Ch 13

"To your own subjects, you merely save them without guiding them, failing to demonstrate the desire of a true king. You abandon your lost subjects and appear righteous, intoxicated by your seemingly perfect ideals. Therefore, you are not a true 'king,' but merely a girl who is bound by the idol called 'king,' who exists not for herself but for others."

"I..."

Saber had many words to refute, but every time she opened her mouth, she would see the scene she witnessed in Jinlan Bay. Corpses scattered everywhere, blood flowing like rivers. There lay her loyal followers, her friends, and her loved ones.

After a moment of silence, Saber, Rider, and Archer simultaneously felt something unusual. Irisviel and Waver also sensed the strange air around them.

Although they couldn't see it, their skin could feel a dense aura of killing intent. One by one, assassins with skull masks and black robes emerged from the black mist.

The number of assassins was abnormally high. They all wore masks and black robes, each with a different physique. There were giants, thin figures, childlike short stature, and even female forms.

In fact, when the story reached this point, it was already quite thrilling, and discussions on the internet were quite heated.

What would happen when those who had gained great fame in different eras gathered in one place? What kind of clashes would occur, vividly depicted in this work?

"Is this your doing, Golden King?" Rider asked.

"Damn it, Tokiomi, resorting to such despicable means!" Archer said angrily.

Waver hid behind Rider and exclaimed in panic, "What's going on?! Why are assassins appearing one after another?!"

However, the fans who had been following this work for a long time found the characterization of all the characters in the story to be quite rich.

Especially for the character Waver, many online users jokingly referred to him as the "Queen" due to his various performances in this play. It was as if he was a woman forcefully pulled onto a car by a strong man.

Moreover, according to historical records, although it is unknown if they are accurate, the emperor Alexander of the Roman Empire was known for not discriminating between men and women.

So, when the author arranged such a character as the Master of Alexander, it was quite amusing for all the fans.

Waver anxiously shouted, "Rider, hey..."

Rider still didn't make any moves. He looked at the surrounding assassins with a calm expression.

"Alright, alright, kid, don't be so flustered. A true king's level can be seen from their hospitality towards guests."

"Are you planning to invite this motley crowd to the banquet too, Conqueror?" Archer asked disdainfully.

"Of course, the words of a king are meant for all the people of the world to hear. If they sincerely come to listen, it doesn't matter if they are friend or foe."

_____

Tohsaka Rin finally snapped out of the captivating story in this episode.

She couldn't believe that such a thing had happened in the Holy Grail War ten years ago.

Moreover, this was her first time truly experiencing the Heroic Spirits as Servants, not just some summonable familiars.

They were genuine humans, elevated heroes, each with their own joys, sorrows, desires, and ambitions.

The reason they agreed to the Holy Grail's invitation and participated in the war was to make up for their regrets.

"So, in the Holy Grail War that my father participated in ten years ago, something terrible must have happened."

"After all, those Heroic Spirit Servants are not easy to deal with, and they are not simple familiars. They all have their own personalities."

"Based on my father's temperament and way of doing things, it's highly likely that he had already angered his initial Servant, Gilgamesh."

"And then, by not fully protecting my father using the pretext of the Holy Grail War, it led to his demise after that Holy Grail War."

"Mother must have witnessed the process of this event and couldn't bear the blow, which is why she ended up in her current vegetative state."

"Yes, it must be like that."

It had to be said that with just a few episodes of the plot, Tohsaka Rin had already guessed about 40-50% of the truth behind the Holy Grail War ten years ago.

Unfortunately, Tohsaka Rin only got half of it right. In fact, the reason her mother ended up as a vegetable lying in the hospital was related to the Holy Grail War ten years ago, but not to Gilgamesh. One could say that Gilgamesh unintentionally took the blame for the true culprit back then.

"It seems that what that bastard Souichirou said is correct. There was indeed a problem with the Holy Grail War ten years ago."

"Although it was just a magical ritual on the other side of the mage world, it couldn't have caused such a huge tragedy."

"There must be something fishy going on. It seems I have to continue watching further, and that person also mentioned that they should avoid that bastard priest."

"It seems that my father's death in the Holy Grail War ten years ago must be related to that bastard priest."

__________

"Seriously, I wonder why those guardians always sacrifice themselves for those two lolis."

"Don't they enjoy the life in the present world?"

"Has the game become boring, or is life too difficult?"

"That group of guardians, running around on the axis of human history every day, are really stubborn."

"Look at me, even though my current life can't compare to the time when I ruled, it's still enjoyable."

"Although the development of humans nowadays doesn't align with my desires, their various little inventions are quite interesting."

Gilgamesh lay on his 24-karat golden sofa, holding a glass of red wine, looking at the computer in front of him, venting his complaints.

After all, in the past, when he hadn't descended to the present world, or rather, when he had descended but couldn't obtain a physical body, he couldn't stay for long.

So, he only had a concept of the future world and hadn't truly experienced it.

However, since the Fourth Holy Grail War, he unexpectedly obtained a physical body and the right to stay in the present world for a long time.

Furthermore, his strength as a Heroic Spirit Servant still remained, and within his treasury, he had countless treasures, enough for him to squander freely in the human world.

Therefore, in these ten years, freed from the constraints and responsibilities of being a king, Gilgamesh could truly indulge himself.

Sometimes, Gilgamesh enjoyed himself to the fullest, but in front of others, he still maintained the demeanor of a king.

So there were many things that Kotomine Kirei didn't know, and Gilgamesh found it amusing to keep them hidden. Thus, he didn't reveal certain things.

"But Kirei has been investigating for so long. I wonder if he has gathered the information I wanted."

"It seems he has been negligent. He took the orders as a king but didn't complete them immediately and bring back the results."

"It seems this guy Kirei has changed in these ten years."

"No, it's also possible that it's because of the thing inside the Holy Grail back then."

Gilgamesh began to ponder. In the Holy Grail War ten years ago, the Holy Grail that appeared in the end, and the substance that flowed out of it.

___________

Far away in London, the Clock Tower, Waver Velvet, was no longer the brash young kid he was ten years ago. He had grown up, become more mature, and understood some of the things from back then.

Sometimes, it's not enough to have great talent to change the world. If you don't have power, everything you say is just empty talk.

When he was young, Waver was quite reckless. He even wanted to overthrow the ruling status of the nobles, believing that even those low-born magicians had their own shining abilities.

However, when he handed his ideological thesis to his mentor, Director Kenneth, he was rejected without hesitation and mocked by his classmates.

At that time, he couldn't help but feel angry and wanted to prove himself by stealing Kenneth's relic and participating in the Holy Grail War in the Far East. He wanted to prove his point by winning the Holy Grail War.

But in the end, he had been too naive, too young. The world of magicians is cruel, and it's not something he alone can change.

Even after several decades, Waver couldn't forget what happened in the Holy Grail War ten years ago.

Sitting in his office, Waver was no longer the skinny boy he was ten years ago.

Although his physique couldn't be called robust, it could be considered fairly proportionate.

And the short hair he had in his youth had grown long. But perhaps due to the past ten years, in order to uphold the El-Melloi family's reputation, Waver now suffered from severe stomach problems. Although he managed it with medication and various magical methods, it still had an impact on his health.

Sitting in his office, Waver smoked a cigarette, reminiscing about the Fourth Holy Grail War ten years ago and the upcoming Fifth Holy Grail War.

"It has been so long, I never expected that the Fifth Holy Grail War would start."

As for how Waver received the news that the Fifth Holy Grail War was about to begin, it was because Waver was not someone closed off to information. He actively embraced everything in today's modern society.

Unlike those stubborn old folks in the world of magic who refused to accept the impact and changes brought about by modern society's information.