King Arthur's Rightful Heir

Although luck was not on their side when they ran into Mordred and Kairi again, perhaps it was due to Fenghuang Down's flawless mental disguise, or maybe Mordred wasn't suspicious of them at all, in any case, she didn't seem to have any doubts and warmly invited them to have lunch together, expressing gratitude for their previous assistance.

Arkhan instinctively wanted to decline, but seeing Nidhogg looking eager for some action, he sighed inwardly, silently maxed out Fenghuang Down's power, and followed Kairi and Mordred to a cafe.

"Sorry for the rush earlier, didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves. I'm Shishigou Kairi, an archaeologist."

Kairi tried to display the friendliest smile he could make and extended his hand to Arkhan.

"Arkhan, a tourist." Arkhan chuckled, shaking hands with Kairi, then teased. "But looking at Mr. Shishigou's appearance, you don't seem like the typical archaeologist."

"Ahem! Ahahaha, you know, archaeology comes with its risks, so we have to learn some self-defense." Kairi awkwardly chuckled. "Mr. Arkhan, you're not from around here, right?"

"Yes, I'm from England. Since there's not much going on lately, I thought of traveling with my wife. Heard the medieval scenery in Sighisoara is pretty good, so we came over."

Arkhan answered with a smile but suddenly sighed.

"But I heard there's a serial killer on the loose in the city lately, making everyone uneasy. Because of this, we've lost our enthusiasm for sightseeing and plan to leave by car tomorrow."

"Relax!" Mordred suddenly declared confidently, finishing the last bite of her burger and wiping crumbs off her mouth. "We're here to deal with that serial killer!"

Arkhan's eyes showed a hint of surprise, turning to Kairi.

"W-Well, this kid has been obsessed with anime lately, always fantasizing about being a hero who saves the world, a righteous knight, and all that. Mr. Arkhan, you don't have to mind her..."

Kairi nervously made an excuse while quickly communicating with Mordred through their Master-Servant contract.

"My fucking god, how about saying a little less, Saber? You might scare them away later."

"Tch, boring."

Mordred shrugged but suddenly noticed a little cat on the table next to them. Her interest piqued, and without hesitation, she walked over and started playing with the cat.

"This kid sure has energy."

Arkhan remarked with a smile, while Nidhogg sitting beside him gazed at Mordred with tender affection in her eyes.

"Ahaha, don't mind her..." Kairi laughed awkwardly, then sighed. "Although it's a bit impolite, I still want to remind you, Mr. Arkhan, it's better to leave Romania soon. It's not peaceful here lately and staying might lead to danger."

He said this not just because of the existence of the serial killer but more importantly, Romania had essentially become the battleground for the Holy Grail War.

Even though the Holy Grail War had rules against interfering with the world of ordinary humans, Servants were still Servants after all, their destructive power was immeasurable. Especially the powerful ones, their mere existence was akin to a natural disaster.

If things escalated, who would care about the rules?

Not to mention, the mere act of Mordred unleashing her Noble Phantasm alone could obliterate the entire Sighisoara in an instant. For ordinary people, staying on the battlefield of the Holy Grail War was undeniably a suicide.

Arkhan seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded.

"Thanks for the heads-up, Mr. Shishigou. We'll definitely consider it."

Kairi nodded in return and glanced at his watch—the hour hand pointing toward two. It was almost time for his meeting with the mage from the Mage's Association.

In order to understand why Assassin of Black was committing serial murders, he planned to check the bodies of the victims in the morgue first. Maybe he could find some clues there.

'As for Saber...' Kairi glanced at Mordred, who was chasing a cat nearby, and shook his head inwardly. Taking this girl to that gloomy morgue with him was a bit too much for her.

Regarding the danger of him going alone, it was still daytime. The recent serial murders occurred only at night, indicating that if Assassin of Black wasn't bound by the basic principle of operating only at night, there might be a specific reason for requiring nighttime actions.

Regardless, the possibility of an attack during daytime was negligible. He essentially considered it a safe and free activity time.

"Got something on your mind?" Arkhan asked.

Hearing the sudden question, Kairi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"I've got a meeting scheduled, but this kid might not be too happy about coming with me."

"Leave her to us then!"

Before Arkhan could reply, Nidhogg quickly interjected. She immediately realized her over-enthusiasm and quickly added.

"I mean, we're not busy right now, so we can help look after this child for you."

"What about you, Saber?" Kairi hesitated and asked Mordred through their Master-Servant contract.

"I don't care." Mordred replied casually.

"In that case, I'll leave this kid to you two." Kairi nodded at Arkhan and Nidhogg then leaned in to whisper. "This kid's got a bit of a weird personality, so communication might be a bit tricky. I hope you don't mind, Mr. Arkhan."

"No problem, we really like this kid." Arkhan smiled.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Kairi waved his hand, stood up, and walked away.

Watching Kairi's retreating figure, Nidhogg couldn't contain her excitement.

"So, Momo, where do you want to go for fun?"

Hearing Nidhogg's question, especially when she heard the name 'Momo', Mordred's body suddenly stiffened. She turned stiffly to Nidhogg and made an awkward expression.

"What did you just... call me?"

"Momo, any problem?" Nidhogg made a confused expression. She had always called the original world's Mordred by that name and continued to do so.

"Uh... No, it's just the first time someone used such an affectionate nickname for me. Feels a bit... you know, not used to it..." Mordred scratched her head.

"How could that be? A well-behaved child like you must have lots of people who love you, right?" Nidhogg smiled.

"Ridiculous, I bet they all wish I'd just die already..." Mordred muttered under her breath, a hint of complexity in her eyes.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't garner that 'person's' attention. Even if she destroyed everything about that 'person', all she got was those cold, heartless eyes.

As an existence born from a mistake, how could anyone possibly like her?

Watching Mordred's sudden downturn in mood, Nidhogg felt a bit helpless and somewhat panicked. She didn't know what she had said to make the girl feel this way, so she could only shoot a pleading look at her husband for help.

Seeing this scene, Arkhan shook his head helplessly and quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, Mordred, your name is quite interesting."

"Hmm? Why do you say that?" Mordred looked at him in confusion.

"Mordred, that's the famous name of a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian Legend. Quite well-known, I must say, almost to the point where everyone knows about this knight." Arkhan praised with a smile.

"Wh-Where did you hear that ridiculous thing from? Mordred is just someone who sits at the end of the table..." Mordred turned her head somewhat guiltily, but the slight curve at the corner of her mouth revealed her hidden delight.

Pretending not to notice, Arkhan continued confidently.

"That's not right at all. Even though Mordred sits at the end of the table, Mordred is King Arthur's biological child. From a blood relation perspective, Mordred is the rightful heir to King Arthur."

"You think so?!"

Mordred's eyes instantly lit up like a cat smelling catnip; her face quickly approached Arkhan's upon hearing his words.

"Do you really think Mordred is King Arthur's rightful heir?"

"Of course, if you don't believe me, just ask her." Arkhan nodded and turned his head toward Nidhogg.

"Huh? Mordred is obviously King Arthur's heir... Isn't that normal?" Nidhogg wondered, unaware of Mordred's legend in this world, thinking Arkhan was referring to the original world.

A smile instantly blossomed on Mordred's face, and she immediately whispered in a voice only she could hear.

"Yes, that's right... I am the only rightful heir of King Arthur, on par in martial arts and governing skills... No, I should be stronger..."

Mordred's inner gloom instantly lifted. She excitedly clenched her fist, lifted her head, and smiled brightly.

"By the way, didn't we say we were going to have some fun? Let's go already; I can't wait to see the Ferris wheel and the water park."

Watching Mordred walking energetically toward the distance, Nidhogg turned to Arkhan in confusion.

"How did her mood suddenly improve?"

"Who knows?" Arkhan shrugged innocently. "A woman's heart is like a needle in the sea; how would I know what she was thinking just now."

"Tch, I know you're just pretending." Nidhogg rolled her eyes, stood up, and followed behind Mordred. "Momo, don't walk so fast, wait for us!"

Watching the two's receding figures, Arkhan shook his head, smiled, left a tip beside his coffee cup, and got up to follow behind the two.