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IBHJ Chapter 544
🕑 Added 2023-10-28 04:11:13 +0000 UTCTrifas City, Graveyard...
Saber's eyebrows twitched as she began to regain consciousness.
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the blurriness.
"Where... am I?" she mumbled, her voice tinged with confusion.
Just then, a familiar voice responded: "You're at my place. How's the bed? Comfortable?"
Saber's mind snapped into focus. That voice—it couldn't be mistaken.
Of course she recognized it.
It belonged to the very person who had knocked her out!
Her senses sharpened in an instant, her vision clearing as if a fog had lifted.
Saber's head whipped around and met a pair of blue eyes staring directly back at her.
She was stunned!
Lying right next to her was Mordred, wearing a mischievous smile on her face.
The look was that of a cat who had just caught a mouse, and the knight went so far as to tap Saber's nose playfully with her finger.
The audacity!
Saber extended her hand, and her invisible sword appeared in her palm. She swung it swiftly toward the knight.
The wind howled.
But the petite knight was faster, lunging forward to grab Saber's wrist and stop the descent of her blade.
Smiling from ear to ear, she quipped, "Let's not be violent. Waking up and immediately attacking me... Ah, I see... is this your way of showing affection for me, Mother? Quite a unique method of expressing love."
Saber glared at her, "I am NOT your mother!"
A wave of anger washed over her.
Initially, she had no ill will toward Mordred, despite her role in bringing ruin to Camelot. But seeing this 'Saber of Black' made her angry.
First, Mordred had dragged her underground and brutally beaten her. Now, she was harassing her.
But what galled her the most was...
This audacious knight dared to call her "Mother"!
Even though she was a woman, she had lived her life as a man—and not just any man, but a king. Her one and only spouse had been Guinevere, and that was while wearing the mantle of a king.
If she had children, they'd call her "Father," not "Mother."
"You're a tough one to please, 'Mother.' But you're right, technically speaking, you're not my mother."
"Then what's with the misunderstanding?" Saber shot back.
"There's no misunderstanding. I'm Mordred, but not your Mordred. I come from the legend of the Eternal King."
Eternal King...
Saber was stunned.
The name caught her attention. It belonged to the one Arthur who had achieved what she had always longed for.
Yet, that Arthur's true name was Guinevere, who should've been her queen...
"In my world, Eternal King is my father, and you—you're my mother."
"That's impossible!" Saber exclaimed.
Mordred smiled. "Haven't you realized yet? Didn't you notice how Eternal King treated you differently? If you didn't... well, guess that just means the old man had no feelings for you."
Saber: "..."
Her mind flashed to how the Assassin of their black faction had treated her.
Yes.
As this Mordred pointed out, Assassin's behavior toward her had been a little...
Overly intimate.
Could it be...
Mordred smiled again. "My mother is a gentle and considerate woman, very empathetic toward others. Unlike you, who only thinks about fighting."
"That's her, not me!" Saber shot back. "And even if it were true, stop calling me your mother!"
"Is that what you really want? Because if you insist, I can end this for you right now," Mordred chuckled
With her free hand, she reached for the hilt of Excalibur and yanked it away from Saber.
Saber tried to resist, but found she was too weak to put up much of a fight.
"Seems you're not at your best right now, Artoria," Mordred smirked.
Saber said nothing, meeting Mordred's gaze with her own unyielding stare.
A kingly gaze.
But it didn't faze the petite knight.
Because she wasn't just a knight. She was also a king.
"The look in your eyes is really cold and majestic," she chuckled. "My mother has never looked at me with such a stern gaze. Hmm, such a rare color. It's a pretty unique shade; I wouldn't mind adding it to my collection."
Saber remained silent.
Though she wouldn't admit it, she was in a tight spot.
Not only had she been previously knocked out by this Mordred, but she'd also been dragged to enemy territory by the very same person.
Worst of all, she was weakened. The mana channelled through her Master couldn't instantly heal her.
In short, she was at Mordred's mercy.
"I've read up on your history. You defeated Vortigern and unified Britain, just like the old man. However, your Camelot fell to my counterpart during your expedition to Rome. Sigh... Well, it really is like me; the style is exactly the same."
Saber didn't speak, but her fists clenched beneath her sleeves.
Mordred narrowed her eyes and suddenly asked a question: "Would you want to see Camelot rise again, Mother?"
"What?" Saber finally reacted, locking eyes with Mordred.
"Ah, so it takes the revival of Camelot to get a reaction out of you," Mordred sighed, extending her palm.
A sprinkle of golden particles shimmered into existence, coalescing into a golden chalice held in her hand.
"Is that—?" Saber's eyes widened in disbelief.
The chalice emitted a strange fluctuation, radiating a sense of holiness that matched the legendary descriptions of the Holy Grail. The only oddity was that in the center of this grail were three bizarre eyeballs, with the one on the far right closed, leaving the other two wide open.
"This is Eternal Kingdom's Holy Grail. It has the power to grant wishes. So, are you interested?" Mordred squinted her eyes at Saber.
Holy Grail...
Saber stared at the golden chalice in Mordred's hand, somewhat entranced.
The chalice radiated an overwhelming holy aura, just like the Holy Grail she had once sent her knights to seek.
Yet, this golden chalice also carried an unsettling holiness.
Especially those three eyes embedded in it.
Though one eye was closed, the remaining two emanated an eerie aura.
"This is the Holy Grail of Eternal Kingdom. It can grant your wishes. Do you want it?" Mordred's eyes narrowed, her voice gentle and tinged with an almost devilish allure.
"Eternal Kingdom..." Saber murmured.
Mordred nodded, idly spinning the chalice in her hand. "Your Camelot and Eternal Kingdom may both hail from old Britain, but they are fundamentally different. The most glaring difference is that your kingdom lacks this Holy Grail, whereas the Eternal Kingdom possesses it."
After a pause, Mordred locked eyes with Saber and asked pointedly, "So, do you want it?"
Snapping back to reality, Saber met Mordred's gaze with a stern look of her own. "What do you think I am?"
"Clearly, naive King Arthur. You've even struck deals with Alaya to partake in the Holy Grail War, all to extend the doomed Age of Gods for the Britons. Am I wrong?" Mordred's grin was almost demonic.
Her mocking gaze made it seem as if she had transformed into a small devil, complete with horns, a tail, and a pitchfork.
Saber clenched her jaw and retorted, "This is just your Noble Phantasm!"
"Yes, this is indeed just my Noble Phantasm, but it does have the power to grant wishes," Mordred said, twirling the chalice casually in her hand. "Noble Phantasms come into being in one of two ways. Some are born from legends and stories woven about the Heroic Spirit, while others are actual items the Heroic Spirit possessed during their lifetime, later becoming a Noble Phantasm. This grail is the latter. It genuinely has the power to fulfill wishes. In fact, many have used it to achieve their wishes."
"And even if I were lying to you, wouldn't you want to try it out? You, who seek the miracle of the Holy Grail and even accepted that malicious miracle from Alaya. Don't you want to give this grail a try?" Mordred's expression was all smiles.
Saber remained silent.
Her silence spoke volumes: she was now hesitating.
Comments
Azelios Rosemile
I don't understand everyone's hatred against Artoria on 'having no emotion' or 'naive wishes'. To me, that is an acceptable flaw
JeanMartin Freites
😮
