Type-Moon, joins the Lion King at the beginning

Chapter 293 The King's Feast is Over

As the figure formed by countless golden points of light—the oldest hero king of mankind—appeared in the courtyard, everyone present stopped what they were doing.

Although most people did not have much interaction with the King of Heroes, and the Holy Grail War had only just begun for two days, the few battles were all caused by Li Ye.

This caused the servants, including Artoria, to join hands in a war where they should have been fighting each other.

Kaka.

The heroic king wearing golden armor had a cold expression, and his scarlet eyes swept across the courtyard.

In the Seven-Knight Holy Grail War, three servants gathered here.

Of course, if the noble himself was counted, there would be four riders, but Gilgamesh disdained to associate with these people and did not count himself.

In addition, Gilgamesh's gaze lingered for a moment on Little Red Riding Hood wandering in the courtyard.

Although the identity of this masterpiece of the Age of Gods magician remains unknown, its achievements are enough to leave a deep mark in history.

"Hey, isn't this the Hero King?"

Li Ye came out from nowhere, raised his eyebrows, glanced at Gilgamesh, and then smiled faintly: "How about it, do you want to come?"

After saying that, he pointed to the figures in the center of the courtyard.

Artoria and King of Conquerors Iskandar were sitting on the ground, and Diarmait Oudina had laid down his weapons.

"As a banquet, how could you not invite me to attend?"

Gilgamesh glanced at Li Ye and walked decisively to the center of the courtyard. After tasting the barrel of wine that Iskandar brought out, he smiled disdainfully and said, "What kind of cheap stuff is this? Do you really think this is worthy of entertaining heroes?"

Iskandar took the wine spoon and looked at the remaining wine. He said, "Really? This is considered a very good wine in the local market, right?"

Upon hearing this, Gilgamesh immediately opened the golden door, took out a wine cup and a golden barrel filled with fine wine from the Babylonian treasury, and said with a smile: "Let me show you what real wine is."

After saying this, Gilgamesh casually threw the wine glass to Iskandar, Altria and others.

With the arrival of Gilgamesh, the feast began.

at the same time--

In the large cave below Liudong Temple, Merlin, who was watching the scene with great interest using his clairvoyance, smiled at the white-haired saint beside him and said, "Yes, Miss Irisviel, you can leave now. At present, Li Ye should not be a threat to you."

"Eh?"

Irisviel, who was a little overwhelmed, walked tentatively towards the entrance of the cave. Seeing that Merlin did not stop her, she walked faster and faster until she completely left the underground cave.

Merlin, who no longer paid attention to Irisviel, watched Altria's live broadcast with great interest.

Of all the human race, only Altria could make Merlin feel real emotions.

Moreover, there is a heavyweight guy at this banquet.

----

Three kings and two knights sat on the ground, holding golden cups filled with wine in their hands. As the fine wine praised by the Hero King Gilgamesh, it was naturally praised by Artoria and Iskandar.

Li Ye, who had drunk similar wine in Uruk before, sipped the wine naturally, looking very leisurely and wanted to pull Weber in.

But Weber, who had been terrified since Gilgamesh appeared, hid beside a bush not far away and watched the feast begin cautiously.

In addition to Liye and Diarmait Oudina, it is a feast for three kings.

"Wow, good wine!"

Iskandar, a generous man, raised his glass high, his eyes full of excitement.

Seeing this, Gilgamesh said as a matter of course: “Whether it is wine or sword, only the best treasures are in my treasury.

This is the only way to be the king."

Hearing this, Iskandar waved his hand and said with a smile: "Archer, the best of your wine is naturally worthy of being paired with the Holy Grail. Although the situation has changed now, I still want to know what your wish is for the Holy Grail?"

Li Ye, who was standing aside, held the wine glass and quietly moved closer to Artoria. Before Gilgamesh made his speech that the precious physics should belong to him, he quietly started chatting with Artoria.

As the Knight King, Artoria is naturally magnanimous and will not vent her anger on Li Ye because of the previous battle. Instead, she is able to have a chat with Li Ye because Li Ye will definitely be the last one to join the round table after obtaining Merlin.

The only thing that made Altria feel a little weird was that, because the two were too close, Altria could even sense Li Yena's warm breath, and Li Yena looked similar to her -

Although there are people who look like her, the rebellious knight Mordred is a knight who was created as a copy of her and has exactly the same things as Altria, but because he wears the [Secret of Pedigree] most of the time, Altria has never had such close contact with Mordred.

Although Artoria didn't care about gender at this time, she still felt something strange.

At this time, after Gilgamesh told his domineering words that all the treasures would belong to him, Iskandar also guessed Gilgamesh's real name based on the title of Hero King that Liye had previously called him.

But that was just icing on the cake. Iskandar was more concerned about Gilgamesh's words.

"So, Archer, you're saying that if I want to obtain the Holy Grail, I just need your consent, right?"

"Exactly."

Gilgamesh stared at the wine in the cup. The face of the king was reflected in the wine that had accumulated years. Then he said, "But there is no reason for me to give it to you bastards."

"Are you a stingy guy?"

Iskandar pouted and stared at Gilgamesh with empty eyes.

"What a joke! My grace should only be bestowed upon my subjects."

Gilgamesh glanced at Iskandar and Liye who was trying to talk to Altria, and said, "As long as you submit to me, I can reward you with just one or two glasses of wine at any time."

"Archer, I can see that you are not stingy with the Holy Grail, but for now it depends on who will own it."

Seeing Gilgamesh's matter-of-fact look, Iskandar asked, "Let's not talk about the Holy Grail for now. Archer, what kind of justice and reason are there in your actions?"

"It is the law, the law I have issued as king, to impose due punishment on those who stole the treasure."

Gilgamesh said, "As for the ownership of the Holy Grail you mentioned, Liye, do you have any objection to the ownership of the Holy Grail?"

"I?"

Li Ye, who was facing Gilgamesh, heard this and said with a smile, "If it comes to sovereignty, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I will be the one who gets it.

You can't defeat me now, and the next thing is the question of wish, right? What do you want to do with the Holy Grail?"

As Li Ye spoke, the initiative of the topic seemed to change. Li Ye, who had the strongest military force present except Gilgamesh, made a declaration, and even Artoria had to admit it.

The King of Conquerors, who had lost all his magic power and was now unable to fight, remained calm and smiled, saying, "You will definitely be the one to obtain the Holy Grail, but I also want the Holy Grail very much.

I plunder what I want, that's what I do, and the one thing I want to achieve with the Holy Grail is naturally to obtain a body."

"Eh??"

As soon as these words came out, everyone present could not help but glance at the King of Conquerors. Even Master Waver hurried over and said, "Isn't your wish to conquer the world?"

"What's the point of conquering the world with a cup?"

King of Conquerors Iskandar raised his glass high, his eyes full of yearning: "Using the Holy Grail to fulfill wishes is only the first step in my conquest of the world.

Even if we have been granted a second life that can be called a miracle, we are still just Servants constructed by magic. I want to become a real life and take root in this reincarnated world.

Challenging the heavens and the earth with your own body, this is what the act of [conquest] is all about! Starting like this, advancing, and finally achieving it - this is my domineering way. "

Facing everyone, the King of Conquerors expressed his desire to respond to the call and manifest into the world. It was an extremely pure desire, without any flaws, a desire as pure as a raging fire.

Iskandar was born in Pella, the capital of the ancient Macedonian Kingdom. He was a famous military strategist and politician in the ancient history of the world.

He inherited the throne at the age of 20, unified all of Greece, and then marched eastward. After defeating each country, he returned the land to the local nobles.

Without losing a single soldier, he occupied the whole of Egypt and was recognized as the Pharaoh of Egypt. He defeated the Persian Empire in the Battle of Issus and the Battle of Gaugamela, swallowing up the Persian Empire. He then expeditioned as far as the Indus River Basin and created one of the greatest empires in human history. With Babylon as its capital, it stretched to the Aegean Sea in the west, the Ganges River in the east, the Nile River in the south, and the Yaxanta River in the north. It greatly promoted the exchange of Persian and Greek cultures in the East and West, laid the foundation for the Hellenistic era that lasted until the Roman reign, and profoundly influenced human history.

Their lifelong dream is to see the end of the sea. Because of this persistent dream, the warriors' wills still faithfully guard Iskander after their death.

This dream is also the ultimate goal pursued by Iskandar.

Following Iskandar's declaration, even the Hero King Gilgamesh had to look up to the Conqueror King Iskandar.

"It's your turn, Saber."

Iskandar smiled and raised his glass to Artoria, waiting for the answer from the King of Knights.

Hearing this, Altria interrupted her conversation with Liye and said in a matter-of-fact tone: "I want to change Britain's fate of being destroyed."

"?"

As if hearing some incredible answer, Iskandar said hesitantly: "Um, Saber, that country called Britain was destroyed in your era, right? It was destroyed under your rule, right?"

"Yes, that's why I want to make up for my mistake."

Altria's gaze was extremely determined; this sad wish was the reason why she became a heroic spirit.

The Knight King's declaration never wavered, and the will contained in it even made the knight Diarmait Oudina, who was not far away, look at him with a frown.

But unlike Diarmait Oud, the Golden King couldn't help laughing after hearing such a declaration: "Hahaha, calling himself a king, and being called a king by others, how could such a person say "regret"? "

While the King of Heroes couldn't stop laughing, King of Conquerors Iskandar looked at Altria with an extremely solemn expression and said, "Saber, are you going to deny the actions you wrote in history?"

"Indeed, King of Conquerors."

Altria put down her wine glass. Even though the Hero King kept laughing, she did not waver in her resolve. Instead, she looked the King of Conquerors in the eye calmly: "This is my responsibility as the King."

Li Ye beside him was watching the scene quietly.

"You are wrong. This is an act of dedication, but not the king's dedication. It should be the country and the people who are dedicated to the king." King of Conquerors Iskandar said: "It is definitely not the other way around! The so-called king should be the one with the strongest greed, the happiest smile, and the most anger.

He has achieved the ultimate in both purity and turbidity. That is why his subjects envy and are obsessed with him, and the fire of longing "I also want to be a king" is ignited in the hearts of every citizen!

As the king who represents the spirit of chivalry, the justice and ideals you uphold may indeed have saved the country and the people, but - what was the final outcome for those who were merely saved?"

"You have been saving your subjects instead of guiding them. You have ignored the confused subjects and have been maintaining a noble attitude by yourself, indulging in your seemingly beautiful ideals. Therefore, you are not a real king, but just a little girl who is bound by an idol called the King that exists only for others."

silence.

Facing the rebuke from the King of Conquerors, Artoria seemed to have fallen silent, but this silence was not a sign of doubt or hesitation about her own path.

Just reflection.

After a while——

"It seems that we still cannot agree with each other on our understanding of the kingly way."

Staring at King of Conquerors Iskandar, Artoria spoke slowly: "As a king, it is natural for me to open up a future for everyone, even if it is a difficult road."

Altria still remembers the day she drew the Sword of Choice.

----

Artoria Pendragon was born in 5th century Britain.

At this time, the once powerful Roman Empire fell into an era of chaos and war, and was already a candle in the wind.

This empire was once thought to be indestructible and impregnable, but at that time it could only wait for its fate to be invaded and divided by the barbarians sooner or later. The Roman Empire, ready to fight the barbarians to the end, abandoned its own territory, Britannia, and withdrew all its armed forces on the island.

Once Britannia lost the protection of the empire, it could not escape the cycle of independence, disintegration, and secession, and quickly split into several small countries.

During this period, barbarian invasions and tribal wars ushered in a long period of time known as the Dark Ages.

Among the warring British princes, King Vortigern used foreign races to try to unify Britain.

The last king, Uther Pendragon, was the last king endowed with mystery in the British Isles.

Fifteen years ago, King Uther was defeated by King Bilbao, so he began to think about placing his hopes on the next generation of kings. However, the mystery of the British Isles is gradually fading, and it is impossible to determine whether the next generation of kings can still obtain Britain's protection.

Therefore, Uther and the magician Merlin came up with a bold idea that the previous king of Britain was merely beyond mortals, and the new king would be at an inhuman level from the beginning.

They performed the conception, the bloodline of the King of Britain, the bloodline of the Red Dragon, the embodiment of Britain, and the mother's womb to merge the two - the bloodline of the noble woman, the Duchess of Cornwall, Igraine.

Without any romance, King Arthur was born.

Ten years ago, Merlin prophesied: "King Uther's successor has been chosen. This person is the next king. When the new king, the incarnation of the Red Dragon, appears, he will gather the Knights of the Round Table, and the White Dragon will retreat.

The king is still alive, and the proof will appear soon."

From then on, every British knight was looking forward to the new king, and they all had the impetuous feeling that they were the chosen new king.

And because of this prophecy, the humble king violently searches for a new king.

When Altria was about 5 years old, she was brought into the home of the old knight Sir Ector.

Since then, Altria has lived a poor life in her adoptive father's house. As an apprentice knight, she was trained in swordsmanship and etiquette by Hector, and at the same time participated in farming like her father and brothers.

She was raised as a boy in Ector's home and was called Altoris by her neighbors.

Altria spends most of her time receiving instruction from the king, and in her free time she has to take care of the horses and patrol the village.

Ten years after the prophecy was made, the Day of the Chosen finally arrived. That was the day when Artoria was destined to draw the Sword of the Chosen.

Yesterday and today, countless knights failed in front of the Sword of Choice. After Kai took over the knight equipment brought by Altria, he said a few sarcastic words as usual, then left her and went to participate in the horseback battle that was destined to be meaningless.

There was a festival atmosphere in the distance, knights were fighting on horseback, and there was no one in front of the Sword of Selection.

"Really, the only flaw is that he has a bad mouth.

...Thank you, Kai. But, I'm sorry. I don't know what the ideal king that Ector talked about is like."

Artoria before drawing the Sword of Selection.

The sword unexpectedly fit in his hand, and something in his body that had never surged before was injected into the sword. His body became light, and the next step was only to pull it out.

[“Before you pick up that thing, you’d better think carefully. I won’t hurt you, so don’t do it. Once you pick up that sword, you will no longer be human until the end. Not only that. Once you pick up it, you will be hated by all humans and face a miserable death.”]

The voice of the magician I had always seen in my dreams rang out from behind me.

[——No, there are many people smiling, I think, that must be right.]

…At that time, she was actually still afraid.

I'm not afraid of my own end, but I'm afraid of whether this decision is right.

The man who pulled the sword out of the rock - there is someone who is more suitable to be the promised king than himself. If it is that person, shouldn't he be able to build a more peaceful country? Such fear.

However, there is no such person.

At least, it won't happen for another ten years, and during that time someone will have to take on this obligation.

Draw your sword and become someone else.

Everything I had feared until now was now a thing of the past.

This is a ritual of killing oneself.

If one has human hearts, he cannot protect the people as a king.

The so-called king is someone who kills the most people in order to protect them.

The young girl thought about that incident every night and trembled until dawn. She had never been afraid for a day, but that would end today.

No matter how many times she will be alienated, feared, or even betrayed, her heart will not change.

Live for people, live with people, and leave a future for people.

That is the matter of being entrusted to the country. The matter of showing the king's proof.

——This is also about living under the responsibility of a king.

She did it for her most important thing.
And chose to say goodbye to the most important thing she saw in her dream.

The magician's words still echoed: [“Ah, you have chosen a difficult path. But miracles come at a price.

King Arthur, you will be exchanging your most precious possessions for this.”

The sword was drawn out as it should have been, and the area was now filled with sunlight.

Altria became something that was not a person.

----

The memories ended. Facing two kings from different worlds and countries, Altria's kingly way did not waver. Everything was determined on the day she drew out the Sword of Choice.

Being a king means leaving a future for people.

But Altria thought she was a failure. She could not save Britain from destruction. A failed king was not needed.

If someone else had drawn the sword of choice, and someone else had become king, the result would definitely be better than what I did, right?

Many thoughts of self-blame lingered in her heart, which led Altria to sign a contract with the restraining force before her death to become a heroic spirit, respond to the call of the Holy Grail War, and try to obtain the Holy Grail to redeem her mistakes.

Despite this, Altria did not think that she was wrong. Even when facing the accountability of the two kings, her heart was as firm as before.

"O King of Conquerors, the King who advances to satisfy his endless desires—"

Knight King Arthur Pendragon stared at the king in front of him and said slowly: "Your kingly way is indeed reasonable, but my kingly way exists to open up the future, and my lifelong efforts also exist for this purpose.

If I can't do this, then someone else will do it.

This is not a sacrifice for an ideal, this is my ideal, my long-cherished wish. "

"......."

Faced with Altria's unwavering will, King of Conquerors Iskandar couldn't help but frown.

Seeing this, Diarmuid Odinah, who had been silent for a long time, slowly spoke: "I am extremely amazed by the spirit of the Knight King. To show my respect, please allow me to speak out my wish.

I have no wish for the Holy Grail to be fulfilled, only to maintain the honor that a knight deserves and to be given a battlefield again.

In order to pursue the honor of being free of disputes and relying only on bravery—

This is the greatest blessing for me and also my great wish.”

As Diarmuid Odinar's self-narration and the Hero King's laughter stopped, Li Ye, who was watching the whole scene, spoke.

"In the final analysis, people with different ideals cannot work together."

Li Ye, who was slowly pouring new wine, smiled and said, "Compared to you, I don't have any big wishes, no mistakes I want to redeem, no second life I want to get.

Compared to you, I just want to keep moving forward.

Therefore, all who stand in my way must be destroyed."

Li Ye raised his glass and said with a smile: "Let's celebrate the birth of the singularity."

(End of this chapter)