[TL: As a sorry for not keeping up with regular updates, here is 2 chapters ;D]
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"Archer, what are you doing here!" Saber asked sharply.
"Ah, I saw him on the street and invited him. But we're still late, you flashy guy!"
Gilgamesh glanced arrogantly at Rider. "It's a wonder you chose such a crummy place for a banquet, making me rush all the way here. How will you atone for this? And..." He then cast a sidelong glance at Ryougi Raku and Lancer. "What's with this mongrel and that loyal dog?"
"Ah, don't say that! I really admire Lancer and his Master. Since I ran into them on the street, of course I had to invite them too. Come, have a drink!" Rider said casually, offering a cup of wine.
The King of Heroes, whom they expected to be furious, merely snorted coldly and agreed, taking the wine. It was unclear if he truly didn't care about Ryougi Raku's earlier kick or if he was simply hiding his anger.
"—Pah, what kind of awful wine is this!"
Gilgamesh looked disgusted.
"Really? I bought it from the market here. It's good wine!" Rider scratched his head in confusion.
"Only someone who knows nothing about wine would think so! Mongrel!"
Archer scoffed. The air around him trembled, sending a chill through Irisviel and Waver, but what emerged was dazzling wineware and clear, fragrant fine wine.
"Look! This is a king's wine!"
"Oh! How touching!" Unconcerned by Archer's tone and insults, Rider happily poured the wine.
Ryougi Raku immediately grabbed a cup and, along with Rider, drank it down without a care. Lancer tried to stop them, but it was too late.
"Oh! This is truly delicious! Isn't it, Lancer's little Master!" Rider exclaimed, praising the drink.
"Indeed, a very unique taste!" Ryougi Raku nodded, though he didn't understand wine at all... Archer, hearing this, gave a proud smile, as if it were a compliment to him. He didn't mind Ryougi Raku drinking his wine; he naturally possessed the magnanimity of a king!
Saber, who had been very wary of Gilgamesh, also had her curiosity piqued. Lancer was likewise, and both of them drank a cup.
"Ah, this surely isn't wine for humans; it must be for gods!" Rider continued to drink deeply, exclaiming.
"Of course, whether it's wine or swords, my treasury holds only the finest things! This is the taste of a king!" The golden king leisurely swirled his wine glass, quite satisfied.
"What a joke!" Saber roared.
"Listening to your boasting is truly tiresome! You're like a clown!"
Gilgamesh sneered, "Someone who doesn't even understand wine isn't fit to be a king! Hmph!"
"Alright, you two! Let's discuss whether we are worthy of the Holy Grail!" Rider interjected.
"Then, Archer, as a king, try to convince us that you alone are worthy of the Holy Grail!"
"Firstly, the word 'contend' is already inappropriate!"
"Hmm?" Rider looked at Gilgamesh with surprise.
Archer sighed helplessly, as if annoyed by others' ignorance.
"That was originally my possession! All the treasures in the world originated from my collection! Although they have been lost from my treasury, their owner is still me!" Archer arrogantly declared ownership of everything in the world.
"So, that means you've owned the Holy Grail before, and you know what it looks like and what it is?"
"No! This is beyond your comprehension. The total amount of my possessions has exceeded my own understanding, but as long as it is a treasure, it belongs to me; there is no doubt about that! You actually dare to try and seize my treasure, you truly lack self-awareness!"
Upon hearing this, Ryougi Raku suddenly felt an urge to rob him... Saber was even more speechless... "Are you also delusional, Archer? I originally thought only Caster was like this!" Saber, having entered some kind of mode, began to mock him maliciously!
"Well, how should I put it..." Rider responded casually, but his hand didn't stop pouring wine.
Ryougi Raku was doing the same; this drink really did taste good... "Archer, actually, you don't care about the Holy Grail, do you? You don't have any wish to contend for it, do you?" Rider suddenly asked.
"Indeed. If you are willing to submit to me, bestowing this cup upon you would be no big deal. Of course, if you dare to seize my treasure, I naturally cannot let it go. This is a matter of principle!"
"Ah, submission and all that, I can't do that!" Rider said, scratching his head.
"Then, what is the reason?" Rider was very curious about this question.
"It is a law!" Archer answered without hesitation. "A law established by me, as king."
"Hmm!" Rider nodded in agreement, fully understanding him.
"What a perfect king! To be able to uphold the laws he sets for himself. But still, I want the Holy Grail. What I want, I will take, because I am the King of Conquerors!" Rider laughed heartily, speaking with abandon.
"If you dare to trespass, I will punish you!" Gilgamesh responded to Rider's provocation.
"Then we shall meet on the battlefield!"
"—But Archer, let's drink first; we can talk about these things later!"
"Of course!"
"By the way, Lancer, although you are not a king, for what reason do you seek the Holy Grail?" Rider suddenly asked Lancer curiously.
Lancer, who had been standing respectfully, answered without hesitation upon hearing the question: "My wish has already been granted: to protect my lord until the victory of this war!"
"So that means you don't have any particular wish, and it's just for your Master?" Rider asked with considerable surprise.
"You could say that!" Lancer nodded, admitting it.
"Hmph, truly a loyal dog!" Archer said, pouting, but without any harshness. Not being a king, he naturally didn't need to be compared to the path of a king, and every true king would naturally be satisfied with loyal subordinates.
"Ah, what a loyal warrior!" Rider exclaimed, but this time he didn't try to recruit him into his own army. To do so while the other's lord was still present would be an insult to their loyalty, and besides, Rider greatly admired his lord.
"Hey! So, Lancer's Master, what is your wish?" It seemed Rider was prepared to ask everyone present.
"Ah, me?" Ryougi Raku took a sip of wine and stopped as the conversation turned to him.
"I have absolutely no interest in the so-called Holy Grail. However, I am very keen to witness these heroes of the past. Moreover, this can also hone my strength." After a moment's thought, Ryougi Raku answered casually.
"Oh? Are you pursuing greater power?" Rider looked at Ryougi Raku, feeling that he hadn't fully expressed himself.
"No!" He shook his head firmly. "...I am not a slave to power! For me, power is merely a means to achieve my goals. Means and ends must not be confused!"
"Then, what is your goal?" At this point, Rider was quite curious, and everyone else present also listened intently.
Pouring another glass of wine and downing it, Ryougi Raku said meaningfully, "Rider, you once asked if there was a grander wish than heaven and earth itself? What I want to tell you is that a wish greater than heaven and earth is to transcend this heaven and earth itself!"
"And I! I only exist to surpass everything!" As he spoke, he completely unleashed his control over the power of the Origin, and within the soaring flames, there was an endless power of 'transcendence'!
"You bastard, are you trying to amuse me? Hahahaha, transcending this world?" Gilgamesh burst into laughter, as if he had heard a joke.
However, Waver and Irisviel looked serious. The soaring flames around Ryougi Raku clearly conveyed this meaning.
"This is…?" Waver exclaimed in shock and astonishment.
"...It's the Origin, the power of the Origin!" Irisviel said in a deep voice, her face filled with disbelief.
"The Origin? How is that possible? Those who awaken their Origin, their fates…" Waver stood frozen, muttering to himself. Yes, under normal circumstances, those who awaken their Origin would be assimilated by its power. However, in this world, there will always be a small minority of people… Gilgamesh's laughter abruptly ceased, and he silently watched Ryougi Raku. He, of course, knew about the Origin, but not being a magus, he hadn't recognized it at first. He felt a clear will, transcending everything, being conveyed through Ryougi Raku's Origin power.
The Origin is the fundamental direction of the soul. The Origin is not concerned with one's own will, but no one can mock a person who is not assimilated by the Root and pursues their fundamental nature with their own will. Gilgamesh knew that if his own Origin were fully awakened, even he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be swallowed by it… The pursuit of transcending everything was not only Ryougi Raku's own will but also an instinct deep within his soul… Gilgamesh suddenly felt he had no reason to mock him… "...Interesting, interesting. To have fully awakened the Origin and not be swallowed, and even be able to control it with your own will? And this will to transcend everything… I'm suddenly interested in you." With eyes like the noblest rubies, Gilgamesh spoke with great interest, no longer with any deliberate mockery, as he gazed at Ryougi Raku.
Ryougi Raku smiled faintly, saying nothing, and continued to drink the wine in his hand… "Oh, oh! Lancer's little Master, I truly didn't expect this! I've never met anyone like you!" Rider exclaimed, his face full of astonishment.
Saber also glanced sideways.
"Rider, you've asked so many people, so what is your own wish?" Ryougi Raku didn't want to continue on this topic and asked. Only he knew that all of this was merely bestowed by that mysterious power. As he said before, the Origin has nothing to do with one's own will; to a certain extent, fate and luck might be the main drivers!
"Me?" Rider chuckled awkwardly, took a sip of the fine wine in his hand, and then said, "I want to become human!"
"Huh?" It was Waver who spoke, his face filled with horror as he frantically shouted, "Oh, oh, oh!! You, you, do you still want to conquer this world—wah?!" He was cut off by Rider flicking his forehead. Waver crouched down, covering his head, tears welling in his eyes.
Rider shrugged, "Idiot, conquering is my dream, and I don't need the Holy Grail to achieve it! However, the first step of that dream does require the Holy Grail to be realized!"
"You actually dare to challenge me for such a trivial matter?" Archer, on the side, sighed, rubbing his forehead.
Rider, however, looked at him seriously, "I say, even if we appear in this world in our current forms, ultimately we are merely incarnations of Heroic Spirits, Servants. Our true essence does not exist in this world—though it may sound ridiculous, are you truly satisfied with that?"
With a solemn expression, Rider declared his bold ambition, "I am not satisfied! I will never be satisfied! Therefore, I want to be reincarnated in this world and live as a human!"
"…" Everyone fell silent.
They all knew that Rider was not afraid of so-called death, nor was he dissatisfied with having died and become a Heroic Spirit. What he pursued was merely that grand wish: to conquer, to conquer everything, all the way to the other side of the heavens, to the ends of the sea!
And if he were to achieve this wish, he would have to live as a human… Of course, Waver still didn't understand, so he asked a seemingly foolish question, "Why, why do you need a physical body?"
"Because it's the foundation of 'conquest,' little Master," Rider clenched his fist, muttering as he looked at it.
This sentence made Waver suddenly understand something… "To have a body, to advance across the land, to carry out my conquest—that is my way of the king. But currently, I have no body, and that won't do. Without a body, none of this can proceed. Therefore, I must, I must have a physical body!"
Rider suddenly turned to Ryougi Raku and said, "Hahaha! You just said you wanted to transcend this world? If there are other existences beyond this world, then I, Iskandar the King of Conquerors, shall conquer them all!" His magnificent and domineering aura drew everyone's attention.
Gilgamesh listened to Rider's words in silence, then revealed an eerie smile, "I've decided, Rider, I will kill you with my own hands!" He declared this proudly, as if it were a fate that would inevitably come to pass.
"Hahaha! You should prepare yourself early! Not only the Holy Grail, but your treasury also greatly tempts me. Looting it clean is also part of my conquest! For such fine wine to be drunk by me, Iskandar, you are truly careless!"
Saber had been quietly listening to their conversation. For Ryougi Raku's wish, she expressed admiration; for Lancer's wish, she praised it; for Archer's thoughts, she was annoyed; and for Rider, she was furious!
Following one's own desires was not the mindset a king should have. To Saber, who held integrity as her belief, these two kings were nothing more than tyrants!
Yes, she absolutely could not lose to these two people, she absolutely could not lose to them! Saber suddenly felt that her own wish was purer than theirs.
"—Hey, Saber, don't stay silent. Come, tell us your wish!"
Rider finally asked the last person.
Saber proudly raised her head, looking directly at everyone present.
"I want to save my homeland; I want to change its fate of destruction!"
…"They're actually drinking…" Tōsaka Tokiomi rubbed his head; he couldn't understand Rider's way of thinking.
"Shouldn't we worry about Archer?" Kotomine Kirei's voice came, but there was an oddness in his tone; he, too, was ultimately affected… "There's nothing we can do. Since it's called the Banquet of Kings, how could he ignore it?"
No fighting, just drinking—this pleased Tōsaka Tokiomi, as it wouldn't expose Archer's trump cards.
Relying on Assassin's intelligence, Tōsaka Tokiomi hadn't made a move since the war began.
"By the way, Kirei, what do you think of Archer and Rider's combat strength?"
Kotomine Kirei wasn't Yuanfang, so he didn't say, "There must be something fishy about this…" "Most importantly, does Rider have a stronger trump card than that chariot?"
"Hmm…" Tōsaka Tokiomi nodded.
In his opinion, Berserker was severely wounded, and his Master clearly wasn't a true magus. The battle showed his immense consumption, and he probably didn't have much strength left for another major fight; Caster was a hunted man, no longer a threat; Saber was already injured, nothing to fear; Lancer, though unharmed, had already exposed his trump cards and had no chance against Gilgamesh. No matter how powerful Lancer's Master was, he was ultimately just a human, and even if he could fight a Servant for a few rounds, facing a Servant would ultimately lead to defeat.
The only unknown now was Rider… It must be said, Tōsaka Tokiomi's analysis seemed reasonable, but it was entirely his own conjecture. He was not a prophet and would never know what the future held… "...Then, let's use that method!" As if having made a decision, Tōsaka Tokiomi commanded. Assassin had only this last use… "I understand!" Kotomine Kirei immediately knew Tōsaka Tokiomi's plan.
"Very good! It's up to you, Kirei. Even if we lose this gamble, we won't suffer any losses."
Changing his posture, pouring a cup of tea, and taking a sip, Tōsaka Tokiomi was very satisfied with the feeling of being in control… However, he was ultimately just a clown making this grand play more exciting… After Saber finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Of course, Lancer's silence was one of indifference, and Ryougi Raku's was one of prior knowledge.
But for Rider and Archer, it was a silence as if they had misheard… "—I say, King of Knights, did I mishear you?" Rider asked, startled, as he dug in his ear.
"You said you want to change fate, does that mean you want to overturn history?"
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