Chapter 14: A Knight Does Not Die With Empty Hands
[You and Mordred begin working together to pry open the Mountain King's armor.]
[But faced with the thick and heavy armor of the Grand Assassin, the two of you still find yourselves powerless.]
[High-difficulty Strength check.]
A die rolled in front of Eikou.
The face showed: EX
Perfect, one-in-six chance—how the hell did it land on great failure again!?
[The two of you fail to pry open the Mountain King's armor. Worse, because your bodies are covered in lubricant and completely slippery, you lose your balance and fall.]
While still struggling with all their might to pry open the armor, their bodies began sliding out of control.
Just as they were about to fall, Mordred instinctively grabbed the back collar of Eikou's shirt, dragging him down with her.
Thud!
The two crashed down on top of each other.
Even though they fell, Eikou didn't really feel pain. But his forehead had clearly hit something very hard, and his hand felt something soft and slippery.
"Hmm…"
Eikou cautiously opened his eyes.
It seemed to be Mordred's forehead.
Looking down at the blonde girl beneath him, Eikou couldn't help but look a little flustered. Then his gaze drifted downward and saw where his hands were—one was resting on her slender, soft shoulder, and the other…
…was on her chest.
Eikou: "..."
How was he supposed to describe this feeling?
It felt soft, bouncy—not that big, but it was like walking into a girl's room—regardless of whether the room was clean or messy, just being able to enter a girl's room was already a kind of happiness.
System, you call this a great failure?
This is clearly a great success!
But in the very next second, Eikou changed his mind, because he looked up and saw Mordred's expression.
The heroic and beautiful face now bore the shy look of a girl—cheeks flushed, emerald-green eyes filled with confusion.
But most importantly—her fist had already clenched unconsciously.
"..."
"..."
Both of them were silent.
Eikou quietly stood up, bending forward toward her.
"Thank you for the hospitality."
With that said, he immediately turned and bolted without a shred of hesitation.
BANG!!
A loud explosion echoed behind him. In the next instant, a blazing red bolt of lightning shot forward, brushing past him and blocking his escape.
Mordred had appeared in front of him in an instant, her speed far surpassing what one would expect from someone with Agility ranked B.
"Mo-chi-zu-ki Ei-kou."
Mordred's entire body crackled with red lightning — the sign of Mana Burst being unleashed. In an instant, the entire VIP lounge was enveloped in the crimson glow of her magical energy.
"M-Mo-chan, let's just… talk this out like civilized people——" he hastily tried to speak.
Mordred didn't say a word. She silently took a few steps toward him.
"First of all, that was just an accident. Second, I only fell because you pulled me down with you — in other words, you were the one who started all of this…"
Hearing that, the red lightning around her body flared up even more violently.
As she stepped forward, she grabbed Ivan the Terrible, who was still sound asleep beside her, and — relying on her B+ Strength — effortlessly hoisted him into the air.
Eikou let out a cry: "Holy…"
"You're seriously using a guest as a weapon?!"
Ivan the Terrible's body was now radiating red lightning-like magical energy, but he remained fast asleep without any response — as if he had completely become a weapon in Mordred's hands.
Eikou suddenly realized he had made a critical mistake.
Right now, he shouldn't have rushed to explain. People don't listen when they're angry — especially someone like Mordred. In this kind of situation, sweet-talking her to calm her down would've been the smarter move.
But… it's probably too late now.
Looking at her slowly approaching, wielding Ivan the Terrible like a weapon and exuding a terrifying pressure, Eikou broke out in a cold sweat. His heart pounded wildly.
Shit, I'm not gonna die at the hands of Sesshouin, but from a giant elephant in Mordred's hands instead?!
He glanced at the Mountain King beside him — the other remained completely unfazed by the chaos, unmoving as a mountain.
Eikou looked at the massive elephant in her hand, then at his own empty ones, and finally turned to glance again at the Mountain King beside him.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa…!"
Gritting his teeth, he went all in — suddenly grabbing the meditating Mountain King beside him.
[You have activated the skill "A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands B"]
[You have acquired temporary weapon "Mountain King"]
"Come, Mordred. I'm ready to accept your wrath."
Eikou gripped Mountain King with both hands like he was wielding a greatsword, taking a stance as he began channeling magical energy.
He couldn't help but think: Even though everyone treats Grand Servants like one-time nukes, using one like this... might be going a little too far?
"Die, Eikou!!"
Mordred charged like a war machine, raising Ivan the Terrible high and slamming him down toward Eikou.
Eikou also swung the Grand Servant in his hands with full force, slashing at Mordred.
Question: What should you do if you accidentally piss off your friend?
Answer: Just beat the shit out of them and settle it!
...
A while later.
Hallway of the VIP section, Enma-tei.
Beni-Enma and Tomoe Gozen were walking along the long hallway.
"Didn't expect the guests lately to be so into cricket fights, chuu~"
"Nothing too strange about that," Tomoe Gozen replied. "After all, most of the guests at Enma-tei are Servants from Japanese Classes like us. Back in our time, cricket fights were really popular."
"That's true, chuu~"
At that, Beni-Enma suddenly remembered the two guests today from non-Japanese Classes — Mountain King and Ivan the Terrible — and her expression turned slightly concerned.
"Today's Master masseur, Li Shuwen, took the day off… is it really okay to leave things to the new trainee chuu~ I'm a bit worried about what's going on over there… That child's still young, I wonder if he's taking proper care of the guests chuu~"
"We'll know once we go check."
Just then, they reached the VIP room. Tomoe Gozen vaguely heard some commotion from inside.
She opened the door and peeked in.
After seeing the scene inside, Tomoe Gozen quietly closed the door.
...That's weird. Better take another look.
She opened the VIP room door again and seriously observed what was going on inside.
"Tomoe, what's the situation in there, chuu~?" Beni-Enma asked.
"How should I put this…"
Tomoe Gozen had a thoroughly confused expression, trying her best to describe what she had just seen.
"I saw a young man and woman, completely covered in massage oil, standing on a waterbed… and lifting the guest into the air to… have a cricket fight."
"???"
"DIEEEEEEE!!!"
A furious scream erupted from the VIP room.
Mordred and Eikou, each wielding a Grand Servant and a Lostbelt King, were locked in a fierce battle.
The long tusks of the mammoth clashed against the twin horns of King Hassan, erupting into dazzling, blinding sparks.
"What the hell are they treating the guests as, chuu?!"