Banquet at the Einzbern Castle (6)

"That means -"

Rider drained the wine into his glass.

"What does that mean, could there be any cause and reason?"

"It's the law." Archer immediately replied.

"The law I declared as the king."

"Hm."

Rider seemed to have understood his words and gave a deep sigh.

"Such a perfect king capable of sticking to the laws he instituted himself. Anyway, I still desire the Holy Grail very much. My way is that, if I desire something, I will obtain it by force; that is why I, Iskandar, am the King of Conquerors."

"Not necessarily. If you invade, I will punish; there is no room for negotiation."

"Then we can only meet on the battlefield."

With a solemn face, Archer nodded at the same time as Rider.

"- But Archer, let's drink first and leave the business of battle for later."

"Sure, unless you don't see the wine I brought very well."

"Absurd, how could I go without drinking such delicious liquor?"

Kuroka, who had been watching Drako with a smile so far, frowned. What Rider was saying was not amusing Drako. Irisviel also noticed the change in Kuroka's gesture, which made her think that something wasn't right.

"So you still haven't changed your mind, Rider."

Iskandar remained silent and looked down at the ground after hearing Drako. It didn't take him long to raise his head to look Drako in the eyes. The flame of determination in them said it all.

"That's right. Even if it's true, I'm not willing to take a step back."

Now Saber could no longer tell whether Archer and Rider were friends or foes, nor did she understand what Drako and Rider were talking about; she merely sat to the side, looking at the three of them. After a short while she finally opened her mouth to Rider.

"Conqueror King, since you've already admitted that the Holy Grail belongs to someone else, are you still going to take it by force?"

"- Huh? Obviously. My creed is 'conquer'... which is 'take' and 'invade'."

Suppressing the anger in her heart, Saber continued to ask:

"Then why do you want the Holy Grail?"

Unexpectedly Rider smiled somewhat sheepishly. He answered after a sip of wine:

"I want to be a human."

It was such an unexpected answer. Even Waver stood out and shouted almost hysterically.

"Owww, you! It could be that you still want to conquer this world - waaaa!"

After forcing his Master to stand still with a one-finger gesture, Rider shrugged his shoulders.

"Idiot, how would I conquer the world with one life? Conquest is my dream, and I can only amend this first step to the Holy Grail."

"Half-breed... You challenge me with such a silly dream?"

Even Archer was helpless at this, but Rider grew more serious and continued:

"Look, even if we appear in the current era thanks to prana, in the end we are still Servants. We originally didn't exist in this world - although it feels a bit ridiculous, but are you really satisfied with just that?"

"I am not satisfied. I want to reincarnate in this world and continue living as a human."

"..."

Thinking back - Waver originally thought that Rider's stubbornness of refusing to go out in spiritual form and insisting on his physical form was just a habit of his. Certainly, although Servants can speak, dress, and eat like humans, their true essence is not far removed from ghosts.

"Why... do you want a body so badly?"

"Because that's the cornerstone of 'conquest'"

Alexander mumbled as he looked down at his tightly clenched fist.

"To possess a body, to march to the end of the earth, to bring my own conquest - that is truly my way of kingship. But now I do not have a body; that will not do. Without a body nothing can begin again. I am not afraid of anything in particular; I only feel that I must have a body of flesh and blood."

As if diligently listening to Rider's words, Archer only sipped his wine throughout this. Under closer inspection, one could notice that he had a strange expression on his face at this moment; an expression different from his usual ones. It might be implausible to describe it as a smile, but compared to his usual grimace, this smile now encompassed a particularly sinister glow.

"I have decided - Rider, I will kill you with my own hands."

"Hahaha, even now saying such things. You'd better get ready soon too. And from setting aside the Grail, I also plan to plunder your treasure. Letting the King of Conquerors taste that delicious wine was very careless of you."

"You're both idiots. It's obvious that I'm going to be the one to kill you."

Rider burst into brutal laughter after hearing Drako.

"You're right! We'll most likely end up as Lancer, Caster or Assassin. I guess we're just unlucky to be involved in this particular war. Still, I'm not going to make it easy for you."

"I hope so, easy fights are very boring. Lancer at least gave me some fight, I can't say the same for Caster and Assassin," Drako said with a smile.

But there was still one person here attending the banquet who had yet to show even a trace of a smile.

Saber, attending this banquet, could find no place to join Archer, Rider and Drako's conversation throughout this one. The manner of kingship the two kings spoke of was too far removed from what she believed in, and she understood little of what Drako meant between the lines, so she had no common theme at all.

Only according to your own will -

This is not a thought a king should have. To Saber, who believed in incorruptibility, Archer and Rider were just tyrants. Drako was not a human king, but it seemed that he partly coincided with the thoughts of these two kings. He had come to a battlefield where he did not belong and was getting involved of his own free will, and ruining the war for his own selfishness.

No matter how imposing an opponent is, the unwavering vigor of battle still burned within Saber's heart.

Only these three were the enemies she could not lose to. She should never let the Grail fall into their hands. Archer's words were meaningless, Drako sought only destruction, and Rider's wish could only be considered the wish of a fighter. Moreover, it was only the first of all men's desires. Compared to his desires, the desire Saber harbors must be nobler.

"- Hey, tell me Saber, talk about your wish too."

Rider finally turned to Saber. No matter when it was, the desire in his heart never wavered.

My way of kingship is my pride. With her head held high, the King of Knights said looking straight at the other two Heroic Spirits.

"I want to save my motherland. I will change England's path of destruction."

----------------------------

I come with another recomendation this week!

The same author as last weeks recomendation has started uploading a Fate Grand Order fanfic, for all you Fate fans, check it out.

The name is Fate Grand Order: Corruption.

https://www.p atreon.com/GreatSage_Master1

See you next week with another chapter and another fanfiction!