silence.
There was a long silence.
The three kings, Archer, Rider, and Saber, sat motionless, not even drinking their wine.
Scathach, who caused the silence, silently poured herself a glass of wine and took a sip.
Finally, Rider let out a long breath, breaking the silence.
"Honestly, Assassin, I have only lived for 33 years. I still have many dreams to realize and many sights to see. I don't understand your thoughts at all. Archer, what about you? I remember that you seemed to pursue eternity. At least you should be able to understand a little bit."
"Stupid question, Rider." Archer narrowed his eyes. "If I had gained eternity, I would not be here. I will not comment on Assassin's wish. I am only interested in the things of this world. I do not care about, nor am I interested in, the things outside of this world."
Rider turned his head to the other side.
"What about you, Saber?"
"No. Although my body stopped growing after I pulled out the sword from the stone, I did not gain eternity. Perhaps Merlin can understand."
"Merlin, the great magician and sage of Britain?"
Hearing Saber's answer, Scathach nodded, then shook her head.
"His situation is similar to mine, but there are essential differences. He is a hybrid of human and nightmare. Although he looks human, his mental structure and characteristics are closer to nightmares. His immortality also comes from this. He may not understand it. No, it should be said that he has no interest in this aspect. How should I describe this person—"
"—an old rogue."
"Yes, it's an old-uh, Master!"
While Scathach was choosing her words, Shinji blurted out and almost led Scathach astray. Scathach couldn't help but glare at Shinji.
"Don't glare at me, Merlin is just an old rogue." Shinji touched his nose and bowed to the other three kings. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you kings, I just couldn't help it."
"That's fine." Rider waved his hand with dignity and dignity, "The king's words should be heard by all the people, and the king should also listen to all the people. Master of Assassin, remember you call yourself Saiki Kusuo, right? Tell me your opinion."
"I also want to hear what modern people think of Merlin. Go ahead, Mr. Saiki K." Saber also agreed.
"Thank you for your generosity."
Shinji bowed again. Being polite could save him a lot of trouble. He would never insist on such insignificant details, and he didn't have any second-year thinking of being the only one who was superior to others.
"He relies on his clairvoyance and nightmare properties to spy on other people's privacy all day long. Is he an old rogue or something? Maybe he is watching this place with his clairvoyance right now, secretly enjoying himself."
When clairvoyance is used as a skill or talent, it manifests as an overall improvement in vision, including field of view, dynamic vision, and high-level clairvoyance can even see through and derive special effects such as future vision or seeing through other people's thoughts.
Merlin possesses three highest levels of clairvoyance, one of which is the EX-level clairvoyance - "Eye that Sees Through the World". Specifically, it means that he can see through everything in the contemporary era without going anywhere, and it is also called the "Eye of the Present".
According to a otaku who once possessed EX clairvoyance, Merlin's eyes are like sitting at home and browsing all the information circulating on the Internet called "the world". It is the least useful of the three EX-level clairvoyances.
Of course, when this otaku said this, he didn't know that Merlin was his spiritual sustenance, the online idol "Magical Girl Merlie" herself.
"Well, the more I think about it, the more possible it seems." Shinji said this and began to look around, searching for the gaze that was coming from somewhere.
His strange behavior made both Waver and Irisviel nervous. The former looked around like Shinji, while the latter set her sights on the king who had the closest relationship with Merlin.
"Saber."
"Well, Merlin is indeed someone who would do such a thing, and he has been punished by the knights for similar incidents many times before. But don't worry, Merlin can't leave Utopia, nor can he affect the real world."
"What a bad-humored fellow. Assassin's Master was right. He is indeed an old rogue." Rider laughed. "Saber, you are not as boring as I thought, to be able to tolerate such a person. I am becoming more and more curious about your wish."
After being led astray by Shinji, Rider finally brought the topic back to Saber.
Saber's wish is her kingly way and her pride. She admits that Archer, Rider, and Assassin are strong rivals, but their ideals are far from her own.
Archer's words made no sense at all. As for Rider and Assassin, she admitted that they both had the noble character of warriors, but that was just their personal desires after all. Compared to them, Saber believed that her wishes were more noble.
The Knight King raised his head firmly, looked directly at the three kings, and spoke.
"My wish is to save my hometown. I want to use the universal wishing machine to change the fate of Britain's destruction.
Silence fell once again in this outdoor courtyard.
The reason for the silence was similar to that a few minutes ago, yet subtly different.
"Knight King, I didn't hear you wrongly."
Rider was the first to speak, with a confused look on his face.
"You just said you want to 'change destiny'? Do you mean you want to overturn history?"
"Yes, even if this wish cannot be fulfilled even by miracles, if the Holy Grail is truly omnipotent, then it must..."
The atmosphere turned cold due to Saber's firm words. Assassin sighed, while Rider and Archer looked disappointed.
"Saber, let me confirm that the country called Britain perished during your time, right? It was during your reign."
"Right! That's why I can't forgive myself."
Saber felt somewhat angry at the reactions of the three people, and her tone of voice became impatient.
"That's why I feel regret and want to change the ending! Because I caused that ending..."
A burst of laughter suddenly broke out from the side.
It was an unbridled, rude, even vulgar laugh, and it came from Archer's twisted mouth.
Saber’s expression was tinged with anger due to the unbearable humiliation. Archer had trampled on the most noble territory in her soul.
"... Archer, what's so funny?"
Archer completely ignored Saber's anger and spoke incoherently while laughing until he was out of breath.
"... calling himself a king... a king praised by all the people... such a person actually feels 'regret'? Ha! How can this not make people laugh? Masterpiece! Saber, you are the best clown!"
Archer laughed so hard that his whole body trembled, unable to control himself. Rider beside him frowned, with an unhappy expression that was not usually seen on his face, and stared at Saber.
"Wait... Wait a minute, Knight King, do you want to deny the history you created?"
Saber had never questioned her ideals, and of course she never expected that someone would question her like this.
"Exactly! What's so surprising? What's so funny? Is it wrong to feel sad that the country for which I raised my sword and gave my life has been destroyed?"
"There's nothing wrong with feeling sad about the loss of your country, but—"
Before Scathach could finish her sigh, Archer's laughter rang out again.
"Hey, did you hear what she said, Rider? This little girl who claims to be the Knight King... actually said 'sacrifice for the country'?"
Rider remained silent for a while, ignoring Archer's laughter. The melancholy expression on his face became heavier. Rider's silence was as humiliating to Saber as being laughed at.
"What's so funny about this? Since you are a king, you should hope that the country you rule will always prosper!"
"No, you are wrong."
Rider firmly and seriously denied her words.
"It is not the king who sacrifices himself for the country, but the country and the people who sacrifice everything for the king. It should never be the other way around."
"What did you say... "
Saber's voice became hoarse from the uncontrollable anger.
"Isn't that a tyrant?"
"That's right. It's because we are tyrants that we are heroes."
Rider remained calm and responded in a peaceful manner.
"But Saber, if a king regrets the outcome of his rule over a country, he is just a tyrant, worse than a tyrant."
Unlike Archer who kept mocking Saber, Rider fundamentally denied her. Saber frowned and retorted in a sharp tone:
"Iskander, you are the same... Your heir was killed, and the empire you worked so hard to build was finally split into four pieces. Don't you feel any regret for such an ending? If you have the chance to do it again now, don't you think there is another way to save your homeland?"
"Won't."
Rider answered immediately, puffing out his chest and staring directly into the serious eyes of the King of Knights.
"If that is my decision or the way of life of my subjects who follow me, it will lead to such an outcome, then destruction is inevitable. I will mourn and shed tears for it, but I will never regret it."
"How so?"
"Not to mention overthrowing it all! Such a foolish act is an insult to all those who have created this era together with the king."
Saber denied Rider's arrogant statement.
"Only warriors would regard destruction as glory. The people would not think so. What they need is salvation..."
"You mean they want the king's salvation?"
Rider shrugged and laughed.
"I don't understand! What's the point of this?"
"This is the duty of a king!"
This time it was Saber's turn to speak loudly.
"Right rule and right order are what all subjects expect."
"So you are a slave to 'right'?"
"That doesn't matter. Only those who sacrifice for their ideals deserve to be kings."
The young Knight King nodded and said this, without a trace of hesitation in his tone.
"Through the king the people establish law and order. The king is not the embodiment of a phantom that perishes with him, but of something higher and more eternal."
Looking at the still resolute Saber, Rider shook his head as if pitying her.
"That's not how people live."
"Of course not. As a king, you can't expect the same lifestyle as ordinary people."
In order to become a perfect monarch, in order to become a person who realizes his ideals. The body gave up mortal nature and gained immortality, and the soul gave up private feelings and became a perfect person. The life of the girl Artoria ended the moment she pulled the sword of the king from the rock. After that, she was a legend called invincibility, a hymn, and a phantom.
She had experienced pain and trouble, but her pride far outweighed it. Her uncompromising faith still gave him strength and supported her sword-wielding hands.
"King of Conquerors, a person like you who only cares about yourself will never understand. You became a tyrant just to satisfy your endless desires!"
Saber shouted loudly, as if she had dealt a fatal blow to the enemy.
Rider opened his eyes suddenly upon hearing these words.
"A king without desires is not even as good as an ornament!"
Rider shouted, the ferocity in his words making his already massive body seem twice as large.
"Saber, you said 'sacrifice for ideals'. I see. You must have been an incorruptible and flawless saint in your lifetime. I'm sure your image must have been noble and inviolable. But who would have a vision or dream of such a path full of suffering? Even if a saint can comfort the people, he can never lead them. Only by showing concrete desires and respecting the ultimate glory can one lead the people and the country!"
After pouring a glass of wine into the cup and drinking it all, Rider continued to correct.
"A king is one who desires more than others, laughs crazier than others, is more furious than others, is both pure and turbid, and is more real than anyone else. It is because of this that the ministers look up to him and are fascinated by him. In the hearts of every citizen, the fire of longing to "I want to be king too" is ignited."
"What kind of justice is there in this kind of governance?"
"There is no justice. The kingly way has no justice, so there is no regret."
Rider’s words were so arbitrary that Saber trembled with anger.
What is the happiness of the people? On this basic concept, the gap between the two is too big.
On one hand, I pray for peace.
On one hand, there is the hope for prosperity.
The king who hopes to pacify the troubled times and the king who caused the troubled times himself naturally cannot have the same ideas.
Rider smiled fearlessly and continued.
"King of Knights, perhaps the banner of justice and ideals you held high once saved your country and your subjects. That must have been a great cause that would have made you famous in legends. But you should also know very well what the fate of those who 'only knew how to be saved' would be in the end?"
"You...what did you say?"
At dusk, the hills are stained with blood.
That scene flashed through Saber’s mind again.
"You always 'save' your subjects, but never 'guide' them. You have never shown the 'desire of a king', abandoning your lost subjects. You are just a person who is eager to realize those small and beautiful ideals with a sacred attitude. So you are not a real king, but just a little girl who is bound by the image of a king who lives not for himself but for others."
"I... "
She had a thousand things to say in reply, but every time she opened her mouth, the view from the hills of Camlan would reappear before her.
The endless mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. The lives that ended there were all her subjects, friends and relatives.
Thinking carefully, she had heard the prophecy when she pulled out the sword from the stone. The prophecy said that the future would be a sign of destruction, and she should have been mentally prepared for it.
But even if you have already realized it.
Once she witnessed that scene with her own eyes, she couldn't help but think about it and couldn't help but have the urge to pray.
A completely different possibility that could even overturn the magician's prediction. She thought to herself, if there is such a possibility...
A dangerous thought appeared as if it seeped into the void in Saber’s heart.
If I had not protected Britain as a savior, but had ravaged Britain as a tyrant...
A chaotic world will only become more chaotic because of war. Moreover, this is not the way of kingship that she respects. No matter from what perspective, this is not the way that the young girl Altria would choose.
But if I really did that, which side would be the real tragedy compared to the Kamran Hill
"...!"
At this moment, Saber suddenly heard the sound of something falling to the ground, which pulled her consciousness back from the entanglement in her heart.
When I looked back, I found Irisviel collapsed on the ground, shaking all over.