"I have a different proposition."
Mordred's loud voice caused everyone to look at him.
Looking at Elsa, the blonde knight continued, "Bowel Hunter, if you hope to escape once the fight starts then let me tell you that it's completely useless. No matter if it's Reinhard or me, I'm sure can easily catch you."
However, upon being seen through by Mordred, Elsa remained completely unmoved and only smiled.
After making a short pause, Mordred smiled. "That's why I'll give you a different proposition that you might like." He turned back toward Felt and said, "Felt, you have the Insignia, right?"
Being suddenly eyed by Mordred, Felt was a little startled. The young man presented her his palm and urged her to pass the insignia by moving his fingers, only managing to gain a reaction after a moment.
"Um, yes. I have it right here." Felt pulled out the insignia from her pocket and placed it on Mordred's palm. Immediately, the little gem in the middle of the Royal Insignia lit up with crimson light.
Mordred slightly smiled as he moved the hand to show it to Elsa and the others.
"Just as I thought…" Reinhard lightly muttered.
"Mordred?" Emilia also appeared surprised.
Only Elsa, Felt and Old Man Rom visibly didn't know what was going on.
"This is a Royal Insignia and it lit up in my hand which means that I have the qualifications to compete in the Royal Selection. In other words I am one of the six Royal Candidates." Mordred's words simply voiced Reinhard and Emilia's thoughts, but were a revelation to Elsa and the others.
Elsa herself might have known that it was a Royal Insignia, but she wasn't aware of the small tidbit of knowledge that the gem would lit up in a candidate's hand. She asked curiously, "What are you planning, boy?"
"I'm Mordred Pendragon, the one true heir of Arthur Pendragon the King of Knights. I'm a Royal Candidate, and in truth I'm confident that I'll be the future king of Lugnica. You can either die for good right here or listen to my offer," Mordred announced proudly while he held his sword in front of him, naturally still wearing his full-plate armor.
Mordred's majestic conduct and announcement caused everyone to halt their breath for a moment.
"Interesting. And what is this offer of yours?" Elsa asked as she tilted her head with a smile.
"Work for me from now on," Mordred said, surprising the people present. "Your strength is inferior to mine, but your instincts and combat ability are exceptional, and even more so your determination. Lend me your blade and I can offer you a better life."
"Mordred-sama…"
"Mordred?"
Reinhard and Emilia were both taken aback. Mordred being a Royal Candidate was a revelation enough, but they didn't expect him to try and let an infamous murderer go, let alone aim to recruit her.
Elsa chuckled. "That's really interesting, boy. What kind of better life do you want to offer me, a murderer?"
Mordred smiled. "I know what kind of person you are, Bowel Hunter. You enjoy fighting powerful opponents first and foremost. You enjoy inflicting pain on others and you also enjoy being hurt yourself. That's what mainly makes you feel alive, right? Fight for me and you'll have a chance to face many strong opponents. You can even fight me from time to time. In fact, I will allow you to kill me in a duel and get away with it if you manage to do it. I promise that you will be pardoned for it and released after my death."
"Mordred-sama, you can't do it!"
"Mordred, she's a murderer…"
Reinhard and Emilia protested, each with their own motives and thoughts.
Elsa laughed out loud and then hummed with a smile. "That's wonderful, you really do know me, Mordred. How daring. But would you really let me go if I killed you?"
"Of course, I would make the arrangements. And that's because I believe that you would never manage it," Mordred said with a faint smile. He then added, "There is one more thing. As long as it is something I can accomplish, I will fulfill one of your wishes."
The last sentence that Mordred said was the true catch behind getting Elsa on board. He knew what Elsa wished for the most, so he wasn't worried about making such a proposition.
"One of my wishes…" Elsa parroted and seemed to enter a deep thought.
Silence descended for a long while.
Old Man Rom, Felt, Emilia and Reinhard watched the exchange between Mordred and the Bowel Hunter with surprised expression.
Reinhard frowned as he looked at Mordred. "Mordred-sama, the Bowel Hunter is a cruel and devious infamous murderer, a criminal. Are you sure about that?"
The Bowel Hunter is a criminal known to be dangerous even in the capital. However, it is also said that she's just a simple mercenary, so it wasn't actually impossible for Mordred to recruit her.
Mordred faintly smiled. "A good deed cannot wash away a bad deed, but tell me Reinhard - if we kill the Bowel Hunter here for her crimes, just what good would come out of it? We would rid the world of one criminal, that's true. But what if she could contribute to the kingdom instead? Isn't it much more beneficial?"
Reinhard pondered over Mordred's words for a moment. Naturally, it was all very logical. However, what got him thinking was not what Mordred said, but the latter's majestic aura and charisma. Although Reinhard was aware that he was very likely the strongest being in this world, just what was this majesty that he felt from Mordred, causing him to shrink in front of him?
It was probably the difference in their caliber, Reinhard guessed, aware of his narrow-mindedness. In his mind it only reaffirmed the fact that Mordred was one of the 'Chosen', a candidate for the throne.
"You're right," Reinhard could only say, lightly nodding his head.
Elsa's chuckle was heard at that time."Very well, I would accept your offer, Mordred. I also want to capitalize on that wish you promised me, however, I have one condition."
"Go ahead," Mordred said as he turned to Elsa.
"Fight me first. As long as you're as strong as you claim to be, I will accept it," Elsa said with a charming smile.
Elsa's agreement surprised some, but definitely not Mordred.
"Sure," said Mordred and then turned to Reinhard. "Reinhard, take Emilia and the others and protect them in one of the corners of the building."
Reinhard gently wrinkled his eyebrows in worry. "Mordred-sama, are you sure of it? Bowel Hunter is still a powerful opponent."
"I am sure."
"Very well then," Reinhard said after a while. "I'll protect Emilia-sama and the others, you can leave it to me."
At that time Mordred noticed Emilia sending him a disappointed and saddened look. Whatever she was thinking though, Mordred felt confident in straightening it afterwards.
"Wait. Emilia, this is yours." Mordred approached Emilia and gave her the Royal Insignia that he previously took from Felt.
Emilia gently took the insignia into her hands, saying softly, "Thank you, Mordred…"
"It's nothing. We'll talk later, okay?"
"Em. We'll talk later."
Mordred then walked over and bent down. He picked up a dagger that he previously intercepted from Elsa earlier by cutting off her arm, and then threw it in her direction.
"This kind of enclosed space is perfect for you to fight in, right?" Mordred asked Elsa. "Well, it's fine with me. If I face you at your strongest, you shouldn't have any complaints. You can also use any of the weapons lying around too."
"How confident and fearless, it both excites me and annoys me to the bitter end, Mordred," Elsa said with a smile. She picked up her first chipped dagger and threw it into one of the wooden pillars for later use, because she didn't have anywhere to store it anymore. Her smile deepend as she asked, "If I manage to kill you, Reinhard will let me go, right?"
Mordred turned toward Reinhard and the others who now stood in one of the corners and watched. "Reinhard, if she kills me, let her go."
Reinhard smiled bitterly. "As you wish."
"Wonderful! Now then, shall we start?" Elsa asked, seemingly shaking in anticipation.
As if to answer with his actions, Mordred willed and, with clanging sounds, metal plates moved from his chest and shoulderplates to form a helmet around his head. He brought Clarent in front of him and readied a stance.
"Mordred Pendragon."
"Elsa Granhiert." Elsa smiled as she lowered her stance.
As the two were facing each other, the others discussed in a corner.
"You don't need to worry, Emilia-sama. I believe that Mordred-sama knows what he's doing, otherwise he wouldn't propose such a fight," Reinhard said as he noticed Emilia's complicated expression.
"Mm, I also think Onii-san will be fine," said Felt as she kept her eyes on Mordred and Elsa, not seeming too worried.
However, although Emilia was slightly worried, her expression wasn't mainly caused by that. She saw Mordred's speed, so she felt that since he was so confident, he should be able to handle himself. The reason she was downcast was because she earlier thought that she finally met someone that she could call a friend, but it might not be so.
'Reinhard called Mordred with an honorific from the moment he entered, so they both already knew…'
Meanwhile Elsa already turned into a blur and started dashing through the building.
Mordred stood steadily in place as he sometimes rotated his body and head to keep his eyes on Elsa. His armor protected him all around and he simply awaited Elsa's attack, allowing red electricity to flow through his body and filling him with magical energy ready to burst out.
If Elsa thought that because of the helmet Mordred had blind spots all over, then it was a grave mistake.
Clang!
Feeling Elsa's approach, Mordred explosively parried the very first strike and then immediately counter-attacked, sending a whip-like kick at Elsa's waist.
Elsa's body bent and she was sent flying through the air, soon inertly crashing into a wall. Apart from a few broken ribs her spine was very likely broken as well.
A while later, Elsa straightened herself and planted her feet on the ground with a proper posture. She chuckled. "Aah, I really felt that!"
"I could have cut off your head right there, you know? Your regeneration must be limited, so I suggest you accept your loss soon. I don't really take joy in hurting beautiful women," the man who decimated Elsa hundreds of times said.
Elsa chuckled with a blush as she crossed her legs. "How incredibly cute. Well, let's try it a few more times."
Swoosh!
With a gust of wind, Elsa started dashing through all corners of the room again. From a normal person's point of view such speed was simply unimaginable.
Clang!
Mordred blocked Elsa's dagger, yet this time he didn't hold back and the dagger broke. The next moment he then saw Elsa swing at him with a dagger in her second arm that she picked up, but he only moved his hand slightly and deflected the blade upwards with his vambrace.
With both attacks neutralized, Mordred then thrust the hilt of his sword into Elsa's midsection.
Elsa's body curled like a shrimp's as the hilt viciously drilled into her stomach, causing her to uncontrollably drop to the ground stunned. Air left her lungs and diaphragm, and she was unable to control her body for a moment.
Mordred knew that although Elsa had ridiculous pain tolerance and could quickly recover from any attack, she still had natural human reflexes. During this moment when Elsa was vulnerable, he only took a step back.
A while later, Elsa seemed to recover as she backflipped from the ground and then retreated.
"Ahahaha!" Elsa laughed loudly as she stared at Mordred. She shook her head with a shy smile. "This is so embarrassing."
At that moment it seemed to Mordred as if Elsa looked like a simple shy and embarrassed young woman; the reason for her embarrassment being though - she wasn't able to disembowel the boy in front of her.
Mordred retracted his helmet while looking at Elsa with his light green eyes with a mild expression. Following that, crimson light flashed on his body and then scattered into a red cloud as if with the wind, his steel armor being replaced with his casual attire.
Seeing Mordred still appear so calm, Elsa pursed her lips as she looked at him with a meaningful expression. 'He… he might really be able to kill Mama…'
"Do you want to have a go again? I have to warn you though, I'm faster without armor," Mordred said and smiled.
The truth was, Mordred's Mana Burst was indeed more powerful without his Noble Phantasm helmet on, because in that situation he could surround his body with more mana, but dropping the armor didn't help him much when fighting on the ground.
Elsa laughed and shook her head. "I'm afraid I would be infringing on your sincerity if I did that. This is enough. We'll have more chances to fight in the future, right?"
She smiled and continued without waiting for an answer, "Oh well. About what you said earlier, Mordred. As long as you'll hold your side of the deal with the wish, I will fight for you."
Mordred nodded. "As long as it isn't too much and something I can accomplish, I will do it."
"Excellent!" Elsa smiled, for some reason not doubting the Saber's words. "Please, can I have a moment to cover myself now?"
"Yeah, go ahead. You're making things awkward," Mordred said and then recalled Clarent. Judging by Elsa's unnaturally normal expression, Mordred knew that she accepted his deal for real.
All this time Elsa's lower body, both the front and her voluptuous butt, were exposed. Her large yet firm bubble butt would jiggle as she walked or when they fought, along with her large breasts.
Seeing all that, along with Elsa's charming blushing face, Mordred couldn't help but feel heat, who wouldn't? And it isn't that Mordred wanted to look at all this, as it was incredibly awkward, but it was simply inevitable. Wherever he cut Elsa, she would naturally regenerate her body parts without clothes, and Mordred had to show off his strength to both Elsa and the others by delivering a deadly blow.
Mordred earlier changed from his armor due to tremendous pressure of his boner pressing against his leather codpiece, but the denim shorts weren't much better. It was painful.
Elsa deeply smiled, naturally aware of Mordred's red face. She turned around and started walking through the loot house to search for something she could cover herself with.
In the meantime Mordred summoned his armor again and then began slightly-awkwardly walking toward Emilia and the others.
"Mordred-sama, I have to say that you gave me a great surprise," said Reinhard, faintly smiling. "Defeating the Bowel Hunter with such ease is no small feat."
In the meantime Reinhard's eyes didn't leave Elsa.
"Thanks, man." Mordred smiled and then turned to Emilia. "Emilia, I didn't wish to hide my identity from you, but you never asked, right? Anyway, I only wanted you to treat me like a normal person. I hope you can forgive me."
Emilia, whose expression was complicated earlier, gently smiled. "Em, I understand, Mordred. I had my guesses earlier, so I'm not completely surprised that you're also a Royal Candidate."
"Mordred-sama, did you already know that you were a Royal Candidate?" Reinhard asked. He also kept one eye on the Bowel Hunter and it lightly twitched, as the latter sent him a wink and a charming smile while she was tying something, maybe a tablecloth, around her waist.
"I have a powerful intuition and I had a hunch. When I held Emilia's insignia, it confirmed it, right?" Mordred told Reinhard, choosing his words carefully.
He then looked in the direction of Old Man Rom and Felt.
"Mordred, what do you plan to do with them?" Emilia asked as she also looked at Felt.
Being eyed by both Mordred and Emilia, Felt's body twitched and her face was full of nervousness. Old Man Rom next to the blonde girl only sighed helplessly.
Mordred only smiled mysteriously and looked back at Felt. "Felt, you screwed up big time. You stole from a Royal Candidate. Not only that, but you actually took a job from the Bowel Hunter."
Mordred shook his head while clicking his tongue in disappointment.
Meanwhile Felt gritted her teeth; yes, she screwed up for real, and now she's going to pay the consequences. She instinctively looked up at Old Man Rom, even though she knew that the situation was hopeless. The old man however only sent her a bitter smile that said it all - resistance was futile.
Emilia gently opened her mouth at the side and was about to speak up, but then she saw that Mordred didn't appear angry at all, causing her to be suspicious and curious.
"Well, it's good that big brother and sister were here to save the day and nothing bad happened then," Mordred said and smiled. "I'm not a guard and I think that Reinhard and Emilia could let it slide too, right?"
Mordred looked at the two.
"I suppose I could. Perhaps I would have been harsher if things were the way they were before, but I don't feel like it now. So I'll let it go out of consideration for Mordred's wish." Emilia shrugged her shoulders with a wry smile like it just couldn't be helped.
Reinhard chuckled. At the same time the Bowel Hunter had already obediently joined their group with a calm expression, a charming smile and no apparent weapon, so that was also a relief for him.
"Seeing how it's my day off, I could let it go. If the victim does not file a complaint, then it would be difficult to pursue the matter due to a lack of evidence," Reinhard said with a faint smile. He then threw a short cold look to Elsa who already stood a short distance from them, with a calm expression and seemingly no weapon.
"I don't know who my client was, if that's what you want to know," Elsa said, shrugging her shoulders.
Mordred wasn't surprised when he heard Elsa's reply and believed that it was the truth. Given the magic cloak Elsa had, he knew that she was naturally hired by Roswaal, nothing unexpected. However, it appeared that in this world Roswaal simply had already accounted for this situation and kept his identity a secret from Elsa when making a request from her organization.
Mordred looked back at Felt and also shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just say nothing happened then."
Felt looked up at Mordred with a frail light in her red eyes. "Thank you, Onii-san."
She then looked at Emilia, lowered her face for a bit and then quietly mouthed an apology, "I'm sorry for stealing from you."
"I got my item back, so it's alright now. If possible, I'd prefer you stopped doing this sort of thing entirely," Emilia said.
"That's impossible. I'm grateful for you saving me, but I don't think I've done anything wrong and I have no intention of stopping," Felt bluntly refused Emilia's request and donned a stubborn smile.
The petite girl's profile felt rather tragic when one considered her apparent age.
Even as Reinhard himself heard Felt's position on the matter, he only silently accepted it. He knew that this definitely wasn't something he should overlook considering his responsibilities. But how else could they survive? It wouldn't be right to simply speak of justice without even offering an alternative.
Emilia seemed to feel it as well. She lowered her eyes for one fleeting moment, before she said, "I see… You're pretty stubborn, huh."
"I might stop if food just appeared before me without me having to do anything, though. But it is what it is," Felt said.
"About that. Felt, I have an offer for you." Mordred faintly smiled as he squatted down in front of Felt.