You call this a projection?

Although Kairi Shishigou had initially thought that the Clock Tower’s magi had no intention of participating in this Holy Grail War after learning that the Grail in Romania was the true Greater Grail simply because they were under-prepared, that was clearly not the case.

After all, he had almost been derailed by the preparations of the Yggdmillennia clan earlier.

...No, to be accurate, the Yggdmillennia clan’s preparations had already forced Mordred to fight their cannon fodder, and through those numerous skirmishes, the clan had managed to gather the majority of intelligence regarding Mordred. This was the difference between a prepared Master and an unprepared one.

However, the difference brought about by such preparation only applies to ordinary magi.

For truly powerful magi—like Shirou Emiya, who now stood before him—the preparations of ordinary magi would be of no use whatsoever. And were such magi scarce within the Clock Tower? They were not.

Take Lock Belfeban, the head of the Summoning Department who had commissioned Kairi Shishigou to participate in this war. He had offered a Hydra hatchling—a material of which only two existed in the entire world—as payment without a second thought. Other Clock Tower magi from even more ancient bloodlines and higher positions commanded resources that the Yggdmillennia clan couldn’t even dream of mobilizing in such a short time.

Yet, even so, they still had not participated in the Holy Grail War.

Attracted by the news that the Grail in Romania was the genuine article, and having had the deepest desires in his heart lured out, Kairi hadn’t noticed this at first. It was only now, as he thought about it carefully, that he suddenly realized: could the Clock Tower magi, who possessed more resources and could use various connections and magical means to peer into the future, have ”seen” something that led them to outsource this Holy Grail War?

”But these questions no longer have anything to do with me.”

Having realized something, Kairi Shishigou felt a sense of relief and asked Mordred again: ”Saber, may I understand it this way?”

”For you, rather than continuing to participate in the Holy Grail War to win the Grail, return to the past, and become the King of Britain once again, you would rather defeat the King of Knights right here and now?”

”...Uh, this... well, Master, that’s about what it comes down to,” Mordred admitted helplessly.

Whether it was wanting to win the Holy Grail War to use the Greater Grail to wish to return to the past and become the King of Britain, or defeating Saber here, both stemmed from the same goal—to earn Saber’s acknowledgment.

Since Saber had said in life that Mordred was unfit to be King, Mordred would become a qualified King to show her. Since the Saber she met in this Holy Grail War said she couldn’t do it, she would prove that she absolutely could through battle, by defeating Saber.

Therefore, compared to the former—which required a long time and an uncertain path to victory in the Holy Grail War—the latter, defeating Saber, was something Mordred could prove right now. Naturally, the latter took precedence.

However, Mordred clearly hadn’t forgotten that she was currently Kairi Shishigou’s Servant. Abandoning everything to choose to fight Saber was, in a sense, a betrayal of Kairi. Even for the legendary ”Knight of Treachery” from the Legend of King Arthur, she wasn’t quite sure what to say about the outcome of this betrayal. After all, Kairi had been genuinely good to her, yet she was...

Because of this, upon hearing what sounded like an interrogation from Kairi, Mordred didn’t dare to look at him at all.

”Understood.” However, hearing this response, Kairi Shishigou said nothing more. He did not react to this betrayal; instead, he extended his hand, branded with a Command Spell, and pointed it toward Mordred. ”Then, by Command Spell, I order you—Saber, follow your heart and defeat the King of Knights. Let her see the true power you possess as a King!”

As this final Command Spell’s radiance faded, a surge of ferocious magical energy instantly flooded into Mordred. Instinctively driven by Mordred, who had already intended to unleash her Noble Phantasm, she didn’t use the ”sword of the King” as it was intended.

As one who had seized the proof of kingship but lacked the qualification to truly use it or properly liberate its true name, Mordred treated her ancestral skill, [Mana Burst], as the Noble Phantasm itself.

It was like the relationship between a bullet (mana) and a firearm (the sword); she launched the Noble Phantasm as a beam-cannon attack. In other words, as long as she had enough mana, the power of Mordred’s ”modded” Noble Phantasm attack had no upper limit.

For Mordred, who was about to decide the outcome against Saber, there could be no support more powerful than this.

However...

”Master?”

Having used his final Command Spell, the connection between Kairi Shishigou and Mordred was completely severed. Not only would Kairi exit this Holy Grail War regardless of the outcome between Saber and Mordred, but Mordred, having lost her Master, would have no supply of magical energy to continue participating, even if she won.

”Sorry, Saber,” Kairi sighed. ”Although I would very much like to do something to help you in your duel against the King of Knights, this is all I can do as your Master.

Regardless of the outcome, you probably won’t be able to realize your wish, Saber.

But I did ask you beforehand. You were the one who said that what you are doing now is more important than participating in the Holy Grail War.”

”So, Master, your previous question was actually...” Mordred’s tone was noticeably unnatural. ”...meant in this way?”

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