Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"Think about it, many stories have this kind of plot, right? Making a pact with the trading devil Mephistopheles... That's what our ancestors did."

Only the head of the Shishigatsu family at the time knew exactly what kind of contract was concluded in Japan.

Is it about turning back time, simply resurrecting someone, or bestowing a new magical mark and body? Even this part is unclear.

Currently, all we know of is that which possesses a binding force as strong as a self-enforcing testimony, and which fulfills desires in a perfectly correct manner without any distortion of them.

In short, the Lion Claw family miraculously regained their strength.

The magic mark was revived, even surpassing its peak period.

The quality and quantity of magic circuits, which were almost extinct, have increased smoothly, and the Shishigake family has thus been revived as a major force of magicians in the Far East.

They lost their past magical theories and instead learned necromancy, but in order to survive, they still had to make sacrifices.

Of course—to achieve such a miracle, a corresponding price must be paid.

"The price to pay is me."

As it turned out, that contract was actually a curse.

Sacrificing the future to prioritize the present... This is a fatal folly for humans, but it's unavoidable for magicians to do it.

Magic is something passed down from parents to children, generation after generation. The family tradition is only to reach that one and only end point (the root).

Therefore, the idea of ​​sacrificing the future for the sake of the present sounds absurd.

However, if magic is lost in "this generation," then there is no "next generation" to speak of.

Perhaps the ancestors of Lion's Claw had fantasized that there was a chance the curse wouldn't come... Unfortunately, their fantasies were dashed.

Shishikatsu Kairi became the victim, and he was cursed with the worst curse a magician could ever suffer—

Lion's Demise Realm cannot have offspring; it is "absolutely" impossible.

Despite having finally obtained an excellent magic crest, it was destined to become extinct in his generation.

Thinking about it this way, perhaps our ancestors really did make a pact with a wicked devil.

"What the hell? Just find a child to adopt and that will solve the problem."

"...Yes, my family members also view it optimistically."

But when the adopted daughter I took in through my father's connections died after receiving my mark, I was at a loss.

She was a distant relative girl who had inherited a small portion of the Shishikatsu family's bloodline. Pre-transplant investigations showed that she had a very high suitability, and there was no rejection reaction during the surgery.

After dissecting the body, all that was known was that the cause lay in the magic seal of the Lion's Robbery Realm.

The magic mark emits a deadly toxin, and this mark is only perfectly suited to the body of Lion Catch Jie Li. Once transplanted to another body, the toxin will take effect immediately.

Knowing this, Shiki Jieli stopped his father, who was still planning to continue searching for a way to transplant the transplant, and abandoned the idea of ​​passing on the family business.

He then ran away from home and became a bounty hunter who used magic to earn money.

From his own perspective, he has finally freed himself from the responsibilities that have bound him since birth.

It would be better if he died a tragic and unknown death during a mission.

Although it was only a short century, the Shishikatsu family still enjoyed the wealth and glory of being magicians. What more could they ask for?

However—Kairi the Lion encountered the Holy Grail War.

If a miracle were to occur with the Holy Grail, it would likely be able to eliminate the poison from the Magic Crest and also allow the birth of a child who inherits one's bloodline.

Therefore, Shi Zi Jie Li arrived in Romania.

“…Oh~”

After Shirou finished speaking, Mordred only mumbled something indistinctly, while Shirou remained silent.

"What's wrong? I've laid bare my past, a history that's a disgrace to our clan. Do you have any complaints?"

"...No, in the end, you want the Holy Grail, it turns out, it's all for the prosperity of your descendants."

Shiki Jie Li scratched his head: "If you're expecting some unimaginably touching memories, I'll be very troubled too."

At this moment, Shirou suddenly spoke up: "If the problem lies with the magic crest, wouldn't it be enough to just cut it off?"

"........."

Mordred and Kairi Shishigatsu stared at Shirou in disbelief as the boy continued.

“That’s exactly what Fiore did; she’s already transferred her magic crest to her brother.”

While you can't transplant the mark to someone else, you can still remove it, right?

You are currently unable to conceive, but even this might be due to the effects of the magic crest's poison—

Why not give it a try?

"That little girl from the Thousand World Tree actually did something like that... What's going on? She's even more audacious than I imagined..."

Lion Jie Li muttered to himself.

He had never thought about that aspect at all.

Born and shaped as a magician, he never imagined the possibility of losing magic as a means of survival.

"So what do you plan to do? Continue fighting to the death as a magician? Or live like an ordinary person?"

Lion Jie Li remained silent.

"Well, if we can still see the sun the day after tomorrow, it's not too late to tell me the answer then."

Shishiga was Sajou Aika's savior, and Shirou still owes him a favor.

So if he recognizes his own feelings, Shirou is still willing to help him.

"Oh? Is Father going back so soon?"

As Shirou stood up, he said, "Mordred, come practice your swordplay with me and wake me up a bit."

"Great! Even if my opponent is Father, I won't hold back!"

"You're really bold. I wonder who cried after losing."

"Ah! That was so long ago! Didn't we agree not to bring it up again?"

Shirou and Mordred left the underground cemetery amidst their bickering.

"Father and son..."

Shi Zi Jie Li silently watched their retreating figures.

Why didn't he and the Shishidake clan think of removing the magic crest?

It wasn't that I hadn't thought of it, but rather that "we absolutely cannot do that."

For magicians, having children is merely a means of passing on magic and family name.

To abandon the seal in order to have a child would be putting the cart before the horse.

Is the magician's desire for children driven by a basic need to continue his lineage, or...?

Lion Jie Li shook his heavy head and climbed into his sleeping bag.

He fell into a deep sleep amidst the sounds of swords clashing outside.

That night, the necromancer dreamed of his deceased adopted daughter.

……

……

"Tsk, they really don't hold back at all..."

Exhausted, Mordred slumped onto the grass, staring blankly at the night sky.

Although I had been beaten and tossed around like a rag by my father until just now, I was still very happy.

“Hey, Mordred.”

"Ok?"

"Want to try?"

Shirou's words brought Mordred back to her senses.

Give it a try...?

try what?

Although she longed to ask, the girl seemed to already know the answer to the riddle in her heart.

She got up and saw Shirou plunge a magnificent golden sword, still beautiful even in the dead of night, into the ground.

"........."

Mordred's eyes widened.

The sword of choice for dreams is right before our eyes.

The sword wasn't stuck very deep; the girl could simply walk over and pull it out of the soil.

In front of his beloved father, he loudly proclaimed that he was the only rightful heir to King Arthur.

That's all you need to do.

Mordred stared intently at the chosen sword and slowly walked over.

One step, two steps, three steps...

She swallowed hard and reached for the sword hilt—

Just as he was about to grasp it, he suddenly stopped and then elbowed Shirou in the chest.

"Ugh...you brat, what are you doing!"

"These are my words! What are you doing, Father! How dare you tempt me with something like this!"

Mordred angrily put his hands on his hips and shouted.

"Gulp... That was ruthless. Are you becoming more and more like your mother?"

Shirou rubbed his chest and sat down on the grass.

Mordred stared at the chosen sword so close to him, the desire in his eyes completely gone.

“Father, I no longer dream of drawing the chosen sword.”

"Yeah."

"Ah."

Mordred nodded emphatically.

Her expression was surprisingly refreshed as she abandoned her dream, which made Shirou realize that she truly had no lingering attachment to her former aspirations.

"Rather than saying I gave up my dream, it's more accurate to say that after seeing my father again, I finally realized..."

My dream isn't actually to challenge the chosen sword—

I'm already happy just to be able to pick up what my father dropped.

Mordred narrowed his eyes and gave a faint smile.

"Although it might sound a bit... well, I might be the happiest child in the world."

"Father, I think I understand now—why that woman didn't like me."

Shirou frowned upon hearing this: "Don't refer to your mother as 'that woman'... So why?"

"Women's jealousy, women's jealousy."

As she said this, Mordred sat directly into Shirou's lap, using his shoulder as a pillow.

"Look, this is something that woman could never do—to act so openly and gracefully towards her father."

“Indeed.” Shirou nodded.

“Father! This is a rare opportunity, let’s all say bad things about Mother together,” Mordred said with a smile.

"If you want to die, don't take me with you."

The girl said unhappily, "What! So many years have passed and you're still as afraid of your mother as ever."

Alas, it is because the king was like this that Britain perished.