Declaration of war
"My name is Iskandar, King of the Conquerors. I am a participant in this Holy Grail War and received the class of Rider."
Drako was already expecting this, but the rest were truly amazed. This was normal, as, in the Holy Grail War, no Servant would have declared his identity as it could be a key component in his battle plans. Meanwhile, the most agitated person was Waver, who was sitting next to Rider.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, you stupid idiot?"
With his fear of Rider's enormous body forgotten in the confusion, Waver shouted at Rider as he held on to the mantle of the King of Conquerors.
Rider struck a finger on Waver's forehead, which made his protests disappear.
"Master!"
Mordred left Artoria and Irisviel to return to Drako's side. She completely ignored Rider, though he didn't care much for her, as he was more concerned about the implication of the way Mordred had used to call Drako.
This boy who had killed Lancer was not a Servant, but a Master?
Besides, who was the real Saber then, the person in heavy armor or the girl in light armor?
Well, that was something to think about later.
"You fight each other to get the Holy Grail... Before you cross your weapons, I want to ask you something. I don't know what expectations you have of the Holy Grail. But now, consider for a moment whether your desires are even greater than the desire to possess all the earth and the heavens."
Although Artoria did not yet understand what he was saying, her instincts told her that those words were full of danger. Her pupils widened involuntarily.
"You... What do you mean?"
"Hum? I was quite clear."
Rider had retained his dignity by this time, but his voice was much more gentle and friendly.
"I have descended upon the battlefield, so do you not intend to obtain the Holy Grail for me? If you did, I would consider you my friends, and share in the joy of conquering the world."
"…"
It was such an astonishing suggestion. Artoria was stunned before she even had a chance to feel anger. On the other hand, Mordred was also stunned and speechless.
Alexander, King of the Conquerors. He is certainly an extraordinary Heroic Spirit. There is nobody else like him in the history of mankind, so full of eagerness to manifest his ambition to conquer the world.
But, even so, what about Rider's suggestion? Coming suddenly, proudly declaring his true name and demanding from others' respects before showing his courage in battle: all those actions made it seem that he did not intend to join the war for the Holy Grail.
This attitude did not surprise Drako. This was the extraordinary outgoing personality of Iskandar, always direct and sincere about his goals. A man who deserved the respect of everyone who knew him.
"Conquer the world? I'm sorry, that's a very complicated task for me. I prefer to spend my days in peace with my family. I admire your audacity in declaring your identity right now, however... I will not consent to your proposals."
Iskandar turned to look at Drako, who was smiling as he looked at him.
"I will destroy the Holy Grail; that is my reason for intervening in this war. And none of the Servants will be able to stop me. Whoever attempts to do so will suffer the same fate as Lancer."
Drako raised his voice, ensuring that all present heard his words. Except for Caster and his Master, all the other Masters and Servants were here listening. Raising his aura to its highest level, which had increased since he had killed Lancer, his presence alone seemed to be able to crush the air. All the people who were not Servants found it difficult to breathe for the seconds that this statement lasted.
Was this the aura that a Master should have, and how could a human intimidate Servants of the rank of Iskandar or Artoria in this way?
This was Drako's official declaration, his declaration of war to all Servants and Masters of this Holy Grail War.
"Does that mean you are rejecting me?"
Rider's smile did not fade as he asked Drako. The words Drako had spoken did not seem to have diminished Rider's ambitions. After all, he didn't care much about the Holy Grail, as this was only the first step in his conquest of the entire world.
"Enough!"
The one who interrupted was Artoria, who was outraged by Iskandar's proposal.
"I am that lord who rules over Britain. No matter what kind of king one is, one could never bow to another lord."
"Saber?!"
Irisviel exclaimed with concern and disbelief. Basically, Artoria had left her identity uncovered.
"It doesn't matter; that boy already knows my identity. From the moment that person appeared, it was impossible to hide my identity. Moreover, it is counterproductive to do so, as he may tell the other Masters my identity, and then I will have to fight them while I think my identity is still unknown. Besides, I am confident in my abilities to win any battle, even if my identity is discovered."
Irisviel sighed. Listening to Artoria's words, she seemed to be right. However, at least she could have hidden her name a little longer. Now the Holy Grail War was getting a little out of control.
But Artoria wasn't the only one who was willing to show her identity.
"Since father has no problem showing himself, how can her heir be less than she is?"
Mordred's helmet recoiled as she said those words, showing a face identical to Artoria's.
"I am Mordred Pendragon, the only legitimate son of Arthur Pendragon."
She presented herself proudly, even sticking out her chest (though it couldn't be seen because of the heavy armor).
"Oh? The King of Britain? And also The Knight of Treachery?"
Rider showed interest in Artoria's statements and raised his eyebrows.
"What a fantastic combination. The renowned King of Knights and The Knight of Treachery are actually two young girls."
Mordred no longer cared so much about that comment, even though her reaction would have been very different four years ago. At the time, she was even willing to attack her Master when Tiamat made a similar comment.
"And would you like to try the blade of that young girl, King of Conquerors?"
Artoria raised her sword as she lowered her voice. The fighting spirit that came vibrating from the edge was more solemn and majestic than when she fought Mordred.
Rider raised his eyebrows and let out a long sigh.
"Wow, so this is the break in the negotiations. What a waste, that's so wrong."
When Iskandar looked down and mumbled to himself, he found the hateful look that watched him from beneath his feet.
"Ri, de, eeeer.... "
He still had the pain of his swollen forehead, but his mortification was more tragic than his pain. Waver's voice passed roughly through the air.
"Now what? Talking over and over about conquest, and people still dislike you... Do you really think you can beat those three?"
The burly Servant faced his Master's question with no sign of remorse, and he began to laugh vigorously.
"Er, well, wasn't there a saying that actions speak louder than words?"
"And your action is just shouting your real name like that!"
Drako took advantage of this moment of confusion to observe Rider's stats.
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[Iskandar]
Race: Human/Servant
Status: Normal
Lv: 50/100
Strength: 6731
Defense: 8413
Magic: 5048
Agility: 3365
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Waver was so upset that his head was spinning. Using his two weak fists, he began to hammer on Rider's dungarees, who was standing there, and began to shed tears. Looking at this sad situation, Irisviel felt neither contempt nor sympathy. She just felt that she couldn't take it anymore.
The atmosphere had relaxed slightly...
"Oh? It's you of all people."
...and suddenly became tense again with the low, resentful voice that crackled on the ground.