Kamen Rider Date A Live

"Then we'll have to meet on the battlefield."

Archer nodded at the same time as Rider with a serious expression.

"But Archer, let's have a drink first, and we can talk about the fight later."

"Of course, unless you don't even like the wine I brought."

"What a joke! With such fine wine before me, how could I bear not to drink?"

At this moment, Saber couldn't tell whether Archer or Rider was friend or foe, so she could only sit silently to the side and watch them. After a while, she finally spoke to Rider.

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

"--Hmm? Of course, my belief is 'conquest'... which is to say 'seizure' and 'aggression'."

Saber suppressed her anger and continued to ask:

"Then why do you want the Holy Grail?"

Rider smiled somewhat embarrassedly, took a sip of his drink, and replied:

"I want to become human."

This was a truly unexpected answer, and even Weber exclaimed "Ah!" before shouting in an almost frantic tone.

"Oh, you! Do you even want to conquer the world—wow!"

After snapping his finger to silence the master, the rider shrugged.

"Fool, how can you conquer the world in this lifetime? Conquest is your dream, and you can only entrust this first step to the Holy Grail."

"You bastard... you actually challenged me for something so trivial?"

Even Archer was at a loss, but Rider said with a serious expression:

“I’m saying, even if we appear in this world using magic, we are still just Servants at heart, originally not existing in this world—it may seem a little ridiculous, but are you really satisfied?”

"I am not satisfied. I want to be reborn into this world and live as a human."

"..."

Recall that Weber originally thought Rider's quirk was his dislike of spiritification and insistence on appearing in physical form. Indeed, while Servants can speak, dress, eat, and so on like humans, their essence is no different from that of ghosts.

"Why...why do you want a physical body so much?"

"Because this is the foundation of 'conquest'."

Iskandar stared at his clenched fist and murmured.

"To possess a body, to venture forth into the world, to carry out my conquest—that is the way of my kingship. But right now I have no body, and that won't do. Without it, none of this can begin. I am not afraid of anything; I simply feel that I must possess a physical body."

Archer seemed to be listening intently to Rider's words, silently drinking his wine throughout. Upon closer observation, one could see that he was displaying a peculiar expression different from his usual ones. Describing it as a smile might be a stretch, but compared to his usual mocking expression, this smile contained a layer of sinister intent.

"It's decided—Rider, I will kill you with my own hands."

"Heh, still saying things like that now. You'd better be prepared, not only the Holy Grail, but I also plan to plunder your entire treasury. You were too careless to let the King of Conquerors drink such fine wine."

Rider burst into a boisterous laugh. But there was one other person who, despite attending the banquet, had not shown a single smile.

Saber, who attended the banquet, couldn't find a chance to interject during the conversation between Archer, Rider, and Shido. The way of the king that the two were discussing was far removed from her own beliefs, so she couldn't connect with them at all.

Follow only your own will —

This is not how a king should think. In Saber's eyes, who believes in integrity, Archer and Rider are nothing more than tyrants.

No matter how powerful the opponent is, Saber's heart burns with an indomitable fighting spirit.

These two are the only opponents I cannot afford to lose to. I absolutely cannot hand over the Holy Grail to them. Archer's words are completely unreasonable, and Rider's wish can only be seen as the wish of a warrior. Moreover, it is merely the beginning of all human desires. Compared to their wishes, Saber's wish is arguably far nobler.

"—Hey Saber, tell me your wish too."

Rider finally turned to Saber. No matter what, her desire never wavered.

My path to kingship is my pride. Still raising his head, the Knight King stared directly at the two heroic spirits.

"I want to save my homeland. I want to change the fate of England's demise."

Chapter 155 The King's Feast (Part 4)

Chapter 155 The King's Feast (Part 4)

P.S.: Sorry, I couldn't log in to the website yesterday due to real-life issues, so there was no update. Don't worry, there will be a regular update tomorrow! Of course, the next update will be next week... By the way, Lelouch also updated a chapter.

After Saber finished speaking resolutely, everyone remained silent for a long time.

The first to feel doubt in the silence was Saber herself.

Even though her words were full of force, the other party wasn't someone who would easily back down. Even though her words were unexpected, they were also very easy to understand.

It was clear and straightforward, nothing strange about it; this was her way of the ruler. Whether it was praise or criticism, someone should have raised it immediately. But—no one spoke.

"—I said, King Knight, did I hear you wrong?"

Rider finally broke the silence, his face filled with confusion for some reason.

"You mean to 'change fate'? That is, to overturn history?"

"Yes. No matter how difficult a wish may be, it can certainly be fulfilled with the omnipotent Holy Grail!"

Saber asserted proudly. Now Saber finally understood why the atmosphere between the two was so strange—the scene suddenly turned cold.

"Ah, Saber? I'd like to confirm... the destruction of England must have happened during your time, during your reign?"

"Yes! That's why I can't forgive myself."

Upon hearing this, Saber's tone became even more resolute.

"So I'm very unwilling to accept this outcome and want to change it! Because I'm the one who caused that ending..."

"...He's gone mad..."

As Shido murmured softly, someone burst into laughter, drowning out his voice. It was a vulgar laugh that disregarded all comprehension, and it came from the mouth of Archer, who radiated a golden glow.

Faced with this immense humiliation, Saber's face was filled with rage. Her most treasured possession had been mocked by Archer.

“...archer, what’s so funny?”

Unfazed by Saber's anger, the Golden Heroic Spirit replied haltingly with a laugh:

"—A self-proclaimed king—praised by all—this kind of person, actually feels 'unwilling'? Ha! How can this not be laughable? A masterpiece! Saber, you are the best clown!"

Beside Archer, who was laughing incessantly, Rider frowned and looked at Saber with some displeasure.

"Wait—wait a minute, King Knight. Do you want to deny the history you created?"

Saber, who had never doubted her ideals, was naturally not stumped by his question at this moment.

"Indeed. Surprised? Ridiculous? As king, the country I dedicated my life to has been destroyed. What's wrong with my mourning?"

Archer responded with another burst of laughter.

"Hey, did you hear that, Rider? You lackey! This little girl who calls herself the King of Knights... actually said something about 'sacrificing herself for the country'! That's the best joke I've ever heard!!"

Archer was met with a deepening silence from Rider and Shido. For Saber, this was as insulting as being mocked.

"I don't understand what's so funny. As a king, it's only natural to step forward and strive for the prosperity of the country!"

You're wrong.

Rider firmly and seriously denied her words.

"It is not the king who sacrifices himself, but the country and the people who dedicate everything to the king. Don't get that wrong."

"What did you say--"

Saber could no longer contain her anger and shouted.

"—Isn't that just being a tyrant! Rider, Archer, it's a huge mistake for you to rule like this!"

"Indeed. But we are not only tyrants, we are also heroes."

Rider answered calmly, without even raising an eyebrow.

"So Saber, if a king is dissatisfied with the results of his governance, it only means that he is a foolish ruler, worse than a tyrant."

Unlike Archer, who constantly mocked Saber, Rider fundamentally rejected her. Saber frowned and retorted sharply:

"Iskandar, you... the empire you built was ultimately split into four parts. Don't you feel any resentment about this? Don't you want to start over and save the country?"

"Do not want to."

The Conqueror King answered immediately, his chest puffed out, meeting the Knight King's stern gaze.

“If my decisions and those of my subjects have led to this outcome, then destruction is inevitable. I will mourn and weep, but I will never regret it.”

"How could this be..."

"Not to mention attempting to overturn history! Such foolish behavior is an insult to all humanity in the era I have created!"

Saber refuted Rider's arrogant words:

"You're only saying this based on the honor of warriors. The people don't think that way; what they need is salvation."

"You mean they want the king's salvation?"

Rider shrugged and burst out laughing.

"I don't understand! What's the point of this?"

"This is the king's duty!"

This time, Saber spoke up proudly.

"Correct rule and correct order are what all subjects expect."

"So you're the 'correct' slave?!"

"You can put it that way. Only those who dedicate themselves to their ideals deserve to be kings."

Without a trace of doubt, the young knight king nodded.

“People can learn about law and order through the king. The king should not be something that disappears with the king’s death, but something more noble.”

Looking at the still resolute Saber, Rider shook his head as if he were pitying her.

"This is not the path that a person would choose to survive."

"Yes. Since I was born to be a king, I cannot expect to live the life of an ordinary person."