The atmosphere in the living room of Reines' hideout was rather peculiar.
The coffee table in the center had been pushed aside, and Mordred—bound hand and foot by the zippers of "Sticky Fingers"—lay sprawled on the floor, clearly Zuke's captive.
However, judging by Mordred's still-eager expression, it was obvious she had no awareness of being a prisoner. If anything, she seemed ready to challenge Zuke again at any moment.
Meanwhile, Mordred's Master, Rin Tohsaka, sat on a nearby sofa with a thoroughly exasperated look, utterly fed up with Mordred's antics. She deeply regretted telling Mordred about Zuke in the first place. Now, thanks to Mordred recklessly attacking Reines, she had been captured alive by Zuke.
Reines, seated on another sofa, had suffered some injuries from Mordred's assault, but they had already mostly healed—thanks to the regenerative effects of Avalon. In the original lore, Avalon could even heal fatal wounds, so minor flesh wounds like these were nothing.
As her injuries mended, Reines fixed Rin with a dangerously sharp gaze.
Even if Rin claimed Mordred had acted on her own, as her Master, Rin still bore responsibility for the attack. And for a participant in the Holy Grail War, taking responsibility was simple.
"Mr. Zuke! Hurry up and eliminate this Servant!" Reines glared at Mordred, her voice laced with venom. She didn't care about Mordred's background—whether she was a Knight of the Round Table or even King Arthur herself, Reines wouldn't hold back.
"This woman is our enemy—showing her mercy is out of the question!"
Being chased around so frantically by Mordred had been utterly humiliating for Reines, who prided herself on maintaining proper decorum.
"You—!" Rin shot back, equally irritated. The title "El-Melloi" might sound impressive, but Rin wasn't one to be intimidated.
Thanks to Zuke's influence, the Mage's Association had been treating the Tohsaka family favorably lately. Even if Reines was a Lord of the Clock Tower, she still had to defer to Zuke's authority.
The fact that Zuke hadn't immediately sent Mordred back to the Throne of Heroes but instead brought her back bound meant there was still room for negotiation.
From the standpoint of the Holy Grail War, Rin and Zuke were indeed enemies. But outside of that, they shared a close relationship as former Master and Servant!
Setting aside the standoff between Reines and Rin—though Reines would have loved to eliminate both Rin and Mordred as soon as possible—she ultimately left the decision-making to Zuke. Normally, as the Master, she should have held the reins. But Zuke's overwhelming strength meant he didn't rely on Reines for mana—instead, she depended on him for protection.
---
While Reines and Rin bickered on the sidelines, Zuke crouched down beside Mordred, who was bound and lying sideways on the floor, his expression somewhat complicated.
"Mordred, are you really that eager for me to devour you~?"
The reason he hadn't outright killed Mordred and sent her back to the Throne of Heroes was mainly because he sensed her ridiculously intense fixation. His actions in the Singularity had wounded her pride so deeply that even her true Heroic Spirit self had taken notice.
If Zuke didn't handle this properly, he'd never have peace in the Type-Moon world—who knew when she might pop up to challenge him again?
While Mordred posed no real threat to him, just as adults still found bugs annoying, he didn't want to deal with her pestering him indefinitely.
"That's right! I'm not worse than Gawain!"
At Zuke's words, Mordred's eyes burned with fervor. She stared straight at him, declaring earnestly:
"I'll prove I'm more worthy of being devoured than Gawain!"
Mordred's declaration made Zuke facepalm—this kind of single-minded competitiveness was so typical of her. Who in their right mind would try to outdo someone in this?
It suddenly struck Zuke that he might have become Mordred's new object of validation. In life, she had desperately sought Artoria's acknowledgment. Now, in death, was she shifting that desire to him?
Well, if she wanted recognition, he'd give it to her.
"Fine, I'll devour you right now. Will that satisfy you? Just don't bother me again afterward."
Though Mordred didn't offer much worth absorbing, to prevent future trouble, Zuke was willing to use "Black Requiem" to consume her.
After all, her current form was just a Servant—a familiar of sorts. Devouring her wouldn't affect her true Heroic Spirit self, so he felt no guilt.
But upon hearing this, Mordred suddenly frowned and retorted:
"If you devour me now, it's just because you find me annoying—not because you acknowledge my strength, right?"
Zuke's eye twitched. Even after agreeing to eat her, she still wasn't satisfied unless he genuinely recognized her.
The problem was, Mordred's abilities were limited. Though Zuke wasn't a hardcore lore expert, he knew enough about the Type-Moon universe to understand what she was capable of.
Beyond her armor and her unique Noble Phantasm (Clarent), there wasn't much special about her. He couldn't think of any reason to actively want to absorb her.
"...Alright, you want my recognition, right?"
After a moment's thought, Zuke made his offer.
"I'll let you go this time and give you plenty of time to prepare—gather intel, call for backup, plan a sneak attack, whatever. I'll give you one more chance to attack me."
He raised a finger, wagging it slightly.
"This is your only opportunity. If you can so much as scratch me, I'll admit you're stronger than Gawain. After all, even he didn't leave a single mark on me."
It might have sounded like sophistry, but for someone as childishly single-tracked as Mordred, it worked perfectly.
At its core, Mordred's frustration stemmed from Zuke devouring Gawain but not her.
Now, by giving her a chance to prove she surpassed Gawain, she'd have no choice but to comply.
Sure enough, Mordred's eyes lit up.
"Deal! It's settled then—this'll decide everything!"
To be continued…