"Alright. Mm... I'll send these documents over later."
After setting aside the reports on the commercial collaborations for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' Kamiyā Yuu turned back to the unfinished novel displayed on his computer screen and refocused on planning the story.
The main 'Fate/Zero' novel had only just reached the 'Holy Grail Dialogue' arc.
Without the constraints and considerations imposed by anime production, the novel would naturally be much longer than the anime. For example, the battle between Emiya Kiritsugu and Director Kayneth—which he planned to cover in a single anime episode—would be far more intricate and detailed in the novel. If every bit of that material were faithfully adapted into animation, it would probably require six or seven episodes.
At present, the projected length of the 'Fate/Zero' main novel exceeds two million words, roughly matching the combined length of the seven character side-story novels.
Kamiyā Yuu did not begin writing immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and recalled the outline he had constructed within his consciousness space, searching those memories for inspiration and a suitable point of entry.
"The Banquet of the Three Kings... no, it should be called the Banquet of the Four Kings now."
"The most active character is still the King of Conquerors. Even in the original, he was the only character whose portrayal could be considered fairly successful."
"Next is the nominal protagonist, Saber. Her performance during the original Banquet of the Three Kings was extremely wavering, and that impression carried through the entire work, leaving viewers with the feeling that she was constantly holding everyone back."
Kamiyā Yuu muttered matter-of-factly,
"This is one of the drawbacks of different authors writing stories within the same setting. Their interpretations of the characters inevitably conflict."
"The Saber in Gen Urobuchi's mind and the Saber in Kinoko Nasu's mind are absolutely not the same person."
"The original author, Kinoko Nasu, once wrote a side story titled 'Garden of Avalon.' In it, Saber is clearly portrayed as an idealist possessing both the spirit of knightly self-sacrifice and extraordinary conviction."
"The word 'idealist' itself deserves careful consideration, because Saber isn't merely an idealist—she acts to realize those ideals. That is precisely why she is worthy of bearing the title of the King of Knights."
After pausing for a moment, he continued thoughtfully,
"The Saber in Gen Urobuchi's interpretation is not only seen by others as a young girl shackled by the burden of kingship, but even she herself doubts her own ideals. As both a knight and a king, she falls short."
"That's why, even if someone calls 'Fate/Zero' fan fiction rather than a proper prequel, there isn't really any convincing way to refute it."
"In this world, there is neither Kinoko Nasu nor Gen Urobuchi."
"What matters now is how I see this character."
"I had already arrived at my answer while writing the side story 'Twilight of the Knight.'"
"It's different from Gen Urobuchi's interpretation, and it also differs somewhat from Kinoko Nasu's."
"But if I had to say..."
"It's probably closer to Nasu's."
A thousand readers envisioned a thousand different Hamlets.
The Saber Kamiyā Yuu wanted to present to the audience was simply the Saber that existed in his own heart.
"What kind of character is Saber?"
"A king."
"A solitary king."
"The fact that she is a young woman should never be the foundation that shakes that resolve."
"In 'Twilight of the Knight,' King Arthur conceals her identity not because she feels inferior for being a woman, but because she doesn't want others to treat her differently because of it."
"The true foundation of maintaining the bearing of a king lies in whether she ever wavered in her ideals."
"When she witnessed the ruined Kingdom of Britain upon Camlann Hill, what exactly gave birth to the regret in her heart?"
"The regret she carried was far more profound than what the King of Conquerors dismissed as simply denying the history she had built."
"The King of Knights stands at the pinnacle of all knights."
"Even Lancelot, praised as the 'Flower of Chivalry,' looked upon that figure and felt ashamed of his own baseness."
"Saber is not a young girl intoxicated by the romance of chivalry."
"Even though she regrets her past, everything she upholds should still embody the greatest pride of both a knight and a king."
"There should not be the slightest trace of hesitation."
"Even Lancelot's own anger over outsiders failing to understand Saber as King Arthur was, in reality, another form of looking down on her."
"Saber and Emiya Kiritsugu are actually quite similar."
"Fundamentally, they can be distinguished by the difference between a saint and a sanctimonious hypocrite."
"Saber willingly sacrifices herself."
"Kiritsugu rarely sacrifices his own life. Instead, under the banner of justice, he sacrifices others as a means of redeeming himself."
"That is also the fundamental reason why Emiya Kiritsugu and Kotomine Kirei understand each other so well."
"Kotomine Kirei delights in playing with human nature."
"Emiya Kiritsugu does the same."
"The only difference is that Kiritsugu begins with good intentions."
"'The Holy Grail Dialogue' and the 'Forbidden Banquet' mirror one another."
"The King of Conquerors once said that it was precisely because the light of 'Excalibur' shone so brilliantly, and because the ideals entrusted to Saber were so unbearably heavy, that she became increasingly heartbreaking."
"That interpretation is wrong."
"If one traces the character back to her origins and to the legends themselves, the meaning of 'Excalibur' is far more profound than that."
"If Saber had truly been an unworthy king, so many knights would never have continued following her."
"'Excalibur' is, in reality, the embodiment of a part of Saber's own ideals."
"It contains sacrifice."
"Fearlessness."
"Idealism."
"The desire for victory."
"The knights who witnessed the brilliance of Saber's ideals poured their own convictions into that sword."
"Their faith became the golden torrent."
"They too wished to realize their king's ideals."
"For that purpose, they charged forward without hesitation, even if only to become a fleeting ray of light."
"Do you think those knights lacked the vision possessed by the King of Conquerors?"
"Absolutely not."
"She is first and foremost a king."
"Then a knight."
"Only lastly..."
"A young woman."
"That is why she chose the sword."
"And only afterward, the sheath."
This was the Arthur Pendragon of Kamiyā Yuu's side story, 'Twilight of the Knight.'
Lightly tapping the surface of his desk with one hand, Kamiyā Yuu pondered aloud,
"'The Holy Grail Dialogue' shouldn't be about one king's path completely denying another's."
"It should be a clash of convictions."
"The King of Conquerors' philosophy may indeed appeal more to Japanese audiences."
"But Saber's ideal of a benevolent ruler will certainly have no shortage of supporters either."
"Portraying Saber this way also makes the later developments much easier to explain."
"In 'Einzbern Consultation Room,' Lancelot once said that he had finally been freed—that Saber had released him from endless suffering by punishing him."
"If I revise that slightly..."
"I can also insert much more dialogue into their battle."
"Lancelot wasn't freed because Saber punished him."
"He was freed because he finally understood Saber's true feelings."
"He realized that, just like the people he had despised before..."
"He, too, had underestimated Saber."