I'm Shenji, what are you doing?

silence.

There was a long silence.

The three kings Archer, Rider, and Saber sat motionless, not even drinking.

Scathach, who had caused this period of silence, silently poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip.

Finally, Rider took a long breath and broke the silence.

"Honestly, Assassin, I have only lived for 33 years. There are still many dreams that have not been realized and many scenery that I have not seen. I can't understand your thoughts at all. Archer, what about you? I remember that you seemed to have If you have pursued eternity, you should at least be able to understand it a little bit."

"Silly question, Rider." Archer narrowed his slender eyes, "If I got eternity, I wouldn't appear here. I won't comment on Assassin's wishes. What I'm interested in is just the things in this world. Things, things outside the world, I don’t care about, let alone be interested in.”

Rider turned his head to the other side.

"What about you Saber?"

"No. Although my body stopped growing after pulling out the Sword in the Stone, I did not gain eternity. Maybe Merlin can understand."

"Merlin, the sage of Britain and the great magician?"

Hearing Saber's answer, Scathach nodded and shook his head.

"His situation is similar to mine, but there are fundamental differences. He is a hybrid of human and nightmare. Although he looks human, his mental structure and characteristics are closer to those of nightmares. This is also where his immortality comes from. He may not necessarily Understandable, no, it should be said that he is not interested in this aspect. How should I describe this person——"

"—an old gangster."

"Yes, it's an old--er, Master!"

When Scathach was considering his words, Shinji blurted out, almost leading Scathach astray. Scathach couldn't help but glare at Shenji.

"Don't glare at me, Merlin is just an old gangster." Shen Er touched his nose and bowed to the other three kings, "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend these kings, I just couldn't help it."

"It doesn't matter." Rider waved his hand with pride and majesty, "The king's words should be listened to by all the people, and the king should also listen to the words of all names. Master of Assassin, remember you call yourself Kusuo Saiki, right? Tell me your opinion. .”

"I also want to hear what modern people say about Merlin. Tell me, Mr. Kusuo Saiki." Saber agreed.

"Thank you for your generosity."

Shinji bowed again. Enough superficial etiquette can save you a lot of trouble. He never insists on such insignificant details, and he has no ego-centered ideas.

"Relying on his clairvoyance and nightmare characteristics, he keeps looking into other people's privacy all day long. Isn't he an old gangster or something? Maybe he is staring at this place with his clairvoyance now, enjoying himself secretly."

When clairvoyance is used as a skill or talent, it manifests as an overall improvement in vision, including field of vision and dynamic vision. High-level clairvoyance can even see through, derive special effects such as future vision or see through other people's thoughts.

Merlin possesses the three highest levels of clairvoyance, one of the EX level clairvoyance - the "Eye that Sees Through the World", which can see through all phenomena of the same era without going anywhere, also known as the "Eye of the Present".

According to a certain otaku who also had EX clairvoyance, Merlin's eyes are like sitting at home browsing all the information circulating on this network called "The World". It is the most useless of the three EX-level clairvoyances. .

Of course, when this nerd said this, he didn’t know that Merlin was his spiritual support network idol “Magical Girl Mei Li” herself.

"Well, the more I think about it, the more it seems possible." With that said, Shenji began to look around, looking for the gaze coming from nowhere.

His strange behavior made both Waver and Irisviel nervous. The former looked around like Shinji, while the latter focused on the king who had the closest relationship with Merlin.

"Saber."

"Well, Merlin is indeed someone who can do this kind of thing. He has been punished by knights many times for similar incidents before. But don't worry, Merlin cannot leave Utopia, nor can he affect the present world."

"What a wicked guy. The master of Assassin is right, he is indeed an old gangster." Rider laughed loudly, "If you can tolerate such a person, Saber, you are not as boring as I thought. I am getting more and more I’m curious about your wish.”

After being led astray by Shinji, Rider finally brought the topic to Saber.

Saber's wish is her royal way, and it is her pride. She admitted that Archer, Rider, and Assassin were strong rivals, but their ideals were far from her own.

What Archer said didn't make sense at all. As for Rider and Assassin, she admitted that both of them had the nobility of warriors, but after all, they were just based on personal desires. Compared to them, Saber believes that her wishes are nobler.

The King of Knights firmly raised his head and looked directly at the three kings and spoke.

"My wish is to save my hometown, and I want to use the universal wishing machine to change the fate of Britain's destruction.

Silence once again fell on this outdoor courtyard,

The reason for the silence was similar to a few minutes ago, but it was subtly different.

"King of Knights, I must have heard wrongly."

Rider was the first to speak, with a confused expression on his face.

"You just said you wanted to 'change destiny'? Did you mean to overturn history?"

"That's right, even if this wish cannot even be fulfilled by a miracle, if the Holy Grail is truly omnipotent, then it must..."

The scene turned cold due to Saber's firm words, Assassin sighed, and Rider and Archer looked disappointed.

"Saber, let me confirm that the country called Britain perished in your time, when you ruled."

"That's right! That's why I can't forgive myself."

Saber felt a little angry at the three people's reactions, and her tone of voice couldn't help but become irritable.

"That's why I feel regretful and want to change that ending! Because I caused that ending..."

A burst of laughter suddenly broke out next to him.

It was a burst of unbridled, rude, and even vulgar laughter, and this laughter came from Archer's twisted mouth.

The unbearable humiliation colored Saber's expression with anger. Archer trampled on the most noble area in her soul.

"...Archer, what's so funny about this?"

Archer completely ignored Saber's anger and spoke intermittently while laughing out of breath.

"...the self-proclaimed king...the king praised by all the people...such a person actually feels 'regret'? Ha! How can this make people not laugh? What a masterpiece! Saber, you are the best clown!"

Archer laughed so hard that he couldn't control himself. Rider, who was beside him, frowned and looked at Saber with an expression of displeasure that was not usually seen on his face.

"Wait... wait a minute, King of Knights, do you want to deny the history you created?"

Saber has never had any doubts about her ideals, and of course she never expected that someone would question her like this now.

"Exactly! What's so surprising? What's so funny? Is there anything wrong with feeling sad that the country I raised my sword for and sacrificed my life for has perished?"

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling sorry for your country’s demise, but—”

Before Scathach could sigh, Archer's laughter rang out again.

"Hey, did you hear what she said, Rider? This little girl who claims to be the King of Knights... actually said 'sacrifice yourself for your country'?"

Rider remained silent for a while, ignoring Archer who was laughing wildly, and 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, of course you should hope that the country you govern will always prosper!"

"No, you're wrong."

Rider firmly and seriously denied her words.

"It is not that the king devotes himself to the country, but that the country and the people dedicate everything to the king. It should never be the other way around."

"What did you say……"

Saber's voice became hoarse with uncontrollable anger.

"Isn't that a tyrant?"

"Exactly. Just because we are tyrants, we are heroes."

Rider responded calmly without changing his expression.

"But Saber, if any king would regret the outcome of his rule of the country, he would be a coward, worse than a tyrant."

Unlike Archer who constantly mocked Saber, Rider fundamentally rejected her. Saber frowned and retorted in a sharp tone:

"Iskandar, isn't it the same for you...the heir was killed, and the empire that you worked so hard to build was finally split into four pieces. Don't you feel any regret at all about this ending? If you still have the chance to do it again now , don’t you think there are other ways to save the motherland?”

"Won't."

Rider answered immediately. He held out his chest and stared directly into the serious eyes of the King of Knights.

"If that is the outcome of my decision or the way of life of the subjects who follow me, then destruction is inevitable. I will mourn this and shed tears, but I will never regret it."

"how come?"

"Let alone overthrow all of this! This stupid behavior is an insult to all those who jointly created the era with this king."

Regarding Rider's arrogant declaration, Saber denied it.

"Only warriors regard destruction as glory. People don't 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 kind of thing?"

"This is the duty of a king!"

This time it was Saber's turn to speak loudly.

"Correct rule and correct order are the expectations of all subjects."

"Are you the 'right' slave then?"

"That's okay. Only those who sacrifice for their ideals deserve to be king."

The young knight king nodded and said without any hesitation in his tone.

"The people pass law and order through the king. The king embodies not a phantom that will perish with the king, but something more sublime and eternal."

Looking at Saber who was still determined, Rider shook his head as if he pitied her.

"That's simply not how 'human' lives."

"Of course not. Since you are a king, you cannot expect the lifestyle of ordinary people."

In order to become a perfect monarch, in order to become a person who realizes his ideals. The body gives up its mortal nature to gain immortality, and the mind gives up its personal feelings and becomes a perfect human being. The life of the girl Arturia ended the moment she pulled the Sword of King Selection from the rock. After that, she became a legend called undefeated, a hymn, and a phantom.

She had had pain and troubles, but the pride she had was far greater than that. The uncompromising belief still gives him strength and supports her sword-wielding hands.

"King of Conquerors, people like you who only care about yourself will not understand. You became the overlord just to satisfy your endless desires!"

Saber shouted loudly, as if she had struck a fatal blow to the enemy.

Rider's eyes suddenly opened when he heard this.

"The king who has no desires and demands is not even worth a decoration!"

Rider shouted, the ferocity in his words making his already huge body look twice as big.

"Saber, you said "sacrifice for your ideals." I see. You should have been an honest and flawless saint during your lifetime. Your image must have been noble and inviolable. But who would treat such a life full of suffering? Do you have visions and dreams? Even if a saint can appease the people, he can never lead the people. Only by showing specific desires and respecting the ultimate glory can he lead the people and the country!"

After pouring a glass of wine and drinking it down, Rider continued to correct him.

"The so-called king means one who has more desires than others, laughs crazier than others, is more angry than others, is both pure and turbid, and is more real than anyone else. It is because of this that the ministers will make the ministers look up to them and be fascinated by the king. In every moment, Only then will the fire of vision "I also want to be a king" be ignited in the hearts of the people."

“What kind of justice is there in this kind of governance?”

"There is no justice, there is no justice in the royal way, so there is no regret."

Rider's words were so arbitrary that Saber was shaking with rage.

What is the happiness of the people. On this basic concept, the gap between the two is really too big.

One side is praying for stability.

On the one hand, there is hope for prosperity.

The king who hopes to calm down the troubled times and the king who caused the troubled times by himself cannot have the same ideals.

Rider showed a fearless smile and continued.

"King of Knights, perhaps the banner of justice and ideals you held high once saved your country and its subjects. That must have been a great cause enough for you to leave your name in the legend. But you should also It’s very clear, what will happen to those people who ‘only know how to be saved’?”

"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 you don't 'guide' them. You have never shown the 'king's desire' and left your lost subjects behind. You are just a person with a sacred attitude, eager to realize those small ideals. So you Not a true king, just a little girl bound by the image of a king who lives not for herself but only for others."

"I……"

She had a thousand words to say in reply, but every time she spoke, the scenery she had overlooked on the hills of Camlan resurfaced before her eyes.

The endless mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. The lives that ended there were once her courtiers, friends and relatives.

If she thought about it carefully, she had heard the prophecy before when she pulled out the sword from the stone. It was predicted that the future would be a sign of destruction, and he should have been mentally prepared for it.

But even if there is awareness.

Once she witnessed that scene with her own eyes, she couldn't help but think about it and have the thought of praying.

A completely different possibility could even overturn the magician's prediction. She thought to herself that if there was such a possibility...

A dangerous imagination seemed to seep into the void in Saber's heart.

What if instead of protecting Britain as a savior, I suppress Britain as a overlord...

Troubled times will only become more chaotic because of war. Moreover, this is not the royal way she respects. No matter what angle you stand on, this is not the way that young Altria would choose.

However, if I really do this, compared with the Kamlan Hill, which side is the real tragedy...

"...!"

At this time, Saber suddenly heard the sound of something falling to the ground, which brought her consciousness back from the entanglement in her heart.

Looking back, he found Irisviel slumped on the ground, trembling all over.