"Only this one is inserted backward…" Rider rubbed his forehead.
"But, this name is—Alexander The Great? Is this my biography?"
Waver immediately lowered his head, unsure of what to say. "Honestly, instead of reading this kind of stuff, the person himself is right in front of you. Wouldn't it be better to just ask me directly if you have any questions?"
"Alright, alright! I'll ask you!" Waver said, resigned.
"You say the descriptions in this book are completely different from reality!"
"Oh, really? Is that all? Things like these historical accounts, after a thousand years, are bound to differ from the reality of the past," Rider said with a shrug, casually.
"But, don't you care? It's written so haphazardly, yet it's all about you?" Waver asked, puzzled.
"Hahaha! Such things are no big deal! Although leaving one's name in history is akin to achieving immortality, for me, I'd rather live another 20 years as I am now than be recorded in that book for 2000 years!" Rider said nonchalantly, yet with a carefree air.
"Just like King Arthur! Look, isn't she a young girl!"
"This…" Waver thought for a moment. Indeed, this matter was incredible; the legendary King Arthur was actually a woman!
"However, it's a pity. If I had another ten years, I could have conquered the West as well!" He sighed, helpless about his early demise. It was as if a suppressive force was at play, like the unyielding trajectory of fate.
"Then, do you want to use the Holy Grail to become immortal?" Waver asked Rider, looking at him.
"Huh? Immortality? That's certainly not bad. That way, I could conquer the entire universe! And, I'm also very interested in the other worlds that Lancer's Master mentioned!"
"…But, speaking of which, there was also a fool who once gave up immortality…" His voice gradually trailed off.
Waver didn't understand Rider's words, but he seemed to grasp Rider's wish as expressed at the Feast of Kings. In silence, the two left the bookstore and walked towards the home they were heading to.
Waver quietly pondered, occasionally glancing at Rider beside him. The King's Army had left him deeply shaken.
"I say, why aren't you speaking?"
"No, I just think that having such a powerful Servant makes me feel utterly worthless… Rather than this, I might as well have made a contract with an Assassin or something…" Indeed, for Waver, his purpose in participating in the Holy Grail War was simply to prove himself, to prove that even without noble lineage and with only three generations of magecraft inheritance, he was still not inferior!
"Huh? If that were the case, you'd have died several times over by now, wouldn't you?" Rider scratched his head, perplexed by Waver's words.
"What are you talking about! Rider, I'm not afraid of death at all. I'd have no complaints about dying in war! If I were afraid of death, why would I have come to participate in the Holy Grail War!" Waver exclaimed, waving his hands excitedly. He felt that Rider was insulting him.
"Hey, hey, don't get so agitated, don't get so agitated!" Rider grabbed him with a large hand, revealing Waver's flailing form.
"En, en… How about this, if your wish can move my grand ambitions, then I'll listen to everything you say from now on, how about that? Hey, hey, is your wish to grow taller?" By the end, Rider was utterly confused.
"How could that be?!"
"Alright, kid! No need to be so anxious! This Holy Grail War won't be the peak of your life, will it?" Rider suddenly stopped, looking at Waver seriously.
"Huh?" Waver was bewildered. Could it be that even this miraculous Holy Grail War, even after experiencing it, wouldn't be the peak of my life?
"If you pursue a life full of ideals, then fight for yourself! Find it, that battle that belongs to you, that is your glorious peak!"
"…" Waver was silent. These words seemed to stir something within him… Rider's boisterousness, his solemn seriousness, his optimistic cheerfulness, his unparalleled dominance—all of these deeply confused Waver. Which one was the real him? That's why he had gone through his biography, hoping to find answers in the book.
This man, his capacity was unrivaled, his charisma shook heaven and earth, and his seemingly ridiculous wish—how many could truly understand it?
Waver just hoped that he could understand him, understand his Servant—the King of Conquerors, Iskandar!
"You must be dissatisfied too, Rider… having someone as incompetent as me as your Master…" Waver lowered his head and said softly.
"Hmm, you're right!" Rider smiled and looked up at the sky.
Waver's shoulders trembled upon hearing this… "…It would be even better if you were a bit more burly! Hahaha!" Rider said playfully.
Waver, hearing Rider's mood-breaking words, mocking his height, was fuming… "Alright, kid, look here!" Waving his hand to cut off Waver's anger, Rider pointed to the cover of the book, which was a world map.
"This is our enemy!" He pointed to the entire world.
"Compared to this enemy, what difference does it make whether we are tall and burly or small and scrawny?" Rider said, patting Waver's shoulder.
Waver looked at the map, deep in thought…
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In the middle of the river, Caster stood, evil incantations surging from his mouth. It was a high-level technique of magecraft, the multi-chanting of spells. For modern mages, this effect would require multiple people to stand together, resonating their magical energy and chanting simultaneously. Although Caster himself was not a qualified mage, as a Servant, he easily accomplished this technique.
That thick, nauseating magical energy spread from the river, and all anomalies in Fuyuki City could clearly feel it.
Saber, driving her Mercedes, and Rider, on his way home, both clearly felt it.
"…Caster?" Ryougi Raku naturally felt it too.
'Should I follow the original historical trajectory, or completely mess things up?' He was quietly weighing the pros and cons.
'This entire Fourth Holy Grail War should still follow its original trajectory; no mistakes can be made… The events that happen after this, even if I still hope the plot can develop normally, will probably be impossible to control…' After some thought, Ryougi Raku made a decision. This Holy Grail War would still try to conform to the original work as much as possible, but some things had already changed. However, the consequences of those changes would probably only become apparent later… "Lancer, go call Kariya over!" Ryougi Raku ordered.
"Yes, my lord!" Lancer obeyed and moved.
Soon, Matou Kariya came before Ryougi Raku.
"My lord, did you need me for something?"
"Hmm, you felt that magical energy fluctuation, didn't you?" Ryougi Raku asked, his back turned.
"Yes, I felt it!" Matou Kariya replied. The magical energy fluctuation was so strong that even a half-baked mage like Matou Kariya could clearly feel it.
"…Today's war has begun again, Kariya. Haven't you always wanted to defeat him—Tohsaka Tokiomi?"
"You mean?" Matou Kariya asked cautiously.
"Go find him, and do as you see fit! And have Berserker block Archer!" Ryougi Raku commanded!
"Yes, I will definitely do it!" Matou Kariya was excited; this was exactly what he had hoped for.
Having once been devoured by worms, after being cleansed by Ryougi Raku's power, he could now easily control those worms. And those worms were completely different from the Matou family's; they had none of that disgusting feeling, instead appearing more sacred.
This was unavoidable. Matou Kariya was a half-baked mage to begin with; all he knew was the Matou family's worm manipulation technique. Ryougi Raku had no choice but to let him use a portion of the worms. Although their power had decreased compared to before, their endurance had greatly increased because he no longer had to overdraw his body to command them.
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