I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

"Well, hasn't she shown up yet? I'm starving from all this waiting…"

Mordred, of course, was referring to Jack the Ripper. At the moment, she and Artoria were away from Kairi Sisigou to lure Jack into appearing.

If Kairi had a Servant visibly at his side, their target might grow cautious and flee.

"The sun hasn't fully set yet. For her to appear, it'll have to be night—when the darkness fully takes hold. That's also when Servants are at their most active," Artoria said calmly. "Thankfully, the recent string of murders has made people uneasy. Most of the residents won't leave their homes after dark. That'll make your Master stand out even more."

"Do you really think she'll take the bait? I mean, it's pretty obvious it's a trap."

"And so what if it's a trap? All we need to do is deal with her before she has the chance to spring it. Servants all have their pride. Even Jack the Ripper won't be immune to it. After hunting down so many mages, she'll instinctively underestimate them. Her sense of caution will be dulled. Our job is to exploit that arrogance."

The two maintained a certain distance from Kairi—not far enough to lose sight of him but close enough to intervene within seconds if necessary.

"By the way, did you already finish those snacks I gave you? Are you seriously hungry again?"

Mordred froze for a moment at Artoria's question, her whole body stiffening.

"Uh… um… yeah! I already ate them! Totally finished them ages ago!" Mordred stammered nervously. "They were gone before I even realized it. I mean, it wasn't much to begin with! Barely enough to count as a snack!"

"Is that so?"

Artoria's expression remained neutral. She didn't suspect Mordred of lying—it didn't seem like the kind of thing she'd bother to lie about.

"Well, if we pass by another shop later, let's see if there's anything else you'd like to eat. I still have plenty of money left. It should last us until the Holy Grail War ends. Is there anything in particular you want?"

"Anything's fine. Whatever you eat, I'll eat… except mashed potatoes."

"I wouldn't eat mashed potatoes either. They remind me of memories better left behind."

"Seriously?" Mordred's face turned skeptical. "Every time Gawain made mashed potatoes, didn't you clean your plate?"

"That's because food is precious. It wouldn't be right to waste it just because it tasted bad. That would be irresponsible both to the food itself and to those who go hungry… though I admit, Gawain's mashed potatoes were particularly terrible."

Artoria's face darkened slightly as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

"You should've told Gawain that ages ago. He always thought he was good at cooking because you cleaned your plate every time."

"Perhaps you're right… but I couldn't bring myself to crush his enthusiasm. That would've been too cruel."

"No, you should've crushed it. Let him wallow like a beaten dog in some dark, damp corner," Mordred said, her disdain for Gawain clear. "He always wore that dazzling, sunshine-like smile, acting all superior as he scolded me. It was disgusting."

"That was probably Gawain's way of showing kindness. Mordred, you should learn to accept others' goodwill. Listening to others' advice is part of what it means to be a king."

"Alright, alright! Since when did you get so naggy, Father? Don't tell me you picked it up from Gawain or Bedivere?" Mordred crossed her arms in exaggerated defiance. "Fine, if you insist, the next time I see Gawain, I'll listen to him… for one sentence."

Honestly, Mordred couldn't shake the feeling that Artoria had changed a lot. The Father she knew had never been this talkative.

Yet… she didn't dislike it. If it were Gawain or Bedivere being this chatty, she'd have been annoyed to the point of yelling by now.

Their conversation meandered without any grand purpose—just lighthearted banter.

But it was precisely this kind of casual exchange that Mordred found herself lost in, as though it filled a gap in her heart she hadn't even realized was there.

"Hmm?"

Artoria suddenly felt a strange, inexplicable sensation. It was like that eerie premonition you get in class, prompting you to look up—only to see the teacher staring at you from outside the window.

Following this instinct, she turned her head and spotted a girl with golden braided hair in the distance.

Almost simultaneously, the girl glanced back at her, and their eyes met.

Both froze the moment they saw each other.

Despite the distance between them, Artoria's keen vision allowed her to discern the girl's expression: shock, confusion, doubt, realization, hesitation, responsibility… and emotions so complex even Artoria couldn't interpret them all. The speed at which her emotions shifted was astonishing.

Artoria herself was briefly taken aback—she recognized the girl.

The Saint of the Hundred Years' War in France, the Ruler of this Holy Grail War—Jeanne d'Arc.

Unlike Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the "false saint," this was the genuine article, a saint recognized by the Church.

And… another "Artoria-face" character.

"What is it, Father?" Mordred asked, noticing Artoria had stopped walking. She followed her gaze and frowned.

"That girl… why does she look kind of familiar?"

Of course she looked familiar. After all, the three of them did resemble one another quite a bit.

"Huh? She's coming this way?"

"Mordred, don't show any hostility for now. Contact your Master and let him know there's been a development."

Servants could communicate with their Masters telepathically, and Artoria instructed Mordred to inform Kairi Sisigou of the situation.

Meanwhile, Jeanne d'Arc was already approaching. Her gaze shifted from Mordred to Artoria before settling on the latter.

"Red Saber… and…"

"You have many questions, Saint of France," Artoria said calmly, breaking the silence. "But this isn't the place for such a conversation. Once the Red Saber's Master arrives, I wouldn't mind providing you with some explanations."

---

T/N: JEANNNEE

Oh, you're still here? Nice. While I'm out here juggling revival matches and reminding villains why they should reconsider their life choices, someone's behind the scenes making sure my story reaches you. Gotta admit, they're doing a pretty solid job.

If you want to help keep this whole thing running smoothly, here's the link: [patreon.com/WiseTL]. Think of it as… supporting your favorite underdog. Everyone loves an underdog, right?

Anyway, time to get back to saving the day. See you in the next chapter—don't forget to stay out of trouble (that's my job).

— Xia Luo 🕸️