[ Magilou doesn't need Saber to tell her that Melchior is undeserving of her attention. Yet there are parallels here that Saber can't help but notice between herself and Melchior. Through her decisions, in the name of peace and victory, she ended more innocent lives than anyone else in Britain. And of course, she had her own bright-eyed progeny looking for acceptance...

She puts the thought aside. This isn't about that.

Magilou's mockery of a smile stirs a sense of wrongness in Saber. Perhaps it's a testament to Magilou's acting that until now, Saber never dwelled on the artifice of her smiles when it's becoming plain that buffoonery isn't her truest nature. It's a stunning oversight coming from Saber, who buried herself much the same. Then again, she's always done a poor job of perceiving people in the ways that matter most.

So unsurprisingly, she's never been anyone's go-to for personal advice. Her eyes lower briefly as she thinks on what to say. ]

We do not think rationally of the people who raise us. We bear something of them even if it is not seen or wanted. My own mentor was a half-incubus with a propensity for skirt-chasing, ill-advised pranks, and infuriating all his allies, but even that man managed to leave his mark on me.

[ Anyway. ]

If you had passed his trial, what would have become of you?