Chapter 642

【That is, Mo's Master, that reckless fool, has already broken in here.】

【And in his hand, there is still one Command Spell.】

【"By Command Spell, I order you: now is the moment to capture the king!"】

【"Master, I've got it!"】

【Mo bypassed the immobile Bashmu, having no intention of engaging it, and slashed her sword toward Semiramis.】

【Under the reinforcement of the Command Spell, her speed exceeded her limits; Semiramis couldn't react in time and was slashed directly from the shoulder, destroying part of her spirit core.】

【Semiramis regretted it; she should have just fled earlier, but it was useless to say that now.】

Waver: "This—"

Mordred: "Hehe, you all kept looking down on me, now you know how strong I am."

Empress: "Hmph, it's just relying on the power of a Command Spell."

Mordred: "It's you old hag who was too careless."

Kayneth: "Although she managed to turn the tide, the answer to the multiple-choice question did not say Semiramis was eliminated; in other words, although Semiramis was severely wounded, she is still alive."

Shishigou Kairi: "Yeah, being able to do this is already beyond my expectations."

【Teleportation activated, and Semiramis's figure disappeared.】

【Mo looked back; not only Semiramis, but Bashmu had also disappeared.】

【This means Semiramis really ran away.】

【And with her departure, the poison gas in the hall also vanished.】

【"Phew..."】

【Shishigou crawled up weakly, forcing himself to sit on the steps, and Mo also sat down, dispelling the armor on her body.】

【Shishigou: "Saber, did we win?"】

【Mo: "Duh, didn't you see?"】

【Shishigou: "I couldn't see."】

【Mo: "... I dealt her a fatal wound; that guy is a goner."】

【Shishigou: "... That's good. Honestly, it was a real gamble, because I didn't know if it would be effective."】

【Mo: "What exactly was that injection?"】

【Shishigou: "It was a serum made to counter Hydra poison. When I realized the Black Faction's Archer was Chiron, I anticipated this might happen. After all, if it's that nasty Empress, she's very likely to do something like this."】

Chiron: "..."

Waver: "So it wasn't a coincidence; Mr. Shishigou predicted Semiramis's actions."

Empress: "To be able to guess my thoughts, you man have some skill."

【Mo: "Hahaha, is that so? My Master is truly amazing!"】

【Shishigou: "Sorry to interrupt your praise, but I have some bad news."】

【Mo: "What is it?"】

【Shishigou: "Saber, I'm going to die."】

【Mo: "... Is there no saving you?"】

【Shishigou: "No saving me. Of course, I also injected the serum, but it was just a bit too potent. Sigh, it was a gamble with high odds of losing from the start, so there's no helping it."】

Rin Tohsaka: "Didn't die from the poison gas, but died from the serum instead."

Shishigou Kairi: "You can't mess around with serum; if you don't handle it right, it can cost you your life, just like in the video."

Shishigou Kairi: "But in the situation in the video, I didn't have the luxury to think that much."

Mordred: "It's fine, being able to strike a heavy blow to that old hag's arrogance makes it worth it."

【Mo: "I see... looks like I'm going to disappear too."】

【Shishigou: "If you act fast, maybe you can still make it; aren't there still two Masters from the Black Faction?"】

【Mo: "What are you saying? My battle ends here."】

【Shishigou: "... Are you really okay with that?"】

【Mo: "If I were a servant who clung to life, maybe I would do that. But, I really think ending here is fine; it doesn't matter if this is the end."】

【Shishigou: "Is that so? Your personality is quite a disadvantage."】

【"Still not as bad as yours."】

【Mo said in a low voice: "Sorry, Master, if I were a bit stronger—"】

【Shishigou: "These kinds of assumptions are endless; both you and I have reached our limits, that's enough."】

【Mo: "Then how do you think I performed?"】

【Shishigou: "Of course. You are an excellent servant; being paired with me is a waste."】

【After saying this, he took out the two cigarettes he hadn't smoked earlier and lit one for himself.】

【Finding Mo somewhat interested, he handed the last one directly to her.】

【Hesitating for a moment, Mo took it and pretended to smoke it just like Shishigou.】

【But just one puff made her face twist in discomfort.】

【"What is this stuff!"】

【Shishigou: "Hahaha, tastes bad, right?"】

【Mo: "Do you think this stuff tastes good?"】

【Shishigou: "Of course, it tastes bad..."】

Rin Tohsaka: "You guy really are a delinquent uncle; just taught someone to drink, and now you're teaching someone to smoke."

Shishigou Kairi: "Hahaha, we're about to die, why care about so much?"

Shishigou Kairi: "But I didn't expect Saber to actually plan on giving up on the Holy Grail."

Mordred: "Cut it out, I failed to protect my own Master, so I've already failed."

【Mo was silent for a long time, then said: "... I don't want to pull out the Sword of Selection anymore, because I feel there's no need for that."】

【Shishigou: "Have you given up on becoming king?"】

【Mo: "Rather than saying I've given up, it's more like I've finally realized. I can be happy just by picking up what fell from the King's hands."】

【"Sigh—if I said I had no complaints about Father King, that would be a lie."】

【"What I hate isn't Father King, but that country. That era made Father King shoulder everything, throwing absolutely everything onto her to carry, just because she was cursed with the title of King."】

【"Every time I close my eyes, I dream of trying to challenge the Sword of Selection but being unable to, so I thought I must be lacking something, missing something necessary to be king. But, that's not it."】

【"It's not that I was lacking something; it's that Father King's starting point was different. Father King became King so that someone she didn't even know could keep smiling."】

【"So I don't care anymore; it doesn't matter if the interpretation between the two is different, it doesn't matter if there was a misunderstanding; the most important thing is that I've accepted it, so it's fine."】

Mordred: "..."

Artoria: "Sir Mordred..."

Mordred: "Hmph, don't misunderstand, I just don't care for that position anymore."

Mordred: "Just like I said in the video, that position isn't glory, it's a curse."

Lancelot: "King, it is all our fault for not being able to help you and pressing everything onto you."

Artoria: "It has nothing to do with you; this is the path I chose myself."

【"... I see, after having to abandon my dream like this, I can also learn a few things."】

【Shishigou's voice grew weaker, murmuring: "In the end, all I wanted was that girl; as long as that girl could live and smile at me, that would be enough."】

【"I really am not qualified to be a mage."】

【"Now I can finally... be liberated. Mages are really, their whole lives are just curses and contracts; there aren't many who can say goodbye as readily as I can..."】

【Mo: "... I, being paired with Master to fight—was happy."】

【A slight arc appeared on the corner of Shishigou's mouth, and then, the cigarette in his mouth slowly fell to the ground.】