After Saber finished speaking resolutely, everyone was silent for a long time.
Illya first put down the wine glass she had been holding and gently pushed it in front of Saber.
After being cut off from the supply of magic power, the wine glass condensed by pure magic power could no longer be maintained and slowly dissipated into the air.
Seeing Saber looking at her with some confusion, Illya frowned.
"Don't you understand? That's what you're doing!"
Rider nodded in confusion at Illya's actions, and then when he turned his attention to Saber, his face was full of doubts.
"You mean to 'change destiny'? In other words, to overturn history?"
"Yes. No matter how difficult the wish is to come true, as long as you have the almighty Holy Grail, it will surely come true..."
Saber proudly asserted. Now Saber finally knows why the atmosphere in these people is so strange... The scene suddenly turned cold.
Finally Rider scratched his chin and asked again:
"Ah, Saber? I want to confirm...the destruction of Britain should have happened in your time, right? Was it when you ruled?"
"Yes! So I can't forgive myself."
Saber's tone became firmer upon hearing this.
"So I am very unwilling and want to change that ending! Because I caused that ending..."
Then the Hero King's mocking voice and Illya's sigh sounded at the same time.
Saber was instantly filled with anger when she laughed at Archer. That vulgar laughter that didn't care about any understanding was mocking the things she cherished the most. Saber couldn't understand Illya's sigh at all, although she knew that Illya was sighing.
The target is herself, but she doesn't understand the reason.
"Saber, do you not understand? Or do you not want to understand? As a king, can't you even understand that level of hints?"
Seeing how "simple" Saber is, Illya felt helpless and regretful.
At this time, Archer even laughed and said intermittently:
"... Claiming to be a king... Being praised by all the people... Such a person can actually be 'unwilling'? Ha! How can this make people not laugh? What a masterpiece! Saber, you are the best clown!"
On the other side of Archer who kept laughing, Illya lowered her head directly, not wanting to see Saber's next expression. Rider also frowned and stared at Saber with some displeasure.
"Wait... just wait! King of Knights, do you want to deny the history you created?"
Saber, who has never had any doubts about her ideals, will naturally not be put off by him at this moment.
"Exactly. Is it surprising? Is it ridiculous? As a king, the country I dedicated my life for has been destroyed. What's wrong with me mourning?"
What answered her was Archer's burst of laughter and Illya's unflattering sneer.
"Hey, did you hear that? Rider, holy! This little girl who calls herself the Knight King... actually said something about 'sacrifice for the country'!"
"Yes! As a king, he naturally becomes a subordinate of his subjects. This is unprecedented and unheard of."
After hearing this, Rider gradually fell into a deep silence, brewing some thoughts in his heart.
To Saber, this is the same insult as being laughed at.
"I don't understand what's so funny. As a king, you should naturally stand up and work hard for the prosperity of your country!"
"you are wrong."
The rider firmly and seriously denied her words.
"It's not the king who sacrifices himself, but the country and the people who dedicate everything to the king. Don't get it wrong."
"What did you say……"
Saber could no longer suppress her anger and shouted loudly.
"Well! Don't get excited Saber!"
At this moment, Illya stopped Saber's anger.
"Don't get excited yet! Think about it carefully first. As a king, you are a subordinate of the 'country', and they, as the masters of the 'country', and of course me, the symbol of the 'country'..."
As she spoke, Illya pointed at the rider and archer.
"In different ways, what did you get? Rider got the trust of the soldiers, Archer got the wealth of the world, although I was just a puppet, I still got people's faith, what about you, Saber? What you got
What is it?"
Looking directly at Saber, Illya said something that made her heart shake.
"Is it the blind worship of the people? Or is it the betrayal of my knights?!"
"No! No... As a 'king', you should not only think about what you want to get from the people, but what you can give to the people!"
Although Illya's question made Saber a little shaken, Saber still categorically denied it with her own ideas. After that, she looked at Rider and Archer and said seriously:
"Besides... isn't that a tyrant! Rider, archer, it's a huge mistake for you to be kings like this!"
"Indeed. But we are not only tyrants, but also heroes."
The rider replied calmly, without even moving an eyebrow.
"So Saber, if a king is dissatisfied with the results of his governance of the country, it only means that he is a foolish king, worse than a tyrant."
Unlike Illya, who had other ideas, and Archer, who kept laughing at Saber, Rider fundamentally rejected her. Saber frowned and retorted in a sharp tone:
"Iskandar, you...the empire you created was eventually split into four parts. Are you really not at all unwilling to do so?! Don't you want to do it all over again to save the country?"
"In no mood."
The Conqueror King immediately replied, holding his chest out and looking directly into the Knight King's stern eyes.
"If my decision and my ministers lead to such a result, then destruction is inevitable. I will mourn and shed tears, but I will never regret it."
"how come……"
Saber was a little unbelievable, and what Ilia said next was even more unheard of by her.
"Innocent Saber! Did you know! The king can be the creator of the country, but he cannot be the sustainer of the country. As kings, although we can influence the temporary destiny of the country, the final destiny will be determined by the country.
You decide for yourself. And our responsibility is only to lead the destiny. Do you think a 'king' can really bear so much?"
"That's right! That's it! So let alone trying to subvert history! This kind of stupid behavior is an insult to all humans in the era I built!"
Regarding Rider's proud words, Saber denied:
"No! That's absolutely not the case! People don't think so, what they need is salvation!"
"You mean they want the king's salvation?"
The 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 proudly:
"Correct rule and correct order are what all subjects expect."
"Are you the 'right' slave then?"
"You can say so. Only those who devote themselves to their ideals are worthy of being king."
Without a trace of doubt, the young knight king nodded.
"People can understand law and order through the king. What the king embodies should not be something that will disappear with the death of the king, but something more noble."
Looking at Saber who was still determined, Rider on the side shook his head as if he pitied her.
"This is not the path of survival that people would choose."
"Yes. Since you are born a king, you cannot expect to live like an ordinary person."
In order to become the perfect monarch and the embodiment of the ideal, she was willing to give up her body and throw away her personal feelings. The life of the girl named Artoria completely changed the moment she pulled the sword out of the rock.
Since then, she has become an undefeated legend, synonymous with hymns and dreams.
There have been pains and worries, but they contain the glory of victory. Her unchanging faith still supports her arm holding the sword.
"King of Conquerors, a person like you who only cares about yourself will not understand my beliefs. You are just an overlord who has been carried away by lust!"
Saber shouted sharply. Rider immediately opened his eyes after being scolded.
"A king without sex is worse than a vase."
The rider's angry shouts and his huge body make him look even more terrifying.
At this time, Illya raised her hand to signal to Rider and took over the topic.
"Saber, let me ask you, what is the true meaning of existence as a human being? Isn't it just to realize one's own desires? Isn't the king no longer a human being? A king who gives up all his desires is still a human being.
?As a non-human being with no self-interest, don’t you think it’s a complete joke to go and rule the human kingdom?”
"You're right! But it's not that I don't have a passion. My passion is to fight for the people's ideals, even if the cost is my life!"
Illya's words were interpreted by Saber as something else, and Illya could only helplessly shake her head and say nothing more.
"Saber, you just said 'sacrifice yourself for your ideals'. Indeed, you used to be an incorruptible saint, so holy that no one can match it. But who is willing to expect to be martyred for their ideals? And who would think about the so-called saint day and night?
, can only appease the people, but cannot guide them. Only by displaying the glory and praising the glory to the extreme can the country and the people be guided to the right path."
Seeing Illya's speechless silence, after draining the glass of wine, the Conqueror King continued to correct him.
"As a king, you must have stronger passion than anyone else, be bolder than anyone else, and be more irritable than anyone else. He should be a human being that contains both purity and turbidity, and is more real than anyone else. Only
In this way, the ministers will be impressed by the king, and the people will have the vision of 'It would be great if I were the king' in their hearts!"
"With this kind of governance...then where is the justice?"
"Justice? Why don't you discuss it with the relatives of the enemies who were killed by you, your army, your knights, and your soldiers? Discuss it with the people you conquered by force? And those who fought for
Let’s talk about your so-called ‘people’s ideals’ that are forced to be sacrificed?! Justice? How much is this thing worth to the king?”
Illya sneered at the justice in Saber's words. Originally, there were only interests between countries and kings. In the final analysis, the so-called "justice" was just a slogan used to cover up interests.
"Yes! What kind of messy justice? No! There is no so-called justice in the way of a king, so there is no regret."
"..."
Saber was extremely angry at the two people's straightforward conclusion.
Although they are both kings, their ideals are very different.
One side is praying for peace.
On one side is hope for prosperity.
The king of knights and the king of conquerors, the king who suppresses troubled times and the king who starts wars, naturally their ideals cannot be the same.
Illya is forced to become a king, and she is still the kind of king whose symbolic meaning is greater than its actual meaning, so she cannot agree with Saber's philosophy of doing whatever it takes for the people's ideals.
The rider smiled and said cheerfully.
"O king who bears the name of a knight. Your justice and ideals may have saved the country and the people for a while, so your name will be praised to this day. However, what will happen to those who are saved?
You don’t know, right?”
"What did you say?"
Blood-stained sunset hills.
That scene revived in Saber's mind again.
"You blindly 'save' your subjects, but never 'guide' them. They don't know what the 'King's **' is. You leave your lost subjects, but you use a sacred attitude to save yourself.
That kind of petty ideal intoxication.
So you are not a qualified king. You just want to be a 'king' who cares for the people, and you are just a little girl who has tied herself up in order to become that kind of idol."
"I……"
There are many things I want to say to refute, but every time I speak, the scene I once witnessed in Cam Ranh Bay comes to mind.
Corpses were strewn across the fields, and rivers of blood were lying there. Lying there were her courtiers, her friends, and her relatives.
"Have you remembered? King Arthur! We don't need to explain what happened to you in the end!"
Looking at Saber's somewhat stunned look, Illya knew the scene she could imagine.
"...I...um?"
Unexpectedly, Saber felt a chill, which brought her back to reality from her thoughts.
That's Archer's sight.
The golden servant had left Saber in the hands of Rider and Illya from just now. He was sitting on the side drinking wine leisurely. His crimson eyes looked at her carefully at some point.
He didn't speak, and you couldn't tell what his intentions were from his eyes, but there was an aura of lust in his eyes, as if a snake was crawling up his body, making people feel humiliated and unhappy.
"...archer, why are you looking at me?"
"Ah, I'm just admiring your distressed expression."
Archer's smile was unexpectedly gentle, but also made people feel extremely frightened.
"I like the expression of a virgin scattering flowers on the couch."
"you……"
Regarding the lust for women contained in Archer's words that were spoken in a matter-of-fact tone, Illya frowned slightly in disgust without knowing it. Perhaps this was because of Illya as a woman.
A subconscious reaction of disgust. After all, although the 5,000 souls merged are soul fragments without memory and consciousness, the original part of the girl who is the real Illya Allen Stein Trembel
Except for the part of her personality that has dissipated, all the rest of her soul has been fused. Although she has always been the leader of the soul and the other party's soul will no longer have the possibility of recovery, there is still a certain possibility
of potential impact.
In response, Saber smashed the cup to the ground without hesitation, her face filled with uncontrollable anger.
But what made everyone change their expressions in the next second was not Saber's anger.
After a while, Irisviel and Waver also noticed something strange in the surrounding air. Although they couldn't see it, they could feel a very strong killing intent on their skin.
Strange white objects appeared in the atrium illuminated by the moonlight. One after another, pale features appeared in the atrium like flowers blooming. The paleness was the color of cold, dry bones.
Skeleton mask and black robe. The deserted atrium was gradually surrounded by this weird group.
assassin…
Illya, Rider and Waver were not the only ones who knew that they were still alive. Saber and Irisviel also learned this during their conversation with Kiritsugu in Warehouse Street.
The assassin was not just the one who was killed at the Tohsaka Residence. The fact is that there were many assassins involved in this Holy Grail War, but the number was too high to be normal. They all wore masks and black robes,
The physiques also vary. Some are giant, some are thin, some are short like a child, and some have a woman's figure.
"...You did this, right? archer."
Archer shrugged innocently.
"Who knows, I don't have to understand those bastards' minds."
Hearing what Archer said, Illya knew that this matter had nothing to do with him, because no matter what, it was impossible for a "king" to do such a sneaky thing.
"Could it be that... we have been monitored by these guys to this day?"
Irisviel murmured in pain, and Saber couldn't help but shudder. Although Illya had already been informed of Assassin's spying before, and knew that the other party was not strong enough. But they were able to approach secretly, and there were many people, even if she was
The one with the strongest combat power among the servants is also a considerable threat. Therefore, the two of them still feel a deep chill.
"Well...it's a mess."
Seeing the enemy approaching gradually, Weber let out a sigh that was almost a scream. He couldn't understand that this completely exceeded the rules of the Holy Grail War.
"What's going on?! Why are the assassins coming one after another...Isn't there only one servant for each class?!"
Seeing the miserable appearance of their prey, the assassins couldn't help but smile evilly.
"...You are right, we are servants who regard the whole as an individual, and the individuals are just shadows of the whole."
Facing the arrogant speeches of the assassins, Illya just felt deeply disrespectful.
"It's so annoying! The damn rat seems to have sneaked in after the barrier was broken... It's true! This is a rare banquet..."
As she spoke, Illya glared fiercely at the culprit who broke the barrier and the indirect destroyer of the banquet - the Conqueror King Rider.
Faced with Illya's resentful glare, Rider just scratched his hair without any remorse and continued to drink wine leisurely. Then a small little one was welcomed on his calf tibia.
Toe of shoe.
"Uh... Miss, you don't have to be so cruel to me. I know it's my fault, but it's already happened, right? Then don't involve me anymore! It's not like I want it to be like this.
!”
"Solve the trouble you caused yourself!"
Illya simply ignored Rider's words and directly asked him to take responsibility for the matter in front of him.
"...ri...rider, hey, hey..."
At this time, even Weber shouted uneasily, but Rider still did not take any action. He looked at the Assassins around him, his eyes still calm and composed.
"Hey kid, don't be so embarrassed. There are guests at the banquet, so you can still drink the wine."
"How do they look like guests!? Is this your solution?"
Illya couldn't understand Rider's behavior at all, and her face immediately turned gloomy.
Looking at Illya raising the toe of her shoe again, Rider sighed with a wry smile, and then facing the assassins surrounding him, he greeted with a dull expression like a fool:
"Let me tell you, can you please restrain your ghost spirit? My friend is frightened by you."
Illya thought she had heard wrongly, Saber looked in disbelief, and even Archer frowned.
"Do you still want to invite them to the table? King of Conquerors."
"Of course! The king's speech should be heard by all the people. Since someone comes specifically to listen, it doesn't matter whether they are enemies or friends."
The rider said calmly, scooped out the red wine from the bottle with a spoon, and stretched it out to the assassins.
"Come, don't be polite. If you want to drink together, just come and get the cup. This wine is with your blood."
"Whoops" - a sound that penetrated the air answered Rider. At the same time, Ilia shook her head helplessly and softly cursed "Idiot".
Only the handle of the spoon was left in the rider's hand, and part of the spoon had fallen to the ground. This was done by one of the Assassins, and the wine in the spoon was scattered on the floor of the atrium.
"..."
The rider looked down at the wine scattered on the ground speechlessly. The skull masks seemed to be mocking him and laughed.
"...Don't say I didn't remind you."
The rider's tone was still calm, but it was clear that the feeling inside had changed. The only ones who noticed this change were the three people who drank with him before.
"I said, 'this wine' is 'your blood'... right? Since you let it spill on the ground casually, then I will..."
Before he finished speaking, a whirlwind roared up.
"Oh! If you offend the idiot, someone will be in trouble!"
Upon seeing this, Ilia immediately became excited, condensed a magic wine glass, filled it with wine, and waited to watch the show.
The wind was hot and dry, as if it wanted to burn everything. This was not like the wind in the forest at night, or in the courtyard of the castle - this wind simply came from the desert, roaring in my ears.
Feeling sand entering his mouth, Weber quickly spat. Illya even arranged a barrier to prevent the sand from flying into the wine. This was indeed sand. It was brought by the strange wind. It really wasn't originally there.
Possible hot sand.
"Saber, holy, and archer, the last question of the banquet...is the king aloof?"
Rider, who was standing in the center of the hot wind, asked. Looking at the cloak flying on his shoulders, I don't know when he had put on the attire that a conquering king should have.
Ilia shook her head and answered silently, because she didn't like this question. Having spent thousands of years alone, she hated the emotion called loneliness.
Archer laughed out loud. There was no need to ask, so he answered with silence.
Saber did not hesitate. If her belief was shaken, it would be a denial of the daily life she spent as a king.
"The king... is naturally aloof."
The rider laughed loudly. As if in response to the laughter, the whirlwind became more powerful.
"No, doesn't it mean there is no answer? Today I will teach you what a true king is!"
The unknown hot wind erodes the present world, and then subverts it.
In this strange phenomenon that occurred at night, distance and location have lost their meaning. The dry wind carrying hot sand changed everything it went.
"Why, how could this happen..."
Waver and Irisviel exclaimed... This is a phenomenon that only those who know magic can understand.
Ignoring the two's exclamations, Illya looked around with interest.
"Oh! This is the inherent barrier..."
However, Illya was only interested in the magic principles. Origin-Logic was immediately summoned by her, and she quickly conducted a magic analysis on the rider's inherent barrier.
The sun is scorching the earth, the sky is clear, and the horizon is blurred by gravel. There is no obstruction anywhere in the field of vision.
This chapter has been completed!