
Didn't you say... that no matter what choice I made, you would never abandon me?
Six months later, Artoria held her coronation in Camelot and became the new Queen of Britannia.
Before long, Mordred led her subordinates away from Camelot, ignoring the attempts of her comrades to stop her.
Ever since the King left, the sisters had rarely spoken to each other.
Mordred established her own base in Londinium.
Although she had separated from the Knights of the Round Table, her life was no different from when she had been in Camelot.
She visited villages, hunted Magical Beasts, and struck down the remnants of the barbarians.
Mordred threw herself into every task even more obsessively than before. Aside from sleeping and eating, she spent almost all her time working and fighting.
Even so, the kingdom gradually began to decline.
This was not the Queen's fault.
Lily had done everything she could.
She truly was worthy of being the successor King Arthur had recognized.
In some ways, she even did better than her father.
However, the tide of the age and the decline of the Age of Gods could not be stopped.
Lily might have been a great Queen, but she was not a Savior like her father, someone who could turn the tide and create miracles.
During her travels, Mordred heard what the people were saying.
"This Queen is nowhere near King Arthur."
"Britannia can't be saved anymore."
"This country is finished, isn't it?"
"I miss King Arthur."
Idiots! You have no idea how hard Artoria is working!
Mordred thought furiously.
But angry as she was, Mordred also understood. Neither she nor her younger sister could ever take Father's place.
Britannia will perish in our hands... in the hands of Father's most beloved daughters.
In that case...
I'll be the one to destroy it.
The legacy Father left to us...
This divine kingdom on earth that King Arthur created and protected, before it decays completely, let me destroy it with my own hands.
With that thought, the girl drew the Royal Sword Clarent from her waist.
She pointed its blade toward the distant white chalk city of Camelot.
Ten years after King Arthur and Morgan left, Mordred raised an army and launched a rebellion.
Mordred was not only the only daughter of King Arthur and the Fairy Queen, but also the "Knight of Crimson Lightning," whose brilliant military achievements on the battlefield had made her name resound across the island.
For that reason, when she rebelled, she quickly gained the response and support of many nobles and Knights.
Many commoners who could not accept the gap between reality and the past also joined Mordred's camp, and soon her forces numbered one hundred thousand.
A full-scale civil war broke out.
The rebel army and the regular army clashed countless times, and both sides suffered devastating losses.
By the time the war reached that point, there could no longer be any victor.
Mordred's true goal, the destruction of Britannia, had already been achieved.
However, she still had one final thing to do.
She had to prove to the father who had left that she was his finest daughter.
The site of the final battle was a hill called Camlann.
The [Sword of Selection] that Father had given Artoria had been damaged in previous fighting, so she took the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad from the treasury and used it in battle.
Mordred held Clarent, the sword that symbolized Britannia's royal authority.
The brilliant silver sword that held Father's feelings wept for the slaughter between sisters, and by then it had already been stained an ominous black.
And so, Britannia met its twilight.
...
...
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Mordred slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on damp ground.
Around her were only candles, a mountain of white bones lit by candlelight, something that looked like an altar, and two sleeping bags placed nearby.
This was the Magical Workshop of her Master, Kairi Sisigou, an underground crypt located on the Leylines of Sighișoara.
"I actually dreamed about the past? What the hell..."
Mordred struggled to climb to her feet.
Black's Archer had shoulder-thrown her harder than she expected. Her whole body felt as if it had fallen apart.
Not only did everything ache, her head felt heavy and foggy.
She figured she must have fallen asleep on the way back and been carried into the workshop by her Master.
"...Ugh."
Mordred remembered that she had not only dreamed about her life, but also had an even stranger dream.
What was it again? Right!
I followed the blood trail to Black's Assassin's base, and then I ran into Father there and got blown apart by one Strike Air.
"Haha, what a stupid dream... Like Father would ever show up in this era..."
Mordred laughed at herself.
It should have been common knowledge in the world of Magecraft that King Arthur, an extraordinary Heroic Spirit beyond standard limits, could not be summoned.
Seriously, what is wrong with me tonight?
The blonde girl scratched her hair in frustration, then kicked the wooden door open roughly.
"Hey! Master! Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Saber... you're awake?"
The man in sunglasses, Kairi Sisigou, looked completely dumbfounded when he saw Mordred.
"What's with that face? You look like you've seen a ghost. That's hilarious!"
Mordred punched her Master in the shoulder, then sat cross-legged on the floor.
She probed indirectly, "By the way, I didn't say anything weird in my sleep, did I?"
If anyone had heard her talking in her sleep about those dreams, Mordred figured she would be so embarrassed she would want to die.
"...No."
"Mm. Good."
"...Did something happen?" Kairi Sisigou asked.
"Hm? Nah, nothing much."
The blonde girl clasped her hands behind her head and looked up at the dirty ceiling.
"On the way back, I had this really weird dream.
I dreamed that King Arthur, who should already have gone to Avalon, suddenly jumped out and beat the crap out of me... Haha, stupid, right?"
Kairi Sisigou's brow twitched. His expression turned strange, and he hesitated before speaking.
"Uh... I think... that probably wasn't a dream."
"!"
Mordred jolted and followed his gaze, looking back.
"Oh, you're awake already?"
The red-haired boy descended the ladder into the underground crypt.
Staring at that young face with its woman-troubled look, Mordred's pupils widened.
"Fa... Father? Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The girl screamed as if she had seen a ghost and fell flat on the spot.
She crawled on all fours to the corner of the room, then raised her arms to shield her face.
"I... I was wrong! Don't hit me again!"