"In that case, would you die for Arthur, and for Albion?"
At that time, Heber said to the young girl knight in front of her, "Right here, right now."
As expected, Mordred in front of her froze, her face, slightly flushed from the long run, gradually lost its color.
It really won't work, will it? That's right, after all, she's a famous Round Table Knight; it's impossible to sway her mind with just a few words. Heber thought.
Looking at the completely stunned Mordred, Heber frowned slightly.
"Haven't you realized yet, Little Mo? Why did you happen to meet me outside the city that Day?"
"Why, after you met me, could you come here every Day, and no one would question you? You know this is the inner city."
"Why did you stand out in the tournament, why were you favored by Arthur, why did you win battle after battle, accumulating merits until you were ranked among the Round Table Knights?"
"Why, even though Arthur spent a long time at the Round Table handling state affairs, she specifically avoided being alone with you, always requiring at least two Round Table Knights to be present?"
Heber's expression remained calm, her tone without any fluctuation.
"Look again at this Magus of the Court's robe I'm wearing… If you ask your colleagues, you'll know there's only one person qualified to be granted the position of Magus of the Court."
"I am Merlin Ambrosius," Heber bowed slightly, "I arranged for you to enter the Round Table, and I revealed your identity to Arthur, so she could arrange suitable opponents, perfectly matched enemies, and battlefields where you could accumulate merits."
"I sincerely hoped we could maintain this relationship, but you are Morgan's child after all, so I could never fully trust you, and couldn't take greater risks."
What was Mordred thinking at that time? Heber didn't know.
But when she said those words, the light in the eyes of the child who had always clung to her extinguished.
Heber saw Mordred's hand trembling; yes, no one could summon the courage to do such a thing.
So Heber slowly stood up: "I'm sorry, Little Mo, I was asking too much of you… For Arthur, and for Albion, please don't move, okay?"
She was already prepared; no matter what, she wouldn't let Mordred leave this place alive today.
Heber couldn't gamble on Morgan's contingency plan for Mordred; if she softened now, whose responsibility would it be when the news of Arthur's death arrived?
However, after she finished speaking, Mordred drew her sword with a trembling hand.
The knight's sword swiftly and accurately pierced her own chest; red lightning joyfully broke free from the blade, surging into its owner's internal organs, destroying the knight's own life, just as it had killed countless enemies in the past.
Her face twitched with pain; the Red Dragon blood and Lionheart of the Daybreak rank were still desperately sustaining her life.
A little while later, Mordred finally lost the strength to hold her sword, and her blood finally dried up under the searing pain of the red lightning.
Mordred fell to the ground.
Heber watched all of this, and after confirming her death, she pursed her lips.
The sage still made no sound, swiftly and agilely extracting Mordred's spiritual body from this prematurely matured physical body; after all of this was done, Mordred's body rapidly aged, decayed, and turned to dust.
"Someday… someday—" The sage's voice finally became tired and trembling.
After that, Mordred's spiritual body was properly preserved until the end of the Lostbelt, until the blessing of Avalon descended, the entire Lostbelt was proven, and then incorporated into proper history.
When Avalon descended, Mordred, who was originally ignorant and chaotic, suddenly saw an untimely scene; it was neither the perspective of "Mother" nor of the "King" she had always admired.
…
When her body turned to dust, when her father defeated "Mother" and confined her to London Tower, when everything changed, and the glorious kingdom became stiff as a corpse.
The wise and mighty monarch no longer had any loyal followers, the Round Table Knights fought individually, and Morgan le Fay wanted to overthrow the kingdom once again. This time, the King, bound to the Iron Throne and barely clinging to life, had no chance to resist.
And then, the green-eyed young girl turned the tide, defeating "Mother" without anyone witnessing it, pulling the kingdom back from the brink of destruction. Yet, the monarch sitting on the throne did not express gratitude to her, but instead gave a cold reprimand. If it were herself, what would she do? Presumably, it would be despair, pain, and hatred.
But Merlin Ambrosius showed no change in expression, still maintaining a heartbreaking calm and philosophical outlook… At that moment, Mordred understood that both her father and mother, their wills had long changed with time; only that green-eyed young girl had consistently loved this country.
And then, she calmly embraced her end, not desolate or lonely, but a peaceful and tranquil release after experiencing everything.
Even if no one understood, it didn't matter; even if no one walked with her, it didn't matter.
In that instant, Mordred finally understood everything.
So, you also walked this path, even more alone than I.
…
When Mordred came back to her senses, the face in the mirror was already wet with tears, but her lips were curved upwards.
She finally understood now why her mother's veiled face carried a bitter yet yearning smile when she spoke of Merlin Ambrosius.
"If it's like this, I'd be willing to do it a hundred, a thousand more times," Mordred whispered.
Being pierced by the demonic sword was truly painful, yet remembering those beautiful green eyes, even the wound carried a bitter sweetness.
How lonely death was, but remembering the green-eyed young girl's long solitary journey, it was as if starlight shone by her side, so it was no longer frightening.
…
Heber put down the soup bowl.
This restaurant had good service, delicious food, and low prices, so she silently added it to her mental map of places to eat.
Not long after she put down her utensils, the waiter quickly arrived, presenting the bill along with a note.
"Our restaurant just opened recently, and we're in need of collecting customer feedback," the waiter explained. "It would be wonderful if you'd be willing to leave your valuable opinion."
"Gladly."
Heber knew that a restaurant at this price point likely couldn't make too many adjustments to its menu, but their attitude made her feel very respected.
"But writing it down isn't necessary, because my taste is quite unique…" Heber smiled. "Can you add a bit more spice?"
"Add spice?" The waiter was momentarily stunned.
"This is just my personal opinion," Heber shrugged. "London's weather is always damp, so a little extra spice might be more suitable for some customers' palates. As for whether to adopt it, that's up to you."
After Heber left the Gaul restaurant named "Vivian," her words were relayed to Mordred by the waiter.
The waiter saw her superior's brows furrow instantly.
"What's wrong?"
Mordred's brows relaxed.
"Nothing, it seems I worried too much."
Merlin always loved all kinds of sweets, so how could she like spicy food?
Still, there was a hint of disappointment.